test-drb April 2001

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

251 participants
669 discussions

by Marion.Bates＠dartmouth.edu

--- "Russ Blakeman" wrote: I've seen NuBus centronics adapters on ebay that allow you to have a standard 25 pin centronics compatible parallel port - you might look around for one. I'm not sure if your machine has NuBus or PCI but I'm guessing that it's NuBus. ------ PCI actually. The question then becomes, how does the driver deal with it -- I mean, the LaserWriter 8 driver for this printer looks at the printer port, so how would it "know" to look at an adapter card...hmmm. ------ Why is she worried about upgrading if the OS doens't suit her needs? --- end of quote --- She's in no rush, but clearly the software developers will eventually no longer support the old OS and then she will have to upgrade. So it's good to find out what will happen when the time comes. She is a graphic designer and webmaster so it matters that she be able to run new versions of Photoshop, Illustrator, GoLive, etc. and at some point OS 9 will be obsolete. Thanks, -- MB

23 years, 9 months

Just getting started with a MicroVax 3400

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Apr 1, 22:56, Chad Fernandez wrote: > Pete, > > Pete Turnbull wrote: > > Are the arrows like a left and right angle bracket (more properly called > > chevrons or a "greater than" and "less than") with three dots between? > > Nope, more like an arrow pointing left, and an arrow pointing right. > With a "0-3" below one, and a "4-7" below the other set. Then it ain't what I was thinking of. Fortunately someone else posted more useful info last night :-) > >What was this machine used for? > > Computin stuff I guess :-) I have no idea, really :-) Much like most of mine, then. Though a few are used as door furniture :-) -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager Dept. of Computer Science University of York

23 years, 9 months

D connector tirade (was: Re: Age-old ethernet equipment)

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Apr 1, 19:31, Geoff Reed wrote: > http://www.blackbox.nl/techweb/connect/db15hd.htm > it's a DB15HD, if you go to google and search, a heckuva lot of hits come > up for it. looking in a "Pocket PC-Ref" book I have also referrs to it as > DB15HD. the D shell looks to be the same size as a DB-9 As Tony pointed out, it can't properly be a "DB" anything, since a standard 9-pin shell is DE. Just because some people commonly refer to it as DB doesn't mean it's correct, after all lots of people call the standard 9-pin shell a DB. Amp, for example, refer to their entire standard series as "DB" but that's not what most other manufacturers do. McMurdo refer to the type used for VGA as HDE15 (and the next sizes up as HDA26 and HDB44) which seems much more likely to be correct. And I wouldn't particularly believe BlackBox, they're just one reseller. > At 06:43 PM 3/31/01 +0100, you wrote: > > > > > > I've seen the VGA plug referred to as DB15HD > > > >I could believe DE15HD, or HDE15. But not DB-anything -- it's not a size > >B shell after all (which is how this thread got started...) > > > >-tony > -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager Dept. of Computer Science University of York

23 years, 9 months

AtariTel prototypes found

by vcf＠siconic.com

I just posted a bunch of pictures of some prototype Atari stuff I found today at a local electronics flea market. Thanks to Curt Vendel's Atari Historical Society website (http://www.atari-history.com) I've learned that they are prototype boards for AtariTel, which was supposed to be a breakthrough new business phone system but Atari never released it. I have what look to be the initial raw prototypes and then etched prototype development boards, and then an almost complete phone (missing the handset and top cover). There's also a hacked handset used during development and a rough prototype of the case made from plexiglass. From the scanned preliminary product description document found on AHS, I learned that the project inception was in 1981. The boards I got have either 1983 or 1984 copyright dates on them. There was also an unlabeled hacked carthridge in the pile (not pictured). I don't know if the ROM is still good on it though. It's been in a pretty rough climate. If it does work I imagine it has some interesting code on it perhaps. The whole pile of cards looked as though they had been sitting in a box outside under a tree or something. The solder traces were starting to corrode and chip leads starting to rust. I cleaned off a lot of bug and leaf debris and lots of dirt. It's a shame they had to be stored like this, but I guess the guy who designed this stuff didn't think it was significant. Also in the pile were some odd items. There was a board labelled "Misty 001". Is this related to something else? There was also a home-made acoustic coupler box. I don't know what it's purpose is, but it had an Atari serial connector on the back. Both of these are pictured. The photos are at: http://www.siconic.com/crap/AtariTel Sorry I didn't label the pictures properly. You'll just have to go through and check them all out if you're at all interested in this. It was really cool discovering this stuff. In their heyday, Atari hand their hands in everything it seems. Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org

23 years, 9 months

Just getting started with a MicroVax 3400

by cmcmanis＠mcmanis.com

4/1/01 7:33:53 PM, Chad Fernandez <fernande(a)internet1.net> wrote: > >The 2 RF35 (I think that's the number) don't have the cables hooked up >for the panel. I assumed they didn't use the panel. Am I wrong on >this? They look like later, more modern drives to me, so I thought they >wouldn't use the panel, and I didn't see any place to hook them up. The >drive mounted lights do come on. They should use the panel. There is a 10 pin header that is nestled between the power plug and the 50 pin DSSI plug, that is where a 10 pin cable goes from the drive to the back side of the disk bulkhead. That also sets the unit numbers for the drive. Perhaps someone set them up to override the unit numbers because they were short of plugs or something. When you type 'sho dev' they show up as DIAxx what numbers do the drives show up as? >Mine seems to have a standard 4 connector cable. If I made a cable, how >many memory boards could I use? As many as you can fit, however the CPU is limited to addressing 64MB of RAM so you can't get more than that. Also the 4MB disables itself if you install a full 64MB (4 x 16MB is common) >> The 4Plex should work fine on it, *if* you have a SCSI interface in there. > >Good. What should I look for in a SCSI card? Existence. :-) Actually SCSI cards for this beast aren't hard to find, they are just hard to afford for many collectors. You want a SCSI card with an 'sbox' handle. Examples are the Emulex UC-08, CMD CQD-223, etc. I prefer the CMD ones but Emulex, Dilog, and others made them. You can buy them all day for $500 each from DEC resellers. On Ebay they go for less than $300 usually, and of course if you buy a couple of tons of VAXen before they get scrapped you can often salvage one or two. I sold one as part of a cherry 4000/200 and now I kinda wish I hadn't (I just got a VAX 4000/700A that I _really_ would like to put a SCSI drive on.) If you get one with non-Sbox handles you will either have to adapt a blank Sbox "bar" to mount the connector or you will have to run the cable out from between the bars. I've done both. Alternate mechanisms to getting a SCSI CD-ROM are to get an RRD40 controller (slow but it works!) You may be able to find a DEC reseller who will sell you the drive and controller for less than $100. > When I do get a SCSI >card, should I remove the TK70, or just mount the cd-rom in an external >case? I would like the cd-rom internal, but I don't know how important >that TK70 might be. No doubt the TK70 will be critical if you find a piece of software that only comes on the original TK50 media. I prefer my VAXen to sport a TKxx drive. Something I've been doing lately is making 'vax boxes' which are 2 unit SCSI cases with a VAX compatible CD-ROM drive and a removable SCSI drive. Then I get a couple of trays for the SCSI drives (these are pretty cheap these days) and put VMS on a 200 - 500Mb SCSI disk and NetBSD on a 1GB disk (not that NetBSD is that much less efficient, just that I like room to build kernels and such.) Then one can swap out disks to run different OS'es. Mounting the CDROM in the case will be problematic and frankly doesn't get you all that much. --Chuck

23 years, 9 months

Just getting started with a MicroVax 3400

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Apr 1, 14:53, Chad Fernandez wrote: > That card I thought was SCSI is a serial > card, I think. It has the same little double arrows on it as the > console port, even if the connectors are centronics 50. Are the arrows like a left and right angle bracket (more properly called chevrons or a "greater than" and "less than") with three dots between? That's the standard symbol for a network interface, and a 50-way Centronics-style connector is what used to be used to connect a "harmonica". A harmonica is a distribution block with a 50-way input and (usually) 12 10baseT ports. If I were you, I'd take that card out and have a look at it, it might be interesting. What was this machine used for? -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager Dept. of Computer Science University of York

23 years, 9 months

ide harddrive

by elecdata＠kcinter.net

Evening folks, I am looking for a circuit using the parallel port on a pc to Ide interface, does anyone have a schematic for one? I also have 20 (2.5 in) toshiba 4.8 gig drives (new and in sealed antistatic). these are 2 mm interface ata4 44pin that I will offer to sell to the group before listing them at ebay. ($75 ea + shipping) I also have AMD K6-2 233 AFR Socket 7 processors (new) these also will be offered to the group for ($20 ea), before I place them on ebay as well. I am going to put them up in two weeks, so if any one is interested please email me at elecdata(a)kcinter.net Thanks Bill Claussen Elecdata1 (ebay)

23 years, 9 months

APple DiskII interface cards and parallel card

by geoffr＠zipcon.net

I seem to have a couple disk II interface and 1 parallel cards for appleII machines, if anyone has need of these critters they are available for $5 (to cover shipping and getting them to the shipping location, i'm currently outta work, but if these are useful to you, they're yours.)

23 years, 9 months

RE; Macintosh Classics

by smerrell＠thevilla.org

Is anyone in the Seattle area or close by interested in taking a bunch of old Mac Classics and SE's off of my hands (approx 30)?? All are in working condition. Please contact me for more information.

23 years, 9 months

Mobo Question

by chronic＠nf.sympatico.ca

Hi, I'm a long time lurker, first time poster. I recently obtained a mobo that was sitting around a local computer store, and am having a little trouble with it. It's a 386SX motherboard, with onboard parallel, serial, and PS/2 connectors. I was planning on building a little box based on this, but the problem is the lack of ISA or PCI (obviously) slots. Instead, what i have is a bigass connector. It's about 2 1/2 times bigger than a PCI slot. I'm thinking this may be an extension to plug in another card with slots, but I have no idea. Can anyone help me? If you need more info let me know, i can supply it. The brands Faraday and WDC are displayed prominently on a lot of the ICs. -Lanny

23 years, 9 months

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test-drb April 2001