test-drb August 2009

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

148 participants
169 discussions

by tshoppa＠wmata.com

Al writes: > I will have about 20 HP 2gb 5" HD50 HV differential > drives available for pickup in the Bay Area I was lucky enough to pick up a bunch of these HP drives in the 90's for a song, they are excellently reliable built-like-a-tank drives. Tim.

15 years, 4 months

Open source, stand alone, ASCII terminal project, UPDATE

by bob＠jfcl.com

Back in December I posted about an open source, stand alone ASCII terminal project for old computers - http://www.classiccmp.org/pipermail/cctalk/2008-December/265312.html The VT6, a simplified single host port version, is available now - PC boards, partial kits and full kits of all parts. It was actually available back in March, but the first run of parts sold out just on the Spare Time Gizmos group and I never got a chance to announce it elsewhere. The second, much larger, run of parts is now available and hopefully there should be plenty this time around. The VT6 is a small PC board, about 2.5" by 4", that uses a VGA monitor and a PS/2 keyboard and is able to do pretty much anything a VT220 can. The firmware is about 95% written in C (with about 5% assembler) and is open source and GPL licensed. The tool chain used for development, including the SDCC C compiler, is all free. The microprocessor is flash based and firmware updates can be downloaded from any PC over an ordinary serial port. If you need a terminal, it's just the thing to stick in the back of your classic computer. The hardware for the other version of this terminal, known as the VT5 is also finished and really only needs the firmware to be ready. The VT5 supports multiple host ports and sessions with split screen displays, downloadable fonts and (if we can get the firmware written!) ReGIS and/or Tek 4010 type graphics. The firmware is really the limiting factor for everything (isn't that always the truth??) and we could use help with the programming. There's a Source Forge project for the firmware here - http://vt4.sourceforge.net and the Spare Time Gizmos page for the VT6 parts and PCBs is here - http://www.sparetimegizmos.com/Hardware/VT.htm There's also a manual (unfinished - we could use help with that too!) - http://www.sparetimegizmos.com/Downloads/vt.pdf Bob Armstrong

15 years, 4 months

Re-request for 11/40 unibus clarification...

by bqt＠softjar.se

Hi. Josh Dersch <derschjo at mail.msu.edu> wrote: > I'm still trying to figure out what's gone wrong with the unibus on my > 11/40. To recap -- the machine is responsive if I run it without a > terminator at the end of the bus; with a terminator installed the front > panel is unresponsive. I've checked the following: > > - The NPG grants are continuous from the front to the back. > - There are grant continuity cards in each empty slot. > - I am running with a minimal configuration (only CPU and 64K MOS memory) > > I made one final discovery about two months ago -- the SPC slot in slot > 9 of the main CPU backplane (which I am 100% sure is an SPC slot and not > some special-purpose slot) does not work properly. I cannot get the > Console SLU/LTC board to function when installed in slot 9 (which is > where it's typically installed, or so I hear). It works fine in other > unibus slots. That is not a good sign. > I have three questions, any help on these would be, well... helpful. > I'm hoping to have some time to play around with it in the coming months. > > 1) Is the NPG grant on the SPC slot on the processor backplane (slot 9) > supposed to be connected to the NPG grants on the Unibus expansion? > That is -- right now if I set my DMM to continuity mode and put one > probe on CA1 on the first slot of the unibus expansion, and the other on > CB1 on the last slot of the unibus expansion, since all NPG grant > jumpers are in place, the DMM shows the circuit as closed. This is as > I'd expect. However, if I move the probe from CA1 on the first slot of > the expansion to CA1 on slot 9 of the processor backplane, the circuit > is then open. I'm guessing this is not correct. (There is currently an > NPG jumper installed on slot 9.) All other grant lines seem to be > continuous. That sounds really bad. NPG should originate from the CPU (unless my memory fails me), and pass through each SPC slot. If it don't even make it to the first slot (slot 09 of the CPU box) then you'll never get a working system. But how can you have a connection from CB1 out from the CPU slot 9, but not a connection from CA1 out, when you do have a jumper between CA1 and CB1 (of slot 9)? That sounds like a broken jumper to me. > 2) Where is the +15V to the processor backplane supposed to be > connected? (I suspect this may be the reason the SLU won't function in > slot 9...). Right now it's plugged into pin CV1 on slot 9 (if I'm > reading the Unibus pin chart right :)) but the docs I have found say > this should be ACLO_L... Have you measured? Is it +15V, or +5V? ACLO_L is active low, and if you have a good AC in, then I would expect that pin to be +5V in that case. Afraid I can't help more right now. Any description of an SPC slot should tell you, but I'm not sitting next to any manuals right now. > 3) Does anyone have a wirelist for the 11/40 CPU backplane (or is this > in any of the service/reference manuals)? Worst case, I can probe out > the wiring and figure out what's missing/incorrect on slot 9. Sorry that I can't help more on this one. Didn't see any on bitsavers. Maybe someone else have them? Johnny -- Johnny Billquist || "I'm on a bus || on a psychedelic trip email: bqt at softjar.se || Reading murder books pdp is alive! || tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol

15 years, 4 months

OT: some random books available

by rcini＠optonline.net

All: I cleaned off my bookshelf the other day and came across the following stuff that I no longer need: * The Best of Ciarcia?s Circuit Cellar...$5 (this is a compilation book) * TRS-80 Microcomputer Technical Reference Manual (Model I schematics and tech ref)...$5 * A slew of Tandy 2000 manuals: MS-DOS and GW-BASIC binders (NO disks), Introduction to the Tandy 2000, Tandy 2000 Quick Reference, Programmer?s Reference, and Technical Reference...$60 (basically my cost). * Inside Commodore DOS...$5 All prices in addition to shipping to the continental US from 11791. I would also consider making a trade or partial trade...I'm looking for a working Atari 800 system unit (with BASIC, 48k and a power supply). If interested, drop me a note off-list. Thanks! Rich -- Rich Cini Collector of Classic Computers Build Master and lead engineer, Altair32 Emulator http://www.altair32.com http://www.classiccmp.org/cini

15 years, 4 months

Lisa 2 (Mac XL) Screen showing multiple images

by roger.holmes＠microspot.co.uk

Just for a change, I don't want to talk about my ICT 1301. We are having a clear out at work and I'm taking various bit home (like an H.P. DraftMaster MX+ A0/E sized plotter as well as a little 7475A A3/B size plotter). There is also a Graphtec MP3200 flatbed plotter. It seems to be all there except the plug-in power supply which supplies 7v and 24v DC through an unusual 3 pin plug. I don't suppose anyone has a spare power supply, or even just the socket ? (or receptacle for US readers) I've taken my old Lisa 2 home after a few years disuse and tried it out. It currently has MacWorks installed on the hard disc and it booted fine but the screen has a problem, it shows three smudged menu bars equally spaced down the screen and it also has fairly bright fly back lines at about 30 degree angles. I have the official spares kit for it but never went on the training course as I programmed them, someone else who has now left the company, repaired them. Is this likely to be a minor logic fault in the video generation circuitry, presumably on the I/O board, or there is a small board in the spares kit which handles the high tension for the screen, is it more likely to be that? How do I get at the HT board? Do I have to remove the four screws at the front of the CRT? It seems unlikely Apple would have made engineers do that but how else can I get into the HT enclosure? Roger Holmes

15 years, 4 months

HP C3010 drives (SF Bay Area)

by aek＠bitsavers.org

I will have about 20 HP 2gb 5" HD50 HV differential drives available for pickup in the Bay Area, if someone has a use for them, in about a week. Mail me off list if interested. I'll have them tagged as dead if any aren't working. Unfortunately BACCL is gone, or I would have posted them there.

15 years, 4 months

ELBUG monitor listing

by f.heite＠hccnet.nl

----- Original Message ----- > Date: Wed, 05 Aug 2009 09:45:13 +0200 > From: Holger Veit <holger.veit at iais.fraunhofer.de> > Subject: ELBUG monitor listing > > You can find a commented listing at the following link: > http://www.scribd.com/doc/18114130/ELBUG-monitor-listing Very interesting stuff! Holger, are you the author of this commented disassembly? Lying on top of my still-working Elektor SC/MP system, I have the original, 40 page, green Elbug user manual "ELBUG Monitor-Software fuer den Elektor-SC/MP-Mikrokomputer" written by Elbug author Dr. H. (Hans) Huschitt, dated November 1977. This has a description of Elbug, the commented source code, and some flowcharts - all in German. It's my intention to scan and publish this manual, once my Elektor-SC/MP-Elbug emulator wil be ready - but probably that will not be before next year. However, if it would make some Classiccmp people happy, I could scan this Elbug manual next week and send it by email. If anyone is interested, please let me know. Have fun, Freek Heite.

15 years, 4 months

Important DEC auction on ebay (USA)

by stephane.tsacas＠gmail.com

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200370400397 <http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200370400397#ht_6759wt_1…>A quite impressive DEC bits lot, including some PDP's and VAXEN (including a VAX750), RA disks etc. Local pick up only, Plainfield, NH, United States... -- Stephane http://3w.posterous.com

15 years, 4 months

Anyone been in touch with Jay West?

by jhfinedp3k＠compsys.to

I have sent 3 private e-mails to Jay West in the past week, but no reply. I know he is often too busy to respond, so it might take a while. Has anyone been in touch with Jay in the past few days? Jerome Fine

15 years, 4 months

OT: Linux netbooks?

by iamvirtual＠gmail.com

I have loaded the standard Ubuntu 9.04 on my Asus 901. Works great. The screen resolution is 1024x600 which is adequate, but is a little low. The keyboard on the 9" Asus Eepc's are cramped. The 10" is much closer to the laptop sized keyboard. I use an USB-to-RS232 adapter to talk to my paper tape reader and my DecTapeII drive. The small size of the netbook is quite handy for use as a portable terminal. Wireless works properly on my Asus machine using the latest standard Ubuntu 9.04 release. I have not tried using Bluetooth with it. I upgraded the memory in mine from 1GB to 2GB. Boot time is impressive. <30 seconds for full boot. <10 seconds for resume from standby. Feel free to contact me offline if you have any questions. --barrym

15 years, 4 months

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test-drb August 2009