• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

GEnie CP/M RoundTable SW Libs / Visual 1050

D

dcymbal

Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2004
Messages
33
Location
Massachusetts, USA
Hi Folks,

I am trying to fill in some holes for my Visual 1050 info page (http://bramante.metabarn.com/visual1050/) and am wondering if anyone can help out with the following:

1) "Library 37" of the GEnie CP/M RoundTable Software Libraries apparently had a boatload of Visual 1050 stuff (i.e. in the neighborhood of 80 disks). These were mainly named VLIB##.ARK. There is an index at http://www.retroarchive.org/cpm/cdrom/STARLET/GENIENEC/CPMNOV01.LST but I have not been able to find the actual content. Does anybody have an archive of this?

2) I am looking for a ROM dump of the 1050 keyboard controller to complete the MESS emulator. Also, we have version 1.1 ROM dumps of the Z80 boot ROM and the 6502 video ROM but are interested in collecting dumps of other versions. If anybody with the systems or tools can help please let me know.

Thanks!
 
I believe I have this archive, if you're still around, this is a one year-old post. Today I restored a 1050 keyboard by replacing the disintegrated keyboard foam pads with new pads. I still have to test the computer, but I am optimistic. It took hours to cut and replace all of those little pads. I found a pretty good way to do it though.

1. Get a Stanley Grommet Kit of 1/2" (12mm) punch
2. Use the grommet punch to cut little pads out of a sheet of Woodland Scenics 5mm foam
3. Carefully disassemble the keyboard
4. Remove the foam pads from the keys but keep the metallic pad tops
5. Rubber cement the new pads to the base of the keyboard and apply the metallic pad tops to the new pads.

I swapped around some of the metal pad tops so that the best ones were on the most-used keys.

The keypads sit just below the top of the keyboard key holes, so they're not making contact with the PCB. They are however a lot higher up in the "well" of the key hole than before (see pic below). The keyboard action is a little tight, but it should work. I will let you know.

thm_Visual-1050_kybd_pad-foam.JPG

BEFORE - foam almost disintegrated. These have all been replaced.

http://vintagecomputer.net/visualtechnology/1050/
More pictures, mostly of the keyboard assembly.

I have also restored the hard drive to my 1050, but it was a pain because the keyboard was not working correctly, I had to use three keyboards to complete the commands, one keyboard for one keystroke, then swap to another keyboard, then another, back to the first, etc. Thus prompting me to want to fix a keyboard!

-bill
 
Last edited:
I don't have #37, but I do have three of the disks from this series (forget the numbers, they're in the teens)...Anyway, none were readable in my Visual 1050 although they came from a set of other 1050 disks. Hopefully it's my computer and not the disks. I have spare drives appropriate for the 1050 so I need to try different ones and in general determine what's what. I have only explored this model quickly, I need to learn how to support the 1050. So far all I have been able to accomplish is restoring the keyboard and re-building the hard drive.

I do have a ton of Visual 1050 software and docs... Where are you located?
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top