test-drb April 1999

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

170 participants
1190 discussions

by lemay＠cs.umn.edu

Hmm, perhaps wiring an external Terak floppy drive to a PC is a bit more complicated than i thought. I forgot that the Terak main unit controls the power switch on the external drive somehow. Looking inside teh case, it looks like the signal wires that correspond to "Step" have a special connection in addition to going to the floppy drive. This must be what is controlling the on/off switch, but i'm curious now as to how the "Step" signal is supposed to work. Does anyone see how this might be used to control the power? And do you think i'm completely nuts to connect this thing to my PC, ie, is it likely to burn out the motherboard ;) ... Ah well, its not like it would be the first time i fried a computer. -Lawrence LeMay

25 years, 9 months

Sigh. Bringing up a PDP-8/M

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<From CLASSICCMP-owner(a)u.washington.edu Wed Apr 14 21:46:30 1999 <Return-Path: <CLASSICCMP-owner(a)u.washington.edu> <Received: from lists2.u.washington.edu by world.std.com (TheWorld/Spike-2.0 < id AA01313; Wed, 14 Apr 1999 21:46:27 -0400 <Received: from host (server(a)lists.u.washington.edu [140.142.56.13]) < by lists2.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW99.02/8.9.3+UW99.01) with SMTP id SAA1 < Wed, 14 Apr 1999 18:46:23 -0700 <Received: from mxu1.u.washington.edu (mxu1.u.washington.edu [140.142.32.8] < by lists.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW99.02/8.9.3+UW99.01) with ESMTP id SAA2 < for <classiccmp(a)lists.u.washington.edu>; Wed, 14 Apr 1999 18:46:16 -0700 <Received: from tele-post-20.mail.demon.net (tele-post-20.mail.demon.net [19 <Indeed you have... In fact, IMHO, everyone here who does design, or <serious logic troubleshooting/repair should consider this instrument. Yes <it's expensive (\pounds 550+tax in the UK). But I think it's well worth it Well I don't have to have it... I have a 16 channel analyser good to 20mhz and two 0'scopes and a custom anlyser hack I did years ago. Generally if I have to bring out the scope it's nasty. The 8f was trouble shot with nothing more than my fluke 12 multimeter as it ws closest at hand. <Even an LED and a resistor (between an IC pin and ground) is a good <start. No you won't see fast pulses. But you will see things that are <stuck it totally the wrong state. I debugged my first homebrew <microcomputer (SC/MP + RAM, basically) using just such an LED+resistor I have one in a clear pen barrel with a point and and a cliplead, very handy! It's pretty easy to tell, high low and something that's pulsing even at high rates. Another handy item is a 4040 cmos counter to make fast things into tones (earphone). That trick came from the NS* disck controller troubleshooting hints. Intelligently used simple tools can be very useful. Allison

25 years, 9 months

Vintage Computer Festival Announcement!

by fsc729＠yahoo.com

Hey I live near Santa Clara when and where is this vintage computer festival going to take place. _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

25 years, 9 months

OT: Re: Time to declare State of Massachusetts the ENEMY! He

by danburrows＠mindspring.com

> >Off the top of my head I do not know of a similar org here. There is >however the MassTech Core which is involved in getting computeres into >schools (internet based, so only 386 or higher need apply). > When I get PC's (286,386 and 486) with equipment I need I donate them to the local Hospice group. Every year they run a huge flea market here and sell them for anywhere from $100 to $400. How they get the prices they get I have never been able to figure out other than they are nonprofit and a good cause. A few years ago they were having to buy standard NEMA power cords for systems that had been donated. When I found out I went out to my truck and found a few loose ones. A couple months later I got several hundred with a large lot of DEC equipment and they were very happy to get those as well. The last couple years they have been tight on storage space so now they call me when they are ready for some. This year they called as I was unloading a bunch of PC's and trying to figure out what to do with them. Boy was I happy they called. Dan

25 years, 9 months

IBM Programmed Symbols Adapter

by Philip.Belben＠powertech.co.uk

Larry Walker wrote: > Muellers 3rd edition mentions 3 to 6 custom cards. You also required the > 3270PC keyboard and the 5272 monitor which allegedly was comparable to an > EGA. Other than that it was a stock XT M-B 5272 was 720 * 350 pixels, like an EGA, but only 8 colours. I seem to remember reading recently that the 3270-PC could use the IBM monochrome display instead (which presumably meant that it emulated a 3278 instead of a 3279) > He outlines the boards which are > > 1. 3270 System Adapter- to connect to a remote 3274 controller > > 2. Display Adapter- extended-character in 8 colors > > 3. Extended Graphics Adapter for local graphics in Hi (2colorsat 720x350 or > 640x200) and med. (4 colors at 360x350 or 320x200) IBM called this an XGA > not the same as the PS2 Extended Graphics ARRAY. Interesting. It seems that IBM terminology is not only different from both American and British dialects of our language, but internally different on the too sides of the Atlantic too. At IBM Bristol, this was _always_ called the APA card. > 4. Programmed Symbols Adapter to provide graphics capabilities available on > 3278/3279 display stations. Needed the XGA in an adjacent slot. Joes' card. Needed the XGA in an adjacent slot? Ouch! I had always assumed that you could have just this and the display adaptor, but I admit to having no evidence to back this up. > 5. Keyboard Adapter - went in the 8th slot and connected the special K-B. > > On delivery the XT slots in the 3270PC were filled with the Sys adapter, the > display adapter,K-B adapter, FDD adapter, and HDD controller. With the graphic > adapter and memory multifunction card not much room left. > Interestingly the 3270PC Control Program allowed up to 7 windows at one time. > Shades of things to come. Apparently there was also an AT version. I'd forgotten that the keyboard adaptor was a separate card. IIRC, it came with a special cable that linked it to the keyboard and to the keyboard port of the XT. The keyboard, as well as having 24 function keys instead of the XT's usual 10, had keys like "jump" to move between windows. These keys were intercepted by the keyboard adapter and _not_ passed on to the keyboard port on the motherboard. I think the card also locked out the motherboard KB port totally when it was being a terminal. Software did exist for talking to the host, looking at the terminal's screen and file transfer under PC program control, but none of it was very easy to use. (I had to program around it.) Philip. ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. **********************************************************************

25 years, 9 months

Can someone identify some boards?

by danburrows＠mindspring.com

The ROI is a rebadged Emulex UC07 SCSI disk or Tape, If you don't have docs let me know and I will organize something. The Emulex_unknown_001.jpg is a CS08 8 line mux - DHV11 emulation. I will need some more # from the plessey to figure it out. Dan ->Rather then describe them, I've got scanned images... can someone >take a look and tell me what they might be? Even better, if someone >can tell me how they are configured, I'd really appreciate it. > > ftp://ftp.std.com/ftp/pub/mbg/scans/ > emulex_unknown_001.jpg > plessey_unknown_001.jpg > roi_unknown_scsi.jpg > I know this is a scsi board, for qbus, but > it may be a proto... > g5389_q22_bus_exer_rev_b.jpg > I know what it is (not the option name, though), > I'd like to know how to use it... > > Thanks in advance... > 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 | >+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ >

25 years, 9 months

Can someone identify some boards?

by gentry＠zk3.dec.com

Rather then describe them, I've got scanned images... can someone take a look and tell me what they might be? Even better, if someone can tell me how they are configured, I'd really appreciate it. ftp://ftp.std.com/ftp/pub/mbg/scans/ emulex_unknown_001.jpg plessey_unknown_001.jpg roi_unknown_scsi.jpg I know this is a scsi board, for qbus, but it may be a proto... g5389_q22_bus_exer_rev_b.jpg I know what it is (not the option name, though), I'd like to know how to use it... Thanks in advance... 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 | +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

25 years, 9 months

[OT] <10 yo DG Aviion

by dlw＠trailingedge.com

>This is probably one of the multi-processor machines, and is in a >deskside configuration, if I'm guessing correctly. Correct. It is in a tower-style case and has a basic terminal for the console. I worked on this box a few years ago when I was at this company and seem to recall it had something like dual M88100s. >DG seem to have that philosophy, yes. They have an odd market >presence. Strange isn't it? :-) >Let us know if you find anything. I'll check those newsgroups. Isn't there a DG newsgroup? I'll have to check. So far about all I've found are some dealers selling memory or re-selling old boxes. I did find one guy who says he has a couple of boxes too and is trying to get enough info to begin porting Linux to them. That's about it so far. ----- David Williams - Computer Packrat dlw(a)trailingedge.com http://www.trailingedge.com

25 years, 9 months

Has anybody heard from Wirehead?

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

He's gotta be out there somewhere. I had some OSI computer marketing material out on extended loan to him and I got the materials back about 2.5 weeks ago. In a message dated 15/04/99 8:37:57 Eastern Daylight Time, fauradon(a)pclink.com writes: << He cashed mine about a month ago and I also Have had very little contact with him. Last I got was that he was traveling or otherwise swamped by his job. His last e-mail stated that he'll ship on monday and confirm by e-mail but I have not received such confirmation... I'm getting impatient too... Francois >I haven't heard from him either. He cashed my check on April 5, 1999. Let me >know if you hear from him. > > >>

25 years, 9 months

Has anybody heard from Wirehead?

by fauradon＠pclink.com

He cashed mine about a month ago and I also Have had very little contact with him. Last I got was that he was traveling or otherwise swamped by his job. His last e-mail stated that he'll ship on monday and confirm by e-mail but I have not received such confirmation... I'm getting impatient too... Francois >I haven't heard from him either. He cashed my check on April 5, 1999. Let me >know if you hear from him. > >

25 years, 9 months

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test-drb April 1999