test-drb December 2008

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

209 participants
286 discussions

by evan＠snarc.net

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/12/2000-year-old-a.html?npu=1 <http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/12/2000-year-old-a.html?npu=1&mbid=yhp> &mbid=yhp

15 years, 7 months

Rare CPUs (was 8008)

by wbblair3＠yahoo.com

> > Rarest Intel chips in no particular order (from a CPU > collector forum; posted in 2005; nobody disagreed): > > > > X8008 > > G8008 > > C4040 Purple > > C4040 Left Ground Strap > > 8080B > > 8080-8 > > 8008 > > 8008-1 > > MC8080 > > C4004 W #5 & Ground Strap > > Has someone unearthed a bunch of i432s? Any reason they are > not on the list? Quote from same forum, different thread: "I think the iAPX432 and Nx686 are the most wanted cpu in the collectors community."

15 years, 7 months

8-bit ISA ethernet cards

by pat＠computer-refuge.org

A few weeks ago, some people in here were talking about putting network cards in IBM PCs or XTs or something... As it happens, I ran across a box of 3com 3c503 network cards (AUI and 10BaseT ports, 8 bit ISA card). If anyone wants one, lemme know, I'm asking $5+shipping, and I'll have the box with me at Dayton if you want to harass me about them, then. Pat -- Purdue University ITAP/RCAC --- http://www.rcac.purdue.edu/ The Computer Refuge --- http://computer-refuge.org

15 years, 7 months

Rare CPUs (was 8008)

by wbblair3＠yahoo.com

> Hi > How many have an 8096? > Dwight Not many, but this guy has one: http://www.cpushack.net/chippics/Intel/8x9x/IntelC8095-90.html

15 years, 7 months

Any interest in a Corvus Concept in Puget Sound?

by michaelgreen42＠comcast.net

Just the main unit. No idea of its status or config. Email me if interested.

15 years, 7 months

NCR system 3400 (fwd)

by james＠jdfogg.com

> An NCR 3400 is available in Cary, North Carolina. See > below. Please respond to the original sender. Some of the NCR line was actually the old AT&T line. I think this might be one of them.

15 years, 7 months

PS2Encoder

by brain＠jbrain.com

Based on a response to my note about having PS/2 keyboard routines that can output parallel ASCII, I thought I'd mention that I took some time these past few nights to clean up my PS2Encoder project. The original project supported: * converting AT and PS/2 keyboard data into parallel with strobe * Capturing CTRL/ALT/DEL keystroke and triggering active low output upon receipt. * RS232 output * Hobbyist friendly 28 pin .300" DIP package layout I've added the following features: * Removal of crystal requirement. While the code can be compiled for one, it is no required for operation * CAPS LOCK works (I have not gotten the code that updates the LED to work yet, but the interface adjusts to uppercase) * Ability to configure interface via keyboard itself * Ability to set parallel strobe to be active low or active high * Ability to set ENTER to send CR or CRLF * Ability to set inter-char holdoff from 0 to 2550uS, in 10uS increments * Ability to set BS to send either BS or DEL * Ability to set RS232 speed (2400,4800,9600,19200,38400) * Ability to save settings permanently in EEPROM The code is available (or will be, as soon as I post it) under GPL (v2), but I'm wondering a few things: * Any other features folks might find handy? I can't promise things (someone suggested full keyboard mapping, which I am still thinking about. It's not a technical issue per se, more a user interface one), but I can try * Anyone interested in a programmed IC for $20.00 (shipping in US included)? Jim -- Jim Brain, Brain Innovations (X) brain at jbrain.com Dabbling in WWW, Embedded Systems, Old CBM computers, and Good Times! Home: http://www.jbrain.com

15 years, 7 months

8008 v. 4004... & what was the second COTS microprocessor?

by mc＠media.mit.edu

From: Paul Koning <Paul_Koning at Dell.com> Subject: Re: 8008 chips / RAM's Jos> ...The i4004 is a controller, at least to me, because it is Jos> dependent on a specific set of supporting ciruits (4001,40002 Jos> and 4003). The 8008 is much more general purpose. I would make the distinction on the basis of what you can do with it. A college classmate of mine built a 4004 based microcomputer in 1974 that was a general purpose machine, just as the early 8008 basd micros. I would certainly call his creation a microcomputer, not a controller. It certainly was hairy -- about 100 chips on a large wire wrap board. paul Sure, I could imagine agreeing that the 4004 was a "controller," but these are just names. It is still a microprocessor, just that it had a very convenient bus architecture that let you connect RAMs, ROMs, and I/O with no "glue logic." It is certainly true that the bus interface of the 8008 was more general than the 4004, but this meant that the 8008 required dozens of support chips just to build the most minimal system. Peripherals and memory each required decoders to partition the bus address space, whereas the 4001 and 4002 had built-in decoders. It is worth noting that eventually the 4008, 4009 and then the combined 4289 came along to allow the 4004 (and the 4040) to interface to standard memories (static RAMs and e.g. 1702 PROMs). Alas, the 8008 didn't last very long, whereas the 4004 had a 15-year manufacturing run, even as the space of 8-bit microprocessors exploded and surpassed the meager 4004 in capability. The 8008 was originally purpose-built to be a terminal controller and then released for general use. People make a big deal about the first-this and the first-that, but then what happens is no-one can remember the second-this and the second-that. Can anyone remember what the second commercial, customer-programmable microprocessor to hit the market? The 8008 came out in 1972. Were there others introduced that year? I know that the TMS-1000 was right around that time. --Tim

15 years, 7 months

wtd: 486 and P100~ class machine in NW UK

by stuart＠retrocomputing.tv

Hi everyone, I'm having some difficulty in finding relatively old PC hardware of a certain vintage. I'm looking for a 486 class machine and a machine of P100~ performance. Only caveats are must be ISA/PCI and have some room for peripheral cards. I can pay a token amount and collect in the NW UK. Any leads, please drop me a line. Thanks. Stuart.

15 years, 7 months

ACCRC Sealed-bid Auction Update for 2008-12-16

by sellam＠vintagetech.com

ACCRC Sealed-bid Auction Update for 2008-12-16 Many people asked about the functional condition of some of the items in the ACCRC sealed-bid auction, and some asked for the configurations of some of the higher-end systems. So I took the time last night to test each machine and below is a summary of the functional status of each machine in the current lot. In summary: nearly all the machines tested work just fine. Also, several people had problems logging in, changing their password, or creating an account. All of these problems should be fixed by now. If you continue to have any issues logging in or creating an account, please let me know ASAP and I will address the issue immediately. FYI, the closing time for this auction is this Thursday, December 18, at 12:00PM PST. There's still plenty of time to update your bids (if warranted). The next auction lot will be posted by this weekend, with a target date of December 19 (this coming Friday). More good stuff is on the way, so don't blow your wad all at once. Functional Summary of Current ACCRC Sealed-bid Auction Lot "GOOD" means the unit powers up and displays video (if applicable). "NLS" stands for "Non-Linear Systems" (see below for explanation). ## Item Condition -- -------------------------------- --------------------------------- 1 Olivetti Divisumma 24 Calculator Untested; needs funky power cord 2 HP1000 Model A900 Powers up; see below for config. 3 Apple Silentype Printer Unable to test (needs int. board) 4 Lagamarsino Totalia 6341 Calc. Untested; needs funky power cord 5 Kaypro 4 GOOD; NLS; drv. B latch is broken 7 Kaypro II GOOD; NLS 8 NEC PC-8201A GOOD 9 Kaypro 2X Does not power up 11 TRS-80 Model 4P GOOD 12 Kaypro 2 GOOD; slight video warping 14 Kaypro 1 GOOD 15 Non-Linear Systems Kaypro II Withdrawn (see notes below) 17 Osborne 1 Power cord cut; cannot test 18 Apple Silentype Printer Unable to test (needs int. board) 19 Apple //c Untested (no power brick) 20 IMSAI Z80 No attempt made to test 21 Osborne Executive GOOD; slight video jitter 22 Osborne 1 (Gray) GOOD 23 Osborne Executive GOOD; slight video jitter 25 Osborne Executive GOOD 26 Kaypro 4 GOOD; brightness is over-driven 27 TRS-80 Color Computer 2 Unable to test (no video cable) 28 Magnavox Odyssey 4000 Beeps; video untested; ~GOOD 29 Access Portable GOOD 30 TI 99/4a Expansion System Unable to test 31 TI 99/4a Didn't bother to test 32 Tandy 200 GOOD 33 TI Silent 700 Does not power up 34 Tandy 600 Powers up; scrambled video 35 Atari 800XL & 1050 Untested (no power brick) 36 Sony SMC-70 Powers up; need video cable 37 Macintosh 128K GOOD; see updated description 38 Macintosh (Original) GOOD; "Sad Mac" = 0F0002 39 Altos 8600 Powers up; HD sounds sick 40 Famicom Clone Unable to test 41 Canon Cat GOOD Additional notes on certain machines: Kaypros - Kaypro Corporation originally started out as "Non-Linear Systems, Inc.", changing its name after the success of their Kaypro computer line (their initial claim to fame is bringing to market the first digital voltmeter; see Wikipedia for more details). Early Kaypro computers were labeled as being made by "Non-Linear Systems". In my opinion, these early machines are more rare and valuable than the later "Kaypro" branded machines. During the course of my more detailed inspection, I realized that several of the Kaypro machines carry the "Non-Linear Systems" branding. "NLS" in the condition column above indicates a "Non-Linear Systems" branded machine. The item descriptions on the auction page have been updated to reflect this new information. The "Non-Linear Systems Kaypro II" (Item #15) has been withdrawn because it was determined that it was already sold. I apologize profusely for this. Osborne Executives - the "slight video jitter" indicated might be a side effect of the drive motors when the unit is seeking a boot disk. HP 1000 Model A900 ------------------ The configuration of the HP 1000 A900 is as follows: A900 CNTRL STOR A900 SEQUENCER A900 DATA PATH A900 CACHE CTRL A900 MEM CNTRL MEMORY 3 MB MEMORY 3/4 MB HP-IB 8 CHAN MUX BB PARALLEL HP-IB As noted above, this machines powers up, but no other information about it's functional condition is known. IMSAI Z80 --------- The configuration of the IMSAI Z80 is as follows: CompuPro CPU-Z (Z80 processor with 1985 date code) Cromemco 32K ByteSaver Fulcrum Static RAM (?) Fulcrum Static RAM (?) [second board] Digital Research Computers RAM (?) Godbout System Support 1 Morrow Disk Jockey/DMA (floppy disk controller) Morrow HDC/DMA (hard disk controller) IMSAI MIO (Rev. 2) CompuPro Interfacer 4 No attempt was made to power on the IMSAI. This is pretty much a project machine, though it's in good enough condition that an experienced hobbyist should be able to get it booted with a couple hours of tinkering. It's a good starter machine for a noob. Please contact me if you have any further questions about any of these items. Best regards, Sellam Ismail Proprietor Vintage Computer Festival

15 years, 7 months

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test-drb December 2008