test-drb May 2001

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

273 participants
642 discussions

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On May 21, 20:45, Mark wrote: > I picked up an Acorn RiscPC 600 base unit the other day, my first Archimedes- > type Acorn machine. Nice find :-) I'm still looking for a Risc PC. I left Acorn about the time of the A540/R260 and those are the latest Acorn machines I have. > Anyway, I have a few questions. Perhaps someone can point me to a decent web > site about the Acorn machines? The FAQ is still updated and is at http://www.faqs.org/faqs/acorn/faq/part1/ > - I'm assuming the RiscPC 600 uses an Archimedes-type mouse. This should not > be a major problem, as a simple pin-to-pin adapter should allow a three- > button Amiga mouse to be connected. > > - Can I use a PS/2 type PC keyboard, or is a custom Acorn keyboard needed? I can't remember for sure when the changes were introduced, but I'm fairly sure the Risc PC uses a PS/2 keyboard but an Acorn mouse. If so, the keyboard connector will be 6-pin miniDIN (the older Acorn proprietary keyboards are also 6-pin miniDIN, though) and the mouse connector will be 9-pin miniDIN. > - Before powering it up, I want to remove the hard disk and create an image > file of its contents. The CD-ROM drive needs to be removed in order to get > to the hard disk. I can't see how to do that. Any ideas? Sorry, I don't know. I assume you mean how to remove the CD-ROM, not how to get the case open? I vaguely recall someone asking a similar question ages ago on comp.sys.acorn (or possibly comp.sys.acorn.hardware) so searching DejaNews (er, groups.google.com these days) might help. -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

23 years, 7 months

Saved from garbage truck : TRS80 Model II & disk system! Now keyboard and boot disk/software anyone?

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On May 21, 20:36, Hans Franke wrote: > Thank you very much Pete. > > I was already so into bitch mode that I completely forgot > to look for a work around. I know the feeling only too well. I get extremely irritated at stupid things like this, myself. In fairness to Claude, I don't think he knew about the domain name rules. It seemed to be a complete surprise to him when I explained. I understand he originally asked for "computercollector" but the stupid ISP claimed it was too similar to something else but it was OK with the underscore (yeah, like the underscore makes all the difference). That ISP does what mine does: the "nice" personalised URL that looks like you have your own server is actually an alias to the canonical name, and the webserver is running virtual servers, translating xyzzy.tripod.com to members.tripod.com/xyzzy/. So the caonical URL is legal, but some droid at the ISP forgot (or didn't know) that the alias wasn't. > P.S.: The example about the page size is true ... there is a > generation of collectors ahead who don't know anything > about the ideas behind the prety plasic boxes. My pet hate is typified by pages that use screeds of Javascript to achieve what could have been does more easily and in 1/4th the space using plain sensible HTML -- and which fail to load properly on my machine because I normally have Javascript turned off for safety (it's a Unix box, so the risk is reduced, but you never know -- and I practically *never* turn Java on). For an example of the worst kind of page that needlessly complains when Javascript is disabled, see http://www.enterasys.com/ . It only fails because the error display gets in the way of the links! -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

23 years, 7 months

Saved from garbage truck : TRS80 Model II & disk system! Now keyboard and boot disk/software anyone?

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On May 21, 14:04, Hans Franke wrote: > > http://computer_collector.tripod.com > > Maybe a nice page, but hard to get there ... The Domain name is > invalid, so I can't resolve it and get your page. I've had this problem with Claude's pages before (and some others). I even mailed him about it a while ago. However, I worked out that the alternative is http://members.tripod.com/computer_collector/ (the underscore is legal in the directory name, just not in the domain name or hostname). -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

23 years, 7 months

Intergraph?

by cgoggans＠counterpane.com

Hello... I've somehow managed to acquire a few Intergraph workstations in my lab. I've got a 2000, a 2400, and a 6100. I'm looking for install media for the Clipper UNIX that ran on these machines. Intergraph doesn't seem to know/care/remember anything about CLiX. Does anyone have any ideas where I might track media down?? Thanks, ->Chris

23 years, 7 months

LA210 problem with the control lines

by GOOI＠oce.nl

Hi all. During the weekend I found some time to check the VT102 -> LA210 connection. The suggestion Tony made, was very good. Stupid that I didn't think of it. I connected a VT220 to the VT102 printer port using the BC22D cable. Then I sent characters to the VT220. The letter E showed up as a zero and some other characters. After that nothing appeared on the VT220 screen. It was locked up. Next I connected my Tek 465 to the transmit pin (#2) of the printer port on the VT102. When I do the printer port test (screen full of E's) and send that to the printer port it became obvious why the LA210 prints garbage. Pin #2 is rougly -19 Volts. When characters are sent there are only spikes visible with an amplitude of about 20 V. superimposed on the -19 V. I hope I did not damage the LA210 as the transmit signal with the spikes go to almost -40 V. Or am I making a measurement error? The pin #2 (transmit) on the VT102 printer port is only connected to the (high impedance) input of the oscilloscope. The ground of the Tek is connected to pin #7. Do I need a resistor between pin #2 and ground (#7)? Henk. > -----Original Message----- > From: ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk [mailto:ard@p850ug1.demon.co.uk] > Sent: donderdag 17 mei 2001 21:09 > To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org > Subject: Re: LA210 problem with the control lines > > > > > Hi all. > > > > Yesterday I connected my LA210 Letterprinter to the > > printerport of a VT102. > > Both are set at 9600 Bd, 8 databits, no parity and 1 stopbit. > > However when I send some 5 characters from the VT102 to the > > printer, it prints many mirrored question marks and > > other 'strange' characters. > > Do you _know_ that the printer port on the VT102 is working correctly > (and at the right baud rate)? Try connecting another terminal > (or a PC running a terminal emulator program) in place of the LA210 > and see what happens. > > In many systems, the transmit and receive baudrates are > derived from the same crystal. and in some cases, particularly > printer ports, DEC used the same baud rate generator for the transmit > and receive clocks. > That means, of course, that you can;t select different transmit and > receive speeds, but that's rarely needed for a printer port. > > Now a loopback test checks the port against itself. So, particularly > in the latter case, it could be running at totally the wrong > baud rate and still pass the loopback test. You want to check against > something else, like a PC. > > > Okay, I thought, the baudrate setting, etc. is not correct. > But it is. > > These are the checks I have done so far. > > 1) The used cable is an original DEC BC22D-25. This cable > is mentioned in the LA210 Letterprinter User Guide. > > It's printing something, so the data leads must be the right way round. > And the handshake (control) lines are not important until you > can get the printer to print some characters correctly. > > > I do not understand the message "Control lines failed". > > It's a problem with what are normally called the handshake > lines (RTS, CTS, etc). Either you've not got the right loopback plug > wiring, or you've got a problem on the LA210 logic board. > > > I have no field maintenance print set of the LA210 .... > > Nor do I. I do have the LA100 printset somewhere which is > electrically very similar, though. > > -tony

23 years, 7 months

Weekend finds : carload of Commodore for $10

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On May 21, 9:24, Ethan Dicks wrote: > --- Pete Turnbull <pete(a)dunnington.u-net.com> wrote: > I've seen that with a MicroSoft Bus Mouse - you wack off the funny 8-pin > MS connector and stick on a nine-pin Amiga connector and you are done. I > haven't seen anyone attempt to convert a serial mouse to raw quadrature. > I suppose it could be done. Too easy :-) The page I saw described removing the serial controller from a mouse, and wiring straight to the quadrature connections. http://members.tripod.com/~ilkerf/chard/pc64mice.txt -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

23 years, 7 months

H89 Computer needs good home

by EsterquestDF＠Npt.NUWC.Navy.Mil

I have the computer, dual 8-inch drives, and loads of software. I also have an H8 system. I also have the HUG magazines. Is there any interest??? I can be reached at EsterquestDF(a)Npt.NUWC.Navy.mil Regards,

23 years, 7 months

Weekend finds : carload of Commodore for $10

by claudew＠videotron.ca

I grew up using Commodore equipement at home. Finding Commodore stuff is always fun for me. Friend of mine called and said to go over at this guy's place to empty out all his Commodore stuff for $10. Nothing exotic or really rare here, but I filled my car with: 1 Amiga 2000HD (not looked inside yet for possible goodies like accel boards...) 1 Amiga 500 1 Amiga 1084S monitor 1 Amiga Ext Floppy 1 Mackintosh (Apple clone maker IIRC) branded composite monitor 3 C64s computers 2 1541 drives 1 1541 II drives Approx 1000+ floppies of Commodore software Some original C64 software inbox like Sub Logic Flight Sim for C64...SSIs Computer Baseball... 2 Fast Load + some other assorted C64 carts 1 Mps801 printer 2 Amiga mice 1 Super Graphix Printer Interface for C64 1 C64 Koala Pad (?) Several books like : Mapping the Commodore 64, The Best of TorPet (good reading!) and other books for 6502 programming and similar. 1 Ton of cables and power supplies for all of this 2 Ribbons for the Mps801 1 Sun Mouse (what was that doing in there?) 1 386 clone (he was cleaning out...) Claude http://computer_collector.tripod.com

23 years, 7 months

PDP-11/53

by dittman＠dittman.net

I've been gifted with a PDP-11/53 (or 53+) CPU module. The CPU is from a DECserver 550, and I have the box as well, so I'll be able to build up my PDP-11 there rather than use my BA23 from my MVII. From what I've been able to determine the CPU modules in the DECserver 550 has different ROMs, so I'll need to replace them to make a bootable system. I'll be able to use the Ethernet card in the DECserver 550 (DELQA), and I'll move over my RQDX3 and RD54 drives from the MVII. Since the CPU has 1.5M of RAM I won't need any extra memory (and from reading the PDP-11 history, adding memory off-board adds a real performance hit. So, does any here have a source for bootable ROMs for this CPU? -- Eric Dittman dittman(a)dittman.net

23 years, 7 months

'cross computer movers referrals

by mranalog＠home.com

"Iggy Drougge" <optimus(a)canit.se> said: > Doug Coward skrev: > >"Bruce Ray" <bkr(a)WildHareComputers.com> said > >> moving companies moving RETMA-racked equipment. > > > Are these really pre-1957 racks or is that a > >phrase of habit? > > Could you enlighten us rack nitwits as to what this business is about? Sorry, I have a really bad habit of boiling things down to as few words as possible. I really admirer people that can write emails that go on and on, for page after page. Anyway, before I get off the track, in 1924 a standards organization was formed called the Radio Manufacturers Association (RMA). In 1950, it became the Radio Television Manufacturers Association (RTMA). In 1953 it was renamed Radio Electronics Television Manufacturers Association (RETMA). And in 1957, it was renamed the Electronic Industries Association (EIA). Now, Bruce may have said RETMA out of habit when he meant EIA or these maybe racks from the mid-1950s. Why do I care? The mid-1950s were a time of rapid developments in the field of electronic analog computers. One company, Philbrick Researches developed an extensive line of power supplies, amplifiers, manifolds, and other analog computing components that made to be rack mounted. Cables interconnected the components in the rack. These cables used RETMA connectors. These connector are the diameter of and have pins the size of the base of a octal pin vacuum tube. Of course the pin spacing is different. I have a number of these components, but the connector are difficult to find. That's why my ears always perk up when I read "RETMA". I'm just nosing around to see if there is a bin in back of some surplus store were I might find connectors like these. And if anyone comes across any racks that have a tag saying "GAP/R", I would be VERY interested. Regards, --Doug ========================================= Doug Coward @ home in Poulsbo, WA Analog Computer Online Museum and History Center http://www.best.com/~dcoward/analog =========================================

23 years, 7 months

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test-drb May 2001