test-drb July 2004

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

259 participants
518 discussions

Very important: Restoration of an Onyx Systems C8002

by cheri-post＠web.de

> Moreover,serveral tapes are corroded. > > -- > > There were many different recording formats used with DC300 style > tape cartridges before the QIC standards were established. Onyx > tapes predate those standards. Assuming the tape itself isn't > damaged, you can put the reels into new shells. You will need to > use a DEI drive to read them. The shells are ok, the tapes themselves are corroded. I'm not very optimistic about these, but we'll see. > > As I keep telling people, DON'T EXPERIMENT WITH TAPES YOU CARE > ABOUT WITH DRIVES IN UNKNOWN CONDITION! Until now, I haven't tried to read the tapes :-) > > It sounds like the capstan was bad in the unit, try some other > cart you don't care about before risking these tapes (which are > quite rare) in that drive. That's the reason I bought new ones to test the drive, in case the Onyx works. > > It would be a good thing to take high resolution pics of the boards > and to dump any programmable parts. I can take pictures next week and put them online. But why should I dump the programmable parts ? Pierre _______________________________________________________ WEB.DE Video-Mail - Sagen Sie mehr mit bewegten Bildern Informationen unter: http://freemail.web.de/?mc=021199

20 years, 2 months

Help on Morrow Decision I - docs or direct experience?

by r.stek＠snet.net

My last S-100 I purchsaed before caving in to an IBM clone was the Morrow Decision I. I loved its ability to handle N* hard-sectored as well as soft-sectored 5" disks as well as 8" drives, and of course a huge 15 MB hard drive I had salvaged from my Horizon. Alas I sold it before moving back to the US from Canada. I now have a Decision I (with a more industrial metal case, locking key-switch plus built-in Fujitsu hard drive and more "sophisticated" MB) and Allison Parent was kind enough to get the switching PS going again for me, and I finally tried hooking it up to a Televideo terminal. There are 4 ports on the "MB" - 3 standard 25 pin D-connectors and 1 15 pin, all coming off the back of the MB. Upon booting, it sounds like the HD is loading, but I get no response, not even garbage, from any of the 3 25 pin connectors. (And I don't have a 15 pin connector right now to make an adapter, so chances are that the 15 pin connector is the 'master' serial port while the other three are for the multi-user Micronix which apparently this Decision I was set up for (I also found some hand-written labels on one of the boards referencing "M*nix") or are parallel ports. Anyway, this is not the Decision I that I had some familiarity with. Is there anyone out there who knows this machine who could help me get it up and running again? I have the docs for the Z80 CPU, the Disc Jockey DMA controller, the hard drive controller and the 256k memory card, but not for the 'advanced' MB (I don't know enough circuitry to figure out what the heck all the extra stuff is - obviously some serial ports or maybe a combination of serial and parallel). I don't even know at this point if this unit can be made to run plain vanilla CP/M (or preferably ZCPR) (I found some web references to Micronix having to "transfer" files from a CP/M disk over to Micronix before they could be used.) I don't even know if there are any specific "features" which would prevent me from running CP/M on this unit. I also have some Morrow 5" and 8" diskettes with CP/M and CBIOS files for various combinations of 5" and 8" configuartions off the the DJ DMA board. At this point ANYTHING anyone can tell me about the Micronix Decision I would be helpful. Thanks. Bob Stek Saver of Lost Sols (...and other stuff)

20 years, 2 months

Source for spacewar

by aek＠spies.com

> Would anyone have sourcecode for Spacewar, for any old mini? Steve Russell's original is up on bitsavers under DEC/pdp1 I would hope someone still has the sources for the PDP12 version. Eric Smith just retyped the version that was in Byte in 1978. here's the full url for the original. http://bitsavers.org/DEC/pdp1/papertapeImages/20031202/SteveRussell_box1/_t…

20 years, 2 months

RK05 stuff

by GOOI＠oce.nl

Ashley, perhaps "kicking an open door", but you know that the 4 cards of the RK11 go in a *dedicated* 4-slot backplane? *not* in 4 SPC slots of the 11/34 backplane. For more info on the PDP-11/34, check my website www.pdp-11.nl and click the 11/34 link. There is also some stuff about the floating point processor and the cache module, including the power distribution when you want to install both options. [reminds me, there are still a few missing pictures of the OTT, over-the-top connectors; somewhere on my (too long) to-do list]. - Henk, PA8PDP. > -----Original Message----- > From: cctalk-bounces(a)classiccmp.org > [mailto:cctalk-bounces@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Ashley Carder > Sent: maandag 19 juli 2004 4:44 > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts > Subject: RE: RK05 stuff > > > I reracked these drives into a tall cabinet today so I could > get to the tops and bottoms of both drives. In the process > of moving the drives, I unhooked the cable that connects the > two drives together (drive 0 and drive 1). I decided to > check the drive that did not have a cable connected to it > (drive 1), and it magically works now (in standalone mode). > The drive spins up, the heads move in, no terrible > sounds or anything like that. The READY and ON-CYL lights > light up and all appears to be fine. The other drive that > still has the cables connected to it still didn't spin up. > I then removed the M930C terminator card from drive 1 and > put it in drive zero, removed the card that had the > controller cable attached to it (M993 RK8E cable), and > powered it up. I then tried loading a pack and this drive > works too, spins up, moves the heads and lights the READY > and ON-CYL lights. > > Next step is to make sure these drives have the right cards > to be able to hook up to an RK11 controller (the M993 having > RK8E written on it doesn't sound good), install the > RK11 card set in my 11/34 and connect the drives and see > if RSTS/E recognizes it. > > I do suppose that I should do some cleaning on these drives > because although the foam hasn't turned to goop yet, I do > see a few small fragments of the foam laying inside the drive > area that I didn't see before. > > Ashley > > > -----Original Message----- > From: cctalk-bounces(a)classiccmp.org > [mailto:cctalk-bounces@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Tony Duell > Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2004 12:26 AM > To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org > Subject: Re: RK05 stuff (was RE: cctalk Digest, Vol 10, Issue 74) > > > > > > I've tried both of my RK05 drives. They power on fine. Blower > > seems to be fine. I put a pack in, press the run switch. The > > motor never comes on that turns the drive. The same thing > > happens in both drives. Neither drive will start spinning at > > all. > > > > Any ideas on where to start looking? > > Firslty, put a termionator card (M930) into one of the cable > connector > slots if the drive is not cabled up anyway with a terminator > in the 'out' > slot of the last drive. I seem to rememebr that RK05s do odd > things if > they're not terminated (and you might also want to try it > with the drive > disconnected from the controller, with just a terminator, in > case it's > something like the ACLO/DCLO lines on the bus being asserted). > > Now, the spindle motor is controlled by a relay on top of the > PSU. From > what you say in another message that relay is never being > energised. The > next thing to do is to trace the relay coil signal back to > the logic and > to find out what has to be asserted for the relay to pull in. There's > certainly an interlock switch circuit -- 2 switches in series > IIRC that > detect that there's a pack in and the door is closed. > Obviosuly the RUN > switch has to be on. And I think there's some kind of power-OK line. > Maybe more. Now find out which (if any) of those signals are > not being > asserted (if all of them are, then trace through the logic itself, of > course), and find out why not. Maybe just a switch that's not > closing, > maybe more. > > If you need more help, I'll dig out the prints, but it's a > little late to > do that tonight :-) > > -tony > >

20 years, 2 months

Connecting a FPF11 to a 11/23+ (Dumb Questions)

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Jul 18, 23:18, Ethan Dicks wrote: > On Sun, Jul 18, 2004 at 11:22:05PM +0100, Pete Turnbull wrote: > > Yes, for an 11/23. For an 11/24, no, it goes after the KT24 and the > > memory but before anything else. > > I haven't seen the FPF11, but mightn't it have different grant jumpers > (zero ohm resistors near the fingers) for installation in an 11/23 and > an 11/24? Yes, it has a total of 12 jumpers. All the ones that are "in" for Unibus should be "out" for Qbus, and vice-versa. Jumper: W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 W8 W9 W10 W11 W12 Unibus: R R I R R I I I I R I I QBus: I I R I I I R R I I R R (I = inserted R = removed) -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

20 years, 2 months

CORRECTION: re: VCF East 2.0 / Computer Collector E-mail Newsletter

by news＠computercollector.com

A correction: Sellam's replica for the Tokyo museum is of a PDP-1, not a PDP-8. - Evan K.

20 years, 2 months

Why does my KDF11 cause spurious traps to 4??

by bob＠jfcl.com

Hello, I've got a 11/23+ in a BA23 and when running RT11 I get spurious and unexpected traps to 4. After while I noticed that it will do the same thing while running the extended memory test built into the boot ROMs. I pulled out all the cards except the CPU and the memory and it still does it, and after swapping memory with another QBUS system that's known to work I've pretty much come to the conclusion that it's not the memory. Bummer - looks like the KDF11 is at fault. I actually cobbled the system together myself from an assortment of cards and parts, so it's not unlikely that I did something wrong. Is there any obvious mistake or mis-setting of the KDF11 jumpers that would cause this, or is my CPU card hosed? Thanks, Bob Armstrong

20 years, 2 months

VCF East 2.0 wrap-up: Computer Collector E-mail Newsletter

by evan947＠yahoo.com

Hello fellow collectors, VCF East 2.0 was terrific, and I'm sure Sellam Ismail will comment on it soon, when he's recovered from the long flight home! Meanwhile, below is my own view of the show, as printed in this week's issue of the Computer Collector E-mail Newsletter (http://news.computercollector.com -- it's FREE to subscribe.) ==================================================== BURLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, Sun Microsystems -- This week, I'm happy to report that VCF East 2.0 was a success. Everyone learned something, or bought something, or just enjoyed reminiscing. Personally, I experienced all three, and took home a second-place award in the "other" category for my exhibit, "PDAs: 1973-1993". (Compared to all the minis and micros, my PDAs and heldhelds fell into the "other" category. Hopefully in the future there will be enough people who collect luggables, notebooks, handhelds, and transputers to make "portables" a full category of its own.) Here are some of the event highlights, from my point of view. - Friday morning set-up. A great thing about VCF events is that everyone helps with the venue set-up. Getting vintage computers to work, especially for people who traveled a long distance to attend, can be challenging. Luckily, there's no better place than a VCF floor to find knowledgeable people who can help you. From schlepping to sharing power cords to configuring boot-up sequences, there was something for everyone to do. Unlike during the public exhibition hours when you end up showing the same functions of your computers over and over, during the set-up period you can really get your hands dirty and learn something, and that certainly was the case this time. At one point we all learned that the power outlets in our portion of the Sun building shared just TWO circuits. Thankfully nobody killed the power for eastern Massachusetts. (Everyone setting up Friday morning also is indebted to Sun for letting us take over their building and parking lot, and especially to public relations staffer Samantha Moulton, who served as the event liaison. Sam: THANK YOU!) - Also Friday morning, many exhibitors took a break from set-up and joined the attendees at the speaking sessions. My own exhibit set-up is relatively simple, so I went to the first two sessions - Curt Vendel and Steve Golson's Atari "7800 20th Anniversary" talk, and event owner/newsletter writer Sellam Ismail's "VCF Ramblings" talk. In the Atari talk I learned the reality vs. the legend of how Atari's executives ran the company, how that affected customers, and how companies like Coleco and Nintendo exploited Atari's mistakes. The talk also gave me some new respect for the technical brilliance of the 7800 and its developers. Next, in Sellam's talk, I learned the details of his PDP-8 replica for Tokyo's National Science Museum. The replica worked by running Bob Supnik's simulator software on a Linux computer behind a "blinkenlights" front panel, with the computer case itself made from wood. Besides the case, I was amazed to learn how many of the replica's switches and other electromechanical parts came not from a computer parts bin, but from Sellam's local hardware store! Now that the PDP-8 and other replicas are built, Sellam says he'll build one for anybody. More information will come in the future. Unfortunately I missed Bob Supnik's own talk, and that of Sun's panel on the history of storage networks. The good news is that all of the panels were recorded, so hopefully they will be available soon for public viewing. We'll let you know the details as soon as possible. - The influx of Sun employees -- almost 1,000 work at the Burlington facility -- into Friday's public exhibits was terrific. At my own exhibit, I really enjoyed that so many of them appreciated my handhelds collection and asked smart questions. Looking over the 20 or so devices that I brought along, many commented that they owned this or that device back when it was new. But even among them, most were suprised to learn some of the virtually unknown PDA functions and options that existed in the mid-to-late 1970s and early 1980s. That's definitely inspiration for me to keep collecting and researching. - Vince Briel's Replica 1. Vince, congratulations on winning the "Best of Show" award! Vince's exhibit area was right next to mine, so during the rare slow times, I talked to him about his project. My soldering skills are shaky, but I'm strongly considering attemting the Apple 1 replica build. Vince generously took the time to explain every step to me, in terms I could understand. If I do attempt the project, then I'll record every detail here in the newsletter. The moral? If I can do it, anyone can, trust me! Vince also impressed everyone with his industrial design skills, as the Replica 1 he brought along has a case made of see-through plexiglass, with a hinged top cover. As cool as an Apple 1 replica is, this made it even nicer. - Friday night's VCF party. At the day's end, almost all of the exhibitors and their guests -- about 25 people -- went to dinner together at a local steakhouse, with the outside modeled to look like railroad cars. Beer, many laughs, and the meat all came in large quantities. Of course vintage computer collectors come in all shapes and sizes -- and boy, can some of them eat! I'll refrain from naming the guilty, you know who you are. :) - Saturday's talks and exhibit. We all dragged ourselves out of bed Saturday morning and, once again, encroached on Sun. The highlight from Saturday was Art Hill's talk, "A Personal History of Computing," during which the 82-year-old Hill (who has more energy than me, at 29!) wowed everyone with his stories. To me the most exciting part was that Hill actually worked with and learned from J. Presper Eckert and John W. Mauchly, the builders of ENIAC. He also worked with the famous Navy Adm. Grace Hopper, who was largely responsible for COBOL, the "common business-oriented language," who but did not (despite the myth) coin the term "bug" in reference to computing. Some of Art's stories were wilder than others,but as he admits, age has a way of muddying the details. I missed the next talk on the IBM/360 by Lawrence Wilkinson, as I had to prepare for my own talk that afternoon, and I missed the final talk, from John Titus who developed the Mark-8 hobbyist kit. (I'd like to think my own talk on the history of PDAs was a show "highlight" for others! A good sign came through the www.classiccmp.org mailing list last night, as an attendee mentioned on the list that "There is actually an HP41 calculator here," referring to my own exhibit. So it's not just computer collectors that come in all shapes and sizes -- it's the computers too.) Overall, Saturday's attendence at the exhibits was a little slower than Friday's, but it gave the exhibitors themselves a chance to check out each other's work. I brought home many good memories and a few new toys from VCF East. After dinner Friday night, I helped classiccmp.org administrator Jay West and others swap some DEC and other gear between minivans and trailers in the Marriott parking lot -- we sure hope Jay made it home safely to Kansas City, after his flat-tire adventures during the inbound trip on I-84 in Connecticut. It was also great to see newsletter founder Mike Nadeau sell many copies of his book, "Collectible Microcomputers." I experienced a really funny moment as well: at one point Friday, Sellam walked over to my exhibit and, not joking, asked "Got a calculator?" Given the nature of vintage PDAs, I had about 15 calculators! Finding one that was JUST a simple calculator and had fresh batteries was the challenge, but we eventually did. Many of us went to dinner again on Saturday night, and once again I was wowed by the computing stories (and appetites!) of my fellow hobbyists. As for toys, I acquired a TRS-80 Model 100, and a DVD copy of Steve Wozniak's speech from last year's K-Fest event. (Many VCF attendees will be at the Apple II event this week, including VCF Europa leader Hans Franke and Commodore 64 heroine Jeri Ellsworth. See www.kfest.org for more information.) ==================================================== See you all at VCF 7 -- just THREE MONTHS away! - Evan Koblentz

20 years, 2 months

VCF East 2.0, Day one.

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Jul 16, 22:18, Ashley Carder wrote: > RSTS/E. The early versions were text based and you could run them on > an LA36 DecWriter or ASR-33 teletype. A friend of mine converted one > to run on a VT50 terminal where it would update the screen. > > I might be thinking of a star trek game because the VT50 version was > called TVTREK.BAS, but I think one of the text based games was called > SPACWR.BAS. I have old program listings from 1978 and I think I have > soft copies of some of these. I'll check. SPACWR.BAS is a version of Star Trek, published by David Ahl in "101 BASIC Computer Games". It's not related to Spacewar, which isn't text-based. There is a version of Spacewar for PDP-11, though, with a GT40. I think Megan has a copy, and I think it runs under RT-11. I must fix my GT40 and do something about that... -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

20 years, 2 months

Connecting a FPF11 to a 11/23+ (Dumb Questions)

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Jul 17, 22:44, Robert Armstrong wrote: > I just got my hands on an FPF11 board, and naturally I want to connect > it to my 11/23+ right away! I understand that the 40 pin header on the > card edge connects to a 40 pin DIP plug that goes into one of the > microcode option sockets on the 11/23+. Correct. > Dumb question #1 - is it conventional to install the FPF11 in the slot > immediately below the CPU, thus displacing all the memory boards down a > slot? Or does the FPF11 go in the first Q/Q slot (slot 4) ? Or does it > even matter? http://www.classiccmp.org/pipermail/cctech/2003-October/020356.html > Dumb question #2 - the handbook says, "[the FPF11] ... complements the > KEF11-AA". Does this mean that the FIS option chip must _also_ be > installed in the 11/23+? Or must it _not_ be installed? No. No. That is, it doesn't matter :-) > Dumb question #3 - does it matter which one of the microcode option > sockets you plug the FPF11 into? Probably not, though it's meant to go into socket 2. > And... #4 - how do you know if the thing's working? Short of having > the diagnostics for it, of course, which I don't. Run the diags, or run an OS that detects it (RT-11 will) and some code that should run faster if it's there? -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

20 years, 2 months

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test-drb July 2004