I will leve the list for the next 3 weeks - I think thats way better
than to read one zillion mails :)
Bis zum VCF
(See you at the VCF)
Hans
--
Ich denke, also bin ich, also gut
HRK
In a message dated 98-09-11 18:10:36 EDT, you write:
<< Older machines have a 5 pin DIN socket, later ones have an 8 pin one. I
can look up the pinouts if you need them. >>
yes, that would be great. one socket has 6 pins, the other has 8 pins.
--- Tony Duell wrote:
What you need is a cable with the tips of the plugs connected to pins 5
and 3 (and the sleeves to pin 2). That's actually a very common audio
cable - I would think RatShack would have one.
--- end of quote ---
They didn't, so I made one to match your description here. It checks out fine with the multimeter, but I still get video with no audio. Leads me to believe there's a problem with the VIC itself.
Or maybe my TV is really weird. There's been an anomaly with the C64 for as long as I can remember, which is that when I use the video cable (the one that splits into three RCA's, one for video and two for sound) with the video-in jacks on the TV, I get a nice, sharp, black and white display, no color. If I use the composite port and a TV/game modulator box, I get (cruddy) color. I've checked every setting I can find on the TV for color/B&W stuff, but everything looks right. ???
Thanks again for the help.
-- MB
I managed to pick up a Fora LP-386c mini-lunchbox (kinda like some of the
Compaq's). Dated 1989, so almost classic, and my first "F" computer!
Also, I got a Powerbook 140, which needs work on the screen, but otherwise
seems (afaik) okay. Anyone know how to remove the screen on this? Inside,
it has some interesting connectors. There are some flat... hmmm.. plastic
strips with traces on them (kinda like ultra-flat ribbon cables?) that go
into what look like IDC connectors. Only, you pull up on the top rim of
the IDC-like things, and that releases the ends of the flat things.
Surprised the heck out of me when I was (gently!) trying to pull the whole
thing off. 8^)
Along with that was a Powerbook Duo 230 & 280, weird connectors for the
power supply; looks like an RCA jack. Anyone know what voltage etc, and
would an RCA plug work?
Lastly, but not least, is probably the coolest item I've found in a while
-- A Frisbee that says XEROX PARC on it. Very neat!
--------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/
Okay, yesterday I posted about a bunch of commodore stuff a friend gave me
in the process of cleaning out his trailor. Here is the skinny.
The 64 works, but the keyboard has about had it. A and RETURN don't work
without wiggling them. I seem to recall keyboards for this machine for about
5 bucks in surplus catalogs. I'll sell it for $10 +shipping. Includes power
supply (the white brick kind, possibly from a 64c?) and manual.
The 1541 works flawlessly. I'm kind of surprized, mine was a finicky piece of
junk. This one appears to be the later model of '41 with the rectangular access
light. I'll sell it for $20 + shipping. I *think* I have a manual for this
too.
I didn't try the printer. It's a Seikosia sp1000vc, looks intact, but has
no ribbon. If you want it, make me an offer + shipping.
The monitor is junk. It works, but unless you live near Colorado Springs and
like to frotz with monitors internally it's not worth mailing. Picture quality
is worse than a cheap TV. If you live nearby and want it let me know and you
can have it.
Vicmodem - Don't know. Haven't got a phone line near where I was testing
and I've long since forgotten how to use a vicmodem. May already be spoken for.
has the disk it shipped with, which has victerm, 64 term, and quantumlink.
All prices are in US dollars, and all the hardware is designed to run on US
current with US video screens.
I've already had several people express interest in the cartriges and the
software, and I've sent e-mail to the person who sent the oldest timestamped
message. This person also wanted the vicmodem.
--
Jim Strickland
jim(a)calico.litterbox.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Vote Meadocrat! Bill and Opus in 2000 - Who ELSE is there?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ive found the best way to find old machines is to let as many people know as
possible. a coworker knew i collected old machines and he gave me a very clean
rom3 apple //gs that works great along with a matching monochrome monitor in
its box. also got a clean //c and also got 3 C64s with 3 disk drives along
with the little matching dot matrix printer and all the power supplies. anyone
interested in the C64s? ive also got to pick up a sanyo mbc1000 cpm machine
which ive never heard of, and i also have a lead on some dec equipment. all i
know is it's some terminals, cables and tapes. i've requested a detailed list
of what's available. if there's anything i dont want i'll be sure to let the
subscribers to this list have first craic.
david
Isn't it funny how that law *ALWAYS* works?
Here's the story:
44 is on a sturdy (I thought...) cart, ready to be moved into a larger room with more power available. Then RA81, and 2 BA boxes. Cart is stood toward the middle of the server room overnight, so if it does fall, nothing gets damaged, right?
Try again.
About 7:00, Linux server dies. Funny. I come in to investigate this morining.
Arrive to the gentle beep of UPSes.
Spot the 44 in multiple parts on the floor, shit pants, see the cart against the
opposite wall (Or as close as it could get, there was crud in it's way...)
Apparently, the 44 dove off the cart about 6:00, the distro panel for the
DH11 caught the power line of a strip loaded with gear on the way down, sliced it
open, and made for a small electrical fire.
Total damage: A hefty dose of 120AC on the DH distro board, and I snapped the
switch of the second BA11 (AAAAARRRRRGGGHHH! NOT AGAIN!), but it seems to
be OK. The traces (appear to be) OK on the distro panel, so I may be able to
clean the scorch mark off.
As for that powerstrip, it shorted, blackened part of the wall, and nailed the
power to 2 of our servers when it blew the breaker for the wall it was attached
to.
I hate life...
-------
Recently, there was a flurry of messages regarding a license
found in the RT-11 V4 tar-ball on gatekeeper.dec.com. The
license appeared to be one which conveyed rights for hobbyist
users of pdp-11 software from Mentec.
After consulting with Mentec and Bob Supnik (praised be he
for negotiating the deal), and after combing my archives for
a copy of the binary distribution of RT V5.3 (which I
provided to Bob Supnik for him to package up with the license),
I am pleased to announce that the license has been confirmed
by Mentec, and that there is at least a copy of the RT-11 V5.3
distribution kit available on:
ftp://gatekeeper.dec.com/pub/digital/sim/software/rtv53swre.tar.Z
I'm sure that there is work being done on obtaining distribution
copies of other license-covered software. Watch this space for
further notices about software.
For the sake of good will between Mentec and hobbyists, please
DO NOT start making copies of RT or any other pdp-11 software
available from other locations without it first coming from
gatekeeper. Also, please read and abide by the terms of the
license.
Megan Gentry
Former RT-11 Developer
+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry(a)zk3.dec.com |
| Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg(a)world.std.com |
| Compaq Computer Corporation | |
| 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ |
| Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler |
| (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg |
+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
..Say it ain't so, Luke
Watching the watchers watch Transmeta
Transmeta, the Silicon Valley company that employs Linus Torvalds,
isn't saying what kind of technology it's working on. (Their Web
site says, succinctly if paradoxically, "This web page is not here
yet.") The Red Herring tried to find out what they are up to --
or perhaps their account of the attempt, "Stalking Transmeta," [17]
is all in good fun. PC Magazine prints a more substantial guess [18]:
> [Transmeta] has been working for about two years on a CPU for
> PCs, which is rumored to have its own internal instruction set
> but to use a fast software translator to execute x86 instruc-
> tions. Transmeta has raised a large (undisclosed) amount of
> venture capital and is well staffed; a product debut is likely
> in 1999.
In the NY Times for 8/31, John Markoff relays a rumor [19] that he
says has some Sili Valley techies quite upset.
Markoff's article is mostly about evidence of increasing strain
in the "Wintel" alliance. One factor contributing to the wobble
is the rapid growth of technology areas such as telephony and
personal digital assistants that do not use Intel hardware or
Microsoft software. Microsoft has an entrant at this end of the
market -- Windows CE -- but Intel is seen as concentrating in-
creasingly on the shrinking top end. (Its purchase of Digital's
StrongArm technology may have been reduced in value by the defec-
tion of key technical talent.)
If Transmeta, which was founded by a former Sun Sparc architect,
is working on a platform for portable computing -- let's call it
a "media chip" [20] -- what OS will it run? Well, with Linus on
board, you would assume the answer would be "Linux, duh." Some
flavor of Java would certainly be a contender. But Markoff says
the word is that Transmeta may run Microsoft software. A hardware
designer is quoted thus:
> It would be a little like hiring Luke Skywalker and then
> turning the whole organization over to Darth Vader.
[17] http://www.herring.com/mag/issue58/stalking.html
[18] http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/features/cpu98/intro10.html
[19]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/08/biztech/articles/31chip.html
[20] http://www.techweb.com/se/directlink.cgi?EET19980706S0069
____________________________________________
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mercial use prohibited. For non-commercial purposes please forward,
post, and link as you see fit.
Would you be interested in an ATARI 1040ST computer with the SC1224
monitor? I have a host of software for it, include dBASE, word
processors, a C language compiler, and others. I also have
a handful of games.
Larry Fisher
Unique Computer Services Inc.
lff(a)unique-inc.com
(732) 786-0111 x104 (voice)
(732) 786-0097 (fax)
