test-drb March 2010

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

182 participants
231 discussions

Using vintage computers in the classroom - Practical stuff

by billdeg＠degnanco.com

I have been teaching computer history at the U of Delaware for my 4th semester, and there are a few practical items worth mentioning in this discussion. I bring a (usually) working computer or device that I use for demonstration purposes for each class. I only bring what I can fit in my trunk, and carry on a collapse-able dolly. My classes are one hour and 15 minutes, there is not much time to set up and then vacate the room for the next lecturer. It is therefore very important that I practice staging the system before clas, and also carefully correograph the presentation in a way that incorporates the equipment in a meaningful way, beyond the ooo aaa factor. It is important to have a specific, targeted point to demonstrate. Use a laptop whenver you need a terminal , so that you can pipe the output onto the overhead projecting device. Sometimes I pick a student to start entering data (ie. toggle switches/BASIC code, etc) in the beginning of the class so that by the time we need the system it is ready for the demonstration. It is also kind of like a cooking show; you bring two of something, one that is "pre-finished" and other that is used for the demo so that you can show the end result of a long process within a limited time frame. One last thing, it is a courtesy when you're running something loud like a teletype to ask the professor in the next class if the noise will disturb the lecture! It's like a mini vintage computer festival every class, sometimes I wish I taught US History Bill Degnan

14 years, 1 month

Leaving computers on... (was Re: Disc analyser news update)

by theodric＠gmail.com

> Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:14:13 -0500 > From: John Foust <jfoust at threedee.com> > Subject: Re: Leaving computers on... (was Re: Disc analyser news > update) > To: <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Message-ID: <201003240014.o2O0EISH064655 at billY.EZWIND.NET> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > At 07:06 PM 3/23/2010, Dave McGuire wrote: >> In my experience, on/off cycles kills equipment much faster than >> long "on" times. > > Is that biased by the experience of failures that appear when > equipment is powered-on? I offer you this unscientific anecdote: Yesterday, I rebooted an older Xeon box with 42 days' uptime to apply updates, but it decided it didn't want to come back up afterward: no POST, subsequent poweroff. I troubleshot briefly, and determined that after working perfectly for over a month at a stretch (and 4 years before that), it now refuses to POST unless you have half - any half - of the RAM in the first two slots. No obvious signs of magic smoke leakage. Coincidence? I suppose it's possible. I kinda wish I'd just kept the old kernel, in any event. But with the price of energy in the Netherlands, I wouldn't leave a system like that powered on for any length of time if my employer weren't footing the bill for it! Is there anybody here who keeps classic big(-ish) iron running 24x7? I've been told a story of a burning PDP-11/34 which has somewhat put me off any notion of leaving my -8s turned on when I'm not within reach of a killswitch & fire extinguisher. :) -js

14 years, 1 month

Using vintage computers in the classroom

by roger.holmes＠microspot.co.uk

> Message: 11 > Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:35:27 -0400 > From: Ethan Dicks <ethan.dicks at gmail.com> > Subject: Re: Using vintage computers in the classroom > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Message-ID: > <f4eb766f1003291335j760a2a34s5139ef92e6320754 at mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > On Mon, Mar 29, 2010 at 4:14 PM, Ian King <IanK at vulcan.com> wrote: >>> On Mon, Mar 29, 2010 at 3:25 PM, Ian King <IanK at vulcan.com> wrote: >>>> We're still in our first steps, and haven't made a lot of use of >>> vintage systems in the classroom (although I do like to bring along my >>> PDP-8/f, just to demonstrate what a desktop computer looked like in >>> 1970). > . > > Sure, 10 years earlier, but there was something like that two years > earlier, and perhaps 5-6 years earlier (the PDP-8/S, though I'm not > sure what you could reasonable show off with a 4K tabletop unit since > the TTY interface is external). > > Fiddly details aside, it's still cool to wheel in a "personal > computer" from the era and watch the audience gape - I've done that > with my -8/L. > > -ethan I can't describe the reactions of those who visit my classic car show and then walk into a barn and find a five ton 1962 mainframe working away twirling tapes, reading and punching 80 column cards, reading and punching paper tape whilst making ghostly noises through its built in speaker. I should maybe give them ear defenders because its so noisy and I haven't even displayed the 600 line per minute printer working yet until I fix it. The heat and smell of hot electronics is a bit overpowering too. I have never worked out where the smell comes from, is it gas escaping from the components, the paxolin or the solder/flux. I know a lot comes from the magnetic tapes, we had a walk in safe full of tape where I worked once and when it was opened after a month or two locked up it made a hell of a stink, like Tutenkamen's tomb. Good luck with the course. If you ever need a Apple Mac based simulator for a 1962 mainframe with an unusual architecture get in touch. Roger Holmes. Owner of ICT 1301 serial number 6, the first of at least 160 to leave the factory. The design was started in the late 1950s.

14 years, 1 month

DECTalk DTC01

by bqt＠softjar.se

Pontus Pihlgren <pontus at Update.UU.SE> wrote: > Hi All. > > I've become curious about the different DECTalk devices. There seems to > have been a number of variants. The stand alone DTC01, a UNIBUS version > and a PCI card version (DTC07). > > Do all these sound the same? Or are newer ones more advanced? > > The number (07) on the PCI version indicate that there has been at least > seven versions, what are the others? > > And finally, does anyone have system over and would consider selling it? > (DTC01 seems to be the simplest and is thus preferred) As far as I know, there was never a Unibus version of DECtalk. The DTC01 was connected via a normal serial port, and could be used on any machine. So DEC didn't really have a need to have a bus based card developed (they did later, though.) I played with one way back when I was working at DEC, around 1986. It was fun, and you could make it do a lot (including sing). Quite impressive for its day, and I'd say it is still definitely usable even today. I've heard some better, but there are current products out there which are worse than DECtalk was 25 years ago... (Btw, Stephen Hawkings used a DECtalk for many many years... :-) ) A pretty good list with some small information is http://www3.sympatico.ca/n.rieck/docs/openvms_notes_DECtalk.html I don't know if a DTC02 ever existed, or what it might have been. Johnny

14 years, 1 month

Using vintage computers in the classroom

by blackmd＠gmail.com

Hello cctech community, I am a computer science professor and an avid collector and restorer of old computers, which I routinely use in my classes. (I am also a long-time lurker on cctech, but haven't posted much yet, I'm afraid.) I am interested in chatting with other professors and teachers who use working demonstrations of vintage technology in their classes. I am aware of many cases where professors have taught courses on computer history, used pictures and simulations of vintage computers, or took students on field trips to computer museums. However, I am particularly interested in examples where professors bring actual working vintage equipment into the classroom (like a pdp-11 or a teletype machine) and tried to teach their students to operate it. Has anybody on this list tried it or know of people who do it? Thanks, Michael Black

14 years, 1 month

Very Old IBM software

by ygehrich＠yahoo.com

I have a bunch of very old IBM software in original boxes that I would like to find a home for. I hate to throw them way when I know there must be those who would love to acquire them. $5 each + shipping. Contact me at ygehrich at yahoo.com. Ami Pro, Writing Assistant, Professional Write, Professional File, Professional Plan, QA3, Word Perfect and more

14 years, 1 month

Using vintage computers in the classroom

by mark.kahrs＠gmail.com

The last time I taught assembly language programming, I decided to include the PDP-11 as an example of addressing modes. This is because Patterson and Hennesey just use MIPS --- it's a good pedagogical method but then when the students hit the real world they wouldn't know an address mode from ??? I also had them think about the VT-40 as an example --- I thought they would like that kind of graphical machine (I was wrong of course). If I was more prepared and had a full graphical simulator, that would have helped.

14 years, 1 month

SS50 to Exorbus adapter found

by chrise＠pobox.com

I was going through some boxes of parts for my SWTPC 6800 collection and I found an unpopulated PCB with SWTPC logo on it and date 1978 which appears to be an SS50 to Motorola Exorbus adapter. It has SS50 connectors on the bottom edge and the 43/86-pin Exorbus connector footprint on the top edge. Looks like locations for two DIPs, one 20-pin and one 8-pin, a voltage regulator and a few passives. The board is 8" wide by 2" high. I have no idea where this came from or why I have it. Does anyone know what it might be for? ie, does it adapt an Exorbus memory or peripheral to SS50 bus or does it adapt an Exorbus CPU to SS50?? I can send photos of the board to anyone that is interested. It appears to be an authentic SWTPC design/product rather than someone's homebrew project or a third party product. So, I am interested in learning more about it. Chris -- Chris Elmquist

14 years, 1 month

Leaving computers on... (was Re: Disc analyser news update)

by dm561＠torfree.net

Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2010 18:00:33 +0100 From: Liam Proven <lproven at gmail.com> Subject: Re: Leaving computers on... (was Re: Disc analyser news update) On Sun, Mar 28, 2010 at 5:26 AM, Joost van de Griek <gyorpb at gmail.com> wrote: > On 26 March 2010 02:58, Liam Proven <lproven at gmail.com> wrote: > >> On Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 7:42 PM, Josh Dersch <derschjo at mail.msu.edu> wrote: >> >>> I was thinking more of the battery in the original Mac Portable (which I >>> know is not what you're referring to). ?The portable weighed 16lbs, due in >>> no small part to the lead-acid battery it used. >> >> Yes, that was my guess, too. Only laptop-/style/ portable I ever even >> heard of with a lead-acid battery. > > PowerBook 100. Basically a repackaged Portable. --------------------------------------------------- The Sharp PC-5000 also had a lead-acid battery; according to them, L-A has a longer shelf life, charges faster, and is actually smaller and lighter for the same power than the NiCds of the day. mike

14 years, 1 month

Using vintage computers in the classroom

by lynchaj＠yahoo.com

> -----Original Message----- > From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org > [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Michael Black > Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2010 4:28 PM > To: cctech at classiccmp.org > Subject: Using vintage computers in the classroom > > Hello cctech community, > > I am a computer science professor and an avid collector and restorer > of old computers, which I routinely use in my classes. (I am also a > long-time lurker on cctech, but haven't posted much yet, I'm afraid.) > I am interested in chatting with other professors and teachers who use > working demonstrations of vintage technology in their classes. I am > aware of many cases where professors have taught courses on computer > history, used pictures and simulations of vintage computers, or took > students on field trips to computer museums. However, I am > particularly interested in examples where professors bring actual > working vintage equipment into the classroom (like a pdp-11 or a > teletype machine) and tried to teach their students to operate it. > Has anybody on this list tried it or know of people who do it? > > Thanks, > Michael Black [AJL>] Hi! You are welcome to use the N8VEM project for educational purposes. I designed it with use in education as its primary purpose. It could be readily used to teach fundamental computer hardware and software principles in an easily illustrated manner. Starting with a blank sheet of paper and building up the basic conceptual elements in a process which results in a simple working microcomputer would be educational and highly entertaining. Add some devices like the ECB backplane and the ECB bus monitor and you can show the CPU operating in single step mode, the effects of reset, and all kinds of computer operation. The N8VEM SBC is simple and inexpensive enough that it can be built by beginners, as many are already, and normally works the first time. It works by itself interfacing to a serial port although it can be expanded to video boards, floppy and IDE disks, and even custom peripherals. http://n8vem-sbc.pbworks.com/ http://groups.google.com/group/n8vem I hope this helps. Thanks and have a nice day! Andrew Lynch

14 years, 1 month

← Newer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
...
24
Older →

Jump to page:

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

test-drb March 2010