SuperSport 286e, SX
Gary Heston
Yesterday, I picked up several SuperSport 286es, a pair of SXs, two
carrying cases, and two battery packs to go with them for $40. I plan
to use them for dumb terminals where I have routers and bridges at work
that need local configuration.
I'm using a 13.5V 1A AC adapter to charge one battery pack (the other
may have problems) and test the systems. So far, I have about four 286e
systems working (two need CMOS batteries; I'll probably replace all of
them) and one SX. There are two 286e systems that won't boot, one more
in pieces, and one SX in pieces. I plan to play parts swapper as much
as I can to solve a couple of broken case problems, but have a couple
of other issues to deal with:
The working SX has a damaged screen. Does anyone know if the LCD is
swappable between a 286e and a SX? The disassembled one is marked as
having a bad screen, too.
The 286e systems seem to have a Connor CP-323 3.5" hard drive which
uses a 20-pin interface cable, which I'm not familiar with (definantly
not an IDE drive). Anybody know what this interface is, and whether any
larger drives were made with it?
I would be interested in more battery packs, even dead ones--they're
usually made with standard size cells internally, and can be rebuilt.
The case is the big problem. I have sent a request to a battery place
to see if they can find anything.
I'd also be interested in the correct size of AC adapters; I'll want
at least one for each computer I get working. I don't want to pay
$40 each for them, though. :-)
I'd also be interested in any info anyone has on these computers, at
the moment, the only way I know of to get it into setup is to hold down
the ESC key while it's booting to force a keyboard error. Looks like it
has a good ROM monitor in there that might be fun to play with. All of
these have newer versions of DOS installed (5.0, 6.0, 6.22), and most
have disc doubler software of some kind.
It's possible that I may have some parts left over; I'll test everything
in case someone else needs them and post what I end up with available.
Thanks,
Gary
--
Gary Heston ghe...@ro.com spamfodder: root@localhost pres...@whitehouse.gov
sync@localhost daemon@localhost lp@localhost mail@localhost news@localhost
All the world's a stage, and the stage crew is drunk.
Walter Gray
:Greetings;
:
: Yesterday, I picked up several SuperSport 286es, a pair of SXs, two
:carrying cases, and two battery packs to go with them for $40. I plan
Lucky dog!!!
:to use them for dumb terminals where I have routers and bridges at work
:that need local configuration.
:
: I'm using a 13.5V 1A AC adapter to charge one battery pack (the other
:may have problems) and test the systems. So far, I have about four 286e
:systems working (two need CMOS batteries; I'll probably replace all of
:them) and one SX. There are two 286e systems that won't boot, one more
:in pieces, and one SX in pieces. I plan to play parts swapper as much
:as I can to solve a couple of broken case problems, but have a couple
:of other issues to deal with:
:
: The working SX has a damaged screen. Does anyone know if the LCD is
: swappable between a 286e and a SX? The disassembled one is marked as
: having a bad screen, too.
:
: The 286e systems seem to have a Connor CP-323 3.5" hard drive which
: uses a 20-pin interface cable, which I'm not familiar with (definantly
: not an IDE drive). Anybody know what this interface is, and whether any
: larger drives were made with it?
They also used a Conner CP-343 40MB drive. All these OEM drives seem
to be unavailable. Maybe Zenith still supply them, at a fabulous price.
The controller is the little plugin board under the keyboard. The
connector looks like an IDE, and the voltages mostly seem to agree.
However, I have been unable to make it talk to a (known good) IDE
drive. I'm not sure, but I think you have to get an exact match to
the setup types. Has anyone /ever/ re-disked a Supersport 286?
:
: I would be interested in more battery packs, even dead ones--they're
: usually made with standard size cells internally, and can be rebuilt.
: The case is the big problem. I have sent a request to a battery place
: to see if they can find anything.
Sounds do-able, at a price. The battery pack is a bit more sophisticated
than normal. There is a constant-current charger and a temperature
sensor built in. If you try to charge a pack that has too many dead
cells, look out for heat and smoke. Don't leave old packs to charge
unattended.
:
: I'd also be interested in the correct size of AC adapters; I'll want
: at least one for each computer I get working. I don't want to pay
: $40 each for them, though. :-)
Why do you think you got them so cheap ? :)
:
: I'd also be interested in any info anyone has on these computers, at
:the moment, the only way I know of to get it into setup is to hold down
:the ESC key while it's booting to force a keyboard error. Looks like it
:has a good ROM monitor in there that might be fun to play with. All of
:these have newer versions of DOS installed (5.0, 6.0, 6.22), and most
:have disc doubler software of some kind.
The ESC trick doesn't work with mine. Normally you do CTRL-ALT-INS
to reach the monitor. This works with DOS 3.21 and DOS 3.3 (that's
what the machines were sold with). Installing DOS 5 or higher seems
to prevent that. I set them to boot direct into the monitor when I
install a new DOS. You can download some generic Zenith utilities
from their web site.
:
: It's possible that I may have some parts left over; I'll test everything
:in case someone else needs them and post what I end up with available.
:
Unfortunately, what everyone needs are HDs and PSUs :(
Walter
Disclaimer: My employer is not responsible for this stuff.
Gary Heston
Walter Gray <wag...@taz.dra.hmg.gb> wrote:
>In article <6u3fo2$4al$1...@sh1.ro.com>, ghe...@ro.com (Gary Heston) writes:
> : The working SX has a damaged screen. Does anyone know if the LCD is
> : swappable between a 286e and a SX? The disassembled one is marked as
> : having a bad screen, too.
I've received email indicating that they probably are not, but haven't
checked to make sure.
> : The 286e systems seem to have a Connor CP-323 3.5" hard drive which
> : uses a 20-pin interface cable, which I'm not familiar with (definantly
> : not an IDE drive). Anybody know what this interface is, and whether any
> : larger drives were made with it?
>They also used a Conner CP-343 40MB drive. All these OEM drives seem
>to be unavailable. Maybe Zenith still supply them, at a fabulous price.
Zeniths' web site points to Crappard Bell, who bought ZDS, and they don't
have anything on older hardware. Zenith probably dumpstered all of the
leftovers.
>The controller is the little plugin board under the keyboard. The
>connector looks like an IDE, and the voltages mostly seem to agree.
>However, I have been unable to make it talk to a (known good) IDE
>drive. I'm not sure, but I think you have to get an exact match to
>the setup types. Has anyone /ever/ re-disked a Supersport 286?
My email respondent also indicated success with this, but it takes an
old trick--pick a drive type in which sectors and heads match, but which
has fewer cylinders than the drive does, and you can format it. He said
he had a 135MB drive in his 286e. I suspect there's an upper limit of
512MB, though, so older drives (i.e., cheap/free) are probably better.
> : I would be interested in more battery packs, even dead ones--they're
> : usually made with standard size cells internally, and can be rebuilt.
> : The case is the big problem. I have sent a request to a battery place
> : to see if they can find anything.
>Sounds do-able, at a price. The battery pack is a bit more sophisticated
>than normal. There is a constant-current charger and a temperature
>sensor built in. If you try to charge a pack that has too many dead
>cells, look out for heat and smoke. Don't leave old packs to charge
>unattended.
Charged one overnight, and am now charging the other. No problems out
of them so far. I opened one, and it seems to just have 10 D-size NiCad
cells in series. However, the flyer I have from a discount battery place
lists a regular D NiCad at $7.95 each, which would make it $8 cheaper
to repair a pack than to buy a 1.8AH pack. These cells are rated at
4.4AH, though, close to the 5AH pack that costs $120. However, I can get
a 12V 6.5AH sealed lead-acid battery for $24, which looks like a *much*
better deal. I'll have to see if they can be used on their side.
> : I'd also be interested in the correct size of AC adapters; I'll want
> : at least one for each computer I get working. I don't want to pay
> : $40 each for them, though. :-)
>Why do you think you got them so cheap ? :)
Because the previous owner has this companion known as a "wife" who was
applying some pressure for him to get some of his stuff out of the way.
:-)
> : I'd also be interested in any info anyone has on these computers, at
> :the moment, the only way I know of to get it into setup is to hold down
> :the ESC key while it's booting to force a keyboard error. Looks like it
> :has a good ROM monitor in there that might be fun to play with. All of
> :these have newer versions of DOS installed (5.0, 6.0, 6.22), and most
> :have disc doubler software of some kind.
>The ESC trick doesn't work with mine. Normally you do CTRL-ALT-INS
>to reach the monitor. This works with DOS 3.21 and DOS 3.3 (that's
>what the machines were sold with). Installing DOS 5 or higher seems
>to prevent that. I set them to boot direct into the monitor when I
>install a new DOS. You can download some generic Zenith utilities
>from their web site.
I'll go back and look for those; didn't notice anything about them the
first time I looked. The CTL-ALT-INS trick does seem to work with most
of mine. The ESC hold-down trick is an old one; it forces an error and
causes setup to be entered to deal with it.
> : It's possible that I may have some parts left over; I'll test everything
> :in case someone else needs them and post what I end up with available.
>Unfortunately, what everyone needs are HDs and PSUs :(
Well, I already have one request for a modem. If I can figure out something
about drives I'll post it; there's bound to be a source for AC adapters
somewhere out there.
If I have an extra $100 Friday, I'm going back and pick up the Sharp 486
Color laptop with 16MB that needs the display plugged back in. :-)
Walter Gray
:In article <6u5vi3$419$1...@trog.dra.hmg.gb>,
:Walter Gray <wag...@taz.dra.hmg.gb> wrote:
[]
:
:My email respondent also indicated success with this, but it takes an
:old trick--pick a drive type in which sectors and heads match, but which
:has fewer cylinders than the drive does, and you can format it. He said
:he had a 135MB drive in his 286e. I suspect there's an upper limit of
:512MB, though, so older drives (i.e., cheap/free) are probably better.
I'll have another go at that. I relied on the drive to translate
the parameters, even though the sectors didn't match. I'm a bit
dubious about using the Zenith low-level formatter (nprep14) on
a normal IDE, though they intend it for use on the Conners.
[]
:Charged one overnight, and am now charging the other. No problems out
:of them so far. I opened one, and it seems to just have 10 D-size NiCad
:cells in series. However, the flyer I have from a discount battery place
:lists a regular D NiCad at $7.95 each, which would make it $8 cheaper
:to repair a pack than to buy a 1.8AH pack. These cells are rated at
:4.4AH, though, close to the 5AH pack that costs $120. However, I can get
:a 12V 6.5AH sealed lead-acid battery for $24, which looks like a *much*
:better deal. I'll have to see if they can be used on their side.
They're not D cells. They are one of the standard industrial sizes
and are all welded together. You might find them in an electronics
catalogue, but they will be dearer than domestic D cells. You need
to find a supplier who can do the welding. Otherwise they will give
intermittent contacts.
(Incidentally, there are 2 sizes of pack, 2.5Ah and 4Ah. I think
the 2.5Ah was supplied with the Supersport (8088). The 286 manual
mentions both sizes.)
:
:> : I'd also be interested in the correct size of AC adapters; I'll want
:> : at least one for each computer I get working. I don't want to pay
:> : $40 each for them, though. :-)
:
:>Why do you think you got them so cheap ? :)
:
:Because the previous owner has this companion known as a "wife" who was
:applying some pressure for him to get some of his stuff out of the way.
::-)
Buy her some flowers and a box of chocolates. (And ask her if she'd
like to throw out any old power supplies)
[]
:
:> : It's possible that I may have some parts left over; I'll test everything
:> :in case someone else needs them and post what I end up with available.
:
:>Unfortunately, what everyone needs are HDs and PSUs :(
:
:Well, I already have one request for a modem. If I can figure out something
:about drives I'll post it; there's bound to be a source for AC adapters
:somewhere out there.
I have 3 power supplies but no modem. Will an American modem work on
this side of the pond? Actually it might be easier for you to adapt
ordinary 13.7V CB supplies than to buy proper Zenith ones.
:
:If I have an extra $100 Friday, I'm going back and pick up the Sharp 486
:Color laptop with 16MB that needs the display plugged back in. :-)
So you're not a true-blue Zenith man, then?
John & Deborah Proctor
wag...@taz.dra.hmg.gb (Walter Gray) wrote:
>In article <6u727j$q3q$1...@sh1.ro.com>, ghe...@ro.com (Gary Heston) writes:
> :In article <6u5vi3$419$1...@trog.dra.hmg.gb>,
> :Walter Gray <wag...@taz.dra.hmg.gb> wrote:
>[]
> :
> :My email respondent also indicated success with this, but it takes an
> :old trick--pick a drive type in which sectors and heads match, but which
> :has fewer cylinders than the drive does, and you can format it. He said
> :he had a 135MB drive in his 286e. I suspect there's an upper limit of
> :512MB, though, so older drives (i.e., cheap/free) are probably better.
>
>I'll have another go at that. I relied on the drive to translate
>the parameters, even though the sectors didn't match. I'm a bit
>dubious about using the Zenith low-level formatter (nprep14) on
>a normal IDE, though they intend it for use on the Conners.
>
>
>
Hi, On these hard drives, 286e's has a standard IDE drive, a Conner CP3044
drive type 44 in the BIOS, the model number was ZWL-0200-41. However, if
you have CP323 or CP343 drives you may not have standard IDE drives.
It sounds like you have the older ZWL-0200-02 or 04 units.
With these Zeniths you never really know. I have put a standard IDE in place
of a CP343 without doing a modification. However, most units with a CP323 or
CP343 need to be modified for a standard IDE drive to work. This isn't hard.
I have a file on doing this and a list of IDE drives that are known too work
in these units. Also one last thing the largest drive in the last BIOS is
220 Megs, anything larger you will need to use a special overlay to make it
work.( I put a IBM 542 meg drive in a Z-lite 425L and it seems to have the
overlay in the harddrive controler, so this type of drives may work on your
286 models) I like the Conner drives the best, look for CP30084, CP30174 etc.
These are the same type that were used in the SXs and 286e's and are easy to
install.
<SNIP>
> :> : It's possible that I may have some parts left over; I'll test everything
> :> :in case someone else needs them and post what I end up with available.
> :
> :>Unfortunately, what everyone needs are HDs and PSUs :(
> :
> :Well, I already have one request for a modem. If I can figure out something
> :about drives I'll post it; there's bound to be a source for AC adapters
> :somewhere out there.
>
>I have 3 power supplies but no modem. Will an American modem work on
>this side of the pond?
It should.
>Actually it might be easier for you to adapt
>ordinary 13.7V CB supplies than to buy proper Zenith ones.
>
>
> :
> :If I have an extra $100 Friday, I'm going back and pick up the Sharp 486
> :Color laptop with 16MB that needs the display plugged back in. :-)
>
>So you're not a true-blue Zenith man, then?
>
I have the service manual for the model ZWL-0200-02 and 04s so I help with some
questions. Also I just picked up a couple units for $20 with bad hard drives
and will be modifying them to take standard IDE drives.
BTW: Zenith's web site does have some files, but the best thing they have there
is a model parts data base that you can look up your model and get the part numbers
you need for your unit. You could look up both the 286's and SX's model number
and see what parts are inter-changeable.
John Proctor
call...@ix.netcom.com
Gary Heston
Walter Gray <wag...@taz.dra.hmg.gb> wrote:
[ ... ]
> :Because the previous owner has this companion known as a "wife" who was
> :applying some pressure for him to get some of his stuff out of the way.
>Buy her some flowers and a box of chocolates. (And ask her if she'd
>like to throw out any old power supplies)
If he'd had any, I'd have gotten them. Now, she's "encouraging" him to
sell off a large batch of Amiga stuff. :-)
[ ... ]
> :Well, I already have one request for a modem. If I can figure out something
> :about drives I'll post it; there's bound to be a source for AC adapters
> :somewhere out there.
>I have 3 power supplies but no modem. Will an American modem work on
>this side of the pond? Actually it might be easier for you to adapt
>ordinary 13.7V CB supplies than to buy proper Zenith ones.
I suspect the ones I have are 2400 baud, so they'll probably work. Haven't
had a chance to start testing, yet--10 hour workdays cut into play time.
I may end up with some type of adapter and a stock PS, but I suspect there
is a manufacturer out there who has a standard part which will do the job.
Just have to find them.
> :If I have an extra $100 Friday, I'm going back and pick up the Sharp 486
> :Color laptop with 16MB that needs the display plugged back in. :-)
>So you're not a true-blue Zenith man, then?
Hmmmm, let's see: 7 PCs, an IBM PC/RT, and a Sun 3/50 on the den network,
plus several not up at the moment, like the IBM System 7, HP 2000E, TRS-80
Model III, Data General Eclipse C/400, a few Macs, a few MultiBus-based
systems, and actually, a Zenith 8088 clone, and at least three 286 boxes.
You'd never guess I make a living as a network administrator, would you?
Can't quite say I'm true-blue anything, other than a packrat. :-)
Paul R. Bennett
As for batterys, I have a Supersport286 as well. It came with one good and
one bad battery pack. I bought a replacement set of batteries(don't know if
they were Zenith or not)through a third party battery dealer. In my case I
got it through E.H. Yost, also known as Mr. Ni-Cad. They do have a web page.
You might try searching the web and checking with other Ni-Cad vendors.
Paul Bennett
(Disclaimer: This does not represent an opinion, position, statement, or
recommendation on the part of the CISE Dept, the University of Florida, or
the state of Florida. This is solely and completely my own.)
Walter Gray
:In article <6u8kj3$4vl$1...@trog.dra.hmg.gb>,
: wag...@taz.dra.hmg.gb (Walter Gray) wrote:
:
:>In article <6u727j$q3q$1...@sh1.ro.com>, ghe...@ro.com (Gary Heston) writes:
:> :Walter Gray <wag...@taz.dra.hmg.gb> wrote:
:>[]
:> :
:> :My email respondent also indicated success with this, but it takes an
:> :old trick--pick a drive type in which sectors and heads match, but which
:> :has fewer cylinders than the drive does, and you can format it. He said
:> :he had a 135MB drive in his 286e. I suspect there's an upper limit of
:> :512MB, though, so older drives (i.e., cheap/free) are probably better.
:>
:>I'll have another go at that. I relied on the drive to translate
:>the parameters, even though the sectors didn't match. I'm a bit
:>dubious about using the Zenith low-level formatter (nprep14) on
:>a normal IDE, though they intend it for use on the Conners.
:>
:>
:>
:
:Hi, On these hard drives, 286e's has a standard IDE drive, a Conner CP3044
:drive type 44 in the BIOS, the model number was ZWL-0200-41. However, if
:you have CP323 or CP343 drives you may not have standard IDE drives.
:It sounds like you have the older ZWL-0200-02 or 04 units.
Yes, mine are -02. It sounds like that 'e' suffix represents a
lot of improvements. I think in UK and Europe, Supersports were
mostly sold in large batches to governments and large companies,
perhaps as a way of selling off old models.
:With these Zeniths you never really know. I have put a standard IDE in place
:of a CP343 without doing a modification. However, most units with a CP323 or
:CP343 need to be modified for a standard IDE drive to work. This isn't hard.
:I have a file on doing this and a list of IDE drives that are known too work
I'd be grateful if you could post or email that file...
Walter Gray
:In article <6u8kj3$4vl$1...@trog.dra.hmg.gb>,
:Walter Gray <wag...@taz.dra.hmg.gb> wrote:
[]
:I may end up with some type of adapter and a stock PS, but I suspect there
:is a manufacturer out there who has a standard part which will do the job.
:Just have to find them.
The Zenith PS didn't use any kind of generic module, inside it is
a discrete-component (mostly) switcher supply. It looks like a
real old-fashioned Heath/Zenith design. You might get lucky though.
:
:> :If I have an extra $100 Friday, I'm going back and pick up the Sharp 486
:> :Color laptop with 16MB that needs the display plugged back in. :-)
:
:>So you're not a true-blue Zenith man, then?
:
:Hmmmm, let's see: 7 PCs, an IBM PC/RT, and a Sun 3/50 on the den network,
:plus several not up at the moment, like the IBM System 7, HP 2000E, TRS-80
:Model III, Data General Eclipse C/400, a few Macs, a few MultiBus-based
:systems, and actually, a Zenith 8088 clone, and at least three 286 boxes.
:You'd never guess I make a living as a network administrator, would you?
:
:Can't quite say I'm true-blue anything, other than a packrat. :-)
Thinks, TRS80 Model 1, Supersport (8088), 3 Supersport286 (two are ill).
Generic 386-20 with a Zenith flat-screen monitor, for programming. Not
much, but give it time...
John & Deborah Proctor
wag...@taz.dra.hmg.gb (Walter Gray) wrote:
snip
> :With these Zeniths you never really know. I have put a standard IDE in place
> :of a CP343 without doing a modification. However, most units with a CP323 or
> :CP343 need to be modified for a standard IDE drive to work. This isn't hard.
> :I have a file on doing this and a list of IDE drives that are known too work
>
>
>I'd be grateful if you could post or email that file...
>
>
Here you go. This is a text file of how to upgrade the hard drive in a
Supersport 286.
Enjoy,
John
John & Deborah Proctor
snip
> :With these Zeniths you never really know. I have put a standard IDE in place
> :of a CP343 without doing a modification. However, most units with a CP323 or
> :CP343 need to be modified for a standard IDE drive to work. This isn't hard.
> :I have a file on doing this and a list of IDE drives that are known too work
>
>
>I'd be grateful if you could post or email that file...
>
This is the listing of the drives known to work in Zenith Supersports.
Enjoy,
John
John & Deborah Proctor
John & Deborah Proctor <call...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
Here is a copy in plain text for those who can't decode the other ones.
Replacement of Hard Drives on the
SupersPORT-286 and SupersPORT-SX.
Last Revision 26 November 1993:
Modifications of revision -02 or earlier motherboards.
SS286 and SS286e power connections added.
Replacement of a hard drive on the SupersPORT-286 or -SX is a
straight forward operation requiring only the skills of a Phillip's-head
screw driver mechanic. The drives in these units are common, everyday
IDE drives. Replacing a broken drive, or adding disk capacity takes only
about 30 minutes of screw driver time and about the same amount of time
to prepare the new disk for use by the computer.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE:
Very early Conner IDE drives were not true IDE specification and
ZDS accounted for this on some desktops with a jumper. ZDS
accounted for this on the SupersPORT-286 in the motherboard
circuitry. A jumper is not present in the SupersPORT-286. If you
have a very old SupersPORT-286 you should insure you can get a
refund on any drive you purchase that won't work!
It has been reported that this conversion or upgrade may not work
on very early SS-286 motherboards (revision -02 or less). These
computers are apparently serial numbered 000001 through 031981.
* It is possible to add a "hardware patch" to the motherboard and
* allow the newer Conner drives to work. See NOTE at end of this
* article for hardware modifications for early series motherboards.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. TYPES OF DRIVES. The SupersPORT-286 and -SX series of computer, to
include the Heathkit H-286x series, are factory equipped with either the
Conner CP-3xx series IDE hard drive, which has it's integral controller
mounted on a separate card; or the Conner CP-30xx series IDE hard drive
which is totally self contained. Both are IDE drives. The older
(separate controller) CP-3xx series drive mounts directly into the
computer. The newer series drive is mounted on a bracket. There is
nothing special about either type drive and both 20M and 40M versions
were supplied.
To replace a bad drive it is only necessary to buy a new drive and
possibly a new data cable, bracket, and power cable; and just install
them in the computer. See if the data cable is removable from your
drive. On some CP-302x models the cable is permanently mounted to the
drive; on others it pops right off.
To install a hard drive in the Heathkit H-286x series that doesn't
currently have a hard drive you only need to add a hard drive in the
left drive bay pretending you originally had the older series Conner
(you need all the parts if you threw away the Winchester bracket that
was standard with the H-2862).
[To determine what drive you have in your SupersPORT without
disassembling it, run the program IDEDIAG included as part of this
package. If you have the Conner CP-3023/3024 or CP-3043/3044 series
drive you have the new type and don't need anything other than a
new drive and maybe the data cable. If you a CP-3xx (three digit
model number) you have an older drive and will need the new bracket
and power cable as well. If you have the older type drive, also
check your motherboard revision number. See the NOTE above.]
2. PICKING A LARGER DRIVE. Other than money(!), there are only two
considerations in choosing a larger drive: (1) It's gotta be an IDE
drive, and (2) it has to fit inside the computer. ZDS dealer claims to
the contrary, there are no "special" drives or controllers required by
this computer. Any new IDE drive that will physically fit inside the
computer should work. The interior room limits drive height to 1" (one
inch) high drives. "Half height" drives will not fit. Although in THEORY
any IDE drive should work, only Conner and Western Digital "Caviar"
drives have worked successfully in this conversion. An attempt to
install a Quantum did NOT work!
Drives known to install inside the computer are (drives less than 40M
not shown):
Conner ROM
Model No. Capacity Drive Type
CP-344 42M (factory installed old models) 44
CP-3044 42M (factory installed new models) 44
CP-3000 42M (new model number for 3044) 44
CP-30104 122M (some factory -SX units) 61
WD Caviar
Model No.
AC-280 80M 56
AC-2120 120M 61
3. ZENITH PARTS REQUIRED.
For ALL installations:
969-1917 Cable, Hard Drive, Data, SS286e (40 conductor)
(Optional, but highly recommended)
* Only required if your old cable is permanently attached to the drive.
For "older" series SS-286, and H-2860:
969-1814 Bracket, Hard Drive, SS286e
or 969-181-D (old model number, same bracket)
or 232-183-1 (even older model number!)
or use 3" x 5" pad of Velcro and secure the drive to the case!
969-2345 Cable, 4C, Power, SS286
(4-pin to 3-pin)
or
969-1812 Cable, Power, SS286e (if converting H-2862)
(3-pin to 3-pin)
NOTE: See the Note at the end of this document for details on the
Caviar HD power connector!
If you're installing the the CP-30104 or AC-2120 in the standard video
SupersPORT-286 (or H-2860) and Type 61 isn't in your ROM:
444-671-05 (As of Sep 90. The -05 is the revision number
444-672-05 and the version you get may be higher.)
For the SS-SX the ROM part numbers are:
444-808-xx and 444-809-xx.
4. SOURCE FOR HARD DRIVES AND PARTS.
There are several sources for hard drives. Check PC-Magazine or
Computer Shopper for prices and compare to the Zuni (Western Imaging)
prices posted in the Library. I've purchased a number from Hard Drives
International which ships FedEx so you'll have the drive in only a
couple of days. You only need the "bare drive" and the 40 conductor
cable. If you have to order a ZDS mounting bracket, or ROMs, go with the
ZDS data cable listed above as it simplifies installation. Otherwise you
can rework the 40 conductor data cable that comes with the drive.
ZDS parts can be obtained at a ZDS dealer, or service center.
5. INSTALLATION. Once you've assembled all the parts it's time to put
them inside the computer. You'll need a special tool: a Phillip's screw
driver.
If your current hard drive is still working you can simplify
reinstallation of the software by performing a BACKUP. Don't try to use
an old version of FastBack. Earlier versions don't work on the SS-286
due to DMA conflicts. FastBack assures me that it's made a verified
Backup. but Restores always fail.
If your current hard drive is dead you'll have to rely on your last
backup.....
a. Gather all parts and special tools. Set aside about 90 minutes
for the project. Remove small hands and cats from the area.
b. Close the computer cover and unplug the battery case and power
connectors. Tape the cover closed so it doesn't pop opened unexpectedly
and damage the case (don't tape over the lower half of the bottom case
as you're going to remove that part).
c. Invert the unit on a towel to keep from scratching the cases and
remove the seven (7) screws holding the lower case together. Keeping the
cases together, rotate the unit upright. Lift slightly and rotate the
top half of the lower case and the screen to the rear and lay it flat.
There is enough slack in the video cables to allow you to leave them
connected.
Examine the video connector where it plugs into the main unit. If
it's not held in place with a bracket or clip, get one from your dealer.
d. Remove keyboard (2 screws). Just move it slightly out of the
way, don't disconnect the cable unless you're also installing new ROMs.
To remove the keyboard cable lift up both ends of the bracket on
the motherboard until it pops up enough to free the cable. When you
replace it just stick the cable in the slot and snap the connector back
down.
e. Remove the hard drive (3 screws). If the hard drive is connected
to another circuit card you've got the CP-3xx series with the separate
controller. Remove the controller. Disconnect the drive or controller
from the motherboard 40 pin connector. Disconnect the power cable from
the drive noting the position of the wires. Some of the screws are hard
to see, so take your time! You MAY have to remove the video power
supply to get at the screw beneath it.
f. If you're installing new ROMs in the non-VGA versions, and there
is only one two access hatch on the bottom of the computer for the 80287
chip, you'll also need to remove the floppy drive (3 screws), the power
supply, and motherboard. The ROMS are on the bottom of the motherboard.
(If you've got two hatches don't disassemble further, just
remove/replace the ROMs thru the bottom hatch!)
ROMs on the SupersPORT-286e (VGA version) are on the TOP of the
motherboard, under the keyboard.
Remove the old ROMS and replace. Insure all pins go into the
sockets. Reassemble the motherboard, floppy drive, and power supply.
g. Mount the data cable to the drive. The ZDS data cable is
optional, but highly recommended. You can use the cable that comes with
your new drive with a little care and modification. My cable came with
two connectors on the disk drive end so I cut one off. Also separate the
flat cable into pairs to increase it's flexibility. Do this carefully so
you don't disturb any connections or break any wires.
h. Install the new drive on the bracket with four screws (first
removing the old drive if necessary!).
i. Install the (new) power connector to the power supply, if
necessary, and drive. The brown wire goes toward the center of the
drive. See the NOTE at the end of the document regarding the Caviar
drive power connector.
j. Connect the 40-pin cable from the drive to the motherboard.
k. Find a piece of cardboard and place it under the drive
approximately over the hard drive bay. We want to pre-test the
installation before we reassemble the computer and the cardboard will
insulate the drive from the computer innards so we don't get exciting
sparks and blue smoke.
l. With the drive safely isolated from the computer, plug the power
cable in the rear panel and switch on the computer. The floppy should
wind up and buzz, and you should hear the drive motor on the hard drive
running. If you don't hear both drives running POWER OFF and check your
work! The screen will probably display a error to the effect that you
can't boot this drive. Turn everything back off and unplug the power
cord.
6. REASSEMBLY is the reverse of disassembly:
a. Install the drive. Neatly fold the 40 conductor drive cable in
such a manner that it exits the bottom of the drive and then comes
between the two bracket feet. Place the drive/bracket assembly into the
computer and arrange the cable so it isn't pinched or under the bracket.
There's plenty of room under the keyboard for any excess. Keep the cable
out of the modem compartment.
Secure the drive bracket with three (3) screws. The screw in the
back left corner has a black ground wire connected from the keyboard.
Run this wire where it won't be pinched. The screw hole nearest the
modem compartment is left open as a case-screw will go through here.
Neatly run the power cable between the floppy and hard drive. If the
drive and bracket won't fit you'll have to move the drive on the bracket
(the mounting holes are slotted). It's tight, but it all fits.
b. Replace the keyboard, making sure all the drive cable is folded
neatly underneath. If you removed the keyboard cable from the
motherboard, be sure to snap the bracket back down to secure the cable.
Be sure the lugs at the top of the keyboard go into the slots and secure
with the two small screws.
c. Replace the top half of the case (and screen). Don't forget to
put the hard drive hole blanking plate in place. The case takes a little
jiggling sometimes. Make sure no wires are sticking out. Replace the
seven screws in the bottom of the case.
7. TESTING AND SOFTWARE INSTALLATION. Power up the computer listening
for the drive motors and watching the LEDs. If your computer is set to
boot from the hard drive you'll either get the message "Not a bootable
partition" or nothing at all. Either is normal, the first is more
common.
a. Hit Ctrl-Alt-Ins and enter the monitor ROM. Select the proper
Hard Disk Drive Type. If your drive type isn't there, and you didn't put
in new ROMs select Drive Type 1. If you installed new ROMs set the other
areas to your own settings. Save your SETUP.
b. If you were able to set the right drive type in SETUP, reboot
the computer from the floppy. I recommend you use your MS-DOS Disk #1.
This will run the setup program (various names depending on your
version). Go to the hard drive part of the menu and see if the format
option is there. If the format option is there you can proceed if you
want the drive to be all one partition.
If you've installed the CP-30104 or AC-2120 I recommend you
PARTition it into two 60M partitions. To do this you need to run PART
before you FORMAT. I further recommend that when you run PART you set
both partitions as BOOTABLE. This is a safety device in case your C:
drive becomes unbootable for some reason (try a messed up CONFIG.SYS
file!). You can boot from the second partition with the command BW0:2.
Note this may NOT be possible under MS-DOS 6.
After running PART, go back and FORMAT /S your partition(s). You
can now restore your software.
c. If the right drive type was NOT in SETUP you MAY be able to run
PREP /Q to get the drive properly setup. Try PART first. If you can
PARTition the drive you're home free and can go from there to FORMAT as
above.
If PREP /Q does not work you need the new ROMs with Drive Type 61.
Most SS-286e's will already have them.
If you're PREPping the Conner CP-30104 or the AC-2120 and drive
type 61 is lacking in your ROM use PREP /Q and supply the following
information when prompted. Installation of the proper ROM is highly
recommended.
CP-30104 AC-2120
Cylinders 761 872
Heads 8 8
Sectors 39 35
Ship Zone 761 872
Precomp Off or 0 Off or 0
Once PREP/Q is complete you can run PART it into two 60M partitions
and FORMAT /S both as above.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES ON CAVIAR DRIVES:
1. Recent developments in the IDE drive area have resulted in the
Western Digital Caviar series. While these drives are new (October
1992) they appear to be a better choice than the Conner drives for a
number of reasons: they're less expensive; easier to find; and much
more quiet! I've had an 80M version in daily operation for over a year
without any problems of any sort. You should NOT have to use PREP or
anything similar on one of these new drives.
2. The Caviar drives do NOT come with a mini-power plug as
standard, it's a factory option. If you select one of the Caviars try
to get the small power plug. I have NOT seen this plug, but hope it
will fit the standard connector. I installed the Caviar drive by
modifying the standard big Molex connector. This entails removing the
handle on the connector, splicing it into the existing power cable, and
insulating the connectors with shrink wrap tubing. The wires can then
be bent to fit between the hard drives. Use a voltmeter to determine
the power wires from your power supply. They differ between the '286
and '286e (see note at end).
3. If you can't find the ZDS mounting brackets you can safely
mount the drive directly to the bottom of the case using a 3" x 5" piece
of Velcro. Really! Position it where you want it carefully as it's a
bear to remove once you install it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADDITIONAL NOTES ON OLD MOTHERBOARDS:
Fm: John Barnes [70421,617]
Hi Chuck,
I have cracked the SS286 / CP343 Mystery !!!
I sucessfully installed a standard Conner HDD in a supersport that
previously had a cp343 in it. The board was marked 3RE4B13500030C
in the silkscreen under the FDD. I presume that this is a rev C
motherboard.
I begged some schematics from the authorized service centre.
On schematic 11 they show a set of links marked "JVC" near an
undesignated HC08 chip. I determined that the Interupt requests
from the drive were not being serviced by the microprocessor. The
signal on pin 39, drive BUSY -active low, was being ANDED with the
IRQ request line hence NO interrupts by removing the AND gate
everything works o.k. (Pin 39 on the CP343 must be HIGH if BUSY).
The mods are not too bad. But you have to work on the surface mount
devices.
No components are required, just about 10 inches of wire wrap wire.
1) Remove the Motherboard from the case.
2) Locate the Connector CN15 cut the track leaving pin 25. Count
the pins very carefully. Solder a piece of wire wrap wire to pin
25. Feed the wire the hole beteen the legs of Q2. Solder the wire
to pin 1 of the IC12DB. (I don't know the reason for this mod. I
found it on a rev D motherboard).
3) Locate the IC 14F. This is an HC08. Lift pin 6 of the ic while
heating it with a fine soldering iron. Solder a piece of wire wrap
wire to pin 4 of 14F. Solder the other end of this wire to CN18 pin
14.
4) Insert Jumper JP28 if it is missing.
(Again I don't know the reason - I found it on a rev D.)
Mounting.
It took the diecast frame of the original CP343 drive apart with a
junior hacksaw and a file. By removing the end pieces and drilling
holes in the sides I was able to mount the new drive.
I had to make a short 40 pin cable from a normal IDE cable. Then
using a pocket knife split the cable into pairs to make it more
flexible.
For the power connections. There was no room for the four pin
socket. I took the power cable that was used with the CP343 removed
the drive end and carefully soldered the wires directly to the HDD.
I used a meter to sort them out.
Software. [Firmware]
If the drive being inserted is bigger than those in ROMs then a new
BIOS will be required. I used version 5.
(444 671 - 5 & 444 672 - 5)
I also tried a Conner CP2024 20MB 2 1/2 drive with rev 1 BIOS using
drive type 6. Works fines no problems. A small adapter board is
required to match the connector on the drive to the standard 40 pin
IDE format.
The smaller 2 1/2 drives are really easy to mount. Remove the guts
from the the Cp343 and drill a couple of holes in the side of the
diecast frame to match the drive and viola !
I ran FDISK (from DOS 6) followed by FORMAT.
Acknowledgements
Thanks for the info provided in SS286D.ZIP, this gave me the
confidence to proceed ! The info provided in CONHIDE.ZIP (Conner
HDD manuals) was also very useful.
I have been working with Richard Hagley in England on a CP343 to regular
IDE conversion. I mention that link JP30 should be made. That was
incorrect the link JP28 should be made, the board is very ambiguous it
that region. I will keep you informed as to how he does. Bye for now ...
John
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUPERSPORT POWER CONNECTORS:
SuperSPORT-286 HARD DRIVE Power Connectors on Power Supply:
SS286 Connector SS-286e Connector
+5v Top Ground
Ground . +12v
Ground . +5v
+12v Bottom
Standard Hard Drive and Floppy Drive Molex power connector (big,
standard sized connector):
Molex Plug
1 +5v
2 Ground
3 Ground
4 +12v
------------------------------------------------------------------------
End of File
Information provided from the personal experiences of Chuck Santose, Tom
Looker, Charlie Ojserkis, Kevin Cooney and John Barnes of the Zenith
Forum on Compuserve, none of whom is responsible if you screw this up!
PLease send your comments to:
Chuck Santose 76711,775
Asst Sysop ZDS Forum on CompuServe
Original: 21 August 1991
Revised: 29 August 1991 cfs
Revised: 25 September 1991 cfs
Revised: 14 October 1991 cfs
Revised: 19 October 1991 cfs
Revised: 13 January 1992 cfs
Revised: 9 September 1992 cfs
Revised: 1 November 1992 cfs
Revised: 1 May 1993 cfs
Revised: 26 November 1993 cfs
Gary Heston
Walter Gray <wag...@taz.dra.hmg.gb> wrote:
>In article <6u9ja4$62t$1...@sh1.ro.com>, ghe...@ro.com (Gary Heston) writes:
> :In article <6u8kj3$4vl$1...@trog.dra.hmg.gb>,
> :Walter Gray <wag...@taz.dra.hmg.gb> wrote:
>[]
> :I may end up with some type of adapter and a stock PS, but I suspect there
> :is a manufacturer out there who has a standard part which will do the job.
> :Just have to find them.
>The Zenith PS didn't use any kind of generic module, inside it is
>a discrete-component (mostly) switcher supply. It looks like a
>real old-fashioned Heath/Zenith design. You might get lucky though.
Actually, I was referring to the external AC adapter, but you'd be
suprised at what kind of pieces are available as standard parts.
Besides, I used to be a switching power supply development tech, so
I can probably fix any bad ones I end up with without too much trouble.
They're old enough to where they shouldn't have any real exotic parts
in them.
> :> :If I have an extra $100 Friday, I'm going back and pick up the Sharp 486
> :> :Color laptop with 16MB that needs the display plugged back in. :-)
> :>So you're not a true-blue Zenith man, then?
> :Hmmmm, let's see: 7 PCs, an IBM PC/RT, and a Sun 3/50 on the den network,
> :plus several not up at the moment, like the IBM System 7, HP 2000E, TRS-80
> :Model III, Data General Eclipse C/400, a few Macs, a few MultiBus-based
> :systems, and actually, a Zenith 8088 clone, and at least three 286 boxes.
> :You'd never guess I make a living as a network administrator, would you?
> :Can't quite say I'm true-blue anything, other than a packrat. :-)
>Thinks, TRS80 Model 1, Supersport (8088), 3 Supersport286 (two are ill).
>Generic 386-20 with a Zenith flat-screen monitor, for programming. Not
>much, but give it time...
Heck, I have seven SuperSports.... :-)
Walter Gray
:In article <6ub2kf$65p$2...@trog.dra.hmg.gb>,
:Walter Gray <wag...@taz.dra.hmg.gb> wrote:
:>In article <6u9ja4$62t$1...@sh1.ro.com>, ghe...@ro.com (Gary Heston) writes:
:> :In article <6u8kj3$4vl$1...@trog.dra.hmg.gb>,
:> :Walter Gray <wag...@taz.dra.hmg.gb> wrote:
:>[]
:> :I may end up with some type of adapter and a stock PS, but I suspect there
:> :is a manufacturer out there who has a standard part which will do the job.
:> :Just have to find them.
:
:>The Zenith PS didn't use any kind of generic module, inside it is
:>a discrete-component (mostly) switcher supply. It looks like a
:>real old-fashioned Heath/Zenith design. You might get lucky though.
:
:Actually, I was referring to the external AC adapter, but you'd be
:suprised at what kind of pieces are available as standard parts.
So was I. The Supersport has 2 switching supplies in series! The
AC adapter handles 110 or 240 V automatically and regulates to
about 1%.
(Perhaps i'd better qualify that. In the UK they were sold with
a switcher AC adapter. Maybe that doesn't apply in the US.)
Walter Gray
:In article <6ub0mq$65p$1...@trog.dra.hmg.gb>,
: wag...@taz.dra.hmg.gb (Walter Gray) wrote:
:
:snip
:
:> :With these Zeniths you never really know. I have put a standard IDE in place
:> :of a CP343 without doing a modification. However, most units with a CP323 or
:> :CP343 need to be modified for a standard IDE drive to work. This isn't hard.
:> :I have a file on doing this and a list of IDE drives that are known too work
:>
:>
:>I'd be grateful if you could post or email that file...
:>
:
:Here you go. This is a text file of how to upgrade the hard drive in a
:Supersport 286.
:Enjoy,
:John
Got them both. Many thanks John. Now to start hunting through
the 2nd-hand drive ads...
Gary Heston
Walter Gray <wag...@taz.dra.hmg.gb> wrote:
>In article <6ucedj$93h$1...@sh1.ro.com>, ghe...@ro.com (Gary Heston) writes:
> :Actually, I was referring to the external AC adapter, but you'd be
> :suprised at what kind of pieces are available as standard parts.
>So was I. The Supersport has 2 switching supplies in series! The
>AC adapter handles 110 or 240 V automatically and regulates to
>about 1%.
Well, mine were working just fine with a cheapie unregulated transformer
type adapter when that was plugged into the back of the battery pack. I
did allow the battery to charge for a while, and of course the circuit
in the pack did some current limiting.
I'm curious. Has anyone actually measured the current drawn by a 286e
or SX from a 16VDC supply?
>(Perhaps i'd better qualify that. In the UK they were sold with
>a switcher AC adapter. Maybe that doesn't apply in the US.)
No idea. Since the internal DC-DC converter seems to handle a fairly
wide range of ipnput voltage (13.5-16.5 has been mentioned), then I'd
expect it to work fine with an unregulated supply (within limits).
After all, with switchers, they're power converters. If you raise the
input voltage, you lower the current required--as long as you stay in
a reasonable range, they're happy, and the higher voltage can actually
work more efficiently. (Less current through the switching transistors
means less power lost in each junction where there's a voltage drop.)
I'll have to open up one of the DOA boxes and take a look at the internal
power supply. It'd be real convenient if it'd handle 24V... Anybody have
a schematic for it?
Walter Gray
:In article <6udprf$vqm$1...@trog.dra.hmg.gb>,
:Walter Gray <wag...@taz.dra.hmg.gb> wrote:
:>In article <6ucedj$93h$1...@sh1.ro.com>, ghe...@ro.com (Gary Heston) writes:
:
:> :Actually, I was referring to the external AC adapter, but you'd be
:> :suprised at what kind of pieces are available as standard parts.
:
:>So was I. The Supersport has 2 switching supplies in series! The
:>AC adapter handles 110 or 240 V automatically and regulates to
:>about 1%.
:
:Well, mine were working just fine with a cheapie unregulated transformer
:type adapter when that was plugged into the back of the battery pack. I
:did allow the battery to charge for a while, and of course the circuit
:in the pack did some current limiting.
I think that while charging you are runnning the computer directly
from the external supply. I didn't trace the circuit, but it looks
like there is a diode to cut the batteries out of circuit while the
external supply is connected.
:
:I'm curious. Has anyone actually measured the current drawn by a 286e
:or SX from a 16VDC supply?
<blush> I should have done that. Anyway it depends on what's running.
It would be about 1-1.5 A.
:
:>(Perhaps i'd better qualify that. In the UK they were sold with
:>a switcher AC adapter. Maybe that doesn't apply in the US.)
:
:No idea. Since the internal DC-DC converter seems to handle a fairly
:wide range of ipnput voltage (13.5-16.5 has been mentioned), then I'd
:expect it to work fine with an unregulated supply (within limits).
There is (was) a car adapter as well, so it should work over the normal
range of car battery voltages. The manual says not to use it with the
engine running. That would be because of over-voltage and transients.
In fact there might be a risk of getting nuked by transients if you
are using a cheap unregulated supply. The external supply provides
most of the protection. The internal supply seems to have very little.
(Incidentally the power LED changes colour if the voltage goes
too low.)
[]
:
:I'll have to open up one of the DOA boxes and take a look at the internal
:power supply. It'd be real convenient if it'd handle 24V... Anybody have
:a schematic for it?
:
Don't bet on 24V, the internal PSU already runs hot enough to fry
an egg.