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Bought a Al Alamiah AX230 MSX (R) - كمبيوتر صخر - Very Rare Personal Computer

I

inotarobot

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Bought a Al Alamiah AX230 MSX (R) - كمبيوتر صخر - Very Rare Personal Computer

I was lucky enough to buy today, from a Goodwill Charity store here in Australia, a Red color one of these AX230 MSX machines.

6XsWRSp.jpg


jWMOSSn.jpg


At 66 years old I started in Computers in 1976, so I have a fair amount of knowledge. Having Irish/ English heritage my Arabic language skills are zero

Powering my machine up, it automatically shows me a progression of screens that pass by, before it ends up at the Arabic Firmware Graphics screen, like in this pic

2ZXtZci.png


At this point it seems no keys have any effect. This is now not fully correct as I have had some minor success with getting machine into other screens, BUT not in the way described below.

Miss Google was way helpful in directing me to the following site, that has lots of helpful info on this personal computer.

https://www.msx.org/wiki/Sakhr_AX-230

This machine comes with an 'enhanced' version 1.01 of Arabic firmware, present on all Sakhr/Al Alamiah computers. The firmware can be skipped by pressing CTRL key while booting and until you come on the MSX-BASIC screen. By doing that, the machine will be in International mode and the Arabic characters will not be available.
Click to expand...
This does not work on my machine

One of the screens that I get early on in the boot, is the Arabic firmware version 1.01

3EXfHJW.png


followed by the Arabic firmware 1.01 'enhanced' menu,

before it before as I said it ends up at the Arabic Firmware Graphics screen.

Can someone give me some guidance on how to get to the other screens shown especially the one Arabic firmware 1.01 option 6 submenu (as below) with the menu in English on the left screen ?

sixPCDj.png



Also I would like to try & find to buy 2 of the original red joysticks the same as in the attached photo, that I had found on web.

OsJRzCy.jpg



BTW When I connected computer to my color monitor using video & audio then power on, it boots the Cartridge game, but I have NO ... YES NO gaming experience so cannot workout if it is fully operational.

However characters move across the screen, and audio is playing a tune.

Here are a couple of pics from inside my machine.

xzQrZIK.jpg


YRJ7T3m.jpg
 
Chuck(G) said:
Neat find!



So you're, what, 107, today? Hats off to you, old timer! (or was that a crashblossom? :) )
Click to expand...

yes my Birthdays been great and I have many years of computing left, till I get to make music in the sky. :harp: BTW I was born in June 1951, and bought my first computer, a Motorola Mek6800D2 kit in 1978.

and yes it was a "crashblossom" as you rightly picked up.

I think I have been reading way to many online news articles and my old World English grammer, taught at high school, has taken quite a punishing; when I write online articles.
 
Maybe this is the wrong Forum for assistance on this type of Personal Computer.

I found MSX Resource Center, and am trying to join this site in hope they can assist.

I have never owned a RED colored computer till now, but its very visually impressive.

Now will I go and buy a few cans of red spray paint and paint all my other Vintage Machine ??

Red Macs, Red Amigas, Red Sirius 1's, Red Altos's, Red Otrona, Red October, lots of Red DEC's. :killcomputer:

edited .. my lady friend added Red Herring to the above list.


OPPS two blokes in white suits, just walked in with my morning meds. I thought they had forgotten me. :eek:ha:

Looks like I will delay the RED spray painting of all the rest of my machines, for a year or 10.
 
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Nice machine!

Also I would like to try & find to buy 2 of the original red joysticks the same as in the attached photo, that I had found on web.
Click to expand...

Wish you luck trying to find these peripherals ;-), they're rare as hen´s teeth :)

I've myself an AX-170, a close relative of your AX-230. Only color and firmware seems to change. In the AX-170 is pretty easy to find the way to access to BASIC prompt, there're numeric options to boot into english or arabic BASIC versions (I've also an AX-370 and now I'm not sure if you have both BASICs in both machines; but I haven't had any problems finding my way to BASIC).

BTW When I connected computer to my color monitor using video & audio then power on, it boots the Cartridge game, but I have NO ... YES NO gaming experience so cannot workout if it is fully operational.
Click to expand...

MSX cursor keys and space bar are a pretty good gaming setup in MSX machines, don't they work for you?
 
inotarobot said:
Can someone give me some guidance on how to get to the other screens shown especially the one Arabic firmware 1.01 option 6 submenu (as below)
Click to expand...
No, but I was able to translate the first screen for you. My Arabic knowledge is quite limited but I'm familiar with the alphabet, so at least Google Translate could do the rest... not sure if that helps.
______

Al Alamiah
All rights reserved 1992/86
--------------------------
1 - Calendar
2 - Draw(?)
3 - Write in Arabic
4 - Write in English
5 - Educational programs
6 - Entertainment programs
7 - Cartridge / BASIC
--------------------------
Choose a number
 
VileR said:
No, but I was able to translate the first screen for you. My Arabic knowledge is quite limited but I'm familiar with the alphabet, so at least Google Translate could do the rest... not sure if that helps.
______

Al Alamiah
All rights reserved 1992/86
--------------------------
1 - Calendar
2 - Draw(?)
3 - Write in Arabic
4 - Write in English
5 - Educational programs
6 - Entertainment programs
7 - Cartridge / BASIC
--------------------------
Choose a number
Click to expand...

Hi and Thank you heaps.

I am just trying to do a video of the boot and put it on uTube.

https://youtu.be/zm2bi6ISg2o

My machine does NOT stop at this First screen, then wait for an input from the 7 options.
 
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some how I got into the Calendar program

some how I got into the Calendar program

some how I got into the Calendar program.

but more by fluke than using the correct key sequence

qidHWa6.jpg
 
jltursan said:
Nice machine!

MSX cursor keys and space bar are a pretty good gaming setup in MSX machines, don't they work for you?
Click to expand...

Just tried these on the only game cartridge that came with the machine. NO joy..

Seems like the up arrow of the 4 cursor keys, randomly seems to make the caps lock red led illuminate. To turn that light off I have to hit the caps lock key
 
Ok little update. I was able to some how freeze the machine, part way throught its startup, that takes it automatically past the first screen, briefly via a second screen and directly on to the Graphics program screen. Below is this second screen that is briefly visable in the utube video I mention earlier in this thread.

I believe this is NOT correct as the machine should only boot to the initial 7 option menu screen.

This banner is across the bottom of the sceeen

MdXE5LV.jpg
 
Okay, that seems to be something like:

Control
1- Arrow[ key]s and joystick
2- Arrow[ key]s and graphics tablet
3- Arrow[ key]s and mouse
 
Success in finding the fault on booting past the initial menu screen

Success in finding the fault on booting past the initial menu screen

Great news.

I got a email from a very helpful person from Egypt, whom has quite a few of this family of machines for sale on eBay.

He told me from his experience, to disconnect the keyboard and power up machine. If it boots up to the initial screen and stops then the keyboard is at fault.

So opened the machine and disconnected keyboard. Instantly I saw the problem. More on this in a minute.

Connected machine to monitor and power and switched on. Machine went though boot before coming up with that initial menu screen.

All good so far, so failure mode was 100% keyboard related.

So now I started to look at the keyboard.

taGXZqZ.jpg


Here you can see the damage to the Right hand corner of the Left side Shift key
PC5oV7C.jpg


turning keyboard to view end. This is the right hand end of keyboard
u4M4BhD.jpg


turned keyboard to view left hand end. This is the end nearest the damaged Left side Shift key
Zr4DEoZ.jpg


Now I separated the key and mylar pcb key contacts boards from the metal back plate, and this is what I saw when I viewed end of the sheet metal that backs up the keys and mylar pcb key contacts board
BbVtsxE.jpg


View of inside of keyboard
q8H3iTx.jpg


So then I installed the mylar pcb key contacts board back onto the motherboard. Connected to monitor and power and turned on.

h7DOz5a.jpg


Still all good as you can see it brings up the main menu screen
G10qGnz.jpg


So I tried pressing the mylar contact relating to the number 4 key, and up came the Arabic Firmware English Writer screen
mJcS1n1.jpg


Hit reset as this was easier for now. Then once again at main menu pressed the the mylar contact relating to the number 7 key, and up came the Basic Program
spwRZhk.jpg
 
So next step is to straighten that back sheet metal the supports the keyboard keys and mylar keypad pcb.

Then give the keys and their supports a really good clean with suitable cleaner.

Finally, very carefully take a sharp scalpel knife to that LH Shift key top and just trim, very carefully the rh edge closest to the adjacent Z key.

Even if I could get a replacement LH Shift key top, I will leave the damaged one as it actually part of the provenance of this machine

Then its a reassembly and testing.

Edited to add the following:-
Did the above repairs.
Now its assembled and running just fine.

Its a walk into the Past with some of the Games. Maria said they are soooooo familiar. Like going back 30 years
 
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Well fast forward to April 2021 and as we had Maria's sister and her young teenage daughter Lauren visit last weekend I brought this Computer up to house and connected it to out TV. I had forgotten how to use it. Mind you my Arabic is ZERO, and I have no User manual for it. So Lauren played with it but could not access the games.

So after they left I hunted for a manual after having a further attempt at using it. Found one for its little brother the AX170 and downloaded it.. Tried for about 4hrs and still could not find how get into the Games section of ROM.

Also I tried the Cartridge that came with the machine. With power of I inserted the Cartridge and then powered unit on, It did NOT boot of cartridge nor did the machine hang, but simply loaded the internal rom code as before. So i have no idea at this stage if a: fault is in the cartridge or b: in the machine?

Wonder if anyone here has any clues ?

So bottom line is its now going to be an item I will sell in coming months as I really was never of the time period of computer gaming and I am not from an Arabic ethnic background so the educational section would be better value for someone that can appreciate it and use it.

Back in 2017 I had been able to get into menu in following photo
sixPCDj.png

I think I got to it from the menu in following photo but no joy in the last few days
G10qGnz.jpg

https://ia801000.us.archive.org/1/it...r%20Manual.pdf link to Manual for Sakhr AX-170

https://hansotten.file-hunter.com/up...X-Basic-V2.pdf manual for MSX Basic V2
 
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Got told by jltursan on MSG.Org forum that number 6 is the key to enter the games menu, so I tried number 6 and no joy.

I then went and booted machine into Basic and typed all the keyboard characters lower and upper case.

It became immediately clear I had a fault in keyboard as more than one key was not functioning.
jws6SmA.jpg


So I took photos of the screen and then opened machine, and dismantled the keyboard ""sandwich""

RzzaeKu.jpg


I layed it out and put markers on the key contact and noted it could not be a single trace issue as they was not common trace that was causing the all the keys to be not working.
jZw9A46.jpg


So I cleaned the 2 flat ribbon flying lead contact sets that are used to connect the keyboard to motherboard with isopropal alcohol and reassembled machine.

Repeated the keyboard test in basic and ALL the keys work.
yypnBO5.jpg


I then hit reset and got the main menu. Hit 6 and got into the games menu, YAAAAA all good.

Powered down , inserted the MSK My Ching Cartridge and turned machine on. NO boot from Cartridge.
Turned machine of, removed Cartridge and prized it open. Checked tracks and saw the edge fingers were slightly sticky with some sort of clear gum. Use my Isopropyl Alcohol to clean then, Plus sprayed a little into the cartridge connector on the AX-230 PCB. Did a few cycles of insertion and removal cleaning cartridge edge connector each time as a precaution.

Finally closed cartridge case and inserted it into the slot.

Powered machine on and YES the AX-230 booted straight into the game.
I1pnIVq.jpg
 
Hello
I am very glad go find such a forum
This computer was my childhood best mate I was lucky to find out that my mom has not got rid of my old stuff so I got it home and it still works
but I have an issue that reset button does not work
and do you have any idea how to get from program to another because I keep switching on and off which is a bad idea?
if anyone needs help with translation I can help
 
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