Xref: utzoo unix-pc.general:3481 comp.sys.att:7187
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!thad
From: thad@cup.portal.com (Thad P Floryan)
Newsgroups: unix-pc.general,comp.sys.att
Subject: Re: WD2010 group buy, call for ORDER and $$$
Message-ID: <21011@cup.portal.com>
Date: 4 Aug 89 05:51:33 GMT
References: <20511@cup.portal.com>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 37

UNIXPC WD2010 chip group buy update, Thursday, 3-August-1989

Having received already 7 "emails of inquiry", here's an update answering all
the questions:

1. The Saturday "Packing Party" panned out due to difficulty cutting the
   anti-static tubes.  I insisted on using the tubes since they'd protect the
   chips against most conceivable forms of package-torture inflictable by the
   Postal Service.  And don't ask about the "black foam"; that solution isn't
   sturdy enough (even with the bubble packaging).

2. Bandsaw, sabre saw, circular saw, radial-arm saw, hacksaw, X-Acto saw, etc.
   all melted and deformed the cut and produced large quantities of "plastic
   dust."  After several trips buying new tubes (wasn't going to experiment
   with the tubes in which the chips arrived) and with the advice of one
   nameless customer at one electronics store, we hit upon a hi-tech solution:
   a "hot knife."  I built this Wednesday (2-August-1989) using .008" diameter
   NiCr (nichrome) wire spring loaded in a wood frame and fed by a 2A 5VDC power
   supply; took 60 minutes to make the 400+ cuts and packing is now being
   completed as I write this.  The cuts are "clean" though some may appear
   scorched.  Most of the "QTY=1" orders are in tube segments OTHER than Western
   Digital's own tubes;  by the time the new tubes were cut, enough empty WD
   tubes were "available" for cutting to the other sizes (2,3,4,5,6 and 10), so
   don't be surprised to read "Made in Japan", "MOTOROLA", "SONY", or other
   legends on the tube segments.

3. Every WD tube had chips from the same week's production; the chips were
   produced in 1987 and 1989.  All chips are brand new and are NOT "pulls."

4. I checked one chip at random from each weeks' production using a TEXTOOL ZIF
   socket in one of my systems and all those tested were OK.

5. If I don't collapse from lack of sleep, the packages should be delivered to
   the Post Office by Friday morning, so expect to receive your orders by early
   next week (August 7-11).

Thad Floryan [ thad@cup.portal.com (OR) ..!sun!portal!cup.portal.com!thad ]