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    prestonb
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the IDEA-48 -- using it in 2013!

I've come upon a small theatre that has a 1993 IDEA-48

  • IDEA-048-DMX-RGO-0
  • 12/20/93-IDEA-0296

I really can't find out much information about it--other than the manual and cut-sheet.  But the 3.5" floppy is dead and the CRT/VGA connector is missing.

  1. Is there repair documentation?
  2. Can I field-replace the floppy?
  3. Can I field-replace the VGA?
  4. Is it compatible with ETC offline?  (like Expression Offline)

Or am I sunk in trying to bring this desk into the 21st Century?

I hope there is a mod for this forum!

Best regards, Preston

Parents

  • Your best bet will be to contact a local dealer about sending it in for repair.  That's not the only one still in active use, and we definitely still service them.  Video was an option on the Idea consoles, so this one may never have had it.  I'm having a hard time picturing a scenario where the connector could have broken off that wouldn't have been pretty catastrophic.  If that is what happened, then I think it would be pretty unlikely to be something you could fix yourself. 

    The floppy drive could be tricky for other reasons.  One is that it may not be the drive itself that failed, but some of the electronics that control it.  The other is that a drive from a different manufacturer may not work correctly.  I don't know offhand just how picky an Idea console is about that, but I wouldn't expect it to be as flexible as a proper computer.

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  • Your best bet will be to contact a local dealer about sending it in for repair.  That's not the only one still in active use, and we definitely still service them.  Video was an option on the Idea consoles, so this one may never have had it.  I'm having a hard time picturing a scenario where the connector could have broken off that wouldn't have been pretty catastrophic.  If that is what happened, then I think it would be pretty unlikely to be something you could fix yourself. 

    The floppy drive could be tricky for other reasons.  One is that it may not be the drive itself that failed, but some of the electronics that control it.  The other is that a drive from a different manufacturer may not work correctly.  I don't know offhand just how picky an Idea console is about that, but I wouldn't expect it to be as flexible as a proper computer.

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