test-drb October 2006

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

217 participants
352 discussions

A question regarding floppy drives functionality..

by marian.capel＠bluewin.ch

Since this list has a number of people that are very knowledgable on the subject : Am i correct in thinking that, given a custom FDC, i could run a modern 1.44 floppy in FM mode, and at much lower data rates i.e. (say 50 KHz.) ? Background : I am musing on how to give a small amount of storage, say around 100kb, to a very small low tech cpu. I do not care about speed and efficiency. I am aware that IDE-based solutions are simpler, both hard- and software wise, but I would prefer a floppy based solution. Jos Dreesen

18 years, 1 month

Discussion of large systems

by wacarder＠earthlink.net

>>Surviving systems from before 1975 are very rare animals, esp mainframes, >>since so many of them have been scrapped for precious metals. Sadly, there >>is even less software that has survived. CHM didn't start seriously >>collecting documentation nor software prior to the move to the West Coast in >>the 90's. While they have an impressive collection of hardware, and a pretty >>decent collection of US computer documentation now, the software holdings >>pre 1975 are minimal. How many 1970s era or earlier mainframes are actually up and running (or in working condition) somewhere? I have not really followed mainframe collecting, although I did work on IBM 370 and 30xx mainframes in the 1980s. Ashley

18 years, 1 month

Collections of (physically) large computers

by cctech＠retro.co.za

Hi Jules and all >I suppose my Acorn System One is probably my smallest system - two Eurocards, Sharp PC 1500. Used it while studying. Had all my formulas in there, from integration to hex conversion. "Tricked it out" by adding a 32K ram on a PCB in the place of the normal 16K memory module. I have the manuals to program the thing in assembler so it definitely counts as a computer not a programmable calculator (I do regard the smaller Sharp jobbies as glorified calculators even if they have BASIC and a full mini-keyboard. W

18 years, 1 month

RX02 Controller Boards available

by stimpy.u.idiot＠gmail.com

I've got 3 16"x9" (approx) boards here, 2 of which are RX02 related, the other I'm not so sure. The first 2: M7744 RX02 Floppy Disk Controller M7745 RX02 R/W Control . The 3rd, covered in (mostly) 74xxx logic with 5 berg connectors, no DEC style letter+4 digit code, just the words 'DRIVE LOGIC' screened onto side 2. No idea if they are working boards. As I don't have any other kit they might conceivably be useful for, all are free to anyone prepared to cover postage, bear in mind I'm in Chester, UK. Cheers, Pete -- Pete Edwards "Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future" - Niels Bohr

18 years, 1 month

Anyone near Goddard Space Flight Center? (Greenbelt, MD)

by legalize＠xmission.com

This VT50 needs rescuing! <http://sales.gsfc.nasa.gov/web/sales/dsp_viewByCatalog.cfm?sSaleNumber=8032…> <http://sales.gsfc.nasa.gov/web/images/lots/80322620070013/lot019.jpg> These seem to be pretty rare these days, whereas VT-100's are fairly common. -- "The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline" -- DirectX 9 draft available for download <http://www.xmission.com/~legalize/book/download/index.html>

18 years, 1 month

Collections of (physically) small computers

by josefcub＠gmail.com

On 10/29/06, Jules Richardson <julesrichardsonuk at yahoo.co.uk> wrote: > :-) > I suppose my Acorn System One is probably my smallest system - two Eurocards, > about 100 x 160 x 30mm in size, complete with built-in keypad, display, tape, > and expansion interfaces. > > My Sinclair ZX81 is probably next - but of course lacks a display so needs a > TV in order to really be useful... > > cheers > > Jules > Would my Microchip PIC18F1320s count? They're 18-pin DIP packages with built-in serial port (USART), RAM, EEPROM data storage... But of course it requires a tiny amount of support circuitry and a PC to burn useful software onto it. (I did, however, have one hooked up to a terminal to play Tic Tac Toe, though ;) My actual smallest whole computer are probably my Apple Newton MessagePads (OMP, 110, or 130). Second to that is my Dauphin DTR-1 with keyboard and pen, and the last of the complete small systems are probably my Epson PX-8s, and my TRS-80 Model 100s. I miss my Timex Sinclair 1000. Poor thing got stepped on by a careless friend one day... Josef -- "I laugh because I dare not cry. This is a crazy world and the only way to enjoy it is to treat it as a joke." -- Hilda "Sharpie" Burroughs, "The Number of the Beast" by Robert A. Heinlein

18 years, 1 month

Question regarding floppy drive functionality.

by jos.mar＠bluewin.ch

18 years, 1 month

Discussion of large systems

by roger.holmes＠microspot.co.uk

On 31 Oct, 2006, at 18:01, cctech-request at classiccmp.org wrote: > But when I think of mainframe I think of > processor + storage along with a bunch of terminals attached; both > of those > systems are more data processors (albeit general purpose ones) than > something > capable of supporting several human users. Except the older ones did not have terminals, sometimes not even for the operator. Surely anything which predates the Minicomputer is by definition a mainframe, unless it was designed as a peripheral processor rather than intended as a central processor. That would let out things like the CDC 1700 which is the first machine I learnt assembler code on as it was no longer needed to read cards and send the data to the main 6600 which was several miles away.

18 years, 1 month

Discussion of large systems

by aek＠bitsavers.org

> The machine had no stack, so I wrote one for it, and > developed a stack oriented p-machine for it. Do you still have this? There is a version of SCOPE/Hustler running in simulation.

18 years, 1 month

HP 3000 Magnetic Tape

by aek＠bitsavers.org

> Does anyone here have the necessary hardware > and software to read a magnetic tape in HP 3000 Store Format? I have the equipment to read the tape at the block level at the Museum. We are looking for early verions of MPE (that would run on Series II or III) as well.

18 years, 1 month

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test-drb October 2006