I recently un-mothballed my old HYDRA games platform, and (sob!) discovered that it was no longer fully functional. The HYDRA was my first Propeller 1 system, and I not only have very fond memories of it, I still have lots of hardware accessories and software written specifically for it.
The original HYDRA now seems to be unavailable anywhere, but if anyone has one in working order that they no longer want, I would be happy to buy it.
Name your price!
Ross.
Comments
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I see there is one on ebay right now for <$90 buy-it-now which seems like a good price to me.
Bean
Thats' a decent price based on original price.
http://www.ic0nstrux.com/hydra-game-development-kit#.XTD_b_JKjcs
I have not located my two, (in storage).
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I would imagine yours could be repaired. There really isn't a lot to go wrong there. If it's generally not working it's probably a voltage regulator, and if it's a chip (such as the Propeller having bad pins) those are socketed.
I know exactly where my Hydra is, but it's at work not here. Let me open the box (for the first time in years) and I'll make an offer tomorrow.
You may have modified your hardware and/or software.
Download it from http://catalina-c.sourceforge.net/
No, I never modified the Hydra main unit, only some of the extension boards. The Hydra itself was perfect the way it was
Download it from http://catalina-c.sourceforge.net/
Yes, if I cannot find another I will look at getting mine repaired. But in the short term its easier to just see if I can acquire a working one.
Download it from http://catalina-c.sourceforge.net/
Does it work without the extension boards?
No. Most things do work, but not everything. Sound doesn't work, and the video output (both VGA and TV) seem a bit odd (very shaky). I also had some initial issues with the clock speed, but that seems to have settled down. Possibly that one was just that the crystal needed reseating. The keyboard seems not to work reliably, but again that could just be a connection problem and may settle down.
I have not tested everything. I will try replacing the Propeller chip itself. I just realized that I have a couple of spare P1 chips.
Ross.
Download it from http://catalina-c.sourceforge.net/
Yes, as I just posted, I just found a couple of spare P1 chips!
Download it from http://catalina-c.sourceforge.net/
Download it from http://catalina-c.sourceforge.net/
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.
Yes, corrosion would explain it. Several of the peripheral sockets acted up initially as well (e.g. the keyboard). Probably should have put it away in a sealed case.
Possibly. I'll investigate the old chip when I have more time.
Download it from http://catalina-c.sourceforge.net/
P1 Prop OS (also see Sphinx, PropDos, PropCmd, Spinix)
Website: www.clusos.com
P1: Tools (Index) , Emulators (Index) , ZiCog (Z80)
P2: Tools & Code , Tricks & Traps
An air tight bag with desiccant can only help. If the board is stored for a long period it's always a good idea to remove the chip(s) from the socket and reinsert them. When I did PM's on old instruments with socketed chips removing the chips, cleaning the pins with an ink eraser and reinserting them ate up a large percentage of the time, as did cleaning the tinned PCB contacts (also with the ink eraser). Also used a contact cleaner/protector that left an anti-oxidation film on the pins and board contacts before reinserting them. Tedious and time consuming, but reduced emergency calls dramatically.
Life is unpredictable. Eat dessert first.
Yes, they are. Available and expensive that is, but well worth it in some cases.
Life is unpredictable. Eat dessert first.