test-drb August 2006

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

216 participants
517 discussions

by compoobah＠valleyimplants.com

e.steibler wrote >I know, it is an M$ nightmare... Not really- MS will just send its sales force out after the higher-level managers who don't know much about computers, same as now, tell them how Linux is "unsupported" and other UNIXes are "proprietary" (and Windows isn't???), perhaps touch on the SCO threat, imply that UNIX admins are hard to come by and expensive... get them to commit to Windows as a platform and buy a 16p Itanium server with Windows Enterprise, thin clients, and a nice big $150 terminal license for each client. No nightmare there, the MS will probably also sell an Office license per client too.

17 years, 11 months

Computers and heat density

by ken＠seefried.com

From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com> > Did the CDC 6600 ever have a C implementation? Dunno about the 6600, but it's decendent the CDC Cyber 180 did. I never even looked at it (the Algol 60 compiler was more interesting...I have the manual for that someplace), but I understand it was painful. Ken

17 years, 11 months

PDP-8 /e/f/m memory

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

> >Subject: Re: PDP-8 /e/f/m memory > From: "vrs" <vrs at msn.com> > Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 00:04:38 -0700 > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > >> Even schematics would help. In the end I may do my own as >> a pair of 61256s will certainly fit the bill and barely fill >> a corner of a board. > >I looked at doing one of these, but got kind of lost about how >the timing signals are used. I looked at the MOS RAM for the 8/A, >but there's all this cruft for refresh in there, some stuff about >suppressing access during ROM access, etc. And then it looks like >the memory timing signals are derived somehow from the memory >refresh stuff?? > >Is there a nice place where the Omnibus memory interface control >signals are explained somewhere? Small Computer Handbook 1973 is a good staring point. A complete prinset also has details like timing. Allison

17 years, 11 months

OT: Help needed in forwarding an item

by quapla＠xs4all.nl

Hi all, I need someone in the U.S. to forward some items to me. The seller of the items does not ship anything outside the US. The item are 6 large capacitors. Doesn't have to be done for free, and postage gets paid as well of course. Please reply off-list. Thanks, Ed

17 years, 11 months

Hi, I'm new...

by aliensrcooluk＠yahoo.co.uk

--- Tony Duell <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote: >> snip << > > > I know how the CPU works and runs everything > > , in theory, but I can't program in machine > > language yet. > > As for how the CPU and everything else works > > physically, I don't really know anything, but > > There are, unfortunaely, very few books that > actually explain how the CPU > works. Most introductory hardware books explain > things like the AND and > OR gats and flip-flops (don't worry if these terms > mean nothing to you, > they're just the basic building blocks of computer > circuits), and then > tell you the CPU exists. It's almost as if the CPU > runs on some kind of > magic. > Hehe... abracadrabra. > I can assure you that it doesn't, and that many > older, simpler CPUs are > understandable at the gate level (or even the > transistor level). > > I know how _I_ learnt this stuff. I had already > understood how to use > gates, flip-flops, etc. I mamaged to get the servi ce > manuals for an old > minicomputer, and I sat down for a couple of > _months_ until I understood > it all. Of course back then there was no classiccm p > list, I didn't have > anyone to ask. I was very much on my own. > Perhaps there are service manuals for the Amiga?? I know I wanted to get my hands on the Amiga RKRM's (Rom Kernel Reference Manuals), but they will be hard to find in paper form. > > [Mains voltages etc] > > > > voltage is lethal. It's also likely to appear on > > > metal heatsinks, etc, in > > > such supplies. Don't work on one of those unle ss > y > > ou > > > really know what you > > > are doing. > > > > > > > Ok... no heat sinks in my A600 :) > > It's only heatsinks in high voltage circuits (like > the mains side of > SMPSUs, or the horizontal scan section of monitors > and TVs) that might be > at a dangerous voltage. Heatsinks, say, on top of a > CPU chip, or a > regulator IC on a motherboard, are very likely to > be at ground > potential. But if in doubt, ask. > Ok. > > > > > > > Monitors are often claimed to contain lethal > > > voltages. Well, there's > > > mains (and most colour monitors use an SMPSU> > circ > > uit, so the hazard I've > > > just mentioned is there). But the even higher > > > voltages to the CRT are > > > generally only able to supply low currents, an d > ar > > e > > > unlikely to be fatal. > > > Don't take risks, though, 25000V is darn > unpleasan > > t. > > > > > > > No problems there either, as I don't use a > > monitor. I plug my A600 into my TV via the > > RF cable. The picture quality is good enough > > for me. > > Well, a TV is essentially a monitor with an extra > bit -- the radio > receiver circuit -- added. It also contians high > voltages to operate the > CRT. And most, if not all, modern TVs use a SMPSU > circuit. > > Doesn't your TV have a SCART socket? Can't you > connect the RGB outputs of > the A600 there? > > -tony > No RGB cable for the Amiga and the SCART socket is already used: I have a 3 way SCART box which is plugged into the TV's SCART, with SCART's from the VCR, DVD player and my Dreamcast plugged into that. I have used the old Sega Megadrive (aka Genesis) RF switch box (the one that lets you switch between "Game" and "Aerial") and plugged that into the aerial socket on the TV. Into the switch box I have the aerial (for terrestrial TV) and my Amiga RF cable. The A/V sockets at the front are used by my Nintendo 64 (which is sat ontop of the TV), or Gamecube (sat next to Dreamcast under TV, but ontop of VCR and DVD player) depending on which Nintendo console I want to play. It's a nice setup.... but loads of cables :( Besides, it's not like I'm gonna try and do Hi-Def stuff on the Amiga! (NB: I know that ain't possible, unless you count the 2 colour super-hires screen mode - and before anyone asks I know nothing about Hi-Def screens and/ or widescreen TV's, but thats ok coz I don't want them). Regards, Andrew B aliensrcooluk at yahoo.co.uk

17 years, 11 months

Handwire vs PCBs

by compoobah＠valleyimplants.com

When you're using a PCB, though, you have a large flat plane for the solder to deal with. If you're doing point-to-point and you don't make a good mechanical connection, then it is likely that you won't have much solder to stick it together with. A good mechanical connection also gives you more surface area for the solder joint.

17 years, 11 months

Miniature CPU repro (was Re: group buy for homebrew CPUs?)

by ethan.dicks＠gmail.com

On 8/14/06, Bill Sudbrink <wh.sudbrink at verizon.net> wrote: > I have been toying with the idea of doing a one inch to one foot > (doll house scale) fully functional IMSAI. Clearly, it would be > implemented on some sort of PAL or PIC... the idea would be for > the front panel and a serial port (maybe a video out too (cromemco > Dazzler?)) to be fully functional with a "floppy" drive implemented > on one of the little flash memory packs. Hmm... at 1/12th scale... I would think the front panel would be the tricky part. The interior shouldn't be so bad. One could use a camcorder eyepiece display for the CRT, if you did a Dazzler. Be a bit tough to read text, though. I take it you wouldn't be considering working switches on the front panel, only blinkenlights, right? Sounds interesting. Would make an interesting VCF display. -ethan

17 years, 11 months

SMT techniques (was Re: group buy for homebrew CPUs?)

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

> >Subject: Re: SMT techniques (was Re: group buy for homebrew CPUs?) > From: Brad Parker <brad at heeltoe.com> > Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2006 06:44:50 -0400 > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > > >"Ethan Dicks" wrote: >> >>I _have_ thought about that for replacement -8/L and -8/i boards - > >Just curious, are there any machine readable schematics or netlists >for the 8/I? > >(from my primative understanding an 8/i was made from a few different >flip chips and a *lot* of backplane wirewrap - just wondering if that's >machine readable anywhere) That decribes a fair amount of the 8i and 8l. One it's I've been looking for is if anyone has done a semiconductor memory for the 8e/f/m omnibus machines. There was a hex wide one for the 8A. I figure it would be handy for those that don't have enough core or fully functional core. Allison

17 years, 11 months

new acquisitions

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

Just received 3 packages in the mail today from 3 different folks... 1) What I believe is a complete PDP-11/40 cpu cardset (M7231 through M7238 {yup, EIS}). Is this a complete set? Too bad that won't magically make my 11/45 start working. 2) DEC Microprocessors Handbook (poor condition, but I didn't have one, so nice!). 3) An MDB systems "MDB-DR11C". What exactly is this? Is it the same as a DEC DR11C? What was it commonly used for? Also in the box was an ACT "10015000" which I'm guessing may be a 4-slu card? Yay! Jay

17 years, 11 months

Asynch designs

by compoobah＠valleyimplants.com

> Supposedly, non-clocked logic can also offer greater security because >there's no clock signal for remote sensors to key on when trying to >sense what the CPU is doing. This seemed a little odd to me. Do >espionage types really try to sense what a processor is doing >remotely, based on the EM emissions from the chip? Don't know about processors, but Tempest had a proof of concept for intercepting I/O from kbd/video. (Anyone else remember Tempest? for a while they were selling big "tinfoil hat" type shields for monitors and then, suddenly, it went away.) Was that NSA that came up with the POC? P.S. - for the U.S. types - never would have thought it 15 years ago, but NSA now has official mousepads you can buy.

17 years, 11 months

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test-drb August 2006