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From: RCKing@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA ("Roger C. King")
Newsgroups: mod.computers.laser-printers
Subject: Re: Are there problems with the LaserWriter Plus?
Message-ID: <860823155450.239998@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA>
Date: Sat, 23-Aug-86 11:54:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: MIT-MULT.860823155450.239998
Posted: Sat Aug 23 11:54:00 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 24-Aug-86 04:58:48 EDT
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Organization: The ARPA Internet
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Approved: laser-lovers@washington.arpa

Yes, based on my experiences.  Recently my LaserWriter was upgraded to a
LaserWriter Plus by a local dealer.  Mine was one of the older vintage
which requires a jumper to be soldered in addition to the ROM's being
replaced.  All was well for a few days until one morning the test page
did not come forth as expected at turn on time.  Since then, I usually
must power the unit on and off several times in the morning in order to
get a successful boot.  Otherwise, no test page, and the green light
blinks on the side near the RS232 connector indicating servicing needed
and the LaserWriter Plus remains innert.  Before the upgrade took place, I
had to wait at least 6 months to get it because, according to the local
dealer, apple was having problems producing the upgrades.  At the time I
thought that this was due to demand.  Now the dealer tells me that a
large, perhaps as large as 90%, of upgrades are either DOA or dead on
manufacture (I am unclear as to which).  I don't know what to make of
my dealer's remarks, he could be trying to cover up a problem of his own,
but I do believe the local dealer when he says he has had a number of
cases exactly like mine.  We are a big customer and he has no interest
in not correcting my problem if he could.  At this point the local dealer
indicates that he has no upgrade kits and cannot get them very
quickly from Apple.  I don't know exactly what the LaserWriter Plus problem
is, but I do know that I have a problem which an otherwise reputable dealer
is having a hard time coming to grips with.  Can anyone else shed light on
this?

By the way, once I do 'warm up' the LaserWriter Plus and get a test page out
things seem to work properly.  But I fully expect that some morning it is
not going to work properly at all.  Also, I know of at least a half
dozen LaserWriter Plus's here that work correctly, so far, inlcluding at
least one like mine of older vintage.  It could be that Apple is having
production problems, and my upgrade didn't happen to show up as bad in
their plant burn-in.  If that is the case my dealers remarks would
indicate that other bad apples are probably making it through burn-in.

Roger King
MIT Lincoln Laboratory