Hello all,
as far as I know, Onyx delivered the first microcomputer ever in combination with a Unix called ONIX.
The name of the system was C8000 or C8002, don't remember well.
I own such a box but the documentation is missing.
Maybe somebody else could explain, why they went out of business quite qickly.
What I've been knowing so far is that documents are near to non-existing. :-(
I have lots of tapes with the original ONIX on, but my system is bad.
Does somebody else have such a *working* beastie? Or boards they wish to trade/sell?
In my opinion, the software needs to be saved, in the case that tapes are still readable!!!
Regards,
Pierre
> So, in the firmament of micro Unix systems, where does Onyx (or Onyx+IMI)
> fit into the picture? Just another Unix box or something unusual?
>
> Cheers,
> Chuck
>
>
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>
>Subject: Wangtek DC-300 drive and controller
> From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com>
> Date: Sat, 12 Nov 2005 21:26:33 -0800
> To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
>
>I've got a Wangtek DC-300 tape drive (model 54590) and a controller with a
>5.25" footprint. The controller has a 50-conductor edge connector keyed
>the same way as the drive connector, so I'm assuming that the drive is
>connected there. The controller also has a 50 pin male header. I believe
>the controller is also a Wangtek model WT05ZK. It's got an 8085A-2 on it,
>as well as the usual support chips (8257 DMAC AM9128 PIC). Chip dates are
>1984.
>
>What's the interface to the controller? SASI? Anyone know what the
>command set might be?
>
>Cheers,
>Chuck
It might be QIC, QIC02 or QIC24 and definately not SASI or SCSI though
they existed at the time.
Allison
All the talk about building a mini from TTL got me thinking about homebuild micros, and what one would look like if I decided to build one (been playing with my IMSAI, too, which probably accounts for some of it)
RISC would be out, due to difficulty of assembly coding, and 8086 seems a bit dull. Z-8000, TMS9900, and RCA1802 seem unavailable, and 6120 doesn't have many registers.
Looks like the best available ideas from an ease-of building and obtaining would be Z-80 (or variant), 6809, or 68000 (close to top in complexity, esp. if a front panel is wanted). 6502 could also be a possiblity.
I suppose either native IDE or another system serving as a storage server would be the way to go, the IDE could either connect to a old drive or a smallish CF card, and flash firmware would probably be best, or EEPROM. SRAM seems to be the way to go for smaller systems.
Just wondering what the thoughts of the list would be for specs of a "new" hobbyest micro.
>But I've never heard of anyone collecting the boxes. Any reason
>for this?
Probably the same reason no one saved Onyx or old Corvus 68k Unix boxes.
The Fortune was somewhat more interesting in that they made an attempt
to package a 68K unix box as a biz desktop, but this all happened at the
time that AT-class machines took over the world.
A friend of mine who came from Bell Labs had one, and wasn't very happy
with what they had done with it if you actually wanted to use it for
programming.
There are a few people who still have systems made the SUN Multibus CPUs
(Callan, Forward Tech, et al)
I picked up some of the Fortune boards as they showed up in the mid 80's
in surplus places, but got rid of them since they really weren't that
interesting, and were pretty much impossible to get docs on.
>
>Subject: Re: Collectables?
> From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com>
> Date: Sat, 12 Nov 2005 22:04:01 -0800
> To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
>
>On 11/13/2005 at 12:29 AM Allison wrote:
>
>>Oh, the microFlame. Never saw a hobbiest system of one. I think the only
>
>>customers that ever saw one were military contractors. Tried to buy one
>>and got blown of by the fairchild rep. I do have a die in lucite
>>paperweight for that effort from one of their promotions.
>
>I got the same treatment from the TI rep when I asked about the I2L version
>of the 9900. Must have also been meant for the military.
>
>Shame--I liked the instruction set on the Nova a lot more than the PDP8.
>
Nova appealed to me as it had a pdp-8 feel but 16 bit.
Allison
Tequi Lizer <tequilizer at gmx.net> wrote:
> However I recently acquired a system 45B/C exercise
> cartridge. The tape contains a couple of memory checks among other tests
> and supports autostart.
Are you sure the tape you have is working? Original HP tapes from the
70s and early 80s are no longer working.
For more info read this article which is a summary of an earlier
discussion thread on this list.
http://www.hpmuseum.org/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/hpmuseum/forum.cgi?read=81293#81293
**vp
>
>Subject: removing parts from PCBs
> From: compoobah at valleyimplants.com
> Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2005 20:31:31 -0600
> To: <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>
>I've seen several references to using torches to remove DIPs from PCBs. Are there any specific things to keep in mind to avoid heat damage? Are you talking propane plumber's blowtorches?
Dang, thats one long line!
Yes, work fast.
Myself I torch the bottom and use a spring loaded chip extractor.
That and a pliers or tiny screwdriver to straighten any bent
pins keeping it in the board.
Success rate to date is 99% (board was known bad before salvage).
Allison
I'm in the sign business, so most of what's being discussed here is beyond
me, but I do have a fascination with old plotters and computers. I have an
operating HP7596A. I saw a posting about that model in the archives.
This is what I've learned about it:
Cable must be specific for that model. Pin#20 is critical, without it,
you get buffer overflow.
I bought a CD from ebay that has 3 manuals on it. Real handy. I already
had the paperback user's manual, but the other two are more detailed about
error codes and maintenance.
I was surprised to see that Windows98 still had a driver for that old plotter,
but the friend that told me about it said there is a better driver from Winline.
I was told that the Roland company copied some of the technology for their
sign plotters from HP, so much so that the pens are interchangeable. All I
know is that the pens I bought for the HP fit perfectly in the Roland (pnc1100), and I didn't need to buy a swivel knife for the HP, as the one
>from the Roland fit in it. Now I can cut as well as draw with the HP.
But don't get any bright ideas about newfound wealth from the sign trade.
Ha! SATURATED market.
Somewhere, but I can't remember, maybe hidden in the HP site, is an
interchange list, that tells what parts are interchangeable with other models.
Real handy for buying off ebay.
I bought this plotter from a HUGE place that was being built near Crossville
Tenn. USA. They said they have the ability to break down and recycle
computer parts. They put whatever looks useable up for sale. Worth looking
into?
Hi, by the standards of what I've seen here, I'm a computer novice, but probably no less zealous! I've got a few questions:
Is this starting a new thread?
And, how do I respond to a specific thread? I've got an operating HP7596A, and a parts plotter (not 7596A) that's pretty much picked over,but I wanted to respond to the question/thread about the HP7345A.
Thanks for any help.
