Date   : Sun, 03 Jul 1988 04:18:44 GMT
From   : mailrus!eecae!upba!unocss!tucker@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Greg Tucker)
Subject: Otrona Attache repairs needed.

I doubt Jerry Pournelle is out there in "UsenetLand", but perhaps there
is someone else who can help me.  Just recently a friend gave me her
Otrona Attache to fix and return.  When I told her that the problem was
probably the power supply and I couldn't fix it, she told me that I could
keep the machine if I could get it to work.  Ah ha!  This is my problem.

For those of you who are not familiar with the machine, Otrona is a company
that went under several years ago.  However, the Attache, a CPM
transportable with dual disk drives and 5 inch monitor, is a darn nice
little machine.

When I turn on the machine I get nothing.  Zilch.  It is completely dead.
She said her daughter killed it when she went to Europe, and it hasn't
worked since.  The power supply is built to work with varying voltage
standards, however, you have to reverse a card in the back to keep it from
blowing.  This I doubt she did.  I opened up the machine, for all the
good it did me.  The switch is okay, and there is NO power to the fan
(which works fine).  With my limited electronics experience I would say
the power supply is probably the culprit, no?

Now, for the questions...

1. Is anyone aware of a power supply I could buy for it?  Unfortunately,
   Attaches don't use the nice little modular boxed supplies found in
   todays PCs, but rather an open one that runs across two pc boards.
   I assume they did this to make it compatible with other standards.

2. Does anyone know if these machines are still serviced?

3. I am aware that the Attache has an input on the back for a DC power
   supply, namely a battery pack.  However, they don't define the
   configuration for the pins in the manual.  Does anyone know this
   pin configuration?  Would it be possible to use another external
   power supply using this DC input?

4. Am I wasting my time?  I hope not.  All I have is a crummy little
   Apple //e with NO good terminal emulation software, and no good
   Kermit driver.  In addition, the Attache sure would be nice in the
   dorm...

5. Could anyone give me any additional info they might think would be
   helpful?

Thanks in advance...


"Out there in the desert I see dreams on every wall.
 Nothing's ever solved.
 He said the sky's the limit on this chartered trip away.
 Guess I'd better stay away..."   -Husker Du



-- 
 ------------------------------+---------------------------------------------
 Gregory A. Tucker- Consultant | Internet: conslt05%zeus.dnet@fergvax.unl.edu 
 Campus Computing              | Bitnet:   CONSLT05@UNOMA1
 Univ. of Nebraska at Omaha    | UUCP:     uunet!btni!unocss!tucker


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