test-drb May 2004

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

244 participants
500 discussions

Brian Instruments BRIKON model 723 floppy drive tester/analyzer

by kennj＠telusplanet.net

I finally got around to fixing a Brian Instruments BRIKON model 723 floppy drive tester/analyzer I purchased (broken) some time ago. It was a pretty easy problem in the power supply (two shorted capacitors). It now powers up, lights blink, and I don't know how to use it :-) Inside the unit the EPROM stickers say "P723 Apple Dual Analog 4/29/92", so I assume that means this puppy can test Apple analog drives. Just for fun I tried plugging in an old 5.24 inch IBM-PC drive, and after moving the drive select (DS) jumper on the drive to "1", I can step the head back and forth using buttons on the front of the Brian. Ohh I'm a clever monkey! There's a lot I don't know about floppy drives, and I don't understand most of the info the unit presents on it's front panel or display. What's "Radial Select" mean? Or "Binary Select?" Or "Mux Control," for that matter? What does the following pattern mean when displayed following completion of a test cycle? --. | | | Looks like a seven, but there's an extra segment lit up! BTW, the 723 reported that my old floppy drive failed the test, which is quite possible. I was willing to sacrifice that drive in the interests of my education. :-) I would really like to get my hands on a manual for the unit. My search in Google took me to this web site, where someone way back in 2002 was looking for a BRIKON 723 with the analog/alignment attachment (option R). I don't know if that's the same as the Apple Dual Analog feature my 723 has. There's nothing on the back of my unit that says "option R" has been installed. My unit has one "free" slot inside. I guess that's for an option I don't have. Could anyone out there provide me with a copy of the owner's manual? Of course I'll pay for photocopy charges, etc. Alternately, anyone out there interested in outlining how to use this puppy? Thanks so much, Kenn

20 years, 1 month

1802 - elf?

by ron.hudson＠sbcglobal.net

How rare are elfs? How about 1802s, could I build my own?

20 years, 1 month

Pdp-11/60 and HP 9836 available in Houston

by nospam212-classiccmp＠yahoo.com

I have a PDP-11/60 available in Houston TX along with an HP 9836. If interested contact me off list. Looking to see if anyone is interested in them whole before parting it out. Seems most people just want bits and pieces. David ----- "When the mind is free of any thought or judgement, then and only then can we know things as they are." David Williams dlwfanservice(a)sbcglobal.com

20 years, 1 month

A big AT

by aw288＠osfn.org

Check out: http://users.bestweb.net/~toober/images/8232.jpg It is an IBM 8232, and the biggest damn AT I have ever seen. Basically, it is a channel to ethernet box, and contains inside an IBM 7532 Industrial AT with a bunch of Bus and Tag hardware. Just what everyone needs. William Donzelli aw288(a)osfn.org

20 years, 1 month

DZ11 or DH11

by wacarder＠usit.net

I have my PDP 11/34 up and running and booting in RT-11 >from RL02 packs. I would like to do a few upgrades to it. I have two RK05J drives and would like to start troubleshooting them, but I need the RK11 controller in order to hook the drives up to my PDP 11/34 system. I also would like the ability to attach more than one terminal, so I'm looking for a DZ11 or (I think) DH11 multiplexer modules. Right now I have a DL11-W. Does anyone here on this list have any RK11, DZ11, or DH11 that they would like to part with? Thanks, Ashley

20 years, 1 month

OT: Hp JetDirect 300X help question

by vcf＠siconic.com

Sorry for the OT but I'm stumped and the web has no answers for me (and neither do stupid HP and stupid Xerox). I've got an HP JetDirect 300X print server. I'm attaching my Xerox XD125f printer/copier to it to so that I can print from any machine on my network. For some reason, Xerox's driver will not allow printing from stations on the network other than the host. It will queue the job but when I look at the queue on the host it has errored out for some inexplicable reason. Also, when I print from the host, it loads down the computer for about 5 seconds until the job is sent to the printer. This is also annoying. So I put this print server in to hopefully accomplish two things: to allow printing from any station on my network and to not bog down my computer when I print. When I attach the printer to the print server it gets recognized by the JetDirect. However, if I press the test button on the JetDirect I do not get a test page printed out. That's one problem, and probably the one to figure out for the rest of this setup to work. If I setup a network printer port on a computer and then try to print to that port, it tries to queue up the job but then fails. I don't know if the JetDirect is not getting the job or if it is failing the job because it can't dump the job to the printer. I've done everything I can think of with the JetDirect. I've updated it's flash memory to the latest BIOS; I've checked all its settings and am able to connect to its web interface and all that. The one thing it really lacks is any sort of diagnostics to help figure out these problems, and stupid HPs website won't allow any sort of support questions to get asked about this product. So my only guess at this point is that the Xerox is one of those stupid WinPrinters that requires a windows box to print from. I don't know for sure. Xerox's manual is a fucking joke. So is Xerox at this point for that matter. Anyone have any clues to share? Please respond to private e-mail. THANKS! -- Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org [ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ] [ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]

20 years, 1 month

Computer flooring/flooding/water in computer rooms

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On May 29, 9:12, John Boffemmyer IV wrote: > Ah yes, flooding. Water and 20A 120 don't like mixing too much. [...] > You guy's stories are more interesting though as per the capability of > larger loss and a lot more water. Just thought I'd contribute my little bit. We were lucky; the concrete floor slopes slightly towards the aircon and the water level didn't reach any electrical circuits. If it had been an inch or so higher, it could have shorted all the circuits. Let's see, that's 3 phases times 8 (IIRC) dual sockets, each on a 30A 240V circuit. The UPS wouldn't have helped much, its 3-phase 6 x 30A circuits terminate in sockets bolted to the same concrete floor. Of course, the UPS won't actually supply 3 x 180A, more like 3 x 48A; similarly the raw mains isn't 3 x 240A, more like 3 x 100A. -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

20 years, 1 month

Outbound Laptop

by vcf＠siconic.com

Here you go: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5702503936 The $250 Buy It Now price is not bad. Otherwise, the start bid is $150. Good luck! -- Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org [ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ] [ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]

20 years, 1 month

Ven-Tel autodial modem (c. 1982)

by oldbear＠arctos.com

I'm still cleaning the attic. I just found a Ven-Tel MD-212plus modem of vintage 1982 or so. This modem is unusual because it was one of the first to include auto-dialing controlled via its RS-232 interface data stream. Today, there is nothing unusual about embedded commands for dialing, but at the time, the only modems that could handle dialing were costly and bulky devices provided by Bell and requiring software support in the computer. (I believe that D C Hayes had just come out with a small 300-baud modem for the Apple II which introduced the AT-command set.) Racal-Vadic even published a "white paper" with the title: "Auto-Dialing is not Trivial" about that time. It went into detail about the various dial-tones, audible ring and busy signals, intercept recordings and other obstacles which a modem would encounter on the public switched telephone network. There is a photo of this VenTel MD-212plus 300/1200 bit/sec modem at http://www.arctos.com/misc/VenTel-MD212.jpg It's on its way to that great modem resting place unless someone wants to give it a home for the cost of postage. It would look very nice sitting on top of a PDP-8. With packing material, it weighs slightly less than 6 lbs. including the power supply (which is hard-wired to the modem.) Email me if you have any interest. Provide your zip code and preferred method of shipping (Priority Mail, Parcel Post, UPS) and I'll calculate the exact rate. First come, first served. Offer expires 6-15-2004. Void where spouse objects to any more techie junk in the house. ;) Regards, Will still cleaning the Old Bear's Attic

20 years, 1 month

Exar 22-908-03 anyone ?

by jos.mar＠bluewin.ch

My Lilith workstation keyboard seems to have taken an "electric" beating, i.e. a 12 v to 5V short. The wiring inside the machine was not the best...... It took out the 8035, a 74ls373 and, much worse, an unknown to me Exar IC 22-908-03, datecode 1983 The first two are easy to replace, the Exar is much worse. Anybody have a pinout, a datasheet or an idea just what it might be ? Jos

20 years, 1 month

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test-drb May 2004