I'm pondering making two types of P112 kits . First there is the complete
kit and then there would be a partial kit. The partial kit contains the
board, surface-mounts already mounted, and memory chips with boot rom
already burned in. How many of you would be interested in a partial kit
rather than a complete kit? I'm not sure of the prices yet.
--
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?
On 7/2/2010 01:00 PM, cctech-request at classiccmp.org wrote:
>Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2010 11:08:37 +0200
>From: Johnny Billquist <bqt at softjar.se>
>Subject: Re: yet another pdp-11 in fgpa
>To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
>Message-ID: <4C2DAC95.1020900 at softjar.se>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
>allison <ajp166 at verizon.net> wrote:
>
> > On 06/30/2010 11:27 AM, Johnny Billquist wrote:
> >> > I'll reply to this one last time, and then I'll give up.
>
>(I can't seem to keep out, can I? :-) )
>
> > I can't add too much to this regarding what parts and what DEC
> > designators applied
> > but here are memories of the time frame.
> >
> > The first multiprocessor 11/70 was built with existing hardware and a few
> > wire wrap and jumper mods. Memory said there were 4 total, three
> inside DEC
> > and one at CMU that they hacked together possibly with DEC help.
>
>CMU did multiprocessor PDP-11s before DEC did, I think. However, they
>went about it differently than the 11/74 (or whatever you want to call
>it). Search for C.MMP and similar stuff on the net for more information
>about CMUs multiprocessor PDP-11 projects.
>
>The 11/74 systems were designed and built inhouse, although they might
>have talked with CMU to get help, experience and whatnot. Reportedly
>more than three systems were built. Rumors have it that they even had
>some systems out to external customers for test, but all systems were
>returned at the end of the tests (even though there is a persistent
>rumor about Ontario Hydro keeping their).
>
>I think I know of/heard of three systems that were in use inside DEC
>long after the system was officially cancelled. We had, of course,
>CASTOR:: which was the RSX engineering system, and which was up and
>running as late as 2002 (2005?) or so. This was a 4-CPU system.
>Then we had POLLUX::, which I think was a 2-CPU system. Not sure, but I
>think it might have been DECnet engineering who had it. The third I've
>heard about is PHEANX:: which might have been POLLUX:: after a move to
>field service, and possibly also using bits and pieces from other
>places inside DEC.
>
>As far as I know, all of these systems, as well as the ones gone out on
>field test, were KB11-CM cpus. So, no CIS option ever made it out of
>prototypes, nor any KB11-E.
>
>The boards from the 11/74 systems that were returned were allegedly used
>in plain 11/70 machines inside DEC afterwards. They were, after all,
>plug compatible with the normal 11/70 systems. The KB11-E boards would
>not have been that, though.
>....<snip>
I've been amused by the directions that this thread has taken over time...
My memory of the specifics of models and features is weak, as I had
moved on from DECnet-RSX to DECnet-DOS.
This website has a slightly different cut:
http://www.village.org/pdp11/faq.pages/never11s.html
What I seem to remember was that CASTOR:: and POLLUX:: were the names
when they ran
those systems as dual CPUs in ZK. And they put the two together when
they wanted to run the quad.
But that could have changed over time. We were free to move node names around.
The picture on http://www.miim.com/faq/hardware/multipro.html#castor
is definitely of Brian McCarthy, a senior member of the RSX
development group and that looks like the lab I've seen (only once
that I remember)
When DECnet-RSX development was in LKG (earlier TWO) circa 1980-early
90s, ELROND:: was our dual 11/74.
When the multiprocessor project was dropped, we continued to run our
dual as the primary development timeshare.
Otherwise FS would just downgrade the system into something they
would maintain like an 11/70.
I do remember those ugly no switch panels that Field Circus installed
on all our high end systems
do they could do remote diagnostics.
Ohhh, Google finds that Bitsavers has EK-70MP-TM, PDP-11/70
Multiprocessor Manual (Preliminary)
http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp11/1174/EK-70MP-TM_PRE_1170mp_Prelim_Te…
Dave.
> Date: Mon, 5 Jul 2010 21:29:29 +0100 (BST)
> From: ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell)
> Subject: Re: Conecting new printer to a 286
> To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
> Message-ID: <m1OVsIF-000J48C at p850ug1>
> Content-Type: text/plain
>
>>
>> On 5 Jul 2010 at 7:59, Glen Slick wrote:
>>
>> > Yes, you are confused. Tony's problem statement to which I replied
>> > was capturing print data from a vintage PC to a USB capable host PC,
>> > not printing from a vintage PC directly to a USB printer device.
>>
>> Well, to be sure, you can get DIP packages like the Elexol USBMOD4
>> parallel-to-USB transfer module that would entail little more than
>> wiring up a cable.
>>
>> But there are so many scrapped PCs available with USB and
>
> As I have said many times, that depeends on where you are...
>
>> (bidirectional) parallel ports, what would be the point of building
>> anything?
>
> You;ve not seen my workbench ;-). I doubt I could find space for a PC +
> monitor+keybaord alongide any classic machbine I was working on.
>
> Quite apart from the fact that the simpler something is, there less there
> is to go wrong....
>
> -tony
> ------------------------------
Seems to me all you'd need is a stock off-the-shelf Parallel>Serial
converter feeding into a Serial<>USB converter, no?
I use that setup for various things; PrtScn capturing PC BIOS setup screens
for reference, debugging by judiciously inserting LPRINTs of key variables
to save or display on a second screen, etc., and even for printing to serial
printers from a parallel port... ;-)
m
> Date: Tue, 6 Jul 2010 13:52:34 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Fred Cisin <cisin at xenosoft.com>
> Subject: Re: Conecting new printer to a 286
>
> On Tue, 6 Jul 2010, MikeS wrote:
>> Seems to me all you'd need is a stock off-the-shelf Parallel>Serial
>> converter feeding into a Serial<>USB converter, no?
>
> AND another PC.
>
> That will work fine for transferring files from a non-USB computer to a
> USB computer. Although many of the off-the-shelf Parallel>Serial
> converters make assumptions about the computer's parallel port and are not
> always reconfigurable for all.
>
> The original post was about how to connect a 286 computer to a "modern
> printer".
> The 286 machine does not have a USB port.
> Off the shelf Serial<>USB converters will NOT work unless they are
> connected to a computer with USB. They will NOT work connected to a USB
> printer without a computer that has USB.
> kk
>
>
> ------------------------------
Umm, yes, that's all quite obvious but I was commenting on Tony's
suggestion below; considering that most inexpensive "modern printers" can no
longer print ASCII, this is probably the way you'd have to go anyway:
[QUOTE]
> Um, I'm confused. The FT245R is a slave device. Would it not
> require a host controller to interface to a USB printer? The FT245
> ISTR always looks like a communications device.
It would, if you wanted to connect it straight to the printer. My idea
was a device to let you get the data off the classic machine onto a
modern PC, and then format/print it from there. In which case a slave USB
device is what is needed.
-tony
[/QUOTE]
m
Hi,
I have three Fujitsu SMD disk drives that came from a Nixdorf machine and
I'm looking for a way to read the data (sector based would be good
enough). Recently I got hold of a Multibus SMD controller with a Nixdorf
label and I hope this will lead me to some conclusions about the low-level
format. It's an Interphase SMD 2190 (not a 2180) which is built around an
i8085. As I understand it the format differs from controller to
controller, is that right? Of course it would be much easier if I could
just hook up the drives to a Xylogics 7053 or 451 on a VME based SUN
machine...
So the big question is, has anyone a manual of or information on the
Interphase 2190? Would it be feasible to put the controller into an Intel
MDS800 (I know, but it's the only "real" Multibus machine we have
here...) ?
Christian
Thinning out the collection a bit pending a move. If anyone has any
interest in the High Level Hardware Orion 1/10 computers (Clipper
CPU, NetBSD) I have several of these systems collected over
many years, and really only need to keep a couple (one to use,
one as a backup).
If anyone has any interest in these machines, send me an email
of list. Based in the UK. Collection only on these items sorry,
they are bulky and heavy.
I'd just check eBay for an old HP Deskjet for under $35 or if Letter Quality isn't important, there are lots of old Dot Matrix printers there too.
I keep an old IBM Graphics Printer (Epson MX-80), HP Deskjet 500 and an HP LJ IIIP around for printing off classic computers like my TRS-80, Atari, Amiga and other systems.
Al
Does anyone have a working (hopefully, I know it's asking a lot) Apple
2C power supply? I can build one up if I weren't lazy, but I really
would just like to get it going with a regular supply. Also will try to
hook up and bootstrap over a copy of apple dos, assuming the ADT Pro
will bootstrap me.
The Apple 2e now has a super serial card waiting, so that project will
proceed when the paying work clears later this week. I will have to
find my serial kit and organize it a bit, but that will be a good exercise.
Again, I don't know looking over the thread if I asked, if anyone could
also spare or point at a cpm card for the 2e? I am a bit ahead of
myself in asking for that, but I do have a number of boxes of CP/M disks
in the pile with the ones I got with that system.
I wish I weren't working on paying work over the 4th, but you work when
those who pay want you to.
Jim
> There's no standard on-disk format for SMD drives, unfortunately.
Within the DEC-compatible SMD world, many controllers (especially the Massbus-emulating)
offered lowest-common-denominator compatibility with DEC RM03/RM05/RP05 packs
in CDC 9762/CDC 9766/Memorex 677-51 drives.
There are some delicate hooks between the software device drivers, Massbus registers, and the low level format that made it desirable to keep this lowest-common-denominator there even for SMD drives that had geometries nothing like the 9762/9766/677-51.
But in the Sun/VME world I know of no such lowest-common-denominator standard.
Tim.
