Date:13-Aug-88 17:04:37 Fm: Bob Kaputa 76701,300 To update the PC-Sprint review.... 1.) The Mod is available for the 1000A. 2.) EXEC-PC no longer handles sales of PC-Sprint. They will cheerfully give you the number of the company who does: DAS Technologies, Inc. 340 W. University Dr. Suite 17 Mesa, AZ 85201 (602) 844-1777 PC-SPRINT 1000 by Charles Robertson PC-SPRINT is a hardware speed-up modification kit for the "original" series of the T1K's. It is noted several times through the documentation that it WILL not work on the "A" series. PC-SPRINT comes complete with two processors, a V20 and a 8088-2, two crystals, a "chip remover", and a small circuit board. The instructions are clear and concise for the step by step conversion including eight drawings to clarify some of the steps. The first step is quite easy, finding out which of the two new processors you can use. (One or the other must be used for the speed-up to work at all) Starting with the V20, you swap your current 8088 and reboot. This is to test if your T1K will run with the V20. I ran several of my usual programs and everything checked out. The V20 will provide the fastest speed-up if your T1K can handle it. The second step is also simple. First you decide, which "speed" crystal you want to try. (The two crystals give your T1K an effective speed of 6.67mH or 7.37mH depending on which one your T1k can handle...swapping the crystals is a simple task later) You plug the crystal selected into the PC-SPRINT board, pull the clock chip from your motherboard, plug it into the small PC- SPRINT board, and plug the jumper from the PC-SPRINT board back into the former clock chip socket. The small PC-SPRINT board has two foam "feet" on the bottom and just sits on top of the motherboard. If you have a memory board the last step can be a bit taxing. Hanging off the PC-SPRINT board are two sets of wires. One set is connected to a switch which you mount somewhere on your T1K's case and is used to switch from the normal speed of 4.77mH to the boost speed. The other wire has a small plunger- clip attached to it and SHOULD be connected to your expanded memory board. If you have Radio Shack's 25-1004 memory board, the instructions give you the proper connecting point. For this final step you must pull out the card which contains your DMA chip and cover one of the connection points with a small piece of tape (supplied). The most difficult part for some maybe the next step of tracing the connection, you just covered, to the first leg of the first chip it hits. I suggest that you do several "tracings" and see if you keep coming up with the same point. I FINALLY did and was right. (I understand that you can call and get very good tech support if you feel you need help during any of these steps.) I have been running at (advertised) 7.37mH now for several weeks with no major problems. One minor glitch, for those of you who turn off your computers when not in use, a power-up boot fills the screen with garbage and give a message of "Memory Error"...however hitting the red RESET button moves my T1K right along through it's paces. When exiting PC-PAINTBRUSH at high speed my T1K sometimes gives the message "Invalid COMMAND.COM...System Halted". I have yet to find any program that chokes on "boost", at that...you just flip the speed switch if one does...even while the program is running! Unfortunately I don't have the Norton Utilities to give a standard reference number. However a set of speed test programs gave the following results as referenced to a standard IBM-PC/XT. With the switch at NORMAL, the speed rating was 95%-97%; with the switch at BOOST, the speed rating was 245%- 252%. PC-SPRINT cost is $99 and can be ordered through EXEC-PC Inc., Post Office Box 11268, Shorewood, WI, 53211 ... or ... by calling 414/242-2173. PC-SPRINT also comes with a "free trial offer" (week's membership) to EXEC-PC BBS. This is NOT just another BBS, EXEC-PC has 16 phone lines that can be simultaneously used, 323Mb of programs available for download, and can be accessed through TELENET's PC-PURSUIT program. PC-PURSUIT's cost is $25/month for as many hours as you want.