How big is this thing? And no ideas as to what it is?
--- David A Woyciesjes
--- C & IS Support Specialist
--- Yale University Press
--- mailto:david.woyciesjes@yale.edu
--- (203) 432-0953
--- ICQ # - 905818
! -----Original Message-----
! From: Eric Dittman [mailto:dittman@dittman.net]
! Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2001 5:26 PM
! To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
! Subject: Nile 150
!
!
! At the place I picked up my 9-track tape drive they had a Nile 150
! system with storage unit that they're looking to unload. I don't
! know anything about the system (nor did they, other than the guy
! telling me about the system said it has MIPS R4x00 CPUs).
! --
! Eric Dittman
! dittman(a)dittman.net
! Check out the DEC Enthusiasts Club at http://www.dittman.net/
!
! >! David Woyciesjes wrote:
! >!
! >! > How big is this thing? And no ideas as to what it is?
! >!
! >! It's a Pyramid SMP Unix box from around '96. Runs Simix, a
! >! SVR4-derived Unix. Typically used as big-ass (as in
! >! terabyte range) database servers.
! >!
! >! There may be a Linux port for the architecture, but
! >! I'm too lazy to check.
! >!
! >! Size clearly depends on configuration, but "not small"
! >! would be a good guess.
! >!
! >! Anyone know where this jewel is located?
!
! Dallas. :( That's too far from Ohio for me. Altho, if
! anyone wants to deliver it, I'll happily accept it...
Hmmm, well, you're closer than New Haven, CT... Delivery would probably cost
an arm and a leg... Bummer...
--- David A Woyciesjes
--- C & IS Support Specialist
--- Yale University Press
--- mailto:david.woyciesjes@yale.edu
--- (203) 432-0953
--- ICQ # - 905818
Re: Commodore SX64 - Thanks for the info Ethan. Havn't seen any recently
in the UK but I think they were popular in Germany. I'm not actively looking
out
for one, it just sprang to mind. I never liked the C64 anyway, the custom
chips
were prone to early failure. Used to own an Atari 800 together with all of the
software development manuals - wish I'd kept now.
Chris
On Dec 20, 8:39, David Gesswein wrote:
> Threads on DEC chip crosses
Thanks for those. I knew about the Signetics 8xxx series chips, as I have
a Mullard/Signetics data book with the whole set. Vety useful for PDP-8's
:-)
> I have scanned my KL8E print set (M8650) (and a bunch of other common 8/E
> boards I didn't have online).
> http://www.pdp8.net/pdp8cgi/query_docs/view.pl?id=262
That should be *extremely* helpful. Thanks very much!
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York
> pete(a)dunnington.u-net.com [SMTP:pete@dunnington.u-net.com] wrote:
>
>How many sheets are in the set? I wonder if you could copy it. I
know you
>don't have regular access to a copier, and not to an A3 copier, but
the
>schematic in sections would be useful. But first, I'll see how far
I get
>now I know the pinouts.
The obvious places to look
would be www.pdp8.net and www.pdp8.org
but neither seem to have that particular
printset.
I do have access to a 600dpi scanner
that can do up to 11"x17" and I've
scanned printsets with it successfully.
But I don't have that one - or anything
PDP-8 related ... anyone have WT78
printsets or docs? :-)
Antonio
Ok guys, another project (yes, I really do have this many)... :)
I have a Heath H-8. Seems to work. Thanks to the help of a guy who runs
the only H-8 dedicated web-site I can find, I now believe that the thing has
an "H-17" hard-sectored floppy interface, as well as a 4 port serial
interface.
Now, keying in programs from the front-panel is cool and everything, but I'm
thinking of putting a console on it, and a disk drive, so that I can run
HDOS, and maybe have some external storage. ;)
So, how rare are the peripherals? In the absence of a heath floppy drive,
what else might I use(and how...)? Anyone know where I can get one?
I have a Lier-Siegler ADM-5 terminal, which I may want to plug into it (It's
the closest thing to authentic I've got... :), but on the other hand, again,
how rare are the Heath terminals?
Assuming I ever get all of these things, the last question would be: Would
anybody be willing to make a copy of HDOS? Otherwise is there a possibility
I can download it from somewhere and actually get it on a disk properly?
Another interesting question is this: My H-8 has a strange wire-wrapped
breadboard, on top of what appears to be a normal 8080 CPU card. The
breadboard contains a Z80 cpu, and plugs into the CPU socket of the 8080 CPU
card. Any guesses about this? Might this mean I can run CP/M with some
toying around? (Did CP/M ever run on these?)
Regards,
Chris
Christopher Smith, Perl Developer
Amdocs - Champaign, IL
/usr/bin/perl -e '
print((~"\x95\xc4\xe3"^"Just Another Perl Hacker.")."\x08!\n");
'
Please see embedded comments.
> Well, speak of the devil... and all that. After mentioning yesterday
that a
> Power Series machine would be nice to have, I found that somebody
brought
> one home for me. (seriously...)
Thats pretty cool.. I've got a bunch of smaller SGI machines including
Indigo,
Indigo2, and Indy, but nothing larger. I have an entire Crimson
boardset, but
no chassis for it, alas.
> So before I get started here, let me also mention that it would be
nice to
> have:
>
> A Symbolics Lisp Machine
> A Next Dimension Cube
> A PDP-11 in a small rack with blinkenlights and core
I'd love to get my hands on a LISP machine someday, too - if anyone ever
comes across one thats up for grabs, let me know! I'll "move heaven and
earth" to try and pick that up!
I've got a PDP 11/34a with core, but its not really a complete system. I
really need some sort of disk controller and subsystem for it, and I
also need
to figure out the pinout for the console terminal connector.
I've got a NeXT Cube and a Slab, but the Cube is the original 68030
model
and doesn't have the NeXTDimension board. If you're ever interested in a
road trip, though, noticing that you're in Illinois, the University of
Michigan
Property Disposition warehouse had a NeXTDimension Cube laying around
about a month ago; $50, I think. I would've picked it up myself, but I
was
totally out of money at the time. I'd imagine it's stilll there, though.
> ... enough of that, though. :)
>
> So, I now am the proud owner of a Power Series VGX machine. It seems
to
> have 4 40Mhz CPUs in it, a full compliment of graphics boards, FDDI,
and
> some extra video I/O boards.
That's a relatively higher-end one, then... 4D/340, perhaps? There's a
neat
site called This Old SGI that talks a lot about getting these old Power
Series
machines running. You can find it pretty quickly with Google.
> It's a deskside type machine, the whole thing fitting in one very
large
> tower --err... coffee-table :)
>
> Firstly, this machine is in need of:
>
> The plastic "skirt" piece for the right side of the chassis.
>
> The plastic back plate.
>
> The power-cable.
>
> Keyboard, monitor, mouse (all of which I can probably get locally...
I checked a couple of days ago and there is an original SGI 4D keyboard
and mouse set on eBay for not too much... less than $10, I think. I'm
not
sure how much longer it'll be there, though.
I'd probably give up on finding the skins for the machine - I've never
really seen them turn up by themselves, and usually, MACHINES that
turn up are missing pieces of them. The power cable's probably going
to have to be a homemade job, too, as I don't see them turn up very
often, but from what I gather, they shouldn't be too hard to assemble.
> (that's it.. I think I have the entire machine otherwise)
>
> Does anyone know where I can get these, or (in the case of the
power-cord,
> for instance) parts to make them?
I've heard that you can find the connectors for the power cord at
hardware
stores, but I can't confirm that myself.
> Any warnings/information/antic dotes for these machines?
> I do intend to use the thing. I also intend to use it at home. It
appears
> to require 20 Amp service, though, and I have no good 20 Amp outlet
within
> reach. I do have some 20 Amp and a couple 30 Amp fuses (Yes, fuses.
I
> intend to replace the one I hook this to with a mini-breaker) in the
box,
> which I intend to trace before I decide where to plug it in. It may
be that
> I'll contract somebody to run a 20 Amp outlet for this machine. (Never
> having done AC wiring work on my own, I feel that I don't want to
start by
> wiring an outlet for this beast) Otherwise, the plan will be to plug
it
> into a circuit with a highly rated fuse on it, and unplug everything
else.
> Any holes in this plan? The breaker on the power-supply is rated 16
Amps,
> btw. I have no idea how much pull to expect from a monitor -- anyone
know
> whether I can safely use both on the same circuit? That would
simplify
> things.
>
> I believe a best option is to have somebody run a line up from the
> washer/dryer hookups in the basement. Those are hooked to 30-amp
fuses
> already and have cutoff switches. As long as nobody does laundry
while the
> machine's running, then, it would be fine. :)
>
> Lastly, even before I get this thing plugged in, I'd like to inventory
it,
> and check it for health. What should I look for?
I'd DEFINITELY suggest taking a look at the power supply (and fuse)
before
you begin. Make sure the power transistors and caps are in good order. I
say
this because the power supplies on these machines are getting a little
old and
they are known for being somewhat iffy. I've had a similar supply (on a
SGI
Crimson machine) flame out on me before - it makes a very spectacular
noise!
That, incidentally, is where the Crimson boardset came from... I wish I
would
have saved the chassis from the Dumpster, too (this was at work when we
had
picked up an old Crimson from a customer as scrap once and were messing
around with it). Ah, well. I'm still trying to find another SGI VME
machine to
this day. Maybe an Onyx or something :)
> Regards,
>
> Chris
>
> Christopher Smith, Perl Developer
> Amdocs - Champaign, IL
>
> /usr/bin/perl -e '
> print((~"\x95\xc4\xe3"^"Just Another Perl Hacker.")."\x08!\n");
Kind regards,
Sean Caron
scaron(a)engin.umich.edu
root(a)diablonet.net
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Netdiablo [mailto:root@diablonet.net]
> Thats pretty cool.. I've got a bunch of smaller SGI machines including
> Indigo,
> Indigo2, and Indy, but nothing larger. I have an entire Crimson
> boardset, but
> no chassis for it, alas.
I also have an Indigo2 which I use on a regular basis.
> I've got a NeXT Cube and a Slab, but the Cube is the original 68030
> model
> and doesn't have the NeXTDimension board. If you're ever
> interested in a
> road trip, though, noticing that you're in Illinois, the University of
> Michigan
> Property Disposition warehouse had a NeXTDimension Cube laying around
> about a month ago; $50, I think. I would've picked it up myself, but I
> was
> totally out of money at the time. I'd imagine it's stilll
> there, though.
I'd be interested in a road trip, but unfortunately not capable of a road
trip. (no road-worthy vehicle...)
> That's a relatively higher-end one, then... 4D/340, perhaps? There's a
> neat
> site called This Old SGI that talks a lot about getting these
> old Power
> Series
> machines running. You can find it pretty quickly with Google.
I've been reading it. Mine is actually a 4D/440, I think. (Even better. :)
> I checked a couple of days ago and there is an original SGI
> 4D keyboard
> and mouse set on eBay for not too much... less than $10, I think. I'm
> not
> sure how much longer it'll be there, though.
If that's the going price, though, it isn't bad.
> I'd probably give up on finding the skins for the machine - I've never
> really seen them turn up by themselves, and usually, MACHINES that
> turn up are missing pieces of them. The power cable's probably going
> to have to be a homemade job, too, as I don't see them turn up very
> often, but from what I gather, they shouldn't be too hard to assemble.
Three (very thick) wires. :)
> I've heard that you can find the connectors for the power cord at
> hardware
> stores, but I can't confirm that myself.
That will be the first place I look, if I can't find the original.
> I'd DEFINITELY suggest taking a look at the power supply (and fuse)
> before
> you begin. Make sure the power transistors and caps are in
> good order. I
> say
> this because the power supplies on these machines are getting a little
> old and
> they are known for being somewhat iffy. I've had a similar
> supply (on a
> SGI
> Crimson machine) flame out on me before - it makes a very spectacular
> noise!
Ouch.
Care to help me figure out how? I do have a multimeter (should be all I
need for that part, right?) or two, but haven't done much work with it, and
not for a while. :)
> That, incidentally, is where the Crimson boardset came
> from... I wish I
> would
> have saved the chassis from the Dumpster, too (this was at
> work when we
> had
> picked up an old Crimson from a customer as scrap once and
> were messing
> around with it). Ah, well. I'm still trying to find another SGI VME
> machine to
> this day. Maybe an Onyx or something :)
Deskside Onyx 1s are relatively reasonable in price now. Same chassis.
Regards,
Chris
Christopher Smith, Perl Developer
Amdocs - Champaign, IL
/usr/bin/perl -e '
print((~"\x95\xc4\xe3"^"Just Another Perl Hacker.")."\x08!\n");
'
Tony Duell wrote:
> Has anybody ever read that chip out and recreated the logic equations? It
> shouldn't be hard to do....
Should be easy since it doesn't contain any registers and feedback terms.
I don't know how you'd get the fuse map without using a programmer, I'd
just read it like RAM and figure out the terms that way.
> Programming the thing is a pain -- you need about 4 different programming
> voltages. I do have the programming algorithm somewhere and one day I
> should probably have a go at making a programmer...
I'd use a small CPLD like a Xilinx XC95XX device. They are 5V and easy
to program.
Anybody used Xilinx XC4010E FPGA's ?
and, could I fit a 6502 into one ?
Chris
Programming the thing is a pain -- you need about 4 different programming
voltages. I do have the programming algorithm somewhere and one day I
should probably have a go at making a programmer...
>
>The book by Brooks {The Mythical Man Month)should be mandatory reading for
>every software man. It is fun too.
>I have very good memories from projects where you could first build a
>useful
>small part of the system. The client could then update his requirements
>and
>you could get all the bugs out and when all was stable you would build the
>next part of the system. The client has a useful system very early in the
>project and because you work together with the client (the user) in an
>early
>stage of the project, errors in the specification and the programs never
>last long. Cost control is also facilitated. You have a satisfied customer
>most of the time during development and very much so in the end. This was
>for projects for up to 1.000.000 lines of code.
>
IMHO, Steve McConnell's "Code Complete" should be required knowledge for all
software engineers.
Prototyping is certainly a valuable tool for developing complex
applications. However, one must remember that the prototype is a means to
the end and not the final product. Once the application is defined, you
should throw away the prototype and build the system from scratch using the
knowledge gained from the prototype. By doing that, you'll have complete
requirements, a more efficient design, and happy customers.
In real life, it's pretty tough to convince management that you should start
all over. The typical reaction is to put the prototype in a box and sell as
is :-(
SteveRob
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