test-drb April 1999

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

170 participants
1190 discussions

by yakowenk＠cs.unc.edu

This not only makes it the first home computer, but the first kitchen computer as well! Didn't Honeywell try to market a kitchen computer in the late 70's or early 80's? I'm sure it would have taken off, if only they had been the first. :-) But, sadly, without internal video circuitry, it can't be a personal computer. <snort!> :-) Bill. On Sat, 24 Apr 1999, Max Eskin <max82(a)surfree.com> wrote: ] ... ] Speaking of which, wasn't the Zuse built on a kitchen table in the ] mid-30's? Wouldn't that make _it_ the first personal computer?

25 years, 2 months

Wanted: PC-4 thermal printer

by yakowenk＠cs.unc.edu

I got this note, seems this guy saw the Rescue Squad web page, but isn't generally interested in classic computers; he just wants one specific part. If you can help him out, kindly reply directly to him. Gracias, Bill. ] Name Steve King ] E-mail address sfjk1(a)usaf.net (delete 2 f's) ] State Florida ] Computers of interest Radio Shack TRS-80 Model PC-4 "Pocket Computer" ] Note I am looking for the thermal printer, ] in working order.

25 years, 2 months

Pictures of my damaged core

by ethan_dicks＠yahoo.com

Not to follow up my post with another post, but I found a typo (and I suspect some of you did, too) --- Ethan Dicks <ethan_dicks(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > Here's some photos of that stack I got back in '82 with a partial PDP-8/L http://www.infinet.com/~erd/retrocomputing/pdp8/pix/coreassy.jpg - external view http://www.infinet.com/~erd/retrocomputing/pdp8/pix/coremat1.jpg - one bad mat http://www.infinet.com/~erd/retrocomputing/pdp8/pix/coremat2.jpg - another one Sorry for the inconvenience. -ethan _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

25 years, 2 months

It's Alive!!!

by mbg＠world.std.com

>Oh, and don't worry, the VT420 is only for testing purposes, I've got >VT100's and a DECwriter II for the PDP-11/44 :^) Although the DECwriter >II will take some serious work before it's usable. I know what you mean... although the KS10s we got the other day had video terminals for the console, we also got a true LA36 in order to have that is a more traditional console for such an old beast... Megan Gentry Former RT-11 Developer +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ | Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com | | Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com | | Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' | | 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 | +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

25 years, 2 months

The "FIRST PC" and personal timelines (Was: And what were the80s id AA20656; Fri, 23 Apr 1999 18:48:08 -0400

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<I think what they don't realise is that computers at this point had <names, not numbers. 20 is probably quite close. I know there's a site <that catalogues them. I think at this point, the firts generation IBM 600' <hadn't been been built yet, although they have been in planning. I'd have to hunt on that too. I believe that the 1952(ish) was the year of the first production computer (univac, vacuum tubes). It was '58ish maybe later for the first production transistor machines. I'd extend that with some error the 60s would be the advent of the first volume production machines. (IE: hundreds of a kind). The watershed event was the forcasting of an election with a computer on TV. That would bring the idea of a computer from the labratory to something people could relate to. Radios went through the same curve though the peried of time was longer. Allison

25 years, 2 months

The "FIRST PC" and personal timelines (Was: And what were the80s

by edick＠idcomm.com

Well, Sellam, it's a question of statistics. The population was about 225 Million back then +/- some number, and the people in the US or even the world who had any notion of what a digital computer was was probably around a hundred, well, maybe a thousand. Now, you started out with an "average" American. Of the thousand or so to whom owning a computer didn't amount to slavery, how many do you think could afford to spend the equivalent of a half-year's groceries, during the period when the word "recession" was invented, on something the maximal function of which was strictly limited in purpose to some form of mental masturbation? They couldn't use the excuse that "we could use it to manage our checking account . . ." or some such, because it wouldn't do that. Do you think the average American could afford to spend that kind of dough on something he didn't need? Do you think he'd have spent the dough on something it probably would have benefitted him NOT to have? . . . like a digital computer toy? Dick -----Original Message----- From: Sellam Ismail <dastar(a)ncal.verio.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Saturday, April 24, 1999 2:27 AM Subject: Re: The "FIRST PC" and personal timelines (Was: And what were the80s >On Fri, 23 Apr 1999, Richard Erlacher wrote: > >> No, Sam, those were not necessarily MY attitudes. I, after all, was only 6 >> years old during most of 1952. However, I'd submit that my statement is >> more or less correct, inasmuch as most Americans had no idea what a digital >> computer was in 1952. My grandfather worked for one of New York's large > >What does having "no idea what a digital computer was in 1952" have to do >with being able to afford one? Can you make an argument and stick to it >please? > ><...> >> whatever was the model of the day, and they got the work done. That's what >> the average American thought of when you asked him about a computer, though >> most didn't really even recognize the word. > >Ok, thanks for that history but it does nothing to further your argument, >nor does it have any relevance to your assertion. > >> In 1954-55 a friend of my parents bought an airplane for $300. He also >> liked those British sports cars, which traded, 2nd-hand for about $300 in >> the late '50's, though they were not that "reasonable" by the time I wanted >> one (goodness only knows why I wanted it). > >Oh?? I thought $300 was hardly an amount one could afford to be spending >in the 50s! Seems like it wasn't that big of a deal after all. > >> Back to the attitudes . . . I certainly hope that you don't purport YOUR >> attitudes to be typical. I know mine aren't. What brings balance to a >> discussion is the presentation of perceptions. > >No, I'm not so arrogant (or myopic). > >> One other point . . . I don't know how you can claim to know about what's on >> the mind of an "average" American. People who, ten years ago, were rabidly > >I made no such claim. However, you pretty much DID make such a claim. > >Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- >Don't rub the lamp if you don't want the genie to come out. > > Coming this October 2-3: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0! > See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details! > [Last web site update: 04/03/99] >

25 years, 2 months

It's Alive!!!

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.COM

>Wow!!! I think I just smoked the power distribution unit on the RL02 >rack, but I just booted RT-11 V4 on the PDP-11/44! It is Alive!!! Good! Why do you say you smoked the power distribution box? Is it buzzing loudly, by any chance? This is usually a sign of a bad capacitor in the relay/contactor power supply, and is easily repaired. -- 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

25 years, 2 months

It's Alive!!!

by mbg＠world.std.com

>Wow!!! I think I just smoked the power distribution unit on the RL02 >rack, but I just booted RT-11 V4 on the PDP-11/44! It is Alive!!! Congrats on booting! Sorry the PS smoked... Megan Gentry Former RT-11 Developer +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ | Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com | | Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com | | Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' | | 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 | +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

25 years, 2 months

The "FIRST PC" and personal timelines (Was: And what were the80s id AA20656; Fri, 23 Apr 1999 18:48:08 -0400

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<(if available at 1/4th of a year salery) and I can't see any <difference to the situation in the 70s - the same group of electonic <fascinated people would have taken the chance. < <The effect is just that there was no such device. And ther ewas more importantly no concept of having/building one outside of university circles (how did they do it!). Allison

25 years, 2 months

Building Core, Stage 2

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<1) I'm using copper clad board to provide a ground plane "under" the core. <After my last message it became obvious that this was the other half of th <winding "through" the core. Not required. Any whire with durrent passing through it has a field around it. That is all that is required. More turns only reduce the current required to attain a given field. <2) I'm using "magnet" wire (enameled copper wire) for the core wire. I'm <guessing it can take a couple of amps for a short period of time. I'm not <sure that is sufficent to "switch" the #2 nut I'm using but we'll see. The current can be quite high as those pulses will be short (microseconds). <3) Allison referenced a waveform that looked like this: Keep in mind that will switch the core in both directions. that was mostly a test signal for trying materials. <4) The diagram in the 8a manual shows the sense wires going through one se <of cores, looping and coming back through another set. The sense wire is <also used as the 'inhibit' wire when one wants to write a zero. This is <done by reversing the X or Y current so that the selected cores don't get <full write current (and thus don't switch.) Yep the two matic selects and the sense/inhibit wire. Some planes used four wires with the inhibit being seperate. <5) So this is the plan: < put three wires through the nut and wire them up as follows: < -- < 1/h select ----------\ | | /----- GND < 1/h select ---------------| |-------------- GND < sense + ----------/ | | \----- sense - For testing a "core" only two are needed. makes life simpler. < The scope will display the current on the select lines on channel 1 < the sense lines on channel 2 (floating ground) Good! <6) When the current is sufficient, I should see a pulse on the sense line. < (This is the hypothesis part, now to apply the scientific method) Actually even if the current is low there will be a pulse coincident with the drive pulse (transformer action). However when the core switches the waveform will not corospond to a 1:1 transformer and also it will be shifted in time. If the core is not suitable the signal may not be visible. Allison

25 years, 2 months

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test-drb April 1999