was looking over your list of "old computers"...
I worked for Visual Technology/Ontel Corporation from 1983 - 1987. Visual
made two computer products. The V-1050 and the Commuter Computer.
The V-1050 was identical to the Ontel Amigo, but with a different case and
like the Amigo, it ran CP/M. The Amigo ran CP/M 2.2. The V-1050 ran
CP/M-Plus (3.3). The Visual unit, like the Amigo, could support a 5 or 10MB
HD located in an external unit. The drive was connected by a centronics to
centronics cable. The 1050 had two high density floppy drives. I don't
remember how many drives the Amigo supported.
The Commuter Computer was an IBM PC Compatible unit that came with MS-DOS
2.2. These units shipped with a maximum of 512k of ram and a 25 line LCD
display.
This is a great list. It's hard to believe how many companies have changed/
folded over the past twenty years.
John
At long last (three years since V1.28), new version of PUTR.COM is now
available from:
http://www.dbit.com/putr/
-or-
ftp://ftp.bit.com/pub/putr/
PUTR (Peripheral Utility Transfer Routines) is a file transfer utility which
runs under DOS (or in a DOS session) and can exchange files and/or disk images
with DEC file systems and/or media. It has a simple command language which
feels sort of like a stripped-down DOS command interpreter, but extended so
that files on PDP-8 and/or PDP-11 volumes may be accessed the same way as
native DOS files, using familiar commands like DIR, TYPE, COPY, DELETE, etc.
It also can perform more basic functions, like formating DEC-style floppies,
and copying container files to or from real disks.
It supports most of the major PDP-8 and PDP-11 file structures (although the
Files-11 support is currently read-only), and a bunch of minor ones too.
Volumes may be located in PC container files, on PDP-8/PDP-11 floppies (most
DEC formats, including SSSD 8" disks on a suitably equipped PC), raw SCSI
drives (including Zip and MO), TU58 cartridge tapes (connected through a COM
port), and raw CDs.
As always, MAKE A BACKUP OF YOUR DATA BEFORE USING PUTR ON IT. PUTR V2.0 has
many brand new features which have been tested by only one person, so you may
find ways to trip it up that I wouldn't have thought of, and in any case it
always makes sense to be unusually cautious when writing on a foreign file
system. You have been warned!
New features since previous version (V1.28, 06/11/1998):
* Reads Files-11 disks (RSX, IAS, P/OS).
* Reads TSS/8.24 disks.
* Reads/writes RSTS/E disks (RSTS support was read-only in V1.28).
* Reads/writes DOS/BATCH disks.
* Reads/writes XXDP+ disks.
* Reads/writes TSS/8 DECtapes in PUTR.SAV format (but not COPY.SAV format).
* Many new disk drive types (RAxx, RDxx, RMxx, RPxx).
* Image file sizes over usual 2 GB DOS limit (on FAT32 systems only), up to
(almost) 4 GB.
* Raw CD-ROMs may be accessed through MSCDEX (used to support SCSI CDs only),
on real DOS anyway (Windows 95/98 MSCDEX emulation is buggy).
* FORMAT /MSCP command now accepts BLOCKS, MB etc. keywords in file size (so
you don't need a calculator to convert blocks to bytes).
* Bugs fixed.
----------
Also, a new version of the "ST.EXE" SCSI tape utility is now at:
ftp://ftp.dbit.com/pub/ibmpc/util/st.exe
-and-
ftp://ftp.dbit.com/pub/ibmpc/util/st.txt
This is a simple utility for manipulating SCSI tapes, including DEC TZ30 and
TK50Z-GA tape drives, SCSI 9-track drives, and other tapes with 9-track-ish
semantics, like DLT or 4 mm DAT. It provides many of the same basic commands
as the UNIX "mt" utility (space N records in either direction, write a tape
mark, rewind, etc.), but also has IGET and IPUT commands which copy between a
real tape, and a tape image file in Ersatz-11's format (which is also used by
some other emulators).
Changes since V1.0:
* IGET and IPUT now take an optional record length parameter.
If this value is specified, then the image file is assumed *not* to contain
blocking information and all bytes are treated as data, at the specified
fixed record length (so it works like the UNIX "dd" utility).
* Source code is now available.
John Wilson
D Bit
Hi all.
Yes, I enjoy making trades with a lot of people on classiccmp...I have done
many and given away a lotta stuff too...I make friends and contacts and the
stuff gets delivered to my door and I dont spend long days hunting in garage
sales and flea markets....
I see a lot of posts of people offering stuff lately and I think this is
great...
Would this be a good idea having a kinda "central classiccmp collector
trader list site" where people could post their trade/wish lists in a
"standard format" and this could be searched by location, parts, interests
and such? Would this not be a good way of encouraging trades and help people
complete machines and find parts...?
Would there be enough people interested?
Who has the will, time, knowledge and web space? Anyone?
Claude
http://www.members.tripod.com/computer_collector
Hi
I have an old Spigot video capture Mac nubus card and have no software or
manuals. I think the software was called Screenplay.
I looked at the radiusvintage site and I cant find it anywhere. Anybody can
help me on this?
Claude
http://www.members.tripod.com/computer_collector
I have the following bits 'n piece of NeXT Cube/NeXT equipment
available to interested parties. You can have what you like for the
cost of shipping, or an even swap for any items on my want list:
NeXT
----
1 rear cover for 030 cube (ie. "NeXT Computer") with original fan (ie.
spins backward), will fit on all Cubes
3 screws for rear cover
3 slot-covers (I know someone needs some of these =)
1 Complete set of upper and lower card tracks
1 Cube Logo for front of case (good condition)
3 rubber feet for Cube bottom with screws
4 dowels (these hold the three sections of the
Cube together).
1 Backplane, working
1 3-meter monitor cable (one end is loose), working
1 Optical drive, working
3 030 System boards with various RAM configuration and
batteries, none have NBIC chips, all working
1 Refurbished power supply with center tower, working,
clean.
1 ADB keyboard, no cord, good cosmetic condition,
good for replacement key caps.
2 NON-ADB keyboards, working, poor cosmetic condition,
logo good condition
1 NON-ADB mouse, working, poor cosmetic condition, logo
good condition
2 screws for front bezel
NON-NeXT/misc.
--------
1 Complete Digiboard EISA Xem with 8-port ports module,
cable, loopback plug, manuals and software. Working,
complete, never used. This would be great to connect
a bunch of old PC's to a UNIX server, for BBS, terminals,
etc. Works with Linux, SCO, NT, etc.
1 Digiboard Classicboard 4 port, no cable (new)
1 Digiboard Classicboard 8 port, no cable (new)
1 IBM Logo manual in linen-bound yellow binder (has some
marks and glue on slipcover), missing disk.
1 IBM MS-DOS 2.10 manual, missing disks
Viking 56K external hardware modem, AC adapter, and manuals.
My want list:
-------------
IBM PC 360K full height floppy drives
IBM PC floppy controllers
IBM PC monochrome monitor/printer cards
IBM PC CGA cards
IBM PCjr internal modems & cables
IBM PCjr cartridge BASIC and manuals
IBM PC power supply
Any interesting PCjr sidecards, sans. memory expansion
sidecard
Any PCjr expansion unit type addon that has a second
floppy drive and more memory (working, complete)
IBM PCjr chiclet keyboards
AST Sixpack or similar multi-function cards for IBM PC
SCREWS! I need any kind of screws for the PC - chassis,
expansion card, floppy drives, etc.
IBM PC's you no longer want, with some of the items
above. Working or not, need for parts, will pay shipping.
NeXT 2.88MB/OD front bezels for Cube
Lisa Keyboard
Mounting hardware for floppies (Cube) and NeXT floppy cables
(Cube)
One set of rubber "rollers" for the front feet of the NeXT
N7000 monitor
One set of rear feet for the rear of the NeXT N7000 monitor
Ultra2 LVD SCSI cables for 3+ drives, needs to be new
If you want to trade, drop me a line off the list and we'll
talk.
- Jeff
I used the AY-3-8910 as the heart of a music board for my 11/10
years ago... I had it connected to a DR11-C (16 bit parallel
interface). A friend at the time designed a circuit which allowed
me to connect a couple of SGC chips and control them, and another
friend had translated the stanford music compiler to pdp-11 code
and we got it all working... at one point, I had the keyboard
of the console VT52 setup to be like a piano...
Megan Gentry
Former RT-11 Developer
+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com |
| Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com |
| Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' |
| 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 KB1FCA |
+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
On June 12, John Allain wrote:
> Anybody want to say a word or two about 205's?
> My recollection was that it was the first Seymour Cray
> machine, probably about 20+ MIPS, probably fixed/short
> electrical path, and probably rectangular (pre circular)
> shape. Anything right?
Oh nonono. Seymour Cray was one of the founders of CDC in 1957. He
was the primary architect of nearly all of their early machines, the
first of which I believe was the 1604, introduced in 1958.
Seymour Cray left CDC in 1972 to form Cray Research, the first
product of which was the Cray 1 which shipped in 1976.
About the Cyber 205...CDC started the design of the "Star 100" in
the mid 1960s. It wasn't completed until 1973, and being based on
1960s technology, it wasn't competitive. It was redesigned in newer
LSI technology and re-released as the "Cyber 203E" in 1979. Shortly
thereafter it was renamed to "Cyber 205".
But yes, it is rectangular. And big. I would give my right arm to
be able to restore/preserve/own a functional Cyber205 (or any Cyber
for that matter, anybody have a smaller one available?)...the one at
Purdue seems to have been gutted, sigh.
-Dave McGuire
I'm so mad. I'm watching on Ebay now as a greedy seller takes
apart a PCjr, and parts out the individual pieces for obscene
amounts of money compared the the cost of an intact system
unit.
We're talking almost a complete disassembly - he has even
removed the IR receiver for the keyboard from the motherboard,
and is selling that bundled with a keyboard. That part has
no use without the motherboard.
The power card, floppy drive card, parallel printer sidecar,
and the "RARE" 64Kb memory card are also being listed
separately.
I polite email to the seller suggesting that the machine is more
valuable as a unit basically came back as "I sold one part,
the rest is all gravy, I know what I'm doing so mind your own
business."
So distasteful .... I wish there was a way to blacklist people
like this.
Mike
Hello all...
This message is directed at those you who are actively
performing data recovery on old 7-track and 9-track
tapes.
Last summer, just before I toasted my Prime, I was
successful at reading data off tapes that were not
previously readable (and by previously I mean MY
attempts in the weeks prior to that night had failed).
The tapes had been stored in a basement that flooded.
Then, they were not recovered from the basement until
it was pretty much dry (two years later). Oxide was
falling off. There was lots of either mineral precipitate
or some kinda lichens or fungus growing on the tape.
I couldn't even read the label on one of them.
I thought judicious cleaning of the tape head might
help. I kept trying, no luck. Then I started to drink.
As the alcohol took affect, I got a wild idea. My
drive is a Cipher F880 streamer. You can slide it
out of the rack tray, and if you enter the right
sequence of button presses, you can unlock the
front door, and even better, the top lid, which
provides access to the tape path during operation.
So, I took a cleaning swab, soaked it in cleaner
(not Freon TF, and likely a poor substitute) and
applied it against the tape, directly before the
tape read head. It immediately stopped re-trying,
and started streaming!
When the swab would get dry, I'd pull it away, and
almost immediately, the drive would start retrying
until once again, I brought the wet swab against
the tape.
Doubtless, this is going to leave all kinds of crud
on the tape path, and might even shorten the drive's
life.
But Cipher F880's are a dime a dozen; data on tapes
a bit more rare.
Has anyone else ever tried this? I know what you're
thinking, flaky jerk, getting drunk and burning up
vintage hardware. But it worked! I spent a few hours
looking at the files to make sure they were intact;
they were. I transferred some of them, but not all,
as I don't have a transfer program to get stuff off
the Prime right now (other than to simply list it
and capture the listing).
I have other tapes right now that I'd like read; I sent
them to someone who tried, and they said they could
not even read the first block, indicating that they
might be 7-track instead of 9-track (possible).
Anyway, there it is, bread cast upon the waters. With
any luck at all, I'll get a sandwich out of it.
Regards,
-doug q
Is there anyone in the Dallas area that would be interested
in a couple of VAXstation 3100 boxes? They both have color
video boards (not sure of the model, though), but one of the
boards has a problem. One unit has no memory other than the
4MB on-board. The other unit has two optional memory boards
for a total of 32MB. One of the units has a dual SCSI board
and the other has a SCSI/MFM board (and a defective floppy
drive). One of the systems was also modified with the faster
clock, but a socket was installed so it can be restored to
the usual speed.
Neither of the units have any internal hard drives. I can't
remember if they have the internal cables, but I think they
do.
I haven't used these in about three years, having upgraded
to a VAXstation 4000/60. I don't want to ship them, so if
you are in the area you can have them both for $50, or if
you think that's too much, make an offer.
If I don't have any local takers I'll be open to shipping
them.
--
Eric Dittman
dittman(a)dittman.net