test-drb March 1999

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

191 participants
1003 discussions

by roblwill＠usaor.net

Hi! I've been growing up in the age of "IBM era" of computers. The only non-IBM (compatible) computers that I've worked on was an apple //c and a TRS-80 model III that nearly caught my basement on fire. I'm 16 years old, so I haven't had any experience with any pre 1980's stuff (other than the //c). What I'm wondering, is what exactly is a PDP, or a VAX, or an Altair, or any of the other things that come up frequently on the list. Also - how is one of the computers (such as the Altair) operated, with all the switches and indicators? Is there a keyboard or a monitor with it? ThAnX, -- -Jason Willgruber (roblwill(a)usaor.net) ICQ#: 1730318 <http://members.tripod.com/general_1>

25 years, 9 months

Seller's market

by jfoust＠threedee.com

At 10:58 AM 3/21/99 -0800, Sellam Ismail wrote: > >Think of it this way: if a toy stuffed with beans that cost a couple >dollars to manufacture were to be made for sale in a way which makes >people perceive a scarcity, and that toy was then subsequently priced up >to $1000 because of dealers and price speculators feeding on the perceived >scarcity of that toy, is it really worth $1000? Don't answer that yet. >Now fast forward a couple years in time and the market runs its course, >people are fed up with this toy and don't care about it anymore. The fad >is over, the bottom of the market drops out, and the last sorry asshole to >pay $1000 for a toy stuffed with beans is left holding an item worth maybe >$50 to the person who still hasn't caught on that it was all just an >irrational frenzy to begin with. Uh, yeah, I think there's at least two auction sites like that: NYSE and NASDAQ. - John

25 years, 9 months

Odd DEC module

by william＠ans.net

This weekend I spent some time at the RCS/RI millspace, and one of the new arrivals is a very odd DEC module. It is called a "Smart Module", dates to 1975 or so, and is a double-high, extra long card. It looks to have an i4004, a bunch of glue, and five sockets for some 24 pin chips (ROMs?). The interesting thing are the handles - they are yellow! It is officially known as a Y187. I have never seen a yellow DEC module, nor have any references to any. The big blue Engineering book does not mention them. Any ideas from the Digits out there? Were these DEC internal? Prototypes? Mistakes? William Donzelli william(a)ans.net

25 years, 9 months

HP external disk drives available

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

I have the following extra Hewlett Packard external floppy drives for sale: HP 9121D, 9122D, 9123D, 9122C and one each 9121S and 9122S. The 9121 uses single sided drives, the 9122 and 9123 use double sided drives, the 9122C uses HD double sided drives. The D models all have two drives. The S models have only one drive. The S models are very rare, I've only seen three of them in several years of HP collecting. The 9123 is exactly the same as a 9122 except that it has no built-in AC power supply. It's intended for use with the HP 150 TouchScreen II and gets it's power from it. I also have some external HP hard disk drives available, mostly 9153Cs, 9133Ds, and a few HP 7958s. Most have BASIC or Pascal for the HP 9000 200 or 300 series computers installed on them. All the drives have the standard HP-IB interface. Contact me by private E-mail if you're interested. Joe

25 years, 9 months

"new" classics (was Re: Pre-history of Digital Research)

by dogas＠leading.net

-----Original Message----- From: Allison J Parent <allisonp(a)world.std.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Sunday, March 21, 1999 10:56 PM Subject: Re: "new" classics (was Re: Pre-history of Digital Research) ><I think you'd find some additional interest from others (me at least) for ><modern kits or instruction sets like those to put these kinds of things ><together. I might be able to follow some instructions. I know that I ><couldn't just assemble one like you are now doing... yet. ;) > >It's something I'm not into. Publishing designs that can't be built unless >your lucky to have the parts is not a winner. Trying to design something >that most everyone can build is far to time consuming and would represent >design compromizes that would be for the sake of buildability rather than >some specific perfomance. then there is the issue of support. >For example you can't get z280s as production has stopped. Some of the >parts I use are based on my really deep junkbox. I do have two scopes, >logic analyser logic probes, eprom programmers never mind the other tools >like working systems to develop code on. > >Also something on that scale requires a lot of hardware to troubleshoot >as initial bringup can include design errors, wiring errors and even a bad >part. That leads me to why the Altair and IMSAI were replaced by AppleII >and TRS80 style machines. Why, they were working out of the box and >users could start coding ideas. ok, I see (all of) your points and unhappily agree. So, what are the goals of your system design? - Mike

25 years, 9 months

HP HP-IB tape drives available

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

I have some extra HP tape drives if anyone wants one. I have one HP 9145 32 track drive and several HP 9144 16 track drives. All use the HP-IB interface. The use the DC-600 size tape but require that you use HP tapes since that have to be preformatted. I do not have any extra tapes, you'll have to find your own. I have tested the drives and they all work fine. Contact me by private E-mail if interested. Joe

25 years, 9 months

SWPT 6800

by dogas＠leading.net

I also have no documenetation on the AC-30. Is this compatible with the MP-C board and does anyone have any paper on it? Thanks again - Mike: dogas(a)leading.net

25 years, 9 months

Security question (sort of)

by roblwill＠usaor.net

Check out my website: http://members.tripod.com/general_1 -- -Jason Willgruber (roblwill(a)usaor.net) ICQ#: 1730318 <http://members.tripod.com/general_1> -----Original Message----- From: Fred Cisin (XenoSoft) <cisin(a)xenosoft.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Friday, March 19, 1999 12:50 PM Subject: Re: Security question (sort of) >On Thu, 18 Mar 1999, Jason Willgruber wrote: >> My computer was recently hacked into, and a bunch of the software, and some >> of the hardware was messed up (I know who did it - no one on this list - >> someone from my school). > >What kind of damage were they able to perform on hardware? >

25 years, 9 months

SWTPC 6800

by dogas＠leading.net

I've been going through the documentation for the swtpc and listed below what I have. I'd be happy to help fill in any docset gaps for anyone with copies and ask also for copies if anyone has anything not in my list. I'm initially looking for any missing Assembly instructions( MP-A2 ) Parts Lists( MP-A2, MP-B ) and System Checkout Instructions( MP-B, MP-C, MP-P ). Thanks - Mike: dogas(a)leading.net SWTPC 6800 Documentation Motorola M6800 Microcomputer System Design Data SWTPC 6800 Computer System Addendum SWTPC System Documentation Notebook Introduction Hardware Introduction MPU 1 - MPU 30 PIA 1 - PIA 14 missing 9,10 ACAI 1 - ACAI 9 Programming Introduction PROG 1 - PROG 29 OS/Software/Appendices Mikbug Operating System Dual Address Memory Test CDAT by John Christensen Engineering Note 100 - MCM6830L7 MIKBUG/MINIBUG ROM ROBIT 1 - ROBIT 4 MEMCON 1 - MEMCON 4 SERINT 1 - SERINT 3 PARINT 1 - PARINT 3 TICTAC 1 - TICTAC 9 Motorola's M6800 User's Group 1 - 3 M6800 USER GROUP LIBRARY SUBMITTAL FORM Language of the M6800 Microprocessor 1 - 16 Motorola Semiconductors - MC14411 System Checkout Instructions 1 - 6 molex zero force sockets ic insertion instructions Connector ReferenceSheet System Checkout Instructions MP-A2 Version 1 - 5 (page 5 partially missing) board layout of MP-A2 Assembly Instructions MP-B Mother Board 1 - 9 schematic Assembly Instructions MP-C Serial, Control Interface 1 - 12 Parts List MP-C Serial Control Interface schematic board layout Assembly Instructions MP-P Power Supply 1 - 6 Parts List MP-P Power Supply schematic board layout MP-P Power Supply Wiring Diagram M-16-A Installation Instructions *EOD*

25 years, 9 months

BDV11 - which ROMs ?

by cmcmanis＠mcmanis.com

This is so much fun, now in this otherwise forgotten pile of stuff I find a QBus backplane with a single card stuck in it, its an M8012 (aka BDV11) bootstrap and terminator card. Now the reason I ignored it, and probably the guy who tossed this backplane ignored it, was because it has a large number of "missing" chips. Presumably those are for booting various devices, it makes it look like the board has been stripped. However, knowing what it is now, I suspect it could come in handy. However, I've got no docs on it at all (sigh), but I've got The List. :-) Here are the details: M8012-YA card with two ROMs labelled: 23046E 23045E 2 7907 7907 I'm guessing 7907 is the date code. Then it has two switches on the top (S1, S2) (large paddles), a dip switch that has 8 positions and another dip switch with 5 position. (I'm guessing this is CSR and Vector) Given the other stuff that was tossed out with this card I suspect either an RL01 boot rom or an RX02 boot ROM ... --Chuck

25 years, 9 months

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test-drb March 1999