ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
Hello,
I'm starting to take apart a BM 2200 with a view to repairing it. I am a novice but am interested in this BM because it's unloved (cheap) and I like the modular construction and the look of it.
Before I spend time and money, my question is: does the wire wrap system survive the decades or is it a bit of a liability? Both my units have a history of blown fuses/failure to power up and I'm just wondering whether the varnished solid core wiring loses its insulation over time?
Apart from recapping the power supply board, does anyone have any pointers or tips?
Have to say getting the thing open requires some ingenuity as the tiny hex screws that hold the front on are immoveable.
Thanks all,
The wirewrap is very sturdy.I have never experienced any problems with any of it.
Check for shorted output stage transistors and/or bad trimmers causing too high idle current(s).
Martin
A piece of (hopefully) interesting trivia - in the early Cray supercomputers, about contemporary with this Beomaster, the backplane was implemented with wire wrap. It's electrically a very good method as the high surface pressure actually cold welds the wire to the sharp edges of the connector post.
--mika
Thanks, guys,
Interesting wiki article on wire wrap.
Cheers,