Well, I didn't get any replies to my question about how best to archive
Cromemco software, so let me ask again in broader terms:
Aside from bootable system disks, for which Dave Dunfield's imaging program
seems to be a much better solution than Teledisk, what's the best way to
archive software in a way that makes it as universally useable as possible and
downloadable/emailable?
For example, I have original distribution diskettes for CP/M Wordstar,
Supercalc, etc. on 8" disks. Obviously images wouldn't be very useful for
someone with only 5" drives or no 8" drive on the PC; on the other hand,
a DOS ZIP file of the files on that disk would have to be copied/converted
back to a CP/M format disk somehow.
So, how are the rest of you dealing with this?
TIA,
m
Does this still exists, and if so is it available in a format that
would work on the SIMH Altair/S-100 emulator? I read about this
non-Unix demonstraion of the basic Unix concepts and the fact that it
had been ported to the Z80 once and thought that it would be cool to
play around with.
>Talking of that, is the protocol used by FLINK documented anywhere?
>(FLINK is a program in the utilities ROM of both the PX4 and PX8 that
>seems to do file transfer over the RS232 port). I've heard rumours for a
>version in C for unix machines, but can't seem to find it anywhere.
>
>
http://www.xs4all.nl/~fjkraan/comp/px8/filink.html.
Fred Jan
Teo Zenios wrote:
> With Seagate to purchase Maxtor (which purchased Quantum not so long ago)
I
> started thinking of all the HD makers that bit the dust ( Micropilis and
IBM
> comes to mind since I have a few of each on the spare parts shelf shelf).
> What do you guys think of the ever shrinking HD manufacturers, and what
were
> some of the older good ones that are no more?
I first entered the disk drive business with the Bryant disks used on the
CDC 6600. Then worked on all the
disk drives that CDC made over the years, but specialized on the floppies
and cartridge drives.
During this time, I kept a chart above my desk of all the companies that
made or tried to make disk drives
as a reminder of how fragile the market was. Some that came and went
include Apple, TI, HP, Siemens,
Nixdorf (before it merged with Siemens), DEC, Century, NCR, Burroughs, ISS,
Unisys, Priam and so on.
The last time I updated the list, it broke 100 names. Now there are only
Hitachi, Seagate, WD, Toshiba and Fujitsu.
There are a few more, but they don't register on the statistics - for
example, Cornice and Magicstor.
A goodly portion of my career has been spent on disk drives. I've worked
for many of the companies that are
frequently slammed or praised on this list. So I try to stay out of the
religious arguments of who made crap, who made good drives.
I have old drives that lasted 20 years and decorative bricks that didn't go
for 2 days.
And today, I still am still surrounded with drives: right now I'm working
on 1" drives for MP3 players.
And buying cell phones to move to the next generation of interfaces and form
factors. My first disk drive had
1 mega-characters (6 bits instead of bytes). Now 1 terabyte drives are
coming near term.
So it's very hard to pick any favorites or villains. The one constant in
all this technology change is:
there is a very good living to be made repairing computers and electronics.
Billy
-------------Original Message-----------
>From: Jay Jaeger <cube1 at charter.net>
>Subject: Cromemco Z2 and Electrical Safety
>I am restoring a Cromemco Z2D and have spotted a couple of electrical
>safety issues.
>The machine was set up and the instructions were set up to fuse the
>*Neutral* rather than Hot.
<snip>
>And it wasn't just this unit. The instructions and diagrams in the manual
>have it wrong. (The schematic is non-committal -- it doesn't identify hot
>and neutral, just colors on the output side of the line filter).
>What a bunch a maroons.....
>---
>Jay R. Jaeger The Computer Collection
>cube1 at charter.net
------------Reply-----------
Well, I wouldn't call "them" a bunch a maroons...
The Z2 power supply I'm looking at and my copy of the manual have it right;
I suppose it's possible that an older version of the manual had the incoming lines
reversed and someone (not necessarily Cromemco) wired it accordingly.
I assume you checked that the white wire _is_ actually the neutral at the plug end
(and that your outlet is wired correctly)? AFAIK, once inside the cabinet wiring can
be any arbitrary color, so, since hot and neutral are not identified, black could just
as well be the neutral and you'd create this very problem by "fixing" it.
mike
Hi,
I Have a 2 Plessey Boards for a PDP11 and I can
not find much on them.
- 701840 may be a tape controller
- 703360 This is a Memory board
There was a site with plessy info. but it seems to
be gone. I beleive it was in the UK.
Thanks, Jerry
Jerry Wright
JLC inc
g-wright at att.net
Hi
I have a Tektronix 7704A Scope with a P7001 Storage Processor (DSO)
which hooks to a DEC PDP11-05 for storage. I have most of it working
except for the Tek 4010 Terminal (missing)
I don't have the Boot Disks for the Tek CP1152 (DEC PDP11/05)
Computer. The manual says it is "TEK SPS Basic V02-01". Was on
8" floppy. There was also a Diagnostic disk for the Scope system
Any help would be much appreciated, or send me in the right
Direction.
Thanks, Jerry
Jerry Wright
JLC inc
800.292.6370 PST
g-wright at att.net <mailto:g-wright at att.net>
Hi,
I have a PDP8/A with a Cirrus processor card set. Either
I have looked in the wrong places or at least I have not
come up with any info. on these. It has all the other
DEC cards M3320, M8416, M8317, M8417, Cirrus, Cirrus, Cirrus
and a M8330.
I'm trying figure out the console port (serial). It has the
standard DEC port and 2 connections on the cirrus boards. The
cirrus boards have there own ROM's. It seems to start up and
do a auto boot of some type. It does not respond to the front panel
like a standard DEC board set does And there is nothing at the DEC
console (serial) port. It does display what its doing. (addressing
and the the run light ) On the front programmers console.
Thanks, Jerry
Jerry Wright
g-wright at att.net <mailto:g-wright at att.net>
Christmas was fun and all, and now I've got a few useless items to me
that I'd like to off :)
All EIGHT inch unless otherwise noted
TRSDOS - Model II Disk Operating System and Basic Interpreter Version
2.0 - disk looks slightly beat up
MicroPro - MailMerge Version 3.3 - for CP/M 80 - Both 8" and 5.25"(these
look perfect!) - micropro sleeve for the 8" one
MicroPro - WORDSTAR PROFESSIONAL - Printer data disks 1 & 2 - 5.25"
Digital Research (IN DR SLEEVE) - End User Diskette Program SID/ZSID,
Version 1.4 - stamped 1980, in perfect looking condition with one ding
MICROSOFT - Macro Assembler - FOR CP/M-80, Catalog No. 3215 - Part No.
23H16 . Marked version 341, disk is perfect, plastic label is falling off.
Green old microsoft sleeve with the weird O
Anyone had experience with a Data Technologies DTC-1181? It appears to be an
8-bit ISA board that somehow enhances the on-board BIOS to handle drives larger
than 528MB through LBA. Does it work? If so, does it then go up to the
typical 8192MB barrier or does it go farther than that?
--
Jim Leonard (trixter at oldskool.org) http://www.oldskool.org/
Want to help an ambitious games project? http://www.mobygames.com/
Or check out some trippy MindCandy at http://www.mindcandydvd.com/
