Subject: Re: Canonical Flip-Chip

From: [email-masked] (David Razler)
Date: Fri, 10 Jun 94 00:37:00 -0500

>More trivia: What color(s) were the handles on M-series modules?

CL>Later: Magenta (obvious)

CL>Early: Red (obscure)

CL>Also most of the early cards have unreliable chips that are usually 
CL>blue.  Some people summarily replace all of the Sprague chips on sight. 
CL>(Both handle colors.)

CL>Additional trivia: What color(s) (besides red!) were used in more than 
CL>one module handle series?

CL>cjl

     S for Strong Red (capable of driving more input lines

  ps. In my long history of a DEC collecter/trader (anybody want a TCO1 
DecTape controller, some Magenta backplain?) I have never seen TTL with R&B 
handles. Grey handles are used on experimental modules and home-brew models. 
I'll take a guess and say magenta was probably used on the KL-10 GaAs 
modules.
                                                 
                                      [[email-masked]]

[[email-masked]]
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 * WaveRdr 1.0 [NR] * UNREGISTERED EVALUATION COP

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From: [email-masked] (Charles Lasner)
Date: 11 Jun 1994 18:33:52 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,

>     S for Strong Red (capable of driving more input lines

We mentioned red.  The question was what *besides* red (S series was 
mentioned already as well as being red).  There is an alternate answer.

>I'll take a guess and say magenta was probably used on the KL-10 GaAs 

Am I reading you to say you have a TC01 where the backplane isn't black?  
I have heard of blocks from Sylvania being a dirty yellow color, but not 
used by DEC, but compatible.  And then of course there are all of the 
Omnibus blocks that aren't greent, but are more like black, and some have 
gold contacts, some have curved faces to prevent breakoff when inserting 
modules.  (Also, some green Omnibus blocks are gold pins, and some are 
curved-cut face grooving to prevent break-off.) (A related issue:  some 
Omnibus cards have rounded holes between feet presumable to fit over the 
block ridge better to further prevent break-off, etc.)

ps: to david:  I attempted to e-mail you;  Did you get it?

cjl

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From: [email-masked] (Charles Lasner)
Date: 11 Jun 1994 18:49:02 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
>>handles. Grey handles are used on experimental modules and home-brew models. 

Extremely early M-series as used in early flakey -8/i's use sprague 
chips.  The earliest of these with spargue chips also have red handles 
stamped with the M number.  Perhaps there wasn't any purple plastic out 
yet?  (Or the Barney people were getting ready a few decades early?)

Another related obscurity:  Early R-series modules have a different 
plastic than later ones.  The early ones couldn't pass a UL fire test, 
i.e., the handles burned too easily, so they changed over to a different 
plastic.  The older handles have a dull powdery appearance, but the 
powder could be from decomposition due to age and exposure, etc.

Yet another plastic topic:

Anyone got any theories as to why the Noryl goes yellow on recent 
systems?  VT-220 and VR-201 and LK-201 cases go yellow in weird ways, 
often being zone-dependent.  Various theories include batch variations, 
mold age (contamination from an earlier casting later in the production 
run because they don't clean the mold between units), and in any case 
exposure to light, heat, chemicals.  Any ideas, and anything to do with them?

Sometimes rubbing down with foamy Scotch-brite pads and detergent and 
water lessens it, but they often have a blotchy appearance.  What to do?  
(Bleachable?).

Another one:  What causes urethane death as in various filter parts in 
RK05, covers of CPU boxes, Acoustic-suspension speaker cone rims, etc. 
that just spontaneously turn into gooey piles of crud?

cjl