Beg Borrow or Steal !? ¿¿
Beg Borrow or Steal !? ¿¿
Hello Mr. Hargle !
bobwatts,
is there any chance I buy, borrow, or steal this card from you temporarily?
we need to do some multimetering to get a schematic up, and I was thinking that I could test out my BIOS by disabling the onboard one via jumper and making a DOS driver out of it instead, but I need real hardware to play with. I'll gladly pay for shipping both directions, and promise to to horde it for longer than absolutely necessary.
The new BIOS build is coming along nicely. I've stripped it down to just the vitals we need, removed the ancient HDD precomp stuff, optimized a few of the routines, and broken the 1 .asm file out to a half dozen modules. Still a lot of work to do, but I want to get things in order before I attempt to add any features to it.
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I have read your request, and am contemplating a response. First of all, in answer to your "wording"......
If I read this correctly, you are asking to buy, borrow, or steal *temporarily* my sIDE 8/16 IDE controller card.
I don't know how they do things in Minnesota, but here in Ohio, people usually permanently steal things. I have to admit that this option should be removed from the list, as it is unacceptable, and *could* hurt my feelings if enacted.
As far as buying the adapter card, this option might be considered, as long as everyone realizes that this particular card is in fact comprised mainly of Unobtanium,and is quite likely one of the rarest things in the Universe. I'm not sure if even the U.S. Government could afford to bail you out on this one, as this particular piece is one of the most treasured items in my entire massive collection of "stuff" here in the BODADC. ( Basement of Doom and Diet Cola. )
So this leaves borrowing. Temporarily. I am seriously considering this option, as long as a few precautions and conditions are observed:
I am (probably) willing to send you the card as long as I am assured that it will be returned to me exactly in the form it will be received in. No magical transformations, no sending me back an 8bit serial card, or a package full of pixie dust. ( I have plenty ). The card is to be handled respectfully, and the inspector should be wearing some of those surgical gloves, preferably white ones. No excessive or painful prodding of the card is allowed, and under no circumstances is the card to be damaged in any way. The card must be returned as fully functional with a smile on it's chips.
As a consideration of my benevolence, should this project reach fruition, and a fully functional 8/16 bit 8 bit ISA card be developed, I bobwatts ( sorry, I spent 4 hours with attorneys yesterday, and it rubbed off. Never go to a deposition as a depositionee unless you absolutely have to. It's not like TV ) will be afforded the opportunity to purchase the above mentioned card at rockbottom prices. Further, some expert somewhere will be considerate enough to assemble the card for me, and I will get subsequent "kits" at reasonable prices. Although I routinely replace bad electrolytic capacitors, MOSFET VR's, etc. on motherboards, I prefer to avoid this if possible. Frankly, I enjoy doing that kind of work, but assuming this project will be made out of the aforementioned Unobtanium, this type of project is best left to the true professionals, not gifted hobbyists.
Lastly, IF POSSIBLE, I would gratefully and humbly accept a "reprogrammed" BIOS ROM chip that * I * would insert into my card upon return. I don't know if you have the capability to program a PROM chip, but I'm betting that you do. :D It would be superneato to see an "improved" version of your reprogramed BIOS in action, and I know that I would be tickled to have an improved BIOS in my possession. The original PROM chip would remain intact, and unmodified, and I would be supplied with the new chip that I will install and test.
I would be delighted to cover shipping to you, and the card will be so carefully packaged that no damage will occur.
Let me know if my *conditions* are acceptable, and I'll have a Brinks Truck transport this rare and priceless artifact to your location.
After I dig the thing back out. Computer was put back into "long term" storage. This means that lots of things were piled in front of it. On the top shelf.
With tongue firmly ensconced in cheek:
Plebe bobwatts
EartH