test-drb October 2007

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

228 participants
467 discussions

by dgriffi＠cs.csubak.edu

I've unearthed a Xerox 820-II, the original boot disk to which has gone bad. Is there someone here who can create a copy of the original 8" boot disk and whatever else was shipped with the Xerox 820-II? I have blanks, but no means to write to them. -- David Griffith dgriffi at cs.csubak.edu A: Because it fouls the order in which people normally read text. Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing? A: Top-posting. Q: What is the most annoying thing in e-mail?

17 years, 2 months

VAX 11/750 rescued, alas...

by oldcpu2＠rogerwilco.org

The gods smiled upon me, and I was chosen to rescue the DEC VAX 11/750 that Richard alerted us too about a month ago. Yesterday I went up to collect it. I think most of us, during a pickup, are mindful of just getting the load onboard and away, and it was the same way for me with this pickup. Besides, the unit was literally stuffed so tightly into the front corner of their storage that there was no way to examine the innards at that location. A few images can be found at: http://www.rogerwilco.org/VAX11-750 Once back on homebase, I finally got a chance to open up the unit. To my horror (it is October, after all), I find just a single board installed in the CPU backplane, and one loose q-bus board! The first is a System Industries 9700-6301 with the following significant chips: Signetics N8X60N, AMD AM9128 (x2), Motorola MCM93L422PC (x4), TI SN74S181N, and about a dozen TI 82S137s with little numbered stickers on each. Otherwise it's loaded with TTL logic chips. There are no headers or other connectors on board, just the backplane fingers. I have no idea what this board is. I openly admit that I'm a complete {non-uVAX | massbus | unibus} novice. The second board is an MCD MLSI PC-11, which I'm guessing may be some kind of dual parallel interface. I'll have to do a little scouting on Bitsavers and Manx to see if I can turn up anything useful. Anyway, sadly, this box is not much more than an empty carcass, without any brains. It clearly was sacrificed to keep other systems alive. Still, I would dearly love to populate the backplane(s) and light this baby up, but I guessing I'll be hard pressed to find anyone with a whole set of spares that I could somehow convince into letting them go. I don't want to lose an opportunity here, and I'm not saying that I have my eye on the local metal recycler just yet, but what am I going to do with an empty chassis?! Now, I should say that the donor was extremely nice, and offered to pass along anything related that eventually turns up as they dig deeper into their massive pile (12' x 15' x 20', literally boxes/cartons/PCs upon boxes/cartons/PCs), but I'm not sure I should hope for much. Am I foolish to ask? Anyone with a spare set of VAX 11/750 modules? - Jared

17 years, 2 months

DECnet/E and/or can anyone in Australia image a 1600 BPI tape?

by prd＠bur.st

G'day there, Although I've been watching this list for a few months now, this is my first post to the cctech mailing list so I guess I should start by saying hello from Perth, Western Australia. I've been collecting DEC machines and Commodore 8-bitters for about eight years now, and I've recently started collecting members of the Apple ][ and Macintosh family. (While I'm yet to pick up any big iron PDPs, I do have representatives of DEC's PDP-11, VAX, MIPS and Alpha families.) I've also managed to pick up members of the PA-RISC, SGI MIPS, SUN SPARC and IBM RS/6000 families, though this part of my collection is much less comprehensive. Anyway, on to the topic of my message --- currently up for sale on eBay is a set of RSTS/E and DECnet/E tapes. I've been playing around with RSTS/E, TOPS-20, and earlier versions of VAX/VMS, Ultrix and BSD UNIX in the hopes of setting up a limited ARPAnet-era free public access network, and while I do have some RSTS/E 9.2 boxes running under simh, they're basically standalone. Now, some RSTS/E and DECnet/E tapes have come up for auction on eBay (see http://cgi.ebay.com.au/DEC-Software-Kit-RSTS-E-Tapes-More_W0QQitemZ18016620…) but there are at least two problems: (1) the current set of RSTS/E 9.[257] and DECnet/E 4.1 tapes are listed for AUD 595/795 for Buy It Now, and (2) I don't have any tape drives older than a TK50. So, should this auction lapse, and in the off chance that I can obtain just the DECnet/E tape, I was wondering if anyone here (1) has a 1600 BPI tape drive with which they can image a tape or two, and (2) lives in Australia. Of course, if anyone already has a copy of DECnet/E that they're willing to share, I'd appreciate that even more as the seller doesn't make any guarantees about his tapes' quality or usability. Many thanks in advance, Pete

17 years, 2 months

Tektronix 4041 System Controller Docs

by Josef.Deuschinger＠web.de

Hi Richard, I just read your email below, when scanning through the net for more 4041 information. You know, I asked you for the missing page A-10 of your '4041 System Controller' manual a while ago. I am looking for more information about how to get user programs as stand alone units into the ROMs. The Utility package names at page 7-1 the programs PRMBLD for building ROMable tape images and RMXFER for transferring them to the ROMs. I am also interested in a description of how to prepare files to be loaded with the command 'Loadroms'. The programs should be part of an optional accessory package. Do you have them? Are they part of the 'systems verification tape'? The following manuals I don't have: * 4041 Option 10 Graphics, plotting, signal processing & utility routines - programmers reference guide 70-5983-00 (I suppose it's a detailed ROM call description), * Getting Stared With Your 4041, * 4041R03 operation manual with ROM call description 070-4559-00, * 4041 service manual 061-2513-00 In turn, I can give you copies of all ROM packs as files. I have them all verified by programmed MCM68766C EPROMs! I also would be interested in an 4041 experience exchange with other users. Thanks in advance for your help. Best regards, Josef Richard legalize at xmission.com Mon Apr 24 12:28:58 CDT 2006 a.. Previous message: anyone have a terminal server? b.. Next message: Tektronix 4041 System Controller Docs c.. Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Since I just acquired one of these new-in-box with all the docs, if someone else out there needs more docs for these let me know and I'll move them to the top of my scanning queue. Of particular interest is the documentation for several of the ROM packs and the complete programmer's reference documentation giving all the details on the BASIC language in the controller. -- "The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline"-- code samples, sample chapter, FAQ: <http://www.xmission.com/~legalize/book/> Pilgrimage: Utah's annual demoparty

17 years, 2 months

ClarisDraw and ICT1301 (was: Semi-OT: Classic Mac support gone from Leopard (OS X 10.5))

by roger.holmes＠microspot.co.uk

On 6 Oct, 2007, at 02:48, cctalk-request at classiccmp.org wrote: > From: "Zane H. Healy" <healyzh at aracnet.com> > > In all fairness I've already started looking into running > ClarisDraw under > emulation since I can't find a replacement I like, in the long run > it is > likely to run better under emulation. There is a glitch or two > with running > it under Classic on my G5. Besides I want to be able to upgrade to > a Mac > Pro one of these days. > > Or, I might just setup my G4/450 running Mac OS 8.6 (I have the > special G4 > version), and use it as an X-Terminal running my old copy of > eXodus. At > which point I'll be able to run ClarisDraw on there. Though at 8 > years old, > I'm not sure I want to depend on it for an app I *need*. Sorry to take this off topic still further. Please excuse me being nosey, but is it a matter of speed , features, user interface, opening ClarisDraw files, price or what? My company took over 'MacDraft' from IDD many years ago and still supply both MacDraft and the cheaper version MacDraft PE (personal edition) which are both universal binaries on OS-X. We get some people complaining that the UI is not modern enough and others that its too modern. We do not currently have any sort of gradient fills, maybe that's what is missing. We are currently working on version 6.0 so would be interested if you or any others on this list would like to tell me what we need to do to meet your needs, though of course we don't make programs for one users needs alone. To bring back on topic, last month we got the core memory of my ICT1301 back to 100% functionality, all 2000 words of 48 bits (1200lbs weight). We're now working on an interface to write data to a parallel port so we can catch it with a modern machine. We're using TTL working from a -5v supply as Vss and ground as Vcc to match up with the -6.3 volt logic levels (with an implicit inversion). We're also using an IDT 7201 FIFO to buffer the rapid supply of 48 bits >from a word against the 8 bit at a time parallel port, and it may also absorbs some of the difference between rapid data transfer of each mag tape block and no data during the inter-block gap with the constant data rate of the parallel port. Roger Holmes

17 years, 2 months

Infant mortality and longevity of DVD media?

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

> >Subject: Re: Infant mortality and longevity of DVD media? > From: woodelf <bfranchuk at jetnet.ab.ca> > Date: Sat, 06 Oct 2007 10:51:30 -0600 > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > >Barry Watzman wrote: > Reading the media with a variety of >> drives other than the one used for burning is certainly not a bad idea, but >> for most users is unacceptably time consuming. >Software mortality worries me. Who knows what bugs the next version of >your driver has. Ben. One solution is a few older systems "frozen in time" and not allowed to auto update (if M$). Even if Linux frozen in time is a good idea for backups and archives. This ahs proven successful for me and also give me working systems that are not prone to yet a new set of different bugs or lost capability. Allison

17 years, 2 months

Decmate I

by James＠jdfogg.com

> I have a reasonable Decmate I / PDP8 with dual RX02's in a > tower and spare parts CRT/Keyboard, spare motherboard. It > boots up nicely, includes serial port board and back cover. > I've enjoyed it for the past year, but now have to get it out > of my workspace. Open to a reasonable offer, especially if > the buyer can pick it up in Southern NH. > > - Gary I don't know what "reasonable" would be, but I am "reasonably" close in Northern New Hampshire (New London). Your space woes could be solved today. I need some fiscal guidance or suggested trades.

17 years, 2 months

[Fwd: PDP8 im Ebay]

by RodSmallwood＠mail.ediconsulting.co.uk

My German Is not that good but the gist of it is that it's a controller for a CNC drill. The 8/f is an Irish made one from the Galway plant. (Whilst working at DEC I visited Galway on a regular basis). I'm a bit confused as to where it is. The only Penzing I know is in Austria near Vienna. If it was northern Germany I'd go and get it. The system unit might be the basis for building up a PDP 8 system. Oh well one day I'll get a PDP-8 from somewhere. I'm sure that 10,000 + where made. Of those probably 3,000 where UK/European voltage models. Rod Smallwood The DECcollector -----Original Message----- From: cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Gerold Pauler Sent: 05 October 2007 11:35 To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts Subject: [Fwd: PDP8 im Ebay] Got an email today, that you can get a complete pdp8/f on ebay. It is located in Germany. Does not mention how much memory it got but seams to be complete with paper tape reader and an atari 140ST as console. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320166292810 I don't have any connection to the seller. And I don't have any more free space for another pdp8 of this era. - Gerold

17 years, 2 months

Setting up a VAXstation

by cctech＠retro.co.za

Hi all >From: ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) > >A friend of mine was nearly killed due to this. He tested some wiring for >voltage-to-earth and the meter said it was essentially dead. SO he >started workign, alas the meter was malfuctioning, and he got the full >mains volatege across him. He imediately went and bought an expensive mad >reliable neter. I always short my screwdriver across the line before fitting, say, a light socket or a switch. This would be after turning the mains off and measuring. Even when it's a brand new installation and the main breaker panel isn't connected to the utility yet. Yea, it might cause a helluva flashbang, but it beats walking that tunnel towards the bright light. W

17 years, 2 months

Semi-OT: Classic Mac support gone from Leopard (OS X 10.5)

by spectre＠floodgap.com

This is semi-OT, but if you use an OS X capable Power Mac to run legacy Mac software, 10.5 apparently no longer supports Classic even on PowerPC machines. http://www.lowendmac.com/mail/mb07/0716.html#2 This is a shame, since a lot of early Mac software will surprisingly still run on my G5 running Tiger. In fact, I use an old System 6-era version of Caere OmniPage for simple OCR tasks since it's so unbelievably fast by comparison. -- ------------------------------------ personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ -- Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at floodgap.com -- In memory of Howard Caine --------------------------------------------------

17 years, 2 months

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test-drb October 2007