Machead

All, Found a few useful posts about this, including this one with a service manual that @arcadeshopper very helpfully scanned in, but I'm wondering — for those of you still using the ol' CS1 in 2024, what, if anything, have you done to maintain it? And how often? Belts, rollers, lubrication, pot cleaning, etc. are pretty standard practice for keeping my other tape-based electronics (VHS, digital data, and so on) running for decades. The service manual linked above shows the main belt as EA1X801, which another cross-reference here tells me is FRX9.7 (which seems to be available new on eBay, among other places). No cross-reference for the counter belt (EA1X802), sadly. No idea where to start on the pinch roller (EA5X426 gets no hits anywhere). Also, can y'all confirm for me that all variants of the PHP2700 are indeed the same GE 3-5158B (from those schematics above) under the hood? I've got several PHP2700s, including at least three different cosmetic variants, but they do look pretty similar overall even without having cracked the case.

Thanks for the links - so was my first mistake in thinking that XB2.7 is free to use? I thought I had come across XB2.7 files posted in some threads. Which BASICs are pay-to-license products?

So, having obtained an F18A and a nanopeb a while back, I recently picked up a FlashROM 99, and am having lots of fun getting reacquainted with my old 99/4A, which was my first computer as a teen. It's quickly becoming clear that I'm a bit hamstrung by the lack of Extended Basic of any flavor. I've read through the pinned posts and searched through lots of other good information in this forum, and I've tried to assemble a reasonable list of options for getting my hands on XB in the next couple of weeks. Anybody out there with a spare couple minutes to help me fill in the blanks (or at least point out my mistakes) below? 1) XB2.7 suite carts of various flavors — seems like a great option, but all have been out of stock at from arcadeshopper.com for a while, and I've found no other sources 2) roll my own XB2.7 suite with an UberGrom board — I'm game, but see note on option #1 re: the board 3) order a FinalGROM 99 and put just XB2.7 (not the suite) on it (?) — forum posts are mixed/unclear about whether this is possible, and I'm not sure what the lead time is on FinalGROMs at this point — they are built in Germany, yes? 4) buy a vintage Extended Basic cartridge to get me started while I continue to look into the other options — arcadeshopper.com and eBay both have a couple for sale 5) throw myself on the mercy of the AtariAge forums Thanks in advance for any help or advice you can offer.

Wow, thanks, great work - very clear what I need to do now! It should be easy since the only key I need to replace is the left Shift, which is on the very edge of the board. Looking at the picture of the switch emerging from the board, it looks like there would be no way to open those T-shaped tabs in place (without desoldering) even if you had the perfect leverage/tool to stick in those four little holes, because the tabs are blocked in by the edges of the square hole in the metal tray that the whole switch assembly sits in, yes? I may not get to it until next weekend, but Im going to have my keyboard back to 100%. Thanks again. BTW, jjh76, Im in the Northfield area (about 30 miles south of the Twin Cities). And Ed, when I first got my 99/4A, I was a teenager living in SE South Dakota. Small world all around.

I've been watching this thread with interest, as I also really like the alps-style boards; my very first 99/4a (also my first computer, period) was an early beige model that came with a beige keyboard with yellow alps-style switches. I still have this computer and it's still my primary 99/4a, but at some point the yellow stem on the left Shift key snapped off. I blame my brother. In any case, my question for jjh76 is whether you could post pictures, a short video, or even some descriptive text about how you took these switches apart. I do have a spare beige alps keyboard that is in about the shape yours started in (a dozen or so keys don't work) that I'm very willing to cannibalize for switch parts to repair my sentimental favorite, which is working fine except for the one broken stem. However, since ol' faithful is working so well, I'd rather not desolder and pull it all to pieces if I don't have to. Is it possible to disassemble these switches from the top side without desoldering, once you know how they come apart? Just to confirm that we're both talking about the same thing, the switches on mine look like this, only the stems are bright yellow: https://deskthority.net/wiki/General_Instrument_Series_S950 Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.