CONTACTS 
0201 - Northgate Computer Systems         612 553 0631
020101 - Mr. Bryon Murhpy; Customer Rep
020102 - Technical Support =612 943 8346; 800 446 5037 fax 612 943 6818

SUBJECTS
Keyboard Erratic Key Strokes RMA K2C0904
Upgrade motherboard with AMD386 40 MHZ, 8 MB Ram
Correlation to accepted practice and
Mistakes, Impact on Meeting Objectives
Communications, Time
Haste Makes Waste, Avoid
Time, Not Enough for Understanding, to

1209 -    ..
1210 - Summary/Objective
1211 -
121101 - Bryon developed a solution based on a combination of parts from the
121102 - two RMA's.  However, now the "0" key initially messed up again.
121103 -
121104 -
121105 - Follow Up
121106 -
121107 - Sent via fax this record as a memo, ref DIT 1, to Northgate to
121108 - establish the keyboard is still performing inadequately.
121109 -
121110 - Northgate should advise what procedure they wish to follow to
121111 - complete this RMA transaction.
121112 -
121113 -
1212 -
1213 -
1214 - Administration
1215 -
121501 - Bryon explained various technical changes for me to try and asked me
121502 - to hang up and call back if they do not work.  I resisted this pro-
121503 - cedure on the grounds that I need to make sure I follow the instruc-
121504 - tions carefully so further mistakes do not occur.  We managed to get
121505 - through the procedures he recommended, but do not know even now the
121506 - status of the repair.
121507 -
121508 -      Comment - Correcting Corrections
121509 -
121510 -      Rushing to solve a problem offers an illusion of efficiency, like
121511 -      the "Mad Hatter" in Alice in Wonderland. It usually just causes
121512 -      more problems under the rule "Haste makes waste!" As seen from
121513 -      this order, customers and Northgate staff spend more time
121514 -      correcting prior corrections.  My general sense is that Northgate
121515 -      has always done quality work in the past, so hopefully this
121516 -      particular situation is an anomoly.
121517 -
121518 -
121519 -
1216 -
1217 -
1218 -

SUBJECTS
Keyboard Erratic Key Strokes RMA K2C0904

1304 - Set Up
1305 -
130501 - Bryon said the manual Northgate sent with the keyboard is incorrect
130502 - with respect to the process of setting the repeat rate.
130503 -
130504 - Northgate should send a manual for this keyboard.
130505 -
130506 -
1306 -
1307 -
1308 - Modifications of Keyboard
1309 -
130901 - Bryon suggested opening the keyboard again to re-set the pin
130902 - connectors and the controller.  I found some plastic on one of the
130903 - pins and removed it.  The controller was fastened into the socket with
130904 - a plastic ribbon, but I pushed it into the socket anyway.  It did not
130905 - seem to move and so I conclude it was adequately seated.
130906 -
130907 - After doing the above, I am now working on the thing and it seems to
130908 - be working so far.  We have not had any beeps.
130909 -
130910 -    However, the thing failed as soon as I tried to use function keys.
130911 -
130912 -
130913 - Swapped Keyboard to Old Controller
130914 -
130915 - Bryon then suggested we swap the new keyboard into the old controller,
130916 - the one that came with the prior RMA number.  He said his records show
130917 - the only problem with the previous replacement keyboard was that the
130918 - "0" key was not working.  I explained his understanding is incorrect.
130919 -
130920 -     I read the record at ref SDS 2 line 21, which indicates the
130921 -     keystrokes are missing randomly and is not confined to the "0"
130922 -     key.  Further research showed the "0" problem occurred on the
130923 -     original keyboard that was replaced under the prior RMA K1B0125
130924 -     (see ref SDS 1 line 50).
130925 -
130926 - We went ahead and tried the swap.
130927 -
130928 -
130929 -    Controller
130930 -
130931 -    There are two main parts to the keyboard after it is disassembled.
130932 -    The keyboard part which screws into a housing with the controller.
130933 -
130934 -
130935 -
130936 - Now I am testing this new combination, the new replacement keyboard
130937 - with the prior replacement controller card.
130938 -
130939 - This is another test of the thing to see if it will work correctly, so
130940 - far it seems to be okay.  The function keys seem to work okay.  So it
130941 - appears that the prior replacement has a defective keyboard, and the
130942 - new replacement had a defective controller.
130943 -
130944 -
130945 -
130946 -
1310 -
1311 -
1312 - Further testing - "0" Bad
1313 -
131301 - After I hung up and assembled the keyboards and began using the new
131302 - keyboard combination.  Curiously, the "0" key is messing up, per
131303 - Bryon's records and the original complaint, ref SDS 1 line 22.  While
131304 - we were talking this did not manifest itself because there was no
131305 - occassion to use the "0" key.  To switch the keyboards, I turned off
131306 - the computer.  When I turned it on, I had to changed the directory to
131307 - H: 00 02 and in doing this I noticed a series of "000000" on the
131308 - screen.  Further testing shows the following:
131309 -
131310 -     It either does not enter "0" when struck; or
131311 -
131312 -     It enters a double "00".
131313 -
131314 -
131315 - So far I have not noticed this with any other keys.
131316 -
131317 -
131318 - Erratic Problem
131319 -
131320 - I closed Windows and tried this again.  It seems to have gone away for
131321 - now.  Turned the computer off and re-booted.  When I entered the
131322 - Windows directory, H: 00 02, the problem reappeared.
131323 -
131324 -
131325 - After sending the above writing to Northgate via fax, I did more
131326 - testing of the other keyboard.
131327 -
131328 -
131329 -
1314 -
1315 -
1316 - Another Test
1317 -
131701 - Old Keyboard on New Controller
131702 -
131703 - This is the combination we are thinking of returning to Northgate, it
131704 - has the old keyboard (the one with the double commas, and no period
131705 - key) with the new controller.  So far it is working better than the
131706 - other keyboard combination.
131707 -
131708 - Data entry seems to work.  Have not had a single problem with the "0"
131709 - key combination.
131710 -
131711 - The function keys seem to work okay.  It is using the old cable. Bryon
131712 - said he did not think the cable should make any difference.  I could
131713 - switch the cables and see if that makes any difference.
131714 -
131715 -
131716 - Whoops!
131717 -
131718 - Had to go back to initial combination.  This test suddenly failed. The
131719 - keys just stopped talking to the computer, nothing would go onto the
131720 - screen.
131721 -
131722 -
131723 -
1318 -
1319 -
1320 - 1515 called back
1321 -
132101 - Talked to Ronda.  She said they are in Mineapolis, MN, and the Tech
132102 - people in the Keyboard department have gone home.
132103 -
132104 - Rondah talked to a "supervisor," they have received the fax, but the
132105 - Supervisor could not do anything because it is a keyboard matter.
132106 -
132107 - After some discussion, Rondah asked me to hold on one more minute
132108 - while she discusses it further with the Supervisor.
132109 -
132110 -
132111 - Talked to Rick Galster, he is in system tech support.  He has the
132112 - fax, but has not read it.
132113 -
132114 -    He asked about the configuration.  I explained when we put another
132115 -    keyboard on the computer it works okay.
132116 -
132117 -    Rick said their keyboards are very sensitive to the BIOS.
132118 -
132119 -    Does the failed keyboard work okay on another system?
132120 -
132121 -      He feels Northgate should send us a different style keyboard,
132122 -      since evidently this one is not compatible with this BIOS.
132123 -
132124 -          This is possible, since it seems to me we did not begin
132125 -          having the problems until after the upgrade was done and the
132126 -          MR bios was installed.
132127 -
132128 -      Rick will leave a note for Bryon to call me in the morning on
132129 -      this matter, with Rick's recommended solution.
132130 -
132131 -