test-drb June 1998

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

158 participants
941 discussions

by ds_spenc＠alcor.concordia.ca

I've got a TRS-80 Model I that MOSTLY works (I typed in a program to fill the screen with characters and the screen did fill up) except for the video synchronization. Characters lean to the right, and the display moves all over the screen. Usually the motion is quickly to the left while also moving upward, though sometimes it stabalizes and just moves upward. Is there an adjustment to control this somewhere? The machine is in beautiful physical shape - it looks unused. There's even a sticker still on it that is stuck to the expansion port's trapdoor and sticks also to the machine's case. And the warrantee seal hasn't been broken yet. Doug Spence ds_spenc(a)alcor.concordia.ca http://alcor.concordia.ca/~ds_spenc/

26 years, 5 months

NeXT cubes or slabs.

by photze＠batelco.com.bh

>The latter (Sam Goldberger) is in Mill Valley, California. I think >Deep Space is in New Mexico. There used to be some guy on the east >coast but he seems to have disappeared... odd since he seemed to have >most of the CIA inventory. And what, prey tell, is so odd about that? ;-) >Since I'm an Openstep developer, in my mind they aren't really >antiques... though the CPU clock rates are low by todays standards >they still perform very well for day-to-day use because the software >(OS, application framework and display mode) layers were engineered >very efficiently. The platform is just barely ten years old and >still very modern if not futuristic. Yep. I actually think that Apple could appeal more to the design market by releasing a new PPC based NeXT. That would give the platform a significant boost. Especially becasue I've heard that Apple's going to be making $500-$1500 devices. PPC NeXTs could sell for well over $5-$10, even for a lower-end one. >The "PrinterWorks" I believe, still sells laserprinters for them. >With these, you can essentially turn a NeXT Cube or station into a >Win 95/NT printing engine via Samba networking, have it run your web >server, and use it to run many applications that would make both >Windows and plain old Unix jealous if they were jealous kinds of >Operating Systems. Sounds cool. But getting more and more off topic... >If all else fails, there's also comp.sys.next.marketplace, where >everyone is trying to sell what they have right now. ALL RIGHT!!! There's a NeXT in my future! >Collectable items include extra DSP memory, the ancient ISDN modem >that worked through the DSP port, Ariel Digital Microphones, Digital >Ears [a Digital Sound I/O system]. DSP Memory? DUDE!!! >Also... the 20 " monitors were _beautiful_ to work nexst to. Before >I sold mine I always felt like I was almost living inside my NeXT. >But they are oh so heavy! Well, it could have been inside of a titanium alloy casing... >Cubes are ultra-ergonomic. The cases very somewhat depending on >when they were made. I like the cases the early 68030 machines... >they had less ventilation I think but they looked cooler... more >metalic somehow. No kidding. That's the big catch to NeXT's. The looks. Once you see one, you can't really sleep easy until one's inside of your house. Ciao, Tim D. Hotze

26 years, 5 months

Old computer books (was: Re[2]: Quarter classics (was: Big Iron Was:RE: Backwate

by maxeskin＠hotmail.com

GOD this is a long thread! >Well, considering the reason that I started collection computers 12 >years ago was so that people would have the chance to use >frontpanels, paper tape, punched cards etc in he future, I might do >that sometime. Problem is it would take a lot of work, and I doubt if >anyone would buy it. > >-tony Why not? The Soul of a New Machine, Insanely Great, and Hackers seemed to do just fine, to name a few. I don't mean an encyclopedia, but a bunch of stories about the design of stuff (i.e. a chapter on how Multics was made, a chapter on how the Apple arose, a chapter on where the ENIAC came from,etc.). It seems that people can only read things like this if they are made about people rather than, "The idea began slowly to take shape that instead of using a two-stage adder it would be easier to use a shift register. This was to come up later when..." ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

26 years, 5 months

IMSAI 8080

by franke＠sbs.de

>> >So, what to use ? Writable CDs ? They have only a guaranteed >> I suggest real CD-ROMs > Do you believe that there will still be working CD-ROM drives in > 20 or 30 years time? Remember they contain custom chips as well... Jep, I think there will still be (new) compatible drives in consumer price range - and I bet that there are for shure still new drives in the 'professional' price range in 20 years >from now. I don't think the drive is the problem, new medias are maybe a lot more difficult to aquire - try to buy _new_ _manufactured_ 8" disks - everyting you get as 'new' is at least 6 years old. > And storage systems change. When was the last time you saw a working > Syquest 10Mbyte drive (note, the 2 on my shelf don't count, as they need > minor repairs...) No, never had one, but what about 10 MB Bernouli Drives from Iomega ? I still have a unit of two in working condition - now 15 years old. >> What is the problem with EPROMs? Why not just put them in styrofoam? > The problem is that the data is held by an electrostatic charge on a > floating gate in the chip. It's a capacitor, really, and like all > capacitors it slowly discharges. Now, the time constant may be 10 years > or 20 years, or whatever, but it's still going to discharge. ? depending on the tecnology. > And chips - all chips - fail. If (say) the bondout wire on one of the > data pins falls off, there's no easy way to repair it. Yes, but a lot less and later than magnetic medias. > Oh, and putting chips in styrofoam is the quickest way to damage them > from static. And although the damage may not be noticeable at the time, > the chip might fail 1 month later, or whatever. :) Gruss H. -- Ich denke, also bin ich, also gut HRK

26 years, 5 months

The Beatles

by jeff.kaneko＠ifrsys.com

> > I just found a discarded Packard Bell 486 (I almost left it because the > > case looked like a 286's). I don't know why you all dislike those things > > so much, this case is very good. Anyway, when the machine boots, the ROM > > displays a "Packard Bell" graphic, complete with a 3-second fade-in (if > > only people paid so much attention to _useful_ stuff). Underneath, it > > displays, "America grew up listening to us. It still does." Now, this is > > my question. What does this mean? When was this company founded, and > > what was their original product? > > Packard-Bell, as you see it, is simply not the company it used to be. As > with so many American company names, someone bought the name. <Some Defence-Related stuff PB did in the 1950's SNIPed> > I have no idea what happened to Packard-Bell. They may still be around, > doing defense work, or they may have been swallowed up. The Packard-Bells > at CompUSA, however, are simply not related. The way I seen it, P-B may have been a defence contractor during WWII and later, but their main claim to fame was that for decades, they were one of the biggest manufacturers of Broadcast radios, and Television Sets. I know for a fact they were making TV's (of the humongous console variety in vogue at the time) in the early 70's because I remember an inane TV commercial for it. In the 50's and 60's there were some other major players that manufactured TV's (they actually *made* the stuff): Admiral (my grandmother had one), Motorola, GE, RCA and Zenith. Others were: Pilot, Curtis-Mathes (still around, I think), Hofmann, Westinghouse and a whole bunch of other minor players. Then the Japanese arrived (en force) in the mid 70's, and the next thing we knew thousands of americans were out of work, and no Televisions (or Computer monitors, for that matter) were made domestically. Packard-Bell was one of these victims. I don't know who is behind the resurrection of the P-B brandname. I suspect they wanted to appeal to baby-boomers who fondly remember watching 'Hopalong', 'Cisco' or 'Bonanza' on their parents' Packard Bell console TV. Jeff > > By the way, Packard-Bell has nothing to do with HP. > > William Donzelli > william(a)ans.net > > > > +------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Disclaimer: | | | | These opinions are entirely my own, and in no way reflect the | | policies or opinions of my employer. | | | +------------------------------------------------------------------+

26 years, 5 months

NeXT cubes or slabs.

by thomas100＠home.com

Actually the slabs are very common in the U.S evidently because of the contract NeXT had with the CIA. Cubes aren't that much rarer... just more expensive. Two places where you can go for NeXT equipment are: http://www.deepspacetech.com http://www.orb.com The latter (Sam Goldberger) is in Mill Valley, California. I think Deep Space is in New Mexico. There used to be some guy on the east coast but he seems to have disappeared... odd since he seemed to have most of the CIA inventory. I seem to remember his warehouse lease expired and he had some kind of blowout sale last year! Since I'm an Openstep developer, in my mind they aren't really antiques... though the CPU clock rates are low by todays standards they still perform very well for day-to-day use because the software (OS, application framework and display mode) layers were engineered very efficiently. The platform is just barely ten years old and still very modern if not futuristic. The "PrinterWorks" I believe, still sells laserprinters for them. With these, you can essentially turn a NeXT Cube or station into a Win 95/NT printing engine via Samba networking, have it run your web server, and use it to run many applications that would make both Windows and plain old Unix jealous if they were jealous kinds of Operating Systems. If all else fails, there's also comp.sys.next.marketplace, where everyone is trying to sell what they have right now. Collectable items include extra DSP memory, the ancient ISDN modem that worked through the DSP port, Ariel Digital Microphones, Digital Ears [a Digital Sound I/O system]. Also... the 20 " monitors were _beautiful_ to work nexst to. Before I sold mine I always felt like I was almost living inside my NeXT. But they are oh so heavy! Cubes are ultra-ergonomic. The cases very somewhat depending on when they were made. I like the cases the early 68030 machines... they had less ventilation I think but they looked cooler... more metalic somehow. thomas100(a)home.com

26 years, 5 months

High-end SCSI 9-track drives available!

by kyrrin＠jps.net

Heads up, 9-track users! RE-PC, a local (Seattle/Tukwila, two locations) used computer place I work with has turned up yet -another- pair of M4 Data 9914R 9-track tape drives. Specs can be found at www.m4data.com. The 9914 is built like the proverbial tank. It is actuall a dual-interface device. Leave the SCSI card in, and it is standard SCSI-1 with a 768K buffer. Pull the SCSI card out, and uncover the edge connectors on the back, and it becomes a standard Pertec interface unit. Only one interface may be used at one time; you cannot have both simultaneously. One -really- nice feature of the 9914's, besides how robustly they're built, is that they're quad-density. They will handle any standard density of 9-track tape from 800 (NRZI) to 6250 (GCR). They're front-loading, horizontal mount, and feature a very reliable vacuum-driven autoloading system. Stick the reel in, close the door, and wait about twenty seconds. The 9914 is still manufactured, and supported by M4 Data. Documentation, parts and firmware updates are still available if you can live with some of M4's prices. I've inspected both drives and they look to be in good shape. One looks like it took a minor impact to the rear quarter, as the card cage cover had bent corners (believe me, that's not going to bother a 9914!). Other than that, they look great. If you're interested, contact RE-PC in Tukwila directly: (206) 575-8737. Ask for Eric and tell him I referred you. The last 9914 in good shape went for $165 (a steal considering that these monsters still go for around $7,000 from M4), and I expect the others will be about the same (probably less for the one that's slightly dinged). Take a friend with you when you go. These drives are not light! I can lift one by myself, but it's not a fun experience. The back end is the heaviest as that's where the power transformer is. I've already grabbed three of the beasties. It's time to share the wealth. Enjoy! -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Bruce Lane, Sysop, The Dragon's Cave BBS (Fidonet 1:343/272) (Hamateur: WD6EOS) (E-mail: kyrrin(a)jps.net) "Our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our own human terms. It cannot, in any way, define any of them..."

26 years, 5 months

New eMail Address; Out Of Contact

by photze＠batelco.com.bh

Hi. For those who care, from the 27th to the 8th of July, I'll be out of contact. In the mean time, I can be reached at worldsfate(a)geocities.com , and that should get to me after the 8th. This eMail address is getting disconnected. I'm unsubscribing from the list until I can get a faster POP account. Maybe a Hotmail/web based eMail one would work. Anyway, does anyone know an ISP in Washington, DC that could get me hooked up QUICK, from a handheld and only for about a month? Ciao, Tim D. Hotze

26 years, 5 months

"No name" S-100 computer

by bobstek＠ix.ix.netcom.com

Dave - Your timing is good for asking about a ProcTech tape archive. I've been working with another Sol owner and will soon have a CUTS programs CD-ROM (just use a portable CD-ROM player in place of the cassette player) with as much of the original software as it's been possible to find (TARG, BASIC5, TREK80, FOCAL, PILOT, etc.). I also have a tape from Proteus, the ProcTech users group, which I can send you immediately. Email me you address and I'll pop it in the mail. Bob Stek

26 years, 5 months

macintoshes, part ][

by PB14＠leicester.ac.uk

On 25 Jun 98 at 21:38, SUPRDAVE(a)aol.com wrote: > Ive got a IIcx that ive tricked out with 5meg, mono display, two external > drives, syquest 44 meg drive and the apple cd300 drive and a radius rocket > accelerator with 8 meg. unfortunately, the rocket accelerator locks up the > machine on the second reboot. disabling it lets the mac work at original > speed. can anyone provide suggestions? the rocket seems to be temperamental, > from what i can see. David, You are about to discover how temperamental the Rocket really can be... I dare say you know that Radius still have the latest RocketWare software and a brief FAQ available on their ftp site. There's another utility there called "lift-off" that checks the configuration of the host Mac for timing senstitive cards that may conflict with the Rocket. Have you tried knocking up a minimal system floppy (eg disk tools for System 7.0 with the RocketWare extension added) and thried booting >from that? Phil ************************************************************** Phil Beesley -- Computer Officer -- Distributed Systems Suppport University of Leicester Tel (0)116 252-2231 E-Mail pb14(a)le.ac.uk

26 years, 5 months

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test-drb June 1998