Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 (Fortune) 6/7/84; site fastime.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!talcott!panda!genrad!decvax!decwrl!greipa!twg!pesnta!hplabs!hpda!dmsd!fastime!bass
From: bass@fastime.UUCP (John Bass)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Re: Disturbing rumor re -- ROM upgrade and RAM/Hyperdrive upgrade
Message-ID: <194@fastime.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 2-May-85 18:20:25 EDT
Article-I.D.: fastime.194
Posted: Thu May  2 18:20:25 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 12-May-85 00:35:44 EDT
References: <1397@bbncca.ARPA> <2019@sdcc6.UUCP> <2618@nsc.UUCP> <1486@hao.UUCP> <2629@nsc.UUCP>
Lines: 47

Boy oh Boy ... here I go again ... If you hack your MAC (like I have) then
you simply CAN NOT expect apple to take the board back as an exchange if it
breaks ... WHY?? ... because the board is now more than WORTHLESS ... its
a LIABILITY!!! ... it will COST Apple MORE than the manufactured cost to repair
it (IE put it back to original). They will take a NET LOSS since flat rate
repair prices are less than new board costs in most cases PLUS the repair
center and return handling costs to determine the board is salvage.

Problem issolation is done by placing the board in an automated tester that
has pins that contract the solder pads on the bottom of the board. Then
preset analog and digital tests are run to identify the problem chips and
select the board for rework or salvage.

To get a board back from the dealer, ship him a replacement, and test the board
probably costs between $50-75 ... plus the tech time to repair it and additional
funds to retest and inventory the board if repaired. Repair center costs
over the life of a machine can easily exceed the cost of manufacture without
very deliberate cost controls.
Apples policys are good on this issue ... which make the cost of ownership lower
for the majority of owners. Hackers beware ... life is not free once momma
cuts the allowance off. There is no reason I should expect the normal user
pay for my hacking with increased flate rate repair costs.

By the way there is no reason to sacrafice your original 128k board to do
hacking ... I now have 3 128k boards obtained by offering people the $125
exchange price that Apple pays. There are also sources for repaired boards
salvaged by apple or dealers ... I bought an Apple 512k board at the San Jose
swap a few weeks ago for $400 that was repaired and working fine.

I am working on a tiny piggyback board with an NCR5380 SCSI chip on it to
publish (in either DDJ or MacWorld?) as a hack this summer. Anybody interested
in doing the software for it to be published at the same time and released
public domain? Would like a driver and desk accessory like the hyperdrive.
Would put a 50pin SCSI connector in a wide hole comming out the back and mount
the disk/tape in an outside box most likely under the mac. I would guess the
costs for the piggy back board to be under $200 plus the cost of a SCSI disk
(< $1000). For the real hacker 100mb disk plus tape would cost about $3500.

If interested write DMS Design, PO Box 12508, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406, Attn
John Bass. Give your background and experience programming ... particularly on
the mac. We will choose several of the applicatants and send them a piggy
back board at cost ... and make the best solution or several solutions available
for publication and distribution.

John Bass

Have fun ... John