how much you asking? I'll pick up the postage and little something for your
time.
jrkeys(a)concentric.net
At 08:24 AM 8/15/97 -0400, you wrote:
>Dug up an HP 9831A...single-line, dot matrix display, full keyboard desktop
>unit (abt the size of a typewriter). Looks fairly old.
>
>Seems to be a full computer (not a programmable calculator, which they also
>made a lot of), as it wakes up in a BASIC mode. I get a lot of error
>messages --probably due to improper commands. It will accept and run a
>simple program.
>
>Anyone want it?
>
>manney(a)nwohio.com
>
>
>
> > the service manual) that the other 2 were luminance (Y) and
> (PAL-encoded)
> > chrominance, or possibly composite colour video and audio if it
> feeds audio
> > through to the TV.
>
> The composite video on the G7400 is Pal encoded, and I'm pretty sure
> it is on the G7000. I have 2 sets of schematics. One for the
> Odyssey2 (where every part number is an internal Magnavox number :-P
> and the other for the G7000) - I seem to recall something about PAL
> conversion on the RF modulator board. I probably just don't remember
> right.
>
> If one is not composite video, where is the sync encoded? On Y (i.e.
> making it composite mono)? I suppose this could just possibly be
> video
> + composite sync - just what I need.
>
> > >> >> What chips _other than the 8048_ are in this device? Is the
> video side
> > >> >> custom or does it use one of the many Philips video chipsets?
> (Philips
> > >> >> Prestel terminals tend to be stuffed with their Teletext IC's,
> for
> > >> >> example...)
> >
> > >Pretty boring, I'm afraid - 8245 and 6110 plus about 20 TTL chips.
> I
> >
> > What the heck are those?
>
> 8245 is a Nat Semi keyboard controller. This chip says Intel on it,
> but
> I was assuming, probably very rashly, that it was the same thing.
>
> [Matt Pritchard]
> We've been unable to find any info on the video chip; though it
> supposed to be an Intel chip. Most of it has been reversed enginnered
> though.
>
> 8 colors
> 4 sprites, 8 by 8 pixels, independantly positioned & colord. can be
> double sized
> 12 characters, independantly positioned & colored, up to an 8 byte
> tall strip from the character rom (512 bytes, 64 chars) can show just
> part of a character.
> 4 quad characters. 4 characters positioned in a horizontal row with
> one character spacing inbetween. independantly colored. Put two of
> these together to make 8 consecutive text characters.
>
> Background grid 10 by 8 blocks with 4 thin line segements around each
> block. Complete off/on control of ever segment. Set a flag in the
> video chip to fill in the large box to the right of each vertical line
> segment.
>
> The horizontal retrace is run into the 8048 so you can count scanlines
> - that is how colors are changed midway down the screen.
>
> 6110 is a typo for 6810 :-), in fact Motorola MCM6810, a RAM chip.
> Looking it up last night I discovered that it is in fact 128 by 8
> (yes,
> 128 bytes!) so I cannot think what it is used for! (It is too slow to
>
> be a video output buffer)
>
> [Matt Pritchard]
> Are you sure it's not 256 bytes?
>
> Philip.
Dug up an HP 9831A...single-line, dot matrix display, full keyboard desktop
unit (abt the size of a typewriter). Looks fairly old.
Seems to be a full computer (not a programmable calculator, which they also
made a lot of), as it wakes up in a BASIC mode. I get a lot of error
messages --probably due to improper commands. It will accept and run a
simple program.
Anyone want it?
manney(a)nwohio.com
Lets try and help this guy out, he is trying to hook the young!
I got a call yesterday from this guy who was looking for a disk drive for an
Amiga 500, he is trying to set it up for his young niece. As luck would have
it, a disk drive was the only piece of Amiga hardware that I have, so I went
down there today to set it up for him. Unfortunately, it seems that the
problem is not the disk drive but the floppy controller (i think). Not being
fortunate enough to have owned an Amiga myself, I am at a loss. Here is the
problem in brief:
The machine will display the little picture asking for the disk...
Put the disk in, and the drive is polled, but doesn't read it, so it ask
again for the disk...
I tried my drive in the system, with the same result (hence thinking it
might be the controller)...
I'm not exactly sure if it is the right disk he has, he ordered it from
Toronto at a cost of $26.00 (can), it says Amiga workbench, however I am not
sure if that is really what is on it...
I would appreciate any help or suggestions from anybody who might have
come across this situation before.
Remember: This guy is setting this up for his young niece, who calls every
day asking if it is ready yet. I think its great to get the young into
classic computing (my own nieces just call my machines door stops, and call
me a geek for having them ;)
----------------------------------------------------------------
______________________________________________Live from the GLRS
The Man From D.A.D
----------------------------------------------------------------
> On Thu, 14 Aug 1997, Tim Shoppa wrote:
>
> > I would tend to agree with Roger. Deal with people fairly and they'll
> > respect you and your hobby. If you start haggling over every tiny little
> > thing they'll just throw it away instead of calling you next time...
>
> I disagree. Nobody is going to say "Gee, I'd really like to take all
> this old junk and sell it at a swap meet but those darn hagglers just
> make it such a chore!!!"
>
> It's part of the whole swap meet experience. The fact is, I do treat
> people fairly. I'm paying them what I feel it is worth, and as we all
> know, that is what a "fair price" is. They certainly don't have to sell
> it to me for what I ask, and in fact that has happened on several occasions.
> Sam
At a swap meet or garage sale most people expect you to haggle. That is part
of the game. You can tell pretty quick if they're not into it becuse they say
no to your offer. Most of the people I buy stuff from are just trying to get
rid of it. They're more than happy to bargain. Especially if you buy all the
boxes of "computer junk" they have.
On the other hand there's a lady who hauls out an old Amiga 500 without power
supply or mouse every week and is "Firm at $100". Someday she'll figure it
out. (usually $5-$10 at Goodwill)
I recall a stubborn seller a few years back. I was searching for a collectible
Coke machine. I called a guy that had one for $1000. I mentioned making an
offer once I had seen it and he told me he was "firm" on $1000 and seemed
insulted. Well, before I could get there to check it out, a fellow collector
drove down there within an hour and hauled it away for $200! Funny thing is
that at the time I was ready to fork out at least $600 for it! You can never
tell what people are thinking.
No transputers, but I know where you can get a 1450XLD from an ex-Atari
employee, although he is only willing to sell it if he gets "the right
price", whatever that is.
Kai
> ----------
> From: bluesky6(a)ix.netcom.com
> Reply To: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu
> Sent: Friday, August 15, 1997 9:21 AM
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
> Subject: Re: Transputers (was: Re: CCC : Atari machines)
>
> I have actually seen the Atari Transputer machine at a show in Paris.
>
> If memory serves, one of the demos they had was the mandelbrot drawing
> program with the 4 transputers each taking a part of the screen and
> computing it at the same time while a stock ST had the 68K calculate
> the entire screen by itself.
>
> IMHO, Atari had a lot of great products in those days. Unfortunately,
> most of them were never really marketed or even so, were marketed
> poorly.
>
> Ben
>
Rich,
I have found that getting hardware is relatively easy. I probably have
enough pieces to put together a half-dozen Q-Bus 11's, although I consider
most of the pieces "spares". Software, however, is another matter.
Original distribution disks with accompanying documentation has been hard
to come by. If you have any knowledge of DEC OSs, grab all you can get.
For instance, I have been looking for an original distribution (disks,
docs) for RT-11 Version 5.2 or later. If you run across a spare one of
these, I would be happy to help you dispose of it! :)
Thanks,
Dave Jenner
djenner(a)halcyon.com
Seattle, WA
206-527-2018
----------
> From: Richard A. Cini, Jr. <rcini(a)msn.com>
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
> Subject: PDP Stuff-What to get?
> Date: Friday, August 15, 1997 6:19 AM
>
> Hello, all:
>
> Well, I finally heard from that guy at Temple University (Philly, PA)
about
> the truckloads of PDP equipment. I'm going down there next Friday to get
some
> stuff. I asked this question before, but didn't get a complete answer, so
here
> it goes again...
>
> "If you were able to get your pick of PDP-11 equipment (like 11/34s) and
> accessories, what would you get?" This is my first PDP acquisition, so I
don't
> know what to look for (and I don't have a truck, so I can't just haul it
> all!). I don't even know how big this stuff is, but I'd like to try to
get a
> "complete" (whatever that is) PDP system, but a rack-mount style, which
is
> easier for me to transport.
>
> From what I understand, the Temple computer department has truckloads of
this
> equipment, from all types of hardware to software and manuals. I'm
looking for
> an expert's recommendation as to what to shop for.
>
> Thanks for the input!
>
>
> -------------------------------------------------
> Rich Cini/WUGNET
> e-mail: rcini(a)msn.com
> - ClubWin Charter Member (6)
> - MCPS Windows 95/Netowrking
OK, here is the complete listing from the CCC of the machines made by
Atari. Please consult your favorite references and confirm/deny or
complete the missing data.
I would like a month/year for the first customer shipment or the first
public working demonstration of the machines. Please provide references
where possible, if they are on-line then so much the better.
I am also planning to extend the information per machine to include data
about processor used, word-size, memory configurations etc. so feel free
to add that data also.
I have set the reply to address to my personal Email so as not to
clutter the mail list. You can always go to the CCC to recover the
updated data. If there are enopugh requests I can post an updated
preview table here before the CCC gets updated.
I would also be interested in a potted history of the manufacturer, date
started where located and significant events in its history. I know most
of this is probably available on the NET for Atari, but not for some of
the more obscure companies.
CCC list for Atari
I think I am correct in saying that all Atari machines were designed in
the USA.
400 Dec-78
800 1979
1200XL 1982
600XL 1983
800XL 1983
1040 ST 1985
130XE 1985
520 STfm 1985
520 ST Jan-85
65XE Jan-85
Mega ST 1987
Mega STe 1987
XE Game system 1987
STe 1990
TT 1990
1024 STe
1040 STf
1040 STfm
260 ST
2600
520 ST+
520 STe
520 STm
800XE
ATR-8000
Falcon 16
Mega 1
Mega 4
STacy
STbook
TT/16
Thanks for you help
Hans B Pufal
> A Composite video conversion is pretty easy; I converted a G7400 over in
> about 5 minutes.
Could I have some details, please? Is composite Video easy to find in
the circuit, or do I have to reverse engineer or poke around with a
scope?
Philip.
> Assuming that there are no other connections to the 'Modulator' then one of
> those wires has to be a power rail. I'd guess (without seeing the device or
Oops! The connection to the PSU is another ground, so I guess you must
be right.
> the service manual) that the other 2 were luminance (Y) and (PAL-encoded)
> chrominance, or possibly composite colour video and audio if it feeds audio
> through to the TV.
If one is not composite video, where is the sync encoded? On Y (i.e.
making it composite mono)? I suppose this could just possibly be video
+ composite sync - just what I need.
> >> >> What chips _other than the 8048_ are in this device? Is the video side
> >> >> custom or does it use one of the many Philips video chipsets? (Philips
> >> >> Prestel terminals tend to be stuffed with their Teletext IC's, for
> >> >> example...)
>
> >Pretty boring, I'm afraid - 8245 and 6110 plus about 20 TTL chips. I
>
> What the heck are those?
8245 is a Nat Semi keyboard controller. This chip says Intel on it, but
I was assuming, probably very rashly, that it was the same thing.
6110 is a typo for 6810 :-), in fact Motorola MCM6810, a RAM chip.
Looking it up last night I discovered that it is in fact 128 by 8 (yes,
128 bytes!) so I cannot think what it is used for! (It is too slow to
be a video output buffer)
Philip.
