The following text file came from the Tandy 1000 National Echo, a FIDO BBS mail transfer system amongst bulletin boards across the nation, and is intended to be an information file. 02-16-89 09:29:00 From: LLOYD WOOD You got it right, just unplug the 8088 and plug in the V-20. You should first run a speed test with, say, Norton's SI. Then run it again after plugging in the V-20. You should see a 20% or greater increase in performance (you don't HAVE to run the speed test, but it is interesting). If you've never unplugged a chip and plugged in another, there are some rules to follow to avoid zapping the chips by static electricity, or mechanically breaking them. Not to insult your intelligence, and if you already know this, remember there are readers that have never had the cover off and looked at all the weird stuff inside. First, do not remove the V20 from it's antistatic foam or bag until you're ready to plug'er in. BEFORE YOU TOUCH ANYTHING ELSE, TOUCH THE POWER SUPPLY CASE. This will drain any static charge that might have built up in your body. Use a small screwdriver under the 8088 chip and "rock" the flat blade side to side until the chip starts to move up out of the socket. As it does, move the screwdriver further under the chip. With care and patience, you should be able to get it out without bending the pins. Touch the power supply case again to get rid of any static you may have built up in the process of moving around. Remove the V20 from it's baggy and foam. Look at the pins. If they are bent slightly outward, you'll have to straighten them until they are at 90 degrees to the body of the chip. This is done by laying the chip on a flat surface with the pins on one side against the surface. Then apply gentle pressure until they are 90 degrees to the chip body. Turn it over and do the other row of pins. The pins should now line up with the socket holes. Make sure you have the notch in one end of the chip positioned properly and press it into place. Just like a politician's speech, nothing to it. (However, if you are still worried you're gonna break something, find a techie and let him bolster his ego by helping you.) +-----+ +-----+ | | | | +-----+ +-----+ / \ | | If pins look like Bend'em 'til this they look like this. * Origin: The *HOT MUDDY DUCK* BBS (N4HMD) - Shalimar, Florida (366/73)