Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

[Topcat]

Re: Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

Ok, made some headway this weekend....starting with extending a stack rack on the right side of the bench, for more equipment or whatever....its raised about 4" above the bench work surface.

The old plastic storage drawers removed, as well as the backboard end cap.





After 15 years, I finally repaired the light in this clock. Every single lighting component was bad.....bulb, ballast, and starter. I also added a pull chain switch so the light doesn't have to be on all the time...



Ok, back on track....stacked a few things in the center corner shelf....to get it out of the way for now.



Now test fitting the shelf surface. This stained board was something my wife was using for crafts that she mis-measured and was too narrow for her project....... We don't waste around this place!!



Test fitting the frame.







The top cut down to size.





Bottom bracket added.



Painted.





Installed. Yea, I know it looks a little out of place, but there's more to come that will be under and to the right of it (under the glass door cabinet). This just had to be done to complete the workbench itself





Now for the front & side edge rails that will create a track 1/4" deep on the bench surface....for carpet to sit in and not move around. I use a commercial anti-static berber carpet. I haven't zapped one yet.

Test fitting. These are 1x6's, so obviously they'll have to be run through the table saw....



Installed.









...and here we are as of last night. I have done a little more rearranging & relocating....but nothing that needed pics taken...



More to come.

[Topcat]

Re: Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

As I started to lay out a design in my brain of this 'new bench', it dawned on me that I already had one.



This bench was originally built for automotive type work before I built the room around it...

This pic is circa 2010, right as I started the remodel. The room literally was built around the bench. It had to be moved out of the way several times....needing the efforts of 3 mules and a crane it seemed... I built the bench when I bought the property in 2005.



Once the remodel was done, I built a bnech system out in the big garage portion of the building, and this bench pretty much got used for a catch-all....and it dawned on me....what better could one want! It's located deep in the bowels of the building, few have seen. It's heated & cooled. Awesome lighting.....WTF, so yea, I cleaned all the junk off and the backboard shelf.

Once that was done, I made a corner piece for an equipment rack. No matter which side of the "L" I'm working on, leads & probes can reach.



I still have a ways to go....but yea... It's amazing how sometimes we forget what we have.





More as this develops.

[Topcat]

Re: Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

False hope on the service manual & firmwares.....they had it for the CM2125, which isn't even close to this one. Ohh well, this got back burnered for the planning stages of the new bench.....I cleared a hole where I want to build it.....and moved its contents to a back room in my shop...


.....and this is only about half of them, but the others aren't in the way......I'm a hoarder!

[stj]

Re: Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

nice!

[Topcat]

Re: Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

if you have a good multimeter, see if it's generating goot H & V sync pulses.

Its not. I did take some pics today, but I haven't dumped the camera yet. I also contacted Sencore, just for giggles to see what they'd have to say about this relic.... I got a voicemail, and left my info....they did call back! I was told (and completely expected) that they don't service machines this old....but they did still have the service manual for it, and they would provide it at no cost, which will be helpful. I asked if firmwares were still available, he said he'd look around and get back to me....maybe there's hope!!

[Topcat]

Re: Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

No, you need to dig out an old System with old IDE Support.
Modern BIOS just don't support old drives very well.

A Pentium 3/Socket A system might be the latest you're looking for.

But really, I'd clone it in an old Pentium/K6 based machine.

I already conquered that hurdle.

[Stefan Payne]

Re: Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

I might have to dig out an old copy of norton ghost....

No, you need to dig out an old System with old IDE Support.
Modern BIOS just don't support old drives very well.

A Pentium 3/Socket A system might be the latest you're looking for.

But really, I'd clone it in an old Pentium/K6 based machine.

[BigTroll]

Re: Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

I replaced the batteries, that fixed the obvious (checksum errors and bios settings)... I haven't tried the CF card mod yet, the adapter isn't here yet.....but I've been diddling around with custom resolutions......and with all the timings & frequencies, its a tad confusing....so its something I'm just going to have to research and tinker with.....

After repairs & reassembly....I also located the correct EVC to VGA cable.







1920x1200 test....





still some more diddling around to do....but not bad for a $21 gamble.

Nice! now if only topcat could do housecalls for a widescreen CRT convergence adjustment.

[stj]

Re: Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

if you have a good multimeter, see if it's generating goot H & V sync pulses.

[Topcat]

Re: Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

I got annoyed with it the other day and reassembled it and set it aside..... I'll take it apart and get some pics here pretty soon.

[stj]

Re: Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

i was refering to the internal display - i didnt know you wreent.

post some decent pcb images.
it could be a dead ramdac - had those fail in the past.

[Topcat]

Re: Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

the rom content is probably generic matched against the gfx chip - other than the boot strings.
it just sets up the bios to access the correct registers and such for the chip.

I have no idea....its what drives the test output. The internal display/VGA out is another GPU all together.

[stj]

Re: Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

the rom content is probably generic matched against the gfx chip - other than the boot strings.
it just sets up the bios to access the correct registers and such for the chip.

[Topcat]

Re: Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

does it have a video-rom?

It appears to, on the control board. The ROM itself wouldn't be difficult to find....the binary that's on it OTOH...

[stj]

Re: Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

does it have a video-rom?

[Topcat]

Re: Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

Could you try tearing it down completely and cleaning all the boards, interconnects, etc thoroughly and see if maybe that'll bring it back?

Already done, it was the first thing I did. no-go. Interesting thing turned up through the googling, there is a CM2250-PC, which is an ISA PC card with a windows95 based control software package..... That would be a neat one to find....I could use my own PC with it....but I'm sure the odds of finding one intact with the software would be on-par with winning the lottery.

Actually, the control board in the CM2220/CM2250 IS the ISA card fitted into their case....but without drivers/software, a conversion would be impossible....and the problem appears to be on that control board. If I remove it completely, the CM2220 still boots/loads the DOS-based software.

[TechGeek]

Re: Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

Could you try tearing it down completely and cleaning all the boards, interconnects, etc thoroughly and see if maybe that'll bring it back?

[Topcat]

Re: Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

This may be worth a shot:
https://www.tulsa-ads.com/Sapulpa-/A...r-w-manual.JSP

I saw that yesterday when I was googling solutions.....the pics are 11 years old and theres no contact information....

[TechGeek]

Re: Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

Well so much for the CM2220.... The CF card mod was a success...but a couple days after completing that, it began popping up 'video card firmware error' messages @ boot and it had no output. Eventually the errors went away, but it still has no output....even if I go back to the original drive. It still boots fine, and goes through all the motions....it just has no output... :-/ I have no clue....and as rare as it is, the odds of finding another to donate the output card is probably on par with winning the lottery.... Ohh well, lots of time wasted.....but thankfully not much money.

This may be worth a shot:
https://www.tulsa-ads.com/Sapulpa-/A...r-w-manual.JSP

[Topcat]

Re: Topcat's Dream Service Bench Reborn!

Well so much for the CM2220.... The CF card mod was a success...but a couple days after completing that, it began popping up 'video card firmware error' messages @ boot and it had no output. Eventually the errors went away, but it still has no output....even if I go back to the original drive. It still boots fine, and goes through all the motions....it just has no output... :-/ I have no clue....and as rare as it is, the odds of finding another to donate the output card is probably on par with winning the lottery.... Ohh well, lots of time wasted.....but thankfully not much money.