NeXT Universal Soundbox Replacement: NU_IO

Andreas · December 19, 2019, 01:09:25 PM

Quote from: msch on December 19, 2019, 03:12:17 AMI have a NeXTStation Color and a NeXTStation mono. Do You recommend to upgrade the ROM to 3.3_v74 here too?

If these are max. 32MB RAM models you can't upgrade. You have to stick with 2.5 v66. If these, Turbo and non-Turbo have the new chipset with max. 128MB you have to do so.

barcher174 · December 24, 2019, 10:52:22 PM

Merry Christmas everyone! Boards are finished, tested, and packed. Please send me a PM with your email, physical address, and phone number if outside the US for customs. I will bill through paypal. I would like to ship in a single batch the first weekend of January, so please try to respond reasonably quickly. As a reminder I will be using the USPS small flat rate box. It is only a flat rate within the US ($7.90). For everyone else, you can calculate the shipping prices here:

https://postcalc.usps.com/

2 cards fit in a single box. I will be shipping from 94043.

barcher174 · December 31, 2019, 01:11:16 AM

Paypal invoices just went out. If you didn't get one please contact me.

barcher174 · January 03, 2020, 11:30:52 PM

All,

I'm very sorry, but I need to delay shipment by 1 - 2 weeks. I have found that my clock circuit is not stable on a small number of the boards. Researching this, I have found that my choice of a logic gate based clock generator was a poor decision and they are notoriously flakey. As the gates age, heat up, and between manufacturers there is enough variance to cause intermittent issues. My initial batch of 7404s were all rock solid, but I've had mixed results with my recent batches (including some flat out fakes). All of this makes me very uncomfortable sending these out without a fix. I found a proper oscillator and can rework the existing boards with new part. I'll do my best to turn the fix around ASAP.

mattsoft · January 04, 2020, 05:03:46 PM

No worries, better safe than sorry! Thanks for the update!

msch · January 06, 2020, 09:11:20 AM

Hello Dave,

thank You for the update and for Your engagement!

nextchef · January 06, 2020, 12:55:09 PM

Thanks for the update and no worries here.

Amazing how prevalent counterfeit/fake components are out there, even from supposedly reputable supply houses.

krazycat · January 06, 2020, 03:10:27 PM

Hi Brian, Thanks for the update.
I'm in no hurry, take the time you need to complete this beautiful project

Luciano

EdgeConnector · January 10, 2020, 03:14:15 PM

Are there any of these left for purchase? I'd be really interested in buying a couple.

barcher174 · January 12, 2020, 11:26:03 PM

Update: All boards are reworked and tested. I will repackage throughout the week and get them shipped ASAP. Thanks all for your patience.

barcher174 · January 15, 2020, 11:51:36 PM

Update: US orders go out Friday. For Europe I need to wait for customs envelopes which should arrive in 3 - 5 days.

eagle · January 16, 2020, 07:13:48 AM

Got my tracking number - thanks!

eagle · January 21, 2020, 02:52:39 PM

I got a very special package today. Now to pull out a NeXT and plug it in and see what it does.

Thanks!

mattsoft · January 21, 2020, 05:59:44 PM

Got mine too but haven't had a chance to try it out. My retro corner of the house is covered up during remodel construction. BOOOO!!!!

eagle · January 22, 2020, 06:42:46 AM

My retro corner is piled high with a dead Atari 800XL, an Atari 800 that needs some work, an Atari 5200 that only displays black & white for some reason. I'm sensing a trend. I also recently picked up an IBM PC 5150 that I want to test out. The NeXTs are in the closet at the moment -- I just didn't want to miss out on this very important piece of hardware.