Hello all,
I have transferred some simh .tap files to my PDP-11/23+ running RSX11M+.
There I have tried to use VCP to attach them to a virtual device but I keep
getting an invalid record format error. I then realized the simh .tap files
most likely aren't organized correctly. If I attach them to TS0 in simh I
can work with them. So now I am trying duplicate a tape into a new .tap
file created using VCP. I can't for the life of me get it to work though.
BRU doesn't support tape-to-tape and FLX doesn't complain but also never
completes. Is there a process for tape duplication under RSX?
The images were first transferred to my PiDP-11 using ftp in binary mode
over TCP/IP. From there I used NFT in image mode and I tried both record
and block modes.
I have also seen the simh tape tools but there doesn't seem to be a tool to
convert a simh file back to what would be on a real tape.
Anyone have any information or pointers to get this to work?
Thanks!
-Peter
Swap Meet Update 6/4/25
Weather
The weather on Saturday is being watched closely. A little rain is not
concerning, but the thunderstorms are concerning. We will make a final call
on Thursday at 10PM about what we will do. We will post updates here:
https://vcfed.org/vcf-swap-meet
Food Truck
The food truck cancelled on us and we can't find a replacement at the last
minute. We *may* have some solution to support at least the vendors and
volunteers. The general public are on their own.
Otherwise we have plenty of vendors signed up with lots of interest. We
have been posting daily on Facebook & Instagram to tell everyone about the
event. Lots of engagement, interest and excitement.
Take care!
Jeff Brace
VCF/MARCH Fundraising Manager
I have an AT&T branded SCSI enclosure. Two half-height bays with the
drives held vertically (on their sides), with a door that opens to
expose one for a tape drive, activity lights labeled hard drive and
tape, CN50 connectors, the AT&T beige and brown
color scheme I associate with 3B's and 6300 PCs. No model number.
Anyone have any idea what this was made for?
I was given an ASR-33 complete with stand, reader & punch.
This ASR-33 has been modified for RS-232 though a blue perfboard mounted
in the connection enclosure (under the cover place where the dialer
would be on the right side).
It has a DB25 ribbon cable coming off of this board. The perfboard does
not have a label on it that I can find.
The ASR-33 also has a 3 x 5 conductor rectangular connector coming out
of the rear of the unit with 6 female contacts installed.
I was able to connect the ARS-33 to a VT-330+ at 110B 8-N-2 and send and
receive on the teletype.
The punch seems to work as well.
The reader will "chatter" then the reader is put in the start position
and the tape out sensor is pressed but the sprocket does not advance and
the reader pins to not move.
Questions:
1. Why the reader is not advancing and the pins are not activating?
Could this be a read enable contact not being in the active position?
2. What are the pin outs of the RS-232 DB-25. Other than TX, RX and GND
3. What are the pin outs of the 3 x 5 rectangular connector. I think
this is the current loop and other control signals.
Does any one of the items below for sale or have a 3D model I can print:
1. Roll Paper spindle (the spindle that the roll paper spins on)
2. Paper Tape Punch Spindle (the spindle that the paper tape spins on)
3. Paper Tape Chad feed tube
4. Paper Tape Chad Box
I will be connecting this to either a PiDP-8/I or a PDP-8/E for now and
eventually a PDP-8/L
Thank you,
Mike
I am going to assume there are other TRS-80 people hanging out
here and go ahead and ask this:
Has anyone here used the DEFUSRx command?
I tried to use it for something I am working on and it
didn't work.
So, I copied the example program from page 115 of the
Model III Disk System Owner's Manual and, guess what,
it didn't work either.
150 DEFUSR1 = &H7D00
returns a Syntax Error
150 DEFUSR1 = 32000
works fine.
Anybody else ever run into this?
I can't believe something as blatant as that could have
gone on for all those years.
bill
It is few years that anybody asks, so here it is again:
ANYBODY has any manuals for it?
On Discord, we have some discussions, I found some of them in my boxes,
but nobody has documentation, and no success to get them working.
Any chance?
I've written a "side scroller" program using the IBM 5100's native PALM
instruction set. I talked about the 5100 in 2023, and for 2025 I wanted to
present something special for its 50th anniversary.
I kept getting sidetracked with other projects over the year. But thanks
to the IBM 5100 emulator now in MAME, that helped a lot in debugging the
program more efficiently. There is much I still don't fully understand
about PALM, so I probably do this in the most efficient way, but it does
work well.
I'm also still working towards restoring a POLY-88 (8080 based system,
similar to SOL-20 as far as being S-100 based). Someday I'd like to
attempt a similar side-scroller on that platform, to see how the
performance compares and if a micro that early could handle it (at 1.8MHz
and will need to find 16KB of working RAM- one thing about the IBM 5100, it
feels fairly rock solid after 50 years). Unless anyone already has a
working 8080-based system and wants to take a stab at this? I'll talk more
about the design approach (and use of PALM instruction set) after VCF next
month.
Here is the YouTube video preview of this scroller in action on real
hardware:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRAxKGkXC1I
And the Rumble version in case anyone has issues with YT:
https://rumble.com/v6tu80h-ibm-5100-vertical-side-scroller-hardware-demonst…
If anyone has a 5100 with the "expansion feature" and async card, we're
always interested in trying to get old system "online" (through WiModem
type devices), or a non-working 5100 is always good for spare parts on the
ones that do still work.
But one "fabled accessory" of the 5100 is it's carrying case -- which
surprisingly was the cheapest item on its price sheet (at $150 new). I've
only seen one of these once (in Florida), so they do exist. Or tapes
(even later 3M QIC DC6120 are compatible).
Cheers,
Steve
Was there someone on this list who can help repair boards, like the RQDX3s
I broke in my H9278? I don't know if it would be too costly, but if not I'd
like to restore them to working condition.
-Peter
Hello to the group,
I have been banging my head against a PDP-11/23 where I have an RQDX3 I'm
trying to get to work. Actually, I have two RQDX3's but only one at a time.
It is configured to the factory CSR, 172150, and it has the latest
microcode on it. When I run the XXDP ZRQCH0 formatter I get the following:
RQDX3 Disk Formatter Utility
UNIT IS Formattable Winchester (RDnn) or Floppy (RX33) Drives
RSTRT ADR 145702
DR>STA
CHANGE HW (L) ? Y
# UNITS (D) ? 1
UNIT 0
Enter controller IP Address (O) 172150 ?
What unit do you want to format [0-255] (D) 0 ?
Would you like to revector a single LBN only [Y/N] (L) N ?
Do you want to use the "AUTOFORMAT" Mode [Y/N] (L) Y ? N
ZRQC SYS FTL ERR 00006 ON UNIT 00 TST 001 SUB 000 PC: 105742
Fatal Controller Error During Initialization.
ZRQC SYS FTL ERR 00006 ON UNIT 00 TST 001 SUB 002 PC: 105742
Fatal Controller Error During Initialization.
ZRQC EOP 1
2 TOTAL ERRS
DR>
I have been booting XXDP and also RT11 over an emulator TU58. And I have a
BDV11 so it has an LTC.
I did try downgrading the microcode on the RQDX3 to the previous version,
3. It was 4. But no luck.
Am I missing something? This should work with an M8186 CPU board, right?
Anyone have any ideas? I haven't yet, but I plan to pop one of these RQDX3s
in my 11/23+ and see if it works there.
-Peter
