test-drb March 2005

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

291 participants
840 discussions

Honeywell H316 - Friends, parts, papers and stories needed!

by hachti＠hachti.de

Hello everybody, I own a Honeywell H316 computer and I am looking for other people who also own Honeywell x16 computers. At the moment I know only two other people with H316 computers, one of them with a working one and the other with a strange-behaving one... I also have some software for my machine: - FORTRAN IV + library (with source code) - DAP-16 assembler (with source code) - memory and cpu test programs etc. - some loaders (with source code) It would be interesting to get more software. A basic interpreter would be really great! I am also perfectly equipped for paper tape backup/copy and generation. I am further looking for peripherals, spares, cpu options, docs etc. Simply *everything* x16 related... Who is Will Jennings? It seems to be a bit complicated to contact him. He has posted an interesting message a few years ago. Saying that he had have saved a lot of H316 CPU stuff. Where is he? how to contact him?? There is also a small website where I document my H316 activities: http://h316.hachti.de With best regards, Philipp :-)

19 years, 9 months

Where to find Concurrent Maxion parts

by jdrcpeterson＠graceba.net

Anyone know a source of Concurrent Maxion 9502 CPUs or parts thereof? Darren

19 years, 9 months

DEC RX50 Test Disks

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Mar 2 2005, 20:25, Christian R. Fandt wrote: > I have a set of five RX50 floppies which contain various service tests. I > have not yet discovered what machine/CPU these work upon. Could anybody > point me in the direction of how to interpret the seven-character part > numbers? All have a copyright date of 1983. They are as follows: > > CZUFDB1 (disk part # BL-T540B-M1 "USER TESTS") > CZXD1B1 (disk part # BL-T541B-M1 "FIELD SERVICE TESTS 1") > CZXD2B0 (disk part # BL-T542B-MC "FIELD SERVICE TESTS 2") > CZXD3B0 (disk part # BL-T565B-MC "FIELD SERVICE TESTS 3") > CZXD4B0 (disk part # BL-T583B-MC "FIELD SERVICE TESTS 4") > > Are these some version of XXDP? They came with the MVII and MicroPDP-11/73 They're the standard XXDP disks that came with a microPDP-11 -- they were probably supplied with your microPDP-11/73 when it was new. They're no use for a VAX. Aren't these the same disks you asked about last May? I posted a listing of the directories then. There is a manual for XXDP, but I don't have it (unless it's buried in my microfiche somewhere, which I don't think it is). However, I put my notes and extracts of the help files on my web page a long time ago, and you can still find them here: http://www.dunnington.u-net.com/public/PDP-11/XXDP.pdf http://www.dunnington.u-net.com/public/PDP-11/XXDP.ps (same contents, just different file formats). Those will allow you to work out what most of the files do. There's also a partial list at http://starfish.osfn.org/rcs/pdp-11/xxdp/xxdp25_notes.txt Al and Henk had a discussion some time ago about scanning the documents (program-specific instructions and listings) for each of the diagnostics. Each one is normally known by a name like ZRQBH0, or more often just ZRQB, where the first letter refers to the processor type, the next 2 to the device, the fourth to the test number. The last letter and digit are the revision and patch level -- so ZRQBH0 is to run on any processor ("Z"), to test some part of an MSCP disk system ("RQ"), test "B" -- actually it's the formatter for an RD51 or RD52 on an RQDX1 or RQDX2 controler (ZRQC is the corresponding formatter for an RQDX3). It's therefore slightly unfortunate that Al indexed his by a different scheme, but not too hard to find what you want (if it's in his archive). Look at http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp11/XXDP/ for some scans. The initial "C" on some of the names refers to the media it was supplied on. It's not really part of the name. Henk has summaries of some that are relevant to his interests, on his web page at http://www.pdp-11.nl (see the menu entry for XXDP on the left) which are fine to get you going, but many of the disgnostics halt on varous errors, and you often need the listings to see what caused the halt, or to do more than simple tests. -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

19 years, 9 months

11/45 progress

by GOOI＠oce.nl

> Jay wrote about a DL11: > If I exam 776500, I get a 200, > but anytime I store a value and read it back, there's all > zero's in the data register. I will dig up my notes getting characters in and out a M7800 in my 11/35 resurrection using the front panel several years ago. This is also an advice: make notes of *everything* you do on a system, no matter how trivial at this time. Changing a wire, trying some toggle in tests on the console, behaviour, measured voltages on pins, etc. If problems occur later you can go back and do all tests from your notes. That's why I can write my tests with the M7800 when I get home (in a few hours from now). - Henk, PA8PDP. These are a few of my notes. Console board: 2 versions. M7800 and M7800-YA M7800: Xtal = 4608 kHz, has 1448/1449 jumpers: A3,A4,A5,A7,A9 open: A6,A8,A10 base address = 776500 baudrate = 1200 Bd. M7800-YA: Xtal = 1152 kHz, no 1448/1449 (20mA current loop only) jumpers: A0,A7 open: A4,A5,A6,A8,A9,A10 base address = 777560 (console) baudrate = 1200 Bd. console registers: RCSR 777560 RBUF 777562 XCSR 777564 XBUF 777566 Hit the key "1" of the keyboard If RCSR contains 0200 it means that a character is received. To check this: 1) set the SR to 777560. 2) press LOAD ADDRESS --> the ADDRESS LEDs show 777560 3) press EXAM 4) the DATA LEDs show 000200 RBUF should contain 061 (ASCII "1"). To check this: 1) set the SR to 777562. 2) press LOAD ADDRESS --> the ADDRESS LEDs show 777562 3) press EXAM 4) the DATA LEDs show 000061 Load 065 in XBUF --> the screen should show a "5". Operation: 1) set the SR to 777566. 2) press LOAD ADDRESS --> the ADDRESS LEDs show 777566 3) set the SR to 000065 4) press DEP Simple test of the CPU. 1) set the SR to 777570 (the switch register address). 2) press LOAD ADDRESS --> the ADDRESS LEDs show 777570 3) set the SR to 000777 (this is BRA . branch to myself) 4) press START The ADDRESS LEDs show 777572. CONSOLE LED is off, RUN, BUS, PROC LEDs are on. When you press HALT, CONSOLE LED goes on. - Henk, PA8PDP.

19 years, 9 months

Looking for some DEC stuff (again)

by dvcorbin＠optonline.net

> Looking for some DEC stuff for my private collection... New > Mexico, Texas, Arizona area preferably: > There is a massive collection up for grabs right in Dallas. It was mentioned here on the list recently. I would love to get in on the deal [for the PDP-8 stuff specifically], but the distance, size of the total lots, etc make this look impractical. FWIW: I was talking with the owners of the collection about a year ago. At that point they did not want to sell, but were suffereing major cash problems, these apparently have become "fatal". As far as I can tell (based on some long phone calls) the equipment has been fairly well treated.

19 years, 9 months

MS-DOS, HFS, and other file separators

by dwight.elvey＠amd.com

>From: "Steve Jones" <classiccmp at crash.com> ---snip--- > > >So, what else have we got out there for file/directory path >separators? We've got DEC's "DEVICE:[DIR.SUB]FILE.TXT;1" and >uhm... actually, I can't think of the conventions for any others >at the moment. Can anybody think of any interesting ones? I >can't remember what DomainOS did, but I remember it striking me >when I learned of it. Mainframes? RTOSes? > >--S. Hi The Polymorphics DOS uses <disk>dirname>filename.ext or <disk>dirname>subdir>filename.ext . It is funny in that the file names and directory names can be up to 32 characters but the extention is only 2 characters. If using the disk name, it can only be 8 characters. They also had subdirectories from the start. This DOS is like most of the older ones in that it one had to PACK every now and then to recover deleted disk space. Since it was created before DOS, I wonder where it got its roots? Dwight

19 years, 9 months

Altair32 Emulator "Easter Egg" idea

by RCini＠congressfinancial.com

Tha Altair32 Emulator uses sounds for feedback (all disable-able) for the switch clicks, drive door, disk head movement (load/unload/step) and system fan spin-up, run, and spin-down. And, no, I don't run the fan noise for the whole time :-) I have some of the same problems as Jim in that the sounds disappeared on my development machine (Windows 2000 and Visual Studio .NET 2003) when I upgraded from Visual Studio 6 to .NET. I believe that the sounds work on machines other than mine, though. Oddly enough, every once in a while, the sounds will appear, but only briefly, before disappearing again. -----Original Message----- From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Jim Battle Sent: Friday, March 04, 2005 1:39 PM To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts Subject: Re: Altair32 Emulator "Easter Egg" idea John Foust wrote: ... > I've always thought that emulators should come with much more familiar > sound effects, like the sounds of keyboards, disk drive doors > opening and closing, floppy steppers engaging, fans, tapes turning, etc. > That's all part of the memory we're savoring and preserving, no? My Sol-20 emulator has sound effects. There fan startup and running noise, the floppy disk door opening and closing, floppy disk head stepping, floppy motor start and stop, and disk friction noise. Since the real keyboard makes enough noise on its own I don't see what would be added by having fake keyboard noise too. http://www.thebattles.net/sol20/solace/solace.html When I recorded the sounds I first used a dynamic microphone but the coil picked up more RF hum than anything else. An electret mic fixed that problem. It took a while to splice the fan sounds so they would loop nicely. The head stepping sound is of it stepping one track, but it does a fairly good job even when there is fast head stepping. One other thing I have done is to emulate the music card -- just a single pole RC lowpass filter hooked up to the S-100 INT* line. The "MUSIC" program would take a score and compile it into a program to toggle the INT line to produce polyphonic music -- although the notes aren't very well tempered as they get higher in frequency. It is pretty impressive that it works as well as it does: http://www.thebattles.net/sol20/d-minor.mp3 I recently upgraded PC's and now my own emulator doesn't run right and the sound comes out only when I'm using the debugger. I guess it is about to time spin a revision on the emulator.

19 years, 9 months

Re installing XP on Sony

by dwight.elvey＠amd.com

>From: "Vintage Computer Festival" <vcf at siconic.com> ---snip--- > >We have a very special mailing list here with a specific character, which >is of great value to people in this hobby. If we allow really common, >unextraordinary PC maintenance issues to be discussed any old time someone >wants to bring them up even though there are an infinite number of tools >and resources available only a few clicks away, we'll lose that unique >character, and subsequently most of the people who currently inhabit this >space who are valuable resources for the hobby. ---snip--- Hi I think many don't realize the damage that can happen when the group becomes a "Please fix my PC" group. I watched this happen to a news group that had too many people that tolerated such off topic post. From Jim's own words, he thought that this was a general computer group. It is not. While this group tends to wonder off topic every now and then ( I'm partly guilty of some of it ), it is still one of the best resources for general information on what we like to term as classic computers. We have a general 10 year rule. Although, we are seeing many PC's getting into the time frame, it has not shown up as a major collectable area. Question on fixing a MFM drive would be on topic partitioning XP is not. The primary purpose is to keep from having things fall into day-to-day computer operational problems. As Sellam says, this is not the right place for these. While there are many on this list that see little harm in fielding such off topic questions, I doubt they have seen a group destroyed as I have. For those that defend him, I doubt you realize that this group can be quickly destroyed by such sympathizes. When I step off topic ( and I have a few times ) I have no problems or animosity towards those that chastise me for doing so. If Jim feels that there is little purpose to this group because we are unfriendly to question about using XP, maybe he has an incorrect understanding of what this group is chartered for. I would like him to remain in the group if he has interest in older classic machines. If he doesn't then he is right to leave but there should be no hard feelings as it was just a mistake that is quickly rectified. Dwight PS Sorry about my Reply-To. I don't directly control this.

19 years, 9 months

Who invented DOS?

by vp＠cs.drexel.edu

"John Allain" <allain at panix.com> wrote: > These articles say that Kildall's CP/M easteregg appears in DOS 1.0 or so. > Has anyone here actually run the proof for themselves? I have a version of MS-DOS 1.0 (running on an 8086 that is NOT PC-compatible) (A Japanese machine called Samurai with dual 8" floppies). So if somebody can tell me what the "CP/M easteregg" is, I can try it out. **vp

19 years, 9 months

Altair32 Emulator "Easter Egg" idea

by dvcorbin＠optonline.net

Back in '73..'75 an "enterprising soul" wrote a complete "symphony" for a PDP-8. Made use of the various shounds available on our system, primarily (IIRC), the 6 TU-56 Drives (12 tapes), System Console, Line Printer, 4 ASR-33 and 2 DecWriters....

19 years, 9 months

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test-drb March 2005