Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!ucsd!ogicse!milton!blake.acs.washington.edu!callisto
From: callisto@blake.acs.washington.edu (Finn)
Newsgroups: comp.os.cpm
Subject: Re: kaypro II kaput
Message-ID: <6814@milton.u.washington.edu>
Date: 29 Aug 90 07:28:35 GMT
References: <38499@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Sender: news@milton.u.washington.edu
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
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In article <38499@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> synchrods!daniel@janus.Berkeley.EDU (Dan Senderowicz) writes:
>My old kaypro II just died of old age. The cpu board works but
>there is no video. The crt gun is cold, indicating probably that
>the tube is bad (filament) or something is wrong with the power
>supply (maybe the transformer).  I would really appreciate it if
>anybody has the service manuals to lend thme to me so I can get
>a better insight of the hardware. I called Kaypro but they don't
>longer have anything for that machine.  Thanks.


You are in luck!  The Kaypro machines are totally generic.. meaning they used
the standard stuff of the era (except for the keyboard) and much like disk
drives and PC power supplies are today, you can plug in almost anything and
have it work.

 Specificly, the Kaypro used the Ball monitor.  Not that they bought the
monitors from Ball, but bought whatever was cheapest that week.  You want
to look closely at the card edge plug on the monitor in your machine..
you'll see there are 10 contact points and a slot cut near one end.  Your
local computer parts supply and junque dealer may not still know what a
Ball monitor is, but if it has that same connector, it's going to work
99 times out of a hundred.  Now the only trick is finding one the right
size for your case.. although I have built Frankenkaypros fom junk parts 
and used everything from ultra small cash machine style monitors to huge
16 inch monitors.  Last I bought one of these things ( a couple of years
ago) the going rate was $25 for a used or grungy but workable monitor,
about $40 for new surplus stuff and real nice ones maybe as high as $65.

 The above is an assumption that your monitor has packed it in.. the
power supply is a simple 5 and 12 volt switching supply and it is pretty
unlikely that it would keep the motherboard and drives happy and fail to
deliver the 12 volts to the monitor only.  Just to be safe, before 
spending any money on the monitor, make sure you have +12 on pin 7 on
the monitor connector.  (The connector may not be numbered, but the
notch is between 9 and 10)  If you are interested the connector on the
monitor is as follows:
 1  Ground
 2  
 3 
 4  Brightness pot on 2 & 3 with wiper to 4
 5  Arc Gnd (often not used)
 6  Horz. Sync.
 7  + 12
 8  Video
 9  Vert. Sync.
 Notch
 10 Ground
 
 If your power supply is NOT making 5 and 12 volts, then it will also
run you $30 - $40 if you shop around.  You can use almost any reasonably
rated switching power supply that will fit into the case.  You may or 
may not have to re-do the power supply connector.  Usually the outputs
on power supplies are well labled.  It is important to get the same 
voltages into the same wires. Check everything twice, then have someone
else check it for you.  (I once toasted 2 drives at once by sending
12 volts down a wire that turned out to want 5 volts.)