test-drb October 2011

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

199 participants
234 discussions

KryoFlux - imaging of vintage floppy disks via USB

by cb＠kryoflux.com

Hi all, I wanted to give a little update on our progress making our universal floppy controller KryoFlux even better. For those that have not heard of it - what does it do? - Reads all kinds of floppy disks with a "standard" PC drive (e.g. 3", 3.5", 5.25", 8") - Reads custom formats used by vintage computers like Acorn Electron, Apple, Amstrad CPC, Archimedes, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, BBC, Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga, MSX, IBM PC, PC-8801, Sam Coupe, Spectrum, E-MU Emulator & Emulator II, DEC RX01 & RX02 - Stores _all_ data present on disk, including custom formats and copy protection (e.g. for preservation / long term storage of original game disks) - Connects comfortably via USB - Track data visualisation built right into the GUI: http://softpres.org/kryoflux:ui:stream-plot - Host software available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.It's free for private use! - Hardware schematics are public as well and can be freely used in an private, non-commercial environment. That means the hardware is free as well, you don't have to buy anything to use it. - Pre-built hardware (only EUR 90.-) available for those that can't or don't want to build something on their own. - Already used by hundreds of users as well as archives, museums and libraries all around the globe: http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2011-05/10/british-library-digital-arch… How did we make it better? - Now also writes images back to disk. Writing IPF files creates pristine clones of preserved disks long gone before. It also writes data other controllers refuse to write. - Now supports one-pass dumping of "flippy" disks with a modified 5.25" drive. The problem dumping these is explained here: http://forum.kryoflux.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3#p1991 <http://forum.kryoflux.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3#p1991> , comprehensive video tutorial explains how drives can be modified: http://forum.kryoflux.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=253#p2021 <http://forum.kryoflux.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=253#p2021> - We released the full source code to our own format, IPF, introduced over ten years ago, that stores original data as found on original disks, e.g. custom formats and copy protection. We spent over ten years on preserving games, now KryoFlux brings extended floppy imaging to home users as well. More information is available on our website: http://www.kryoflux.com Or check the trailer if you like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOtwq5eqeuA Can we do better? Please let us know! Best, Chris

13 years, 2 months

Multiplexing was Re: Information on the PPS-4/1 4 bit microprocessor wanted

by benjamin.soelberg＠gmail.com

2011/10/31 Eric Smith <eric at brouhaha.com> > Benjamin S?lberg wrote: > > So if you multiplex 8 leds you need 8 times the peak current to keep the > > same luminance ? > > 8:1 multiplex requires 8 times the peak current to get the same average > power. Years ago I saw some claims that with multiplexing you can use > lower average power for the same perceptual brightness, due to retinal > persistence. However, I've seen other people claim that this is not true. > It would be entertaining to set up a double-blind test and find out. > > I would expect a double-blind person would say that he couldn't see any difference :-) Joke-a-side.. If multiplexing really did save power then just pulsing a single led would do the same.. It might be true... think bicycle lights ? -- Med venlig hilsen / Best regards Benjamin S?lberg

13 years, 2 months

Reading obsolete ICs... Mostek 3851 PSU

by pinball＠telus.net

Has anyone tried to read the data from the Mostek 3851 PSU (ROM, I/O) used with the 3850? I am looking to replace these tiny computers with a modern FPGA or similar... Thanks, John :-#)#

13 years, 2 months

John McCarthy (LISP) has died

by spedraja＠ono.com

John McCarthy has died. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/24/father_lisp_ai_john_mccarthy_dies/ SPc.

13 years, 2 months

embedded processors...

by greid57＠o2.co.uk

----- Original Message ----- From: <cctalk-request at classiccmp.org> To: <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2011 6:00 PM Subject: cctalk Digest, Vol 98, Issue 78 <snip> >You have to consider the wife factor as well. A friend of mine gave >me an Apple //+ a while back, and she threatened to insert it in him >rectally. I have loads of my future 8-bit computer museum hidden in >my loft for after the divorce... (; <snip> (Raises hand) - so would this be an embedded processor? Graham

13 years, 2 months

HP screen screen rot

by jonas＠otter.se

> Does the diellectric strength increase back to its original value on > cooling again? If so, then this is not really a problem if you happen to > heat a CRT part (pin, bit of the envelope) with a soldering iron while > working on the device. That would seem likely since the glass was once melted in order to make the CRT. Whether continuous arcing damages the glass permanently or not is another question. I would guess that the heat in itself does nothing irreversible, but arcing does. I found this in a text about types of glass and manufacturing procedures for CRTs. It did not mention whether the damage was reversible or not. Your observation about connecting a glass rod across the mains and heating it certainly supports their warnings about reduced dielectric strength. On the other hand, I would suppose that severe localised heating could cause the glass to crack due to local expansion creating excessive stresses, so I would still be very careful with the soldering iron. /Jonas

13 years, 2 months

Need advice

by snhirsch＠gmail.com

All, I very much need to sell off my workstation collection. There has been essentially zero interest in my posting from last week on the subject. I'm trying to figure out why. Is it: - My geographical location (Burlington, VT)? - No interest in these specific items? - Something else? It cannot be price, since I didn't post any and am quite flexible in terms of negotation. Would even consider trades if the incoming item(s) take up considerable less cubic volume :-). If it's the location, I'm starting to explore what would be required to properly pack and ship, e.g. a 45 lb. Sun Ultra 60 with some assurance it will arrive in one piece. It doesn't look like anyone in the area is setup for injected foam packing anymore, and I just don't trust the usual foam + peanuts anymore - too many broken units over the past few years. I think UPS and FedEx hired the chimps from the old luggage commercials to throw packages around during loading. If I go to the trouble and expense of buying proper boxes and InstaPak cushioning, it's going to average about $35-40 per unit for packing - never mind freight costs. But, would appreciate hearing from the community with alternate ideas. It is going to kill me if I have to drag this stuff to electronic recycling. Steve --

13 years, 2 months

Fixed point financial data versus floating point - Re: Spreadsheets (was Microsoft flamage)

by vintagecoder＠aol.com

Decimal math (hardware supported) is used heavily in financial processing with IBM COBOL. No loss of precision because the type is base 10. BCD is very similar to what IBM calls "packed decimal". ------Original Message------ From: Fred Cisin Sender: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts ReplyTo: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts Subject: Re: Fixed point financial data versus floating point - Re: Spreadsheets (was Microsoft flamage) Sent: 24 Oct 2011 16:07 On Sun, 23 Oct 2011, Chuck Guzis wrote: > I don't care if the radix is 2, 10 or 13. What is normally termed > "floating point" is a slight misnomer. Agreed. What SHOULD we call it? (Something short and [over]simpler than "IEEE 32 bit floating point representation standard") > It's interesting that while some vendors seem to be intent on > dropping decimal support on CPUs, there are others proposing decimal > co-processors-- and the POWER6 and 7 CPUs have always had decimal > floating point capabilities. I will admit to sometimes using some of the BCD instructions in the 80x86 family, such as AAM, DAA, etc. 'course, other than my sales tax program, I usually use them for stuff other than BCD. -- Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin at xenosoft.com

13 years, 2 months

Proper packing (was: Need advice)

by mtapley＠swri.edu

At 17:19 -0500 10/31/11, Fred (who else?) wrote: >I have NEVER received a damaged package packed with used toilet paoper >cores! Fred, you are one of the things that make this list worth reading. Thank you! -- - 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.

13 years, 2 months

AMPRO Littleboards and SCSi

by chrism3667＠yahoo.com

it would appear as if the earliest versions may not have had SCSI as Allison stated. I photographed the add from a BYTE magazine, can forward it to interested parties. It states in the add that the BIOS and utilities source code was available. Does anyone have thems? Does anyone have an early (pre-80186/V40) model surplus to their needs? We should have some discussion on sbc's and the like.

13 years, 2 months

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test-drb October 2011