test-drb June 1997

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

115 participants
569 discussions

by idavis＠comland.com

At 02:23 PM 6/2/97 -0400, Roger Merchberger wrote: >Mel Howard >M. C. Howard Electronics, Inc. >www.mchoward.com >E-mail: mchoward(a)prismnet.com >1-800-490-6896 >512-837-2525 >FAX512-837-3246 >I would recommend doing business with him, and I would be interested to >learn what other "artifacts" he has available... as you don't find many >folks with 1702's in stock, it would seem. > >Anyway, I hope this gets a few more classic machines working again... > >Thanks, >"Merch" >-- >Roger Merchberger | If at first you don't succeed, >Programmer, NorthernWay | nuclear warhead disarmament should >zmerch(a)northernway.net | *not* be your first career choice. > I went to the web page, and signed the guestbook. As a total coincidence, I got directions to the place. As it turns out, it is about 2 blocks from where I work. I will go visit the place, and see if he has any kind of "list of stuff", specifically old stuff. After I go visit, I will post a message and let you know what he's got that might be of interest. We know he has eproms, but I'll head over there and see what kind of supply he has. Isaac Davis idavis(a)comland.com indavis(a)juno.com

26 years, 10 months

another weekend tale: northstar, hp, cadr 6 & 7, et al

by frank＠5points.com

This is my first posting to the list. Reading about everyone else's exploits saving old systems, I have to add what I got myself into this past weekend. After responding to a usenet posting about an old computer, I discovered that the poster (who turned out to be a fellow MIT alum three states away, a fact at least tangentially relevant to some of what follows) was about to toss into the local landfill some old stuff he had stored in his basement. A nice guy, he had offered this stuff to everyone he knew, but (incredible as it may seem to this list) he found no takers. Some scheduled home reconstruction required he have the basement empty by June 1. I volunteered to drive the 3 hours one way and pick it up. So, for nothing but my time and the cost of gas, here's what I saved: 1) A Northstar Horizon. Nice condition. With 64k memory and compupro z80 boards. Plus system software (cpm and northstar dos), hard sector 5.25 floppies, and a cardboard box full of docs, including the system manuals, misc s-100 books, and even the documentation for Microsoft's Fortran-80 in its original funky rust colored vinyl binder. If anyone has any s-100 boards they can spare, and would be willing to sell, that could help expand this system beyond the cpu-memory-floppy controller basics it has now, I'd love to hear from them. 2) Two HP-86B's, with cp/m, modem et al cartridges, software for waveform and circuit analysis, plus another box full of docs. Unfortunately, no original external disk drives, so here's another thing I'm looking for, if anyone has them to spare. 3) TRS-80 Model II disk drive system. Has three 8" drives in a single enclosure. Haven't checked it out yet to see if it works. 4) The guts from both the CADR 6 and CADR 7 MIT Lisp Machines from the late '70s. These were the basis for the machines later from Symbolics. Actually, my new found friend decided to keep the steel racks for an as yet to be determined project <G>. This may have been just as well because I had no room to haul the two 6 foot tall cases back to my house. So I had to leave them behind, power supplies still attached. But I got all the internal boards, fans, cables et al from the lisp machines, including the two 5 foot tall back planes and a couple dozen boards measuring about 12" x 18" each. I'm going to try to get the cases too, but I'm not sure I'll be able to. The machines weren't running at the time he got them from someone at MIT. Steel racks or not, I may have just acquired myself a lifelong mission to search for someone who can make these work, since I'm out of my league here. Since this is a list devoted to classic computers, I don't need to go into details about the couple of 386's, monitors, and one or two hardware mutants (would you believe a Tandy-DEC hybrid?) that also got tossed into my Toyota. Altogether an interesting bunch of stuff. Frank Frank Peseckis frank(a)5points.com http://www.5points.com/

26 years, 10 months

Switch settings for Seattle Computer Products RAM card?

by kaikal＠MICROSOFT.com

Anybody have the switch settings for the Seattle Computer Products 16K Plus (SCP-16K) S-100 bus RAM card? thanks! Kai

26 years, 10 months

Great weekend for old computers!

by kaikal＠MICROSOFT.com

I had a lot of great accomplishments this weekend on the classic computer front! First off, I got two Apple ///+ machines in a thrift store! Anyone have a copy of SOS for these suckers? Regarding my problems with the Apple II+ booting, I found another II+ for $20 and figured it would be easier to replace the whole system unit rather than the RAM (24 x $0.79 for 4116's) at that price. It works! So it wasn't the drives or controller cards causing the problem. I received my two North Star Horizons via UPS (a trade for a couple of TRS-80 Mod 100's and a C128), along with 50-60 diskettes and documentation. Got one of them up and running late last night, but need to find some RAM card docs (see separate mail on that). A friend at work gave me an Amiga 500, I set that up this weekend and played around a bit, that's a fun machine. Kai

26 years, 10 months

Tiger Learning Computer

by jim＠calico.litterbox.com

And now, in the "the more things change, the more they stay the same" category, By now most of you have probably heard of the Tiger Learning Computer. It's an apple 2E clone that plugs into your tv and has rom carts for its programs. Let's see. Color, plugs into a tv, can be cartrige driven, less than 200 bucks US. *sigh* I think Commodore died too soon. The 64 was all this and more. Now if I could just find one of the little beasties... (the TLC, not the C=64 - it wouldn't be the same as the one that was MINE.) -- Jim Strickland jim(a)calico.litterbox.com -- "...It tells me that goose stepping morons like yourself should try reading books instead of burning them." -Dr. Henry Jones Sr. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

26 years, 10 months

A question...

by kevan＠motiv.co.uk

I've been given a challenge... and need some help.... Question: Which 80's home computer had an A-Z keyboard layout, and not QWERTY -- Kevan Old Computer Collector: http://staff.motiv.co.uk/~kevan/

26 years, 10 months

free stuff

by dastar＠crl.com

Hope someone can take advantage of some of this: ---#1--- I would like to see my Apple II+ system go to someone who would appreciate it. II+, 64K RAM, keyboard shift mod, 300 baud modem, 1 floppy drive, Taxan amber monochrome monitor, UCSD Pascal, various game software, Softline and SoftTalk magazines. Location: Ventura County, CA Merleen Gholdston -- ---#2--- A friend of mine forwarded this to me, unfortunately I have no cash. :( ------------------------------------------------------------------- * Alan Cruikshank * * HYPERWARE CONSULTING * * e-mail: <cshank(a)freenet.edmonton.ab.ca> * * http://freenet.edmonton.ab.ca/~cshank * ------------------------------------------------------------------- *** This special offer is from: David M. Dantowitz, <david(a)dantowitz.com> If anyone wants a bunch of Apple II computers for Free (shipping from New Jersey) let me know. There's a bunch of II, IIc, and IIe computers, mono chrome and color monitors, extra drives, cables, printer boards, software and other stuff. They're about to be dumped into a dumpster, so if anyone has a desire for the machines and grade school software, let me know. ----------------- End Forwarded Message ----------------- ---#3--- I have about 30-35 servicable Apple IIes that need a home. My school district no longer needs them and I need to get rid of them quickly. If you are interested in more infomation email me or call me at 414-788-7600. John Bestul, Little Chute Area School District. Sam ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass

26 years, 10 months

stuff to pass along

by dastar＠crl.com

Auction Web is a crappy place to get old computer junk from, but there is a guy auctioning off an HP9000/300 and another guy with a Radio Shack Model 1 and Model 4 (TRS-80 I believe). The 9000 is going for (I forget how much) but the TRS-80s are at $26 but nobody has bid yet (the guy started it at $26 which is too much). If it doesn't sell someone can go in and make the guy an offer after the auction is over. You can get to auction web by going to http://www.ebay.com/aw Once you're there, search on item pzp53335 for the HP9000/300 and item zyl71421 for the TRS-80s. Sam ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass

26 years, 10 months

HELP!!! Apple IIe - doesn't work!

by more＠camlaw.rutgers.edu

This past weekend, my aunt cleaned out her basement and presented me with all the old computer stuff she had stored there. Not much but I did get an old XT and a pretty complete IIe system. First, here's what I got: About 5 feet of disks (apple II) of which about 25 or so were CP/M (?) About 10 feet of books including (and I don't know why) users manuals and tape software for an "Epson HX20 Notebook Computer" (didn't get the computer tho :( looks neat no the cover) Since I am new to Apple's and really don't know what I'm talking about I will "attempt" to describe the system I got. Whomever had it before my aunt really did a number on it; all the punch-out plates in the back are gone and numerous ribbon cables are coming out every little crevice! First the basics: It came with 2 Disk II Disk Drives which I am still not sure even work. OPening the iie up I find: CPU has been replaced (?) with a ZIPCHIP 4 (?) In slots: AUX: This is probabl;y the most interesting board. It says Ramworks II on it and has a piggyback board attached to it that I think is supposed to be a RGB board. 1: is empty 2: has a Grappler + Parallel Printer INterface 3: Empty 4: Mouse Interface 5: Empty 6: Disk II Interface 7: (This one stumps me) Its a pretty long board and attaches by way of a wire to a panel on the back that says "VIDEX" The panel has a toggle switch and two RCA ports that say "M" and "A" Is this another Video board? OK, here's the problem! When I turn it on......nothing happens! The enhanced light comes on (?) and all I get on the screen is a sqaure pattern of reversed @ sysmbols and such. What is this? Other than that, the computer beeps once before this appears and the drives just blink their lights real quick (no motor spins, etc.) What's wrong here guys? Thanks, Les

26 years, 10 months

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test-drb June 1997