Tarbell is making me insane

[Grant Stockly]

I'm about to go insane.

Here is what I have:
-Fake Altair (rock solid in everything but tarbell)
-Tarbel 1011D
-Tarbell 1011A, which SEEMS to be better than the 1011D.
-4xMITS 16MCS 16k memory cards
-5xSEALS 8k SRAM
-2SIO
-MITS Rev0 CPU

Anyway...it doesn't work at all if I have a 16k memory card and an 8k 
memory card.  The 1011A works best (gets the furtherest in all 
tests).  If I'm lucky it asks me how many disks I have!

It also doesn't work with 3 seals 8k cards.

When I put in a CompuPro active terminator on the end of the bus, the 
computer goes crazy and doesn't do anything.  Installing an 
"Industrial Micro Systems" terminator from 1980 it changes 
operational characteristics, but still doesn't quite do it.

I had been trying to make the stupid thing work for months, on and off...

Well, I decided to stop trying to limit the number of cards on the 
bus.  I put in 5 8k seals cards and the stupid thing boots and runs 
commands.  Before while loading BDOS it would most of the time report 
corrupted or missing sectors.  Or just print trash.  Now I can run 
DISKDMP and programs like that.

After working flawlessly for a few minutes its back to crazy.  I can 
single step through the tarbel boot program and see it going crazy...  : (

I'd like the thing to be rock solid with minimal memory cards.

Can anyone think of WHY the tarbel card is so much trouble?  I burn 
EPROMs all day long with this Altair.  It takes 3 minutes to burn a 
1702 and I've never had one fail!  I can also leave it playing music 
for all night long with no problems!!!



I need help!!!  : (

Grant