test-drb May 2001

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

273 participants
642 discussions

classiccmp list archive, digest changes, and a free offer

by west＠tseinc.com

Greetings! Several changes people have been asking about... here's the status.... 1) The classiccmp mailing list archives at www.classiccmp.org are now reworked and up to date. We are still using hypermail which takes the mailing list traffic and automagically creates the website, organized by year, month, thread, etc. etc. A background process is *STILL* running to populate the rest of year 1999 (other years, including 2000, are already done) but it should be done in an hour or two perhaps (theres a LOT of mail to process in portions of that year). There is a month or two missing, but those months are actually missing from the raw datafiles. I assume that the list was not functioning during those times (before [and perhaps while] it was being moved to my servers). 2) The hypermail task has been set up as a cron job to keep the mailing list archives at www.classiccmp.org up to date without operator intervention. Because the mailing list is hosted by a server sitting right next to the classiccmp webserver, updates to the archive will be especially fast. 3) Previously, digest subscribers could get multiple digests per day if the size of the digest was large (ie. it could be split into multiple emails if the size went over a threshold). Due to popular request, that is no longer the case. The digest will now send only one email per day to digest subscribers no matter what the size. 4) Several people have asked - I don't have their email addresses here... so once again - publicly, to subscribe or unsubscribe send an email to majordomo(a)classiccmp.org. Any list traffic should go to classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org. When subscribing you tell it which list you want to subscribe to, either the normal list or the digest list. Hope this gets everything in order. Once again, I will gladly host any website, ftpsite, mailinglist, etc. that has to do with classic computers at no charge - unlimited traffic, unlimited storage, no fees of any kind. I am currently connected to 5 major backbones via 100mb ethernet (and offer local dialup in over 152 US cities [shameless plug]), so the transfer speeds should be acceptable. The only thing I ask is that if the disk storage requirements are unusually large (say, greater than 10gb) that you buy your own hard drive and ship it to me. I'll mount it in one of our servers and the drive will still belong to you and be dedicated to your use only. If you decide to move, you get the drive back of course. I'll do this for free, I feel it's something I can give back to the folks on the list for all the endless advice I've gotten out of it. Ok, if a few RK05's and 7900A disc drives show up anonymously, I won't complain either <grin, just kidding>. It would be nice if we could get a lot of subsites under the www.classiccmp.org site, sort of like a portal. At the very least we need some links to classiccmp sites there. Anyone care to throw together a main page for this (I'm not an html person, and our webdevelopment staff is working overtime already)? Then all the subsites that folks host on my server could be at www.classiccmp.org/mydecstuff and www.classiccmp.org/hprules for example. Of course, if you want your own domain name that's fine too. Regards! Jay West

23 years, 5 months

Strange device, stuff available FS or Trade

by ethan_dicks＠yahoo.com

--- Chuck McManis <cmcmanis(a)mcmanis.com> wrote: > Well the VAX fairy visited me and dropped off a "pile of junk". Inside the > junk were a couple of Unibus expansion bays and in those were a board from > MDB systems that asserts it connects a Unibus to a Q-bus. Unfortunately > I've only got the Unibus half apparently and there is a matching card that > plugs into the Q-bus. Univerter/Qniverter? Depending on what the docs say, would the Q-bus end be similar to what DEC used to connect BA-11N or BA-23 boxes together? It does kinda matter which way you are going (i.e., Unibus or Q-bus CPU)... mostly because the Unibus is 18-bit and the Q-bus is 18 or 22 bit (or 16 ;-) with completely different ideas about how to map space (which matters at the driver level, not the hardware level). We looked into such products at work, but we decided that the extra effort on the driver did not pay for saving a development box. > Apparently I also got a set of VAX 11/750 cpu cards and memory. Is this > something anyone is interested in? To rescue from oblivion, yes. To put to immediate use, no. I have two 11/750s and wouldn't mind spares, but space/cash is too tight for such an optional set of boards. I haven't even fired one up since I moved it to the Quonset hut. It sits, temporarily unloved, until I can wire a 30A Hubble receptacle for it. > Finally I got some docs on the VAX BI bus but I'm reserving those for Bill > if he wants them. If not, please let me know. I have an 8300. Thanks, -ethan ===== Even though my old e-mail address is no longer going to vanish, please note my new public address: erd(a)iname.com The original webpage address is still going away. The permanent home is: http://penguincentral.com/ See http://ohio.voyager.net/ for details. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Kick off your party with Yahoo! Invites. http://invites.yahoo.com/

23 years, 5 months

Apple Recall of powerbooks

by fauradon＠mn.mediaone.net

Not ten year old yet but urgent... Seens like Apple is actively trying to eradicate the powerbooks 5300 and 190. The article at: http://www.pbzone.com/index.shtml#applestore States that apple will be destroying the PB that are sent back. Time to find those babies and protect them from doom. Francois

23 years, 5 months

Thoughts on a datascope

by dhquebbeman＠theestopinalgroup.com

> Any thoughts on how I can back this beastie up? Anyone > done anything with this line of datascope? No experience with this device, but you could try this: Remove the HD and attached it as the second drive in an old bootable PC that already has one MFM drive. You'll need to get the drive parameters for the drive entered into the CMOS; I think I used to use SpeedStor (?) for that. Other utilities exist. Then, assuming this datascope doesn't turn out to be an embedded DOS machine (and thus the drive formatted as FAT12), use DEBUG under DOS to load the boot sectors, then write to a .BIN file and set aside. Load the partition table (assuming it has one) and save it. Do a quick- n-dirty disassembly of the boot code to see where it runs off to (that is what it loads from the drive), and if it's loading less than 64k, you should be able to do this easily in DEBUG. If it's loading more than 64k, you could just write a quick-n-dirty program using your favorite language (unless that's COBOL!) to read the datascope code in and store it in a binary file. However, as I said above, you may find this machine is an embedded DOS machine, and the drive may already be readable, file by file. hth, -doug q

23 years, 5 months

monitors

by lgwalker＠look.ca

I've been fascinated by micro-computer monitors for years. Possibly because my original Atari ST had such a convoluted 13pin interface. As a result I've tended to grab any monitor that didn't have a vanilla or plain 9pin or 15pin connector. Ditto when it comes to video cards. So the NEC series of multi-sync and other monitors with additional switches have been high on my collectables. The Amiga newsgroup is always full of queries regarding which Nec works with it (3C ?}. Similiarly each of the older platform newsgroups have the same questions. While I know Tony Duell and others have posted the video requirements of different systems, it has always been a bit of a grey area for me. For example what do the dip-switch settings on most of the configurable cards indicate ? Some of my monitors include a Radius full-page display, and I have a kit which supposedly allows a Mac+ to use it. A DEC VR201 with the retactible support pole and transporting handle which works on my DEC Rainbow. Tatung configurable, Tandy CM5, Several Hi-resolution configurable monitors Compaq and TVM ,Commodore 1402, Apple Color RGB (for A2 GS),Supermac rebadged Sony GDF1950, and Magnavoxes and NECs. However, I have yet to see a good FAQ regarding these monitors. There seems to be more info on the fixed freq. and sync on green and I have book from MS Press on IBM CGA thru VGA monitors but little on their configuration and platform-specific features. Possibly each mfg. issued a booklet with their monitors and the market wasn't big enough for a book. An area to explore. My system includes a JDH Videomate external box which is a TV to VGA converter and my main TV when not displaying computer-specific info. Again , a defunct company, so no info. ciao larry ciao larry lgwalker(a)look.ca walkers(a)altavista.net bigwalk(a)xoommail.com

23 years, 5 months

SAIC RSC-1x (MOCC) Portable Workstation

by owad＠applefritter.com

I purchased an interesting system at the Timonium Hamfest last weekend. It's a SparcStation IPX, refitted to a military case. I've put some pictures up at <http://www.applefritter.com/temp/saic/>. It consists of the computer itself and an expansion chassis that latches onto the bottom of the case. Right now, I don't have the machine running. The power supply I got with it is a LAMBDA, 24VDC, 10.5 A. I don't have a military connector, so I've been sticking the wires onto the pins. I managed to get the system to power on. It gives a splash screen reading "Tech-Source Inc." followed by a line I didn't think to write down before it started having problems. At the next spring it tells me a bit about itself: SparcStation IPX, Keyboard Present ROM Rev. 2.9, 64 MB memory installed, Serial #2219226 Ethernet address 8:0:20:1a:c:28, Host ID: 5721dcda And informs be that it can't boot off the hard drive (the seller told me its been wiped clean). Just a few minutes ago the power supply apparently gave out. I had the machine powered on and was copying down the above information when it seemingly powered off and the screen started flickering on and off. I'm not at all familiar with Sparcs, and I really don't know much about power supplies either. Does this strike the anybody as a faulty power supply connection, or something else? The expansion chassis needs its own power, so unless the power supply I have is powerful enough to power both (opinions?) I'm going to need a second. I need to get the expansion chassis up and running as it has the CD-ROM drive (along with a second hard drive and a tape drive) in it which I need to install the operating system. Does anybody have any suggestions regarding getting this system running? Know where I can find some decent power supplies that will work? Ideally with the three-prong military connectors? Thanks for the info. Tom Owad

23 years, 5 months

TU-58 rollers and emulation (was Re: VAX 11/725)

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

From: Ethan Dicks <ethan_dicks(a)yahoo.com> >> > There is out there a TU-58 emulator for PeeCee... There is one that runs under UNIX. Also the rollers for the TU58 I clean off the goo to get down to the basic hub then use .500 od/.375 id Tygon tubing. which is a stretch fit over the hub, add a drop of super glue and trim to width as diameter is not critical and that material seems to hit it very close. I've done this to maybe 8 them I still use. Allison

23 years, 5 months

Equipment needs home: Portland, OR. area

by wolf＠nwinfo.net

hey do you have any ideas about using relays or some thing connected to a parallel or aerial port to control the power to an outlet, you know like a dimmer switch controlling motors ETC if you have any thought or ideas I'd be glad to hear them.

23 years, 5 months

8008 book identification

by amichael＠nortelnetworks.com

Could you be referring to "Microcomputer Design" by Donald P Martin and published by his company, Martin Research in Northbrook, Illinois? It has a black cover with a photograph on the front of integrated circuits lit from below. A large format squarish paperback about an inch thick. I don't see an ISBN listed, but the Library of Congress Catalog number is given as 76-1530. It is full of practical application advice about the 8008, and includes stuff about the "new" 8080 too. The last chapter describes various "minimal microcomputer" circuits and Martin's own product line of Modular Micros such as the MIKE models 3 and 4. I have the 2nd edition published in 1976, and it is a treasure. Arlen Michaels > -----Original Message----- > From: Jim Kearney [SMTP:jim@jkearney.com] > Sent: Saturday, May 19, 2001 11:53 AM > To: classiccmp > Subject: 8008 book identification > > Forgive me if this is common knowledge, but I haven't been able to dig up > any information with a search engine, probably due to my very vague search > terms... > > Around 1974-6 I had a book that covered 8008 system design, in a kind of > cookbook fashion. I'm thinking it might have been published by Ohio > Scientific, but that's far from reliable. As I recall, the cover was > black and it was relatively thick. I built a 8008 system using it (wire > wrapped, with 256 bytes of RAM), but book and computer have both vanished > since then. I'd like to find another copy for nostalgia's sake. > > Does anyone have any clues? >

23 years, 6 months

Austin Texas UT Auction

by reyes＠orion.ae.utexas.edu

Sorry for the late notice but i just found out and can not go. If any of you in the central texas area are free tomorrow here is the information. University of Texas at Austin will have an auction tomorrow May 23, 2001 at JJ Pickle Research Campus building 45. Here are some of the items PDP 11/45 RA81 x 3 Stardent M/2000 RISC computer MIPS HP Apollo x 3 RA81 x 8 Vax 8600 ( vax bar? ) Tape drive Kennedy model 9300 x 2 Vax station 3 Vax station 3200 Sparc Server 490 MicroVax Digital RL02 Old tape drive Sanborn Division HP Houston Inst. 50 inch plotters x 2 2 SEM (one looks stripped the other has an 8inch floppy and monitor) several printers several copiers bunch of junk and strange lab equip. 1 boat without motor many cars and trucks If any one goes and needs help i may get off work early to help you load. Any other days thursday and friday i can help load if any one needs help. Reuben

23 years, 6 months

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test-drb May 2001