A step above the old Morey Goldberg method of testing. Morey was an eclectic engineer in Syracuse, NY who sold boards and kits for converting your TV into a "Genuine VT100 DEC computer terminal" and other such nonsense back in the 60s and 70s. Morey would come up with a design, have the boards made and then sell the kit to customers without ever having made a prototype. Testing was done over the phone by Morey having the customer try different things until the board would sort of work. I used to visit him once in a while because he was a font of knowledge and ideas and had a philosophy of life that was certainly not main stream. Kind of like an old hippy today. He had a heart of gold but was a terrible businessman and was always being chased by his creditors. Advertised in Wayne Green's Kilobyte Magazine in the wayback.
My point! While Morey never really told anyone they were the first testers of his latest creation the word slowly got out and then people began to question him on his latest designs before they would buy. If a person had good knowledge of TTL logic and a some test equipment then Morey's stuff made a bit of sense because the hardware was VERY low cost. With a bit of troubleshooting and minor redesign you could make a terminal emulator real cheap. The difference here: We are told UP FRONT! You are part of a giant earth shaking experiment. There is an initiation fee. $1400 to buy the black box if you don't have the time/skill to roll your own. There are even some written instructions to help you get started. BUT! For the latest trick pony in the circus you get to learn all about the good and bad along with the creator of the pony. No instructions! Be thankful there are email addresses and the several forums to answer questions and complaints. Warning! You have to deal with the hay before and after the pony. Instructions for the home office. Eric1, please reach behind your computer and pull the plug from the wall. Go away and enjoy the holiday and leave us to our own devices for a few days. We'll be here when you get back. Maybe we will even have answered some of our own questions by then. Gerald, thanks again for a fresh challange in my long, interesting career in electronics. Bob McG, I love it! 73, Larry Taft, PE K2LT > Bob McGwier wrote > It is very formal. We write, test things, and then let > you tell us what > broke.
