test-drb July 2008

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

182 participants
225 discussions

Further PERQ Emulator progress (and a download!)

by derschjo＠msu.edu

Thought some of you PERQ fanatics out there might be interested in an update... I've had some time to work on projects the past few days and so I picked up my poor, neglected PERQ emulator and brushed it off. And this is the result: http://yahozna.dyndns.org/computers/perq/emulator/perq-5th.png http://yahozna.dyndns.org/computers/perq/emulator/perq-chess.png As you can see the emulator is now capable of booting POS from an image of my real PERQ's hard drive! I had to hack in a few things I'm not proud of -- most notably, a simulation of the RASTEROP QCode instruction since emulating the real thing has proven to be a nightmare -- but I plan on doing a proper emulation of the stuff I've hacked around as I work out more of the hardware details... If you want to try it out and see the glory of POS (and who doesn't, really?) you can download version 0.1 at: http://yahozna.dyndns.org/computers/perq/emulator/perqemu0.1.zip Includes all you need to get going. You'll need a Windows machine with .NET Framework 2.0. (Yes, I hear the jeering from the peanut gallery. Sorry I didn't write this for your OS. If you want to help with a Mono port when I get this thing more finished, let me know :)). Be sure to read the readme.txt file as it covers some work-arounds for some annoying emulation issues. Well, back to the grindstone. Need to implement GPIB tablet, disk writes, hardware cursors, serial, ethernet, video timing, real RasterOp emulation, 16K CPU support... and whatever else I've forgotten... - Josh

15 years, 10 months

terminal servers

by dm561＠torfree.net

If you're happy with RS-232 only (but with HS and baud rate conversion) then I've got some 16-port NetCommanders for ya. Also some modems and statmux concentrators if they're in different cities ;-) And I could probably also find a nice model 500 phone (and maybe even the DataPhone version) and an acoustic coupler for that other project ;-) Yeah, I thought it was neat first time I saw it, but a little pricey... Couldn't resist defying your sig BTW... mike *********************************************************************************** Original Message: Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2008 00:59:46 -0700 (PDT) From: David Griffith <dgriffi at cs.csubak.edu> Subject: terminal servers I'm considering a terminal server for playing with multiple computers using multiple terminals. Can someone recommend something inexpensive and/or used? The idea is that I'd sit at one of several terminals and select which host I want to talk to. While mentally rolling this around this afternoon, I found my way to this perverse fantasy -- going "online" in public with a Sparkfun portable rotary phone[1] and a portable printing terminal (say, a Tandy PT-210). [1] http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=287 -- 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?

15 years, 10 months

It's funny what some people think things are worth

by christian_liendo＠yahoo.com

I check craigslist and honestly it's getting to be a waste but I do get to see what some insane people think their stuff is worth ======================================================== http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/sys/741485335.html COMMODORE 64 PORTABLE COMPUTER - $1000 (Garden City) Reply to: sale-741485335 at craigslist.org Date: 2008-07-03, 12:08PM EDT This is a real collectors items, it works perfectly and comes with a few cartridges and floppy disk games. There was a time when this was the second portable computer on the market. Just plug it into electric and off you go for hours and house of fun. ALL ORIGINAL. Serious Inquiries Only. $1,000.00 OR Best Offer!!! Thanks. * Location: Garden City * it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests PostingID: 741485335

15 years, 10 months

DECTalk Express on Ebay

by silent700＠gmail.com

Not mine, but I recall a few folks interested in one here a while back. This one is an exception in that it's up for a non-crazy price: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200236310450

15 years, 10 months

making C64 power supplies

by dgriffi＠cs.csubak.edu

In case anyone's interested, there is quite a bit of material on building replacement C64 power supplies at http://www.midibox.org/. -- 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?

15 years, 10 months

terminal servers

by dgriffi＠cs.csubak.edu

I'm considering a terminal server for playing with multiple computers using multiple terminals. Can someone recommend something inexpensive and/or used? The idea is that I'd sit at one of several terminals and select which host I want to talk to. While mentally rolling this around this afternoon, I found my way to this perverse fantasy -- going "online" in public with a Sparkfun portable rotary phone[1] and a portable printing terminal (say, a Tandy PT-210). [1] http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=287 -- 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?

15 years, 10 months

Free (plus shipping) Sun Ultra5

by alanp＠snowmoose.com

This was a rescue. I work for Sun and generally love the hardware. However, the exception is the attempts to make SPARC boxes as inexpensive as PC by using PC-like components and boxes (i.e., Ultra 5/10). However, I saw a Sun keyboard and system stuffed behind some PCs at a rummage sale and complained, so the seller asked if I wanted the system for free. As noted, it is an Ultra 5 with a 366MHz (I think) UltraSPARC IIi processor and 256M of memory. It also has a 3.5" floppy, but I don't have any working floppy disks left, so I can't confirm that it works. The system had a non-original 52x CD drive and non-original HDD. The seller had tried to install Linux, but it would not boot the CD and the system would try and boot from the HDD and hang (such that it would respond to L1-A). I replaced the HDD with a 120G that I had lying around. I used another CD drive to install Solaris (I work in the Solaris kernel group, so what else am I going to install?). Then I figured out what was wrong with the CD drive that the system was given to me with. So, now, it has a 52x CD-ROM and a 120G IDE HDD. The system seems to work fine. It has Solaris 10 (update 5) installed now, but it is a little underpowered to be running that. Included with the system is a Sun 5c keyboard. I just want money to cover shipping it. Or a SPARCstation IPX (I collect the Sun shoebox systems) in trade. Located in the Seattle area. alan

15 years, 10 months

Connecting IBM GXT550P to SGI monitor.

by trasz＠FreeBSD.org

Is there any way to connect 13W3 output of GXP550P (graphics card in RS/6000 p43) to 13W3 SGI monitor (GDM-20E21)? In order to connect SPARCstation I had to make a little modification of the SS2 to make it generate sync-on-green signal. Will the same modification work with IBM? -- If you cut off my head, what would I say? Me and my head, or me and my body?

15 years, 10 months

Heathkit H-11

by dgriffi＠cs.csubak.edu

Just in case anyone's interested, someone's selling a Heathkit H-11 on Ebay (#380042473453). Looking at the card cage of the thing, it seems that Heathkit simply cloned some DEC boards. What's actually going on? -- 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?

15 years, 10 months

Using an ICL7660 to feed -5VDC to 4116 DRAMs?

by ethan.dicks＠usap.gov

Hi, all, I'm in the middle of getting two bare PET boards working, one static, one dynamic. I don't have great honking transformers lying around, so the easiest way to power them is going to be a bench-top DC supply. One thing that makes this a little easier is that I don't need to worry about cassette motor power in this configuration - no tape drives and no tapes. The static PET is easy - it has a few TO-220 7805s on it (which were removed to get the very tall heat sinks off for easier packing and shipping). I am not even sure I need +12VDC for that one - I don't think I do - just +5VDC at a few amps (also made easier because it came with no ROMs and no SRAMs, so I'm using one of Nicholas Welte's ROM/RAM boards that sits in the CPU socket). The dynamic PET, since it has soldered-in DRAMs, is a bit more complicated. Unless I care to remove the DRAM and fit another ROM/RAM board for the SRAM or adapt a 62256 in some other way, I need +12V and -5V for Vdd and Vbb on the 4116 chips. My question (after all this background info) is... does anyone have enough knowledge of the ICL7660 chip to give an opinion on how well it would work for supplying -5VDC? Looking at datasheets, the max draw I can find on Intel uP416s is 200uA @ -5VDC (along with all its other needs). It looks like the ICL7660 will provide up to 10mA @ -5VDC, but at some higher amount of inefficiency than at lower draws. 16x0.200 is 3.2mA, well under the max draw of the ICL7660, so I think I'm OK, but I wanted to ask other folks about this in case I'm overlooking some important detail. I do have a real C= keyboard that made it before the last plane, and I plan to build either a 74LS86 or 4066-based video adapter to drive a standard monochrome security monitor (that I saved from being discarded two years ago), so keyboard and video are taken care of (plus I have a "C=Key" board that I probably have time to assemble to try using a modern keyboard with). For a base PET, besides video and keyboard, the only other issue is power, thus my question. If the DRAM were socketed, I'd probably just pull it and use a 62256 in the ROM/RAM board and be done with it, but it might just be easier to feed this board +5V and +12V and synthesize the -5V, unless it turns out that I have a bad DRAM chip - then it's time to yank them like a bad tooth (though I _think_ I know where I can find a few 4116 chips on a shelf here if it comes down to just one or two chips). If I were home, it would be easy - I'd pull out a board from one of my PETs, drop these boards in there at least for testing, then see about mounting them in a box of some sort. Now, at least, the only C= stuff I have are these boards and a few loose parts (like 65C02s and 65C22s). One memory that's filtering up to the surface is that ISTR some order-of-DC-powerup requirement for 4116s, like don't apply -5V first or remove it last or some such. I plan to power the ICL7660 off of the +5V rail, but if there is a very specific order that really matters, I might consider running it off the +12V rail (with a 78L05 in-between) instead. Thanks for any input or observations on the ICL7660 and/or 4116s. -ethan -- Ethan Dicks, A-333-S Current South Pole Weather at 2-Jul-2008 at 08:40 Z South Pole Station PSC 468 Box 400 Temp -83.7 F (-64.3 C) Windchill -114.0 F (-81.1 C) APO AP 96598 Wind 6.1 kts Grid 58 Barometer 678.1 mb (10700 ft) Ethan.Dicks at usap.gov http://penguincentral.com/penguincentral.html

15 years, 10 months

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test-drb July 2008