January 2002 - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

by doc＠mdrconsult.com

Well, I got irritated with the keyboard (ever try to use vi without the Escape key) and jerked it apart. Very gently. 1) I'm certain that it's re-badged OEM, not IBM-built. All the screws, internal and external, are Phillips. 2) It's not a double membrane, it's rubber cups over a PCB, with foil inserts in the caps. The traces on the PCB were covered with unidentified goop. *Only* under the Escape key. I dunno. 3) It works now. 4) Thanks, Tony. Even though this one bore no resemblance to your instructions, sometimes *thinking* you have a clue is as good as the real thing. On to TCP/IP, NFS, and maybe a game or two of hangman. Speaking of hangman, is it just me, or is the NetBSD port of hangman purely evil? Come on, now. "Prolegomenous?" Seriously, I've played hangman on a bunch of different Unices, and the recent NetBSD hangman is by far the hardest I've ever seen. Doc

23 years, 6 months

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Sniing was Re: Microdata "Microprogramming Handbook"

by jfoust＠threedee.com

At 04:28 PM 1/26/2002 -0600, Tothwolf wrote: > I do have a problem >with wannabe dealers messing up the local auctions by bidding things up >higher then they are worth, and then trying unsuccessfully to sell them at >extremely high prices on ebay. You haven't been to enough auctions. You'll get over it. :-) - John

23 years, 6 months

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Wanted: manual for Toshiba T4800CT docking station

by pb＠Colorado.EDU

Hi. I'm wondering if anyone has any documentation for the docking station for a Toshiba T4800CT laptop. I'm embarassed to admit that I can't even figure out how to access the drive bay on the station. For those of you with extensive collections (or access to extensive documentation libraries), the part number for the docking station is PA2701U, and it's called a "Desk Station IV." Thanks in advance. PB Schechter

23 years, 6 months

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Sniing was Re: Microdata "Microprogramming Handbook"

by jfoust＠threedee.com

At 02:07 PM 1/26/2002 -0600, Tothwolf wrote: >What I am saying, is that I often see idiot wannabe dealers overpay for >*junk* at the local auctions, not even knowing what they are buying, all >the while thinking they can make a fast buck off of "suckers" on ebay. This behavior is self-limiting due to finite pocketbooks. We can't make the poor go away, and we can't prevent poor business sense. >Again, what I am getting at is ebay itself has spawned a whole new >generation of get-rich-quick idiots who buy up stuff at local auctions for >inflated prices and try to sell it at an even higher price on ebay. And that's all because you *can* make money buying low and selling high, depending on exactly what it is that you can become expert enough to acquire and sell. There's been plenty of times when I've bought something for $100 or less and sold it for $1000 or more. I may be getting old, but that's exciting. - John

23 years, 6 months

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LEAST valuable collectibles (was: Apple II boards

by CLeyson＠aol.com

In a message dated 25/01/02 18:11:34 Pacific Standard Time, vaxzilla(a)jarai.org writes: > > > Cmon, what could possibly be less valuable than an Apple ][+? A C64 > > > perhaps... > Apple ][ are not that common in the UK. To me an HP85 that chews tapes would be less valuable than an Apple ][ Chris

23 years, 6 months

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Z-100 serial ports

by acme_ent＠bellsouth.net

Please see below. > From: Don Maslin <donm(a)cts.com> > Date: Thursday, January 24, 2002 2:55 PM > > On Thu, 24 Jan 2002, Glen Goodwin wrote: > > > Although I have (I believe) all of the manuals for the Zenith Z-100 (not > > Z-100 pc), I cannot find any reference to the serial ports on this box. > > > > What are the addresses of the DTE and DCE ports? I'd like to write some > > assembly code to access these devices (under CP/M-86) but want to control > > them at the hardware level instead of making BDOS calls. > The overlay for MEX (CP/M-80) says that the modem port - presumably > DTE - is 0D8H. It does not mention the DCE port. Do both processors > share the same seriak and parallel ports? > - don 2nd question first -- yes, the same ports are used regardless of the MPU. 1st question -- found some info in the 2nd manual under "programming data" (I was looking for *hardware" data!): 2661 Serial A (Printer Port) 0E8-0EB 2661 Serial B (Modem Port) 0EC-0EF Now I need to know exactly what the control and data addresses for these ports are. Maybe the first number is data and the second control, or the other way around? I'm not familiar with the 2661 -- any pointers? Hey -- I'll bet Tony knows! Thanks again, Glen 0/0

23 years, 6 months

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LEAST valuable collectibles (was: Apple II boards

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Jan 24, 15:34, Jeffrey S. Sharp wrote: > Lawrence LeMay said: > > Cmon, what could possibly be less valuable than an Apple ][+? A C64 > > perhaps... > > Old printer ribbons. No, you can re-ink printer ribbons :-) -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

23 years, 6 months

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Sniing was Re: Microdata "Microprogramming Handbook"

by jfoust＠threedee.com

At 09:09 PM 1/25/2002 -0600, Tothwolf wrote: >I was quite sick when I saw the seller trying to sell these off to >uneducated buyers on ebay for $50 each. If someone had indeed bought one >at that price, they would have been tempted to try to repair it when it >did not work. People qualified to work on these units would tend to be >educated buyers and not even consider paying $50 for a dead unit. What are you suggesting? That a warning label might've saved their lives, or just saved them from parting from their cash? Or that the auctioneer's job is to accurately represent the state of each gizmo, as opposed to saying "all sales as-is and final", which is far easier and still manages to attract plenty of buyers. (This reminds me of the old marketing joke "If Company X was in charge of Kentucky Fried Chicken, they'd call the product "Hot Dead Chicken." Just to keep it on-topic, I know this joke was repeated quite often in the Commodore market over the years.) The whole point of an auction is that it's a good way to maximize profit while making a big pile of junk disappear. Evaluating the goods (accurately or professionally) and warning the buyers about nitpicks isn't profitable. Maybe someone buys dead UPSes to recover the lead in the batteries, who knows. And auctions are great fun for game theorists and economists, many of whom have made careers and won gold medals for determining nifty phenomena such as the way that the winner tends to overpay. - John

23 years, 6 months

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RT 6150 Lives! (Long!)

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On January 26, SUPRDAVE(a)aol.com wrote: > > Wouldn't it be easier to run diags? > > It might, but I don't have any. The big pile of RT disks that I got > from BSD Bob were mistakenly left in a storage locker in Maryland, and > I won't be able to get to them for at least another month. :-( >> > > I think I have a diagnostice floppy somewhere that I found in a stack of > unrelated floppies. Talk about serendipity! I guess regular old diskcopy > would work on them. Doc put some images up on his FTP server for me. Thanks for the thought, though. :-) -Dave -- Dave McGuire St. Petersburg, FL "Less talk. More synthohol." --Lt. Worf

23 years, 6 months

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Probably OT : Atari anti-aircraft game....

by jos.mar＠bluewin.ch

I don't know if it is valuable and/or collectible, but for those interested in old games consoles : a complete looking 1975 Atari anti-aircraft game is available at a local Salvation Army shop. (Local is : Zurich, Switzerland . jos Dreesen

23 years, 6 months

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Craftsman (was: Microdata "Microprogramming Handbook"

by mythtech＠Mac.com

>It was quite a shock a few years ago, when I started seeing Craftsman >tools for sale at OSH (Orchard Supply Hardware) OSH is a Sears company, so is I believe "Village Hardware", they are their Home Depot competition stores. -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

23 years, 6 months

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6150 keyboard

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

In a message dated 1/26/2002 3:39:59 AM Eastern Standard Time, vance(a)ikickass.org writes: << > Well, I got irritated with the keyboard (ever try to use vi without > the Escape key) and jerked it apart. Very gently. > > 1) I'm certain that it's re-badged OEM, not IBM-built. All the screws, > internal and external, are Phillips. IBM's keyboards were always built by Lexmark. Recently (a few years ago), Lexmark spun off their keyboard operation, which was swalllowed up by Unicomp. This keyboard was built before IBM spun off Lexmark, which means it was built by IBM. > 2) It's not a double membrane, it's rubber cups over a PCB, with foil > inserts in the caps. The traces on the PCB were covered with > unidentified goop. *Only* under the Escape key. I dunno. The mechanism in IBM keyboards is called a "buckling spring mechanism". >> I've two RT keyboards. One is buckling spring and the other has quiet keys and seems like a cheaper version. -- Antique Computer Virtual Museum www.nothingtodo.org

23 years, 6 months

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RT 6150 Lives! (Long!)

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

In a message dated 1/25/2002 11:30:34 PM Eastern Standard Time, mcguire(a)neurotica.com writes: << On January 25, Doc wrote: > > I think there might be a tape controller board of some sort (with no > > drive) in mine. I will crack it open and find out. Do you know what > > the FRU number would be on the 6157? > > Wouldn't it be easier to run diags? It might, but I don't have any. The big pile of RT disks that I got from BSD Bob were mistakenly left in a storage locker in Maryland, and I won't be able to get to them for at least another month. :-( >> I think I have a diagnostice floppy somewhere that I found in a stack of unrelated floppies. Talk about serendipity! I guess regular old diskcopy would work on them. -- Antique Computer Virtual Museum www.nothingtodo.org

23 years, 6 months

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BBC Micro

by CLeyson＠aol.com

I recently stumbled upon some schematics for a reverse engineered BBC Master Video ULA. Dammed if I can find the URL. Anybody seen these schematics ? Chris

23 years, 6 months

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Comark

by alanjones＠pgen.net

Can anyone help with a circuit diagram for a Comark 1905 insulation tester? makers won't help. Alan Jones

23 years, 6 months

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OT? Yahoo Free Listing Day

by csmith＠amdocs.com

> -----Original Message----- > From: Ben Franchuk [mailto:bfranchuk@jetnet.ab.ca] > Now where all the female programer types when you want them? :) Very difficult to find. Chris Christopher Smith, Perl Developer Amdocs - Champaign, IL /usr/bin/perl -e ' print((~"\x95\xc4\xe3"^"Just Another Perl Hacker.")."\x08!\n"); '

23 years, 6 months

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QFP soldering

by Lee.Davison＠merlincommunications.com

Richard Cini wrote... So, here's the stupid question...how do I solder these things? Do I hold the iron parallel or perpendicular to the package leads? The board is pre-tinned, but I should I also tin the QFP leads? Neither. The best way to home solder these things is to use solder paste and a toaster oven, there's an article on www.seattlerobotics.org on how to do this. If you must use a soldering iron use a large bit (4.5 to 6 mm) and run along the edge of the tinned section, not quite touching the pins, and allow the solder to wick into the joints. Don't worry about solder bridges, these can be removed later with solder wick and a good flux. If you make a complete mess of it remove the chip using a hot air gun then clean the board with solder wick removing any left over flux with solvent and try again. Also use a soldering iron of at least 45W with a temperature controlled bit. The easiest way to practice is with the chips on scrap PC motherboards ... see they do have a use 8^)= Lee. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- This email is intended only for the above named addressee(s). The information contained in this email may contain information which is confidential. The views expressed in this email are personal to the sender and do not in any way reflect the views of the company. If you have received this email and you are not a named addressee please delete it from your system and contact Merlin Communications International IT Department on +44 20 7344 5888. ________________________________________________________________________ This e-mail has been scanned for all viruses by Star Internet. The service is powered by MessageLabs. For more information on a proactive anti-virus service working around the clock, around the globe, visit: http://www.star.net.uk ________________________________________________________________________

23 years, 6 months

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RT 6150 Lives! (Long!)

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On January 25, Doc wrote: > > > Wouldn't it be easier to run diags? > > > > It might, but I don't have any. The big pile of RT disks that I got > > from BSD Bob were mistakenly left in a storage locker in Maryland, and > > I won't be able to get to them for at least another month. :-( > > ftp://ftp.dementia.org/pub/rt/diags.[1-3].gz > ^^^^^ list-box... > dd floppy images. Ahhhhhh, most excellent. Thanks! :-) -Dave -- Dave McGuire St. Petersburg, FL "Less talk. More synthohol." --Lt. Worf

23 years, 6 months

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RT 6150 Lives! (Long!)

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On January 25, Doc wrote: > > I think there might be a tape controller board of some sort (with no > > drive) in mine. I will crack it open and find out. Do you know what > > the FRU number would be on the 6157? > > Wouldn't it be easier to run diags? It might, but I don't have any. The big pile of RT disks that I got >from BSD Bob were mistakenly left in a storage locker in Maryland, and I won't be able to get to them for at least another month. :-( -Dave -- Dave McGuire St. Petersburg, FL "Less talk. More synthohol." --Lt. Worf

23 years, 6 months

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More E&S Research...

by root＠diablonet.net

Hi everyone! I've been doing a little bit more research on this strange Evans and Sutherland computer that turned up at the University of Michigan property disposition warehouse, and I thought I'd mention some of it here in case anyone were interested. I was doing a little more determined Web-surfing, and, as far as I can tell, this machine was not an ES-3, but an ESV-3. With that information in hand, I turned up some of the following information. * These machines were based upon the MIPS R3000 microprocessor. They seem to have been as powerful (at least processor wise) as an SGI Personal IRIS 4D/35 or a lowball (R3000) SGI Indigo. I'm still quite curious as to their graphics capabilities, though. How would these have compared to the Elan graphics system that SGI would have been selling around this time? How about GTX/GTXB/RealityEngine graphics on the larger Power Series and Crimson machines? Any ideas? * They seemed to commonly have between 32 and 64 megabytes of RAM, and between 500 to 1000 megabytes of hard disk storage installed (probably) as standard. * They ran an operating system called ES/OS, which as far as I can tell was some sort of UNIX derivative that also ran the X Window System. It doesn't look like it got much farther than version 2.x. * They seem to have been quite popular in the chemical modeling field, and were also used in X-Ray Crystallography (sp?). So, I'll see what I can do about going back there and picking it up perhaps sometime next week. Unfortunately, the University wants $100 for it, and as I said earlier, the system is lacking the keyboard, mouse, and monitor (and I imagine that these do not show up very often), so I'll still probably be deliberating this purchase a little bit. Interestingly enough, I found a mailing list message in Google's cache (circa 1999) soliciting a source for replacement E&S ESV systems from the University here as one had broken... I wonder if this was it! :) If it is, it sure gives one a feel for the speed of the property disposition pipeline! Ah, yeah, I'll take a look at how much they want for that DG dual floppy drive as well. I wouldn't imagine it's going anywhere quickly. :) Kind regards, Sean -- Sean Caron http://www.diablonet.net scaron(a)engin.umich.edu root(a)diablonet.net

23 years, 6 months

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VAX enthusiasm taken to the next level

by vaxzilla＠jarai.org

I haven't seen this sent to the list yet even though it's a bit old at this stage. It's on-topic for certain, but if you have any issues w.r.t. vintage and contemporary computer erotica, I suggest you skip over this message and move on to the next. http://www.livejournal.com/talkread.bml?itemid=19252878 In some recent discussions with Kibo, we'd agreed that any fetish which can be conceived by human intelligence, most probably exists. The above represents one I speculated would exist, but I think this qualifies as the first example of it I've seen. I've read about the student "art film" done with SAIL and an "attachment" to a robotic arm that system controlled. Also of note, I did e-mail her to ask what OS she was running on the VAX. Apparently the system isn't hers (points deducted). She doesn't know what OS it has on it (points deducted), and she believes it isn't even an operational MicroVAX-II (even more points deducted). I mean, sure, having the naked woman option with your VAX is great and all, but if the VAX doesn't actually work then what's the point? I believe she programs as well, so this is relevant to one of the other threads here about female programmers... And I do mean it's RELEVANT though certainly not representative-- at least not based on my experiences. -brian.

23 years, 6 months

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Apple IIc+ boot disk for DOS3.3

by JHat385375＠aol.com

I saw your message about an boot disk dos for apple computer i have a power computer that apple own my boss try to load another os on to the computer and now it does not power up with a system on it can you tell how to get a boot disk.

23 years, 6 months

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RT 6150 Lives! (Long!)

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On January 25, SUPRDAVE(a)aol.com wrote: > Mine runs AIX 2.2.1, but just in mono and I need a 6157 controller card so I > can use my tape drive. I think my RT has a 286 development board in it and I > have the software to run it still wrapped up. I might have to power it up and > see what i've been missing. I think there might be a tape controller board of some sort (with no drive) in mine. I will crack it open and find out. Do you know what the FRU number would be on the 6157? -Dave -- Dave McGuire St. Petersburg, FL "Less talk. More synthohol." --Lt. Worf

23 years, 6 months

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RT 6150 Lives! (Long!)

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

In a message dated 1/25/2002 6:28:18 PM Eastern Standard Time, mcguire(a)neurotica.com writes: << On January 25, Doc Shipley wrote: > There are numerous refernces to the use of IDE drives in the RT > newsgroup. Although AIX actually will install in 70MB, it leaves little > room to play in. Plus, that one E70 alone was warming my house and > whining loudly enough to make my cats cry. Oh wow...I didn't know you could do that. I have a 6150 here (from BSD Bob) that I'd love to stick some more disk in. I will have to investigate this further. :) > I've been offered a copy of 4.4BSD/Romp for it, which I may try out. > I'd like to try AOS, but I can't find the full distribution, just the > tools, updates, and diagnostic utilities. I'm running 4.4BSD on mine. It's a really neat machine. I just got a megapel board for it (thanks Gordon!) and now I need to find a tube and a mouse. >> Mine runs AIX 2.2.1, but just in mono and I need a 6157 controller card so I can use my tape drive. I think my RT has a 286 development board in it and I have the software to run it still wrapped up. I might have to power it up and see what i've been missing. -- Antique Computer Virtual Museum www.nothingtodo.org

23 years, 6 months

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RT 6150 Lives! (Long!)

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On January 25, Doc Shipley wrote: > There are numerous refernces to the use of IDE drives in the RT > newsgroup. Although AIX actually will install in 70MB, it leaves little > room to play in. Plus, that one E70 alone was warming my house and > whining loudly enough to make my cats cry. Oh wow...I didn't know you could do that. I have a 6150 here (from BSD Bob) that I'd love to stick some more disk in. I will have to investigate this further. :) > I've been offered a copy of 4.4BSD/Romp for it, which I may try out. > I'd like to try AOS, but I can't find the full distribution, just the > tools, updates, and diagnostic utilities. I'm running 4.4BSD on mine. It's a really neat machine. I just got a megapel board for it (thanks Gordon!) and now I need to find a tube and a mouse. -Dave -- Dave McGuire St. Petersburg, FL "Less talk. More synthohol." --Lt. Worf

23 years, 6 months

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Sniing was Re: Microdata "Microprogramming Handbook"

by rigdonj＠cfl.rr.com

Hi Guys, Can I throw in my 2 cents worth? ><snip> > >Hmmm. I guess then an xBox being sold at a price above the MSRP is not >'too high' of a price. Apparntly not. I've seen the same thing at flea-markets and other "live" events. BUT one of the things that affect this is the fact that the MSRP aren't the same eveywhere. I used to collect HP calculators but I almost never bought any from E-bay. Why? Because calculators that sold new in this country (USA) for say $250 sold for twice as much in Europe and other places simply due to the import tariffs that their countries charge. As result, I might be willing to pay say $150 for the same model used but someone in Europe is happy to pay $300 or more. Well above the MSRP. In short there are lots of factors that affect the price more than MSRP. It all goes back to the law of supply and demand. Where HP 9825s are common and cheap in this country, they're rare and expensive in Europe. Or the example of dead UPS's being sold for $50 a >pop. Did you ever stop to consider that the buyer might know somehing that you don't? Perhaps he is knowledgeable on that model and knows that 90% of the "dead" ones can be fixed by changing an internal fuse even when the manufacturer claims that "there are no user serviceable parts inside". Or a CISC AS/400 being sold for $140k. Sorry, but a lot of the time >things are available for much lower prices outside of eBay than they are >on eBay. I COMPLETELY agree! My personal opinion: E-bay is for people that are too lazy to search out there own bargains. Example: I've found TWO Altairs in the last three years. Both of them were FREE. OTOH I could have bought one from E-bay and paid a rediculous price for it. Don't get me wrong, there are some great bargains to be had on E-bay but I'm sick and tired of people complaining about E-bay prices. It just like shopping at Sears, if you think their price is too high THEN DON'T SHOP THERE. Ignorant people go around buying and selling things for much >more than they're worth on eBay. Wrong! It takes at least two bidders to push the price up. Therefore at least two people think that it's worth that much. I wouldn't pay $100,000+ for a Rolls-Royce but that down't mean they aren't "worth" it. > >I personally have no problem with bid sniping. I've done it myself a >number of times. The problem lies in the fact that some people do not >have enough FINANCIAL RESOURCES to be bidding 2x what something is worth >on eBay. That's fact of life, Get used to it! That's like complaining because you can't afford a Rolls-Royce and someone else can. As a college student that has just been laid off from my job at >Purdue (!) I know what it's like. Sure, there are a lot of good deals to >be had on eBay, but there are also plenty of bad deals. But no one is forcing you to buy those bad deals. So take the good ones and leave the rest. That's how you "win" on E-bay. Joe

23 years, 6 months

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VAXstation newbie

by alan.pearson＠cramer.com

After 13 years off I'm finally going to get to play with a VAX again (the last system I used was an 11/785!) - I've found a VAXstation 3100, and it should be landing on my doorstep in the next week :) Happy happy happy! Finding a VAX that's small enough for "Al's Toy Barn" hasn't been easy, they don't seem to be that common here in the UK (UK classiccmpers correct me if I'm wrong, and please point me in the right direction ;-)). A couple of "newbie" VAXish questions: The box I'm getting is just that - no monitor/keyboard/mouse etc - I've read that you can use the printer port for the console so I'm planning using that. I'm not bothered about using DECwindows, console is just fine thanks ;-) Since I don't have any "real" terminals I've got various options.. the most likely is to use my ST's VT52 emulator (got to keep it "classic"!) - anyone tried this? Other options are to use the TERMINAL package on one of my BBC Masters, hook it up to the Linux box, or use the Windows terminal emulator. I guess I need a null modem cable to hook the 3100 up to whatever I'm using for the terminal, right? There's no backup media for the OS - any ideas where I'd get VMS on floppies? (It has a floppy drive, no CD). Or do I need to hook up a CD? Also, does anyone know what version of VMS shipped with the 3100s? Cheers Al.

23 years, 6 months

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RS M100 wanted

by mhstein＠canada.com

I have a friend in AZ who is a sometime writer and would love to have an AlphaSmart: http://www.streettech.com/archives_hardware/alphaSmartPro.html Alas, her current finances aren't up to it, and it occurred to me that, especially after the recent bunch of free M100/102s, someone on this list might have a spare one they'd like to contribute and make an old woman happy in the meantime (good thing she doesn't read this list or she'd kill me). Anybody? And maybe a null modem cable to let her transfer .do files to a PC? mike

23 years, 6 months

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Microdata "Microprogramming Handbook"

by pat＠transarc.ibm.com

I happened across one of these recently, and have no real interest in Microdata. So, I've listed the thing on eBay, check it out if interested... http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1326034396 --Pat.

23 years, 6 months

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REALLY Re: Mastersport 386SX

by acme_ent＠bellsouth.net

> From: Dave Mabry <dmabry(a)mich.com> > I used to have the computer he was referring to in the original post, a > Zenith MastersPort SX and it's AC adapter was an inline variety. Cords > on both ends. I never would have guessed it being called a wart. Having never seen the transformer/power supply/wart/whatever, I didn't know it was of the inline variety. Does anyone have the specs on this thing??? Glen 0/0

23 years, 6 months

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Sniing was Re: Microdata "Microprogramming Handbook"

by CLeyson＠aol.com

In a message dated 25/01/02 12:57:14 Pacific Standard Time rigdonj(a)cfl.rr.com writes: <snip> > But no one is forcing you to buy those bad deals. So take the good ones > and leave the rest. That's how you "win" on E-bay. > > Joe I totally agree with Joe. There are some nice bargains to be had and some truly awful crap. So far I think I'm breaking even on the bargain and crap score. As the Ebay novelty wears off I've learnt to more choosy in what I buy. Over time you learn who are the good guys, the re-sellers, collectors or enthusiasts making an honest living, and the bad guys who just jump on the band wagon and push up the prices. If you really want something there are lots of places to look besides Ebay. Chris

23 years, 6 months

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SOL video monitor

by CLeyson＠aol.com

No. But I have a Panasonic WV-CM140 monitor if that rings any bells. Colour monitor composite video only, no RGB. Chris

23 years, 6 months

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Sniing was Re: Microdata "Microprogramming Handbook"

by CLeyson＠aol.com

In a message dated 25/01/02 14:31:21 Pacific Standard Time, bfranchuk(a)jetnet.ab.ca writes: > Well tell me, I would like to know what other on-line places are there > to look for older equipment. > BTW, I'm located in the UK so Ebay.co.uk is very poor in terms of choice. 'Ebay dot com' on the other hand is a totally different ball game so for you it is like one stop shopping. As an example - on one day there were thirty (yes three zero) items listed under "Test Equipment" in the UK and 1500 on Ebay.com. Sometimes I go hunting for RF test gear and to be honest you guys on the other side of the pond are spoilt. The same applies to vintage computer equipment. All you get on UK Ebay is Spectrums, C64's and Atari 1600's, mostly games I must add. There is a good selection of Acorn hardware but that's about it. Early SBC stuff is rare (KIM and AIM65 etc). DEC and HP hardly ever appear on ebay.co.uk Many electronic test equipment dealers have surplus computer equipment for sale, especially in the US and Canada. It all depends on what you are looking for. I've often found that dealers haven't got the time to keep their websites up to date and often don't list many items. If I'm looking for a particular piece of hardware or perhaps a service manual I find that an email sometimes gets a favorable response. Google is another option, and I often spend hours following links to sites that may have an item I'm looking for. In fact I sometimes spend hours following link to loads of other interesting sites just for the hell of it. It's like being let loose in a library for the very first time :-) I hope that's put things into perspective Ben. BTW if I was happy paying the postage and import duties then Ebay.com would be one stop shopping for me. Post Script: For books try Abebooks.com Best Regards Chris

23 years, 6 months

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0
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HP2671G + fax paper

by ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk

A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text Size: 643 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.classiccmp.org/pipermail/cctalk/attachments/20020124/ac3f797d/at…

23 years, 6 months

2
2
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RT 6150 Lives! (Long!)

by csmith＠amdocs.com

> -----Original Message----- > From: Doc Shipley [mailto:doc@mdrconsult.com] > I was able to find archived images of AIX v2.2.1 (which, > interestingly > enough, I may be able to use *legally*. IBM permits their AIX > instructors to run AIX on personal machines for private/non-commercial > machines. I'm NOT gonna call Mr. Wolden and ask....) The archive > includes VRM, BOS and Extended Utilities, all IBM's updates & patches, > the NFS add-ons, man pages (IBM *still* provides the man pages as a > separate product!), TCP/IP, and some GNU stuff. And the all-important > Diags disk set. Any idea what the version overlap (if any) is between RT and RS/6000? In other words, are there any versions that would boot on either machine? This is just curiosity for now. > every IBM I've > ever worked on required the ritual blood sacrifice before booting. Most machines require that occasionally. > You need a "dumb" ISA IDE/floppy controller. It must be set to > secondary IDE and primary floppy. Any serial/parallel/game ports will > probably have to be disabled. The RT will boot from a secondary IDE Heh. :) Maybe for a project you could get the game ports working? ;) > Still to do: > Find vi. I haven't installed the Extended set yet. Please > Gods don't > make me use ed. Until I read that, I was going to suggest that you could just use ed. > Yee-Haw. I now have AIX v2.2.1, toys, tools & updates, on 5.25 > floppy! Congratulations. Chris Christopher Smith, Perl Developer Amdocs - Champaign, IL /usr/bin/perl -e ' print((~"\x95\xc4\xe3"^"Just Another Perl Hacker.")."\x08!\n"); '

23 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

BBC Master keyboard

by CLeyson＠aol.com

Many thanks for the helpful comments from Pete, Tony and Adrian. Lucky for me I discovered that the terminal pins unscrew. ALL of the keyswitch terminal pins have be cleaned with a mild abrasive (Brasso) and then washed in IPA. I had to remove all of the switches to clean the rust from the frame, but what the hell, they're back to original condition. BTW I don't have any WD40 and would never ever use it on any electrical or mechanical parts - never ever ! Also, as the leaf springs in the key switches are gold plated I've left them 'as is' and not used any propriety "switch cleaners". They should work for another 15 years :-) Also, fixed the intermittent dry joint in the PSU and added the composite video colour mod. Found the last one on the Acorn FTP site http://acorn.riscos.com/documents/appnotes/ This was one of my better buys from Ebay. My only complaint is the tatty case - I will have to think about "re-boxing" it. Perhaps in a 1U 19in case, it will make the connectors a little more accessible and support the weight of the Cumana dual disk drives ! Thanks for the help Chris Chris

23 years, 6 months

1
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Non-profit reselling

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On January 25, Ian Koller wrote: > Sellam, > > Or is it Sam? > > http://www.classiccmp.org/mail-archive/classiccmp/1998-05/0760.html > > Do you for a minute think I give a shit about what you want > or what you think? Wake up and smell the coffee pal. I actually > consider it a serious possibility your vcf is a front for your > business, and you are just running a scam. So piss the fuck off > asshole. I can FEEL the love around here. -Dave -- Dave McGuire St. Petersburg, FL "Less talk. More synthohol." --Lt. Worf

23 years, 6 months

1
0
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E-bay sniping.

by vze2mnvr＠verizon.net

Joe, After reading your three messages, it seems you also see the disparity. There is one point that the author of that page about sniping did not seem to consider. If auctions did automatically extend, but in each extension period, the minimum increment doubled, it could autoextend, yet still come to an end fairly quickly. Because of the sniping issue, I feel that eBay can't really be held as a true measure of the value of things. Only in auctions that had a chance to "settle" at the highest price someone was willing to pay for something, would it be valid measurement tool, of that aspect only of an overall market system, also keeping in mind the terms, i.e. untested, "as-is", tested, guaranteed, etc. The on-line auctions run by the GSA use a proxy bidding system, and also have an autoextend feature. Bear in mind that their prices are not a true measure of actual value either, because some of what they sell is broken damaged stuff, and you don't know what is what until you've bought it. They also don't entertain complaints. Joe wrote: > > Ian, > > I don't like sniping but I understand why it's done. Good info, I'm > keeping a permanent copy of it. > > Joe > > At 01:28 PM 1/25/02 -0500, you wrote: > > > > > >Hello Pat, > > > > If you read these links, it gives other "perspectives" on > >the issue of sniping. I guess you don't like sniping, because > >you would like to get the best price you could for your items. > >This we do respect. > > > > > >http://www.geocities.com/phillipcreed/myths.html > > > >http://www.geocities.com/phillipcreed/ > > > >http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/supersniper/ > > > > > > But the ones who complain that they didn't win an item because > >someone sniped them, we have no respect for what so ever. No one > >ever lost an item because someone out bid them. They lost the item > >because they didn't bid the high bid utilizing the "proxy" bidding > >system. Period. These are people that want to blame others for their > >own failures which they themselves brought about. They seem to act > >like the world owes them something, when in reality, their failure > >is brought on because they are too cheap and selfish. They want what > >other people have, but are unwilling to give much of themselves to > >get it. > > > > A note to all. You'll win whatever item you bid on, if you put > >in the high bid while the auction is running, regardless of when > >that bid is placed. > > > > > > As for the ones that complain about prices of goods being > >sold on eBay as being so high, these people have been deemed > >unsuitable for employment in our organization for being too > >ignorant of commerce and economics. It's indicative of serious > >flaws in personality, attitude, and intelligence. Generally > >things on eBay often sell for a third to an eighth ( and > >sometimes even 1/25 ) of what they are actually worth, and > >we have hard data to prove that fact. So any that end up out > >of work, just know, we'll learn more about what you're really > >like by reading the messages you've posted, than we'd ever learn > >in an interview. And we do research prospective applicants > >in this manner. Thanks Google. > > > > > > > > > > > > > >Pat Barron wrote: > >> > >> On Fri, 25 Jan 2002, Ian Koller wrote: > >> > I looked at it, then checked your "me" page, then gave up. > >> > > >> > If you want auctions that automatically extend, you have > >> > that option as a seller on Yahoo. > >> > >> I'm sorry that put you off; I've been thinking about toning down or > >> eliminating that section, but I haven't done anything about it yet because > >> this is a really sore point with me - it's particularly aimed at people > >> who run "outbid-bots", that track auctions and place bids in (literally) > >> the final 15 or 30 seconds of the auction, to ensure that the previous > >> high bidder has no chance to rebid. > >> > >> In a "real" auction, the auction generally continues until activity > >> ceases; if that's doable on Yahoo! Auctions (like the old Onsale.com > >> system, in which a bid in the last 5 minutes of an auction automatically > >> extended it), then that might be a better option for me. Though I haven't > >> listed anything there for a long time, because I've had the impression > >> that very few people use Yahoo! Auctions (as opposed to eBay).... > >> > >> Thanks, > >> --Pat. > >

23 years, 6 months

1
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RT 6150 Lives! (Long!)

by doc＠mdrconsult.com

Meanwhile, back at the ranch.... The IBM RT I was given last weekend turned out to be configured with: Enhanced Advanced 032 processor, which is hardwired with 16MB of RAM. No Advanced Floating-Point Accelerator, drat it all. Extended Monochrome Display adapter (1024x768) w/6155 mono display Ungerman-Bass Baseband [ethernet] adapter Streaming Tape Drive Adapter - RT interface for 6157 1/4 tape drive No tape drive or cable 1 5.25" DSHD floppy drive 3 E70 70MB ESDI hard disks - 2 dead as dirt. 1 SIIG 8-bit Serial/Parallel adapter, c.1998, which prevents booting Keyboard I was able to find archived images of AIX v2.2.1 (which, interestingly enough, I may be able to use *legally*. IBM permits their AIX instructors to run AIX on personal machines for private/non-commercial machines. I'm NOT gonna call Mr. Wolden and ask....) The archive includes VRM, BOS and Extended Utilities, all IBM's updates & patches, the NFS add-ons, man pages (IBM *still* provides the man pages as a separate product!), TCP/IP, and some GNU stuff. And the all-important Diags disk set. NOTE: If you ever have to work on an IBM workstation, as soon as you get the case open, get a paper clip, solder pick, fountain pen, or other not-very-sharp object, and gouge a couple of knuckles with it. Bleeding directly onto the machine is not necessary, but every IBM I've ever worked on required the ritual blood sacrifice before booting. The machine booted to the Diags just fine, after I pulled the serial adapter. There I discovered that the keyboard has several dead keys (well, two, but the Escape key counts triple), that the RT wants <Ctrl>+<Alt>+<Pause> to reboot, and that the display must be powered up before the computer. Everything but the 2 dead E70 drives and the keyboard checked out. There are numerous refernces to the use of IDE drives in the RT newsgroup. Although AIX actually will install in 70MB, it leaves little room to play in. Plus, that one E70 alone was warming my house and whining loudly enough to make my cats cry. Final verdict: they're right, but I saw some glitches I haven't seen documented. You need a "dumb" ISA IDE/floppy controller. It must be set to secondary IDE and primary floppy. Any serial/parallel/game ports will probably have to be disabled. The RT will boot from a secondary IDE controller, if you satisfy the drive specs. On mine, even aftetr removing the ESDI controller, setting the IDE card to primary causes the machine to freeze on boot. Drive specs: A Seagate Medalist IDE drive. Period. Some posts suggest that small Quantum or Conner drives will work, but not boot. The WD, Quantum, and Maxtor drives I tried weren't detected at all. The Conner 340MB was detected and passed, but I haven't tried booting it. The Seagate ST3250A Medalist is booting quite nicely as hd(1,0). I did try an ST32122A 2G, and it installed OK and booted fine once. After that, it drops into maintenance mode on boot, with unrecoverable errors. Mount claims that the filesystem devices don't exist. I'm not convinced that wasn't due to operator error during install. Still to do: Find vi. I haven't installed the Extended set yet. Please Gods don't make me use ed. Set up TCP/IP networking. Just got the TCP/IP set installed last night, and configuration is waiting on vi. I hope. I've been offered a copy of 4.4BSD/Romp for it, which I may try out. I'd like to try AOS, but I can't find the full distribution, just the tools, updates, and diagnostic utilities. Find a mouse. Suck it up, gird my loins, and try repairing the keyboard. I may try using stty to remap the dead keys till I have a backup kbd. Yee-Haw. I now have AIX v2.2.1, toys, tools & updates, on 5.25 floppy! Doc

23 years, 6 months

1
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Friday's score... [kinda long?]

by DAW＠yalepress3.unipress.yale.edu

Well, for those curious, and those whom I said I would inform, here is a list of (100lbs!) Commodore 128 and Atari 800 goodies I got courtesy of Michael Brodt... (This list is for my own inventory purpose, as much as your entertainment.) Commodore 128 --- - 1571 floppy drive - Wico Command Control bat handle joystick - TV connector/adaptor. Atari 800 --- (there's " #043 " rubber-stamped on the model sticker, above the printed No. 472297 Any ideas? Also a sticker with a handwritten "AW458710 1/28") - Atari810 floppy drive - 4 joysticks (one missing the 'stick'. Hey, the Commodore joystick will work on this, won't it?)You know, it would be real easy to turn the busted one into a gamepad, wouldn't it? - Microbits Peripheral Products Parallel Printer interface And software/books/magazines are: (game names are writen exactly as seen on the label. Maybe Michael or someone can say what the misspellings are supposed to be...) *** C=128 *** (this list coming soon...) *** Atari 800 *** ---originals s/w diskettes--- Shamus Case II No:4705 Canyon Climber The Goonies (it has C=64 version on side 2!) with hints... Drelbs No:101210 Alternate Reality: The Dungeon Alternate Reality: The City Atari 810 Master Diskette II Atari 400/800 BASIC cartridge CXL 4002 (priced at $59.95!) Karateka The Incredible Laboratory Realm Of Impossibility Cyclod ---copies--- Starwars Frogger Pogoman Caverns Actionquest (?) Pacman Krazy Defender Galaxian Raiders Miscom (?) Speedway Poype (misspelling on label?) Joust Donkey Kong Nautilis Caverns 2 Montezuma Snokie Sargon Congo Spy Hunter Tutunkahmun Archon Zepplin Slime Mario Brothers Dig Dug Cyclod Spy Huntrcom (?) Spy Sutle (?) War Games Decathlon Starfighter PitFall II Legion Koalapad Jumpman Centioede Wiz Of War Koalapad MTV Zaxxon Zork I (on Cyclod disk-- DigDug Spyhuntrcom Spshutle War Games Decathlon StarFighter PitFall II Legion AtariWriter Krazy Defender Galaxian Raiders Miscom Anticks Centipede --- books --- The Video Master's Guide To Defender -(arcade version) Basic Fun With Graphics The Atari Way AD&D Eye Of The Beholder Clue Book Free Software For your Atari Dr. C Wacko's Miracle Guide To Designing And Programming Your Own Atari Computer Arcade Games Atari Basic - A Self Teaching Guide Atari Games And Recreations Atari Basic Quick Reference Guide Your First Atari Program Atari Sound And Graphics - A Self Teaching Guide Owner's Guide for the 800 and 810 Atari 810 Disk Drive - Introduction To he Disk Operating System Computers For Kids - Atari Edition AtariWriter manual Star Raiders manual Review - A Catalog Of Atari Learning Systems - Fall 83, Vol 1, Issue 1 Antic - The Atari Resource - Feb 1988 Vol 6, #10 Analog Computing - Sep 1987, #57 Atari Explorer - Feb 1985 Atari Connection - The Home Computer Magazine - Summer 1983 Atari Connection - Winter 1984 Atari Connection - Spring 1984 Atari Connection - Summer 1984 APX - Atari Program Exchange Product Catalog - Summer 1983 APX - Fall 1983 Home Applications And Games For The Atari Home Computers Atari 400/800 Basic Reference Manual Atari 400/800 Disk Operating System II Reference Manual --- David A Woyciesjes --- C & IS Support Specialist --- Yale University Press --- mailto:david.woyciesjes@yale.edu --- (203) 432-0953 --- ICQ # - 905818

23 years, 6 months

4
4
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Bell & Howell Apple II update

by mythtech＠Mac.com

>My little U-matic portable (The front says JVC, the service manual says >Hitachi...) has SO239 socket ('UHF') for the composite video input and >output. It's a 625 line PAL machine, of course -- I have no idea what the >NTSC version uses.... My UMatic experience is really limited to just Panasonic and Sony units (dating from mid-late 70's thru my newest Sony is maybe 10 years old now). But interestingly... I was wrong... I HAVE seen the "UHF" connector for composite. I had completely forgotten about the old closed circuit video system I pulled out when I started working at my current job. They had 3 black and white security cameras that used that connector. I know they were composite video, because I remember using an RCA adaptor, and connecting one to a VCR's video line in shortly after pulling them out of service. So yeah... I have actually seen that setup, I had just forgotten about it, as it might have been the only place I have seen that (but also, 90% of my AV experience is from mid 80's to mid-late 90's, so most of what I was exposed to is the "current standards" connectors). That's why I disclaimed that I wasn't saying it didn't exist... just that I hadn't seen it (I have also learned in A/V, if there is a connector out there, odds are, someone, at sometime, used it in their setup) -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

23 years, 6 months

2
1
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BBC Master keyboard

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Jan 25, 10:10, Adrian Graham wrote: > > -----Original Message----- > > From: ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk [mailto:ard@p850ug1.demon.co.uk] > > Sent: 24 January 2002 23:33 > > To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org > > Subject: Re: BBC Master keyboard > > > > Normally such keyswitches come apart. I am not sure just what type is > > used on the Beeb, but if they have round terminal pins then > > When I was key swapping to get a complete Master keyboard using a scrap > machine I noticed the keyswitches were glued together and not clipped. I > wanted to just swap over the plungers but had to swap over the whole switch > instead. They're different keyswitches. -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

23 years, 6 months

1
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LEAST valuable collectibles (was: Apple II boards

by csmith＠amdocs.com

> -----Original Message----- > From: Sellam Ismail [mailto:foo@siconic.com] > Well, I also collect various printers, monitors, and terminals. I'm > weird. But boring as they are, it's all part of the record, and needs > preserving. Monitors and terminals are a necessity. Printers aren't. That doesn't mean that I won't have printers, but they need to be more impressive. I have a Genicom, for instance, which I've kept due to its unique ability to survive the direct impact of a locomotive. Chris Christopher Smith, Perl Developer Amdocs - Champaign, IL /usr/bin/perl -e ' print((~"\x95\xc4\xe3"^"Just Another Perl Hacker.")."\x08!\n"); '

23 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

Bell & Howell Apple II update

by csmith＠amdocs.com

> -----Original Message----- > From: ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk [mailto:ard@p850ug1.demon.co.uk] > > I have a 50-75 ohm converter, I believe. I'll need to dig it up. > No, you don't need it (or want it). The monitor's input > impedance will be > 75 ohms as well (it's a standard for composite video). So all > you need is > a piece of 75 ohm cable, a 75 ohm BNC plug for the computer end and > whatever plug fits your monitor's input... Oops. :) I see now. Thanks. Chris Christopher Smith, Perl Developer Amdocs - Champaign, IL /usr/bin/perl -e ' print((~"\x95\xc4\xe3"^"Just Another Perl Hacker.")."\x08!\n"); '

23 years, 6 months

1
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Free software & AT&T 6300+ Docs

by Robert_Feldman＠jdedwards.com

More office cleaning. Most of the software disks are in unopened packages. Free for postage from Chicago: 1 copy Borland Brief ("The Programmer's Editor"), MS-DOS, Disks & Docs, 3 pounds 1 copy Borland Brief ("The Programmer's Editor"), OS/2, Disks & Docs, 3 pounds (The original packages had both MS-DOS and OS/2 disks. I found 1 set of disks and 2 sets of docs, so I'm making one OS/2 package and one MS-DOS package). 2 copies Borland Quatro Pro 1.0 SE, MS-DOS, Disks & Docs, 3 pounds @ 1 copy WordPerfect 5.2 for Windows, Docs & disks, 8 pounds 1 copy Code Warrior Starter Kit 7, Mac w/68020 & System 7.1, 2 CD's, 1 pound AT&T 6300 Plus (80286 CPU) Docs & Disks (13 pounds in all): MS-DOS User's Guide (sorry, no disks) Getting Started (w/Tutorial, Mouse & Customer Diagnostic disks) Hardware Reference Manual (w/lots of motherboard logic diagrams) Service Manual (w/System Diagnostics disk) Please reply off-list to robert_feldman(a)jdedwards.com. FIFO.

23 years, 6 months

1
0
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WTH is this?

by rigdonj＠cfl.rr.com

Does anyone have any idea what this card is for? <http://www.classiccmp.org/hp/mds-80/analog-d.jpg> When I picked it up I thought it was a Multibus card but a closer look reveals that it's (1) too tall, (2) too narrow, (3) The large connector at the bottom has 100 contacts instead of 86, (4) the narrow connector has 40 pins instead of 60 and it sticks down too far. Any ideas? Joe

23 years, 6 months

4
4
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WTH is this?

by Innfogra＠aol.com

The rectangular boxes are relays, look like mercury wetted contact relays. The Bus is some sort of lab instrumentation and control. I am not sure what it is called. It is familiar with me too. I have seen quite a few similar cards in the past. Paxton Astoria, OR PS Nice to see you back. Nice MDS you got. What cards?

23 years, 6 months

2
1
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I'm Baack!

by healyzh＠aracnet.com

> I guess I only thought I'd get out of this hobby. Last week I got this > <http://www.classiccmp.org/hp/mds-80/picture.jpg> in the mail. This is from > a deal that I've had working for over a year. I've got it running and it > works nice! My condolences, and here I thought you were going to be an insperation to us all and prove that it is possible to recover from the classic computer addiction! :^( I guess it just goes to prove everyone here is doomed ! Welcome back :^) Zane

23 years, 6 months

2
1
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2 BMC CP/M Computers available

by celt＠chisp.net

Got this via email. Contact him at Excel1Star(a)cs.com if you can take them off his hands: >Hi, I have 2 BMC computers from the early 80's. They operate on CPM. >They >were neat in their day (still are). Two different models -- if-800 >based on 5 >inch floppy (has light pen, function keys, integrated printer) and the >other >one based on 8 inch floppy. I have FORTRAN compiler, SUPERCALC and some >other >software. I have boxes of CPM books. And some media too. >Would like to find a good home for them. I would like to make a tax >deductible contribution. Thanks Al Mike Tarnover - The Apple II Repository http://tarnover.org

23 years, 6 months

1
0
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IBM 3101 Dip Switches Configuration

by steven_j_robertson＠hotmail.com

I have the "IBM 3101 Display Terminal Description" document. It's about 1/2" thick and has the technical specs, functional description, setup and configuration, interface wiring diagrams (not schematics), character maps, etc... Normally, I'd offer it for free but since I'm recently umemployed, the new owner will have to buy me breakfast. $5.00 and it's yours! If anyone wants it, contact me off list. SteveRob >From: Doc <doc(a)mdrconsult.com> >Reply-To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org >To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org >Subject: Re: IBM 3101 Dip Switches Configuration >Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 22:30:36 -0600 (CST) > >On Thu, 24 Jan 2002, Dave McGuire wrote: > > > On January 24, Doc wrote: > > > If by "normal serial cable" you mean a standard port-to-modem cable, > > > that is most likely your problem. You need to use a null-modem serial > > > cable with a terminal. > > > > That depends *completely* on the terminal. Several even have both > > DTE- and DCE-wired connectors. > > Oops. My mistake. I should have said "You need to use a null-modem >serial cable with an unmodified IBM 3101 terminal" > > Doc > > _________________________________________________________________ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com

23 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

LEAST valuable collectibles (was: Apple II boards

by csmith＠amdocs.com

> -----Original Message----- > From: Jeffrey S. Sharp [mailto:jss@subatomix.com] > Lawrence LeMay said: > > Cmon, what could possibly be less valuable than an Apple ][+? A C64 > > perhaps... > Old printer ribbons. The United States government. :) (Ok, that was off topic) Chris Christopher Smith, Perl Developer Amdocs - Champaign, IL /usr/bin/perl -e ' print((~"\x95\xc4\xe3"^"Just Another Perl Hacker.")."\x08!\n"); '

23 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

BBC Master keyboard

by Adrian.Graham＠corporatemicrosystems.com

> -----Original Message----- > From: ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk [mailto:ard@p850ug1.demon.co.uk] > Sent: 24 January 2002 23:33 > To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org > Subject: Re: BBC Master keyboard > > Normally such keyswitches come apart. I am not sure just what type is > used on the Beeb, but if they have round terminal pins then When I was key swapping to get a complete Master keyboard using a scrap machine I noticed the keyswitches were glued together and not clipped. I wanted to just swap over the plungers but had to swap over the whole switch instead. a

23 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

I need PDP-11/34A Help Again (Suprise Suprise)

by Andreas.Freiherr＠Vishay.com

Owen, still interested in getting your PDP-11/34 to work? - I am just about to reassemble mine after relocation. RUN light off and display 000002 means the processor halted at memory location 2, so it has probably executed a HALT instruction (opcode 000000) from location 0. Try this: while holding the CNTRL button, press BOOT. This should launch the program from your ROM. Depending on which type you have (look for modules labeled M9301 or M9312 in slot 3 or 4, whatever is next to the processor), your milage may vary here. The console terminal should print four numbers in octal, followed by an "@" or a "$" as a prompt in a new line ("Dave, my mind is going..."). Depending on the ROM, you may need to enter either 773000G (standard start address and GO command, pressing the return key is _not_ required here) or a two-letter device code to boot. The bootstrap module may also be wired to boot from a predetermined device without asking. BTW: The DL11-W has 20mA drivers as well as RS-232. (Note the "1488" and "1489" chips being present as well as a number of transistors and other discrete components.) Which set is used depends on the cable: the plug will have some wire connections to code it for either 20mA current loop or RS-232 / V.24. If you have the original cable with the usual DB-25 connector, it should be OK: current loop used a completely different 6-pin "Mate-n-Lock" connector. For the settings at the terminal, I don't know your particular type, but with most DEC lines you should be best prepared if you use XON/XOFF handshake (for "Main Rcv Hndsk" / "Main Xmt Hdsk"). Since at PDP-11 times, the 8th bit was commonly used as a parity bit, set your terminal to ignore this. Otherwise, you may get garbage characters instead of about every second readable character. We may get this straight later, when we know what operating system you have. A RS-232 break signal can sometimes cause a PDP-11 to HALT (depending on settings on the DL11-W board), so you may want to avoid this... (perhaps by choosing an appropriate setting for the "Disconnect" option for now?) So much from memory. If you need more details, let me know, and I'll dig into the docs. Good luck, Andreas -- Andreas Freiherr Vishay Semiconductor GmbH, Heilbronn, Germany http://www.vishay.com

23 years, 6 months

1
0
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Friday's score... [kinda long?]

by geoffr＠zipcon.net

At 02:05 PM 1/24/02 -0500, you wrote: >Alternate Reality: The Dungeon >Alternate Reality: The City You lucky Bastage, I loved those games

23 years, 6 months

1
0
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OT: Pricing (was RE: Microdata "Microprogramming Handbook")

by Robert_Feldman＠jdedwards.com

I've done price searches on the 'net for things I want to buy (an airbrush and a portable SW radio, in particular), and found prices ranging from about 50% MSRP to 125% MSRP. Wherever you go, it's still buyer beware (and be aware). Bob -----Original Message----- From: Doc [mailto:doc@mdrconsult.com] Sent: Friday, January 25, 2002 2:43 PM To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org Subject: Re: Microdata "Microprogramming Handbook" <snip> In no way limited to eBay. <snip> I do commonly see construction tools and guns in pawnshops and second-hand stores priced at 125-200% their NEW value. Mostly, it doesn't rot on the shelves, either. The point is, it's worth EXACTLY what gets paid for it. Doc, whose $0.05 is worth more....

23 years, 6 months

2
1
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HP87XM

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On January 24, Wayne M. Smith wrote: > > Also...what are my mass storage options on this machine? It's got > > an HP-IB interface, and I've seen lots of HP-IB drives over the > > years...but what were commonly sold with this machine? > > You need to use drives following the AMIGO protocol. Here are the possibilities: ... > Many of these are regularly available on eBay and do not usually run much over $25. Excellent, Wayne...I will go and check. Thanks! -Dave -- Dave McGuire St. Petersburg, FL "Less talk. More synthohol." --Lt. Worf

23 years, 6 months

1
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More DELLness & TRON! :D

by bpope＠wordstock.com

Y'all, I am sure you will all be happy to know the following... Dell fields Super Bowl deal Dell Computer announced that it has signed on to be the National Football League's official computer systems provider for the upcoming Super Bowl XXXVI. Dell also signed a deal to be the NFL's hardware supplier for the remainder of 2002. As part of the Super Bowl agreement, the company will provide on-site service and support for computer systems used in Super Bowl operations, which will include some 200 Dell desktops imported to New Orleans from league headquarters. And under the new Dell-NFL hardware agreement, the league will purchase 120 or more PowerEdge 2500 servers and a storage area network. Dell says it has had a sales relationship with the NFL since 1998. --John G. Spooner, ZDNet News And.... TRON Collectors Edition on DVD was released today!! :-D The coolest computer animation of the 80's! Cheers, Bryan Pope

23 years, 6 months

11
14
0 0

NCD 88k xterm info anyone?

by claudew＠videotron.ca

Hello from mild and almost snowless Montreal... A recent find for $5. NCD 88k xterm, no keyboard, no ram, no monitor... Very little help on the web about this. I wanna try this out, I am not sure why... Anyways who knows the ram simms specs and where they go in this thing (unit came with no ram) I managed to get some "normal reaction" by putting a 1M simm in the inner most simm socket and 2 X 4M simms in the outter most sockets. I am saying "normal reaction" cause I have still not found a monitor that will produce stable output on this thing. I do see somekinda "unsync-ed" POST and looks like text appearing and scrolling on screen every approx 5 secs, imagine the term is looking to boot from somewhere... Who can tell me more about the video output specs? Looks like mono and my pinout seems ok 15,16,17 R,G,B and 26 TTL Vsync and 18 TTL Hsync from looking at it with a scope... Any help appreciated... Claude http://computer_collector.tripod.com

23 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

AT&T hardware

by xds_sigma7＠hotmail.com

Pat, Unless you have a need to control a bunch of 3270-emulating terminals, a 6544 isn't a terrible useful thing to have. It's basically a non-IBM version of a 3174, etc., which is a unit used to hook up many terminals to your 3270-protocol host computer, be it mainframe or minicomputer. I don't know what terminals the thing is meant for, since it beats me if AT&T's terminals support 3270, but they probably do, though I'd imagine it doesn't use coax.. Which, if that is true, might limit you to using AT&T terminals with it, which is kinda crappy.. Hope that helps some Will J _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com

23 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

Mastersport 386SX

by acme_ent＠bellsouth.net

> From: Dave Mabry <dmabry(a)mich.com> Pardon the shorthand. I meant wall wart, or external power supply. I figured this would be obvious when asked in reference to a laptop, but, I've been wrong before ;>) > Sorry to be dense, but what is a "wart" in this context? > > Glen Goodwin wrote: > > > > Does anyone have the wart for this Zenith Data Systems laptop? > > > > Or the pinouts for the wart, even? > > > > TIA, > > > > Glen > > 0/0 > > -- > Dave Mabry dmabry(a)mich.com > Dossin Museum Underwater Research Team > NACD #2093

23 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

UofM Property Disposition

by root＠diablonet.net

Hi everyone! I went to the University of Michigan Property Dispotition warehouse today, and I've got a couple of questions and other related things to say. 1. To the couple of people who asked me about the NeXTDimension Cube that was there last month, my apologies, but someone else got to it before I could. 2. I saw a DEC pedestal cabinet there that looked exactly like a VAX 4000 series machine, but it was just labeled "R 4000". I'm assuming this was some sort of VAX, and there seems to have been a thread on the NetBSD/vax mailing list about it a while back, but since their mailing list archive server seems to be down at the moment, can anyone tell me more about this machine? I'm a bit curious as to what it is. 3. There was an interesting looking Evans & Sutherland computer there labeled as an ES-3. I popped the front cover off of it and it looked relatively sophisticated, but I didn't actually pull any boards and get a good look at them since they don't like people doing that sort of thing there at the warehouse. I read somewhere that this box runs UNIX and had some pretty nice graphics capabilities for its time. Does anyone know much about these (e.g. architechture, history, OS specifics, etc)? Does anyone know how they stacked up to SGIs of the era and similar competing machines? The thing's kind of heavy and transportation to and from the warehouse is pretty evil for me, but if its a really nifty machine, I'd like to save it (I've certainly never seen one before). Unfortunately there didn't seem to be any monitor, keyboard, or mouse included with it. Does anyone know any specifics about these either? Hmmm... other oddiments there that were kind of interesting included a dual 8" Data General floppy disk drive, an old SGI POWER SERIES Twin Tower machine, and probably some other stuff that I'm forgetting. Just thought I'd mention them in case someone lived in the area and was interested in taking a look. Kind regards, Sean Caron -- Sean Caron http://www.diablonet.net scaron(a)engin.umich.edu root(a)diablonet.net

23 years, 6 months

4
3
0 0

Apple II boards

by mythtech＠Mac.com

>At the "top" of the spectrum, I got a IIc+ (4MHz CPU, modern serial >connectors (not like a IIc) Anyone have the pinouts for the IIc's modem port's DIN 5? I assume it is a stanard serial port, and that I can just build an adaptor cable for it, and connect it to a hayes modem or similar. Sound right? -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

23 years, 6 months

3
2
0 0

Apple II boards

by mythtech＠Mac.com

>http://til.info.apple.com/tilarchive.nsf/artnum/n1419 or, if Apple is >still wanting to know a little too much to access it; I'm using a Mac.com account, so I already promised my first born to apple... so I can safely peruse their TIL at will (now, if I had only bothered to look first) Thanks! -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

23 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

HP16C

by emu＠ecubics.com

Hi, anybody here has the manuals for it ? cheers & thanks

23 years, 6 months

7
10
0 0

LEAST valuable collectibles (was: Apple II boards

by xds_sigma7＠hotmail.com

Not *ALL* printers are boring... For example, it would be nice to have a printer for my Honeywell... or my Wang.. or.. etc. You get the point. I'd have taken 'em without anything throw in Fred, if I didn't live multiple states away, heh. Will J _________________________________________________________________ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com

23 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

WTH is this?

by xds_sigma7＠hotmail.com

It could also be a development tool of some sort for the largest device on the board, possibly... Will J _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx

23 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

Microdata "Microprogramming Handbook"

by xds_sigma7＠hotmail.com

I own this handbook, it certainly is not "lame"... Hard as hell to find much detailed Microdata info on the 'net.. Lame would be if he just threw it in the dumpster... Is placing a monetary value on goods lame? I don't think he got the handbook for free.. And I certainly paid more than what the opening bid of his is for mine.. Will J _________________________________________________________________ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com

23 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

Unisys manuals

by pat＠purdueriots.com

Going through the crap I have in the basement, I ran across a few manuals for an old Unisys unix box I used to have (until my parents moved, and left it behind). If anyone is interested, I'm asking $5 each + actual shipping cost. U5000/20/30/35/40/50 and /55 Systems U5000 Series Operating System -- Installation Guide UP-12693 Rev 1 -- Planning Guide UP-11768 Rev 3 -- Programming Guide UP-11221 -- Installation and Planning Guide UP-12694 Rev 1 -- User Reference Manual Volume 2 UP-11760 Rev 2 Those are all in binders, complete with the black case-thing to make them easy to stack on a book-shelf. All in good condition. Contact me off-list if interested. Thanks -- Pat

23 years, 6 months

1
2
0 0

Mastersport 386SX

by dan＠ekoan.com

At 04:30 PM 1/24/02 -0600, you wrote: >This is because these are true power supplies and not a wall-wart. Indeed. >The later generation power supplies are very small >switching power supplies. The 91-56403, which came with my USB ZIP drive, is only 2" x 1.75" x 1" (compared to the 3.5" x 2.25" x 2" of the earliest model) and accepts anything >from 100 to 240 volts. There's even a serial number printed on it. If I were Tony I would already have taken it apart to confirm what's inside... Cheers, Dan

23 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

How much?

by csmith＠amdocs.com

> -----Original Message----- > From: Julius Sridhar [mailto:vance@ikickass.org] > How much would you pay for a VAX 7000-650? As much as I could afford to blow on it at the time. I'd love to have a VAX 7000. :) Regards, Chris Christopher Smith, Perl Developer Amdocs - Champaign, IL /usr/bin/perl -e ' print((~"\x95\xc4\xe3"^"Just Another Perl Hacker.")."\x08!\n"); '

23 years, 6 months

11
27
0 0

UofM Property Disposition

by xds_sigma7＠hotmail.com

Actually, I know E&S did produce some computers at some point, I can't say I've ever been able to learn very much about them, but they are high-powered graphics computers of some sort, super expensive.. A while back there were a bunch of parts of them on Eoverpay... I think it ought to be rescued but thats just me. Will J _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com

23 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

A different IBM 3101 question entirely...

by xds_sigma7＠hotmail.com

I have an 3101 as the console on one of my IBM minicomputers (8140C92), and I really would love to have the manual... Anyone have one they'd part with? Will J _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx

23 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

UofM Property Disposition

by healyzh＠aracnet.com

> 2. I saw a DEC pedestal cabinet there that looked exactly like a VAX > 4000 series machine, but it was just labeled "R 4000". I'm assuming > this was some sort of VAX, and there seems to have been a thread on > the NetBSD/vax mailing list about it a while back, but since their > mailing list archive server seems to be down at the moment, can anyone > tell me more about this machine? I'm a bit curious as to what it > is. IIRC it's a DSSI Disk cabinet (might also have Q-Bus slots for Q-Bus expansion). Can't really get to mine to verify what the nameplate says (it's being used as a PDP-8/e stand and is crammed between a wall and and the Neo Geo cabinet). Zane

23 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

IBM 3151 terminals (Which keyboard?)

by csmith＠amdocs.com

I've recently received a small pile of IBM 3151 terminals. All seem functional. I also have a pile of IBM keyboards, some of which look like they may fit the terminals. The two keyboard types of interest (IE the ones with modular plugs) are: A model "1397952" -- this one has an 8-wire modular plug. When plugged into one of the terminals, it will say something on the order of "PROBLEM IN KEYBOARD" A keyboard that's not clearly marked at all, but the longest identifier-looking number on the tag is 122RK33S(or 5)-30S(or 5)E-J. This has (I think) a 6-wire modular plug. It has a panel of dip switches near where the cord connects. When plugged in this one reports the (more interesting) error of "PROBLEM IN VIDEO ELEMENT OR KEYBOARD" (My guess it it's in the keyboard...) Both keyboards have 24 "function" keys, and a panel of odd keys to the left of the alpha section. So does anyone know what these particular keyboards actually go with? Can I maybe change the switch settings in the latter keyboard, and get it to work with these terminals? Does anyone know what the switches even do? Why don't the terminals report odd numeric errors? "PROBLEM IN KEYBOARD" is almost understandable ;) Regards, Chris Christopher Smith, Perl Developer Amdocs - Champaign, IL /usr/bin/perl -e ' print((~"\x95\xc4\xe3"^"Just Another Perl Hacker.")."\x08!\n"); '

23 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

IBM 3101 Dip Switches Configuration

by spedraja＠ono.com

Hello. I have one IBM 3101 ascii terminal ready to be used connected with one serial cable to one Linux system that I have by the serial port 2. The inittab has uncommented the line referred to the ttyS1, and appears to be correct because one "ps -ef" shows the "/sbin/agetty ttyS1" line with the "[login]" comment. The problem is that the IBM 3101 don't establish communication with the Linux system. The 3101 show one "Line Check 2" message that talk about the comm.line, I suppose. The cable used is one normal serial cable. The 3101 has some dip switches in the upper of the keyboard. If they are taked, the Line Check 2 message dissapears and the screen is filled with "?" signs continuously. It's clear that some options can be configured with this method. Somebody has some more deep info about this terminal ? Must I use one special serial cable ? Thanks and Greetings Sergio

23 years, 6 months

3
2
0 0

FreeVMS

by msell＠ontimesupport.com

I know I'm going to open up a can of worms on this post, but my curiosity is killing me.... Now that I have OpenVMS 6.1 running on my VAX 4000, I'm curious about the status of the various "FreeVMS" projects that are in progress (or so it would seem....). Are any of these projects really in active development? Which projects have the greatest potential for operation? I checked several sites related to "FreeVMS", which actually seems to be a common name for several different projects with different goals. I'd love to "cut my teeth" with kernel development after working with Linux for several years. I personally think it would be neat to have an accurate version of FreeVMS that would work on VAX, AXP, and i386 (gulp!). When I say accurate, I mean that FreeVMS would respond the same as VMS would for the various commands and peripherals. Some of you probably think it would be silly to take an i386 version of FreeVMS and port it "back" to VAX and AXP, but it would be a neat way to use FreeVMS, especially if the OpenVMS hobbyist program (or OpenVMS) were to go away. Nuts? Probably. Neat? Yes! Here are links to the various FreeVMS projects I have visited: http://www.panix.com/~kingdon/free-vms.html http://www.freevms.org/ http://www.djesys.com/vms/freevms/ - Matt Matthew Sell Programmer On Time Support, Inc. www.ontimesupport.com (281) 296-6066 Join the Metrology Software discussion group METLIST! http://www.ontimesupport.com/cgi-bin/mojo/mojo.cgi "One World, One Web, One Program" - Microsoft Promotional Ad "Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer" - Adolf Hitler Many thanks for this tagline to a fellow RGVAC'er...

23 years, 6 months

11
25
0 0

BBC Master keyboard

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Jan 24, 15:50, CLeyson(a)aol.com wrote: > Just got myself an old BBC for 6502 assembler. My problem is that > some of the key contacts need cleaning. My question is - > > Am I correct in thinking that all the keys need to unsoldered from the PCB, > and are the key contacts easy to get at and clean ? Whether you need to unsolder all the keyswitches depends on the keyboard -- there were 4 types, but only one -- fortunately the least common type -- needs much work. The best, and original, was the type using Futaba keyswitches, which have a white body. These are easy to remove, one at a time (desolder the connections, then release the clips which hold the keyswitch in the frame). I've seen a couple of pictures on the web showing the different types but I can't seem to find one right now :-( The normal way to fix faulty ones was to replace them. You can still sometimes find switches available from people who've dismantled machines. If not, I'd try removing the faulty keyswitches and cleaning them by swishing them in a small bowl of iso-propyl alcohol, or squirting IPA followed by switch cleaner through them. Finish with a good-quality low-residue switch cleaner. These are generally based on IPA with small amounts of very light oil (not usually silicone, as it creeps too much and gets into everything). Do not use anything like WD40! -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

23 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

Mastersport 386SX

by acme_ent＠bellsouth.net

Does anyone have the wart for this Zenith Data Systems laptop? Or the pinouts for the wart, even? TIA, Glen 0/0

23 years, 6 months

8
9
0 0

HP 1631D logic analyzer help

by caribe＠candcsolution.com

Hello, I recently got an HP1631D logic analyzer and it won't remember the date or any of the internal settings. Is there a battery in it somewhere that I can replace to fix this? Thanks in advance for your replies! ~Caribe ========= Caribe Schreiber IT Engineer C&C Solutions, Inc 519 Russell Av N Mpls, MN 55405-1037 caribe(a)candcsolution.com Quote of the week: "The three levels of education explained: B.S. -Self-explanatory M.S. - More of the Same Ph.D. - Piled-higher and Deeper. -Anonymous"

23 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

LEAST valuable collectibles (was: Apple II boards

by Innfogra＠aol.com

In a message dated 1/24/02 1:56:59 PM Pacific Standard Time, jss(a)subatomix.com writes: > > Cmon, what could possibly be less valuable than an Apple ][+? A C64 Proprinters

23 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

Bell & Howell Apple II update

by mythtech＠Mac.com

>I didn't work in the video industry, John, but I did work with computers all >the while. Monitors of the time, at least of the NTSC-compatible type, were >typically equipped with PL-259 connectors on the rear. The only video >monitors I encountered with BNC connectors on them were the high-frequency, >then-mono, types, from Motorola, intended for use as "page" monitors. I think it might have had more to do with what kind of single was being sent. (at least in the video industry) My old UMatic decks from the 70s have either "UHF" connectors (PL-259), or F connectors (depending on age) for all the modulated signals (connects to a TV shows on either channel 3/4 or 6), but all the ones that have composite signals (non-modulated, needs a "line in") have either BNC or RCA (depending on quality, doesn't seem to have bearing on age... higher quality decks have the BNC for video, RCA for audio, and lower quality have the RCA for video and audio). I don't think I have ever seen a "UHF" (PL-259) or F connector on a non modulated composite signal (not saying they don't exist, just I have never seen them), same with I don't think I have ever seen a BNC or RCA on a modulated signal. -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

23 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

Mastersport 386SX

by dan＠ekoan.com

At 02:12 PM 1/24/02 -0500, you wrote: >On Thu, 24 Jan 2002, Fred Cisin (XenoSoft) wrote: > > > Zip drives use one that is 5 VDC. Do they really need 5? > >IIRC, the Zip-Drive 'wall wart' is actually a complete regulated power >supply. So to operate the logic, it DOES need to be 5VDC. All of this is off-topic, but I've got three different types of Iomega ZIP drive "wall warts" here (all voltages unloaded, measured from my Fluke 8020A): 57DR-5-1500(A) outputs 5.21 volts DC 48DR-5-1000 outputs 5.11 VDC 91-56403 outputs 5.15 VDC Much closer to spec than most wall warts. Cheers, Dan

23 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

BBC Master keyboard

by CLeyson＠aol.com

In a message dated 24/01/02, pete(a)dunnington.u-net.com writes: > Whether you need to unsolder all the keyswitches depends on the keyboard -- > there were 4 types, but only one -- fortunately the least common type -- > needs much work. The best, and original, was the type using Futaba > keyswitches, which have a white body. These are easy to remove, one at a > time (desolder the connections, then release the clips which hold the > keyswitch in the frame). I've seen a couple of pictures on the web showing > the different types but I can't seem to find one right now :-( > > The normal way to fix faulty ones was to replace them. You can still > sometimes find switches available from people who've dismantled machines. > If not, I'd try removing the faulty keyswitches and cleaning them by > swishing them in a small bowl of iso-propyl alcohol, or squirting IPA > followed by switch cleaner through them. Finish with a good-quality > low-residue switch cleaner. These are generally based on IPA with small > amounts of very light oil (not usually silicone, as it creeps too much and > gets into everything). Do not use anything like WD40! >Pete Peter Turnbull > Network Manager > University of York Great, thanks for the advice Pete. Did a quick search with Goolge and found a few tips on BBC keyboard repair. It seems I have a type I keyboard with Futaba keyswitches fitted. They come out of the frame one at a time. After a bit of fiddling I discovered that the keyswitch body is held together by a small plastic clip and two screws. The terminal pins are the screws and can be removed by gently rotating with a pair of pliers. Terminal pins are silver plated and show signs of tarnishing on the faulty keyswitches. The contact leaf springs appear to be OK. A mild abrasive and some IPA should do the trick :-) Just wish I'd kept that Cherry keyboard form years ago with the Hall effect switches. Chris

23 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

QFP soldering

by RCini＠congressfinancial.com

Hello, all: I am finally getting around to building the P112 Z180-based SBC from Dave Brooks (I got one of his last unpopulated boards). It has two 100-pin QFP chips (the Z180 and an SMC Super I/O chip), so, I bought the blade-like SMD soldering iron tip for my iron. So, here's the stupid question...how do I solder these things? Do I hold the iron parallel or perpendicular to the package leads? The board is pre-tinned, but I should I also tin the QFP leads? Any help appreciated. Rich

23 years, 6 months

3
2
0 0

OT? Apple Stylewriter problems (PS progress)

by mtapley＠swri.edu

>From: ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) >Do these tap into the plastic of the case, or into brass inserts, or what? They go into pre-drilled cylindrical studs that extend from the back of the case (the side that doesn't plug into the wall) toward the front. There were matching cylindrical recess barrels from the front that extended toward the back and had holes in their circular bottoms large enough for the screw threads to pass through. Those barrels were what melted. >Are they machine screws, self-stripping screws (OK, self-tapping screws >:-))? If they're machine screws, they're likely to be metric sizes.... Self-stripping :-) which is what I'll therefore replace them with. >Ignoring the ceramics (likely to be for RFI suppression), it would appear >you're describing this circuit : > > >o-----)|| +---------------+------------o +ve output > )||(------>|----+ | > )||( | ===== > )||(--o\o-------)----+ ----- > )||( | | | > )||(------>|----+ +----------+-------------o -ve output >o-----)|| > >A very standard PSU circuit using a 'bi-phase' full wave rectifier. I think that's it. Why did I see a small voltage when I tested it *after* the fuse blew? The - side doesn't connect to *anything* - I'd think it'd float right up to the voltage of the positive side (charging through my VOM meter, if no other way). Or is there some effective resistance through the electrolytic? >Is there room to insert a normal fuseholder (maybe a 20mm one), then you >could use a fuse without pigtails... Hm. Maybe. I actually have a small fuseholder (one of the few parts I have in my box). I'll see whether I can make it fit. It would mount in among caps and diodes with not much room to spare on a small circuit board, though, so I may be stuck with a pigtail version. - Mark

23 years, 6 months

3
2
0 0

Bell & Howell Apple II update

by csmith＠amdocs.com

> -----Original Message----- > From: ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk [mailto:ard@p850ug1.demon.co.uk] > You do realise that BNC connectors were used for RF and video Well, it stands to reason, I suppose. > applications long before there was any form of ethernet, I > take it. The > video ones are likely to be '75 Ohm' characterisic impedance, > so you'd > have to get the right plugs to fit them. 50 Ohm plugs will > fit, but the > larger centre pin will spread out the contacts on the socket. > And anyway > you'll have an impedance mismatch. I doubt you'd notice the slight > ringing from that on the screen, but it never hurts to do > things right. I have a 50-75 ohm converter, I believe. I'll need to dig it up. > it's separate outputs for the standard (40 column) video from the > motherboard and for video from an 80 column expansion card. Hadn't thought of that. Chris Christopher Smith, Perl Developer Amdocs - Champaign, IL /usr/bin/perl -e ' print((~"\x95\xc4\xe3"^"Just Another Perl Hacker.")."\x08!\n"); '

23 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

Bell & Howell Apple II update

by csmith＠amdocs.com

> -----Original Message----- > From: Fred Cisin (XenoSoft) [mailto:cisin@xenosoft.com] > There're a lot of different connectors that get used for composite > monitors. For school use, they want one that can withstand > some abuse, > and will stay on. (When somebody trips over the cord, it > should be strong > enough to pull the entire machine off of the table.) Heh. That was my first guess too -- but I've never seen this particular thing used on a composite video signal before. (Well, maybe the L+sync used on b&w monitors...) My assumption will be (until I can check it out) that these are simply split off of the original apple RCA plug on the mainboard, and carry the same signal. (I hope this is the case, since it would be a simple matter of fabricating an adaptor (for which I may have the parts...). > an unusual connector, with a hollow cylindrical plug a few > inches long, > with a pin in the center. I had to check out a cable each Got pictures of this thing? > time to use it, > until Electronics Etc (R.I.P.) came up with an adapter of that plug to > BNC. > OB_CC: My TRS-80 model 1 was quite happy sending signal to > half a dozen > giant overhead monitors. I don't see why it wouldn't be. Regards, Chris Christopher Smith, Perl Developer Amdocs - Champaign, IL /usr/bin/perl -e ' print((~"\x95\xc4\xe3"^"Just Another Perl Hacker.")."\x08!\n"); '

23 years, 6 months

7
9
0 0

TSU05 Docs?

by Andreas.Freiherr＠Vishay.com

Does anybody out there have the docs available for the TSU05 controller board used in PDP-11s or VAXes with UNIBUS to connect to the DEC variant of the Cipher F880? The board is M7455, and I am looking for the meanings of the DIP switches. There must be CSR address and interrupt vector, each made up by several individual switches, but in addition to that, an "extended features" switch and one for "buffering". And, no, I am certain that I did not confuse this with the TSV05 (M7196) for Qbus. Thanks in advance! Andreas -- Andreas Freiherr Vishay Semiconductor GmbH, Heilbronn, Germany http://www.vishay.com

23 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

boot sector

by Golemancd＠aol.com

o yeah thanks. After about 10 minutes i figured out that there is a loop at the top. i just add the jump to the enty code. thanks. joe

23 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

I need PDP-11/34A Help Again (Suprise Suprise)

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On January 24, Andreas Freiherr wrote: [pdp11/34] > Try this: enter 773000, load this address, and then press START. Since > 773000 is the standard start address for a bootstrap ROM, this should > get you a response on the console terminal attached to the DL-11W. > (Don't remember which, but I think it should ask for a two-letter device > code to boot.) It'll print the contents of R0, R4, R6, and R7, then give you a "@" prompt on the next line, at which you'd type a two letter device name to boot from. -Dave -- Dave McGuire St. Petersburg, FL "Less talk. More synthohol." --Lt. Worf

23 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

Looking for a boot disk for OS/9 for a CoCo 3

by vze2wsvr＠verizon.net

Checked on eBay, none available. Anyone have such a thing? Original preferred but will accept a permanent offsite backup as well. Let me know how much you want for it. TIA, Eric

23 years, 6 months

3
4
0 0

I need PDP-11/34A Help Again (Suprise Suprise)

by Andreas.Freiherr＠Vishay.com

Owen, still interested in getting your PDP-11/34 to work? - I am just about to reassemble mine after relocation. RUN light off and display 000002 means the processor halted at memory location 2, so it has probably executed a HALT instruction (opcode 000000) from location 0. Try this: enter 773000, load this address, and then press START. Since 773000 is the standard start address for a bootstrap ROM, this should get you a response on the console terminal attached to the DL-11W. (Don't remember which, but I think it should ask for a two-letter device code to boot.) BTW: The DL11-W has a 20mA interface as well as RS-232. (Note the "1488" and "1489" chips being present as well as a number of transistors and other discrete components.) Which on is used depends on the cable: the plug will have some wire connections to code it for either 20mA current loop or RS-232 / V.24. If you have an original cable with the usual DB-25 connector, it should be OK: current loop used a completely different 6-pin connector. For the settings at the terminal, I don't know this particular type, but with most DEC lines you should be best prepared if you use XON/XOFF handshake ("Main Rcv Hndsk" / "Main Xmt Hdsk"). Since at PDP-11 times, the 8th bit was commonly used as a parity bit, set your terminal to ignore this. Otherwise, you may get garbage characters instead of about every second readable character. A RS-232 break signal (certain voltage level applied for a certain time, not a sequence of bits!) can sometimes cause a PDP-11 to HALT (depending on settings on the interface board), so you may want to avoid this... (perhaps by choosing an appropriate setting for the "Disconnect" option for now?) So much from memory. If you need more details, let me know, and I'll dig into the docs. Good luck, Andreas -- Andreas Freiherr Vishay Semiconductor GmbH, Heilbronn, Germany http://www.vishay.com

23 years, 6 months

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BBC Master keyboard

by CLeyson＠aol.com

Just got myself an old BBC for 6502 assembler. My problem is that some of the key contacts need cleaning. My question is - Am I correct in thinking that all the keys need to unsoldered from the PCB, and are the key contacts easy to get at and clean ? Chris

23 years, 6 months

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LEAST valuable collectibles (was: Apple II boards

by thilo.schmidt＠unix-ag.org

Hi, On 24-Jan-2002 Bryan Pope wrote: > Are there any companies out there still making dot-matrix tractor-feed > printers? Look at http://www.psi-si.de I've seen some of their printers in action, quite impressive ;-) bye -- Sanity is the trademark of a weak mind. -- Mark Harrold

23 years, 6 months

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I'm Baack!

by rigdonj＠cfl.rr.com

I guess I only thought I'd get out of this hobby. Last week I got this <http://www.classiccmp.org/hp/mds-80/picture.jpg> in the mail. This is from a deal that I've had working for over a year. I've got it running and it works nice! So has any body got any MDS manuals, SW or parts that they'd like to part with? Joe

23 years, 6 months

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WTH is this?

by CLeyson＠aol.com

Looks like an Analog Devices measurement card of some sort. Try asking Analog Devices: URL www.analog.com or mailto: wwwcustomer.service(a)analog.com. Chris

23 years, 6 months

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Z-100 serial ports

by acme_ent＠bellsouth.net

Although I have (I believe) all of the manuals for the Zenith Z-100 (not Z-100 pc), I cannot find any reference to the serial ports on this box. What are the addresses of the DTE and DCE ports? I'd like to write some assembly code to access these devices (under CP/M-86) but want to control them at the hardware level instead of making BDOS calls. Any help out there? TIA, Glen 0/0

23 years, 6 months

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Mystical Ugly Computers (Was: RE: Appropritate comic strip....)

by mythtech＠Mac.com

> > This comes from a person that bought a G4 cube the day they announced > > it would be discontinued. I wanted to insure that we got one for my > > little collection. > > You could have waited several years and got it for the fraction of the > cost, either online or at a thrift store ;) >From what I have heard about the plastics on the cube... they might not last long enough to make it to the thrift stores. I was under the impression, they were fairly fragile. -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

23 years, 6 months

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Ugly Computers (Was: RE: Appropritate comic strip....)

by fmc＠reanimators.org

Jeff Hellige <jhellige(a)earthlink.net> wrote: > [...] As for the new iMac, I think that, like > the original iMac, it's meant to demystify computers for those that > have no interest in them for the most part and who don't want a plain > beige box taking up space. Like it or not, it's hard to ignore and > it does make a statement. Demystify? I don't know, I expect my mother is as mystified about her spiffy new 2001 iMac as she is about her 1988 Mac Plus. She just expects me to understand, and hopes she can figure it out before she has to resort to calling me. On the other hand, it does simplify computers! 2001's iMac came with a sheet of setup instructions. Six numbered pictures, no words, and step 6 is pressing the power switch. It's real simple, just connect keyboard to computer, mouse to keyboard, phone or ethernet to computer, computer to power, and then press the power switch. No need to fuss with monitor or speakers, they're built-in. What was real fun about this upgrade was getting the files from the Mac Plus to the iMac. The Mac Plus can write 800KB stiffies, SCSI, and serial; and the iMac can read CD-ROM, USB, Ethernet, modem, and Firewire. Note what they have in common: nothing. I did a dry run using an iBook and my old Mac Plus. First I got a Belkin USB-to-SCSI doohickey and installed that on the iBook. Then I connected the Mac Plus' hard disk to the SCSI doohickey and booted MacOS 9.2. It asked me whether I wanted to initialize the unrecognized volume, and I told it no. So much for that idea, and a good thing it wasn't listening for spoken commands as I'd probably have turned its ears blue. The next try was with Basilisk II running on a Windows Me Harder notebook, emulating a Quadra 650 and running System 7.5.3. This worked better: I was able to connect the Plus' hard disk via an Adaptec SlimSCSI PCMCIA interface and mount it and copy the files over. Then I was able to use Appletalk to share the volume over the notebook's Ethernet interface and mount it from the iBook. So the WinMe notebook went back east with me. There I found that Mom's Mac Plus' hard disk is a Jasmine, and there's something about it that doesn't work with Basilisk II running System 7.5.3. If it's on the SCSI bus, the simulated Mac hangs when it tries to mount the disk. After three days of fussing with this I punted, used Stuffit on Mom's Mac Plus to make archives of all her stuff (all 8MB of it!) and Mac Kermit to transfer the archives over serial cabling to the simulated Mac. That took a couple of multiple-hour sessions so let's say a day. Then I unpacked the archives on the simulated Mac and did the Appletalk share so the iMac could copy the files over. And y'know what? AppleWorks 6.1.2 knows how to read ClarisWorks 1.0 files. One of my co-workers was the QA lead for ClarisWorks 1.0, and he is very happy to know not only that a little old lady in Maryland was using it for most of the last decade, but that her bits are safe. I'm very happy too. -Frank McConnell

23 years, 6 months

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More HP1000's

by steven_j_robertson＠hotmail.com

BTW: Was thinking about getting a camera and taking some pictures of the 1000s. If I take pictures, does anyone have the bandwidth and willingness to host them? SteveRob _________________________________________________________________ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com

23 years, 6 months

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test-drb January 2002