David Holland <dholland(a)woh.rr.com> wrote:
> I've had it for about a week now, and just can't get used to funky
> arrangement of the arrow keys in the middle, and the F keys on the left
> just throws my Unreal Tournament gaming off.
So we know it's one of the sort with the Omni key instead of an
inverted-T layout.
If it's an Ultra, it should also have the function keys across the
top.
> Anyways, I gather these things were something of a 'gotta have it'
> keyboard at one time, and were bloody expensive.
Not that bad. In the mid-1990s you could get them for about $70,
which seems expensive for a keyboard, but for those of us who really
wanted the control key to be to the left of A and didn't want to have
to fuss with driver software to make it happen, it was well worth it.
If you want expensive, go check out the Avant Stellar! That is
reportedly the modern Northgate OmniKey, and it sells for about $150.
> I gather it might of came with some extra keycaps when it was new, so
> you could move around control/shift. I do not have those.
So, some questions to help folks ID what you've got.
Is the control key to the left of A?
Where are the switches? Poking out the back, or hidden under the
"OmniKey" flip-top lid, or not present at all (flip the lid up, see
nothing)?
Not present at all means it is a late-model programmable keyboard.
They had firmware bugs, and the "fix" was "remove the EEPROM that
holds the key remappings".
> Anyone want it? (I think this is at least on-topic)
Somebody better!
-Frank McConnell
Hi Joe,
The drive is a 9134XV - serial number begins with 23 so I guess that it
would be from around 1983. If I look at the drive with an HP 9000 332 it
sees an HFS partition - with basic 6.0 binaries :).
When I ask the drive to identify itself it returns a pair of bytes that I
don't recognise (1 and 15 from memory but I could be wrong). This pair of
bytes is not the same as the pair that would be returned by a CS80 drive.
I managed to check the reader software with a pair of 9133 drives, a 9134
drive (which fails) and a 7907 drive (this identifies itself correctly but
appears to have been wiped of data at some time).
I have some other software recorded on 7906 removable cartridges - does
anyone know if an HPIB version of this drive was made? - I think that the
model number may be 7906H but I have no further information. Does anyone
have a 7906H tht they don't need?
Cheers
Peter Brown
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I fixed the VCF Europa Live pages from the vintage.org server. To see
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...and click on "VCF Life".
Look for the guy in the Blue Shirt and that will be Hans (Hansi Smurf).
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
* Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *
Yesterday I was cleaning out and putting some excess HP manuals on E-bay. One of the books that I found, HP-UX Concepts and Tutorials - Device I/O and User Interfacing, looked interesting but was still sealed so I listed it without opening it to see exactly what it covered. (I'm not real big on HP-UX). Today I found another copy of the same manual. It was alreadu opened so I've been reading through it. First, it DOES cover the HP IPC (Intergral Personal Computer) along with the HP 9000 Series 200/300, Series 500 and Series 800 computers. Each function that only applies to certain systems is flagged and there are appendices for the IPC and each of the other series that list and describe any peculiarities of that implementation. BUT what was even more surprising is that it states that many of the HP printers use the Amigo protocall! For the ones of you that aren't familiar with HPs that protocall is used for low end disk drives. This is the first time that I've heard that was also used for printers. Besides that statement it also has a "non-trivel" programming example of an "HP-IB driver that uses the Device I/O Library subroutines to drive various models of the HP Amigo protocall HP-IB printers". This might be a good starting point for anyone that wants to write and Amigo driver to talk to disk drives. Are you listening, Sergio and Peter?
This book is definitely a keeper! It describes the HP-IB and GPIO interfaces for the various systems in detail including their status and control registers. It then describes how to use the DIL (Device I/O Library) included with HP-UX to set, read and control the interfaces and how to link calls to the DIL from Fortran, Pascal and Assembly language programs. It looks like a great source of info for anyone that wants to write their own device drivers or wants low level control of HP-IB and GPIO interfaces under HP-UX.
I'm keeping this copy but I have another one that's already on E-bay. I know this sounds like a shameless plug but it's not. I'm just really impressed with this book.
Joe
Just acquired a VAX 4000/505A (thanks Paul!) with no disks installed -
anyone got the details for adding a raw DSSI disk to one of these
things ; the chasis has a drive backplane at the top with 4 edge
connectors, into which a drive sled of some form slots in. I need to
knock up whatever is on the sleds, drive LEDs & switches. Unless
anyone has some excess sleds that I could liberate?...
Ohhh, wonder if the MDS pils of docs has any details on this - off to
look now :)
ta
greg
This weekend is VCF Europa 4.0 in Muenchen, Deustchland!
Complete information is on the VCF Europa website:
http://www.vcfe.de
I look forward to reports from those that make it since I won't be present
this year :(
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
* Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *
>From: "Doug Coward" <mranalog(a)attbi.com>
>
> Ethan wrote:
>> How does a resistive sheet computer work?
>
> I wrote:
>> Resistive sheets belong to a category of analog
>> computing called network analyzers.
>
> Oops, I need to correct this.
> Resistive sheets belong to a category of analog
Hi
This is the place to describe my method of finding
shorts on power planes. This is very much like the
resistive sheet methods.
You place a power supply across one of the two planes
that has shorts between them, such that about one or
two amps is flowing in current limit. You place one lead
of a volt meter on the opposite plane and then probe
with the other lead on the plane with the current flowing
across it. You find a line where the meter reads zero.
Now, move the power leads to an orthogonal corners.
Again fine the line of zero volts. Where the two lines
cross, you'll find the short.
There are variations of this method for finding shorts
between traces and even multiple shorts.
Dwight
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> Ethan wrote:
>> How does a resistive sheet computer work?
>
> Just a quick note for now.
> Resistive sheets belong to a category of analog
>computing called network analyzers.
>
>> In the same vein (pun intended)... how would fluidic computers
>> stack up? Digital? Analog? Mixed?
>
> Fluidics (or fluid logic) can have both analog
>and digital processes. You can perform boolean
>operations, but you also can have fluid amplifers.
Hi
An interesting side note. The power steering of your
auto is an example of an analog fluid amplifier.
Dwight
> --Doug
>=========================================
>Doug Coward
>@ home in Poulsbo, WA
>
>Analog Computer Online Museum and History Center
>http://dcoward.best.vwh.net/analog
>=========================================
Howdy all,
I stumbled across a Northgate Omnikey Ultra (not UltraPlus) keyboard in
the local thrift store, and picked it up for 5$. (It had a nice feel,
kinda PS/2'ish, and no stupid windows, or various other internet/volume
controls/etc keys.)
I've had it for about a week now, and just can't get used to funky
arrangement of the arrow keys in the middle, and the F keys on the left
just throws my Unreal Tournament gaming off.
(See http://www.northgate-keyboard-repair.com for some piccy's)
Anyways, I gather these things were something of a 'gotta have it'
keyboard at one time, and were bloody expensive.
Thought I'd offer it up here, for 5$ + shipping before it goes
downstairs in the basement to collect dust.
One thing to note, is its got one of the AT style connectors in back, so
you'll need an adapter if your going to plug it into a PS/2 style
connector. (No, you can't have the one I was using)
Visually, its pretty clean, there's a little green stuff on the bottom
where I attacked (mostly ineffectively) some sticky stuff w/ a scrubbing
sponge, but the top is (imho) nice and clean.
I think all the keys work, however, there might be a few F keys I didn't
hit the week I was using it.
I gather it might of came with some extra keycaps when it was new, so
you could move around control/shift. I do not have those.
Anyways, enough disclaimers,
Anyone want it? (I think this is at least on-topic)
David
>From: "Fred Cisin (XenoSoft)" <cisin(a)xenosoft.com>
>
>> > > I don't think _my_ auto (1968 Beetle) is an example of that. :-)
>> > Well, now - not so fast! While your Bug may not have power steering,
>> > if it's got an automatic transmission...
>> Nope... 4-speed manual. There was this thing called an "auto-stick",
>> but that was a servo-operated clutch (and an ordinary manual transmission)
>> that engaged when you began to move the stick. You still shifted, but
>> you didn't clutch.
>
>I don't think that I would call a torque converter a "servo".
>
Hi
I put a brake servo on my '53 power wagon. That is gone
now. The storm this last winter blew over a 147 foot Douglas Fir
onto it. It push all 4 tires into the ground, down to the axles,
and the axles to the frame. I think this is when the body finally
gave.
Dwight
