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

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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HP16C

by emu＠ecubics.com

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

23 years, 6 months

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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
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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
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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

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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

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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
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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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