test-drb April 1999

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

170 participants
1190 discussions

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

Who was I supposed to copy the IBM AT Tech Ref manual? I lost your message. I've made the copy, let me know who you are. Joe

25 years, 8 months

How scarce (valuable) is core for the PDP-8?

by ethan_dicks＠yahoo.com

--- John Dykstra <jdykstra(a)nortelnetworks.com> wrote: > I have several jars of ferrite cores made by IBM sometime in the late > 1950's. I don't know exactly what size they are, but they can be > hand-wired without a stereo microscope. Cool. > As I recall, I used something like #60 enameled wire. One of the > challenges was stripping the insulation off the ends of the wires without > damaging the copper. Heat? Chemicals? Friction? > If anyone is seriously intending to build a demo core memory system, I'd be > glad to provide a couple of hundred cores. I'd recommend something like a > 16x16 array, unless you're looking for a project to make a 20-to-life > sentence go faster. I'm serious. I really have wanted to build something like this. In terms of size, the problem isn't the wiring, it's the redundant circuitry. -ethan _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

25 years, 8 months

1802 data sheets: was old data books

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.COM

>> Good - if you can find some RCA file numbers for the 1801's in there >> for Eric, this'll be a huge step forward in getting the 1801 data sheets >> from RCA and/or Harris. >I know I have nothing on the 1801. It was phased out completely by RCA >in '77 or so. You looked through your 1802 stuff and didn't find a single reference to any 1801 literature? Often just having the reference lets you go to the local EE department and find the appropriate volume in their library (Many departments do have books going back to the early 70's) or in the personal library of one of the faculty members. Unfortunately, little of this stuff is in an online database anywhere, so you really have to do the legwork to track it down. I spent most of my academic career doing such legwork - it's been decades since many of the best tables of thermal neutron cross sections have been published, and I found many of them in dusty corners of little- used labs. Incidentally, I found my HP9100B while searching dusty corners for neutron cross section tables :-). -- 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, 8 months

1802 data sheets: was old data books

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.COM

>> If you want to continue the search further, Harris has online data >> sheets for much of the CDP18XX series (including the classic 1802 >> interface and memory parts), and maybe one of these will have a file >> number for an 1801 data sheet. After you get a file number, you can >> usually have the folks at Harris fax the data sheet to you. >I have full 1802 docs from back when the elf article was published. Good - if you can find some RCA file numbers for the 1801's in there for Eric, this'll be a huge step forward in getting the 1801 data sheets >from RCA and/or Harris. >The 1801 series was a less dense (hence teo chips) version of the 1802 >and was discontinued with the advent of the 1802 back around '76. Yep - this is why you need the file number before you can get any further. The data probably exist in paper form, but aren't indexed in any of the on-line databases that the manufacturers still have. It's like getting obsolete parts from DEC; first you have to convince yourself that such a part still exists, then you have to find the part number, and then you often find it's an off-the-shelf item even though it might not have been produced for 20 years. (Examples of stuff I've ordered in the past few years are RX02 and RL02 drive belts, and even a can of Magna-See.) In the case of DEC parts, having a dumpster-dived copy of the "Option/Module Hardware List" stamped "DEC Confidential" all over it helps a little bit :-). -- 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, 8 months

Sun 1 question

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.COM

>How can I identify Sun 1 cards? There's a rough equivalent to the "DEC Field Guide" for Sun systems. It's the "Sun Hardware Reference", and is by James W Birsall, and (at least it used to) is posted to somp.sys.sun.hardware semi-regularly. One version on the web is at http://stumbo.vm.com/~techrat/faq_hardware/hwref0.html Part 1 is a brief introduction to the various Sun models and backplanes, and Part 3 contains many Multibus board numbers. -- 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, 8 months

Sun 1 question

by Innfogra＠aol.com

How can I identify Sun 1 cards? Paxton

25 years, 8 months

The Paxton auction: any interest in rescues

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.COM

>Andromedia Systems Dual 5 1/4 floppy disk drive, DDMDS-B, SN 21. Could this >be for DEC equip. Almost certainly. Does it have a 34-pin connector on the back? Some of the Andromeda controllers took a "breakout board" that separated the floppy signals from the hard disk signals, but the pre-breakout-board cable was (AFAIK) always wider than 34 pins. Tim.

25 years, 8 months

driving prices down?

by yakowenk＠cs.unc.edu

I just had an idea. One of the things pushing up e-bay prices is the publication of the high bids of past auctions. The logic for sellers is something like, since the previous one sold for this much, I should expect at least as much for this one. What if we kept (and publicized) a record of asking prices for the things that did *not* sell? Maybe buyers would look at that, and use similar logic to avoid bidding any higher than that? Bill.

25 years, 8 months

Connecting CSA's Transputer Education Kit to an Inmos B008

by rmeenaks＠olf.com

>> >> Hi, >> >> I have several B004-style CSA Transputer Education Kits (aka TEKs) that use >> an 8-pin minidin connector for its link (compatible to apples printer >> cables). Is there any way for me to connect these nodes to an inmos B008 >> motherboard's 37-way external connector?? Thanks. > > >If they're standard Transputer links, then sure. Have you tried tracing >the pins on the 8 pin miniDINs to see what they're connected to (like >link pins on the transputer)? Reset/error/analyse could be harder to >trace (since they'll possibly go to PALs), but you should be able to >figure something out by which are inputs/outputs. > Actually, I have full details on how to connect (with pinouts) TEKs to other transputer motherboards including INMOS', but not the INMOS B008. Apparently, the specs mention a 5x1 connector (or is it a 5x2) on inmos boards that can be used to connect the TEK to, but since I don't have a B008 yet (coming in the mail anytime now), I can't verify if this type of connector exists on it. I will send out full details once I am at home with all the pinouts etc. Ram

25 years, 8 months

1802 data sheets: was old data books

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.COM

>Speaking of which, sometime back I failed to convince a surplus to sell >me a really old RCA databook which contained information on the two-chip >predecessor of the 1802, which went by the numbers CDP1801R and CDP1801S >if memory servers. > >Anyone have the book or data sheets? I'd love to get copies. Hmm, this doesn't help you much, but I did a bit of poking around, and here's what I came up with: Harris, the current producer of the 1802, has the following documents online: Application notes: AN6565 Design of Clock Generators for Use with COSMAC Microprocessor CDP1802 http://www.semi.harris.com/data/an/an6/an6565/ CMOS CPU Data sheets: CDP1802A \ CDP1802AC| http://www.semi.harris.com/data/fn/fn1/fn1305/ CDP1802BC/ High-Reliability 8-bit CMOS Processor data sheets: CDP1802AC/3 http://www.semi.harris.com/data/fn/fn1/fn1441/ I briefly paged through the above data sheets to see if they might have file numbers for any of the 1801 data sheets, but didn't see any. It was interesting to see that at least some of these classic parts are now available in PLCC's (I suppose this is the modern equivalent of the Flat-Pack, roughly speaking.) If you want to continue the search further, Harris has online data sheets for much of the CDP18XX series (including the classic 1802 interface and memory parts), and maybe one of these will have a file number for an 1801 data sheet. After you get a file number, you can usually have the folks at Harris fax the data sheet to you. -- 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, 8 months

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test-drb April 1999