On 3/26/2024 9:15 AM, Paul Koning wrote:
>
>
>> On Mar 26, 2024, at 8:57 AM, Bill Gunshannon via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> On 3/25/2024 9:51 PM, Henry Bent wrote:
>>> On Mon, 25 Mar 2024 at 20:14, Bill Gunshannon via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org <mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org>> wrote:
>>> Oops. I guess the fingers work as good as the memory. Sorry
>>> about that. I've got about 20 of them. I know they haven't
>>> been used since they were taken out of the VAX Cluster I ran
>>> at the University. Nothing I have used the SB boxes with since
>>> then would know what to do with 9GB of disk space. :-)
>>> But, if needed I could probably test them on a PC I have with
>>> an Adaptec SCSI in it. It's intended for Ersatz-11 but I expect
>>> does could use a disk that big. Too bad there's no way to read
>>> them. Might be some interesting stuff left behind by the VAX.
>>> Why is there no way to read them? If you have a PC with a SCSI card you can easily boot into the Linux or BSD distro of your choice and make a dd (or ddrescue) image of the entire drive, which could then be accessed by whatever means.
>>
>>
>> These disks were part of a really large RAID array in a SAN connected to
>> the VAX cluster. There is no way of reconstructing it and so no way to
>> extract usable information.
>>
>> bill
>
> Do you have just part of the RAID set, or enough disks to make a complete one?
Don't know, but doubt it. Some of the disks have probably been used
for other purposes since the VAXen went away more than 20 years ago.
> If the latter then it's a matter of reverse engineering the RAID layout,
> which is likely to be doable.
While possible, I think hardly likely. I don't even remember what the
appliance was. Something DECish.
bill
I have often wondered about the people we find in the various
DEC Processor (and other) books. Were they models in staged
photo-sessions or were these candid shots from DEC facilities
and if so, can anyone identify who they might be.
Looking thru some of the books again I came across an interesting
photo on page 42 of the 1981 pdp11 processor handbook / pdp11 04
24 34a 44 70. If you take a magnifier to the picture you will
find the system presented in that photo is not a pdp11 but a VAX. :-)
I wonder what other DEC systems are contained in these photos?
bill
I just got a pdp-11 to boot and it seems to have rt-11 installed. How do I do an orderly shutdown? Google has info on simh but this ain't that.
Thanks!
73 Eugene w2hx
I'm trying to build some prototype Tomy Tutor cartridges of my own but I'm all
thumbs in KiCad, and while prefab ones exist that I can just add an EPROM to,
they're in ExpressPCB and PCBWay wants Gerbers. This Mac won't run ExpressPCB,
or at least not in a way that wouldn't involve a significant expenditure.
Is someone out there with a copy of ExpressPCB willing to convert these to
Gerbers I can upload? They're quite small so it should be a simple task. If so,
please contact me off-list with many thanks!
--
------------------------------------ personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ --
Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser(a)floodgap.com
-- E pluribus Unix ------------------------------------------------------------
I got a vic-20 in a painted case, with a biacom label, and a modified
VIC-1110 8kb memory, where there have been added a 8kb eprom have been
to the left side where the additional 8kb could be
installed.
https://telefisk.org/biacom_8kb_a000+8kbmem.romhttps://telefisk.org/biacom_basic.txt
The autostart rom code, that disables runstop, moves and starts basic ,
does seem to initialize everthing like a normal start does.
Adding the rom to vice without reset and do a poke 44,161, to move the
basic start to 41216, one can look at the code.
The software seems to be made to print signs, but I havent had much luck
getting vice to print, I only get a blank page.
Looking at the code
line 60
# Line Spacing of n/216 inch chr$(27) "3" chr$(n)
line 61
# chr$(14) One-line Expanded Print
# chr$(20) cancel expanded print
line 68
# single density 60dpi line lenght 135 + (256*1)
does look like it match up to the commodore/epson codes, printing the
basic list with open1,4,7:print#1:cmd1:list works in text and
graphics for the mps80x, but not from the basic code there.
Wonder if I am running into a bug with the print emulation or it was
made to use a different printer ?
Regards
--
Jacob Dahl Pind | telefisk.org | fidonet 2:230/38.8
So, sorting thru stuff I came across this white elephant again.
I never found anything to positively identify it but I always
assumed it was some kind of buss extender. One board is fully
populated with chips and the other connected together with a
ribbon cable is totally passive.
But this time I found the funniest thing about it. The passive
end has a sticker on it with an expiration date. I have to admit
I have never found an expiration date on any of my PDP or VAX
hardware before. :-)
bill
VCF East Hotel Block #3
I have opened up another hotel block:
Red Roof Inn
11 Centre Plaza
Eatontown, NJ
20% discount. Call 732-389-4646 before the cut off date 03/31/2024 and book
your room under the Vintage Computer Festival East group name.
<jeffrey(a)vcfed.org>
For tickets: vcfeast.eventbrite.com
April 12-14, 2024
Wall, NJ
https://vcfed.org/events/vintage-computer-festival-east/
On 21/03/2024 22:03, Jonathan Stone wrote:
> What kind of VAX 4000? One with DSSI connectors on the "S:U", or the
> /VAX 4000-200/KA660, which has serial and Ethernet? IIRC you can
> klludge up the latter using a KA630 SLU, and either re-using the
> AUI/10base-2 part of the SLU,
> or kludging one from a DEQNA/DELQA to act like the AUI-select switch
> setting and AUI of the original
> Those come off the KA660 in a single IDC connector, 50 pin if memory
> serves.
>
> I have no idea about substituting for DSSI.
It's a VAX 4000-300 (KA670) in a BA440, so it has two DSSI, ethernet,
the usual switches and LED display. I can switch ethernet between AUI
and BNC (the green LEDs change) and I have known working DETPM
AUI<->RJ45 interfaces, so ethernet may be OK. I have found one panel for
a KA650 (uV 3500/3600) that has an OK connector but is otherwise a bit
toasty, so I'll try carefully removing that tomorrow. If that goes OK,
then I'll remove the MMJ socket from the VAX 4000 console SLU: it's dead
so there's not really much risk here as long as I'm careful with the
PCB. At least I could then tack on 6 wires and find a way of
interfacing. I do have at least one H8584-AC, which is an MMJ socket and
an RJ45 plug. So with a bit of measuring I could probably find an RJ45
socket and rig up some temporary franken-console. Or, if the KA650 donor
is really too far gone, and its socket survives half a dozen cable
insertion-removals with no harm, then I could just fit that in place.
If the console ethernet doesn't work, I think I can drop in the DELQA
with appropriate handles from the KA650 system ... I think that the
BA440 Q-bus metalwork and the BA213 metalwork are compatible. If not I
have one Q-bus DELQA panel and I'm sure that neither the VAX nor
anything else in there with it care too much about RF interference these
days!
I can find new MMJ plugs all over the place (admittedly I'm assuming
that Mouser and Farnell could actually supply them!!) but the
corresponding sockets seem to be lost to time. Or at least they remain
beyond my goolge-fu.
Antonio
--
Antonio Carlini
antonio(a)acarlini.com
Hi all,
Some of you may remember that I (Adam) and another chap (Chris) rescued two
IBM 360/20 systems out of an abandoned building in Nuremberg back in 2019
and brought them to the UK (our blog is here: https://www.ibm360.co.uk/).
We have since basically found ourselves unable to effectively progress the
project due to personal & professional commitments. For various reasons
(explained in our latest blog post) we are testing the waters for making
the machines available to the right sort of people.
We are therefore inviting proposals or offers focused around one of the
following core ideas:
1. A museum or preservation organisation takes the machines on permanent
loan or possibly as a donation depending upon exactly what the terms look
like
2. A private entity takes the machines on loan for display for a fix
period
3. A foreign museum takes the machines, with negotiation around coverage
of our costs
4. A private collector purchases the machines from us for a sum to be
negotiated at the time
If you have an alternate proposal we would also be open to hearing it.
We have three main systems in the collection, as detailed below:
*Red IBM 360 Model 20 System*
1 x IBM 360 Model 20 CPU in Red
1x 2203 System Printer
2x 2311 Disk Drives
1x 2152 System Console (possibly the last remaining example of this in the
world, though in poor condition)
1x 2560 Punched Card Reader/Punch/Sorter
1x 2501 Punched Card Reader
2x 2415 II Tape Drives (One master, one slave) (Possibly only remaining
examples of this model globally)
25x IBM Disc Packs
*Blue IBM 360 Model 20 System*
1 x IBM 360 Model 20 CPU in Blue
1x 2501 Punched Card Reader
1x 1403 Printer
*System 370/125*
1x 370/125 CPU – Unknown condition
1x 3504 Punched card reader (incomplete)
*Miscellaneous*
1x 029 Card Punch
1x 5471 System Console
Assorted other spares and unknown/incomplete components
Around 12 full boxes of brand new IBM punched cards
-----------
In an ideal world we would like to see everything go together, but we
understand that this is an enormous amount of kit and that might not be
possible. We are not willing to split up individual systems, but we are
willing to split things by the groupings above. For instance if there was
interest in only the red system due to its complete set of peripherals, we
would be willing to negotiate on that basis.
It is extremely rare that systems such as this become available, and these
are two of only a handful of privately held IBM 360’s in the world.
If you have an idea or a proposal, please email me directly at this
address. Please do NOT email me to suggest I contact X museum unless you
are a representative of that museum or hold a direct relationship with them
and know they are interested.
We are genuinely sad that we’ve been unable to work on this project and
take it where we wanted it to go. We set out with strong intentions, but
alas, as is often the case life took over and we were unable to push
forward in the way we wanted to. We hope that someone comes along who will
be able to keep the systems safe for future generations.
Kind Regards,
Adam Bradley
With great interest, I have seen that there are now scans for the Z23
(perhaps more coming soon :-) ).
But I have to admit that I am so much disappointed of the quality. I mean,
whoever scanned this all, did he have a single look at the output? I do
this, for each of the many scans, may they be only a single or many
hundred pages.
Example:
.../zuse/Z23/Zuse_Z23_Beschreibung_einschlie%c3%9flich_der_Zusazgeräte_Februar_1962.pdf
PDF pages 16/17:
this is a no-go. This must not happen in a document uploaded to bitsavers.
Pages 32-35 (and many others, too):
what the heck happened here??
And there appears to have been some "intelligent" post-processing of the
images that renders them very artificially.
Sorry for the rant, but that is not what I would accept as archiving
material. I'd offer to rescan them (guessing that the origin is from
Germany) reasonably.
Christian
