Cordata CS40 IBM XT Computer Tilt - Screen Corona ADP50 Xircom PE3 - 10BT 8088 768KB




Item History & Price

Information:
Reference Number: Avaluer:7051375Brand: Cordata Corona Data Systems Daewoo
Type: DesktopModel: Cordata CS40
Original Description:
. . . Cordata CS40 IBM XT Compatible Computer System Intel 8088-2 Running at 4.77MHz or 8.0MHz (switch selectable) CGA Internal CRT Monochrome Graphics (16 shades of green) CGA Color Graphics with External Monitor (switch selectable) AT&T 6300 High-Resolution Graphics Mode Compatible 768KB of RAM Installed (27 41256 DIP chips installed) 43MB Hard Drive (64MB CF Card Fo...rmatted to 43MB) Silicon Valley Computer ADP50L 8-bit ISA IDE Card Genoa Systems AudioBlitz Classic Model A3100 Sound Card
8-bit ISA 100% SoundBlaster 2.0 Compatible (220, 2, 1) Dual Matsushita 360KB 5¼" Diskette Drives (A: and B:) Xircom PE3-10BT Parallel Port Ethernet Adapter
NetBIOS (netBEUI) and mTCP Protocol Stack Pre-configured New Real-time Clock (RTC) Battery
Date and Time Set Automatically Through AUTOEXEC.BAT 8087 Math Coprocessor Socket Available 70+ Games and Software Pre-configured
And there is still 10MB of Free Space for More Software! Internal Monitor Tilts 15 Degrees in Both Directions Includes the Original 20MB Kyocera Hardcard Includes the Original 8-bit ISA COM/LPT Card AC Power Cable
PLEASE NOTE: The IBM color monitor and PC/XT keyboard are NOT included in the auction. Those belong to my IBM 5150 system, which by the way will be coming up for auction soon.

This is a truly bizarre computer system! Please read everything to learn what I have done to this little jewel.

A few months back I went to my local Ma and Pa computer shop to rummage through their old ISA cards. I saw this computer sitting in a corner of their back room. It was given to them to e-waste and were told it didn't work. My first thought was to gut the system and install modern hardware into it to make a retro-computer. The store owner gave it to me seeing how he was just going to e-waste it any way.

To my utter amazement when I got it home it worked! The drive on the hardcard has some issues, but other than that everything worked as it should! Knowing this I couldn't possibly gut this little gem so I set off on a quest to restore it.

ORIGINAL CONFIGURATION WHEN I RECEIVED IT
512KB of RAM 20MB Kyocera Hardcard with DOS 3.2 installed
The drive would boot but had many read errors. I attempted to low-level format the drive using the card's built-in utility located at address C800:5 but that just made things worse. Also, the drive would get very hot. My guess is the bearings are overheating, even though they make absolutely no noise at all. Secondary 8-bit ISA COM and LPT card installed. UPGRADES AND MAINTENANCE I PERFORMED ON THE SYSTEM
Upgraded to 768KB of RAM by populating the remaining 9 DIP RAM sockets. Upgraded the hard drive to 43MB using a 64MB CF card.
I installed a Silicon Valley Computer ADP50L 8-bit ISA IDE card and connected that to an external CF card slot for easy access to the CF hard drive. The card is configured for address C800 and the internal BIOS software can be accessed at address C800:6 using DEBUG. Installed DOS 6.22, a hard drive menu system, and tons of software Removed the secondary COM and LPT card. Installed a Genoa Systems AudioBlitz Classic Model A3100 8-bit ISA sound card
It's 100% SoundBlaster 2.0 compatible configured at address 220H, IRQ2, and DMA 1. Installed and configured a Xircom PE3-10BT parallel port Ethernet adapter.
See the NETWORKING section below for details on the configuration. Installed a new BR2325 real time clock (RTC) coin battery.
The date and time are automatically set in AUTOEXEC.BAT Tore the system completely down and gave everything a thorough cleaning. I cleaned the drive heads and all POTs with electronics spray cleaner. NETWORKING

The Xircom Ethernet adapter supports both NetBIOS (netBEUI) and TCP/IP networking but not both at the same time. I wrote a custom batch file that allows you to select the networking setup:
NETWORK UNC
Reconfigures CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT for UNC path networking. Drive C: is shared as \\CORDATA\CDRIVE using Microsoft LAN Manager. NETWORK TCP
Reconfigures CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT for TCP/IP networking. I utilized the mTCP IP stack and utilities to do this. There is a README.TXT file located on the root of the hard drive that explains how to set your custom IP address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, and DNS address. NETWORK OFF
Reconfigures CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT for no networking. This gives maximum conventional RAM for your software and gaming needs. I also configured these three options in the hard drive menu so you won't have to remember the commands. This custom batch file by the way will work on any XT computer you wish to use the Xircom Ethernet adapter on. I purposely avoided the use of DOS 6.22's CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT menu features so the batch file will work with any version of DOS 3.2 or higher.

THE BAD

There is a crack in the bezel plastic located at the upper left hand corner(see pic). I was going to go ahead and repair this by using the old modeler's trick of fine sanding to fill the crack with plastic dust and then using thin CA glue to soak in and then lightly sand to remove the crack. I figured I would leave the repair method to who ever purchases the system. A collector may have a better method of repairing the crack. It's purely cosmetic and in no way weakens the structure of the computer.

The original 20MB hardcard does not work properly. I included Spinrite II on the CF card if you want to try and bring the drive back to life. The controller card works 100% so if you can find another 20MB MFM hard drive you could have the hardcard working again.

At some point before I received the computer someone installed a newer power supply and had to cut some of the case to do this (see pic). They did a fairly decent job though.

THE INTERESTING

Advertisements I've located on the net state the system is upgradable to 768KB as I have done. The system reports 640KB to DOS as it should but I can't seem to access the remaining 128KB of UMB RAM. I tried using the tried and true USE!UMBS driver and DOSMAX to get access to that RAM but they don't see it either. My guess is that I need to reconfigure the RAM DIP switches on the motherboard but I can't find a reliable source for their proper configuration. Perhaps you can? USE!UMBS and DOSMAX are included on the CF hard drive.

The entire monitor on this computer tilts in and out at 15 degree angles to align for better viewing. That is the strangest, but coolest thing I have ever seen in an XT class computer.

THE GOOD

I had a ball upgrading this system. It's the most unique computer I have ever come across. This computer is in truly remarkable condition for it's age (it was built in 1987!) The dust located inside when I received it was no more than you would expect from normal daily use. There were no signs of any spills or liquids getting in the system. This computer is a BEAST weighing 40 pounds because the support structure inside is solid stainless steel. There is no rust anywhere to be found. Keep in mind I will cover shipping which will be considerable. I will build a custom Styrofoam housing for this computer. Rest assured it will arrive undamaged to you.

This computer contains a few pretty hard to find vintage parts such as the AudioBlitz sound card, Silicon Valley Computer ADP50L IDE card, and Xircom PE3-10BT parallel Ethernet adapter. Those parts alone would cost you almost as much as the starting price I have on this auction.

Please don't hesitate to ask questions.

Due to the age of the system I will only guarantee that the system arrives in working condition to you. If something breaks a week later you fully understand that this happens with vintage equipment. I've taken the utmost care in testing this system fully, but vintage parts can fail at any time. Please recognize this before bidding.

Also, purchasing this computer does not imply that I will be your technical support person for it. I'm happy to help but if you are unfamiliar with vintage equipment then it will be up to you to study and learn your new purchase. . . I'll include a CD with all the drivers, software, and documentation I have for this system and Xircom Ethernet adapter. The CD will also contain an image of the CF card's contents if you ever need to restore the system to the configuration as received. Information on the mTCP TCP/IP stack and suite of utilities can be located here:
http://www.brutman.com/mTCP/ . . DO NOT plug your keyboard, serial mouse, or Xircom Ethernet adapter into this system with power on. These ports are NOT hot swappable like USB is today. You may damage your ports if you do this. DO NOT plug in or remove the CF card with power on the system. The CF card slot is NOT hot swappable. The AudioBlitz sound card has its own 3 watt amplifier built in. If you plug in powered speakers make sure you turn the volume knob down on the sound card. The same goes for headphones, you may damage your ears sending 3 watts into your headphones! Vintage sound cards contained their own amplifiers, before the days of powered speakers. . . . . . . . . . 90'sWeb Flashback Template Design by KC8EYT



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