- cctalk - classiccmp.org

by Chuck Guzis

On 9/1/22 18:43, Mike Katz wrote: > Taking my memory back to the early 1980's and the Western Digital floppy > disk controller chip family (177X single density and 179X double > density). I wrote the 6809 drivers for Gimix Flex. The controller chip > used the index pulse for sector zero position and for timing out a > failed read or write command. I don't recall if that controller chip > family could handle hard sectoring (one hole per sector) or not. All WD and NEC floppy controllers use the index hole for formatting as Fred mentioned. Further, I believe that three passes of the index hole while attempting to read or write gets you "Sector not found" if the address ID isn't detected. See datasheet and app notes for details. No WD or NEC floppy controller handles hard-sectored recording schemes. HOWEVER: A few years back, I was sent a bunch of 8" HS disks that were really puzzling--the sector ID address headers didn't line up with the sector hole timing. In fact, they were WAY off. It turns out that some 8" drives can be set to separate the sector holes from the index hole (separate output pins for index and sector). Doing so, gives you what amounts to a soft-sectored floppy, regardless of what the physical object is. I know that I used a Siemens FDD-200 drive jumpered accordingly to read them. Good times. --Chuck

2 years, 7 months

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Flipping an 8" diskette

by Liam Proven

Someone on Fesse Bouc just found a sealed box of SS/SD 8" floppies in their garage. Most FB types are too young to know 8" disks existed, of course. Someone suggested punching a notch in them and using both sides. Was that even possible on 8" disks? (TBH single-sided actually-floppy floppies are before my time and I never used 'em. When they were on low-end American 8-bit home computers, this impecunious young Brit couldn't afford floppy drives at all. By the time I could, 5.25" DS/DD was the cheapest drive and cheapest media.) -- Liam Proven ~ Profile: https://about.me/liamproven Email: lproven(a)cix.co.uk ~ gMail/gTalk/FB: lproven(a)gmail.com Twitter/LinkedIn: lproven ~ Skype: liamproven UK: (+44) 7939-087884 ~ Czech [+ WhatsApp/Telegram/Signal]: (+420) 702-829-053

2 years, 7 months

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Spoken For - PDP-8/a components - free to good home

by KV4CN

Thanks everyone for the interest. (Wish I had more.) The lot has been spoken for. If it all falls through, I'll re-post. Everyone, thanks again. Dave -- This email has been checked for viruses by AVG antivirus software. www.avg.com

2 years, 7 months

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PDP-8/a components - free to good home

by KV4CN

I have the following PDP-8/a components.I do not know their operating condition so they are being offered as is.I have had them for several years, but I do not have the time to see if I can get a system running.I would like to give them away as a lot and do not want to ship.I can send photos on request.I live in Winterville, North Carolina (eastern part of the state).Thanks, Dave _PDP-8/a chassis with the following boards__:_ (a) Hex Omnibus CPU M8315, (b) 8/A Internal Option MD317(?), (c) Option Board 1 M8316, (d) Data Ram DR-118A 8Kx12, and (e) Core Memory Stack H-219A. Chassis has the power supply.with G8018 regulator board. _Loose parts and boards:_ DEC Console Panel 00KC8-AA, 2 DEC console panels with limited function board, DEC H-219A, M8316 (has label that says may be defective), Dataram DR-118A, and M8316/M340566. -- This email has been checked for viruses by AVG antivirus software. www.avg.com

2 years, 7 months

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Re: Shop cleaning, few items that needs a new home

by Michael Glaser

I'm in Kent and I'm interested in the Tandy and Kaypro stuff. Looking for a Coco 3 but let me know what you have. Thanks, Michael Gee.

2 years, 7 months

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DEC H7868 Power Supplies

by Douglas Taylor

While cleaning up I found a box with 3 H7868 power supplies. Once upon a time I had a BA213 and BA215 Vax. One of them has a cable coming out the top of it and probably went to the BA213 box which had only one power supply. The other two are plain and likely are from a BA215 box. I assume they are not working and if you want one or all I will ship if you pay postage. I am located in Zip 20640, shipping out of the US seems not worth the trouble. Doug

2 years, 7 months

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Shop cleaning, few items that needs a new home

by Jerry Wright

Here is a few systems that need to go. Phase IV systems. comes in 3 Chassis Enclosures. lots of blinking lights and switches .these are a little odd, they have the video memory for the terminals on the computer itself.There are no disks, terminals or tape drivers. has not been turned on. Free to a good home. Dec Writer II very good condition, very little yellowing. Works 300.00 Dec Writer III also in very good condition with very little Yellowing Works 300.00 HP 85 in original box, some manuals and tapes. Has a rom drawer with basic IO rom16 Meg Memory drawer. 2 Tapes, Visicalc and Standard Pac ?? Original manuals for The 85 and Visicalc. Looks almost new with no fading. Box is Ok but wont handle shipping. Has not been turned on in years. 500.00 Dec Application Dec 400XP Tower PC server. This is a Desk side PC Server with Interactive Unix unlimited on it. Has 4 Dec SCSI drives. Tape Drive, Second SCSI cardand Satellite interface. Is missing the side Panel. Has not been run in a few years. comes with a spare drives and some boards. Intel 486 DX 50. 100.00 HP 9000 380 System. This was a donation from HP to a local College. Comes in 4 Desk side Chassis. 2 hold Large Hard drives. There is a SCSI Disk enclosure with drives. This was most likely the best they had in the day. Was holding what looked like a complete working HPUX system. Email, Gofer where all intact. . Condition is very good. Has not been turned on in a few years. Was backed up to 4mm tape at one point. 1000.00 Motorola Development system. 68k Was told it was a complete system. comes in 2 large boxes. Don't know much about this, does have Pods and a large Computer type interfaceHas not been turned on. 100.00 HP 7070E Tape drive. still loads a tape, but has not been tested further. Good conditionThis is a large floor standing tape drive with HPIB interface. 300.00 I also have a large Tandy/Radio Shack Collection that needs thinning. Most models. Alongwith 14 Kaypros Most models. These are located in Kent, Washington. No Shipping unless you want to arrange it. I canhaul it locally . - Jerryg-wright(a)att.net

2 years, 7 months

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Advice on Repairing a HP1630G Logic Analyser

by Rob Jarratt

I have a nice HP1630G logic analyser. It still works OK but has a number of issues that I would like to fix. First, I managed to break the power switch. It became stiff and wouldn't readily toggle the power. I think the shaft became bent. In pressing too hard, I broke off the button on the end of the shaft. Looking at it, I think the button may have been glued onto the end of the shaft, possibly in a previous repair. There are some sites that list the button as available so I am trying to source an original, but I think it could be just the button and not the shaft that goes with it. However, if that proves impractical or too expensive, I am wondering if it is possible to source a new switch, with a long shaft to reach the switch on the board, that would at least allow me to toggle power from the front panel? I am not sure what to search for though, any suggestions? I have several possible workarounds: 1) just leave the switch on permanently and "toggle" the power just by plugging into the mains 2) try to glue the button back on, possibly with a metal pin for strength, but I think there is a bend in the shaft that caused the action not to work well and so this may not work well 3) Raid a spare from a HP1630D that I also have. 4) try to make a new shaft and switch, possibly 3D printed, or just use a piece of wooden dowelling. Any comments on these approaches? The other problem I have is that I get terrible switch bounce from the front panel keyboard. I have removed the keyboard to see if I can get at the switches and see if cleaning them would help. However, the keys (made by Cherry) look like sealed units to me. Again, does anyone have any advice on how to improve the performance of these switches? I could again raid my HP1630D for a spare (which has a keyboard that isn't as bad), but would rather not have to do so. Finally, I get a bit of screen wobble on the display. I am going to check all the capacitors on the display board, but any other suggestions? Pictures of the broken switch and the keyboard are here: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AgETuZFainX8gZNMqek10fyE3n1rlw?e=xd7RWU Regards Rob

2 years, 7 months

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TU58 troubleshooting

by Chris Zach

So I'm working on repairing a TU58 Dectape II drive. So far I have cleaned it up, replaced the rollers, put new bands in some TU58 carts, and have fixed the power supply so +5 and +12 are up and running. Turning on the unit with nothing in it results in a quick flash of light from the LED on the main board. Hooking it up to an 11/23+ and trying to boot off it gives me ERR 12 NON-EXISTENT CONTROLLER Drat. It's connected to the 11/23+ with a normal 10 pin ribbon cable with keys at both ends. So questions: Baud rates are wired in at 9600/9600 on both the unit and the CPU. 1) Is the quick flash on the inside LED normal when powered up 2) Does it require something more than a simple ribbon cable to connect to the CPU? 3) Should the unit do something else with a tape in and powered on? Thanks! Chris

2 years, 8 months

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"Revival" of a dedicated Micropolis webpage on internet

by P Gebhardt

Hello list, by coincidence, I came across this website: https://www.micropolis.com/ It seems to have been set up by a former employee of Micropolis with information about Micropolis products done until the late 90s. Cheers, Pierre ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.digitalheritage.de

2 years, 8 months

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HP-86 system available

by Stephen Pereira

Good afternoon folks, I have an HP-86 system that I am not using, and I would like to sell to someone who will put it to good use. The system is made up of: - HP-86B - HP-9121 Dual 3.5” floppy disk drive - HP-82900A Auxiliary Processor (CP/M System) with the proper boot disk - the new HP85Disk for virtual disk drives if you don’t want to use real floppies, or to use along with real floppies - HP-82929 Programmable ROM Module - An 87-EMS ROM, never installed - HP-82936A ROM Drawer, with a few HP-85 ROMs in it Sorry, but I will be keeping my CRT monitor. To be sure, I invested a pile of $$ into this over the years, but as I said, I’m just not using it any more, and I hate to see this good stuff going unused. I’d like to get $400 for the whole kit-and-kaboodle. I’d also like to work with someone who can pick it up, or we can meet half way in between. I’d really prefer not to go through all the expense and hassle of shipping. Please let me know if you’re interested and whatever questions you may have. smp - - - Stephen Pereira Bedford, NH 03110 KB1SXE

2 years, 8 months

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UK members: Mushroom Components

by Wouter de Waal

Hi all I have before obtained obsolete 8-bit chips from Paul at mushroom.co.uk. But now my emails are not answered and their phone also doesn't seem to work. Does anyone know what happened and whether they're still around, or whether someone else took over their stock? Thanks W

2 years, 8 months

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Re: Wang bar napkin story [WAS:RE: Re: "Revival" of a dedicated Micropolis webpage on internet]

by Ali

>I seriously considered getting some custom >napkins printed up (bars >sometimes have personalized napkins; 5.25" is >available, although these >days, bars usually use smaller, just to keep from >making rings on the >tables), with just the outline of a 5.25" disk jacket >printed on them >(perimeter, write enable notch, index hole, and >oval access slot), and a >version of the story, IFF it could be confirmed on >the backFred,You should just do it and add a teeny tiny disclaimer at the bottom regarding the veracity of the story. It. Would make for a great gag gift! Or if you want to get real fancy have a qr code that can be scanned on each napkin for a site with more detailed discussion of the events.-Ali

2 years, 8 months

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Does anyone have MP/M II disks/images for the Altos ACS-8000?

by Chris Osborn

I just got my Altos ACS-8000 hard disk controller repaired yesterday and was able to connect the Gesswein MFM emulator and format it, run through the read/write tests, and copy some files onto it. Now I'd like to install MP/M II, but it seems there's no archive sites anywhere that have copies of MP/M II for the Altos with the 8500 board. I found a single zip file which has a smattering of some of the files that were on the two Altos MP/M II distribution disks, but doesn't have the OS tracks, and of course all the XIOS files are missing. I'm going to see if I can find another way to get MP/M II, such as working from the generic version and making my own XIOS (using the Altos listing in the MP/M II manual as reference), or seeing if the MP/M II for the Altos 5 series might be usable with minor modification. But it would be nice to get a copy of the original distribution disks. -- Follow me on twitter: @FozzTexx Check out my blog: http://insentricity.com RetroBattlestations.com

2 years, 8 months

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Re: Wang bar napkin story [WAS:RE: Re: "Revival" of a dedicated Micropolis webpage on internet]

by Tom Gardner

The only person who ever promulgated the "Dr. Wang bar napkin" story was Jim Porter who was not in any way involved with the decision as to the size of the 5½ drive or media size and only began telling his tale many years after the decision. Both Massaro and Adkisson deny there was ever such a meeting in a bar with Dr. Wang. Some doubt Dr. Wang was ever in a bar with a vendor :-) My research suggests customers of Adkisson, e.g. Lanier, and not Wang Labs, asked for a smaller and less expensive drive, with media about the size of a cocktail napkin. Adkisson took this request to SA management. Wang was then their big customer for 8-inch drives. Massaro and Adkisson then did discuss this with Dr. Wang who did express a need for such a drive as a replacement; faster, more reliable and less expensive than the 8-track tape drive used by Wang Labs. It was also presented to Mohawk Data who was also interested. Shugart engineering then sized the drive based upon a survey of the size of 8 track tape drives and then sized the media as what is the largest that could reasonably fit within the drive envelope. The fact that the media size is about the size of some cocktail napkins is a coincidence. BTW as far as I can tell there is no standard size for cocktail napkins circa 1976 and the one sample I found from that era is smaller than the 5¼-inch medium envelope. The corruption of history is indeed tragic both here and at the Smithsonian - BTW, I did send their webmaster a request for correction Tom -----Original Message----- From: Fred Cisin [mailto:cisin@xenosoft.com] Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2022 3:37 PM To: dwight via cctalk Subject: [cctalk] Re: "Revival" of a dedicated Micropolis webpage on internet Adkisson and Masaro now deny the whole "bar napkin disk" story; In agreement that 8" was larger than desired, they asked Dr. Au Wang "What size should it be?" Wang picked up the bar napkin (the meeting was not in a conference room), and said, "This size". They took the napkin back to the lab and measured it. and the Smithsonian says that SA400 was 3.25". Yes, the loss of our history is just tragic. On Sat, 20 Aug 2022, dwight via cctalk wrote: > Maybe it is on a size reduction. > Dwight > > ________________________________ > From: geneb via cctalk < <mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org> cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> > Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2022 7:47 AM > To: Liam Proven via cctalk < <mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org> cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> > Cc: geneb < <mailto:geneb@deltasoft.com> geneb(a)deltasoft.com> > Subject: [cctalk] Re: "Revival" of a dedicated Micropolis webpage on > internet > > On Wed, 17 Aug 2022, Liam Proven via cctalk wrote: > >> On Tue, 16 Aug 2022 at 23:51, Fred Cisin via cctalk >> < <mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org> cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote: >>> >>> 1) because they need to keep reinforcing until the very last SA400 >>> is buried. >>> > > Fred, Don't forget the SA390 in every Disk II. ;) > >> I had to look up SA400. I'm too young. >> >> The Smithsonian has one. They say it's a 3¼ inch drive. >> >> <https://www.si.edu/object/microcomputer-peripheral-shugart-sa400-disk> https://www.si.edu/object/microcomputer-peripheral-shugart-sa400-disk >> -drive:nmah_334325 >> > > Now THAT is just tragic. > > g. > > -- > Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007 > <http://www.f15sim.com> http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind. > <http://www.diy-cockpits.org/coll> http://www.diy-cockpits.org/coll - Go Collimated or Go Home. > Some people collect things for a hobby. Geeks collect hobbies. > > ScarletDME - The red hot Data Management Environment A Multi-Value > database for the masses, not the classes. > <http://scarlet.deltasoft.com> http://scarlet.deltasoft.com - Get it _today_!

2 years, 8 months

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PiDP-8/I Spacewar on Pi HDMI Display

by Mike Katz

Updated information: I have the Pi Console up and running a getty shell on the VT-220 (as 9600 baud). I start the Oscars OpenVG client with *./sw2 localhost 2222 *I have this same issue whether I am using an ssh shell or the VT-220 shell. ** The spacewars game comes up on the HDMI display and keys 1, 2, 3 & 4 work. None of the other keys work. Original Message: /I am trying to run spacewar (IF-4) on my PiDP-8/I with the video running on the PI HDMI monitor and the keyboard being my VT-220 attached via USB to RS-232 adapter.// // //I am able run OS/8 on the VT-220.// // //I am able to run spacewar running with the remote VC8E program on my Windows box (port 2222)// // //I installed openvg from github// // //I followed Oscar's directions in the read me file from here: https://groups.google.com/g/pidp-8/c/J6rXWg8btYY// // //I did not recompile the spacewars program to use the front panel. I want to use the keys on the VT-220 instead.// // //How do I get SW2 to run and use the keys from the VT-220?// // //I get OS/8 to boot with the console command in simh.// // //Thank you,// // // Mike// // // /

2 years, 8 months

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PiDP-8/I Spacewar on Pi HDMI Display

by Mike Katz

I am trying to run spacewar (IF-4) on my PiDP-8/I with the video running on the PI HDMI monitor and the keyboard being my VT-220 attached via USB to RS-232 adapter. I am able run OS/8 on the VT-220. I am able to run spacewar running with the remote VC8E program on my Windows box (port 2222) I installed openvg from github I followed Oscar's directions in the read me file from here: https://groups.google.com/g/pidp-8/c/J6rXWg8btYY I did not recompile the spacewars program to use the front panel. I want to use the keys on the VT-220 instead. How do I get SW2 to run and use the keys from the VT-220? I get OS/8 to boot with the console command in simh. Thank you, Mike

2 years, 8 months

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Wordperfect 5.1 workbook

by Van Snyder

I have a Wordperfect 5.1 workbook. It's yours in exchange for a PDF of a shipping label from 91214 (or free for l;ocal pickup). 9" x 9" x 1", 2lb 8oz. Van Snyder

2 years, 8 months

2
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(fwd) [cpunks] Google Program to Free Chips Boosts University Semiconductor Design

by Tomasz Rola

Howdy, I guess this might be of interest to some people here... ----- Forwarded message from jim bell <jdb10987(a)yahoo.com> ----- Date: Sat, 13 Aug 2022 06:12:59 +0000 (UTC) From: jim bell <jdb10987(a)yahoo.com> To: CypherPunks <cypherpunks(a)lists.cpunks.org> Subject: Google Program to Free Chips Boosts University Semiconductor Design https://www.hpcwire.com/2022/08/11/google-program-to-free-chips-boosts-univ… August 11, 2022 A Google-led program to design and manufacture chips for free is becoming popular among researchers and computer enthusiasts. The search giant’s open silicon program is providing the tools for anyone to design chips, which then get manufactured. Google foots the entire bill, from a chip’s conception to delivery of the final product in a user’s hand. Google’s Open MPW program includes an open-source design toolkit from a company called EFabless, which also manages the program. Enthusiasts and researchers have to submit their chip design, which then gets manufactured in the factories of SkyWater on the 130nm process. The submission deadline for the latest Open MPW program is September 12. Open MPW’s popularity can be measured by the number of projects using Efabless’ EDA tools. Chips from about 240 open-source silicon projects via Efabless’ tools will be manufactured in Skywater’s factories, Mike Wishart, CEO of Efabless. “The total projects posted on our site are like 570. That has gone extremely well. It’s diverse, from 25 countries,” Wishart said. Efabless had about 160 tapeouts in 2021, and had no tapeouts in 2020. Efabless provides a simple design EDA tool to make chips, which is mostly about dragging and dropping the core elements inside a chip. An open-source PDK (process design kit) prepares the chip for fabrication in factories. The Open MPW program added recent partners, including the U.S. Department of Defense, which last month poured $15 million into the project to get open-source chips made on SkyWater’s 90nm process. GlobalFoundries also joined the alliance and will also manufacture chips on the 180nm node. The manufacturing technology provided through the project is very old, but it is cost-effective. Intel, Apple and others make expensive chips on the more advanced processes such as 5nm, which uses cutting-edge technology and provides the fastest computing in devices. Open MPW is popular in academia and research, and for those experimenting or testing chips and need small batches, Wishart said. “Our incentive is to make it simple for more and more people and grow a community around those executing designs… [on] nodes that are more accessible to them and therefore lower costs,” Wishart said. Typically, chips can be expensive to manufacture, and factories are open to corporations. But Open MPW makes factories available to researchers and students. “There was an unmet need in academia, that was overwhelming and not appreciated because they didn’t know what they could get,” Wishart said. The open-source toolkits cover the full concept of chip development, from conceptualization to delivery of parts. Some universities may have deals with chip factories, but students at the undergraduate, master’s and PhD programs still have poor awareness of chip fabrication. ----- End forwarded message -----

2 years, 8 months

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PDP Straight-8 front panel

by Ryan de Laplante

I have a DEC PDP Straight-8 in very poor condition. The paint behind the panel glass has mostly flecked off, the glass is broken and it is missing some switch covers/toggles. The plexiglass covers were also destroyed during shipment. The seller very carefully built a wooden crate and pallet to protect the machine during transport, but United Cargo laid the whole wooden crate on its side!! >( Does anyone know of any front panel collector who has a Straight-8 front panel that they might be willing to sell? I’d love to restore this machine. I’ve been looking for local plexiglass manufacturers but none of them answer my email when I show pictures of the project. I guess they don’t need the business.

2 years, 8 months

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Re: DECnet to be dropped from Linux

by Dave Mitton

Okay, The issue I don’t understand, I guess a matter of not understanding Linux internals, is why does “the kernel” require explicit DECnet support? I built DECnet-DOS without any cooperation from Microsoft. Or PathWorks for Windows 95 was built on top of published APIs. Why does a modern OS need stuff built in? Dave. Sent from Mail for Windows

2 years, 8 months

3
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Unused Punched Cards

by Mike Norris

Hello Everyone, I have just come across around 900 blank punch cards, they are plastic about 5 thou in thickness. Would they be of interest to anyone on the list, they in the UK in Lancashire, but might be expensive to post as they are heavy (430 grams per 100)? Cost a few GBP for a beer and postage costs, if interested please contact off list mike_t_norris(a)hotmail.com. Regards Mike Norris

2 years, 8 months

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Re: Cell phone as a dial up modem.

by John Ball

I've done this several different ways in the past, depending on your take of "Cell phone". For the phone that is probably in your pocket right now I've used one of those bluetooth bridges that looks like a bluetooth handsfree device to the phone but on your side you get a 48/90v POTS RJ11 for a regular phone. You can attach a modem to them but some of those adapters do not emit a dial tone. These older adapters have major problems regarding audio quality and noise cancellation. I could not relaibly make it hold a connection above 300bps. Even 110bps had spurious corruption from time to time so barely enough for a teletype connection and over an acoustic coupler it was not a lot better by using one of those hipster handsets that plugged into the headphone jack on phones, when a headphone jack was still a thing......That feels weird to even say. I do have a data kit for motorola's line of bag and car phones but that requires the discontinued AMPS service. Same goes for the data kit for my Tandy rebranded Nokia portable telephone which has basically an audio breakout so you can attach an acoustic coupler. Radio Shack's catalog made this adapter seem WAY cooler than it really was but I guess if you were high-rollin' with a Tandy portable that was one way to dial into the office. On the other hand I've also done data calls over an MSAT phone. A Mitsubishi OmniQuest ST251 if you plug a terminal into the serial port responds to hayes AT commands and emulates a 1200bps modem but the cal was very, very expensive as it switches the radio specifically into a data-only mode. If we're talking satellite phones that fot in your pocket I've logged into Slashnet over a Globalstar GSP-1600 while camping which also appears as a Hayes modem but under Windows you get an extra-special modem definition driver that lets you engage speeds up to a blazing fast 9600bps. -John >Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2022 23:53:34 -0600 >From: Grant Taylor <cctalk(a)gtaylor.tnetconsulting.net> >Subject: [cctalk] Cell phone as a dial up modem. >To: cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> >Message-ID: > <9cdbf98f-21ff-77f9-2676-2f5e73370913(a)spamtrap.tnetconsulting.net> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed > >Does anyone know if it's possible, or -- better -- have experience using >a cell phone as a dial up modem? > >I'm wondering about doing something as an alternative to a traditional >POTS modem connected to a VoIP ATA. I'd think that treating the phone >as a traditional modem with venerable Hayes AT commands might be more >reliable than trying to do dial up connections across VoIP. > >It's been *YEARS* since I've tried to connect a modem to a serial port >on a PC, universal or otherwise. > >Does anyone have any experience with or thoughts about doing this? > >-- >Grant. . . . >unix || die

2 years, 8 months

3
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TRS 80

by Murray McCullough

45 years for the TRS-80. My! Where has the time gone? The “Trash-80” was one of the earliest micro-computers in my home. Radio Shack helped create the ‘PC’ industry, the consumer version anyways, fueling what is now our hobby. Happy computing. Murray 🙂

2 years, 8 months

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Re: question about terminals

by Bill Degnan

Replying to myself...Read manual...terminal does not talk to modems at 2400b, had to step down to 300b, worked. On Fri, Aug 12, 2022, 2:25 PM Bill Degnan <billdegnan(a)gmail.com> wrote: > I have an old terminal without a CTS line. If I hook up my laptop running > Teraterm 2400,7N1 to the terminal and use a null modem cable I can type > characters in the laptop and they appear on the terminal and if I type > characters in the terminal they appear on the laptop. > > If I attach an ESP82660 WIfi modem to the laptop running teraterm I can > connect, etc to use the WIFI - i.e. connect to a telnet service (ATDT > bbs.fozztexx.com or towel.blinkenlights.nl). > > If I attach the same ESP82660 to the terminal, the ESP transmits to the > terminal fine (to show the initial connection screen) but I when I type > characters (such as ATZ) they do not appear on the display and I thus > believe do not transmit, thus no echo back from the ESP. SO, there is > something in the config of the ESP that is not happy. I have the terminal > and laptop set for 2400,7N1. > > The pins of the terminal are > 1 - ground > 2 - transmitted data > 3. - receive data > 4 - rts > 7 signal ground > 8 data carrier detector > 11 reverse channel transmit data > 12 reverse channel receive data > 18 read only data > 20 data terminal ready. > > I am working on this, but any tips would be appreciated. Do I need Mark > or Space parity? > > Bill >

2 years, 8 months

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Re: Dec rl02 disk pack shelf design

by Alan Frisbie

I would also buy at least two, probably three. Alan Frisbie

2 years, 8 months

1
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Cell phone as a dial up modem.

by Grant Taylor

Does anyone know if it's possible, or -- better -- have experience using a cell phone as a dial up modem? I'm wondering about doing something as an alternative to a traditional POTS modem connected to a VoIP ATA. I'd think that treating the phone as a traditional modem with venerable Hayes AT commands might be more reliable than trying to do dial up connections across VoIP. It's been *YEARS* since I've tried to connect a modem to a serial port on a PC, universal or otherwise. Does anyone have any experience with or thoughts about doing this? -- Grant. . . . unix || die

2 years, 8 months

3
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Mac SE/30 + SCSI2SD: Disk errors and random crashes

by David Glover-Aoki

I have a recently recapped SE/30, and I have installed a SCSI2SD (v5.0a) inside it. I don't have a (working) CD drive, and the floppy drive is broken, so I configured SCSI device 3 to be a CD-ROM drive, and put the System 7.5.3 installer inside it, along with a copy of the patched "HD SC Setup" utility, so I can format the other SCSI devices, which are configured as 2GB hard disks. Booting from the "CD" works fine. Formatting the disks works fine. I cannot get the System 7.5.3 installer to complete. After copying a few files, it complains that an error occurred, and then aborts. Additionally, if I attempt to copy the contents of the "CD" to a hard disk, after copying a few files, I get an error that says a "disk error" occurred. It's not the same file every time, it copies a random number of files successfully before erroring. I've have also had a few random bomb errors, although these do not happen reliably and I haven't managed to come up with a way of causing them on demand. They may have stopped after I swapped the RAM, although that is speculation. Things that I have tried: * Playing with the "SCSI Host", "SCSI Selection Delay", "Enable Parity", "Respond to short SCSI selection pulses" settings on the SCSI2SD. No combination seems to make any noticeable difference. * Swapping out the RAM on the SE/30. I initially thought the RAM was bad, but I replaced it with a different set and the symptoms are exactly the same. * Removing the case back, in case something was overheating inside. * Replacing the microSD card with a different one. None of these have altered the symptoms at all, and I'm running out of ideas. Any suggestions would be very welcome. David

2 years, 8 months

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Dec rl02 disk pack shelf design

by devin davison

Hello, I have many rl02 disk packs for my pdp 11/34 and 11/05. I have just been stacking them upright, but that has not been the safest or the most space efficient. Were any kinds of shelves made for these disk packs, perhaps similar to 9 track hanging tape racks? Trying to make things look more organized too. Hoping someone here has one and can share a pic, perhaps it is a design i can duplicate and make with some woodworking tools. Thanks, Devin D.

2 years, 8 months

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VCFMW DEC and other gear

by Paul Anderson

If all goes well I will be driving up to WCFMW on Friday, Sep 9th, with a van loaded with DEC and PC items. If you are interested in any DEC gear, please contact me as early as possible so I can get it loaded. If you want to stop here on your way to or from VCFMW, please contact me ASAP to set up a day and time. I am located about 12 miles west of Champaign, IL ( I-57, I-74), which is about 2 1/2 or 3 hours south of WCFMW. If anyone is interested in DEC chips, I will be taking offers on several DEC boards (M7819, DZ11 and M8044, MSV11-DD come to mind- I have dozens of each) with the gold fingers cut off. I hate to do this, and you might hate it too, but I have a lot of stuff sitting here for years that need to go. I also have an assortment of several thousand unused ECL chips. Please contact me off list if you have any interest or questions. If you wish to talk, I will gladly give you my phone # off list. Thanks, Paul

2 years, 8 months

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DECnet to be dropped from Linux

by Liam Proven

https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-DECnet-2022-Removal https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20220731190646.97039-1-stephen@networkplumber.… -- Liam Proven ~ Profile: https://about.me/liamproven Email: lproven(a)cix.co.uk ~ gMail/gTalk/FB: lproven(a)gmail.com Twitter/LinkedIn: lproven ~ Skype: liamproven UK: (+44) 7939-087884 ~ Czech [+ WhatsApp/Telegram/Signal]: (+420) 702-829-053

2 years, 8 months

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VT220 North of Boston

by Dave Mitton

I picked up a VT220 passing by some clean out a while ago. Green phosphor, powers up and passes self test. The keyboard has 3 broken function row keys, keycaps. Free to pickup in North Andover. Shipping would be heavy and awkward with the CRT. Dave. Sent from Mail for Windows

2 years, 8 months

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Merced hardware

by Larkin Nickle

Hey all, I’m looking for an Itanium Merced machine, such as an HP rx4610, HP i2000, SGI 750, etc. Please reach out if you have a machine you’d like to get rid of or have any leads! Thanks, Larkin

2 years, 8 months

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Need 8mm or DLT-II tape?

by Van Snyder

I have many 8mm tapes. A few are new. First comers get new ones. I have a few 8mm cleaning cassettes I have about a dozen DLT-II tapes. I have some Ultrium LTO fibre-channel SCSI drives that were removed from a tape-mounting robot several years ago. I never used them in my computers. The mounting bracket for one was modified to have an internal power supply -- which might be inadequate. I have two Fujifilm 200/400 GB Ultrium 2 LTO tapes. I have a 5.25" floppy drive. Any of these are yours for the price of shipping; local pickup is OK too. Van Snyder van.snyder(a)sbcglobal.net La Crescenta, CA

2 years, 8 months

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Fixing a TU58 Dectape II: Questions

by Chris Zach

Some quick questions on fixing up a TU58: 1) Can I plug it straight into a pdp11/23+ CPU with a 10 pin ribbon cable? 2) Can I hook the 10 pin ribbon cable on it into a normal 11/23 or 11/73 bulkhead to get RS232 for hooking up to a PDT11? 3) Can the PDT11 handle anything faster than 2400 baud on the extension ports? Can it do faster speeds in one direction? 4) Is there any possible use for this thing :-) CZ

2 years, 8 months

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Solid State Music SSM 2000 IC

by William Sudbrink

I know this is a long shot, but I just acquired an SSM SB1 S-100 board with no chips. Everything on the board is easy to source but the SSM2000 chip. Does anyone have one for sale or know where to get one? Thanks, Bill S. -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. www.avast.com

2 years, 8 months

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Slightly off topic --Places to go in Huntsville

by wrcooke＠wrcooke.net

Next week I will be in the Huntsville, Al, USA area for an entire day with no commitments. Does anyone have recommendations on how to spend my day? I have been to the space and rocket museum several times. Any computer museums or displays, especially of space-related equipment? Any good surplus stores? All suggestions welcome. Thanks, Will You don't understand anything until you learn it more than one way. Marvin Minsky

2 years, 8 months

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PDP 11/24 Unibus Termination and Grant Cards

by Rob Jarratt

The 11/24 System Technical Manual says that the terminator (M9302 or M9312) must be installed in the last slot (slot 9) of the backplane, and that all empty slots must have a grant card. What I am not clear on is what they mean by an "empty" slot. Specifically, if I have the CPU, the M7134 memory map and a memory board installed in slots 1-3 and then nothing else except the terminator in slot 9, does this mean I have to install grant cards in slots 4-8? My guess is that this isn't a requirement because the grant cards go in rows C and D while the terminator is rows A and B, but I am hoping someone can confirm this for me please? Thanks Rob

2 years, 8 months

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Elan/Syncrotech Memory Card Explorer Demo v3.21 and paging Glen Slick

by D. Resor

Syncrotech sent me the demo version of Elan Memory Card Explorer version 3.21 which is matched for use with the Elan P423 PCMCIA Card Reader/Writer and in the Windows XP environment. The demo version has 30 days use to try it in set-up mode, but only 5 "lives" in full function mode. To make it work again I may have to use a backed up version of my Registry, or re-install WinXP, mb drivers, etc. Previously with Ricoh's XP v1.01 incarnate memory block setting of (E8) E800-EBFF, the program would start-up and see the Linear Flash Card. Now with Elan's version 3.21 not only does that memory block not work but none of the other choices listed in Ricoh's manual which states: By default, MCE requires the exclusive use of a block of real mode memory at linear address d0000H to d3fffH. If MCERICOH - XP does not detect the flash memory card with the default memory block settings, this indicates that the default memory block is already in use. Try one of the following settings: (D0) D000-D3FF (default) (E0) E000-E3FF (D4) D400-D7FF (E4) E400-E7FF (D8) D800-DBFF (E8) E800-EBFF (DC) DC00-DFFF (EC) EC00-EFFF In the Elan MCE op guide which is from 1999 and doesn't completely cover up to v3.21 from 2005 it states: "wXX" XX=base memory address for card operations e.g. "wD8" will use D8000h as a base address. XX can be C0 to EF for most PCs. Default is D0. The 4K region from address chosen must be "free". Lastly in the txt file with the MCE v3.21 installation files it is stated: VERSION 3-13 * This function now works in the same way for all versions of Windows * This function should be called before any other (Except MCE_Customisations). It not only checks memory for use it registers the memory for exclusive use by our program. It also allows the library function to initialize ready for card memory accesses. * Failure to initialize successfully using this function will result in NT4 access violation messages during library function calls. * The MCE_CheckWindow function does 2 tasks -It registers the memory window with Windows. A handle to this memory window is saved in MCELIB for MCELIB use. -It tests the memory window allocated to check that it is unused. * Function MCE_ReleaseWindow() can be used to de-allocate the handle. (when multiple MCE_CheckWindow()s calls are made use MCE_ReleaseWindow() before the next MCE_CheckWindow()) * Function MCE_Restore() also deallocates this handle as part of the MCELIB closedown operations. Inputs: DWORD ----- Used to pass in the memory window address for the PCIC card controller to use. The value passed in will be used as the memory address in subsequent card operations. Pass in 00000000H for an automatically allocated memory window. The window it attempts to use is directly above the PC's system SDRAM. To maintain compatibility with earlier MCELIB versions the application software should pass in D0000H instead of 0H to this function call. Note that only 4000H increments should be used. Possible range from C0000H to EC000H or any free address above 100000H. A memory block of size 4000H is reserved with Windows and tested by the MCELIBfunction for suitability. Showing my absolute ignorance here, without a chart showing the blocks of memory I can try I'm lost. I have scoured Synchrotech's website, no answers there. I found the old Elan FAQ pages saved at the Wayback Machine but no answers there. Searching the "web" for memory address block settings in XP didn't seem to turn up what I was looking for either. Thanks for indulging me once again. Don Resor

2 years, 8 months

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Dysan 208-21 alignment disk - what is it for?

by Philip Pemberton

Hi there, Does anyone have the spec sheet for the Dysan 208-21 alignment disk, or know what drive it's intended to be used with? I've got the information sheet which comes with the disk, but it doesn't identify the tracks-per-inch or track count. It's a 5.25in double-sided disk; the info sheet says: FILE: 208-21 PAGE 001 Dysan 208-21 (Configuration #802030) Double Sided Alignment Diskette Track 0 - Full Revolution (both sides) Track 1 - Index Burst (both sides) Track 16 - Index, Azimuth and Catseye (both sides) Track 33 - Full Revolution (both sides) Track 34 - Index and Azimuth (both sides) Full Revolution - recording frequency is 125 kHz Index Burst - 50us in duration and occurs 200us after index. Recording frequency 125 kHz. Azimuth - Four bursts that depicts an azimuth of 12'. Each burst is 1 millisecond in duration with the first burst occurring 500us after index. The recording frequency is 125kHz. Catseye - recording frequency 62.5 kHz Sadly the part number doesn't appear on Accurite's old website (per archive.org), or the Dysan PDFs I've found on Bitsavers. About the only thing I've been able to figure out is that it's an Analog Alignment Disk. Thanks, -- Phil. classiccmp(a)philpem.me.uk https://www.philpem.me.uk/

2 years, 8 months

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Posts Blocked

by Ali

Hello All, Since the new hosting has taken over I am having a ton of issues posting to the list. Anyone else experiencing legit posts being blocked as spam? -Ali

2 years, 8 months

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Connecting a physical terminal via LAN to Serial Port

by Ali

I am looking for some advice and recommendations on how to best go about accomplishing the following: I have recently come into possession of an actual physical terminal that can be connected to a device via a standard RS232 (serial) port, so far so good. I have a number of devices that can be connected to for maintenance (e.g. FW updates, configuration, etc.) via a serial port. Currently I have been using an old laptop with a terminal program (Procomm Plus) whenever I want to connected to one of these devices. This involves crawling around connecting the serial cable, doing what needs to be done, crawling back disconnecting, rinse and repeat. I can connect the physical terminal to one device at a time and have a permanent connection to that one device, great for one device but not so useful. So I was thinking if it would be possible to do this over the LAN. I know about console servers where I could connect multiple serial devices to the server and then access each device over LAN via a telnet client on a modern system using an IP:port schema. This works great except I don't get to play with my shiny, new to me, authentic experience terminal device. So I am wondering if there is a box that provides a telnet CLIENT to a serial port device? I.E. a box smart enough that handles the telnet client, LAN functions, and terminal emulations internally and then provides a text based interface through a serial port that is compatible with my physical terminal? That way my physical terminal would be connected to the RS232/LAN bridge all the time and I could connected to not only the serial ports connected to the console server but other telnet accessible services as all the heavy lifting would be done on the bridge. I am ideally looking for a ready to go, low power device, I can hide away as opposed to setting up a PC of my own running some *nix flavor that I know can do this but is way over kill. Oh yeah and if it is super cheap even better. Thanks! -Ali

2 years, 8 months

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Re: BBS memorabilia (fwd)

by Fred Cisin

The greatest ever video about pre-WWW internet was "Hyperland". a 1991 BBC documentary by Douglas Adams and Ted Nelson, and also starring Tom Baker. A few years BEFORE WWW, it predicted the future of the internet. https://archive.org/details/DouglasAdams-Hyperland If you want subtitles/captions, 5 years ago, I created an .SRT (camptions file of it! https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4hCJm9ZEADCblVSVlBxdmZyREU/view?usp=drive… (400MB video with subtitles burned in) .SRT file: http://www.xenosoft.com/HyperlandCAPS_En_US_0_77.srt

2 years, 8 months

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BBS memorabilia

by Ryan de Laplante

Over the years I have been collecting BBS related memorabilia such as Night Owl shareware CDs, Boardwatch magazine, BBS magazine, books, manuals, original disks, etc. Does anyone have any BBS memorabilia they might be willing to sell to me? I’m particularly interested in PCBoard box/disks/manuals. I know the software can be downloaded from the Internet.. I’m interested in the original box set. I’m also interested in CRS Online pamphlets, receipts, catalogues, etc. Has anyone ever seen promotional videos showing Prodigy, Compuserv, Delphi, GENie, AOL? I've collected disks, but the systems are long gone so archived video is all we have to remember them by. When I was young, I remember seeing disks and pamphlets for these services in the box when upgrading modems. They had serious brand recognition. By the time the Internet was becoming available to the public, I remember being more interested in getting a Compuserv account lol. After getting our first Internet account in 1994, I was confused because I didn’t know where the “file areas”, “message areas” and “chat” were after being so used to BBS menus. Eventually I learned about FTP, USENET, and IRC. We even had a “yellow pages” paper book where you could look up topic specific FTP, USENET, and Gopher sites.

2 years, 8 months

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Searching for software for Tektronix 4970 Cluster Controller

by Alexander Huemer

Hi The Tektronix 4970 does something similar to an IBM 3174 or 3708. It hooks up terminals to an IBM mainframe, in this case Tektronix graphics terminals, see [1], p.36ff. Is anybody here in possession of the software that runs on it? -Alex [1] http://bitsavers.org/pdf/tektronix/tekniques/vol7/Tekniques_Vol_7_No_03.pdf

2 years, 8 months

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Cheap Lantronix Hardware

by Jonathan Chapman

All, Per the LAN-attached serial thread, here's another cheap Lantronix device: https://www.ebay.com/itm/123577635191 This is a LRS-2, which is basically a two-port LRS-1, one of their older models of serial bridges. The LRS-2 is nice not only for the two ports, but because it also has AUI and thinnet. No PSU, but it's a typical 12V 1A center positive supply. Thanks, Jonathan

2 years, 8 months

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How to reproduce the DEC cabinets' grey colour paint?

by P Gebhardt

Hello list, does anybody of you know colour codes or the mixture to obtain the grey paint that DEC used for their early H960 cabinet side panels as well as for their later cabinet from the 80s and 90s like the H9A10 or H9A15? Some of my cabinets have scratches and I would like to cosmetically fix this. I thought I remember some discussions about DEC paint some years ago but I couldn't find anything helpful in my archives except for discussions about colours for DEC's classic front panels. Any pointers are very much appreciated. Thanks, Pierre ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.digitalheritage.de

2 years, 8 months

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Old fashioned PCB layout images, red/blue

by William Sudbrink

Hi, What is the "correct" name for the style (technology?) of circuit board layout images where the top is blue, the bottom is red and overlaps are purple? Also, any silkscreen is black. I thought someone once told me that there was an automated tool (maybe in KiCad?) that would produce Gerbers from that type of image. Does anyone know of such a utility? Thanks, Bill S. -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

2 years, 8 months

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Re: HP 3000 system w/ Printers, Terminals, all working, for sale on eBay (or privately...) Possible Free Delivery!

by mark＠markesystems.com

From: <mark(a)markesystems.com> Subject: [cctalk] HP 3000 system w/ Printers, Terminals, all working, for sale on eBay (or privately...) Possible Free Delivery! > I've just listed my complete HP-3000 system on eBay here. This is an > HP-3000 917LX system with: Silly me - the link of course got stripped out in this text-only email. It's: https://www.ebay.com/itm/325286539219 ~~ Mark Moulding

2 years, 8 months

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Re: Connecting a physical terminal via LAN to Serial Port (Ali)

by mark＠markesystems.com

> I have recently come into possession of an actual physical terminal that > can > be connected to a device via a standard RS232 (serial) port, so far so > good. <...> > connected to one of these devices. This involves crawling around > connecting > the serial cable, doing what needs to be done, crawling back > disconnecting, > rinse and repeat. <..> > connected to the console server but other telnet accessible services as > all > the heavy lifting would be done on the bridge. I am ideally looking for a > ready to go, low power device, I can hide away as opposed to setting up a > PC > of my own running some *nix flavor that I know can do this but is way over > kill. Oh yeah and if it is super cheap even better. Thanks! What about one of these? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DWLS7DP $11.38, and provides four ports. If that's not enough, you could do a bi-level multiplex arrangement; 5 of these ($56.90) would provide 16 ports. Zero power requirements, no software configuration. If it were me, I might consider buying a two-pole rotary switch with enough positions and solder one up, but for less than 12 bucks, it's hard to beat this... ~~ Mark Moulding

2 years, 8 months

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HP 3000 system w/ Printers, Terminals, all working, for sale on eBay (or privately...) Possible Free Delivery!

by mark＠markesystems.com

I've just listed my complete HP-3000 system on eBay here. This is an HP-3000 917LX system with: Disks: (2) 2GB drive (possibly RAID, but I'm not sure) Tape: (2) DAT (built-in and external) 16-port terminal concentrator 12-port Ethernet hub Terminals (2) HP 700/96 + one 700/92 that probably doesn't work Line-printer 300 LPM with stand, ribbons, and paper Dot-matrix printers (2) with ribbons All cables MPE/iX, ASK/ManMan, QUERY, TurboIMAGE FORTRAN Documentation (50+ pounds, including all service and upgrade records) It all works perfectly (as of two days ago). There's a possibility that I might deliver it if you're near Portland OR or the San Francisco Bay area, or off the I-5 in between; otherwise it's local pickup only (in either location). It's listed for $2600 buy-it-now, or a starting bid of $2000, but if you're really interested email with an offer and we'll see what can be worked out... ~~ Mark Moulding

2 years, 8 months

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Dec pdp 11 ultrix

by devin davison

Hello, Been a while since i last posted here. I have a few pdp 11/34 systems. The drives i am using are RL02 drives. Is it possible to install Ultrix on a 34? I have been testing out Ultrix in the simh emulator. I see during the install the 34 mentioned as a recognized cpu type, but later in the install the system hangs. This hang does not occur if i emulate a later cpu system like the 11/83. Not sure if ultrix can be installed due to the memory limitation, if not, rsx will be my second choice. Hoping to have some real hardware running soon! Thanks, Devin D.

2 years, 8 months

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Odd Unix computer Bio-Rad SRC 3200

by Douglas Taylor

I have a Bio-Rad SRC 3200, which is a workstation that operated a Bio-Rad FTS-40 FTIR spectrometer. A few years ago I got it to power on and it runs Unix variant, their product name was Idris. I have 16 floppies (dated 1992) that came with the system, but the hard disk has died. It is based on a 68030 CPU and has a floppy and SCSI disk and QIC tape drive. Is it possible to run some flavor of BSD on this hardware? What are the minimum requirements for BSD? Doug

2 years, 8 months

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Ethernet Transceivers....

by D. Resor

I was looking at this page on DigiBarn, https://www.digibarn.com/collections/parts/ethernet-taps/index.html and the old Ethernet transceivers. For the life of me I cannot remember what the transceivers used with the Xerox 6085 (Daybreak) looked like in 1989. There was wall to wall Xerox 8000 servers mixed in with 6085-Is at the software testing lab, in El Segundo, California, DSBU (Documenter Systems Business Unit) but that is now mostly a faded memory. Don Resor

2 years, 8 months

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What is an "FS/2" connector?

by Grant Taylor

Hi, I just saw an unknown to me connector listed on an eBay auction and was wondering if anyone knows more about an "FS/2" connector. Link - FS/2 to IBM PC-AT P-1940-0042 CABLE 6 FOOT FREE SHIPPING - https://www.ebay.com/itm/304580270070 I assumed it was a typo / poor original copy that should have been a "PS/2". But hovering over the label on the first three pictures clearly shows "FS/2". Whats more is the kerning on the "F" is easily differentiated from the "P" elsewhere on the same label. So it seems that it's not the typo / faded label / etc. that I assumed it was before clicking on the link. So ... does anyone know what an "FS/2" connector is? -- Grant. . . . unix || die

2 years, 8 months

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Agenda VR3 MIPS cross-gcc

by Cameron Kaiser

There used to be a cross-compiling gcc for MIPS specifically for the VR4121 in the Agenda VR3 PDA, but it doesn't seem to be on any of the remaining sites. Anyone out there got it or, he asked hopefully, the entire SDK? Binaries OK, source better. -- ------------------------------------ personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ -- Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser(a)floodgap.com -- You can't fool me: there ain't no Sanity Clause. -- Chico Marx -------------

2 years, 8 months

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Datapoint 3300 owners?

by Bill Degnan

I have a NOS power support for the Datapoint 3300 display, contact me through kennettclassic.com. The datapoint has three power supplies, I am referrung to the OECO 15KV DC output supply.with the cup attached to it. Bill

2 years, 8 months

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FTGH: Embedded books HC11

by Toby Thain

Hi, I have these 3 books which are free for postage: 1) M68HC11E Family Technical Data 2) M68HC11 HCMOS Single-Chip Microcomputer Programmer's Reference Manual 3) MC68HC711D3 Technical Data Pic: https://imgur.com/TQhzUHJ Located: Toronto Canada --Toby

2 years, 8 months

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VCF West 2022 Info

by Jeffrey Brace

This is the latest blog post about VCF West: https://vcfed.org/2022/07/21/vcf-west-2022-aug-6-7-great-speakers-exhibits-… For those doing consignment there is a new procedure. Please look at it here: https://vcfed.org/events/vintage-computer-festival-west/vcf-west-consignmen… We are doing a Point Of Sale system so Excel spreadsheets need to be submitted instead of paper. It will help streamline the process and reduce time and errors. Thanks!

2 years, 8 months

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Re: Can someone explain...

by William Sudbrink

Now 455 ?!?!?!?! From: William Sudbrink [mailto:wh.sudbrink@verizon.net] Sent: Monday, July 18, 2022 10:56 AM To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts (cctalk(a)classiccmp.org) <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> Subject: Can someone explain... Why anybody would bid more than three hundred dollars for a bunch of ribbon cables? https://www.ebay.com/itm/234623364778?hash=item36a0a46eaa:g:y1oAAOSwwQdiz550 Unless there's something I'm not seeing here, I can easily (and exactly) reproduce them. I could even make them with red or "rainbow" cables if you prefer. I'll do a set for the "bargain" price of $250. Bill S. -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

2 years, 9 months

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More Free stuff in Somerset, England

by Philip Belben

Hello again. Before I begin, this is a re-send of a message I sent to cctech, which didn't get through. So, if there are still plans to keep the cctech address live, could someone look at this, please. Anyway, to get to the point: I have been doing some more digging, mainly in my basement. The following stuff is available for free to anyone who can come and collect it. DEC networking stuff: DECServer 300 Multiport repeater DEMPR-AB DECRepeater 200 DEC Microserver DEMSA-A Another piece of network kit: Retix 2265M 802.3 bridge A Compaq 2260 "Portable II" lunchbox PC A Penny & Giles 7000D double QIC drive. No idea what that conencts to. I'm starting on my (surprisingly large) collection of printers and related stuff. This may require some sorting when people collect - there is at least one box of printer parts containing things like paper guides, winding knobs, and even tractor feed attachments, which need putting with the correct machines! Anyway, the following have already surfaced, and there is more to come: TI Silent 700 terminal, model 743KSR Mannesmann Tally MT80+ (little 80-column impact dot matrix machine, quite nice packaging, slight chip on cover,) HP9195AB Scanjet Plus flatbed scanner Nicolet Zeta 8A pen plotter Finally, one piece of DEC kit I didn't mention last time is the Magtape drive. This is the sort that takes up the top 18U or thereabouts of a rack, but doesn't go very deep. I've been sorting through my Unibus cards (some of which are taken, but others may appear here), but I have no idea what cards would drive this tape machine. Can anyone help? The same disclaimers as last time apply: > Everything is offered as seen. Most of it doesn't work. You have been > warned. > > Finally, I have set up an e-mail address for you to reply to if you are > interested: declutter(a)axeside.co.uk. I hope to spot replies to the list > too, but it will help if you copy them to that address as well. Thanks again, Philip.

2 years, 9 months

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A couple of Epson Printers going for free

by Mike Norris

Hello, I have a couple of Epson printers looking for a home. MX-80 FX-80 - with manual and (box I think) Both are parallel interface - Centronics, dot matrix printers taking pin feed paper and roll paper, both were working when placed in store, but condition now unknown (might be possible to test if required). Located in UK - Lancashire. Please reply off list to mike_t_norris(a)hotmail.com Regards Mike Norris

2 years, 9 months

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Re: More Free stuff in Somerset, England

by Philip Belben

>> A Penny & Giles 7000D double QIC drive. No idea what that conencts to. > > If it's anything like the 7100 single-drive unit I have here, it has > an RS232 interface and is designed for use in data logging systems. That sounds right. >> Finally, one piece of DEC kit I didn't mention last time is the Magtape >> drive. This is the sort that takes up the top 18U or thereabouts of a >> rack, but doesn't go very deep. I've been sorting through my Unibus >> cards (some of which are taken, but others may appear here), but I have >> no idea what cards would drive this tape machine. Can anyone help? > > Not without some clues, like a model number... Oops. TU16, I think. Philip.

2 years, 9 months

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Attaching Test Clip to F-11 Chips on PDP 11/24 M7133 CPU

by Rob Jarratt

I am trying to work out why my PDP 11/24 CPU is not working. To do so I want to use my logic analyser on the F-11 chips. I have a regular 40-pin test clip, but it doesn't make a good contact with the pins on the F-11 chips. The test clips I have are made for regular DIP chips where the legs come out horizontally from the side of the chip before turning 90 degrees and going down into the board. On the F-11 chips the pins are pretty much stuck to the side of the chip body and so the clip can't make a good contact. Does anyone have any tips for attaching a test clip to the F-11 chips? Thanks Rob

2 years, 9 months

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ReGIS converter

by Dennis Boone

Does anyone know of a tool that can convert from one or more vector image formats to ReGIS? For use on unix-ish platforms. De

2 years, 9 months

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[cctalk]Can someone explain...

by William Sudbrink

Why anybody would bid more than three hundred dollars for a bunch of ribbon cables? https://www.ebay.com/itm/234623364778?hash=item36a0a46eaa:g:y1oAAOSwwQdiz550 Unless there's something I'm not seeing here, I can easily (and exactly) reproduce them. I could even make them with red or "rainbow" cables if you prefer. I'll do a set for the "bargain" price of $250. Bill S. -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

2 years, 9 months

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Re: Heath h-100 h-200 computer added to SMECC with discs books etc anyone else running one like this? Ours is version with built in keyboard builtin dual floppies 8085 plus 8888 and monitor is separate unit sitting on top...Ed# P.S. We never got the H89

by ED SHARPE

Wow great! Location??? Sent from the all new AOL app for Android On Mon, Jul 18, 2022 at 11:21 AM, Robert Ollerton<rollerton(a)gmail.com> wrote: I've got a H89 I could cut loose On Sun, Jul 17, 2022 at 4:40 PM ED SHARPE via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote: Heath h-100 h-200 computer added to SMECC with discs books etc anyone else running one like this? Ours is version with built in keyboard builtin dual floppies 8085 plus 8888 and monitor is separate unit sitting on top...Ed# P.S. We never got the H89 that was headed our way.... some guy absconded with it I guess... alas.... so once we get that think we have THE SET except for the analog computers that Heath Produced ( still looking??? Help???)

2 years, 9 months

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double cctalk membership

by Craig Ruff

I followed the suggestion in a previous message to logon to the new server and set my desired list settings. Now I show up with two subscriptions for my email address, one as "nonmember" and the new one as "member". It does not appear that I am receiving doubles delivery of messages, so I'm not sure if this is an issue or not.

2 years, 9 months

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Re: cctalk Digest, Vol 94, Issue 24

by manna5＠safe-mail.net

Dziękuję za twoją wiadomość. Przepraszam, jestem na wczasach i odpowiem później.

2 years, 9 months

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Re: cctalk Digest, Vol 94, Issue 25

by manna5＠safe-mail.net

Dziękuję za twoją wiadomość. Przepraszam, jestem na wczasach i odpowiem później.

2 years, 9 months

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Mime Attachments in Digest

by Robert Adamson

I don’t know what’s changed but I’m receiving the cctech digests as a collection of mime attachments now. I’m using an iPad and used to just get a lengthy plain email. The mime attachments are a real PITA to try to read! Can anything be done? Thanks, Bob

2 years, 9 months

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[cctalk]Re: cctalk Digest, Vol 94, Issue 23

by manna5＠safe-mail.net

Dziękuję za twoją wiadomość. Przepraszam, jestem na wczasach i odpowiem później.

2 years, 9 months

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MicroVAX CTI (DEC Professional) card

by Bjoren Davis

Hello Classic fans, Recently eBay seller smhelectronics261 posted a very interesting prototype board: https://www.ebay.com/itm/295087630609 The description is "Dec Digital PRO 350/380 Professional Microvax II Proto 54-16707 Collectors", and the board art mentions "MICROVAX SOFTCARD." Does anyone know anything about this card? Especially curious is the daughtercard connector: is it just for RAM expansion or is the daughtercard necessary for card operation? The photographs are fuzzy, but the more recent chip date I can see is 8536 (on one of the QFPs). This puts the board in the time period of the MicroVAX II development. The internal "MicroVAX Business Plan" (http://bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/vax/610/memos/Microvax_Business_Plan_Dec83.pdf) mentions a "Meteor" project (p. 11). It describes Meteor as: Meteor is Digital's first single-user MicroVAX product. Developed within Low End Engineering, the product is positioned as a strong competitor in the low end, technical/scientific and the high end office/business graphics workstation market. Meteor should be an effective follow-on product to the Professional Series and high end VAX/Seahorse workstations. Although not a replacement product per se, Meteor represents a clear migration path for PRO users upward in functionality, and for VAX Workstation applications downward to a lower cost, single user design. Does anyone know if this board is Meteor? I'll be bidding on the board, but given how pricey CTI boards have gotten recently (a DECNA card from the same seller recently sold for $422.99), I probably won't win. If the winner of the auction reads this, could they please contact me? I'd like to collect an image of the boot ROM from the board, if possible. Thanks. --Bjoren

2 years, 9 months

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Heath h-100 h-200 computer added to SMECC with discs books etc anyone else running one like this? Ours is version with built in keyboard builtin dual floppies 8085 plus 8888 and monitor is separate unit sitting on top...Ed# P.S. We never got the H89

by ED SHARPE

Heath h-100 h-200 computer added to SMECC with discs books etc anyone else running one like this? Ours is version with built in keyboard builtin dual floppies 8085 plus 8888 and monitor is separate unit sitting on top...Ed# P.S. We never got the H89 that was headed our way.... some guy absconded with it I guess... alas.... so once we get that think we have THE SET except for the analog computers that Heath Produced ( still looking??? Help???)

2 years, 9 months

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Retire cctech

by Dennis Boone

Folks, I've belatedly realized that it's going to be a bit of a headache to implement the old cctalk/cctech crossposting duality under the new version of mailman. I seem to recall a discussion about retiring the cctech list and just continuing with cctalk, and that the consensus was in favor of that. I'll call this message a consent agenda indicating that I plan to do that, unless there's loud outcry. De

2 years, 9 months

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Re: cctalk Digest, Vol 94, Issue 22

by manna5＠safe-mail.net

Dziękuję za twoją wiadomość. Przepraszam, jestem na wczasach i odpowiem później.

2 years, 9 months

1
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Re: cctalk Digest, Vol 94, Issue 21

by manna5＠safe-mail.net

Dziękuję za twoją wiadomość. Przepraszam, jestem na wczasach i odpowiem później.

2 years, 9 months

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Re: cctalk Digest, Vol 94, Issue 20

by manna5＠safe-mail.net

Dziękuję za twoją wiadomość. Przepraszam, jestem na wczasach i odpowiem później.

2 years, 9 months

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Information on Trend UTR 700 Paper Tape Reader and Facit 4060 Punch

by Martin Bishop

Google turns up very little specific information on either of these devices, e.g. nil return from bit savers. The best leads I have are: - The UTR 700 was badge engineered by Ferranti into FM1600B systems, one of which fetched up at the Centre for Computer History, Cambridge, England; perhaps with documentation. Also, as it was used in government systems some maintenance documentation may have fetched up in the PRO, at Kew. - Some Facit 4060 documentation, for the 4060, its 4061 & 4063 chums and the 5106 interface, look to be lodged in Box 52 of the ICL Collection at the Science Museum Library. The UTR 700 reader looks to be parallel interfaced, 10 single ended outputs from an interface card. The jokes start with manufacturer codes, rather than OEM part numbers on the 14 pin DIL ICs. However, a little scope work should identify tape out, data 0..7 and strobe lines. More interesting questions are lubrication and capacitor replacement - where a schematic would be a great assistance in deciding how to proceed. etc etc The Facit 4060 punch contains no more than the electro-mechanical mechanism : AC drive motor, solenoids and rotary position sensors. The 4070 documentation (on BitSavers) may read across, in terms of sensor characteristics, solenoid operating voltages and snubbing needs, or it may not. That reconstructing the schematic would be straightforward simply identifies how much is missing, and the difficulty of specifying it in the abscence of documentation. A classic tape punch interface from data latch and ready, through position sensing, solenoid drivers and done logic is required, together with auxiliary indications, e.g. tape out. etc etc Any information, wisdom, documentation or pointers to sources would be very much appreciated. To state the obvious, I was passed these devices by Philip Belben Martin

2 years, 9 months

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tape drives, oscilloscopes, and test equiment in Austin, TX

by Mark Linimon

Closing this Friday the 15th (sorry for noticing this late). At the University of Texas in downtown Austin. I have no association with the University, etc. https://swicoauctions.com/online/26/item/110345 https://swicoauctions.com/online/26/item/110400 https://swicoauctions.com/online/26/item/110404 There are a few other items that may be of interest. Note that these are all fine examples of the type of things I need *less* of :-) (including, of course, a Tek 564 that I have been lugging around for a few decades. Does anyone want to give it a good home? Fair warning: it's *heavy*.) mcl

2 years, 9 months

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Re: Retire cctech

by John Ames

I'm fine with that myself, but will list memberships from cctech be ported over, or will we have to re-register? I don't think I'm currently on cctalk.

2 years, 9 months

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Floppy Cables & "twists"

by Dave Dunfield

After recently selling my ImageDisk system, and having a few spare older PC mainboards - I decided to make another - I did find a board that seems to have a decent FDC - it does all single density formats (many don't). Alas, it is "slightly newer enough" to only implement one floppy drive on it's interface - floppy B: does not appear at all to the system. Ripping the cable off the front panel drive to connect an external one is somewhat painful - Since the PC normally has a twisted cable to swap Select1&Motor1 with Select2&Motor2 to put each set on Select2&Motor2 of different connectors, I thought I could just use a flat cable and add a switch near the PC end to switch Select1&Motor1 to go to either Select1&Motor1 -OR- Select2/Motor2 on both connectors with the internal drive set to 1: and a cable coming out the back for drives jumpered as 2: That way I could just "flip a switch" to choose between internal drive 1: or the external drive(s) 2: (either would appear as A: depending on the switch). But when I try to access a drive jumpered as 1:, it does select, but the motor doesn't turn on. This happens even without my "special" cable. If I connect the drive (by itself) on the PC side of the twist on a standard cable, the motor doesn't work. The twist swaps Select1&Motor1 to Select2&Motor2 on the farthest connector, and since a standard drive is jumpered as 2: - This should put the 1: signals to 2: for a drive in that position - all other wires are "straight through". It looks as if some other signals is expected to behave differently when the drive is jumpered as 1: (I've tried this with a couple of different drives) - anyone know whats going on? Dave (I can use the message archive to check for responses every few days, so replying here is OK). -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Search "Dave's Old Computers" see "my personal" at bottom!

2 years, 9 months

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Re: Kinetic Systems 2920-Z2B.

by Jon Elson

On 6/27/22 08:34, Mark Kahrs via cctalk wrote: > Anyone have one of these haunting their Q bus board pile? The LSSM would > deadly like one. Bad news. We had a big cleanup in our lab last year, and got rid of a LOT of stuff. I'm pretty sure we had a 2922, that was the CAMAC crate controller that may have been used with the 2920. Was the 2920 the Q-bus board that connected to a crate controller via a hand-made multicolor twisted pair ribbon cable? I think that went out a LONG time ago. I did have recently at home a KSC crate controller that had an LSI-11 inside it, but I think that went to recycling about 2 years ago. Sorry! Jon

2 years, 9 months

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RE: Xerox 800 Word Processor 1974 promo film

by D. Resor

In a search I found a digital brochure for the Xerox 800. The text is in Dutch. The text can be highlighted therefore I think it can be then sent to a translator. https://classic.technology/xerox-800/ Don Resor From: Eric Smith <spacewar(a)gmail.com> Sent: Monday, July 11, 2022 11:56 AM To: D. Resor <organlists1(a)sonic.net>; General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: Xerox 800 Word Processor 1974 promo film Anyone know what's inside the Xerox 800? There seems to be little information online about any of the 800 series other than the 820. Based on the year of introduction of the 800, and allowing for time prior to that spent in development, I'm guessing that it's not microprocessor-based. (Whereas the 820 is.) Eric On Sat, Jul 2, 2022, 03:50 D. Resor via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org <mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org> > wrote: This video just popped up in my YT view. It was posted a couple days ago. At the end of the video, a recap of several Xerox computer products are shown. XEROX Word Processing Machines & Computers 1975 (Xerox 800 vintage promo film) https://youtu.be/Zkl80BAiaIw Computer History Archive Don Resor

2 years, 9 months

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RE: List migration

by Smith, Wayne

Many thanks, Jay! -W Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2022 01:38:36 -0400 From: Dennis Boone <drb(a)msu.edu> Subject: List migration To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org, cctech(a)classiccmp.org Message-ID: <20220711053836.B91B93FBF07(a)yagi.h-net.msu.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Friends, The process of migrating the cctalk and cctech mailing lists to a new host in Chicago is underway. This evening, I've moved the list mail handling to the new server, and this message will be the first live test. Assuming this works, you shouldn't have to change anything to post to the list. The green web pages, the old "pipermail" list archives, and web access to archives of new postings from this point still require a little work, which I hope to complete in the next day or two. I will eventually import the old pipermail archives into the new posting archive, but that may take a little longer. The new hosting is provided by the Chicago Classic Computing group. Many thanks to Jay West for hosting the lists for 20 years! /Dennis Boone ------------------------------

2 years, 9 months

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LaserMaster LX-6 Controller

by Ali

Long shot but.... I have in my possession a LaserMaster LX-6 controller. The controller allows achieving much higher res from a HP LJII then one would normally be able to (600x300 DPI vs. the standard 300x300 DPI). If you are really interested can read more about it here: https://books.google.com/books?id=2jkWJsu_9CoC&lpg=RA1-PA46&ots=HrKHEtLGTu&… I have all the requisite HW but I am lacking the manual and more importantly the driver SW. I was able to locate multiple copies of the LM website on The Wayback Machine. Unfortunately, while some of the smaller files have been archived all the main EXE and ZIP files are missing. For example see: http://web.archive.org/web/20000301145615/http://www.colorspan.com/support/… I am wondering if anyone has any drivers for this card. A manual would be most excellent as well but drivers are more necessary. Thanks. -Ali

2 years, 9 months

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Re: Xerox 800 Word Processor 1974 promo film

by Paul Koning

> On Jul 10, 2022, at 5:06 PM, Chuck Guzis via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote: > > On 7/10/22 13:41, Paul Koning via cctalk wrote: >> >> >>> On Jul 10, 2022, at 4:10 AM, Christian Corti via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote: >>> >>> On Sat, 2 Jul 2022, Grant Taylor wrote: >>>> I don't know that I've ever heard / seen the name "Rank" prefixing "Xerox" before. >>> >>> Actually I knew them only as Rank Xerox many years ago, when they were commonly known as office suppliers, e.g. photo copiers and printers. >> >> Is the "Rank" prefix part of the company name in Europe? > > For a time, it was even present in Japan. > > The Rank Organisation. Surely you've seen some old British Pinewood > Studios films with J. Arthur Rank's big gong as an intro? It's vaguely familiar. Another part of the Rank organization, at one time, was precision measurement company Taylor-Hobson. I remember several of their their instruments in the metrology lab at U. Eindhoven. paul

2 years, 9 months

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Re: Xerox 800 Word Processor 1974 promo film

by Liam Proven

On Sun, 10 Jul 2022 at 10:10, Christian Corti via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote: > Actually I knew them only as Rank Xerox many years ago, when they were > commonly known as office suppliers, e.g. photo copiers and printers. Ditto. I think this may be another of those US/rest-of-world things. To this Brit, the only company I knew of with this name was "Rank Xerox" and I had never heard of "Xerox" as a company (nor as a verb) until I was an adult working in the tech industry and learned of Xerox PARC and its role in the development of Smalltalk, OOPS, the GUI etc. So probably roughly in my late 20s or early 30s. "To xerox" meaning "to make a photocopy" was something I learned around the same time. This is not a verb in British English, nor I think in any non-North-American dialects of English. -- Liam Proven ~ Profile: https://about.me/liamproven Email: lproven(a)cix.co.uk ~ gMail/gTalk/FB: lproven(a)gmail.com Twitter/LinkedIn: lproven ~ Skype: liamproven UK: (+44) 7939-087884 ~ Czech [+ WhatsApp/Telegram/Signal]: (+420) 702-829-053

2 years, 9 months

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