CathodeDLU

Haii!! :3 I'm Cathode, and I collect old tech (mainly computers and calculators, but also other stuff uwu) she/her || transfem || in my 20s || furry || massive fucking nerd

[cathodedlu]

I've made some progress on the TI-990 :3

tl;dr is that the PSU works fine, I tested the front panel and some cards, and I'm just waiting for some supplies to get delivered so that I can start dumping the PROMs

so, first thing's first, I checked the voltage rails on the backplane and everything seems nominal! I also accidentally shorted one of the +5V rails to ground when testing, which caused it to go from reading 5.02V to a dead 0, which means some form of safety circuitry in the PSU is working too!!

anyway, I also got to cataloguing all the PROMs present in the system, which totals to 38 different chips, as well as a couple ROMs for ASCII character generation in the VDT911 interface board and at least one FPGA in the DS10 controller. that is a lot of irreplaceable chips!! (well, the ASCII ROMs were standard TI parts, so replacements wouldn't be totally impossible, but everything else is very much not standard)

annoyingly, most of the PROMs (26 I think) are soldered directly to their PCBs, so I'm gonna have to get some more desoldering practice in lol

fortunately, the 4 PROMs from the SMI/M ("System and Memory Interface with Mapping") board which implement its firmware are all socketed, so I went ahead and pulled them out (after labelling them with my Dymo), and here they are, with a closeup of the one with some corrosion

doing this cataloguing, I figured out that both of the half-width cards (the TTY/EIA interface and the PROM programmer controller) don't actually have any, and the PROM programmer controller actually has a broken connector on the front of it (not like I can use it anyway, since the programmer that it communicates to didn't come with my system), so I decided to use it to check whether the PSU is completely okay by plugging it into the backplane and powering it on lol

it didn't explode and the voltages coming into it seemed good, so I'm pretty confident that the PSU is good :3

anyway, now that I know the PSU is good, and that the SMI/M board has all its irreplaceable chips removed from it, what if? I put them together??

the answer is this!!!

blinkenlights!!! that don't actually blinken (yet) lol

except! when you press the HALT/SIE button, the RUN light switches off!!! (i forgor to get a photo of it and can't be bothered to lmao)

when I saw the LEDs light up for the first time I was jumping around with excitement lol I was even more excited when I saw that it can actually respond to an input (though I took these images later, since the first ones were when it was super bright outside)

as you can see in one of the photos, I've also hooked up my 'scope to check the clock signal, which looks like this:

the settings on the 'scope for this shot was: 2V/div and .2µs/div, so it seems the clock is running at around 2.5MHz with a peak of about 3.8V. plus or minus a massive margin of error. I'm not even 100% sure I hooked the probe up to the right leg of the chip, cos I did just that when I was first checking it, and I wouldn't be surprised if I did it again

anyway, I'm now waiting for some supplies to arrive so that I can put together a reader for the PROMs, and make images of them, and then I can start testing for actual functionality of the machine and I'll update once I make more progress :D

[cathodedlu]

Update on the TI-990!! (I've also learnt how to add a "Keep reading" line lol)

I've managed to remove it from its cabinet, and take the front panels off :3 I think it all looks fine, but I've not given it a thorough look-over just yet (excuse the terrible shots, it's pretty difficult to get a decent angle in the room it's in)

more excitingly: I've (sorta) powered it on for the first time!! I disconnected all of the electronics, so it's just the transformer and fans running, but it's exciting nonetheless!

next steps are gonna be cleaning it up (it is very dusty) and then testing the components (probably starting with the caps)

that'll have to be for later though, I'm pretty busy with life atm lol

[cathodedlu]

Haven't posted in ages, but I recently got my hands on a Texas Instruments DS990 Model 4 minicomputer!

It's gonna take a loooot of work to get it functional, especially the DS10 disk drive (which is just a CDC Hawk with a TI badge slapped on), but hopefully I can bring it back to life :3 Looking forward to programming it, since the 990 series has pretty cool features, like easy context switching.

[cathodedlu]

photo I took a while ago of my oscilloscope with my Sony Mavica MVC-FD7 :3

[cathodedlu]

And it works!

[cathodedlu]

It's in!

Now I can perform floating point arithmetic ^w^

[cathodedlu]

Look what arrived today!

(Hint: it's the intel 80287 FPU I ordered)

[cathodedlu]

Oki, so here's my Compaq SLT/286 running XTreeGold

[cathodedlu]

I'm gonna be posting my process of taking this apart and replacing the RTC

To start, here's the underside of the laptop with the replacement DS1287+ RTC chip to the side

[cathodedlu]

First, you need to unscrew the back panel

[cathodedlu]

Next, open up the laptop and remove the cover thingies on either side of the screen

Then slide out the keyboard and remove the PS/2 connector for it as well as the screen's ground connector from the right-hand side thingie

Now the innards should just slide out from the back

[cathodedlu]

To do so, just open the cover flap for the laptop's ports and ease it out

After it's about this far out, you should now remove the connector for the screen

To do that, you need to first unscrew the clamp(?) that holds the cable in place, and then pull it out by the plastic tab

This can be a bit finicky, so I recommend keeping the screen somewhat lowered and using a long screwdriver

[cathodedlu]

And this is the laptop's internals!

To the left is the 3½" FDD, to the right is the HDD, to the front-centre is the RAM and status LEDs, to the back-left and -centre is the PSU and battery connection, and to the centre-right is an additional DE-9 interface

The next step is to get to the motherboard

[cathodedlu]

To get to the motherboard, you'll need to take it apart in a certain order

First, remove the status LED casing and the RAM (if your SLT has any RAM expansion)

And here's the RAM

Compaq decided to use a proprietary connection for the RAM, so the easiest way to get a memory expansion for an SLT is to just buy a broken SLT and take the RAM from that one

[cathodedlu]

Next, you need to take out the DE-9 interface

To do that, you need to just unscrew the two screws holding it in place

After you do that just disconnect it and ease it out

You don't need to pull it apart but I'll do that anyway so you can see what it looks like

Now we can remove the HDD

[cathodedlu]

The reason the DE-9 port was removed is cos you can't take out the hard drive's data cable easily with it in the way, and under that cable is a screw for holding the HDD caddy in place

After you remove all 8 screws and delicately disconnect the data and power cables, you can remove the HDD and admire all 20MB (or, if you have a type 22, 40MB) of it

Additionally, I recommend using one of these things to gently push up the data cable

[cathodedlu]

Now the FDD

The FDD uses 3½" floppies, and can read and write to double density (720KB) and high density (1.44MB) disks, however, it can only use 720KB disks due to the fact the RTC is dead (which is a major reason as to why the DS1287 is a pain in the ass, especially when it comes to SLTs)

For the FDD you just need to take out another cable, which is easier with the HDD out of the way

Then just remove the 4 screws holding the drive in place and take it out

[cathodedlu]

Now, the PSU

It just need to have 2 screws removed and a cable disconnected

In all honesty I just gently pull the cable out cos I don't have the stuff to get it out carefully

Anyway, now we just need to remove the screws that hold the top of the metal casing in

[cathodedlu]

Those screws are just 2 on the side in the left, and 3 in the middle on the top (unless I lost some, then fuck)

Then just lift the top up like so until it bumps into the left bracket(?) that held the PSU, which then means you can take the top off

And at last, the motherboard!

[cathodedlu]

Aight, since I'm a dumbass I forgot the head for my screwdriver that can remove the things on the sides of the D-Sub ports that you screw the cords into idfk what they're called

I shall post updates tomorrow

[cathodedlu]

I have the thing so I can do the thing

Also before I forget: the empty socket in the bottom left of the mother board is for a numerical coprocessor, which I have also purchased, but it hasn't arrived yet

[cathodedlu]

Aight, I unscrewed it

And to remove the motherboard, just lift it up and pull it out

Anyway, next up is desoldering and soldering

[cathodedlu]

Finally! I desoldered the old DS1287 after taking a very long break

As you can probably gather from the fact every single pin is bent: I am not very good at removing ICs

Now, I just need to solder in the new DS1287+ and put my beloved SLT back together!

[cathodedlu]

After doing the worst solder job in the history of humanity, I have now put in the new RTC

Time to put it back together and hope that I haven't destroyed it

[cathodedlu]

I am very nervous about powering it on

[cathodedlu]

I can't see any error about the RTC being broken, so that's good news

[cathodedlu]

IT WORKED!

[cathodedlu]

Oki, so here's my Compaq SLT/286 running XTreeGold

[cathodedlu]

I'm gonna be posting my process of taking this apart and replacing the RTC

To start, here's the underside of the laptop with the replacement DS1287+ RTC chip to the side

[cathodedlu]

First, you need to unscrew the back panel

[cathodedlu]

Next, open up the laptop and remove the cover thingies on either side of the screen

Then slide out the keyboard and remove the PS/2 connector for it as well as the screen's ground connector from the right-hand side thingie

Now the innards should just slide out from the back

[cathodedlu]

To do so, just open the cover flap for the laptop's ports and ease it out

After it's about this far out, you should now remove the connector for the screen

To do that, you need to first unscrew the clamp(?) that holds the cable in place, and then pull it out by the plastic tab

This can be a bit finicky, so I recommend keeping the screen somewhat lowered and using a long screwdriver

[cathodedlu]

And this is the laptop's internals!

To the left is the 3½" FDD, to the right is the HDD, to the front-centre is the RAM and status LEDs, to the back-left and -centre is the PSU and battery connection, and to the centre-right is an additional DE-9 interface

The next step is to get to the motherboard

[cathodedlu]

To get to the motherboard, you'll need to take it apart in a certain order

First, remove the status LED casing and the RAM (if your SLT has any RAM expansion)

And here's the RAM

Compaq decided to use a proprietary connection for the RAM, so the easiest way to get a memory expansion for an SLT is to just buy a broken SLT and take the RAM from that one

[cathodedlu]

Next, you need to take out the DE-9 interface

To do that, you need to just unscrew the two screws holding it in place

After you do that just disconnect it and ease it out

You don't need to pull it apart but I'll do that anyway so you can see what it looks like

Now we can remove the HDD

[cathodedlu]

The reason the DE-9 port was removed is cos you can't take out the hard drive's data cable easily with it in the way, and under that cable is a screw for holding the HDD caddy in place

After you remove all 8 screws and delicately disconnect the data and power cables, you can remove the HDD and admire all 20MB (or, if you have a type 22, 40MB) of it

Additionally, I recommend using one of these things to gently push up the data cable

[cathodedlu]

Now the FDD

The FDD uses 3½" floppies, and can read and write to double density (720KB) and high density (1.44MB) disks, however, it can only use 720KB disks due to the fact the RTC is dead (which is a major reason as to why the DS1287 is a pain in the ass, especially when it comes to SLTs)

For the FDD you just need to take out another cable, which is easier with the HDD out of the way

Then just remove the 4 screws holding the drive in place and take it out

[cathodedlu]

Now, the PSU

It just need to have 2 screws removed and a cable disconnected

In all honesty I just gently pull the cable out cos I don't have the stuff to get it out carefully

Anyway, now we just need to remove the screws that hold the top of the metal casing in

[cathodedlu]

Those screws are just 2 on the side in the left, and 3 in the middle on the top (unless I lost some, then fuck)

Then just lift the top up like so until it bumps into the left bracket(?) that held the PSU, which then means you can take the top off

And at last, the motherboard!

[cathodedlu]

Aight, since I'm a dumbass I forgot the head for my screwdriver that can remove the things on the sides of the D-Sub ports that you screw the cords into idfk what they're called

I shall post updates tomorrow

[cathodedlu]

I have the thing so I can do the thing

Also before I forget: the empty socket in the bottom left of the mother board is for a numerical coprocessor, which I have also purchased, but it hasn't arrived yet

[cathodedlu]

Aight, I unscrewed it

And to remove the motherboard, just lift it up and pull it out

Anyway, next up is desoldering and soldering

[cathodedlu]

Finally! I desoldered the old DS1287 after taking a very long break

As you can probably gather from the fact every single pin is bent: I am not very good at removing ICs

Now, I just need to solder in the new DS1287+ and put my beloved SLT back together!

[cathodedlu]

After doing the worst solder job in the history of humanity, I have now put in the new RTC

Time to put it back together and hope that I haven't destroyed it

[cathodedlu]

I am very nervous about powering it on

[cathodedlu]

I can't see any error about the RTC being broken, so that's good news

[cathodedlu]

Oki, so here's my Compaq SLT/286 running XTreeGold

[cathodedlu]

I'm gonna be posting my process of taking this apart and replacing the RTC

To start, here's the underside of the laptop with the replacement DS1287+ RTC chip to the side

[cathodedlu]

First, you need to unscrew the back panel

[cathodedlu]

Next, open up the laptop and remove the cover thingies on either side of the screen

Then slide out the keyboard and remove the PS/2 connector for it as well as the screen's ground connector from the right-hand side thingie

Now the innards should just slide out from the back

[cathodedlu]

To do so, just open the cover flap for the laptop's ports and ease it out

After it's about this far out, you should now remove the connector for the screen

To do that, you need to first unscrew the clamp(?) that holds the cable in place, and then pull it out by the plastic tab

This can be a bit finicky, so I recommend keeping the screen somewhat lowered and using a long screwdriver

[cathodedlu]

And this is the laptop's internals!

To the left is the 3½" FDD, to the right is the HDD, to the front-centre is the RAM and status LEDs, to the back-left and -centre is the PSU and battery connection, and to the centre-right is an additional DE-9 interface

The next step is to get to the motherboard

[cathodedlu]

To get to the motherboard, you'll need to take it apart in a certain order

First, remove the status LED casing and the RAM (if your SLT has any RAM expansion)

And here's the RAM

Compaq decided to use a proprietary connection for the RAM, so the easiest way to get a memory expansion for an SLT is to just buy a broken SLT and take the RAM from that one

[cathodedlu]

Next, you need to take out the DE-9 interface

To do that, you need to just unscrew the two screws holding it in place

After you do that just disconnect it and ease it out

You don't need to pull it apart but I'll do that anyway so you can see what it looks like

Now we can remove the HDD

[cathodedlu]

The reason the DE-9 port was removed is cos you can't take out the hard drive's data cable easily with it in the way, and under that cable is a screw for holding the HDD caddy in place

After you remove all 8 screws and delicately disconnect the data and power cables, you can remove the HDD and admire all 20MB (or, if you have a type 22, 40MB) of it

Additionally, I recommend using one of these things to gently push up the data cable

[cathodedlu]

Now the FDD

The FDD uses 3½" floppies, and can read and write to double density (720KB) and high density (1.44MB) disks, however, it can only use 720KB disks due to the fact the RTC is dead (which is a major reason as to why the DS1287 is a pain in the ass, especially when it comes to SLTs)

For the FDD you just need to take out another cable, which is easier with the HDD out of the way

Then just remove the 4 screws holding the drive in place and take it out

[cathodedlu]

Now, the PSU

It just need to have 2 screws removed and a cable disconnected

In all honesty I just gently pull the cable out cos I don't have the stuff to get it out carefully

Anyway, now we just need to remove the screws that hold the top of the metal casing in

[cathodedlu]

Those screws are just 2 on the side in the left, and 3 in the middle on the top (unless I lost some, then fuck)

Then just lift the top up like so until it bumps into the left bracket(?) that held the PSU, which then means you can take the top off

And at last, the motherboard!

[cathodedlu]

Aight, since I'm a dumbass I forgot the head for my screwdriver that can remove the things on the sides of the D-Sub ports that you screw the cords into idfk what they're called

I shall post updates tomorrow

[cathodedlu]

I have the thing so I can do the thing

Also before I forget: the empty socket in the bottom left of the mother board is for a numerical coprocessor, which I have also purchased, but it hasn't arrived yet

[cathodedlu]

Aight, I unscrewed it

And to remove the motherboard, just lift it up and pull it out

Anyway, next up is desoldering and soldering

[cathodedlu]

Finally! I desoldered the old DS1287 after taking a very long break

As you can probably gather from the fact every single pin is bent: I am not very good at removing ICs

Now, I just need to solder in the new DS1287+ and put my beloved SLT back together!

[cathodedlu]

After doing the worst solder job in the history of humanity, I have now put in the new RTC

Time to put it back together and hope that I haven't destroyed it

[cathodedlu]

I am very nervous about powering it on

[cathodedlu]

Oki, so here's my Compaq SLT/286 running XTreeGold

[cathodedlu]

I'm gonna be posting my process of taking this apart and replacing the RTC

To start, here's the underside of the laptop with the replacement DS1287+ RTC chip to the side

[cathodedlu]

First, you need to unscrew the back panel

[cathodedlu]

Next, open up the laptop and remove the cover thingies on either side of the screen

Then slide out the keyboard and remove the PS/2 connector for it as well as the screen's ground connector from the right-hand side thingie

Now the innards should just slide out from the back

[cathodedlu]

To do so, just open the cover flap for the laptop's ports and ease it out

After it's about this far out, you should now remove the connector for the screen

To do that, you need to first unscrew the clamp(?) that holds the cable in place, and then pull it out by the plastic tab

This can be a bit finicky, so I recommend keeping the screen somewhat lowered and using a long screwdriver

[cathodedlu]

And this is the laptop's internals!

To the left is the 3½" FDD, to the right is the HDD, to the front-centre is the RAM and status LEDs, to the back-left and -centre is the PSU and battery connection, and to the centre-right is an additional DE-9 interface

The next step is to get to the motherboard

[cathodedlu]

To get to the motherboard, you'll need to take it apart in a certain order

First, remove the status LED casing and the RAM (if your SLT has any RAM expansion)

And here's the RAM

Compaq decided to use a proprietary connection for the RAM, so the easiest way to get a memory expansion for an SLT is to just buy a broken SLT and take the RAM from that one

[cathodedlu]

Next, you need to take out the DE-9 interface

To do that, you need to just unscrew the two screws holding it in place

After you do that just disconnect it and ease it out

You don't need to pull it apart but I'll do that anyway so you can see what it looks like

Now we can remove the HDD

[cathodedlu]

The reason the DE-9 port was removed is cos you can't take out the hard drive's data cable easily with it in the way, and under that cable is a screw for holding the HDD caddy in place

After you remove all 8 screws and delicately disconnect the data and power cables, you can remove the HDD and admire all 20MB (or, if you have a type 22, 40MB) of it

Additionally, I recommend using one of these things to gently push up the data cable

[cathodedlu]

Now the FDD

The FDD uses 3½" floppies, and can read and write to double density (720KB) and high density (1.44MB) disks, however, it can only use 720KB disks due to the fact the RTC is dead (which is a major reason as to why the DS1287 is a pain in the ass, especially when it comes to SLTs)

For the FDD you just need to take out another cable, which is easier with the HDD out of the way

Then just remove the 4 screws holding the drive in place and take it out

[cathodedlu]

Now, the PSU

It just need to have 2 screws removed and a cable disconnected

In all honesty I just gently pull the cable out cos I don't have the stuff to get it out carefully

Anyway, now we just need to remove the screws that hold the top of the metal casing in

[cathodedlu]

Those screws are just 2 on the side in the left, and 3 in the middle on the top (unless I lost some, then fuck)

Then just lift the top up like so until it bumps into the left bracket(?) that held the PSU, which then means you can take the top off

And at last, the motherboard!

[cathodedlu]

Aight, since I'm a dumbass I forgot the head for my screwdriver that can remove the things on the sides of the D-Sub ports that you screw the cords into idfk what they're called

I shall post updates tomorrow

[cathodedlu]

I have the thing so I can do the thing

Also before I forget: the empty socket in the bottom left of the mother board is for a numerical coprocessor, which I have also purchased, but it hasn't arrived yet

[cathodedlu]

Aight, I unscrewed it

And to remove the motherboard, just lift it up and pull it out

Anyway, next up is desoldering and soldering

[cathodedlu]

Finally! I desoldered the old DS1287 after taking a very long break

As you can probably gather from the fact every single pin is bent: I am not very good at removing ICs

Now, I just need to solder in the new DS1287+ and put my beloved SLT back together!

[cathodedlu]

After doing the worst solder job in the history of humanity, I have now put in the new RTC

Time to put it back together and hope that I haven't destroyed it

[cathodedlu]

Oki, so here's my Compaq SLT/286 running XTreeGold

[cathodedlu]

I'm gonna be posting my process of taking this apart and replacing the RTC

To start, here's the underside of the laptop with the replacement DS1287+ RTC chip to the side

[cathodedlu]

First, you need to unscrew the back panel

[cathodedlu]

Next, open up the laptop and remove the cover thingies on either side of the screen

Then slide out the keyboard and remove the PS/2 connector for it as well as the screen's ground connector from the right-hand side thingie

Now the innards should just slide out from the back

[cathodedlu]

To do so, just open the cover flap for the laptop's ports and ease it out

After it's about this far out, you should now remove the connector for the screen

To do that, you need to first unscrew the clamp(?) that holds the cable in place, and then pull it out by the plastic tab

This can be a bit finicky, so I recommend keeping the screen somewhat lowered and using a long screwdriver

[cathodedlu]

And this is the laptop's internals!

To the left is the 3½" FDD, to the right is the HDD, to the front-centre is the RAM and status LEDs, to the back-left and -centre is the PSU and battery connection, and to the centre-right is an additional DE-9 interface

The next step is to get to the motherboard

[cathodedlu]

To get to the motherboard, you'll need to take it apart in a certain order

First, remove the status LED casing and the RAM (if your SLT has any RAM expansion)

And here's the RAM

Compaq decided to use a proprietary connection for the RAM, so the easiest way to get a memory expansion for an SLT is to just buy a broken SLT and take the RAM from that one

[cathodedlu]

Next, you need to take out the DE-9 interface

To do that, you need to just unscrew the two screws holding it in place

After you do that just disconnect it and ease it out

You don't need to pull it apart but I'll do that anyway so you can see what it looks like

Now we can remove the HDD

[cathodedlu]

The reason the DE-9 port was removed is cos you can't take out the hard drive's data cable easily with it in the way, and under that cable is a screw for holding the HDD caddy in place

After you remove all 8 screws and delicately disconnect the data and power cables, you can remove the HDD and admire all 20MB (or, if you have a type 22, 40MB) of it

Additionally, I recommend using one of these things to gently push up the data cable

[cathodedlu]

Now the FDD

The FDD uses 3½" floppies, and can read and write to double density (720KB) and high density (1.44MB) disks, however, it can only use 720KB disks due to the fact the RTC is dead (which is a major reason as to why the DS1287 is a pain in the ass, especially when it comes to SLTs)

For the FDD you just need to take out another cable, which is easier with the HDD out of the way

Then just remove the 4 screws holding the drive in place and take it out

[cathodedlu]

Now, the PSU

It just need to have 2 screws removed and a cable disconnected

In all honesty I just gently pull the cable out cos I don't have the stuff to get it out carefully

Anyway, now we just need to remove the screws that hold the top of the metal casing in

[cathodedlu]

Those screws are just 2 on the side in the left, and 3 in the middle on the top (unless I lost some, then fuck)

Then just lift the top up like so until it bumps into the left bracket(?) that held the PSU, which then means you can take the top off

And at last, the motherboard!

[cathodedlu]

Aight, since I'm a dumbass I forgot the head for my screwdriver that can remove the things on the sides of the D-Sub ports that you screw the cords into idfk what they're called

I shall post updates tomorrow

[cathodedlu]

I have the thing so I can do the thing

Also before I forget: the empty socket in the bottom left of the mother board is for a numerical coprocessor, which I have also purchased, but it hasn't arrived yet

[cathodedlu]

Aight, I unscrewed it

And to remove the motherboard, just lift it up and pull it out

Anyway, next up is desoldering and soldering

[cathodedlu]

Finally! I desoldered the old DS1287 after taking a very long break

As you can probably gather from the fact every single pin is bent: I am not very good at removing ICs

Now, I just need to solder in the new DS1287+ and put my beloved SLT back together!

[cathodedlu]

Oki, so here's my Compaq SLT/286 running XTreeGold

[cathodedlu]

I'm gonna be posting my process of taking this apart and replacing the RTC

To start, here's the underside of the laptop with the replacement DS1287+ RTC chip to the side

[cathodedlu]

First, you need to unscrew the back panel

[cathodedlu]

Next, open up the laptop and remove the cover thingies on either side of the screen

Then slide out the keyboard and remove the PS/2 connector for it as well as the screen's ground connector from the right-hand side thingie

Now the innards should just slide out from the back

[cathodedlu]

To do so, just open the cover flap for the laptop's ports and ease it out

After it's about this far out, you should now remove the connector for the screen

To do that, you need to first unscrew the clamp(?) that holds the cable in place, and then pull it out by the plastic tab

This can be a bit finicky, so I recommend keeping the screen somewhat lowered and using a long screwdriver

[cathodedlu]

And this is the laptop's internals!

To the left is the 3½" FDD, to the right is the HDD, to the front-centre is the RAM and status LEDs, to the back-left and -centre is the PSU and battery connection, and to the centre-right is an additional DE-9 interface

The next step is to get to the motherboard

[cathodedlu]

To get to the motherboard, you'll need to take it apart in a certain order

First, remove the status LED casing and the RAM (if your SLT has any RAM expansion)

And here's the RAM

Compaq decided to use a proprietary connection for the RAM, so the easiest way to get a memory expansion for an SLT is to just buy a broken SLT and take the RAM from that one

[cathodedlu]

Next, you need to take out the DE-9 interface

To do that, you need to just unscrew the two screws holding it in place

After you do that just disconnect it and ease it out

You don't need to pull it apart but I'll do that anyway so you can see what it looks like

Now we can remove the HDD

[cathodedlu]

The reason the DE-9 port was removed is cos you can't take out the hard drive's data cable easily with it in the way, and under that cable is a screw for holding the HDD caddy in place

After you remove all 8 screws and delicately disconnect the data and power cables, you can remove the HDD and admire all 20MB (or, if you have a type 22, 40MB) of it

Additionally, I recommend using one of these things to gently push up the data cable

[cathodedlu]

Now the FDD

The FDD uses 3½" floppies, and can read and write to double density (720KB) and high density (1.44MB) disks, however, it can only use 720KB disks due to the fact the RTC is dead (which is a major reason as to why the DS1287 is a pain in the ass, especially when it comes to SLTs)

For the FDD you just need to take out another cable, which is easier with the HDD out of the way

Then just remove the 4 screws holding the drive in place and take it out

[cathodedlu]

Now, the PSU

It just need to have 2 screws removed and a cable disconnected

In all honesty I just gently pull the cable out cos I don't have the stuff to get it out carefully

Anyway, now we just need to remove the screws that hold the top of the metal casing in

[cathodedlu]

Those screws are just 2 on the side in the left, and 3 in the middle on the top (unless I lost some, then fuck)

Then just lift the top up like so until it bumps into the left bracket(?) that held the PSU, which then means you can take the top off

And at last, the motherboard!

[cathodedlu]

Aight, since I'm a dumbass I forgot the head for my screwdriver that can remove the things on the sides of the D-Sub ports that you screw the cords into idfk what they're called

I shall post updates tomorrow

[cathodedlu]

I have the thing so I can do the thing

Also before I forget: the empty socket in the bottom left of the mother board is for a numerical coprocessor, which I have also purchased, but it hasn't arrived yet

[cathodedlu]

Aight, I unscrewed it

And to remove the motherboard, just lift it up and pull it out

Anyway, next up is desoldering and soldering

[cathodedlu]

Oki, so here's my Compaq SLT/286 running XTreeGold

[cathodedlu]

I'm gonna be posting my process of taking this apart and replacing the RTC

To start, here's the underside of the laptop with the replacement DS1287+ RTC chip to the side

[cathodedlu]

First, you need to unscrew the back panel

[cathodedlu]

Next, open up the laptop and remove the cover thingies on either side of the screen

Then slide out the keyboard and remove the PS/2 connector for it as well as the screen's ground connector from the right-hand side thingie

Now the innards should just slide out from the back

[cathodedlu]

To do so, just open the cover flap for the laptop's ports and ease it out

After it's about this far out, you should now remove the connector for the screen

To do that, you need to first unscrew the clamp(?) that holds the cable in place, and then pull it out by the plastic tab

This can be a bit finicky, so I recommend keeping the screen somewhat lowered and using a long screwdriver

[cathodedlu]

And this is the laptop's internals!

To the left is the 3½" FDD, to the right is the HDD, to the front-centre is the RAM and status LEDs, to the back-left and -centre is the PSU and battery connection, and to the centre-right is an additional DE-9 interface

The next step is to get to the motherboard

[cathodedlu]

To get to the motherboard, you'll need to take it apart in a certain order

First, remove the status LED casing and the RAM (if your SLT has any RAM expansion)

And here's the RAM

Compaq decided to use a proprietary connection for the RAM, so the easiest way to get a memory expansion for an SLT is to just buy a broken SLT and take the RAM from that one

[cathodedlu]

Next, you need to take out the DE-9 interface

To do that, you need to just unscrew the two screws holding it in place

After you do that just disconnect it and ease it out

You don't need to pull it apart but I'll do that anyway so you can see what it looks like

Now we can remove the HDD

[cathodedlu]

The reason the DE-9 port was removed is cos you can't take out the hard drive's data cable easily with it in the way, and under that cable is a screw for holding the HDD caddy in place

After you remove all 8 screws and delicately disconnect the data and power cables, you can remove the HDD and admire all 20MB (or, if you have a type 22, 40MB) of it

Additionally, I recommend using one of these things to gently push up the data cable

[cathodedlu]

Now the FDD

The FDD uses 3½" floppies, and can read and write to double density (720KB) and high density (1.44MB) disks, however, it can only use 720KB disks due to the fact the RTC is dead (which is a major reason as to why the DS1287 is a pain in the ass, especially when it comes to SLTs)

For the FDD you just need to take out another cable, which is easier with the HDD out of the way

Then just remove the 4 screws holding the drive in place and take it out

[cathodedlu]

Now, the PSU

It just need to have 2 screws removed and a cable disconnected

In all honesty I just gently pull the cable out cos I don't have the stuff to get it out carefully

Anyway, now we just need to remove the screws that hold the top of the metal casing in

[cathodedlu]

Those screws are just 2 on the side in the left, and 3 in the middle on the top (unless I lost some, then fuck)

Then just lift the top up like so until it bumps into the left bracket(?) that held the PSU, which then means you can take the top off

And at last, the motherboard!

[cathodedlu]

Aight, since I'm a dumbass I forgot the head for my screwdriver that can remove the things on the sides of the D-Sub ports that you screw the cords into idfk what they're called

I shall post updates tomorrow

[cathodedlu]

I have the thing so I can do the thing

Also before I forget: the empty socket in the bottom left of the mother board is for a numerical coprocessor, which I have also purchased, but it hasn't arrived yet

[cathodedlu]

Oki, so here's my Compaq SLT/286 running XTreeGold

[cathodedlu]

I'm gonna be posting my process of taking this apart and replacing the RTC

To start, here's the underside of the laptop with the replacement DS1287+ RTC chip to the side

[cathodedlu]

First, you need to unscrew the back panel

[cathodedlu]

Next, open up the laptop and remove the cover thingies on either side of the screen

Then slide out the keyboard and remove the PS/2 connector for it as well as the screen's ground connector from the right-hand side thingie

Now the innards should just slide out from the back

[cathodedlu]

To do so, just open the cover flap for the laptop's ports and ease it out

After it's about this far out, you should now remove the connector for the screen

To do that, you need to first unscrew the clamp(?) that holds the cable in place, and then pull it out by the plastic tab

This can be a bit finicky, so I recommend keeping the screen somewhat lowered and using a long screwdriver

[cathodedlu]

And this is the laptop's internals!

To the left is the 3½" FDD, to the right is the HDD, to the front-centre is the RAM and status LEDs, to the back-left and -centre is the PSU and battery connection, and to the centre-right is an additional DE-9 interface

The next step is to get to the motherboard

[cathodedlu]

To get to the motherboard, you'll need to take it apart in a certain order

First, remove the status LED casing and the RAM (if your SLT has any RAM expansion)

And here's the RAM

Compaq decided to use a proprietary connection for the RAM, so the easiest way to get a memory expansion for an SLT is to just buy a broken SLT and take the RAM from that one

[cathodedlu]

Next, you need to take out the DE-9 interface

To do that, you need to just unscrew the two screws holding it in place

After you do that just disconnect it and ease it out

You don't need to pull it apart but I'll do that anyway so you can see what it looks like

Now we can remove the HDD

[cathodedlu]

The reason the DE-9 port was removed is cos you can't take out the hard drive's data cable easily with it in the way, and under that cable is a screw for holding the HDD caddy in place

After you remove all 8 screws and delicately disconnect the data and power cables, you can remove the HDD and admire all 20MB (or, if you have a type 22, 40MB) of it

Additionally, I recommend using one of these things to gently push up the data cable

[cathodedlu]

Now the FDD

The FDD uses 3½" floppies, and can read and write to double density (720KB) and high density (1.44MB) disks, however, it can only use 720KB disks due to the fact the RTC is dead (which is a major reason as to why the DS1287 is a pain in the ass, especially when it comes to SLTs)

For the FDD you just need to take out another cable, which is easier with the HDD out of the way

Then just remove the 4 screws holding the drive in place and take it out

[cathodedlu]

Now, the PSU

It just need to have 2 screws removed and a cable disconnected

In all honesty I just gently pull the cable out cos I don't have the stuff to get it out carefully

Anyway, now we just need to remove the screws that hold the top of the metal casing in

[cathodedlu]

Those screws are just 2 on the side in the left, and 3 in the middle on the top (unless I lost some, then fuck)

Then just lift the top up like so until it bumps into the left bracket(?) that held the PSU, which then means you can take the top off

And at last, the motherboard!

[cathodedlu]

Aight, since I'm a dumbass I forgot the head for my screwdriver that can remove the things on the sides of the D-Sub ports that you screw the cords into idfk what they're called

I shall post updates tomorrow

[cathodedlu]

Oki, so here's my Compaq SLT/286 running XTreeGold

[cathodedlu]

I'm gonna be posting my process of taking this apart and replacing the RTC

To start, here's the underside of the laptop with the replacement DS1287+ RTC chip to the side

[cathodedlu]

First, you need to unscrew the back panel

[cathodedlu]

Next, open up the laptop and remove the cover thingies on either side of the screen

Then slide out the keyboard and remove the PS/2 connector for it as well as the screen's ground connector from the right-hand side thingie

Now the innards should just slide out from the back

[cathodedlu]

To do so, just open the cover flap for the laptop's ports and ease it out

After it's about this far out, you should now remove the connector for the screen

To do that, you need to first unscrew the clamp(?) that holds the cable in place, and then pull it out by the plastic tab

This can be a bit finicky, so I recommend keeping the screen somewhat lowered and using a long screwdriver

[cathodedlu]

And this is the laptop's internals!

To the left is the 3½" FDD, to the right is the HDD, to the front-centre is the RAM and status LEDs, to the back-left and -centre is the PSU and battery connection, and to the centre-right is an additional DE-9 interface

The next step is to get to the motherboard

[cathodedlu]

To get to the motherboard, you'll need to take it apart in a certain order

First, remove the status LED casing and the RAM (if your SLT has any RAM expansion)

And here's the RAM

Compaq decided to use a proprietary connection for the RAM, so the easiest way to get a memory expansion for an SLT is to just buy a broken SLT and take the RAM from that one

[cathodedlu]

Next, you need to take out the DE-9 interface

To do that, you need to just unscrew the two screws holding it in place

After you do that just disconnect it and ease it out

You don't need to pull it apart but I'll do that anyway so you can see what it looks like

Now we can remove the HDD

[cathodedlu]

The reason the DE-9 port was removed is cos you can't take out the hard drive's data cable easily with it in the way, and under that cable is a screw for holding the HDD caddy in place

After you remove all 8 screws and delicately disconnect the data and power cables, you can remove the HDD and admire all 20MB (or, if you have a type 22, 40MB) of it

Additionally, I recommend using one of these things to gently push up the data cable

[cathodedlu]

Now the FDD

The FDD uses 3½" floppies, and can read and write to double density (720KB) and high density (1.44MB) disks, however, it can only use 720KB disks due to the fact the RTC is dead (which is a major reason as to why the DS1287 is a pain in the ass, especially when it comes to SLTs)

For the FDD you just need to take out another cable, which is easier with the HDD out of the way

Then just remove the 4 screws holding the drive in place and take it out

[cathodedlu]

Now, the PSU

It just need to have 2 screws removed and a cable disconnected

In all honesty I just gently pull the cable out cos I don't have the stuff to get it out carefully

Anyway, now we just need to remove the screws that hold the top of the metal casing in

[cathodedlu]

Those screws are just 2 on the side in the left, and 3 in the middle on the top (unless I lost some, then fuck)

Then just lift the top up like so until it bumps into the left bracket(?) that held the PSU, which then means you can take the top off

And at last, the motherboard!

[cathodedlu]

Oki, so here's my Compaq SLT/286 running XTreeGold

[cathodedlu]

I'm gonna be posting my process of taking this apart and replacing the RTC

To start, here's the underside of the laptop with the replacement DS1287+ RTC chip to the side

[cathodedlu]

First, you need to unscrew the back panel

[cathodedlu]

Next, open up the laptop and remove the cover thingies on either side of the screen

Then slide out the keyboard and remove the PS/2 connector for it as well as the screen's ground connector from the right-hand side thingie

Now the innards should just slide out from the back

[cathodedlu]

To do so, just open the cover flap for the laptop's ports and ease it out

After it's about this far out, you should now remove the connector for the screen

To do that, you need to first unscrew the clamp(?) that holds the cable in place, and then pull it out by the plastic tab

This can be a bit finicky, so I recommend keeping the screen somewhat lowered and using a long screwdriver

[cathodedlu]

And this is the laptop's internals!

To the left is the 3½" FDD, to the right is the HDD, to the front-centre is the RAM and status LEDs, to the back-left and -centre is the PSU and battery connection, and to the centre-right is an additional DE-9 interface

The next step is to get to the motherboard

[cathodedlu]

To get to the motherboard, you'll need to take it apart in a certain order

First, remove the status LED casing and the RAM (if your SLT has any RAM expansion)

And here's the RAM

Compaq decided to use a proprietary connection for the RAM, so the easiest way to get a memory expansion for an SLT is to just buy a broken SLT and take the RAM from that one

[cathodedlu]

Next, you need to take out the DE-9 interface

To do that, you need to just unscrew the two screws holding it in place

After you do that just disconnect it and ease it out

You don't need to pull it apart but I'll do that anyway so you can see what it looks like

Now we can remove the HDD

[cathodedlu]

The reason the DE-9 port was removed is cos you can't take out the hard drive's data cable easily with it in the way, and under that cable is a screw for holding the HDD caddy in place

After you remove all 8 screws and delicately disconnect the data and power cables, you can remove the HDD and admire all 20MB (or, if you have a type 22, 40MB) of it

Additionally, I recommend using one of these things to gently push up the data cable

[cathodedlu]

Now the FDD

The FDD uses 3½" floppies, and can read and write to double density (720KB) and high density (1.44MB) disks, however, it can only use 720KB disks due to the fact the RTC is dead (which is a major reason as to why the DS1287 is a pain in the ass, especially when it comes to SLTs)

For the FDD you just need to take out another cable, which is easier with the HDD out of the way

Then just remove the 4 screws holding the drive in place and take it out

[cathodedlu]

Now, the PSU

It just need to have 2 screws removed and a cable disconnected

In all honesty I just gently pull the cable out cos I don't have the stuff to get it out carefully

Anyway, now we just need to remove the screws that hold the top of the metal casing in