test-drb November 1999

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

211 participants
749 discussions

PDP11 spotted today in Sunnyvale CA for SALE

by dylanb＠sympatico.ca

Weird Stuff Warehouse still exists??? I ordered our SMD-SCSI adaptec board there (back in 90).... everyone was laughing at me when I put the order through Supply and Services. PDP-8 and other rare mini computers http://www.pdp8.com -----Original Message----- From: rhudson(a)ix.netcom.com <rhudson(a)ix.netcom.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Saturday, November 27, 1999 9:35 AM Subject: PDP11 spotted today in Sunnyvale CA for SALE >Wierd Stuff has a PDP 11 in their "AS-IS" room, CPU with 3 disk drives on a pallet, with the >backdoor badly dented. They are asking 500 for it. The start switch and one other have been >broken. > >Wierd Stuff is in Sunnyvale, CA (650 area code) > >I am not connected with Wierd Stuff warehouse in any way, I just buy other old "Weird stuff" >there. > >ron. > >

24 years, 11 months

PDP11 spotted today in Sunnyvale CA for SALE

by rhudson＠ix.netcom.com

Wierd Stuff has a PDP 11 in their "AS-IS" room, CPU with 3 disk drives on a pallet, with the backdoor badly dented. They are asking 500 for it. The start switch and one other have been broken. Wierd Stuff is in Sunnyvale, CA (650 area code) I am not connected with Wierd Stuff warehouse in any way, I just buy other old "Weird stuff" there. ron.

24 years, 11 months

PDP11 spotted today in Sunnyvale CA for SALE

by rhudson＠ix.netcom.com

On 11/27/99 08:58:54 you wrote: > >Weird Stuff Warehouse still exists??? > >I ordered our SMD-SCSI adaptec board there (back in 90).... everyone was >laughing at me when I put the order through Supply and Services. > > > >PDP-8 and other rare mini computers > >http://www.pdp8.com > >-----Original Message----- >From: rhudson(a)ix.netcom.com <rhudson(a)ix.netcom.com> >To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers ><classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> >Date: Saturday, November 27, 1999 9:35 AM >Subject: PDP11 spotted today in Sunnyvale CA for SALE > yup still there, but now they have moved to the other side of 101, back in Moffat Park. > >>Wierd Stuff has a PDP 11 in their "AS-IS" room, CPU with 3 disk drives on a >pallet, with the >>backdoor badly dented. They are asking 500 for it. The start switch and one >other have been >>broken. >> >>Wierd Stuff is in Sunnyvale, CA (650 area code) >> >>I am not connected with Wierd Stuff warehouse in any way, I just buy other >old "Weird stuff" >>there. >> >>ron. >> >> > >

24 years, 11 months

Whats the screwiest thing you collect?

by jeff.kaneko＠juno.com

On Fri, 26 Nov 1999 14:57:44 -0800 Al Kossow <aek(a)spies.com> writes: >"The SASI ones I never expected to work: They don't support >the 'IDENT' command (among other things) >" > >or disconnect/reconnect > >sounds like the unix drivers are expecting to be talking to a >SCSI Common Command Set board. But that's what's screwy-- The adaptec docs claim theat the 4525 *is* CCS compliant. MS-DOS seems to agree. BUt not UNIX. ___________________________________________________________________ Get the Internet just the way you want it. Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj.

24 years, 11 months

Whats the screwiest thing you collect?

by jeff.kaneko＠juno.com

On Fri, 26 Nov 1999 14:55:44 -0800 Al Kossow <aek(a)spies.com> writes: >"DTC has denied that they ever made bridge boards (even though I >have several)" > >I have docs on most of the SCSI OMTI/DTC/SMS boards. I would be >interested in info on the larger DTC 14xx series boards, esp the >ones that SMS used in the QBus boxes that weren't compatible with >DEC disc drivers. The ones I have are all 510's (I think), 5.25" formfactor. Can't get any info on these (a couple aren't even marked with the model number!). One has a row of blinkenlights (510B). Would be good to get info on these. Jeff ___________________________________________________________________ Get the Internet just the way you want it. Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj.

24 years, 11 months

LET'S (old topic)/and PDP-8I code/update

by dylanb＠sympatico.ca

-----Original Message----- From: Ethan Dicks <ethan_dicks(a)yahoo.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Saturday, November 27, 1999 1:16 AM Subject: Re: LET'S (old topic)/and PDP-8I code/update > > >--- John B <dylanb(a)sympatico.ca> wrote: >> >> I got the 8I finally to lead a tape properly.. First a quick memory tester: >> >> I am going to put up a bunch of little programs on my webpage so folks can >> test devices without trying to get a paper tape up (will do TTY, and maybe >> basic INST test, and some more core tests) >> > >Thank you, John. That's just the sort of thing I can use right now. My >PDP-8 assembler skills are _very_ rusty and its helpful to see working stuff >that fits on one page to get my mind back in the right frame. I think it's >been 15 years since I wrote anything from scratch. > Your welcome. I think they will help a lot of people out as *most./all* of the 8 has to be running to get MAINDECs fed in.I will have the programs up on the page by Monday morning. I am having to restore PDP-8s *really* fast so I have to be able to find problems quickly. The most important useful <1 page programs I have had to write (over the past day) are: memory test memory test with parity option memory - inhibit driver test (very small) - scope needed memory -X/Y test (very small) - used to find X/Y driver problems with scope. tty software loopback tty continuous output generator (character selected on SR) tty device selection test (scope needed.. checks flags and W103s) high speed paper tape continuous reader high speed paper tape 1/0 test high speed punch test (select character to be punched on SR) high speed paper tape copier (less than 20 bytes or it's free! ;-) ) If you can think of any others that would be needed please tell me as I want to get them all done and tested. >-ethan > > >===== >Infinet has been sold. The domain is going away in February. >Please send all replies to > > erd(a)iname.com >__________________________________________________ >Do You Yahoo!? >Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. All in one place. >Yahoo! Shopping: http://shopping.yahoo.com >

24 years, 11 months

Whats the screwiest thing you collect?

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

> Heres a question for anyone reguarding bridge adaptors. is there >a Scsi 2 to Floppy bridge board around? I would like to find one that can >be used with an XT or 486 system I have here with a scsi host adaptor. Sure, lots of workstations shipped from the late 80's onwards used SCSI floppy drives, generally a generic 3.5" floppy disk with 34-pin interface through a bridge board. Specifically, look for DEC RX23 (1.4MB) and RX24 (2.8MB) floppy drives with attached SCSI bridge board. They're all over the surplus market. -- Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/ 7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917 Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927

24 years, 11 months

[OT] They're restarting Chernobyl?

by classiccmp＠mrynet.com

> Slashdot has a link to an MSNBC story about the Russians restarting reactor > #3 at the Chernobyl plant in the Ukraine. They need the power but can't > afford a new reactor. > > Sounds like a fun place to work, eh? ^_^ Yobanoye sovetskoe naslesdtvo. The Ukranian, Byelorussian and Russian governments continue to be engaged in their Soviet legacy -- Absolute lack of concern for the environment, the people, and their neighbours. You can follow this legacy on the RFE/RL (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) web page and mailing list at http://www.rferl.org. regards, -skots -- Scott G. Akmentins-Taylor InterNet: staylor(a)mrynet.com MRY Systems staylor(a)mrynet.lv (Skots Gregorijs Akmentins-Teilors -- just call me "Skots") ----- Labak miris neka sarkans -----

24 years, 11 months

ACB4070 ... (was Re: Whats the screwiest thing you collect?)

by edick＠idcomm.com

Well, first of all the 4070's not an MFM bridge adapter at all, but rather an RLL type. Before we proceed, though, I'd like to ask how the floppy fits in. The ACB4070 doesn't support floppy disks. LINUX doesn't care about the parity, IIRC. It's just the SCSI channel controller that has to be set up. It can either check or ignore parity, your choice, generally. In the case of the 2825, you need to type control-A at the appropriate moment during boot, and it will send you to the controller's BIOS for controller-specific functions. Where the trouble begins is in that modern SCSI drives know their characteristics, but the 4070 doesn't know what kind of drive it's got until it reads it. If it can't read it, it can't ask it for that data. The drive doesn't know either, until the 4070's formatted it. The controller's firmware formatter doesn't know how to TELL the drive/controller what's out there either, so you have to write your own formatter. That's not terribly difficult once you know the bridge controller and host adapter are talking. Unfortunately, I doubt the 4070 is smart enough to help you much. I've never used a bridge controller of any sort with the PC though I can't see any reason it shouldn't work. Now, the ACB40xx series isn't entirely true SCSI, and I have no idea how to make the typical modern host adapter "see" it. If you have specific questions, perhaps I can help you, but it's a big manual and I don't see myself scanning or copying it anytime soon. Dick -----Original Message----- From: B'ichela <mdalene(a)home.ctol.net> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Friday, November 26, 1999 11:57 PM Subject: Re: Whats the screwiest thing you collect? >On Fri, 26 Nov 1999, Richard Erlacher wrote: > >> My own interest in bridge controllers has been as tools. As you may have >> noticed, I have a number of hard/floppy controller bridges, but only a few >> different types. My goal is to be able to get hardware running in a hurry >> and bridge controllers are only helpful if you don't have to write new >> driver software for each application. >> >> I guess you might say I tend to collect things that are "nearly" ready to >> use, though they seldom see any use. > Heres a question for anyone reguarding bridge adaptors. is there >a Scsi 2 to Floppy bridge board around? I would like to find one that can >be used with an XT or 486 system I have here with a scsi host adaptor. I >have an Adaptec ACB-4070 or so, but it does not support parity. thus I >cannot for the life of me get it to work with my 486 under Linux, Nor do I >have any disks with any software for accessing an MFM HD that was attached >to it. its a Scsi to MFM hard drive bridge board, I also have a Scsi to >MFM bridge board made by Adaptive Data and Energy Systems, it >came out of a verisys multiuser 286 >system. I have had NO luck even finding documentations at ALL on this one. >the ACB-4070 (I might have the wrong numbers but the 70 part is right.) >sorta wants to talk to my Adaptec 2825VL host adaptor, but aparently it >lacks the Scsi device Identification string. thus when the host adaptor >boots, it cannot figure out what the ACB=4070 IS for! Can this be used on >a IBM compatible system? of so how? > > A pearl of wisdom from the y2K newsgroups: >------------------------------------------------------------------------- >Y2K appears to be the Baby Boomers mid-life crisis, and it has the >potential to be a dandy. > -- Anonymnous -- >-------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > B'ichela > >

24 years, 11 months

Whats the screwiest thing you collect?

by edick＠idcomm.com

So you've had trouble getting 8" drives, eh . . . I've had trouble getting RID of most of mine, though I'm about there now. I still have a few DSDD types which I may use myself in the course of reconstructing my old S-100 boxes. A goodly share of my life's work has been designing bridge controllers of various sorts. SCSI<=>MIL STD 1553 is one you won't see often. I had to cook that one up when it turned out that a fellow contractor had claimed the had a 1553-interfaced WORM drive, when they really didn't. They did the full pitch and everything, and to our customer (NASA). They produced documents, part numbers, etc, yet when I started pressing for details, they buckled. It turned out that all they had was an objective spec. Our customer had based a whole chain of requirements on that pitch and the associated claims and passed them to us as requirements. My own interest in bridge controllers has been as tools. As you may have noticed, I have a number of hard/floppy controller bridges, but only a few different types. My goal is to be able to get hardware running in a hurry and bridge controllers are only helpful if you don't have to write new driver software for each application. The WD100x series was really handy for this, since once I had built a processor<=>WD100x interface cable adapter, the only thing that changed was drive parameters and controller address block. One of these days I'll up a SASI adapter as well, probably based on the code and instruction set for the XEBEC controller, since their code is published. There's code for an S-100 adapter example published in the ADAPTEC ACB4000 bridge controller series manual, but I've never tried that one out because I've heard it's compatible with the ADAPTEC boards but neither SCSI nor SASI. I guess you might say I tend to collect things that are "nearly" ready to use, though they seldom see any use. Is that screwy? Dick -----Original Message----- From: jeff.kaneko(a)juno.com <jeff.kaneko(a)juno.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Friday, November 26, 1999 11:05 AM Subject: Re: Whats the screwiest thing you collect? >I collect bridge boards. >I can't help it-- I have a fetish for bridge boards. All makes: >Emulex, DTC, Xebec, WD, Adaptec, etc. All kinds of configurations: >Cpu<->MFM (ala wd-1000), SASI<->MFM, SCSI<->ESDI, SASI<->QIC30, >all kinds. > >The SCSI<->SMD configuration still eludes me, however. I know >they exist (Adaptec ACB-55xx), though I've never seen one. Docs >are *really* hard to get. Still looking for the docs for the >Emulex MD-23, possibly the best darned SCSI<->ESDI bridge >ever made: Handles four drives at up to 24MHz data rate. Smokin'. > >8" drives are interesting to me too, but I haven't seen too >many in this neck of the woods. > >On Thu, 25 Nov 1999 23:48:11 -0800 Mike Ford <mikeford(a)socal.rr.com> >writes: >>I am just wondering what some of us collect that we consider the >>screwiest >>ourselves. For example, for reasons I can't fathom I have started >>collecting Apple logo AC power cords, and have a couple dozen of >>various >>styles now. >> >> > >___________________________________________________________________ >Get the Internet just the way you want it. >Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! >Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj.

24 years, 11 months

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test-drb November 1999