Hi Tom, On Wed, Aug 11, 2021 at 09:37:24AM -0500, Tom Uban wrote: > I have a Xerox 820. I don't know how to tell if it is a -II or not. It is > marked as U05-013264 September 1984.
You have an 820-II; the original 820 only has two ROMs (U63, U64). > It powers on and boots the monitor. Looking at the PROMs, they are labeled: > U33 5.0, U34 5.0, U35 5.0, U36 5.0, U37 4.01, U38 4.01 ... > At least some of the ROMs appear to be available here (along with other info): > > http://bitsavers.org/pdf/xerox/820-II/firmware/ I must have worked on mine right before someone put those files on bitsavers. I vaguely remember some alternate ROM version that supported a newer style keyboard, and was incompatible with my older setup, but I do not remember specifics. Labels in the e-bay photos also support that. > At some point, I need to ask someone to make me bootable 8" floppies, but I > suppose I need to > determine if it is 820 or 820-II first... I can able to help you with floppies. The floppies are standard IBM 3740 Single Density and easy to write with Imagedisk software and a PC-connected 8" drive. My 820-II currently boots and runs from disk images on SD cards, via a Lotharek HXC floppy emulator, with appropriate cable wiring. I used images found on the internet, and some I created from very old floppies of mine using Imagedisk on a PC with an 8" floppy connected. I highly recommend the Lotharek HXC floppy emulators. My only wish is the display on the floppy-form-factor version were easier to read. Both the swithing supply in my 820-II and it's external 8" drive box had failed. I replaced the supply in the 820-II case with a modern switching supply that easily fit. The HV bleeder resister for my CRT was arcing, so I replaced that. I replaced all the electrolytics on the monitor board. I also replaced the sockets for my ROMs, as some of their contacts "sprung" when I replaced the chips, but I do not recommend doing this unless it is absolutely necessary and you have good tools and practice. The 820-II restoration was a fun and rewarding project. It is well documented, easy to work on. It was also my first ever CP/M computer. When I was in high school, the 820 motherboards were readily available for $75. Mark -- Mark G. Thomas <m...@misty.com>, KC3DRE