24 Mar
2024
24 Mar
'24
10:05 a.m.
I'm looking for an HP 9000 Visualize workstation, like a B160L or B180L+.
I'll be attending VCF East in a few weeks so might find one there.
Has anyone used Cypress technology out of Clearwater, FL? It seems they provide a nice,
fully configured to spec turnkey solution, but there's no doubt they charge for it.
http://www.cypress-tech.com/
Any better HP-specific forums or references would be appreciated!
Thanks
24 Mar
24 Mar
12:20 p.m.
On Sun, Mar 24, 2024, 10:05 AM Keith M via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org>
wrote:
I'm looking for an HP 9000 Visualize workstation,
like a B160L or B180L+.
I'll be attending VCF East in a few weeks so might find one there.
Has anyone used Cypress technology out of Clearwater, FL? It seems they
provide a nice, fully configured to spec turnkey solution, but there's no
doubt they charge for it.
http://www.cypress-tech.com/
Any better HP-specific forums or references would be appreciated!
Thanks
Jesse of Cypress is on this list, and the VintHPcom(a)groups.io list.
I've bought an HP A990 system from Cypress direct, and other HP parts from
them through eBay. You get what you pay for.
2:59 p.m.
I just looked at the prices on eBay—yikes! All of my HP hardware from that era was pretty
inexpensive a few years back.
What are people using the B180L for that’s driven the prices so high? I assume it’s
another “there’s a piece of equipment that was built around this specific platform 20+
years ago, and we’re still running it so we need spares” situation, just like the
equipment that was built around the VAXstation 4000 Model 90 which keeps the price on that
insane.
Is there a specific need you’re trying to fill? I wound up with an additional B- or
C-series workstation as part of a deal, I can check what model it is (it’s in storage
right now) and we can talk off-list about maybe getting it to a good home. (I’m in the SF
Bay Area if that helps, no idea where you are.)
-- Chris
PS - There’s a Vintage HP Computers group at https://groups.io/g/VintHPcom/ where you’ll
also find lots of folks talking about the entire range of HP computer hardware.
4:27 p.m.
Chris,
No clue what others are using them for. In my case, I've got an HP Logic
Analyzer that's based on something similar to an embedded version of the
B160L, using a 32-bit PA-RISC 1.1 PA-7300LC at 150mhz. I've had a few
ideas/thoughts/projects around experimenting with writing drivers,
adding LASI SCSI support to qemu, amongst others.
Minimizing differences from what the LA uses and the workstation is my
focus. There's things like 64-bit PA-RISC 2.0 machines are clearly out.
Not all the C-Class, for instance, are based on LASI. Some use U2, some
use UTurn. The C160L might work, the C160 would not.
I'll email you off-list. And, sorry, I should have said. I'm in
Pittsburgh, PA.
Thanks,
Keith
On 3/24/2024 5:59 PM, Chris Hanson wrote:
I just looked at the prices on eBay—yikes! All of my
HP hardware from that era was pretty inexpensive a few years back.
What are people using the B180L for that’s driven the prices so high? I assume it’s
another “there’s a piece of equipment that was built around this specific platform 20+
years ago, and we’re still running it so we need spares” situation, just like the
equipment that was built around the VAXstation 4000 Model 90 which keeps the price on that
insane.
Is there a specific need you’re trying to fill? I wound up with an additional B- or
C-series workstation as part of a deal, I can check what model it is (it’s in storage
right now) and we can talk off-list about maybe getting it to a good home. (I’m in the SF
Bay Area if that helps, no idea where you are.)
-- Chris
PS - There’s a Vintage HP Computers group at https://groups.io/g/VintHPcom/ where you’ll
also find lots of folks talking about the entire range of HP computer hardware.
4 Apr
4 Apr
7:17 p.m.
eBay prices have gotten silly. Sellers seem a lot more willing to sit
on items for years hoping they get 4-5x what something should sell for
rather than moving volume these days. It's odd psychology when you
know a lot of it just gets scrapped eventually when it never sells.
There is an ebay seller 'biff-howard-tanen' that has some C200s up
right now. All their items have "Make an Offer'' and they tend to be
fairly reasonable as long as you account for the free shipping they
offer. I've had mostly good luck with buying from them, and they made
right the couple oops.
Regards,
Kevin
On Sun, Mar 24, 2024 at 5:17 PM Chris Hanson via cctalk
<cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
I just looked at the prices on eBay—yikes! All of my HP hardware from that era was pretty
inexpensive a few years back.
What are people using the B180L for that’s driven the prices so high? I assume it’s
another “there’s a piece of equipment that was built around this specific platform 20+
years ago, and we’re still running it so we need spares” situation, just like the
equipment that was built around the VAXstation 4000 Model 90 which keeps the price on that
insane.
Is there a specific need you’re trying to fill? I wound up with an additional B- or
C-series workstation as part of a deal, I can check what model it is (it’s in storage
right now) and we can talk off-list about maybe getting it to a good home. (I’m in the SF
Bay Area if that helps, no idea where you are.)
-- Chris
PS - There’s a Vintage HP Computers group at https://groups.io/g/VintHPcom/ where you’ll
also find lots of folks talking about the entire range of HP computer hardware.
8:06 p.m.
On Apr 4, 2024, at 7:17 PM, Kevin Bowling <kevin.bowling(a)kev009.com> wrote:
There is an ebay seller 'biff-howard-tanen' that has some C200s up
right now. All their items have "Make an Offer'' and they tend to be
fairly reasonable as long as you account for the free shipping they
offer. I've had mostly good luck with buying from them, and they made
right the couple oops.
I can vouch for them as a seller in the same way, I've also gotten reasonable prices
from them when making offers that account for shipping, and the seller actually knows how
to pack stuff. Same with eBay seller jonnyadler, though their list price for a C180 is,
let's say, "optimistic.")
-- Chris
5 Apr
5 Apr
8:33 a.m.
Thanks guys for pointing out what's available and the references....
which will be useful the next time something good comes around!
The C200 runs the newer 64-bit processor, the PA8200, which is RISC 2.0,
and (I'd imagine is) quite a bit different than the PA7300.
I don't understand the silly pricing either. Who's buying them? Who is
forking over $1000, $1500, etc for these old machines? I don't really
even buy the "some business relies on this and have never updated"
because you'd have to have some smart folks on standby who could
reinstall software, reconfigure machines with licenses, etc. Assuming
you still had the necessary CDs etc.
Keith
On 4/4/2024 11:06 PM, Chris Hanson via cctalk wrote:
On Apr 4, 2024, at 7:17 PM, Kevin Bowling
<kevin.bowling(a)kev009.com> wrote:
There is an ebay seller 'biff-howard-tanen' that has some C200s up
right now. All their items have "Make an Offer'' and they tend to be
fairly reasonable as long as you account for the free shipping they
offer. I've had mostly good luck with buying from them, and they made
right the couple oops.
I can vouch for them as a seller in the same way, I've also gotten reasonable prices
from them when making offers that account for shipping, and the seller actually knows how
to pack stuff. Same with eBay seller jonnyadler, though their list price for a C180 is,
let's say, "optimistic.")
-- Chris
10:10 a.m.
On Fri, Apr 5, 2024 at 8:33 AM Keith Monahan <keith(a)techtravels.org> wrote:
Thanks guys for pointing out what's available and the references....
which will be useful the next time something good comes around!
The C200 runs the newer 64-bit processor, the PA8200, which is RISC 2.0,
and (I'd imagine is) quite a bit different than the PA7300.
You can still run a 32b OS or 32b applications depending on your
preference on the C200. PA-RISC is a well designed superset of its
prior ISA versions. I re-read your post and it seems you want chipset
compatibility though, in which case yes you'd want to find a LASI
system like the C160L/C180L if going to C-class. Here is a good
candidate: https://www.ebay.com/itm/195201664655
I don't understand the silly pricing either.
Who's buying them? Who is
forking over $1000, $1500, etc for these old machines? I don't really
even buy the "some business relies on this and have never updated"
because you'd have to have some smart folks on standby who could
reinstall software, reconfigure machines with licenses, etc. Assuming
you still had the necessary CDs etc.
I think there is a small subset of PA-RISC machines that are used as
controllers for ABB PLCs, maybe other types of industrial and lab
equipment. It might not be a big deal to spend $1200 to maintain
something like that and not have to understand how to make it run on
other types of systems. The sellers then extrapolate that to
everything is worth its weight in gold.
Keith
On 4/4/2024 11:06 PM, Chris Hanson via cctalk wrote:
> On Apr 4, 2024, at 7:17 PM, Kevin Bowling <kevin.bowling(a)kev009.com> wrote:
>>
>> There is an ebay seller 'biff-howard-tanen' that has some C200s up
>> right now. All their items have "Make an Offer'' and they tend to
be
>> fairly reasonable as long as you account for the free shipping they
>> offer. I've had mostly good luck with buying from them, and they made
>> right the couple oops.
>
> I can vouch for them as a seller in the same way, I've also gotten reasonable
prices from them when making offers that account for shipping, and the seller actually
knows how to pack stuff. Same with eBay seller jonnyadler, though their list price for a
C180 is, let's say, "optimistic.")
>
> -- Chris
12:29 p.m.
Kevin,
Thanks..... but isn't there a big risk with that item that it doesn't
work at all, given the "for parts" designation? I suppose I can email
and ask if it POSTS...
Thanks
On 4/5/2024 1:10 PM, Kevin Bowling via cctalk wrote:
On Fri, Apr 5, 2024 at 8:33 AM Keith Monahan
<keith(a)techtravels.org> wrote:
Thanks guys for pointing out what's available and the references....
which will be useful the next time something good comes around!
The C200 runs the newer 64-bit processor, the PA8200, which is RISC 2.0,
and (I'd imagine is) quite a bit different than the PA7300.
You can still run a 32b OS or 32b applications depending on your
preference on the C200. PA-RISC is a well designed superset of its
prior ISA versions. I re-read your post and it seems you want chipset
compatibility though, in which case yes you'd want to find a LASI
system like the C160L/C180L if going to C-class. Here is a good
candidate: https://www.ebay.com/itm/195201664655
I don't understand the silly pricing either.
Who's buying them? Who is
forking over $1000, $1500, etc for these old machines? I don't really
even buy the "some business relies on this and have never updated"
because you'd have to have some smart folks on standby who could
reinstall software, reconfigure machines with licenses, etc. Assuming
you still had the necessary CDs etc.
I think there is a small subset of PA-RISC machines that are used as
controllers for ABB PLCs, maybe other types of industrial and lab
equipment. It might not be a big deal to spend $1200 to maintain
something like that and not have to understand how to make it run on
other types of systems. The sellers then extrapolate that to
everything is worth its weight in gold.
>
> Keith
>
>
> On 4/4/2024 11:06 PM, Chris Hanson via cctalk wrote:
>> On Apr 4, 2024, at 7:17 PM, Kevin Bowling <kevin.bowling(a)kev009.com>
wrote:
>>>
>>> There is an ebay seller 'biff-howard-tanen' that has some C200s up
>>> right now. All their items have "Make an Offer'' and they tend
to be
>>> fairly reasonable as long as you account for the free shipping they
>>> offer. I've had mostly good luck with buying from them, and they made
>>> right the couple oops.
>>
>> I can vouch for them as a seller in the same way, I've also gotten reasonable
prices from them when making offers that account for shipping, and the seller actually
knows how to pack stuff. Same with eBay seller jonnyadler, though their list price for a
C180 is, let's say, "optimistic.")
>>
>> -- Chris
11:08 p.m.
On Fri, Apr 5, 2024 at 12:29 PM Keith Monahan <keith(a)techtravels.org> wrote:
Kevin,
Thanks..... but isn't there a big risk with that item that it doesn't
work at all, given the "for parts" designation? I suppose I can email
and ask if it POSTS...
Depends what your risk tolerance is and how much you enjoy fixing
things. I'd go for it if I were in the market because these things
are pretty chonky and the parts are not too rare. The C class has
three modules that promote easy swapping.. the PSU, drive bay, and
motherboard all come out very easy.
I wouldn't expect much from random ebay sellers, but a few pictures of
the LED light bar after a few minutes of power on the front may be
within their scope and could let you know if you have a functional
PSU.
Thanks
On 4/5/2024 1:10 PM, Kevin Bowling via cctalk wrote:
> On Fri, Apr 5, 2024 at 8:33 AM Keith Monahan <keith(a)techtravels.org> wrote:
>>
>> Thanks guys for pointing out what's available and the references....
>> which will be useful the next time something good comes around!
>>
>> The C200 runs the newer 64-bit processor, the PA8200, which is RISC 2.0,
>> and (I'd imagine is) quite a bit different than the PA7300.
>
> You can still run a 32b OS or 32b applications depending on your
> preference on the C200. PA-RISC is a well designed superset of its
> prior ISA versions. I re-read your post and it seems you want chipset
> compatibility though, in which case yes you'd want to find a LASI
> system like the C160L/C180L if going to C-class. Here is a good
> candidate: https://www.ebay.com/itm/195201664655
>
>> I don't understand the silly pricing either. Who's buying them? Who is
>> forking over $1000, $1500, etc for these old machines? I don't really
>> even buy the "some business relies on this and have never updated"
>> because you'd have to have some smart folks on standby who could
>> reinstall software, reconfigure machines with licenses, etc. Assuming
>> you still had the necessary CDs etc.
>
> I think there is a small subset of PA-RISC machines that are used as
> controllers for ABB PLCs, maybe other types of industrial and lab
> equipment. It might not be a big deal to spend $1200 to maintain
> something like that and not have to understand how to make it run on
> other types of systems. The sellers then extrapolate that to
> everything is worth its weight in gold.
>
>>
>> Keith
>>
>>
>> On 4/4/2024 11:06 PM, Chris Hanson via cctalk wrote:
>>> On Apr 4, 2024, at 7:17 PM, Kevin Bowling <kevin.bowling(a)kev009.com>
wrote:
>>>>
>>>> There is an ebay seller 'biff-howard-tanen' that has some C200s
up
>>>> right now. All their items have "Make an Offer'' and they
tend to be
>>>> fairly reasonable as long as you account for the free shipping they
>>>> offer. I've had mostly good luck with buying from them, and they
made
>>>> right the couple oops.
>>>
>>> I can vouch for them as a seller in the same way, I've also gotten
reasonable prices from them when making offers that account for shipping, and the seller
actually knows how to pack stuff. Same with eBay seller jonnyadler, though their list
price for a C180 is, let's say, "optimistic.")
>>>
>>> -- Chris
2:40 p.m.
On Thu, Apr 4, 2024 at 7:18 PM Kevin Bowling via cctalk <
cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
There is an ebay seller 'biff-howard-tanen' that has some C200s up
right now. All their items have "Make an Offer'' and they tend to be
fairly reasonable as long as you account for the free shipping they
offer. I've had mostly good luck with buying from them, and they made
right the couple oops.
Regards,
Kevin
I can also vouch for "Biff". I've transacted with him before (traded an
IMSAI 8080 for an Alpha Syntauri system he had listed on eBay...I proposed
the trade and he was kind enough to go with it, so I know he will work with
you). FWIW we are also "Facebook Friends" and he's known in the computer
collecting circles there. A very great guy. He runs an e-waste processing
facility in the midwest.
Sellam
31
days inactive
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days old
11 comments
6 participants
participants (6)
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Chris Hanson -
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Keith M -
Keith Monahan
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Kevin Bowling -
Sellam Abraham