test-drb July 2005

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

257 participants
628 discussions

by fireflyst＠earthlink.net

My DEC dealer has a RA82 he wants $200 for, and I was thinking of trading him one of my RL02s for it. That's what actually came in this chassis, but I'm really concerned about the power requirements of the disk and controller - I know the KDA50 is a pig, but I do have a separate expansion box for it. My real concern is blowing a breaker in my apartment building. Now, I've read the current surge draw on a RA81 (in the RA81 user guide) is 35A in 110V mode. Is this correct? Also, what are my power bills going to look like running this thing 24/7? A already run one RL02 and the CPU 24/7, and I'm talking about adding an expansion box to it with the KDA50...will I be OK on one 15A circuit? Logic with these numbers says no, but I saw somewhere on the web where a guy said he was running an 11/750, RA82, and some other stuff all off 1 15A circuit. The only way I can see this working is if the drive spins up somehow by trickle charging a cap(or more than just 1) and then spinning up the drive. Can anyone shed any light on this? Will I blow something with this RA disk on my setup? Thanks Julian

19 years, 6 months

WOW!!!! $15k DEC PDP-8 CLASSIC MINICOMPUTER SYSTEM DIGITAL PDP8

by aek＠bitsavers.org

> On the classic PERQs (1, 1a, 2T1, 2T2), there are several available OSes. Until these have been archived, it is best to say "there WERE several available OSes" I've archived one or two versions of POS, but that's it so far.

19 years, 6 months

Teleprint 390

by ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk

> I think it is likely that your 390 is generating two stop bits. If your Very likely. I think all Model 33s do. > laptop > isn't expecting that, it would likely construe the second stop bit as a > start > bit and begin looking for the next character. If none is forthcoming (as I'd love to know why, considering that start and stop bits have opposite levels. In general, a receiver won't care if the transmitter generates too many start bits, but may well object to too few. -tony

19 years, 6 months

DataViews 8.0 for VMS

by birs23＠zeelandnet.nl

Hello, Another box dug up from the pile ;-) This time its DataViews 8.0 for VMS 5.3. Seems to have been hardly used and includes the installation TK50 tape complete with manuals. I am not sure what kind of software this precisely is, but it seems to be something like "a Real-Time Graphical User Interface and Data Visualization Tool" (that came from the net somewhere). Anyway, its up for sale or swap, if interested just simply make me an offer. Stefan. ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.oldcomputercollection.com

19 years, 6 months

Computer Library/Select on VCM

by marvin＠rain.org

I just posted some extra copies of the Computer Library and Computer Select CDs on VCM. They use the Lotus Bluefish search software, and are relatively easy to search ... if you know how to do online searches :). http://www.vintagecomputermarketplace.com/

19 years, 6 months

Commodore sx-64 keyboard cleaning

by florit＠gmail.com

Hi, continuing the saga of the no worky sx-64 keyboard, I found these instructions. I will be reseating the chips in the sx-64 and following these steps- hopefully the bladder won't be ruined in the process. From http://personalpages.tds.net/~rcarlsen/cbm/keyboard.txt --------- THE SX KEYBOARD: DISASSEMBLY AND CLEANING (from the SX64 article) This keyboard is completely different than previous CBM designs. Therefore, some of the previous information in this article will not apply. You need to know how this one works to be able to safely take it apart for cleaning. The main component is a conductive rubber bladder separated from the PC board underneath by a white or grey plastic sheet with holes in it. The plastic sheet is an insulator. Until a key is pressed, the insulator holds the bladder away from the PC board contact points. If the insulator gets damaged or distorted, some keys will not work or may make contact all the time. Removing the bladder from the PC board requires great care. The insulator tends to stick to the board near each contact point. If pulled away quickly, it will most certainly be torn. I use a dental pick to slowly nudge the tiny areas that stick as I gently pull the bladder off the board. The last one took me about 10 minutes to remove. That work cannot be rushed. Some areas of the elastic insulator deform as they pull loose and must be pushed back into place before reassembly. The keyboard comes apart for cleaning by pressing in on the four plastic snaps on the front edge while separating front and rear panels with fingers. The two center ones are easy... just press in and up on the brown plastic top panel and it will bend upward. The two side snaps need a bit of pressure... use a small flat tool like a screwdriver blade inserted into the slots to make them release. With the top off, the keyboard is visible as several rows of keys over a conductive rubber bladder, which in turn is mounted over a PC board. Each key plunger assembly can be removed for cleaning if one or more are sticky >from a spill. They would -all- have to be removed to gain access to the PC board under the bladder. None of the keyboard parts are interchangeable with a C64. Note that the shift-lock key is not a latching switch as in a C64 or C128, but a momentary contact pushbutton like all the rest. A circuit in the SX forms the "latching" device and an LED on the keyboard key comes on when ShiftLock is on. The following is a report from a fellow user who sucessfully cleaned his SX keyboard: "I am pleased to report complete success with my efforts to clean the key pads on my SX64 and the keyboard is working like new again. Although not a terribly difficult operation, care must be taken. After removing the upper keyboard case half I removed the five screws along the front of the circuit board that holds it in place. I then removed the two screws holding the keyboard cable connector in place. At this point I removed the keyboard from the lower case half and removed the keys one at a time by pressing the two tabs together from the back side of the circuit board that hold the key assembly in place. I didn't bother to keep the keys in order as I would use a C64 keyboard as a guide when replacing the keys. I then removed the two tiny screws that hold a small strip of metal to the black rubber like bladder on the right side. At this point I was ready to lift the bladder from the circuit board. Under the bladder is a grayish colored membrane that is somewhat fragile and care must be taken not to tear it. On several occasions this membrane stuck to the circuit board as I attempted to lift the membrane from the circuit board. I used the tip of a very small thin flat screwdriver to ease the membrane off the circuit board when it would stick. Once the membrane was removed I cleaned all contact pads on the circuit board using cotton swabs (Q-tips) and alcohol. I also cleaned the contact areas on the bladder in the same manner using VERY LIGHT pressure. I replaced the membrane onto the board and attached the metal strip with it's two tiny screws. I attached the cable connector and mounted the board in the lower case half with the five screws. Take care not to over tighten the screw that goes through the bladder to avoid damage. After the board was secure in the case half, I replaced the keys. They simply press into place. The space bar will require a little care to line up all three connectors. Replace the upper case half and that's it. Not that difficult but very time consuming and it does not pay to hurry. While the key assemblies are off the keyboard it is a good time to clean the keys themselves and to blow any dust or debris from the underside of the key. If you find this information useful please feel free to pass it along to others." Charles Houck All I have to add to what Charles has said is some cautions when cleaning the contact points. Never use anything abrasive on the bladder. The black dots are the contacts. They are just a conductive coating on plastic, so rough treatment can easily destroy the bladder beyond repair. A -light- rub with a dry Q-tip is all that is needed on each black spot. For the copper keyboard contacts, I use a #2 pencil eraser to remove oxidation from each contact point, then rub each with a dry Q-tip to "polish" the surface. The resulting contacts should be shiny with no spots or blemishes. I don't use solvents unless the board and/or bladder is contaminated because of a liquid spill. --

19 years, 6 months

Cray's?

by dwight.elvey＠amd.com

>From: "lee davison" <leeedavison at yahoo.co.uk> > >>> Anyone want a cray.. > >>> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5215815875 > >>> Not entirely certain the auction is legit.. almost seems "too >good".. > >> It's been relisted at least a dozen times now, it was started >> somewhere around $300k-$500k the first time, and has gotten >> progressively cheaper each time. > >I remember the first 'Buy it now' price was $375,000 with an opening >price of $250,000. > >It's a lot cheaper now but it's missing the on-site install by Cray >and the site license for the software. > >Lee. Hi There is nothing particularly significant or historic about this particular machine. It is too bad that it will most likely end up being sold for scrap. A museum may want to buy it but it is generally like many current PC's. It is too new to be of particular interest and is too obsolete to be particularly useful. A school might find it useful. I'd like to have the machine but I tend to like to collect useable machines. It would just be floor space to me. Surely a conversation piece but that is about all. Dwight

19 years, 6 months

Cray's?

by leeedavison＠yahoo.co.uk

>> Anyone want a cray.. >> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5215815875 >> Not entirely certain the auction is legit.. almost seems "too good".. > It's been relisted at least a dozen times now, it was started > somewhere around $300k-$500k the first time, and has gotten > progressively cheaper each time. I remember the first 'Buy it now' price was $375,000 with an opening price of $250,000. It's a lot cheaper now but it's missing the on-site install by Cray and the site license for the software. Lee. . ___________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Messenger - NEW crystal clear PC to PC calling worldwide with voicemail http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

19 years, 6 months

Cray's?

by dholland＠woh.rr.com

Anyone want a cray.. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5215815875 Not entirely certain the auction is legit.. almost seems "too good".. (no association, etc.. buddy of mine found the auction.) David

19 years, 6 months

Altair 680B Toggle Switch Style?

by bill＠timeguy.com

I tried to post this once before, but I never saw that it showed up, so here goes again... I'm trying to build a replica of a 680B using a real 680B case from eBay, authentic switches and LEDs, and a power supply and CPU board of my own design. I've seen both flat- and round-handled toggles in pictures on the web and my old issues of Byte magazine, and have been unable to discern a pattern to it. Can anyone on the list tell me why the difference, and which one is more accurate to use? Thanks.

19 years, 6 months

← Newer
1
...
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
...
63
Older →

Jump to page:

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

test-drb July 2005