But what about the metal parts? Those aren't any cheaper...but you're
giving me ideas. I saw a show once on CNN about a guy at Lawrence
Livermore who is building robot bugs out of computer parts. They are
powered by neural networks. He can even pull off a couple of legs
and they'll still work. BTW, where do all of those researchers get
neural network chips?
>
>I remember when I was a kid I was dreaming about building robots and
using
>computers to control them, but all the parts and expecially the
computers
>were too expensive. I had one design based on a //c, but this was
around
>1986 when the //c was still relatively new.
>
>Today, a kid could go to a thrift store and buy all manner of
salvageable
>computer parts, including printers (to get the steppers and gears out
of),
>disk drives (for the motors and gear shafts) and of course the
computers
>to control their projects with easy to use languages built in, all for
>just a few bucks.
>
>An entire robot could be built for under $100 with thrift store and
flea
>market parts. It could include a fairly powerful and easy to program
>"brain" in the form of a Commodore 64, a Tandy CoCo, even an Apple ][
>board. This stuff is everywhere and extremely simple to hack.
>
>Man, I wish I was a kid again!
>
>Sam Alternate e-mail:
dastar(a)siconic.com
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Ever onward.
>
> September 26 & 27...Vintage Computer Festival 2.0
> See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details!
> [Last web site update: 09/12/98]
>
>
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
I just saw this posting - a free Fortune 32:16 in Utah!
>I have this old, but functional, Fortune 32:16 computer system that
>I'm trying to get rid of. I hate throwing away working hardware, so I
>wanted to see if someone else could give it a good home before I'm
>forced to dispose of it by other means.
>
>Details at http://www.xmission.com/~skb/fortune.html
(I want it but my wife would kill me.)
Bob Stek
bobstek(a)ix.netcom.com
Saver of lost SOLs
installing the mathco will wont speed up anything EXCEPT for programs that USE
it. i bought an xt that had a 16 bit vga card in it. i dont know if every 16
bit vga card works in an 8bit slot, but i guess it's worth a try anyway.
david
In a message dated 98-09-18 21:14:47 EDT, you write:
<< I've got an Intel Inboard card, but mounted in a 5150 with a Plus
hardcard.
I've also been searching for the piggyback with no luck so far. Would adding
a 387 co-processer speed applications up significantly ? I'm also on the
lookout for an 8-bit VGA card for this set-up. I have a 16-bit card with a
switch for either 9 or 15 pin connectors. I don't suppose this would work
in the 8-bit 5150 would it ? I know some 16-bit cards will work in an 8-bit.
ciao larry >>
I'm going to have to refresh and improve my programming skills in RPG
(not role playing games RPG) for the IBM AS400 system and am in search
of good books on general RPG as well as RPG400 specific programming,
>from a basic level to mid/advanced. Haven't even programmed in RPG in 6
or 7 yrs so I need to go way back to the beginnings.
___________________________________________________
Russ Blakeman, aka "Pooter Fixer"
Email: rhblake(a)bbtel.com or rhblake(a)bigfoot.com
Website: http://members.xoom.com/pooterfixer/
___________________________________________________
> > That doesn't always work. luckily, there's one every year pretty
nearby.
> > That's where I got my Tandy 1000 with 4 LPT ports (I don't know how
they
> > all work, but they do, and I'm not gonna touch 'em). I was planning on
> > using it as the controller, and hooking up printer guts and making it
work
> > by sending line feeds and spaces, and things like through BASIC.
>
> If you go to Doug Jones' page at the University of Iowa:
>
> http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~djones
>
> he has a link to some documentation and source code for gutting out
> floppy drives so that you can control the stepper and spin the drive
> motor.
The link doesn't work.
--
-Jason
(roblwill(a)usaor.net)
ICQ#-1730318
>I don't have a variac or anything and don't have the time or money to get
>one, but I need to bring up an IMSAI power supply that probably hasn't
>been powered in over a decade perhaps. What can I do to warm up the caps
>and transformer before bringing it fully online? Anything?
The "poor man's" substitute for a variac has always been a 120V light
bulb in series with the AC. For something like an unloaded IMSAI
power supply, a small (15W or so) bulb might be best for starters.
That said, the capacitors are standard off-the-shelf items, and if you
do blow 'em up, just put in some new ones.
--
Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com
Trailing Edge Technology Voice: 301-767-5917
7328 Bradley Blvd Fax: 301-767-5927
Bethesda, MD, USA 20817
< I've got a question I've been meaning to ask for a long time. Does Bill
< Gates know how to program? If my memory serves me correct he knew how t
< progam in BASIC back in the late 70's, his buddy Paul Allen knew machin
< language.
No, he knew how to code asm for a BASIC interpreter. I don't know when he
stopped coding but many say the basic and OS used in the tandy 100 was the
last effort he had a direct hand in.
Allison
< And by this point in time ferroresonant transformers were also being
< dropped in by folks who weren't happy with the original supply, either.
< Having used a large variety of S-100 boxes, far and away my favorite
< power supplies are ones with ferroresonant transformers.
Compupro and ECT come to mind... I have both and they are really well
engineerd bent metal.
Allison
< I don't have a variac or anything and don't have the time or money to ge
< one, but I need to bring up an IMSAI power supply that probably hasn't
< been powered in over a decade perhaps. What can I do to warm up the cap
< and transformer before bringing it fully online? Anything?
Try a 100W light bulb in SERIES. It will limit the inrush current and if
there is a short it will absorb the load.
Allison
Boy! You're starting a religious war here.
Most of us are not fans of the guy.
Here is my cent and a half (I wouldn't give two cents for Bill Gates): He is
too buisy learning monopolistic laws to be bothered with programming. If he
was still in the coding arena Visual C++ probably would not be the way it is
today and the MFC would probably make sense too. That is IF he was
programming AND was interested in it.
I guess he's more on the design and what he calls innovation (plagiarism),
he says let's do that and there are 2000 employees jumping on it.
So my answer is he probably forgot what code looks like.
Francois
-------------------------------------------------------------
Visit the desperately in need of update
Sanctuary at: http://www.pclink.com/fauradon
-----Original Message-----
From: oajones <oajones(a)bright.net>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Saturday, September 19, 1998 7:09 AM
Subject: Does Bill Gates know how to program?
>I've got a question I've been meaning to ask for a long time. Does Bill
>Gates know how to program? If my memory serves me correct he knew how to
>progam in BASIC back in the late 70's, his buddy Paul Allen knew machine
>language.
>--
>Computing since 1982, VIC-20, CoCo, PC, CP/M
>Amateur Radio since 1971, WN8JEF, KA6EXR, N8BGR, AA4ZI
>http://www.bright.net/~oajones
>Rev. O. Alan Jones
>
