test-drb December 2007

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

215 participants
420 discussions

ASCII Art (was Re: how to connect a DECprinter I (LA180) ?)

by dm561＠torfree.net

Date: Sat, 29 Dec 2007 01:52:14 +0000 (GMT) From: Andrew Burton <aliensrcooluk at yahoo.co.uk> Subject: ASCII Art (was Re: how to connect a DECprinter I (LA180) ?) >Last time I searched for "ASCII Art" on the net I found a couple of pictures of naked women amongst those of Spock and Kirk. I >didn't see any of Snoopy though :( >I rarely see ASCII art these days. There was a retro ASCII Art newsletter that was published every few months which had some >ASCII art in it, but sadly the people behind it have decided to stop making it. Only 5 issues exist, and at present I only have issue 5. >Happy Holidays, >Andrew B >aliensrcooluk at yahoo.co.uk --------- Lots of ASCII art here (a couple dozen Snoopys in the DECUS section): http://textfiles.group.lt/art/ Anybody know of a simple program to print these on a laser or inkjet? mike

16 years, 4 months

Looking for California Computer Systems Z-80 CPU Card

by mardy＠voysys.com

Hi All, I'm looking to get my hands on a California Computer Systems Model 2810 Z-80 CPU card. This is an S-100 bus card. Anybody out there have one they want to sell? I'm also looking for a readable schematic for this card. Thanks, -Mardy

16 years, 4 months

ASCII Art (was Re: how to connect a DECprinter I (LA180) ?)

by iamvirtual＠gmail.com

If you look for the PBM tools, there is a PBM to ASCII output format. Using the tools, any picture could be converted to the ASCII art. Enjoy! --barrym

16 years, 4 months

ASCII Art

by djg＠pdp8.net

Ethan Dicks <ethan.dicks at usap.gov> wrote: >I have a dim memory that someone who is now, or was once, a >member of this list had some ASCII art on a PDP-8 page. I have some. This is a tape of IBM lineprinter art ftp://ftp.pdp8.net/ascii_art If you enter snoopy on the search you will find several versions All really the same simple picture wrapped in different languages http://www.pdp8online.com/htdig/search.shtml Also more on this one http://www.pdp8online.com/pdp8cgi/os8_html?act=dir;fn=images/os8/dial%2Ddec… That reminds me, I have a box of teletype art also for 5 level machines I need to read the paper tapes in.

16 years, 4 months

HD 5.25 floppy disk drives emulating legacy DSQD floppy disk drives

by lynchaj＠yahoo.com

Hi a quick follow up to my question to the list earlier. I found that on the TEAC FD-55GFR more closely emulates the TM100-4M signals if the "E2" jumper is ON. It changes the logic of the /INDEX and /READ DATA signals to be compatible with older PC and XT floppy drive controllers which do not give the drive adequate time to fully settle. Apparently the older TM100-4M drives don't seem to care much about it but the Vector Graphic FDC is expecting to get those signals whether regardless of seek status. If anyone has any additional thoughts on the matter, please post. I am still trying to figure this out for the Panasonic JU-475-1 drive. Is anyone familiar with it so that it's /INDEX and /READ DATA are compatible with PC and XT FDCs? Thanks! Andrew Lynch Hi, Sorry for the long post. I have done a lot of things to make this work but am still stuck on this problem. As some of you know, I and some others have been busily working on restoring some Vector Graphic machines. One goal is to replace the Tandon TM100-4M 100tpi drives with more commonly available High Density 96tpi floppy drives. I realize the disks between the two types of drives are incompatible and I plan to retain both types of drives for compatibility with other Vector Graphic machines. However, the 100tpi drives are difficult to obtain and I would like to limit their use to preserve their remaining lifespans. I would like to transition my regular usage disks to the HD 96tpi drives to utilitize commonly available and inexpensive HD floppy drive mechanisms. I believe it is possible to make an HD drive emulate a legacy DSQD drive -- at least I am sure it can be done on the PC. The late Don Maslin was apparently able to use 720K (DSQD) 5.25" floppy drives on his Vector Graphic system (see link below). I would like to do a similar thing but using the HD drives in DSQD emulation mode. http://www.classiccmp.org/pipermail/cctalk/1998-January/093114.html I have a couple of HD floppy disk drives such as the Panasonic JU-475 and TEAC FD-55GFR. I have jumpered and modified both drives so that the spindle motor turns at 300 RPM which I have verified using a fluorescent lamp and tach wheel. I have set the jumpers or directly wired to ground Pin 2 to force Double Density mode. I have covered Pin 2 on the interface with tape so that it does not interfere with the FDC on my Vector Graphic machine and vice versa. According to the schematic of my Vector Graphic integrated FD/HD controller (FDC) neither pin 2 (density select) nor pin 34 (/ready) are used. After many tests and inspections, I have verified both HD drives do work in 720K DSQD emulation mode on my floppy test bench PC. They are configured as 3.5" 80 track drives. The motor spins at 300 RPM and they are both able to format and verify with scandisk under MS-DOS using good quality 5.25" disks. The problem comes in when I attach either HD drive to the Vector Graphic FDC. Whenever it tries to format under CP/M, the VG is able to write out all 154 tracks (I have verified it is writing the tracks by inspecting the disks using my Catweasel) but the VG cannot verify the tracks correctly and fails the format. Everytime it tries to format a disk, it ends with "PERMANENT DISK ERROR" messages. Using different CP/M utilities to write to the HD drives results in similar errors such as VG BACKUP, a disk copy utility, and CPYFSTU, another CP/M disk copy utility. I do not know for certain whether the disks are have errors when written or the drive is having problems reading the track. I know the disks are good as I can format them on the VG using the TM100-4M drive without issue. When I verified the tracks are written using the Catweasel and the same disk and drive I noticed several read errors and bad sectors which implies the tracks were written with errors. Does anyone know why these HD floppy drives are incompatible with the Vector Graphic FDC? Is there something I am missing or some setting which would make them compatible? The HD drives work just fine at DSQD drives on the floppy test bench PC so I am fairly sure the drives themselves are OK. The VG FDC works fine with the TM100-4M drives so I think they work OK. The problem is only when I attach the HD drives to the VG FDC. Would anyone please give me some insight on this problem? Thank you in advance for any help. Andrew Lynch

16 years, 4 months

Laser Turbo XT turbo mode switch? (Sellam Ismail)

by alhartman＠yahoo.com

Sellam, According to the manual I have, the keys are as following: [Ctrl] 8 = 8mhz Turbo [Ctrl] 5 = 4.77 XT Speed If you run across an extra P.S., let me know. I have one here I can't power up without one. Al Phila, PA

16 years, 4 months

how to connect a DECprinter I (LA180) ?

by tiggerlasv＠aim.com

The LA180 cable (at least for use with an LPV11) is a BC11S-25. That is a round cable with a 40-pin BERG on each end. I couldn't tell you if all the pins are used or not, or if the connections are pin-for-pin. The LA180 engineering print set is available at?? http://vt100.net/manx although it is in two parts, in multi-page TIFF format, takes up 20 MB, and takes FOREVER to load in Windows.?? Would be nice if someone converted it to PDF format.?? ;-) Tim ________________________________________________________________________ More new features than ever. Check out the new AIM(R) Mail ! - http://webmail.aim.com

16 years, 4 months

How to connect a DECprinter 1 (LA180)

by ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk

> The LA-120 (DECwriter/printer III) is serial, as is the LA-36, and > a bunch of other LA-xxx printers. I think the LA-180 might be > unique in its naming series to be parallel. The LA100 is also serial (that's a strange printer with a solenoid to move the printhead up and down by half the dot pitch, giving NLQ output). The LA324 (much later) is paralell and serial, the serial port being an MMJ connector (and the parallel port is a 36 pin Microribbon, wired as a Centronics connector). -tony

16 years, 4 months

How to connect a DECprinter 1 (LA180)

by ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk

> > =20 > The seasonal holidays give me time to play around a bit ... > I wanted to connect my DECprinter I (that's an LA180) but > I could not find any documentation here at home, neither > on the web! Can somebody who knows or has an LA180 > connected tell me how it is hooked to a serial line? It's not!. The interface is a TTL-level parallel one, somewhat similar to Centronics, but IIRC some of the control lines are inverted, etc. IIRC, it connects to an LP11 or LPV11 card. The cable is straight-through wired, I think, but you probalby flip one of the connectors over, as is usual with DEC cabling. > Or point me to an LA180 user's manual on the web? > =20 > >From my guess, the BERG header is "standard" as on M7800 > DL11's or M7856 DL11-W, SLU's (with the appropriate lugs > either RS-232 or 20 mA current loop), but I would rather be > assured than destroying a very nice printer! I suspect applying RS232 levesl to the connector will cook a few ICs. I do have the printset somewhere, so it would be repairable... -tony

16 years, 4 months

how to connect a DECprinter I (LA180) ?

by RodSmallwood＠mail.ediconsulting.co.uk

Hi If my memory is not totally shot. The basic model was the LA180-PA. It had a Centronics interface and I think all that was required was a cable to go from the Berg to a 36way Plug. The various boards in LSI's PDP's may well have been parallel (Centronics type) interfaces and could have been pin-to-pin matches requiring only a flat ribbon cable to the LA-180. RS232 and EIA (20mA) interfaces were on their own boards and plugged into the Berg. Rod Smallwood DEC Terminals Product Line 1975 - 1979 -----Original Message----- From: cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Henk Gooijen Sent: 28 December 2007 22:00 To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts Subject: RE: how to connect a DECprinter I (LA180) ? [Sent again, to get it readable. What can I do to correct this?] Sorry, I just don't understand why the quoted text is so messed up. It all looks fine before I click the "Send" button. This time, I changed the encoding from UTF-8 to Western Europe (Windows) ... I better not put my answers interspersed. If somebody knows how to get this stupid quoting corrected: help! The manual is called "LP11/LS11/LA11 line printer user's manual", but the etch on the M7258 only says "LS11 interface". The round cable is not a flat cable, but has separate wires. At least, that is how it looks to me. The diameter is approx 0.5". I will shoot a picture of that cable too. I will "announce" the LA180 page when it is finished ... and hunt down that cat :-) If somebody has that text file,I would love to print it! You got me up the attick for the third time Ethan :-) If you hold the M7258 with the fingers at the right side and look at the component side of the module, the BERG header is at the top left side. The single height module is directly above the M7258, like this ASCII art: ----------------------------------------------------- | ############### ---- \\ | | \ \| M5973 | | component side view | / /| | // | BERG (to M7258) | | ############### ---- ----------------------------------------------------- xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <--- flat cable ----------------------------------------------------- | ############### ---- | M7258 | === === The module is original DIGITAL, it is in the etch, M5973. It's in the Field Guide: "M5973 LLD11 U TTL to differential transceiver". There are only 3 fingers connected at the end, for power supply. The way it is, this M5973 must have been installed in position B of the slot, where the M7258 goes into an SPC (position C-F). The manual indeed is for the major part concerning the LP01/02/04/05. Wished I could have played with DEC stuff in those days! Cool havingyour own pdp8 at 16!! Henk (wondering how this will appear on the list!)

16 years, 4 months

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test-drb December 2007