[rescue] Q about Voyager screen repair; bonus: pictures of T-SPARCstation 2
Dave McGuire
mcguire at neurotica.com
Wed May 6 21:55:24 UTC 2026
I have thought about cloning that memory module.
LSSM has a color Voyager, but with a physically broken display. :-(
-Dave
On 5/6/26 17:32, Peter Stokes via rescue wrote:
> I have sort of got two working ones, the problem is finding memory as I
> only have one memory module and never seen another for sale.
>
> Peter
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
>> On 6 May 2026, at 22:05, Todd Vernon via rescue <rescue at sunhelp.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>> I would say that it true. There are two kinds of Color Voyagers.
>> Those that are broken, and those about to break 🙂. The machine is
>> solid, the screen is a nightmare. Some dude has been trying to sell
>> the same one “working” but no screen image posted on eBay for over 2-3
>> years.
>>
>> -t
>>
>> Todd Vernon
>> Entrepreneur | Investor
>> Email: todd at toddvernon.com <mailto:todd at toddvernon.com>
>> LinkedIn: toddvernon <https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddvernon/>
>>
>>
>> On May 6, 2026 at 2:59:41 PM, Steve Hatle via rescue
>> <rescue at sunhelp.org <mailto:rescue at sunhelp.org>> wrote:
>>> I guess I got lucky when I sold my Voyager last year when everything
>>> still worked!
>>>
>>> Steve
>>>
>>>
>>> ------ Original Message ------
>>> From "Todd Vernon via rescue" <rescue at sunhelp.org
>>> <mailto:rescue at sunhelp.org>>
>>> To "Dan Moisa" <dmoisa at gmail.com <mailto:dmoisa at gmail.com>>
>>> Cc "Todd Vernon" <todd at toddvernon.com <mailto:todd at toddvernon.com>>;
>>> "The Rescue List" <rescue at sunhelp.org <mailto:rescue at sunhelp.org>>
>>> Date 5/6/2026 3:43:02 PM
>>> Subject Re: [rescue] Q about Voyager screen repair; bonus: pictures
>>> of T-SPARCstation 2
>>>
>>>> Point me to it. I looked and looked for one with a parallel output.
>>>> -t
>>>>
>>>> Todd Vernon
>>>> Entrepreneur | Investor
>>>> Email: todd at toddvernon.com <mailto:todd at toddvernon.com>
>>>> LinkedIn: toddvernon <https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddvernon/>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On May 6, 2026 at 2:17:12 PM, Dan Moisa <dmoisa at gmail.com
>>>> <mailto:dmoisa at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>>>> Before you guys drill more irreversible holes in that aging
>>>>> plastic, wait up. You can plug into the RGB stream from the
>>>>> connector inside the screen housing and have a fully enclosed panel
>>>>> that externally looks OEM. It's all off the shelf components as
>>>>> well, though if more ppl have this problem a PCB can be easily built.
>>>>>
>>>>> I've also tried resurrecting dead screens by replacing caps, and no
>>>>> dice. Voyagers on the whole are unreliable though, I've had every
>>>>> single component fail on me - the regulator, the graphics card,
>>>>> Ethernet, you name it.
>>>>>
>>>>> Dan
>>>>>
>>>>> On Wed, May 6, 2026, 12:48 Todd Vernon via rescue
>>>>> <rescue at sunhelp.org <mailto:rescue at sunhelp.org>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Yeah, I replaced the caps. I ultimately went with the new
>>>>> option as you simply never see old voyagers with screens that
>>>>> work. Went with the slightly
>>>>> Less elegant but more future proof option.
>>>>>
>>>>> I was actually surprised the problem wasn’t pixel streaks
>>>>> problem, but there way go.
>>>>>
>>>>> -t
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Todd Vernon
>>>>> Entrepreneur | Investor
>>>>> Email: todd at toddvernon.com <mailto:todd at toddvernon.com>
>>>>> LinkedIn: toddvernon <https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddvernon/>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On May 6, 2026 at 12:42:05 PM, Andy Piercy
>>>>> <andy.piercy at gmail.com <mailto:andy.piercy at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>>>>> On the Voyager, have you checked the inverter module and its
>>>>>> output, as the surface mount caps go bad.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Wed, 6 May 2026, 15:42 Todd Vernon via rescue,
>>>>>> <rescue at sunhelp.org <mailto:rescue at sunhelp.org>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I tried and failed. I’n my opinion all the color screens
>>>>>> eventually die. Here is how I fixed mine with a new screen:
>>>>>> https://www.oldsilicon.com/workstations/sparcstation-
>>>>>> voyager/ <https://www.oldsilicon.com/workstations/
>>>>>> sparcstation-voyager/>
>>>>>> If you ever want to get rid of the B/w one let me know.
>>>>>> T
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ---
>>>>>> Todd Vernon
>>>>>> Entrepreneur | Investor
>>>>>> Email: todd at toddvernon.com <mailto:todd at toddvernon.com>
>>>>>> LinkedIn: toddvernon <https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddvernon/>
>>>>>> On May 6, 2026 at 8:36 AM -0600, Walter Belgers via rescue
>>>>>> <rescue at sunhelp.org <mailto:rescue at sunhelp.org>>, wrote:
>>>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Continuing the testing of all my systems, I have found
>>>>>>> that I have 3 Voyagers, one with bwtwo that works; two
>>>>>>> with cgsix, both of which do not display anything on the
>>>>>>> screen (but do work on external monitors). Does anybody
>>>>>>> have tips for repair/problem finding? Originally I had
>>>>>>> one that I thought the backlight was broken and I tried
>>>>>>> swapping screens to determine the defect but now I have
>>>>>>> two that are not working.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Meanwhile I have gotten my SSA100 working with the
>>>>>>> SS1000. I printed some hinges (see earlier mail of Steve
>>>>>>> Hattle) and have ordered batteries to replace in the SSA100.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I also powered up the T-SPARCstation 2 (4/75T) again. I
>>>>>>> got this from Whitfield Diffie, whom I got to do the
>>>>>>> keynote at the 25-year anniversary congress of the Dutch
>>>>>>> UNIX Users Group I was leading at the time (2007). It
>>>>>>> took until 2010 until Joep Vesseur of Sun Netherlands
>>>>>>> could physically fetch it and bring it back to me in his
>>>>>>> hand luggage. I always thought the casing was riveted
>>>>>>> shut (I was expecting this due to it being tempest
>>>>>>> proof). But now when I looked I saw the rivets were
>>>>>>> actually T8 torx screws (duh)! So after 16 years in my
>>>>>>> posession I finally was able to open it and fix the
>>>>>>> NVRAM. The system works fine but is missing disk trays.
>>>>>>> It uses a 29-pin Hypertronics milspec "KA type" connector
>>>>>>> for the disks. Slim chance of finding trays.. After
>>>>>>> opening up I now understand that the hole in the front
>>>>>>> has nothing behind it. And the weird power cable setup is
>>>>>>> to route mains to the power switch on the front and then
>>>>>>> back to the normal PSU.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I put some pictures online at https://cloud.giga.nl/apps/
>>>>>>> photos/public/1RpIilmfnAgqfDEiSen1QgGhgRww0gYq <https://
>>>>>>> cloud.giga.nl/apps/photos/
>>>>>>> public/1RpIilmfnAgqfDEiSen1QgGhgRww0gYq>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Walter.
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> rescue list - http://sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/
>>>>>>> rescue_sunhelp.org <http://sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/
>>>>>>> rescue_sunhelp.org>
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>>>>>>
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--
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA
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