At 06:30 PM 6/18/97 -0500, you wrote:
>
>On Wed, 18 Jun 1997, Kai Kaltenbach wrote:
>> | ----------
>> | From: James Willing
>> | Subject: Re: Mark 8
>> |
>> | On Wed, 18 Jun 1997, Marvin wrote:
>> |
>> | > I need another project :) and I was thinking about building the Mark
>> | > 8 computer. Somewhere, I seem to recall that someone was having the
>> | > board sets for this computer made up, does anyone out there know
>> | > or remember who might be doing this?
>> |
>> | That would be me...
>>
>> If you get one of these up and running, I have a Scelbi book, "Space
>> Wars for the 8008 Microprocessor" with full hex code listings...
>
>I also have the three books -
>
> An 8008 Editor Program
> Machine Language Programming for the 8008
> Assembler Programs for the 8008
>
>I am such a packrat 8-)
>
>BC
>
>
Here I go volunteering again. Could those books be scanned/ocr'd? I'm sure
that the original authors wouldn't care, even if they did admit to writing
them. I have all the hardware and software to do that.
I have a softspot in my heart (and my head) for the 8008. That was my first
computer. I couldn't afford to buy something like the Mark 8, so I designed,
and built it, myself. By the time I was ready to retire it, I had an S100
video card (SSM), and a 9-track tape drive, running one track serial at 5k
baud. Used my own designed r/w amps, even. It ran great, just real slow.
I still have the CPU chip from that machine, holding down a piece of foam.
Seing these posts about the Mark 8 made me nastolgic. If I could get enough
data, I might consider building a new machine with that old "first CPU" chip.
Today it would look a LOT different. Let's see, what WOULD it look like?
Start with a PAL to generate the oddball clocks, and some misc decoding, for
it, then throw a 32k skinnydip SRAM at it (OK, you can tie one address line
to ground to limit it to 16K), an 8K EPROM (since that's what I've got in
stock), say, an 8251 for serial I/O, and you've got a basic machine.
What do ya think?
Tim Olmstead
timolmst(a)cyberramp.net
At 06:57 19/06/97 -0400, you wrote:
>
>On Sat, 14 Jun 1997, steve wrote:
>
>> At 06:10 13/06/97 -0400, you wrote:
>
><snip>
>
>> >Of course this all assumes that I *have* a PC.
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
><snip>
>
>
>Besides, I was talking about CP/M for the Commodore 1541 drive. That's a
>multi-speed drive that uses GCR encoding, not MFM. Try writing THAT with
>22DISK on your PC-clone.
>I used to know that only C=1570 and C=1571 were capable to read and write
CP/M disks in a proper way. (GCR+MFM)
By the way anyone else apart me owning a C=1570 here?
Ciao
> The oldest CPU type I have is an NEC 8080A. Still trying to figure out
> how to make use of it. The legs are pretty corroded (used to live in
> humid climates).
I could give you a dozen of them (all pre '80 date code or older!). You
need other parts to build a system using it. Minimally you need 8224 clock
chip and a 8bit latch or 8228 to get the status signals off the buss. The
rest if perpherals and memory.
Others from that (pre 1980) era I have:
IMSAI IMP-48 (works but, I really need a manual or schematic!!!) circa '79
If you've never seen one it's a small board with relays and opto IO for
control use, tty interface, cassette IO led display and keyboard for
programming(in hex!).
National SC/MP 8a500 cpu(late '78)
RCA1802(base cosmac elf 1979, board from the first PE article)
6502(old part)
TI9900 chip on board(technico super starter system)
moto 6800D1 kit('75-76)
LSI-11/03 card that's a tad older them most of those (functional too).
I also have a small system using the National nibbleBASIC (8070) chip in
1980.
Allison
> I know - this will be something I do in Electronics class next year.
> While everyone else makes an oscillator or something stupid, I'll build
> an Imsai!
You laugh, I did something along that line (1971) only it was a solidstate
Oscope of my own design. I wanted the class for acces to the tinshop so I
could fabricate the steel shields(for the crt) and chassis. If it were
three years later it would have been a mark-8!
While off the subject...
I had a Horizon up in '78 and put the NS* version of the pascal P-system.
Since I knew zip about pascal I decided to take a course that used pascal,
so happens it was data structures. Blew the proffessors mind when after
going on about the 1180 the class would use for assignments I asked if I
could use my own system if it conformed to Niklus&wirth. Seems he didn't
believe me until I brough the whole mess (left the printer behind) with me
the next class and set it up! It was the begining of the revolution as
Apples were also just starting to be seen. A year later that declaration of
I happen to have a suitable system was no longer an item of skepticism.
Sorta like the pocket calc in my EE junior year.... ;-)
Allison
> Define "plans". I have full sets of the schematics for the units in my
> collection (as I suspect many do), but if you are talking about the
> mechanical drawings for things like the case, boards, etc., I am not awar
> of those ever being made available.
The case was a standard box available at the time. Some of the inside
brackets were custom as were the layouts. I've never seen a full printset,
and I wonder if there really was.
Allison
For Sale:
The History of Computers -A Family Alubum of Computer Genealogy-
by Les Freed
ZD press
ISBN 1-56276-275-3
all color and lots of pictures and illustrations
$12 (shipping included within the United States, original price is $24.95)
| Does anyone still have the PLANS for one?
If you mean schematics, yes. The Altair was built from a kit, not
plans. You may be thinking of the Scelbi Mark 8, which was built from
plans.
Kai
> Does anyone still have the PLANS for one?
Yes but I'd build an imsai!
The altair was first but not that nice technically. Also the case, front
pannel and many componenets would have to be fabricated.
I happen to have a spare case and power transformer.
I'd love to get an imsai or 8800b box so I could fully retire(not sell) the
altair I have.
Allison
