test-drb November 2007

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

229 participants
508 discussions

by sellam＠vintagetech.com

Haha! I can't wait to show Hans. He was so embarassingly drunk that night it's not even funny. This happened after I left, and it got much worse. I'm hope no one got on video what I did. -- Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org [ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ] [ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]

17 years, 1 month

Tarbell is making me insane

by grant＠stockly.com

I'm about to go insane. Here is what I have: -Fake Altair (rock solid in everything but tarbell) -Tarbel 1011D -Tarbell 1011A, which SEEMS to be better than the 1011D. -4xMITS 16MCS 16k memory cards -5xSEALS 8k SRAM -2SIO -MITS Rev0 CPU Anyway...it doesn't work at all if I have a 16k memory card and an 8k memory card. The 1011A works best (gets the furtherest in all tests). If I'm lucky it asks me how many disks I have! It also doesn't work with 3 seals 8k cards. When I put in a CompuPro active terminator on the end of the bus, the computer goes crazy and doesn't do anything. Installing an "Industrial Micro Systems" terminator from 1980 it changes operational characteristics, but still doesn't quite do it. I had been trying to make the stupid thing work for months, on and off... Well, I decided to stop trying to limit the number of cards on the bus. I put in 5 8k seals cards and the stupid thing boots and runs commands. Before while loading BDOS it would most of the time report corrupted or missing sectors. Or just print trash. Now I can run DISKDMP and programs like that. After working flawlessly for a few minutes its back to crazy. I can single step through the tarbel boot program and see it going crazy... : ( I'd like the thing to be rock solid with minimal memory cards. Can anyone think of WHY the tarbel card is so much trouble? I burn EPROMs all day long with this Altair. It takes 3 minutes to burn a 1702 and I've never had one fail! I can also leave it playing music for all night long with no problems!!! I need help!!! : ( Grant

17 years, 1 month

Video of Cray 1 and other artifacts...

by classiccmp＠memory-alpha.org.uk

Hi, >> That's a couple of hours of your life which you'll never get >>back.... > Then I probably should not say that I actually like the movie, have >watched it more then once and that I also own it... :) Sorry, there should've been a smiley on the end of that (I got distracted by a knock at the door). ;-) TTFN - Pete.

17 years, 1 month

modern serial terminal

by dgriffi＠cs.csubak.edu

I'm thinking of a device about the size of a couple CD jewel cases that has two serial ports, a ps/2 or usb port, VGA port, power jack, and perhaps a JTAG header concealed within. This device is a regular RS232 serial terminal. Plug in a monitor, keyboard, and something talking rs232 and you're ready to go. Inside there would be a microprocessor, some ram, some flash, and an FPGA to take care of glue logic and talking to the VGA port. The FPGA would be loaded with the digital schematics of a particular terminal and its firmware, for instance, a Wyse 85 or 99GT (my favorites). That would get you most of the usual emulations. How hard would it be to create something like this? How much would it cost? -- 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, 1 month

Stats on the first known HP Computer at the South Pole

by tsw-cc＠johana.com

> > Jay, other HP fans, > > I finally got a chance to re-examine the article on the wall down here. > > Someone hung up excerpts from "The Antarctic Journal", December 1976, > page 286 (and parts of some presumably nearby pages). The article describes > the "first" computer system at the Pole, which might possibly be true. > During > the 1974/1975 Austral Summer, UC Davis sent down a pair of HP 2100S machines > to Pole. They were both equipped with 32K of memory, and sported paper tape, > at least one line printer, and a pair of 45 ips, 800 bpi magtapes. Other > I/O equipment mentioned in the article include an HP 12930A "universal > interface", at least one HP 2570A "coupler controller", and at least one > HP 12770A serial interface. > > If I run across the original journal, I can see about making scans. Right > now, there is a hodgepodge of xeroxed page fragments taped to the wall. > > Before anyone starts drooling, this gear was all long-gone 20 years after > it was installed. Even the microVAX that was here 10 years ago was packed > up and removed years ago. Closest thing I've seen to a "classic" computer > I've seen in use here lately was a Dell 386SX/16 as the head-end for the PBX > we tore out in 2004, and the Compaq 386N we used for RTTY (last fired up in > 2004 as well). > > It's all modern, boring stuff here now. :-( > > (except for the classic goodies I pack in my luggage ;-) > > -ethan > Wow... Something I know about! I was there for the installation for those computers. They were 2100A's (not 2100s). Both of the boxes had two 9 track drives with the 500cps paper tape readers, and the Facit 75 cps punches. I dont' remember much about the line printer, but there must have been one, probably one of those mini Dataproducts goodies (80 columns). They were configured to use RTE-C, the core image version of RTE used at the time. Thankfully they had 32k of memory, since the RTE stuff took up quite a bit of room, and the machines didn't have disk drives. I ended up writing a memory resident version of the papertape system (I forget what it was called) that would allow assignments of input and output devices to tape files and the like. I heard that it was useful since they had to develop the programs used in RTE-C that way. The application for the machines was for weather observation at the station. The UC Davis people had some nifty humidity sensors (heated, etc.) they were trying out. The other thing we installed was a transmitting weather station (to a satellite that orbited about once every 2 hours). Of course we didn't know when it passed by so the logic (no microprocessors then) spit out the data about once every couple of minutes. The Satellite was in polar orbit so it came by every time. It waqs run from a couple of power sources, an RTG (big huge thing) and a propane thermoelectric generator. I have fond memories of attempting to start the propane thing and not getting the gas to vaporize. I had to use TWO propane torches (one to heat the other) to get it working. Yes, this is classic stuff. It dates to 1975, long before I saw a 6800. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

17 years, 1 month

Hans destroys VAX!

by evan＠snarc.net

This was brought to my attention at the VCF X. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYP-F7XxrDA For those who don't know him, Han is in the blue shirt and black pants ... his standard uniform.

17 years, 1 month

Stats on the first known HP Computer at the South Pole

by ethan.dicks＠usap.gov

Jay, other HP fans, I finally got a chance to re-examine the article on the wall down here. Someone hung up excerpts from "The Antarctic Journal", December 1976, page 286 (and parts of some presumably nearby pages). The article describes the "first" computer system at the Pole, which might possibly be true. During the 1974/1975 Austral Summer, UC Davis sent down a pair of HP 2100S machines to Pole. They were both equipped with 32K of memory, and sported paper tape, at least one line printer, and a pair of 45 ips, 800 bpi magtapes. Other I/O equipment mentioned in the article include an HP 12930A "universal interface", at least one HP 2570A "coupler controller", and at least one HP 12770A serial interface. If I run across the original journal, I can see about making scans. Right now, there is a hodgepodge of xeroxed page fragments taped to the wall. Before anyone starts drooling, this gear was all long-gone 20 years after it was installed. Even the microVAX that was here 10 years ago was packed up and removed years ago. Closest thing I've seen to a "classic" computer I've seen in use here lately was a Dell 386SX/16 as the head-end for the PBX we tore out in 2004, and the Compaq 386N we used for RTTY (last fired up in 2004 as well). It's all modern, boring stuff here now. :-( (except for the classic goodies I pack in my luggage ;-) -ethan -- Ethan Dicks, A-333-S Current South Pole Weather at 6-Nov-2007 at 09:30 Z South Pole Station PSC 468 Box 400 Temp -24.5 F (-31.4 C) Windchill -53.8 F (-47.6 C) APO AP 96598 Wind 16.8 kts Grid 10 Barometer 684.4 mb (10463 ft) Ethan.Dicks at usap.gov http://penguincentral.com/penguincentral.html

17 years, 1 month

Quadram Quadboard

by geoffr＠zipcon.net

Does anyone have docs for this beastie? it's an apple-II on a card that goes into an XT... or does anyone have any interest in it? it's been sitting on my shelf for ~ 12 years now...

17 years, 1 month

8" disk drive project - maybe 3.5" project too???

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

> >Subject: Re: 8" disk drive project - maybe 3.5" project too??? > From: Grant Stockly <grant at stockly.com> > Date: Mon, 05 Nov 2007 22:50:45 -0900 > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > >I'm going to add some to my own topic. The questions below still >stand, but I've got more info! : ) > >>I want to use a QUME 842 or SA800 in an altair disk subsystem. >> >>Both seem to have the same interface. >> >>The FD400-5x0-5x1 manual seems to show the drives being quite similar. >> >>The first thing I see is that there are extra signals. >> >>"Trim Erase", "Write Enable", and "Write Data" where the Shugart >>interface only has "Write Data" and "Write Gate". I assume that >>gate and enable are the same thing. The FD Pertec drives also have >>"IN", "OUT", and "STEP" instead of "STEP" and "DIRECTION", but that >>is not a big deal. That can be generated in software. >> >>What I don't see is any input to perform the function of head >>current. How does the shugart interface handle this? >> >>Can I ignore the trim erase feature? How do I generate a write busy >>signal? I'm willing to make some circuits to fake these signals if required. > >More info: > >The pinout of an Altair disk drive...of the wires connected. Omitted >pins are either not connected, power, or ground. All lettered >connections are ground. > >6 - Output - Door Open (IDOP >7 - Head Current Switch (IHCS) >8 - External Trim Erase (Option) (IEEN) >9 - Input - Write Enable (IWEN) >10 - Input - Write Data Input (IWDA) >11 - Input - Step In (ISTI) >15 - Input - Step Out (ISTO) >16 - Input - Head Load (IHLD) >17 - Output - Index (IINXP) >18 - Input - Drive Motor On (IDEN) >19 - Track 0 (ITRK0) >20 - Output - Read Data Output (IRDA) > >One thing that interests me slightly more is the possibility of a >regular 3.5" disk connected to the Altair. I don't care about the >encoding or format being compatible with a standard controller. > >It is very similar, but is also a soft sector disk/drive. How close >is close? Can I just use a microcontroller with a timer to time from >one index to the next and divide it up into 32 sectors? Will this be >close enough for the Altair? Anyone know what kinds of errors I >would get? A microcontroller running at 16MHz would be able to count >between pulses with 16MHz/1 accuracy. With the SA800 I would have a >sector hole sensor giving me the correct timing. > >There still is the issue of the write trim erase feature, whatever that is... Write trim erase is a signal to the head assembly (driver) that turns on the erase segment of the head for erasing the area either side of the head. It's also called tunnel erase. This gives some tolerence to off track reading as the intertrack gaps are "clean". Tunnel erase is still part of all floppy drives but is activated by Write-enable and you never "hear" of it. In 1976 all this was new and magical until Sugart came out with the much simplified 5.25 SA400. >Any comments or ideas on the idea? Is it worth trying? I've got a >very weird tarbell card that formats and uses 3.5" disks as a 70k >mini floppy. I guess anything is possible. : ) Sounds like a wither the DD or SD tarbel card that could interface to most any drive using soft sector. Myself I'd persue something using a 5.25 or 3.5" drive with a current softsector interface to the drive and enough CPU smarts to fake looking like the Altair interface which was dumb as a rock and depended on the 8080 to do most everything. Allison > >2 - Density Select (/REDWC) >8 - Index (/INDEX) >10 - Motor Enable Drive 0 (/MOTEA) >12 - Drive Select 1 (/DRVSA) >14 - Drive Select 0 (/DRVSB) >16 - Motor Enable Drive 1 (/MOTEB) >18 - Direction Select (/DIR) >20 - Head Step (/STEP) >22 - Write Data (/WDATE) >24 - Floppy Write Enable (/WGATE) >26 - Track 00 (/TRK0) >28 - Write Protect (/WPT) >30 - Read Data (/RDATA) >32 - Head Select (/SIDE1) >34 - Disk Change/Ready (/DISKCHG) > >I'm not going to sleep a wink tonight. I hate having ideas at 10PM... : ( > >Grant

17 years, 1 month

8" disk drive project

by grant＠stockly.com

I want to use a QUME 842 or SA800 in an altair disk subsystem. Both seem to have the same interface. The FD400-5x0-5x1 manual seems to show the drives being quite similar. The first thing I see is that there are extra signals. "Trim Erase", "Write Enable", and "Write Data" where the Shugart interface only has "Write Data" and "Write Gate". I assume that gate and enable are the same thing. The FD Pertec drives also have "IN", "OUT", and "STEP" instead of "STEP" and "DIRECTION", but that is not a big deal. That can be generated in software. What I don't see is any input to perform the function of head current. How does the shugart interface handle this? Can I ignore the trim erase feature? How do I generate a write busy signal? I'm willing to make some circuits to fake these signals if required. Thanks, Grant

17 years, 1 month

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test-drb November 2007