Marvin <marvin(a)rain.org> wrote:
> There have been several comments so far about higher prices reducing the
> availability of older computers/radios/etc. As a point of discussion,
> what can be done about it? If the intent is to work on and find out how
> things work, I don't see *any* difference between an existing older
> machine, and a new one built from existing schematics. Yes, I do
> realize that some of the electronics are unavailable easily anymore.
That's a darn good question. That's actually the sort of thing that
got me into collecting computers -- I wanted to learn something
practical about hardware. (Did I? No, not really; now I collect
because I'm an addict.)
The fundamental problem with the answer is that most of us are
cheap/spoiled. Me too. We've got used to being able to pick up
hacker toys for cheap. What can you do in the way of a new machine
built from existing schematics for say $50?
(Cue Tim Shoppa to tell us how much it would cost to build an IMSAI
today.)
Well, OK, maybe you don't need all that casework, it just gets in the
way when you want to do serious hardware hacking anyway.
Here's where I end up following this line of thought: hackable
singleboard kits. Personally I'm partial to something like a cross
between a microprocessor trainer or eval kit and the Morrow Micro
Decision (a Z80 with 64KB DRAM, floppy disk controller w/34-pin
connector, couple of serial ports), maybe y'all have other ideas.
-Frank McConnell
"Bob Wood" <altair8800(a)hotmail.com> wrote:
> Let me say one other thing in passing to all the people
> who have pointed out that I have missed out on something
> by never learning the fun of poking around in these computers
> to see how they tick. You are right! I am sitting here with
> a Proc Tech factory made copy of Star Trek on cassette.
> Being a very serious video arcade game buff it is just
> about killing me that I cannot see it work. I have
> no earthly idea how to get my SOL to show it to me. And
> I want to see it bad, bad, bad! I am extremely fortunate
> enough to have both it and all the hardware to allow
> me to see it. But because I never tinkered around inside
> these computers I may never be able to see it play.
Here you are on this mailing list, you make a statement like that, and
you don't past the statement of ignorance to asking for help? What
kind of idjit are you? Could it be that you're afraid you might start
learning things and thus end up like us? BWAHAHAHA!
Here's the kind of idjit that I am: been there, done that (well, it
was FOCAL, not Star Trek), and I can't remember what you have to type
at the SOL monitor prompt to load and run the program off tape. LO?
Do you have to give it load addresses, and tell it where to start
execution (EX?) after loading? I've got the documentation (for FOCAL)
but it'd be an afternoon of work to get to it right now. Bah.
-Frank McConnell
Hi:
If you don't know the password to the system account under VMS, this isn't
much of a problem. Contact me on email for the bypass procedure.
At 02:58 PM 98/08/15 -0500, you wrote:
>
>Finally got around to looking inside the MicroVax II I acquired. It's in
>the short squat rolling enclosure (BA123?) and has the following boards
>
> <snip>
>
>It has a drive apparently loaded with some version of VMS but I have to
>put together a console cable to find out. Then of course, the big trick
>will be the fact that I don't have VMS on tape or the passwords to the
>machine itself. :( And I can't call the company that gave it to me
>because several layers of red-tape were bypassed to get it to me for free.
>
>Hmmm...a friend of mine says I should find a variant of Unix for it but I
>used to be big into VAXen (at least on the user end) and having a VMS
>machine amuses me.
NetBSD would be good for this machine. I run it on my Microvax II.
Kevin
---
Kevin McQuiggin VE7ZD
mcquiggi(a)sfu.ca
What is a Burroughs TD-700 display? Picked up two of them in pretty bad
shape, unknown if working or not(and don't know how to test), for free.
What are they, what do they do, how do they do it, etc... Lucky me, I got a
big book with the schematics! Kinda useless if you don't know what they
hook up to, though.
--------------------------------------------------------------
| http://members.tripod.com/~jrollins/index.html - Computers |
| http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Lair/1681/ - Star Trek |
| Orham(a)qth.net list admin KD7BCY |
--------------------------------------------------------------
I wonder how many other people on this list have worked on pinball
>>machines/video games (coin ops)?
>
>Guilty! Still do!!
>
>One of my first electronics based paying jobs was with a now long gone
>outfit called "Digital Design Concepts", whos main claim to fame was a
>video game (called the "Video 5" which played five different (more or
less,
>all 'pong' styled) games.
>
>Quite radical for the time...
>
>-jim
Don't know if you are aware of it but the video arcade game
collecting hobby is about as close as it can get
to being a mirror image of the classic computer hobby.
It started at roughly the same time and has a very active
and fast growing newsgroup <rec.games.video.arcade.collecting>.
And, as I'm sure you know,
all of the innovations and developments put into the
coin-ops essentially follow the timeline of that for
computers. And that is the foundation of their collecting
interest as well. Many of them are employed by the computer
industry as chip designers, software specialists, etc.
And, eerily, their newsgroup recently devoted
a great many long threads to the resistance of many to price
increases just as is happening to computer collecting.
Interestingly, though, while game collecting and
computer collecting have so much in common - I am unaware
of anyone who is a serious participant of both. Don't
know why that is. But if you have not yet visited their
newsgroup I think you will find it entertaining.
Bob Wood
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
OK, I just had my "Big Haul" delivered (you've got to love people that want
to get rid of stuff so bad that they deliver it to you). I'll have more on
this later. At the moment, I've got a question about packs. Are "NASHUA
4443" Packs RL01 packs? Also is there a way to tell RL01 and RL02 packs
that aren't DEC packs apart?
Zane
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator |
| healyzh(a)ix.netcom.com (primary) | Linux Enthusiast |
| healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, |
| and Zane's Computer Museum. |
| http://www.dragonfire.net/~healyzh/ |
but I can't
>say that I will look forward to your posts either, especially if they
are
>about latest acquisitions/sales...
>
> Megan Gentry
>
>Not a problem Megan. As I said in the first post I
anticipated exactly your reaction. I have been reading
the list for months and I realize what it is intended
for and what it means to y'all (excuse that, I am a
Southern boy). I have never had any intention to become
a regular contributor because I really am not capable
of any type of contribution that the list was intended
for. The only reason that I spewed forth with it this time
is that I was bursting to tell someone and if I told
anyone else but you guys they wouldn't even know what
the hell an Altair was.
There will be no more acqusitions to tell about. I stumbled
onto a way to get them and now it is all over with. So
unless somewhere they are building some more used Altairs
that is it for me.
Let me say one other thing in passing to all the people
who have pointed out that I have missed out on something
by never learning the fun of poking around in these computers
to see how they tick. You are right! I am sitting here with
a Proc Tech factory made copy of Star Trek on cassette.
Being a very serious video arcade game buff it is just
about killing me that I cannot see it work. I have
no earthly idea how to get my SOL to show it to me. And
I want to see it bad, bad, bad! I am extremely fortunate
enough to have both it and all the hardware to allow
me to see it. But because I never tinkered around inside
these computers I may never be able to see it play.
So I am not the enemy believe me. I truly respect all
of you folks for the abilities you have. And I want
to chime in here and fully agree with a post from yesterday
which stated that of all of the places on the Internet which
I have ever visited this one, hands down, has the most thoughtful
people of any I have ever encountered.
I hope you can keep your hobby as pure as you want it
to be. I would never want to do anything to interfere
with that.
Thanks for listening to my ramblings and, who knows,
maybe someday I will be lucky enough to actually meet
some of you at the Computer Festival. I hope so.
Regards,
Your friend and supporter.
Bob Wood
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
In a message dated 98-08-14 21:36:00 EDT, Kees put forth:
<< PCDOS 2.1 was released specifically for the PCjr. 2.1's floppy drive
access was slowed down considerably because the drive in the PCjr was
so flimsy that it would break if it was used faster. MSDOS 2.11 was
the generic version available from Microsoft, and there also were
versions 2.2 and 2.25 with specific international support added. >>
I dont understand the issue about the floppy drive "slowed down" AFAIK, its
just a regular old 360k drive. I think it may be the same drive as what's on
the 5155 machine. It probably has more to do with the lack of DMA on the pcjr
rather than anything else.
david
