Thanks to all that inquired (good grief, we must have a lot of calculator
collectors).
--
------------------------------------ personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ --
Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at floodgap.com
-- I like work. I could watch people doing work for hours. --------------------
I have received an Amiga 2K with a Toaster board and
Toaster 4 software. I got everything working but find the 4 software
much different from the #2 I have been using. Does anyone know where
I can get a scan of the instructions for the switcher ?
Thanks
Charlie Fox
Charles E. Fox Video Productions
793 Argyle Rd. Windsor, Ontario
519-254-4991 N8Y 3J8
www.chasfoxvideo.com
So the boy (9yr. old) was asking last night about how computers work... any
recommendations for good books for learning the basics from? I think I started
out with a Sinclair Spectrum and its BASIC manual, but I really don't recall
now where I found out about the fundamental building blocks of [typical]
computers and how a CPU worked. There must be a good 'classic' "how computers
work" type of book which avoids going on about PCs and Xboxen...
I figure I should find him one of those kids electronics projects kits too (I
think that was where I got my first exposure to logic gates from at about the
same age) and also some old 8-bit machine to play with.
I can get a Spectrum / BBC micro shipped over in a few months, but something
US-built might be better; any thoughts? I did wonder about a C64, but maybe
it'd be better to start with something a bit more simple? i.e. probably
something Z80 or 6502-based (just because there's more resources devoted to
them), generic cassette data storage, basic video abilities etc.
(You know, I don't recall seeing a 'how to introduce kids to vintage
computing' thread on here before :-)
cheers
Jules
170174269537 is the auction number on Ebay for a Popular Electronics magazine
that has an article on the TRADIC computer. Anyone know what this thing is?
I'm trying to get rid of some stuff I don't collect or want, and among
them is a US*8 that's a little battered and takes a few seconds to "warm
up" when you turn it on, but otherwise seems to work. The badge is missing
but the model number is clearly identified on the backplate.
$9 shipping to Lower 48 if you're interested. There might be some other
stuff, I'm still clearing out boxes.
--
------------------------------------ personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ --
Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at floodgap.com
-- The best things in life are sold out. --------------------------------------
dear sir
I am interested in getting some parts for the Argus 700GZ computer.
MOhanned
---------------------------------
Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage.
-------------- Original message from jim s <jwstephens at msm.umr.edu>: --------------
> g-wright at att.net wrote:
> >
> >
> > Well I have a 1000 here and not sure which CPU it has but it is a CPM/ MPM
> > mutliuser system. It has no slots. The serial IO board is on top of the
> Mother board
> > making it hard to find the CPU.
> >
> > I also have a Micro V, Microstar system that uses a 8085 CPU not sure if there
> > related. They certenly have a close name. Just 2 8" floppies.
> >
> > - Jerry
> >
> > Jerry Wright
> > g-wright at att.net
> >
> Micro V and Micro 5 were all the same. They started with an 8086 with 2
> users capability and expanded to a better basic and hardware and the
> 8085 when it came out.
>
> They could have run CPM but they had their own O/S that they sold for
> business purposes.
>
> For what it's worth they were financed by Ken Allen among others, who
> also was a founding backer of Microdata in 1968 or 69. I don't recall
> exactly when they were founded but it was in the 80 to 85 time frame.
> I'll ask some of the culprits at a reunion coming up and try to post
> more accurate info.
>
> There was a special agreement between Microdata and Micro V not to sue
> over the "Micro" in the name, due to the close relation. There was no
> other connection other than the founders that I know of of a business
> nature. Soon after the founding of Micro V, Microdata was acquired by
> McDonnell Douglass and began to change to other identities (MDCSS and
> Novadyne eventually) away from Microdata.
>
> One of the original engineers is John Pitcher, who originally was from
> Microdata. The first President was Cliff Myers. Both were key players
> at Microdata and there is a strong geographic relation to Microdata as
> well as the people being from there.
>
> I believe that John Pitcher has a system he saved which has all the
> software on 3 1/2" floppies, and should probably try to get it to save
> away, since he had most of the software on that format which is much
> easier to handle than the original 8" systems.
>
> Jim
Thanks Jim, for the info. this is the first I have seen so far.
It would be nice to come up with any info or OS for these. I dug out my 1000
and it boots StarDos. I have looked for years for info on either machine and/or
the OS. Not much is out there.
- Jerry
Jerry Wright
JLC inc
g-wright at att.net
I just received an old-ish (1990) Toshiba T1000LE laptop and it wouldn't
boot, so I took a look at the hard drive and there seems to be some type
of goo oozing out of it. It's a Conner hard drive, nothing too abnormal.
I didn't think a hard drive contained anything that could ooze out. Any
idea what it could be and does that mean the drive is pretty much
toast? Let the magic goo out?
>
>Subject: Re: these RTL or what?
> From: "Roy J. Tellason" <rtellason at verizon.net>
> Date: Thu, 04 Oct 2007 01:38:08 -0400
> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>
>On Tuesday 02 October 2007 09:56, Allison wrote:
>> >Subject: these RTL or what?
>> > From: "Roy J. Tellason" <rtellason at verizon.net>
>> > Date: Tue, 02 Oct 2007 02:01:29 -0400
>> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
>> > <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>> >
>> >I ran across some data in the pile of what I've been collecting, and
>> > there's some stuff there apparently by Signetics (?) referring to what
>> > they're calling "Utilogic II" -- is this stuff RTL or what? It doesn't
>> > say. Dates are in the late 1960s, and it looks like it, but I figured
>> > I'd ask in here...
>>
>> There are many early families of saturated logic RTL is the oldest,
>
>Which explains why I was seeing it first, and hobby-type projects based on it
>back when.
The big thing of DTL was to add diodes to the input of the basic RTL structure
for increased (noise immunity) input thresholds for better noise immunity.
Both families were easily wired OR and systems built around it usually
exploited that feature.
>> DTL and it's kin "utilogic" where the intermediate sorta TTL like
>> and later TTL( H,LS,S,F,AS,C,HC,HCT flavors).
>
>My first TTL book (which I still have) was a TI book that covered the
>standard, H, and L varieties. LS and S I can understand, F and AS still
>confuse me a bit, I'm not quite sure where they fit in. Then there are all
>those CMOS variants. C parts are pretty uncommon these days, and I'm not
>real clear on the distinction between HC and AC (I know about the ones with T
>in there, just shifted thresholds on the inputs and I have a pile of 'em.)
>
>> In the middle of all that was ECL (also about three or four generations) a
>> fast non saturating logic.
>
>I've read some ECL data, but have never done a darn thing with it, nor even
>seen much of anything that used it. From what I understand it had some weird
>packaging sometimes, very tight board layout requirements (I was mostly
>thinking of wire-wrapping stuff), and was very power-hungry. I guess if I
>ever want a prescaler for a counter to get *way* up there or maybe one or two
>other apps I can think of I might eventually have to go there, depending on
>what parts I can find. But I'm in no hurry. :-)
VAX9000 built of ECL100K, fastest of the fast. The second most common
use of TTL was in very high speed instrumentation and specifically frequency
counters and UHF PLLs.
>> What amazing is when people say "60s" you must do so with care as
>> 1960 was basically germainium transistors but by 1964 silicon
>> transistors are about and ICs were already appearing. Most
>> integrated circuit logic was post '65 and even then from that
>> point speeds went from about 3mhz to 30mhz and RTL was replaced
>> by TTL by 1970.
>
>I did say "late 1960s" up there. :-)
Even then.. ;)
It's hard to imagine the rate of change. An example, Apollo Guidance Computer.
The AGC was designed too be built of RTL, by time it actually flew to the moon
is was actually a generation behind as TTL existed by then. Of course that
really was becase of development time being so long and space systems having
to be man rated (reliability assured). It was a case then of if it was out
the door likely a whole new generation and technology was already in design.
Where commercial computers went from transistors (1965ish PDP-5) to DTL
and early TTL (1967ish PDP-8) in that same time window. Computer design
and packaging underwent significant change and not all of it was grossly
obvious.
>> The evoloutionary scale was very steep from the mid 50s to the mid 70s.
>> That 20 years window we went from computers with tubes to microprocessors,
>> delays lines or other serial storage to semiconductor RAM.
>
>I remember seeing some of the boards from the tube stuff for sale in various
>electronic junk places around. I may have even got one or two for parts,
>though there was nothing to be done with those backplane connectors. I
>remember one set of 9-pin sockets for which it was apparent to me that they
>were using something like a 12AU7, because of the center-tapped heater
>connections. :-)
Yep, back then those were good sources of parts for building radios. Most
however were noncomputer pulled from things like old instruments and the like.
Allison
