test-drb October 1998

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

175 participants
1141 discussions

Nixie stuff (Was: Re: A Proposal (was...))

by allisonp＠world.std.com

< > > Don't they run on 170 volts or somesuch wild figure??? < > < > A nixie tube is basically a neon bulb. It turns out that if you drive < > neon bulb from DC, then the cathode appears to glow, and the anode < > doesn't. A nixie tube has a number of cathodes in the shape of the < > required symbols (often, but not always, 0-9), and a mesh anode. < < Wow. I didn't know that. I thought you had to supply the Nixie with AC 160-250V DC, thought he dc does nto have to be wel filtered or regulate < I'll have to rig up some kind of ladder network, I guess. I have a boar A transformer with a 120v secondary and a voltage doubler will do. The current is very low, nominal series resistor is something like 47k. < out of an ancient calculator with 9 or 10 Nixie tubes (and a neon bulb < for the '-' sign). I've always wanted to fire it up, but never had the < time to build some kind of high-voltage BCD driver. This sounds like a That's where the work is. Back when those were used inexpensive HV transistors with a 100v breakdown were hard to find and ICs good for more tha 30V were scarce. So there were some creative tricks used depending on the specific tube used. < for a PIC, a kind of serial to Nixie driver. I could always drive it wi < an ancient UART (the kind that didn't need a CPU) and a pile ot TTL, bu < I think the PIC could keep the part count low. Uart and a small pile of ttl really. The bulk of the hardware will be the drivers unless you can use the 74141. Allison

25 years, 11 months

Dumpster Diving was Re: Washington DC area vintage sour

by franke＠sbs.de

> I don't know what the law is in the UK regarding dustbins (trashcans) but > regarding skips (dumpsters) it is something like: > Person X makes a contract with a waste disposal contractor Y. Y delivers a > skip to X's premises, and probably leaves it in the road (at precisely the > worst place for motorists trying to get around it :-) ). X throws stuff > into the skip, but it remains X's property, and to pull it out is theft. > Eventually X has thrown in all he wants and phones up Y to collect the > skip. When Y does, the stuff in the skip becomes Y's property. Almost same for Germany, although the point of changing ownership is depending on the contract. In most cases the ownership changes when the item ist dumped, althrough no court will rule agains a dumping person when the item is taken back. The same is true for any public trashcan/ dustbin. As soon as it is droped it belongs to the owner of the dustbin. > At work, I used to skip-dive a lot. I was once told that I was breaking > the law because I had removed a Superbrain from the skip. Lucky one! > However, skip-diving is now officially banned. I > have been quite strongly warned off several times, once for just looking at > the skip! The warnings came from quite high up, passed down through my > boss. Seams to be an attitude of all management - bann whatever you don't understand. Gruss H. -- Ich denke, also bin ich, also gut HRK

25 years, 11 months

"A Brief History of Computers"

by foxvideo＠wincom.net

>Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 06:37:24 -0500 >To: rax@warbaby.com;classiccmp@u.washington.edu >From: "Charles E. Fox" <foxvideo(a)wincom.net> >Subject: "A Brief History of Computers" > > > Hi, Robert: > > Having downloaded and read your piece, I would say it is a very good effort. I like, and try to emulate, the light way of writing but would suggest going easy on material not directly relevant...can openers, for instance. > I think it is readable by the technologically challenged, for it would be hard to find anyone more technologically challenged than I am, and I enjoyed it. > > Cheers > > Charlie Fox Charles E. Fox Chas E. Fox Video Productions email foxvideo(a)wincom.net Homepage http://www.wincom.net/foxvideo

25 years, 11 months

Fw: Osborne One Sale

by jolminkh＠nsw.bigpond.net.au

This ad was in an Australian newsgroup. Turns out that the guy is "west of Olympia, Washington" He didn't say what country, so I assume he is American. They sometimes don't know the rest of the world exists. Someone else might be closer than me and also interested in this. -----Original Message----- From: w536(a)westsound.com <w536(a)westsound.com> Newsgroups: aus.ads.forsale.computers.used Date: Wednesday, 28 October 1998 16:51 Subject: Osborne One Sale >I have 3 Osborne Ones, > >1 ... white / blue case with modem and case fan ... working >1 ... white / blue case ... not presently working >1 ... brown case.... not presently working ... > > >If interested please contact through email for more information ... > >I use to work on these years ago so I have some knowledge about the >hardware, software, memory, ROM etc. > >Bill ... w536(a)westsound.com > > > >-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==---------- >http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own

25 years, 11 months

TRS Model 100 needed

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 07:02 AM 10/17/98 -0700, you wrote: >How much should a working TRS Model 100 laptop computer cost? (I'm >thinking of getting one for a portable amateur packet setup)? Anywhere from $5 to $200, depending on options, condition, venue... I got a 32K model in nice shape at a flea market for $14 (Thanks Rax!), and have paid over $100 for a mint condition one, with RJ-11 cable, acoustic cups, tape player, 32K, hard shell case, floppy, manuals, slip case, etc. If you just want one to use, you should be able to get one pretty quick for $50 or so. If you're willing to wait, you may find one at a thrift shop or flea market for much less. Keep in mind, also, that other versions are available: The Nec PC-8201, PC-8201a, PC-8300, Olivetti M-10, Kyocera KC-85, TRS-80 Model 102 and Model 200 all are either very similar or identical. Note that the NEC PC-8401A, Olivetti M-15, and Radio Shack Model 600 are *not* related, other than in similar names. Also, I would be more than happy to trade a true m100 for pretty much any of the others (except maybe the PC-8201a) along with some cash if they didn't suit your needs (not enough memory, no modem, etc.) --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.sinasohn.com/

25 years, 11 months

Subject: Re: Noise levels have become deaf

by roblwill＠usaor.net

Wasn't this posted this already? ---------- > From: Brett <danjo(a)xnet.com> > To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> > Subject: Subject: Re: Noise levels have become deaf > Date: Wednesday, October 28, 1998 9:41 PM > > > What - you got one too???? Now I can not swear it is Sammie's handiwork > but after get a copy of the Unsubscribe message from the listproc admin > I am pretty sure I will be able to hunt down the source. It's more of > a nuisance attack anyway... Tho I think DOS is more like it.... >

25 years, 11 months

Subject: Re: Noise levels have become deaf

by danjo＠xnet.com

What - you got one too???? Now I can not swear it is Sammie's handiwork but after get a copy of the Unsubscribe message from the listproc admin I am pretty sure I will be able to hunt down the source. It's more of a nuisance attack anyway... Tho I think DOS is more like it.... > From listproc(a)u.washington.edu Wed Oct 28 11:45:06 1998 > Date: Tue, 27 Oct 1998 22:22:33 PST > From: University of Washington ListProcessor <listproc(a)u.washington.edu> > To: danjo(a)xnet.com > Subject: UNSUBSCRIBE CLASSICCMP > > Dear user, > > your request > > UNSUBSCRIBE CLASSICCMP > > has been successfully processed. > > You have been removed from list CLASSICCMP(classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu). > Thank you for being with us. BC

25 years, 11 months

Armiton

by dogas＠leading.net

Does anyone have a spare (Radio Shack circa '84/5) Armitron. It was a robot arm toy. An interfacing project with an Atari 800 never got off the ground back then and I would like to finally follow through... Thank Mike dogas(a)leading.net

25 years, 11 months

Dumpster Diving was Re: Washington DC area vintage sour

by maxeskin＠hotmail.com

> >On Wed, 28 Oct 1998, Pete Joules wrote: > >> > Seams to be an attitude of all management - bann whatever >> > you don't undestand >> >> I think the attitude of many companies in the UK is "if we wanted to give Indeed. Too bad people must always abuse a privelege > >Let me add a little perspective to this. > >Say you ran a company, and being a good collector and occasional dumpster >diver, you had a policy that anything broken could be taken home by >employees if the company decided they didn't want to fix it. So the >hacker employees are happy because they get some nice stuff they can fix >and use in their spare time. But what happens when employees start >intentionally breaking things, or worse, pulling small parts out of >equipment to make it look broke, so they can then take it home and replace >the missing fuse or chip? I think that is why you have the rather >seemingly unreasonable policies about discard equipment. > >> I think with the modern ideas about environmentally friendly disposal of Judging from the labels on dumpsters, this has already happened. "Do not play in or around dumpster" > >Until one loathesome scavenger cuts a finger off on some particularly >sharp piece of metal and sues the owner, the trash company, the maker of >the trash container for not making it so they could get inside in the >first place, etc. (at least in the U.S.) > >Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com >------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >Ever onward. > > Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0 > See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details! > [Last web site update: 09/21/98] > > ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

25 years, 11 months

Ohio Scientific (fwd)

by aaron＠wfi-inc.com

---------- Forwarded message ---------- >Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 17:28:06 EST >From: AZOTIC(a)aol.com >To: aaron(a)wfi-inc.com >Subject: Re: Ohio Scientific > > >DEAR AARON: > >I will be putting the computer on the e-bay auction >some time soon. The wieght is under 100lbs. I have >gotten a lot of e-mail on this item, i think the only fair >thing to do is give everyone a chance at it. > >Thanks >Tom Maybe we should hold a betting pool for how much this one goes for? I'll say....$875. Aaron C. Finney Systems Administrator WFI Incorporated ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "UNIX is an exponential algorithm with a seductively small constant." --> Scott Draves

25 years, 11 months

← Newer
1
...
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
...
115
Older →

Jump to page:

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

test-drb October 1998