test-drb September 2008

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

220 participants
323 discussions

by aek＠bitsavers.org

> Anything on the "Decision I" S100 system would be nice. http://bitsavers.org/pdf/morrow/decision http://bitsavers.org/pdf/morrow/cbios

15 years, 3 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, 4 months

Wanted: PDP-11 MUMPS Software & Manuals

by hoelscher-kirchbrak＠freenet.de

Hi, I'm looking for Software & Manuals for any of the MUMPS implementations for the PDP-11, e.g. MUMPS-11, DSM-11 or M/11+. Can anybody help? Regards, Ulli

15 years, 4 months

Minimal CP-M SBC design

by lynchaj＠yahoo.com

________________________________ Hi, all, I was staring at an SBC I have here with a 6MHz Z-80, some ROM, some RAM, and a 26-pin off-board bus for some Z80-PIO boards (this thing was built as a multi-parallel-printer switcher). I've been musing about what it would take to boot CP/M up on this. For user I/O, I was planning on a console serial port and a terminal/terminal emulator. I have IM6402s on hand, but I'd be interested in hearing if certain other chips are preferred, based on what BIOS code is floating around out there. I also have a 16550, but I don't think I have any Z80-SIO chips handy. For mass storage, I was planning on either Compact Flash or an SD card. I think I've seen both as I googled around for modern SBCs. Any of the media I have lying around is plenty large enough (I even have some 4MB CFs and a 2.5MB full-sized PCMCIA flash card on hand). I am a little unclear, though, about how traditional CP/M systems were set up for ROM and RAM. Was it common to use a "shadow ROM" in low mem at reset, then have the BIOS live at the top of memory? How did 64K RAM CP/M machines handle the BIOS? Did they temporarily ghost the ROM on top of RAM until some bit of code could read ROM and write RAM then bank out the ROM? Since I think I "need" at least 48K of RAM, I was planning on a pair of 62256s. I could easily do 56K of RAM low and 8K of ROM high, I think, unless there's some other arrangement that's obvious to try for a simple design. I've never tried writing a BIOS for a CP/M machine, but my understanding is that things are modular enough that once you know what I/O chips you have and at what I/O addresses, for a straightforward, non-clever design, the coding is equally straightforward and non-clever (but please feel free to enlighten me if otherwise). Thanks for any tips, especially from anyone on the list who has ever rolled their own CP/M machine. -ethan -- Ethan Dicks, A-333-S Current South Pole Weather at 4-May-2008 at 19:40 Z South Pole Station PSC 468 Box 400 Temp -74.2 F (-59.0 C) Windchill -105.4 F (-76.4 C) APO AP 96598 Wind 7.4 kts Grid 77 Barometer 691.6 mb (10194 ft) Ethan.Dicks at usap.gov <http://www.classiccmp.org/mailman/listinfo/cctalk> http://penguincentral.com/penguincentral.html -----REPLY----- Hi Ethan, Funny you should mention the subject, I am working on a very similar project. Last year, I made a completely home brew Z80 computer with prototype boards. It is a fun project and you can definitely build your own CP/M computer from scratch. It really is not that hard. This year, I am remaking the design using manufactured PCBs. I recently got my first batch of prototype PCBs and have been building up and testing them. So far, I have gotten the CPU, ROM, RAM, UART, and most of the glue logic working and tested. It is not complete yet as I still need to wring out much of the hardware and have not even started on the PPI or RTC. However, last year I was able to boot the previous system into its monitor and even boot CP/M. CP/M used a 32K ROM drive for drive A:, a 448K RAM drive for drive B:. I implemented an IDE port and a hard disk for drive C:. Those all worked pretty good. I built but never tested a floppy drive interface. The whole system is pretty simple, uses plain 74LSxxx chips, no programmable parts (except the EPROM) or hard to get parts. No SMT or funky technologies, just plain through hole DIP chips. I have all the software and am presently going through the library reinstalling it on the new system. So far, I have most of the easy stuff working. I do have the RAMless monitor working and next will be the regular monitor. Finally it will be the CP/M system and the RTC software. Anyway, if your interested, I am keeping a small Google group of files and photos at: http://groups.google.com/group/n8vem Thanks! Andrew Lynch

15 years, 4 months

The Day the Infant Internet Uttered its First Words

by eric940＠gmail.com

As a tangent to the "first" computer on the internet, I reference this interesting link, showing the IMP log, along with the date and time of the "birth" of said [I][i]nternet. See: http://www.lk.cs.ucla.edu/first_words.html -eric

15 years, 4 months

AT&T 7300/3B1's (was: Re: Who is vintagecomputermuseum?)

by mtapley＠swri.edu

At 20:05 -0500 8/17/08, Dave wrote: > I have to agree there. And $500 for a 7300 is a tad on the high >side. I had three of them (two 3B1s and a 7300) and reluctantly >parted with one. I became much less reluctant when the guy offered >me $300. The first machine is one I will keep even if the prices go >sky high, as it was given to me years ago by a classiccmp member (hi >Mark!), although for the life of me I have no clue where the mouse went. > > Does anyone have disk images of the 7300/3B1 OS distribution? Hi Dave, but IIRC, I just put you in contact with Robert, who gave you one of his. Though he got some of his from me, so it may have been indirectly one of my machines... If it were mine, and I'd given it to you, I'd have no objection to your selling it for as much as you can possibly get for it. My theory is, the more value it acquires (by somebody paying for it) the less likely it will be to get scrapped, hence the more likely it'll be to be preserved. On the other hand, I *know* you are a knowledgeable collector and know which end of the soldering iron gets hot without having to grab it, so I'm happy it's in your hands. One reason for me to take this philosophy is that I don't have time to do myself the things I'd really like to do with my collection - like imaging floppies! I have 'em, but not imaged. They are in climate-controlled storage - that's the best I can say for myself. I'll hunt for mice. I don't think I kept a spare, but if I did, I'll let you know. -- - Mark 210-379-4635 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Large Asteroids headed toward planets inhabited by beings that don't have technology adequate to stop them: Think of it as Evolution in Fast-Forward.

15 years, 5 months

anyone utilizing early Macs to access the internet?

by chrism3667＠yahoo.com

I've been told using the compact Macs are an exercise in futility. But what about the Mac II's? (original II, IIx, IIfx, IIcx). I was just curious.

15 years, 5 months

any Apollo fans out yonder?

by chrism3667＠yahoo.com

I know I posted this before. But there's been so little feedback...

15 years, 5 months

Mindset hard disk interface

by snhirsch＠gmail.com

Does anyone on the list know anything about this? I was given a Mindset with two plug-in modules: Mindset Host Adapter Interface Module Mindset Hard Disk Cartridge The former has a bus connector at one end and a DB37F on the other. No disk controller chip, just a bunch of TTL logic. I'm guessing either a proprietary bus or SCSI managed in software (a la Apple 2 Sider). The "Hard Disk Cartridge" contains a pair of EPROMs. Any information appreciated! Steve --

15 years, 6 months

Vinyl Data- Classic Computers / Indie music tricks crossover

by tpeters＠mixcom.com

http://www.kempa.com/wp/2004/03/09/vinyl-data/ Excerpt: One strategy that major record companies have been employing lately to deter downloading is adding bonus computer content to new CD releases. I recently discovered that this technique is not unique to CD?s, but had in fact been practiced in the vinyl era as well. That?s right: there were a handful of records released in the late 70?s and early 80?s that contained computer programs as part of the audio. This is totally insane, and totally great. Most of these programs were written for the Sinclair Spectrum home computer series. The Sinclair Spectrum was a relatively cheap home computer system that used a television set as a monitor and loaded programs from tapes. It thrived in England in the early 80?s: ----- 240. [Literature] "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,..." -- opening line of Charles Dickens, _A Tale of Two Cities_ --... ...-- -.. . -. ----. --.- --.- -... tpeters at nospam.mixcom.com (remove "nospam") N9QQB (amateur radio) "HEY YOU" (loud shouting) WEB: http://www.mixweb.com/tpeters 43? 7' 17.2" N by 88? 6' 28.9" W, Elevation 815', Grid Square EN53wc WAN/LAN/Telcom Analyst, Tech Writer, MCP, CCNA, Registered Linux User 385531

15 years, 6 months

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test-drb September 2008