Anyone out there use a composite->VGA upscaler for their classic
computing and/or gaming needs?
I've been looking to shave a bit of space off my workbench and just use
a single SVGA monitor instead of that and an old composite monitor. I
picked up one of these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000XXZQWQ and
while it works great for certain systems (the C64 and NES, for example)
it gets really confused by the composite signal coming from other
systems (like the Apple II and Sega Genesis) and is unusable with them.
Anyone have any recommendations?
Thanks,
Josh
A list member emailed me saying there appeared to be a problem with the list. When I looked at the server
I saw the usual problem, fixed it, and neglected to check further (this is a reoccuring problem that I have
to "fix" every month or so). I assumed as usual this would fix the problem and was in a hurry to get out the
door.
Turns out, this time there was also something else amiss, so I went through a day or two of "it's already fixed"
emails, only to find out it wasn't.
My apologies, all should be well now.
Jay West
I purchased a used Tek 2445 scope which works well on both CH1 and CH2. Both
10x probes check out as well. I am working on getting an rs232 interface
working, if I scope the TX signal from my terminal I get a clean and synced
image on the scope on both channels. All is good.
I am rebuiding an IMSAI 8080. The unit I have is working well, 48K of RAM
all tested, I can enter programs through the front panel and run them.
Getting it to talk to my terminal program is the task at hand.
Now comes the mystery. If I scope ANY bus line, chip lead on any board, I
get a 60Hz sine wave that measures about 70 volts. Now, in my logical head
I realize this can't be real, the IMSAI would not only not work but would be
pouring smoke from every nook and cranny, bringing my wife running with
claims of 'I told you so...'.
So, what the hell? I have checked ground, I have checked the bus lines, I
have checked the scope. I do have the active terminator card in the last
slot and as I mentoned, the IMSAI works fine otherwise.
Where am I picking up this 60hz sine wave?
Thanks in advance! I love the fact that there are others out there that
remember these great old machines and appreciate them for what they
represent!
Jeff Erwin
Andrew et al,
For some time I've seen these extremely cheap PC diagnostics cards posted on
ebay
Search www.ebay.com for pc diagnostic isa
and you get something like this
http://cgi.ebay.com/PCI-USB-LPT-Analyzer-Diagnostic-POST-Test-Cards-ISA-PC_…
How about somebody get the ISA version of such a card and see if it's at all
useful.
I suppose it might be able to help you fault find a seemingle dead system
though I am somewhat suspicious.
Regards marcus.
--
marcus bennett amouses at gmail.com
I know this is off-topic, but I'm looking for suggestions and a
solution may involve a "vintage" box. If you feel that discussion of
this on-list isn't appropriate, please email me privately.
Here's my situation. I like to listen to web-based radio and I
transmit an FM signal so that I can listen on any FM radio. It works
very well and I'm happy with that aspect.
However, the system doing this is an old built-like-a-tank 500MHz P3
Compaq Deskpro box running RedHat somehing-or-the other (it's been so
long since I've upgraded it that I don't remember) 24x7. I'd like
something that drinks less power. Interface to the web is via
100BaseT copper. Station switching is accomplished via a simple
shell script and initiated via telnet.
My current thought is that I could pick up something like an HP e-PC
and equip it with a CF hard drive. But a 1.7GHz CPU again seems like
overkill for a very limited application.
Does anyone have any other low-power ideas? Note that most of the
streams I listen to are RA, not MP3.
Thanks!
Chuck
I'm looking to buy 1 or 2 DS-1216e chips (they're clock chips) but am
having trouble finding a reseller/distributor that will sell them in
lots of less than 300. Does anyone know of a reseller for ICs that has
somewhat reasonable one-off prices?
--
Jim Leonard (trixter at oldskool.org) http://www.oldskool.org/
Help our electronic games project: http://www.mobygames.com/
Or check out some trippy MindCandy at http://www.mindcandydvd.com/
A child borne of the home computer wars: http://trixter.wordpress.com/
Hi,
As I promissed here comes my first question ;)
While writing several C files for the WEGA/ZEUS kernel out of the
disassembled objects (with unresolved symbols marked as external) I came
across a piece of code I can't get to reproduce when compiling C.
The original object contains:
0006de: 35a2 0004 ldl rr2,rr10(#$0004)
0006e2: 9424 ldl rr4,rr2
0006e4: 0704 7f00 and r4,#$7f00
0006e8: 5d04 8000 0004 ldl $8000+$0x4,rr4
I tried to reproduce it:
ipc.ip_addr.l = *(unsigned long)(uap->addr.l)&0x7F00FFFF;
Which generates:
0008 35a2 0004 59 ldl rr2,rr10(#4)
000c 0702 7f00 60 and r2,#32512
0010 5d02 8000* 61 ldl _ipc+4,rr2
0014 0004*
which looks for me functional the same...
I also tried:
ipc.ip_addr.l = *(unsigned long *)(uap->addr.l)&0x7F00FFFF;
Which generates:
0010 35a2 0004 60 ldl rr2,rr10(#4)
0014 1424 61 ldl rr4, at rr2
0016 0704 7f00 62 and r4,#32512
001a 5d04 8000* 63 ldl _ipc+4,rr4
Which looks "better" but isn't the same as the original because the
adress of rr2 gets loaded into rr4 first, not rr2 itself.
I'm a bit lost because I tried several different */&-pointer stuff to get
this as it is in the original object without success. the elements
ip_addr and addr are both of type saddr_t which is declare as follows:
typedef union
{
caddr_t l;
struct
{
unsigned left;
unsigned right;
} half;
} saddr_t; /* segmented address with parts */
rr4 itself gets later overwritten in both codes - my code and the
original object - it is not reserved for an internal C-variable. Maybe
someone from you can help me here?
--
Oliver Lehmann
http://www.pofo.de/http://wishlist.ans-netz.de/
Hi,
I've got here some electronic modules made by Venner Electronics LTD,
Kingston By-Pass, New Malden, Surrey. One is a Transistor Decade Unit
type TS.10/5 and the other just has Type TS 11/HF on it, where 11/HF is
scratched into the metal label.
Opening one reveals a number of Mullard OC44 Ge transistors.
What on earth are they for? I can imagine they're for some sort of
digital machine or even a whole computer, but I can't find any
information about them or the company.
Thanks,
Alexis.
At 6:02 PM -0700 3/9/08, Sellam Ismail wrote:
>http://www.vintage.org/blog.php?action=read&pid=22
That's not bad at all compared to some of the stuff
I've bought over Ebay. I've been pretty disappointed
at some of the 50 or 70 pound lab instruments that look
to be in perfect pristine condition before they're shipped
to me - but arrived in way way too little packaging and
with all the corners bashed in and knobs broken off by
the time they get to me.
Usually I'm so sad about the whole destruction of what
was just a few days before a very nice example of 50-year-old
technology that I can't even bring myself to leave negative
feedback. What's the point, the seller won't learn, and history's
been lost in any event. I'm even sad that I participated in
the destruction (although I make it very very clear to the
seller what I think he ought to do in shipping, usually the seller
just takes it to the "UPS Store" and let them put it in a
lightweight carboard box with some peanuts.) I'm left not chuckling
but pretty depressed.
Tim.