Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mstan!amull
From: amull@Morgan.COM (Andrew P. Mullhaupt)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Northgate experiences please
Summary: Not Strange at all
Message-ID: <650@s5.Morgan.COM>
Date: 8 Jan 90 08:37:18 GMT
References: <5655@holston.UUCP> <646@s5.Morgan.COM> <6@omen.UUCP>
Organization: Morgan Stanley & Co. NY, NY
Lines: 47

In article <6@omen.UUCP>, caf@omen.UUCP (WA7KGX) writes:
> In article <646@s5.Morgan.COM> amull@Morgan.COM (Andrew P. Mullhaupt) writes:
> :and as a result their newer style OMNI KEY/102 is not so cool, because
> :the cable often slips out the connector and locks SCO UNIX (V/386 3.2)
> :right up (dead bang). 
> 
> Strange ... I have an Omni Key 102 whose cable is permanently attached
> to the keyboard.  I also have an OmniKey PLUS which does have such a
> connector, and unplugging it from the keyboard is not fatal.

How old is your OmniKey 102? The New style is only about six months old,
according to their tech support. The new style has the same kind of
connector as the OmniKey Plus - (detatchable); the old style does not.
You may not experience the lockup problem if your motherboard is not
the same as mine: I have an 'old' (i.e. not more than 4Mbyte on board
restriction) Elegance 20Mhz motherboard. But their may be an entire
sequence of motherboards: Northgate re-engineers these things on a
very frequent basis compared to other companies. Shall we compare
serial numbers?

> 
> How if only I could get the documentation on how to use the extra keys
> (F13-F15) that I specified in my order  ...


Yeah - they're pretty serious about building to order - and that's
one of the reasons we all get different stories on the little details
like keyboard connectors, etc. Northgate seems to concentrate on the
lowest price high quality components as opposed to the stick with one
good supplier theory. This is why, when you call Northgate technical
support, they will call up your configuration in their database and ask
if you've installed any hardware or software since they last heard from
you. They only have one really good tech for Xenix - and her name is
Kathleen - and most of her experience is with Xenix, not UNIX, but
she's been pretty helpful.


Later,
Andrew Mullhaupt

P.S. In one of the PC mags this month some guy quoted the president
of Northgate as admitting that he didn't know what the 'Omni' key
was for on the OmniKey Plus - so I wish you good luck getting your info. 
Also: They shipped us really excellent documentation for the most part, 
but they sent an OmniKey Plus manual along with the OmniKey 102 which
we ordered. BTW I just checked the Rev. number on my 'old style'
OmniKey 102 - It's 6.2. I didn't keep of record of the one I swapped.