Vintage Computing - Prideful Moments - Kaypro 16/2

[jjandersoj]

It has been way longer and way more expensive project that I had originally anticipated.

Kaypro 16/2 - My Specs

- Kaypro PC Upgraded CPU Card 8Mhz w Numeric Coprocessor - Phoenix BIOS 2
- MB with 4 Slots, 512KB 4164 Memory (Upgraded Quiet Fan)
- DTK Hexa Multi-IO Floppy, Serial, Parallel, RTC
- CGA Graphics Adapter (Original Card)
- XTE-IDE HD Controller with a 250MB DOM Disk Model
- Lorathek HCX 2001 - FDE (720K A, Chinon 5.25 360K B:
- Xircom PE3 10 BT Network Module
- MCE2VGA - CGA to VGA Converter
- DRDOS 6.0

I had much pride when I used FTP (Watt TCP Stack) to load Turbo Pascal 3 on a 34 year old computer! (WOOT!)

I'd pop a beer, but it's 8 O'Clock in the AM.

Just sharing my excitement.

JA

 

[Maverick1978]

Nicely done! I prefer keeping mine original, however I certainly appreciate seeing upgraded models of this or any classic PC!

 

[VERAULT]

Just curious, how much $ are you in for it at this point?

On another note I didnt know Kaypro made a PC compatible in the same format/style as thier CP/M portables... very nice.

 

[ngtwolf]

Nicely done! I prefer keeping mine original, however I certainly appreciate seeing upgraded models of this or any classic PC!

Ya know, I tend to do this too, mostly keep them stock with a few exceptions. However, thinking about this with the Kaypro, I can totally see why someone would want to upgrade it. Out of all my computers, I find that my Kaypro (and to a similar extent, the Osborne) never gets used. The things it's good at stock (business applications) aren't useful any more, and there's very little else it can do. I personally like to use my vintage computers but (like some movies or software) some of them just don't hold up over time.

Obviously the biggest thing is going to be the floppy drives. We're starting to get to the point where keeping it stock vs adding something like a Gotek is the difference between whether we can even use the computers or not going forward.

I'm not sure the cost of some of those upgrades is worth the reward, but things like the RTC and the IDE controller would definitely improve the experience without detracting from the familiarity and style of the system. But yeah, to the OP, this is pretty impressive. I know it's unlikely, but it would be great to see a video of this and the upgrades.

 

[jjandersoj]

Hi Guys,

In the larger scope of the project, it was a 1+1+1=1.

Ebay Unit 1 - Kaypro 16 "Mostly" working.
Ebay Unit 2 - Kaypro 16 "Pure Parts Box", missing parts.
Ebay Unit 3 - My Final Chassis, Bad CRT, Good PS, Great KB.

PS from Unit 1
MB from Unit 3
CRT from Unit 1
Keyboard from Unit 3

I decided to go K16/2. I went through 4 WD-1002-HB0 Disk Controllers for K16 and could not get a stable one to work.

The K16/2 also gave me a 2nd bay for physical floppy, I can run 22NICE and 22DISK very well.

The K16 isn't as service friendly as K 2,4,10. The main board and card cage are inverted in the chassis.
Thus taking out the ISA Card cage is major box surgery.

I got tired of chasing failing 4164-200 Mostek DRAMS's, to I replaced all of them with new Korean 4164-120

I played with the Floppy/Ram IO Card for a while. The original Serial port has a custom RS-232 pinout.
So switching to the DTX HEXIO gave me a battery replaceable RTC, Floppy, Standard Serial, and Parallel Port was a win.

I was originally going to go with the K16, but with the inability to get a work HD Controller, I used Slot #4 for an XT-IDE and 250MB DOM.

The CPU card actually came from a Kaypro PC. It was nice to score the NEC V20 and turbo switch.

I owe many thanks to the folks at www.minuszerodegrees.net

So in the end, the only original card is the CGA Card.
This card also has custom video cabling to go to the internal monitor via MB conversion circuitry.

Fan came from an Amazon seller

I have used the HXC in my last Kaypro 10 flip, so I did it again. It makes working with IMG and HFE Image files so much easier.

I won't count parts I didn't use in my cost. But I'll grit my teeth and say $1250 to $1500 is was my final cost, hey the original price was $3200, lol.

I don't drink, smoke or play lotto... so I guess this is my personal passion.

I was glad to get it done before Kayak season, it took 4 months.

So I have my slipped K10 and K16 now. When I get some more photo's, I'll post them.

John-A

 

[synclavier]

John,

This is Joey. Thanks for posting this. I have a K16/2e that I recently bought that I wanted to upgrade as you have done. I am having trouble getting the Kaypro to see the XT-IDE-CF in slot 4. It just boot directly to floppy A without detecting the XT-IDE ROM. Was there something you did to get it to work? My XT-IDE is from Blue Lava Systems. The CF is a bootable 64MB card with DOS 6.22 n it. Perhaps there is a DIP switch that needs to be changed, or another ROM to flash in. I am a bit of a newb but learning quickly. Thanks for anything you could add.