test-drb January 2004

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

290 participants
643 discussions

MicroVAX I update the 3rd, now being serialised in a local newspaper near you :)

by witchy＠binarydinosaurs.co.uk

More googling shows that the MV I and the MicroPDP can be very easily interchanged since they share memory modules etc, so I dug out my 11/73 and proceeded to spend a while tinkering with RT-11 again for the first time in nearly 10 years - there were files on there I'd changed in april '94 :) Looks like the RD54 (not the one I used as a load on the VAX) is possibly fading 'cos I got some overlay errors, but anyway.... The PDP still runs fine with the M7551 memory from the VAX so I know it's not a board issue I have with the VAX. Next thing to do I suppose is 'borrow' the PDP's cab to test the complete set of VAX boards, once I verify the PSUs are the same. That's a job that needs a lot of space which I don't have so I'll have to invade the kitchen next week when everyone else is out the house and hope I don't run into problems :) cheers -- Adrian/Witchy www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk - possibly the UK's biggest online computer museum www.snakebiteandblack.co.uk - ex-monthly gothic shenanigans :o(

22 years, 1 month

Check out TechTV | Homebrew Computer Club Reunion on The Screensavers

by Ladyelec＠aol.com

<A HREF="http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/shownotes/story/0,24330,3560406,00.html">Click here: TechTV | Homebrew Computer Club, </A> http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/shownotes/story/0,24330,3560406,00.html Homebrew Computer Club Reunion on The Screensavers The seeds of Silicon Valley's booming tech industry may well have been planted by the now-legendary Homebrew Computer Club. Friday the 16th. , we reunite members of the Club for a look at the past, present, and future of tech. Isa

22 years, 1 month

Microvax III Hardware

by jeff.kaneko＠juno.com

The following items are available for shipping plus 15%. With thanks to Megan's field guide: 2 M7620 KA650-BA Q MicroVAX III CPU (workstation license), 90nS. 1 M7651-PA DRV1W-S Q General-Purpose DMA Interface (for BA200 series) 1 M7164 KDA50-Q Q Qbus SDI disk adapter, Q22 (1 of 2) (QDA SDI) 1 M7165 KDA50-Q Q Qbus SDI disk adapter, Q22 (2 of 2) (QDA SDI) 2 M7168 VCB02, QDSS Q 4-plane colour bitmap module 1 M7169 VCB02, QDSS Q 4-plane video controller module 4 M7621-AV MS650-AA Q 8-Mbyte RAM for KA650 (MicroVAX III) 1 M7622-BP MS650-BA Q 16-Mbyte RAM for KA650 (MicroVAX III) 1 M7769 KFQSA-S Q Storage Adapter (DSSI Disk Interface), BA200 series 1 M8634-PA IEQ11-S Q Communications Controller (IEC/IEEE) (for BA200 series) 1 M3127-PA DESQA-SA/SF Q Ethernet/thinwire adapter (DELQA+DESTA) with S-box handle 1 M8087-PA Q Scanner/printer to Q-bus DMA interface Some cables are available, ask. If I don't get any takers, the whole lot goes into the melter. I just don't have the place to keep them anymore. . . . Jeff ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!

22 years, 1 month

.PIC image file format

by d_cymbal＠hotmail.com

Hi, Does anyone have a description of the .PIC file format for images found on some CP/M machines? I assume the ones I am dealing with a DR Logo image files, but am not entirely sure. They are a binary format that apparently has the filename at the 0 offset. Any help appreciated. Thanks. dc

22 years, 1 month

Whitechapel MG-1 : dead power supply ?

by mail＠softsmiths.co.uk

T I have heard there is a trick with mg-1 power supplies not working ... I cannot remember where i have seen it. If you have not heard of this trick let me know and i'll try and remember where i have seen it on the web rgds - Derek Mott

22 years, 1 month

Battery connections on laptop.

by rigdonj＠cfl.rr.com

Some battery packs use separate leads for charging and to supply power. Also most packs (other than NiCad) have a thermistor to control the charge rate. Many also have a thermal circuit breaker. All of these require additional contacts. The Li-Ions in particular often have the circuit breaker since they are prone to exploding violently if they are improperly charged or used. In addition, some of the contacts may be paralleled with other contacts to increase the current carrying capability. You'll have to break open the pack to see exactly what they're all used for. Li-Ion, Ni-MH and most of the newer batteries have very exactly charging and use requirements. I STRONGLY recommend not switching battery types. Save yourself a lot of aggravation and replace the cells with the same type of cells. Spend your money on buying GOOD cells and not the Mexican or Chinesse made junk. I've had extremely good luck with the JAPANESE (NOT Mexican!!) made Sanyo NiCads but I can't say about the other type cells. Joe At 03:10 PM 1/15/04 +0100, you wrote: >I just bought a somewhat older laptop, though I hope you will all forgive >me if it is slightly younger than the borderline for the interests of this >group (I am not sure on which side of the line it lies.) > >It is a Toshiba 4010CDT, which uses a Li-Ion battery, the subject of this >message. I am amazed at the number of contacts between the battery and >the computer (about 10) and wish to know their function. On the Internet >I find nothing. On account of the short life-time of such batteries I >want to install NiMH. I accept that I would have to use a separate, >external charger, even removing the reserve battery fro the charging >process, as the price of being able to travel with a back-up battery which >would not die after two years of having it around. > >The problem is all those connections; I have no idea what they do and only >a couple of them are needed for transfer of power to the computer. At >least part of the rest must be communicating data about the state of the >battery, either for the sake of charging or for warning of the soon-to-come >shut-down for lack of enough power to continue. I would have to lie to >the computer in such a way it thinks it is monitoring a Li-Ion battery, but >to do it I need to know what the lies must say. Does anybody have a clue >what the functions of these connections are? > >Keeping my fingers crossed, > >Bob > >

22 years, 1 month

"Scrap" PDP-11 boards on Ebay

by aek＠spies.com

Looks like lots of Q-Bus PDP-11 stuff, including a CPU and backplane. It's up to a measly $10.50 with two days to go. Item # 2588111758 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2588111758&category=1504 -- sigh... looks like the guy ripped apart a Unibus PDP11 system. There are boards there for a Kennedy tape drive, SMD drives, and a Emulex SMD controller.

22 years, 1 month

DEC MINC-11 question

by TRASH3＠splab.cas.neu.edu

If it has been sitting for a while, reseat all the chips on each board, and then reseat all the boards. You can start by minimizing the number of boards in the system, try just the boot, memory and cpu boards, and see if the error goes away or changes. Chips do go bad, but many a time it has been oxidation on the pins of the DIP that go into the socket that makes a mess. Joe Heck

22 years, 1 month

Battery connections on laptop.

by john_boffemmyer_iv＠boff-net.dhs.org

Yes, I know some of the functions (boss had a similar Toshiba). Apparently, it not only gives battery life/charge notification and monitoring, it also has battery temperature (for what reasons, I do not know since it was grossly inaccurate most of the time). There even was a diagnostic for Windows and DOS(boot floppy) that could be run and interface with the battery to find possible run time/length, stress test, possible recharge times, etc. I only know of the utility from a Toshiba tech mentioning it when my boss had a problem. I don't even know if that is actually available to the public. It was sort of like a rudementary serial interface to a battery. -John Boffemmyer IV At 09:10 AM 1/15/2004, you wrote: >I just bought a somewhat older laptop, though I hope you will all forgive >me if it is slightly younger than the borderline for the interests of this >group (I am not sure on which side of the line it lies.) > >It is a Toshiba 4010CDT, which uses a Li-Ion battery, the subject of this >message. I am amazed at the number of contacts between the battery and >the computer (about 10) and wish to know their function. On the Internet >I find nothing. On account of the short life-time of such batteries I >want to install NiMH. I accept that I would have to use a separate, >external charger, even removing the reserve battery fro the charging >process, as the price of being able to travel with a back-up battery which >would not die after two years of having it around. > >The problem is all those connections; I have no idea what they do and >only a couple of them are needed for transfer of power to the >computer. At least part of the rest must be communicating data about the >state of the battery, either for the sake of charging or for warning of >the soon-to-come shut-down for lack of enough power to continue. I would >have to lie to the computer in such a way it thinks it is monitoring a >Li-Ion battery, but to do it I need to know what the lies must say. Does >anybody have a clue what the functions of these connections are? > >Keeping my fingers crossed, > >Bob ---------------------------------------- Founder, Lead Writer, Tech Analyst and Web Designer Boff-Net Technologies http://boff-net.dhs.org/index.html ---------------------------------------

22 years, 1 month

AMC Multibus cards?

by aek＠spies.com

Here's the list: Monoboard Computer AMC 95/4005 2 ea. Dynamic RAM Board 0095-0017 also marked 95/1032 in ink. 32K Ram 3310 Communications Controller marked 1119 in ink. Also marked 950134 95/6110 FD Control Board. Marked 994260-901 in ink -- www.bitsavers.org/pdf/amd/multibus/

22 years, 1 month

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test-drb January 2004