test-drb December 2003

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

252 participants
453 discussions

by TRASH3＠splab.cas.neu.edu

Oh, how I've missed discussions like this!!!! I have been involved with RT-11 and PDP/LSI stuff since 1974, and belonged to the MIT local users group/special interest group until the mid 80's. I loved (and still do) this stuff. For a while I also ran the VAX 11/780 cluster at Northeastern University when it was first brought in, but I always liked RT-11. Currently in the lab at Northeastern I contract with, we have a couple of microvax II's, and a few LSI-11 systems (all 11/73). I have done some hacking of the operating system for real-time stuff we needed in the lab, and also built custom q-bus boards for the lab. So I have a bit of hardware and software expertise for RT-11/Qbus. I felt lost, in a vacuum of sorts, when DEC was bought out, the LSI-11 stuff discontinued, and no local user group to speak of. I was also one of the voices asking for RT-11 on the VAX architecture, as we saw the end of the PDP/LSI line coming, and no good replacement. Well, I never saw it, but at least I can run some of our stuff on a PC with emulators now. I have close to 100 boards as spares now, even I think a T-11 SBC, and as soon as I can start moving the stuff off the LSI-11 systems, I will be getting rid of them. I already owe two systems to people who have asked for them, Curt(atari) and jcwren. Now that I have my two radio towers up and the weather is forcing me to work indoors, I can get back to what I promised people on the list. I recall that I took the images from a PLUS board (with the MSCP code) and burned it into eproms and then stuck them on a MXV-11, so you could say I didn't always do things kosher, but then again it worked. With that setup, I could use just two dual boards to make a small system. The "disk" was the TU-58 on the serial port on the MXV-11. So you could say I was an addict for this stuff, and I have found a home among fellow addicts/fruitcakes/junkies!! My only request is if anyone knows of another list/group I should join that is more specific to RT-11/LSI-11 stuff, please let me know. Joe Heck, K1LBG

20 years, 12 months

New Research Machines finds

by julesrichardsonuk＠yahoo.co.uk

Couple of new Research Machines finds just turned up: A 380Z in great condition, with the added bonus that it came with all the manuals. Quick look inside shows it to be pretty stock, except that I was told it had some sort of silicon disk option fitted. It does look to have a memory-type board hooked up to the bus that I wasn't expecting. Currently drying out prior to strip-down and checking as it had to overnight in the car... An RM NB300 laptop. Bet there aren't many of those about (I confess to not even knowing that RM made a laptop until the guy I got the 380Z from suddenly remembered that he had it!). Looks to be fairly standard stuff inside - Conner crap-o-matic 40MB IDE drive, 386 cpu, 4MB RAM etc. but probably a quite nice spec for the time. The internal keyboard cable (one of those flat ribbons) is snapped - anyone know of a UK source for them? Othwise I'll just have to keep an eye out for replacements in broken laptops... Oh, I also got various bits of software for both machines - system disks, Windows 1.0 for the laptop etc. cheers Jules

20 years, 12 months

looking for: Option Board, Trackstar, Turnover Card or similars

by silviorf＠yahoo.com

Hi, I would like to read/write apple II disks directly >from my PC. Searching the web I read about the following hardware cards for PC: -Option Boards (made by CentralPoint); -Apple Turnover card; -Trackstar card; Anyone knows where can I find one of those cards ?? Any other "DIY" solution would be apreciated too... Thanks in advance, Silvio ______________________________________________________________________ Conhe?a a nova central de informa??es anti-spam do Yahoo! Mail: http://www.yahoo.com.br/antispam

21 years

Message for Joe Heck - re. 7 Track tape drives

by aek＠spies.com

Look, I hate Big Oil as much as the next guy (probably more so), but there's no reason to turn down good money. -- Yes there is. There are archivists who work FOR the collecting community (not just me) that can't find legacy tape drives to read historically significant tapes. Every drive that goes into "data recovery" black holes will never see one second of use to help us. You've struck a raw nerve with this.. I've spent years rediscovering data recovery techniques that have been known for twenty years because no one in the business will talk about it. Take a look on the web for things related to data recovery, file and sector formats, etc. and you won't find squat except for the stuff individuals have reverse engineered. --

21 years

cpt8520

by gfdudley＠bellsouth.net

Hello Witchy, I sold these things for Dick Eichorn....in Washington DC against burroughs/redacdon......did quite well with sales as a matter of fact......but that was yesterday> no it isn't a home computer by any stretch of the word.....it is a very powerful, 2nd generation 8000 CPT..what is the serial Number???should be on the inspection plate on the back or near that area...when the unit came on the Market..CPT was in the early stages of financial difficulties....that did not keep those in DC from selling the box.....If you plug the 8000 key board into the 8520 you will either get the 8520 to work or not.....it just happens that way....when we rec'vd the 8520's the tech had to try to build a complete unit from what ever parts they had in house....oh the units came in complete, they just were rushed thru production. and the end result were always marginal....the original power up.....always asked for the floppy......in my files somewhere, Knoxville, tn....where I now reside/retired ....I'll try to connect/email with one other person that is still in the DC area.....we will see what activity this produces.....what prompted my search on this is a statement from a financial organization about 120 shares of stock/in stock ownership plans that split @ 60 back when I was selling the boxes....go figure......it has been a long time but the america social security system must actually keep records of that sort of thing....I left CPT Corp for Hol Inns, spent 13 years with them....Moved into the hospitality Industry...Room safes,,,,like the EL Safe ASSa Abloy...web site www.elsafe.com or www.assaabloy.com I now do contract work for www.perma-vault.com of Warminster, PA. I,m still in the hospitality industry....work is now concentrated on the distributors....they buy more.........I"ll keep a watch for your response....it should be interesting.....Happy Holidays.... Gordon Dudley, bellsouth@.net

21 years

looking for: Option Board, Trackstar, Turnover Card or similars

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Dec 21, 15:46, Patrick Finnegan wrote: > On Sunday 21 December 2003 15:03, Fred Cisin wrote: > > On Sun, 21 Dec 2003, [iso-8859-1] Silvio Finotti wrote: > > > Thank you all for the replys.... > > > Just discovered a software that claims to read Apple > > > II disks (and other formats too) using a normal PC > > Reads Apple ][ disks without no extra hardware? > > Does it also turn water into wine? > I too am skeptical, but it has some more information here: > > http://www.oldskool.org/disk2fdi/trial.html > > along with some more documentation in the ZIP file you can download. > I'd have to see it to believe it, but who knows... > One thing to note is that he says it requires a *2nd* floppy drive for > non-PC compatible formats. So, I'm guessing he screws with the floppy > select lines somehow to "mix" the data streams from two drives and try > to get the PC controller to parse it. Still, I'm skeptable that it's > possible to work well, and I'm fairly certain it can't be reliable. Having now read the docs, I'm partway to believing it. For those who've not downloaded the trial copy and read the docs, the trick is to have the disk to be read in one drive, and a standard disk in another. Start both drives, start reading the standard disk, but using the "Read Track" (diagnostic) command, watch for the DMA to start working (which means it's read a header and has started to transfer the data stream), and then switch drives and double the data rate setting. The idea is that by doing this, the FDC sees a valid header and starts transferring bits, then by doubling the data rate you get the raw data + clocks off the other disk. Then it's a matter of decoding what you have in your buffer; finding the sync patterns, working out the density and sector sizes, numbers and so on. I know that can be done, because I've a program (written about ten years ago) that does it. It uses a 1770 to read raw data (only from FM/MFM disks though) and then decodes it; it's designed to copy protected disks and I've never once known it fail, though it sometimes takes a while to work out exactly what it has in the buffer and how to write it back. Of course the patterns on Apple and Commodore disk aren't the same, but in principle it should be doable. -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

21 years

looking for: Option Board, Trackstar, Turnover Card or similars

by silviorf＠yahoo.com

Thank you all for the replys.... Just discovered a software that claims to read Apple II disks (and other formats too) using a normal PC without no extra hardware (except for with 2 disk drives, 1 must be 5,25)!!! . Have not tested it yet, since I didn't found my old drives.... There's the link.... it's really interestint !!! http://www.oldskool.org/disk2fdi/index_html To Grumpy Ol' Fred: ------------------- > -Apple Turnover card; Out of business, never worked very well. SOMEWHERE, I have several crates of DEAD ones. Don't you want to sell 2 or 3 pieces of those deads cards ??? > Quadlink were entire Apple][ clones on a PC ISA card. Do they have software for file transfer? (NOTE: on a sample size of ~50, we had >75% DOA rate on the Quadlink.'We received several that had connectors misinstalled, that could not have ever been tested. We had a comparable DOA rate on the replacement units, indicating that they never did ANY QA.) I'm interested in the Quadlink card too, if you still have any of them.... Cheers, Silvio Finotti ______________________________________________________________________ Conhe?a a nova central de informa??es anti-spam do Yahoo! Mail: http://www.yahoo.com.br/antispam

21 years

some RM03 questions

by quapla＠xs4all.nl

Hi All, I finally got to the RM03 I collected over a year ago from Italy. I did some cleaning of the main unit, and I have a spare absolute airfilter which I want to replace with the old one, which brings me to the first question..., how do I replace it? Apparently, the whole drive and actuator allembly can be lifted, but I can't find a lever or bolt to release in order to lift it. Q2 : is the drive a 'real' SMD drive, or a modified one? there are 2 flatcables running from the back, one wide, and one small. The reason I'm asking this is that I have heard that CDC made the drives and they did make those (model 99xx?) as SMD one's as well. Last question : in the drive is a pack, but I don't have an empty cover with a handle to place over it in order to remove it. I do hawever have 4 packs which are having their covers, and was thinking of using one of those. problem is, how to release it from the handle? Any info is appriciated :) Ed --

21 years

AIC-100 data sheet

by aek＠spies.com

Tony was asking about tech info on the ACB4000 so I did some digging around and found the data sheet I had for the AIC-100 which should be the main control IC on the 4000. www.bitsavers.org/pdf/adaptec/AIC-100_dataSheet.pdf

21 years

NEC Multispeed HD Setup Disk

by robert_little_2000＠yahoo.com

Joe, I came across a message you posted in the Classic Computer forum regarding helping someone out with a NEC Multispeed 286. I actually have the original Multispeed HD, and have looked high and low for the setup programs. Do you still have that SW around? Thanks, Rob __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing. http://photos.yahoo.com/

21 years

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test-drb December 2003