NeXT Computers

Rob Blessin Black Hole

Hello NeXT Community: I'm enjoying integrating a NeXT Cube for Harmut Esslinger. I thought I would share this with you all and I'm hoping he will join the forum as it would be really awesome!

Dear Rob,

thank you for the update _ take your time Smile

Yes, I worked with Steve Jobs for many years and I designed the NeXT Machines -
actually on one weekend in my kitchen, as Apple had access to the frog studios.
You can read this up in detail in my book "Keep it Simple"

Kindest regards / Hartmut

I plan on reading the book .

I'm integrating a nice Cube system for Hartmut and a rare problem cropped up as I've never seen the scrambled screen ...
I narrowed it down to a problem with the ram . This shows the video with problem ram https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqYPHEv4wlE and problem fixed after swapping out the ram https://youtu.be/QVvWhhMnqQ4 now it maybe because both boards had version 2.1 roms , I thought I was going crazy as I've had this ram work in NeXTStations with V2.66 roms and the motherboard I first tested had new capacitors . It may just be a bad batch of refurbished 30 pin ram.
I fortunately have enough NeXT equipment I can use the process of elimination to pinpoint the problem with out risking damage to newly refurbished recapped NeXT 68040 25MHz boards.
Also in using the problem ram with 64 Mb results in no video , 4Mb 30 pin chip in sets of four is SAMSUNG KMM594000A-8 9315 SEC. with just 16Mb it results in the distorted video above.
So to be more proactive in troubleshooting ram issues on NeXT in the future (often appears as an exception number 2 error) to combat the ram failure plague I invested / bought a 30 and 72 pin ram tester , I only had a 30 pin tester before but it also has developed issues powering up with because of age as well like me everything is suffering from a disease called aging LOL.

So I'll be able to eliminate problem ram by testing it first in the future, if you are not sure and want to send me your 30 or 72 pin ram I'll be happy to test it for free. Before I jump to far ahead as it is an EBay purchase I need to test the refurbished ram tester first when it comes in next week.

Back to Harmut Esslinger , this is an exciting NeXT project for me and I'm loading him up with lots of cool NeXT stuff and I feel confident he will join us. As it would be fun and an honor to have further personal insight into how he likes having a NeXT again. His work with Steve Jobs and NeXT is legendary and I'm looking forward reading his book ! Best Regards Rob Blessin

PS: shhh here is a sneak peak of the NeXT Cubes and early recreated NeXT workshop set I did for the upcoming Steve Jobs movie with the help of a few friends from Universal Mark Fassbender is playing Steve Jobs and Seth Rogen is playing Wosniak
http://www.blackholeinc.com/images/set1/bosonshop.JPG

Very Happy

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Rob Blessin President computerpowwow ebay sales@blackholeinc.com http://www.blackholeinc.com
303-741-9998 Serving the NeXT Community since 2/9/93

mikeboss · Joined: 07 Dec 2011 Posts: 374 Location: switzerland

one of the many reasons why I like the NeXT Computers so much is of course because of the cube's design. IMHO it's the best looking (inter-) personal computer ever built. sure, there are other beautiful machines:

the Commodore AMIGA 1000
the classic compact Macs
the Power Mac G4 Cube

but not a single one of them comes close to the cube. the shape, the color, the design of the MegaPixel Display. one single cable going from the CPU to the display. I think the NeXTcube is close to perfection.

I ordered hartmut's book right away!
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October 12, 1988 Computing Advances To The NeXT Level

barcher174 · Joined: 07 Dec 2012 Posts: 623

Nitro · Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2015 8:09 pm Post subject:

That’s really cool Rob, congrats! Cool

Some of the design work of Hartmut Esslinger can be seen in the NeXT patent thread.

http://www.nextcomputers.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=492
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Nitro

Rob Blessin Black Hole · Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2015 8:49 pm Post subject:

mikeboss · Joined: 07 Dec 2011 Posts: 374 Location: switzerland

mikeboss · Joined: 07 Dec 2011 Posts: 374 Location: switzerland

I just started reading hartmut's book (great fun and very interesting so far). any news about the designs he wanted to share with us?

regards,
michael
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October 12, 1988 Computing Advances To The NeXT Level

one2rock · Joined: 20 Oct 2007 Posts: 5 Location: Denmark

Rob Blessin Black Hole · Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 8:22 pm Post subject:

Hello Michael : I'll follow up with him on that ! Best regards Rob
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Rob Blessin President computerpowwow ebay sales@blackholeinc.com http://www.blackholeinc.com
303-741-9998 Serving the NeXT Community since 2/9/93