test-drb May 2012

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

189 participants
220 discussions

by ittybittybytes＠gmail.com

Due to popular demand with a lister or two on this board, I've decided to put up some pdp 11's for sale on ebay in the next few months. No buy it now and a conservative starting price. If you are the winning bidder from this list, I'll throw in some more freebies. I also have a TS03 magtape and controller up for bid. If the winner is from this board, I'll throw in a Qverter for you qbus pdp. Bid early and often!! sorry for the spam :-) Cheers tom P.

12 years, 4 months

VT220 focus

by a50mhzham＠gmail.com

At 08:03 PM 5/21/2012, you wrote: >On 22 May 2012 01:44, Dave McGuire <mcguire at neurotica.com> wrote: > > On 05/21/2012 08:03 PM, Liam Proven wrote: > >>>>> [nit: please consider hitting RETURN every 75 chars or so] > >>>> > >>>> Please don't. Hard line-wrap has been a > PITA since the 1960s and still is. > >>> > >>> How, exactly, is it a PITA? > >> > >> Because hard-wrapped text won't reflow, so if you resize your email > >> window - or use a wider terminal if you're that way inclined - it > >> stays stuck in a narrow strip down the left hand edge of your screen. > >> > >> By the same token, use a narrower window, or simply increase the font > >> size, and it breaks into pieces, making it particularly unfair and > >> unfriendly for people with low vision or other eyesight problems. > > > > Yow! This is not the world-wide web. The formatting of text is up to > > the person doing the typing. There are accepted conventions for how > > this works, and they work for everyone (except apparently you). > > > > I am NOT trying to start an argument here, but it is my opinion that > > you're trying to treat email as something that it isn't. > >I'm not trying to treat email like anything. > >Hard line-wrapped text is broken and cannot be reflowed. Darn right. I've gotten so used to wasting half the width of my mail client that I'd actually only use the leftmost 48% of my display, if it wasn't for the fact that I have icons and macros with icons attached to them that take up more like 90% of the width. I dislike multiple rows of icons. For me, the first line of the paragraph above soft-breaks at the I in "fact that I". In other words, many email programs are broken w/r/t line breaks and I get lines with hard breaks from most people, wasting half my display. >This is a fact; it is not open to debate. It is the case, it always >has been the case. > >Doing that deliberately is just *rude*, and any email client that >can't line-wrap text is so very very broken that it is pathetic. That >would have been intolerable when I started out with email in 1985; I >cannot believe *any* modern MUA is that defective. > >-- >Liam Proven ? Profile: http://lproven.livejournal.com/profile >Email: lproven at cix.co.uk ? GMail/G+/Twitter/Flickr/Facebook: lproven >MSN: lproven at hotmail.com ? Skype/AIM/Yahoo/LinkedIn: liamproven >Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 ? Cell: +44 7939-087884 573 . [Love] Love is like linen - often changed, the sweeter. --Phineas Fletcher (1584-1650) Sicelides III.v NEW: a50mhzham at gmail.com ? N9QQB (amateur radio) "HEY YOU" (loud shouting) ? Second Tops (Set Dancing) ? FIND ME ON FACEBOOK 43? 7' 17.2" N by 88? 6' 28.9" W ? Elevation 815' ? Grid Square EN53wc LAN/Telecom Analyst ? Open-source Dude ? Musician ? Registered Linux User 385531

12 years, 4 months

cctalk Digest, Vol 105, Issue 47

by elson＠pico-systems.com

cctalk-request at classiccmp.org wrote: > Message: 1 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 09:31:04 +0200 > From: Pontus Pihlgren <pontus at Update.UU.SE> > To: cctech at classiccmp.org > Subject: Identify Lockheed core memory > Message-ID: <20120521073103.GA6751 at Update.UU.SE> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > Hi. > > A friend of mine picked up a rather massive stack of core. Now we are > very curious to know what machine it comes out of. And of course any > other facts about it. > > Pictures here: > > http://www.abc80.net/zz/pdp8/DSC_0973.JPG > http://www.abc80.net/zz/pdp8/DSC_0974.JPG > http://www.abc80.net/zz/pdp8/DSC_0975.JPG > There are likely to be date codes on the red pulse transformers, that might be of some use. I don't think Lockheed made computers for general purpose use, so I might think this was for some aerospace application. The card edge connectors sort of go against that, however, they tended to use a minimum of connectors like that due to vibration. I have a Honeywell airborne computer that has no connectors except at the bulkhead, all boards are attached by flex cables to the motherboard. Jon

12 years, 4 months

cctalk Digest, Vol 105, Issue 48

by drummy＠comcast.net

----- Original Message ----- From: <cctalk-request at classiccmp.org> To: <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Sent: Monday, May 21, 2012 5:08 PM Subject: cctalk Digest, Vol 105, Issue 48 > Send cctalk mailing list submissions to > cctalk at classiccmp.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://www.classiccmp.org/mailman/listinfo/cctalk > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > cctalk-request at classiccmp.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > cctalk-owner at classiccmp.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of cctalk digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Software for OCR'ing paper tape? (was: Question about > Military terminal) (Adrian Stoness) > 2. Re: Free (for the price of shipping) RA-81 chassis (Alan Perry) > 3. Re: VT220 focus (Liam Proven) > 4. RE: BA23 PDP11/23 Power Supply that couldn't; Trying to > locate a replacement cap (Shoppa, Tim) > 5. RE: BA23 PDP11/23 Power Supply that couldn't; Trying to > locate a replacement cap (Chuck Guzis) > 6. Re: Software for OCR'ing paper tape? (was: Question about > Military terminal) (John Foust) > 7. Re: Software for OCR'ing paper tape? (was: Question about > Military terminal) (David Griffith) > 8. Re: Software for OCR'ing paper tape? (Dave McGuire) > 9. Re: VT220 focus (Dave McGuire) > 10. Re: Software for OCR'ing paper tape? (Adrian Stoness) > 11. Re: Software for OCR'ing paper tape? (was: Question about > Military terminal) (Ethan Dicks) > 12. Re: VT220 focus (David Riley) > 13. Re: Software for OCR'ing paper tape? (Dave Wade) > 14. Re: VT220 focus (Cameron Kaiser) > 15. Re: VT220 focus (Dave McGuire) > 16. kryoflux or discferret enclosures (David Griffith) > 17. Re: Software for OCR'ing paper tape? (was: Question about > Military terminal) (Chuck Guzis) > 18. Re: BA23 PDP11/23 Power Supply that couldn't; Trying to > locate a (Tony Duell) > 19. Re: BA23 PDP11/23 Power Supply that couldn't; (Tony Duell) > 20. Re: BA23 PDP11/23 Power Supply that couldn't; Trying to > locate a (Tony Duell) > 21. Re: Baudot? (Was: Question about Military terminal (Tony Duell) > 22. Re: Baudot? (Was: Question about Military terminal (Tony Duell) > 23. Re: VT220 focus (Tony Duell) > 24. Re: How to contribute to bitsavers? (Richard) > 25. Re: Software for OCR'ing paper tape? (was: Question about > Military terminal) (Richard) > 26. Re: AVL ROAD RUNNER...My father built it (Richard) > 27. Re: CRT degaussing coil (was Re: PDP-11/35 power supply woes) > (John Honniball) > 28. Re: VT220 focus (ben) > 29. RE: Software for OCR'ing paper tape? (dwight elvey) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 12:06:01 -0500 > From: Adrian Stoness <tdk.knight at gmail.com> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Software for OCR'ing paper tape? (was: Question about > Military terminal) > Message-ID: > <CAA3rs23pg2_n5=nxiRohgTWe-zKgWY-zsmR2gcUT3_ZhUY5wVA at mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > what if one was to use a digital camera and just photograph them and then > have a batch processor of some sort? > > On Mon, May 21, 2012 at 11:28 AM, Ethan Dicks <ethan.dicks at gmail.com> wrote: > >> On Mon, May 21, 2012 at 11:54 AM, Richard <legalize at xmission.com> wrote: >> > Is there something similar for punched cards as well? >> >> I started to write one years ago (beginning with scanning the punch >> cards with a colored background to make the holes stand out) and did >> get edge and orientation detection working, but the per-card handling >> time on the scanner lead me to drop work on the project. If you were >> scanning a short stack of cards, it wasn't so bad, but a 3 foot deck? >> You'd spend a lot of time just getting the cards in and out of the >> scanner. >> >> My code wasn't anything magical - it used Tom Boutell's GD library to >> imported a monochrome GIF of a scan of the *back* of the card (to >> eliminate "noise" from the printing on most cards) then did a fairly >> uninspired search for the outer boundaries, then did an estimation of >> where the holes ought to be (based on the discovered dimensions of the >> edges) and did a simple (3x3) kernel sum of the targeted coordinate >> and if it was mostly "white", it was a zero, mostly black, a one. You >> couldn't skew the cards 45 degrees and expect it to work, but it was >> resilient enough to work with a little skew. >> >> -ethan >> > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 10:15:09 -0700 > From: Alan Perry <alanp at snowmoose.com> > To: cctech at classiccmp.org > Subject: Re: Free (for the price of shipping) RA-81 chassis > Message-ID: <4FBA781D.4000800 at snowmoose.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > Oops. Sorry. It is at 98110. Bainbridge Island, WA, across the water from > downtown Seattle. I am willing to deliver it on the other side of the > water. > > alan > > On 5/21/12 10:00 AM, cctech-request at classiccmp.org wrote: >> Not that I am likely to be able to house this, but it might help others to >> know the location of the item. >> >> Regards >> >> Rob >> >>> > -----Original Message----- >>> > From:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk- >>> > bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Alan Perry >>> > Sent: 20 May 2012 18:22 >>> > To:cctech at classiccmp.org >>> > Subject: Free (for the price of shipping) RA-81 chassis >>> > >>> > >>> > I have a RA-81 that I am getting rid of. It is complete except for the >>> > disks >>> > and the housing that they spin in. It has the motor, so it is still >>> > heavy. >>> > Probably a local pickup, but I will consider shipping. >>> > >>> > If there are no takers, maybe it will just appear on the Living Computer >>> > Museum's doorsteps. Wait, Ian and Rich subscribe to this list ... >>> > >>> > alan > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 18:14:36 +0100 > From: Liam Proven <lproven at gmail.com> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: VT220 focus > Message-ID: > <CAMTenCHLe5MQq9sTNUCi0M+v89hnu39WxCZiFFEVRbCZqy9TGg at mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 > > On 21 May 2012 16:58, Richard <legalize at xmission.com> wrote: >> >> [nit: please consider hitting RETURN every 75 chars or so] > > Please don't. Hard line-wrap has been a PITA since the 1960s and still is. > > > -- > Liam Proven ? Profile: http://lproven.livejournal.com/profile > Email: lproven at cix.co.uk ? GMail/G+/Twitter/Flickr/Facebook: lproven > MSN: lproven at hotmail.com ? Skype/AIM/Yahoo/LinkedIn: liamproven > Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 ? Cell: +44 7939-087884 > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 17:18:40 +0000 > From: "Shoppa, Tim" <tshoppa at wmata.com> > To: "cctalk at classiccmp.org" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: RE: BA23 PDP11/23 Power Supply that couldn't; Trying to > locate a replacement cap > Message-ID: > <303A17BD5F8FA34DA45EEC245271AC0B016ED6 at JGEX2K10MBX2.wmata.local> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > >> I am curious, now, as to why they used this glass-encased "metallised >> paper" capacitor instead of, say, an electrolytic. There are many >> electrolytics inside the PSU, so it clearly wasn't a lack of availability. >> Presumably there was a specific reason they chose this type of cap over >> another. I'd hate to be wrong and do worse damage. > > It's an X (across-the-line) capacitor, almost certainly being used as a > snubber. > > For across-the-line and snubber networks metalized film/paper or foil+paper > are still the cat's meow. They have well understood failure modes. Ceramics > are also rated as X safety capacitors in some circumstances. > >>From the X, it's probably rated at least at 250VAC and is non-polarized. > > This is not the job for an electrolytic or an unpolarized electrolytic. > > It is the job for a safety rated capacitor. > > Tim. > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 5 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 10:19:15 -0700 > From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: RE: BA23 PDP11/23 Power Supply that couldn't; Trying to > locate a replacement cap > Message-ID: <4FBA16A3.20801.8FDE42 at cclist.sydex.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII > > On 21 May 2012 at 11:55, JP Hindin wrote: > >> I am curious, now, as to why they used this glass-encased "metallised >> paper" capacitor instead of, say, an electrolytic. There are many >> electrolytics inside the PSU, so it clearly wasn't a lack of >> availability. Presumably there was a specific reason they chose this >> type of cap over another. I'd hate to be wrong and do worse damage. > > Are you talking about the infamous Rifa caps? > > That's not glass--I think it might be polystyrene. At any rate, > they're "safety" capacitors in that their failure mode is limited to > a set of known conditions, none of which can lead to electrical shock > hazard. Generally, these are X- and Y- rated capacitors, with > several numbered subcategories. > > X-capacitors are designed for "across the line" applications, i.e., > from one side of the line supply to the other. Y-capacitors are > designed for "line to ground" applications. > > Here's a brief FAQ on that subject: > > http://www.okaya.com/FAQ1.html > > Rifa caps are still with us, though there are X- and Y- rated > polypropylene and polyester caps as well. > > Do not use an electrolytic, non-polar or otherwise. They're not > designed for the application. > > --Chuck > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 6 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 13:04:55 -0500 > From: John Foust <jfoust at threedee.com> > To: <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Software for OCR'ing paper tape? (was: Question about > Military terminal) > Message-ID: <201205211805.q4LI594D004524 at billy.ezwind.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > At 11:28 AM 5/21/2012, Ethan Dicks wrote: >>If you were >>scanning a short stack of cards, it wasn't so bad, but a 3 foot deck? >>You'd spend a lot of time just getting the cards in and out of the >>scanner. > > Well, there are many scanners that can auto-feed a half-inch-tall pile. > > As for paper tape, what about the super-duper overkill of recognizing > a video stream from a web cam? All you'd need is a jig to slowly > pull the tape past the fixed camera. > > - John > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 7 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 11:14:06 -0700 (PDT) > From: David Griffith <dgriffi at cs.csubak.edu> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Software for OCR'ing paper tape? (was: Question about > Military terminal) > Message-ID: > <alpine.DEB.2.00.1205211113350.31082 at sleipnir.cs.csubak.edu> > Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed > > On Mon, 21 May 2012, John Foust wrote: > >> At 11:28 AM 5/21/2012, Ethan Dicks wrote: >>> If you were >>> scanning a short stack of cards, it wasn't so bad, but a 3 foot deck? >>> You'd spend a lot of time just getting the cards in and out of the >>> scanner. >> >> Well, there are many scanners that can auto-feed a half-inch-tall pile. >> >> As for paper tape, what about the super-duper overkill of recognizing >> a video stream from a web cam? All you'd need is a jig to slowly >> pull the tape past the fixed camera. > > Why not simply build a paper tape reader? It's not that hard to do. > > -- > 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? > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 8 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 14:21:06 -0400 > From: Dave McGuire <mcguire at neurotica.com> > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Software for OCR'ing paper tape? > Message-ID: <4FBA8792.4070205 at neurotica.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > On 05/21/2012 02:04 PM, John Foust wrote: >>> If you were >>> scanning a short stack of cards, it wasn't so bad, but a 3 foot deck? >>> You'd spend a lot of time just getting the cards in and out of the >>> scanner. >> >> Well, there are many scanners that can auto-feed a half-inch-tall pile. >> >> As for paper tape, what about the super-duper overkill of recognizing >> a video stream from a web cam? All you'd need is a jig to slowly >> pull the tape past the fixed camera. > > This is all interesting, but seems like a solution in search of a > problem. Is it really the case that nobody can find a good optical > (i.e., low tape wear) tape reader? Or card reader? > > -Dave > > -- > Dave McGuire, AK4HZ > New Kensington, PA > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 9 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 14:26:35 -0400 > From: Dave McGuire <mcguire at neurotica.com> > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: VT220 focus > Message-ID: <4FBA88DB.6010307 at neurotica.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 > > On 05/21/2012 01:14 PM, Liam Proven wrote: >>> [nit: please consider hitting RETURN every 75 chars or so] >> >> Please don't. Hard line-wrap has been a PITA since the 1960s and still is. > > How, exactly, is it a PITA? > > -Dave > > -- > Dave McGuire, AK4HZ > New Kensington, PA > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 10 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 13:27:58 -0500 > From: Adrian Stoness <tdk.knight at gmail.com> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Software for OCR'ing paper tape? > Message-ID: > <CAA3rs22=oN421qKmE=KKrbhS2PkRnVS1X=TMGoWwHnGUVqsQFQ at mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > get a tripod and a camera and take photos then right some program that > process's through them all and blam u got a way to archive ur tapes > > On Mon, May 21, 2012 at 1:21 PM, Dave McGuire <mcguire at neurotica.com> wrote: > >> On 05/21/2012 02:04 PM, John Foust wrote: >> >> If you were >> >> scanning a short stack of cards, it wasn't so bad, but a 3 foot deck? >> >> You'd spend a lot of time just getting the cards in and out of the >> >> scanner. >> > >> > Well, there are many scanners that can auto-feed a half-inch-tall pile. >> > >> > As for paper tape, what about the super-duper overkill of recognizing >> > a video stream from a web cam? All you'd need is a jig to slowly >> > pull the tape past the fixed camera. >> >> This is all interesting, but seems like a solution in search of a >> problem. Is it really the case that nobody can find a good optical >> (i.e., low tape wear) tape reader? Or card reader? >> >> -Dave >> >> -- >> Dave McGuire, AK4HZ >> New Kensington, PA >> > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 11 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 14:44:00 -0400 > From: Ethan Dicks <ethan.dicks at gmail.com> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Software for OCR'ing paper tape? (was: Question about > Military terminal) > Message-ID: > <CAALmimnFt=k6F=GWr6qkXw7d0gx+Xufo2LuuZCHKCNRQ01HWhA at mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > On Mon, May 21, 2012 at 2:04 PM, John Foust <jfoust at threedee.com> wrote: >> At 11:28 AM 5/21/2012, Ethan Dicks wrote: >>>If you were >>>scanning a short stack of cards, it wasn't so bad, but a 3 foot deck? >>>You'd spend a lot of time just getting the cards in and out of the >>>scanner. >> >> Well, there are many scanners that can auto-feed a half-inch-tall pile. > > I was using an auto-feed scanner... Brother brand. To get the > contrasty background (to get the holes to show up), I loaded the punch > card into the provided envelope for scanning receipts and small items. > Without modifying my scanner, I could not get the background to be > anything but white for a naked punch card. I did not wish to hack on > the hardware, and with all the fiddling around, it took too long per > card to get scans. > > Yes, it's possible to hack up some hardware that gets used just for > scanning cards. No, I didn't care to do that. > >> As for paper tape, what about the super-duper overkill of recognizing >> a video stream from a web cam? ?All you'd need is a jig to slowly >> pull the tape past the fixed camera. > > If I wanted to read a bunch of paper tape, I'd probably build my own > scanner from 9 photodiodes from the article in Byte magazine. > > http://www.classiccmp.org/cini/pdf/byte/manual_ptp.pdf > > > -ethan > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 12 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 14:55:20 -0400 > From: David Riley <fraveydank at gmail.com> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: VT220 focus > Message-ID: <EB90FE6E-B369-49AD-AE96-5D6594FEBD0F at gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 > > On May 21, 2012, at 2:26 PM, Dave McGuire wrote: > >> On 05/21/2012 01:14 PM, Liam Proven wrote: >>>> [nit: please consider hitting RETURN every 75 chars or so] >>> >>> Please don't. Hard line-wrap has been a PITA since the 1960s and still is. >> >> How, exactly, is it a PITA? > > Presumably, it's a pocket-like flatbread made with whole wheat flour. > Capitalized. > > > - Dave > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 13 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 19:55:35 +0100 > From: Dave Wade <dave.g4ugm at gmail.com> > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Software for OCR'ing paper tape? > Message-ID: <4FBA8FA7.6070906 at gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > On 21/05/2012 19:21, Dave McGuire wrote: >> On 05/21/2012 02:04 PM, John Foust wrote: >>>> If you were >>>> scanning a short stack of cards, it wasn't so bad, but a 3 foot deck? >>>> You'd spend a lot of time just getting the cards in and out of the >>>> scanner. >>> Well, there are many scanners that can auto-feed a half-inch-tall pile. >>> >>> As for paper tape, what about the super-duper overkill of recognizing >>> a video stream from a web cam? All you'd need is a jig to slowly >>> pull the tape past the fixed camera. >> This is all interesting, but seems like a solution in search of a >> problem. Is it really the case that nobody can find a good optical >> (i.e., low tape wear) tape reader? Or card reader? >> >> -Dave >> > I am in the UK but I have two optical tape readers, and will happily > read tape in reasonable quantities from any one in the UK. I can also > copy if required. > But the question was scanned images which might be available after the > tape has degraded and can't be read. > > Dave > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 14 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 11:59:54 -0700 (PDT) > From: Cameron Kaiser <spectre at floodgap.com> > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Subject: Re: VT220 focus > Message-ID: <201205211859.q4LIxsbh12189732 at floodgap.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII > >> > > > [nit: please consider hitting RETURN every 75 chars or so] >> > > >> > > Please don't. Hard line-wrap has been a PITA since the 1960s and still >> > > is. >> > >> > How, exactly, is it a PITA? >> >> Presumably, it's a pocket-like flatbread made with whole wheat flour. >> Capitalized. > > I love those. I put them in rows of 75 columns each so that I have plenty > and they are easy to rearrange. Then I have them with hummus. > > -- > ------------------------------------ personal: > http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ -- > Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at floodgap.com > -- Laughter is the closest distance between two people. -- Victor > Borge ------- > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 15 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 15:10:25 -0400 > From: Dave McGuire <mcguire at neurotica.com> > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: VT220 focus > Message-ID: <4FBA9321.8050708 at neurotica.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 > > On 05/21/2012 02:55 PM, David Riley wrote: >>>>> [nit: please consider hitting RETURN every 75 chars or so] >>>> >>>> Please don't. Hard line-wrap has been a PITA since the 1960s and still is. >>> >>> How, exactly, is it a PITA? >> >> Presumably, it's a pocket-like flatbread made with whole wheat flour. >> Capitalized. > > Always capitalize on the pita. > > -Dave > > -- > Dave McGuire, AK4HZ > New Kensington, PA > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 16 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 12:38:22 -0700 (PDT) > From: David Griffith <dgriffi at cs.csubak.edu> > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Subject: kryoflux or discferret enclosures > Message-ID: > <alpine.DEB.2.00.1205211235100.13002 at sleipnir.cs.csubak.edu> > Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; format=flowed; charset=US-ASCII > > > Does anyone here have anything to show off or point to regarding > enclosures for the two prominent viable disk imaging boards (kryoflux and > discferret). > > -- > 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? > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 17 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 12:41:12 -0700 > From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Software for OCR'ing paper tape? (was: Question about > Military terminal) > Message-ID: <4FBA37E8.19297.111D0BD at cclist.sydex.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII > > On 21 May 2012 at 11:14, David Griffith wrote: > >> Why not simply build a paper tape reader? It's not that hard to do. > > My gosh yes. If people can build piano-roll readers, a paper tape > reader would be child's play. > > --Chuck > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 18 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 20:51:16 +0100 (BST) > From: ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Subject: Re: BA23 PDP11/23 Power Supply that couldn't; Trying to > locate a > Message-ID: <m1SWYdW-000J4dC at p850ug1> > Content-Type: text/plain > >> >> >> Greetings; >> >> I received a new (to me) MicroPDP11/23 that I was fiddling about with over >> the weekend. After testing out the supply voltages, and then putting the >> system together enough to get serial out of it, there was a pop, a whoosh >> and a rather exciting ejected plume of smoke from one of the upper fans. >> >> http://www.kiwigeek.com/misc/PDP1123_Cap1.jpg >> http://www.kiwigeek.com/misc/PDP1123_Cap2.jpg > > Yes, they do this from time to time. It's aprt of the mains filter > sircuit, and they often fail for no really good reason. > >> >> The capacitor is mounted on the sub-board in the PSU that the IEC >> receptacle is on. >> >> The markings on the back show this is a PME271M622, but I'm having trouble >> sourcing a replacement. Most of the places I usually look about are >> showing no stock or ridiculous minimum orders. On eBay (shudder) there's a >> similar model, but it's marked as an "X2", and I'm not sure if that's an >> acceptable replacement. > > Should be fine. From the fact that it;s 0.22uF (220nF), it's going to be > across the mains, not from either side of the maisn to protective ground. > In which case there are no special safety requirements 9Like it must not > be ablto fial short-circuit). OF ocurse the capacitor ahs to be able to > stant 250V AC continously. > > An XT one would be fine. > > -tony > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 19 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 20:54:54 +0100 (BST) > From: ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Subject: Re: BA23 PDP11/23 Power Supply that couldn't; > Message-ID: <m1SWYh2-000J4eC at p850ug1> > Content-Type: text/plain > >> These seem to blow/burst often. I believe the cap is there only to limit RFI >> emissions, so you can leave it out safely. The power supply should run fine > > Correct, althought it's good practice to replace it. > >> without it. If you do need to replace it, I wouldn't replace it with the >> exact same type, but with a later cap less prone to blow. Any 250V 220nF cap > > Hmmm. I am not convinced that modern capacitors are always more reliable > than older ones ;-) > >> should do just fine. > > Be very careful here. It has to withstand full mains voltage, which could > be up to 250V _RMS_. In other words about 350V peak. I would not use a > cpaacitor rated at less than 630V DC, actually. > > But it's easy to find capacitors rated for use in mains filters, and > that's what I would fit. > > -tony > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 20 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 20:59:10 +0100 (BST) > From: ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Subject: Re: BA23 PDP11/23 Power Supply that couldn't; Trying to > locate a > Message-ID: <m1SWYlA-000J4fC at p850ug1> > Content-Type: text/plain > >> I am curious, now, as to why they used this glass-encased "metallised >> paper" capacitor instead of, say, an electrolytic. There are many > > It has the AC mains across it (it's almost certianly conencted between > live and neutral of the mains input, possibly after filter inductors). So > it cou;dn't be an electrolytic, which are polarised and designed to have > DC across them. > > As to why use a mrallised paper capacitro, I suspect it was the cheapest > type that could stnad the voltage and be reliable (OK, it's failed now, > buit it;'s been around fro proably 30 years or so). There would be no > particualr tolerance requiremnts here. > > Wht you need to get is a capacitor of the same value that is rated to > withstand the full mains AC votlage. Most good components suppliers list > capcitors for mains filter applications. Since they're designed for what > you want to use them for, theres no good reason not to use one. > > -tony > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 21 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 20:33:19 +0100 (BST) > From: ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Subject: Re: Baudot? (Was: Question about Military terminal > Message-ID: <m1SWYM9-000J4WC at p850ug1> > Content-Type: text/plain > >> >> >>> It's about as hopeless as telling someone that a 2400 bps 201B >> >>> modem does not run at 2400 "baud". >> >> Actually, it _does_ - on the host serial port. (Unless I'm _still_ >> >> confused about exactly what a baud is....) >> > Does one count start and stop bits? In that case, 2400 bps would be >> > 3000 Baud on the host serial port. >> >> Hm? I always thought serial-port "baud" rates measured raw bits per >> second. Since I pretty much invariably use one start, 8 data, and one > > They measure possible signal line changes per second, as you'd expect. > And yes, start and stop bits are counted. > > In other words, a serial port baud rate of 2400 means that each bit time > is 1/2400 s. A start bit takes that long, so does each data bit, so does > the stop bit(s). > >> stop bits, that means, eg, 2400 baud <-> 240 characters per second. (I > > Yes. > >> also thought baud rates measured the raw symbol rate, drawing no >> distinction between data and framing symbols....) > > AFAI Kthat is also correct. Hence the use of 'baud rate' is correct of a > normal serial port, it measures the time taken for each bit (be it a fata > bit or a framing control bit) to be sent. > > -tony > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 22 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 20:36:14 +0100 (BST) > From: ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Subject: Re: Baudot? (Was: Question about Military terminal > Message-ID: <m1SWYOx-000J4YC at p850ug1> > Content-Type: text/plain > >> > Actually, it _does_ - on the host serial port. (Unless I'm _still_ >> > confused about exactly what a baud is....) >> >> Well, then you get into the mess of what interface the modem has with >> the host. If it's an 8-bit parallel interface, the argument could >> be made that the baud rate was 300. > > Hmm.. Give ntaht there are now 8 signallying lines, with a possible 300 > transitions per second on each, the total number of signal line > transitions per second remains at 2400. I think that could be classed as > 2400 baud still. > > -tony > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 23 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 20:44:19 +0100 (BST) > From: ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Subject: Re: VT220 focus > Message-ID: <m1SWYWm-000J4cC at p850ug1> > Content-Type: text/plain > >> >> So I finally got my VT220 put back together! I have one I saved from the >> dumpster from a plant floor, >> but it was incredibly filthy. I disassembled it, cleaned it thoroughly, and >> put it back together (over a >> duration of 6+ months), and amazingly it still works! So, I had to hook it >> up to my MacBook Air, just >> for fun. Works like a charm, but characters on the left seem slightly >> fuzzier then others. Maybe that's >> just because I've been staring at the razor-sharp screens on my MacBook and >> iPhone too long, and >> the fact that this thing's 26 years old, but is there a way to sharpen them >> up a bit? >> Even if not, it's still darn funny to have a physical terminal on my MacBook! > > I thought htere wsa focus preset on the video.monitor PCB, the presets > are all labelled on the paper overleay. > > However, AFAIK this affexcts the focus over the enitre screen. There is > no way to focus one wide rather than the other. Now, the focus anode > voltage is derriced from the flyback transforer, as are most of hte other > CRT votlages (some of which could also affect the focus). So if the focus > is much better at one side htan the otehr, it suggests one of those > votlages has horizontal-freqeuncy ripple on it. Which to me suggests a > defecive capacitor in one of the rectifier cirucits hung off the flyback. > > -tony > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 24 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 14:34:58 -0600 > From: Richard <legalize at xmission.com> > To: cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: How to contribute to bitsavers? > Message-ID: <E1SWZJi-0001WU-OJ at shell.xmission.com> > > > In article <alpine.DEB.2.02.1205211035530.19688 at linuxserv.home>, > Christian Corti <cc at informatik.uni-stuttgart.de> writes: > >> But right now I just put everything on our local FTP >> server. > > ....and then you can email the FTP url to Al and he can transfer to > bitsavers if he wishes. > > That's how I do it and it works just fine. > -- > "The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline" free book <http://tinyurl.com/d3d-pipeline> > The Computer Graphics Museum <http://computergraphicsmuseum.org> > The Terminals Wiki <http://terminals.classiccmp.org> > Legalize Adulthood! (my blog) <http://legalizeadulthood.wordpress.com> > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 25 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 14:36:09 -0600 > From: Richard <legalize at xmission.com> > To: cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Software for OCR'ing paper tape? (was: Question about > Military terminal) > Message-ID: <E1SWZKr-0001dp-6i at shell.xmission.com> > > > In article <4FBA37E8.19297.111D0BD at cclist.sydex.com>, > "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com> writes: > >> On 21 May 2012 at 11:14, David Griffith wrote: >> >> > Why not simply build a paper tape reader? It's not that hard to do. >> >> My gosh yes. If people can build piano-roll readers, a paper tape >> reader would be child's play. > > The number of people with software/mashup skills is much, much larger > than the number of people with hardware skills. > > You may decry such a situation, but nonetheless it is the situation. > -- > "The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline" free book <http://tinyurl.com/d3d-pipeline> > The Computer Graphics Museum <http://computergraphicsmuseum.org> > The Terminals Wiki <http://terminals.classiccmp.org> > Legalize Adulthood! (my blog) <http://legalizeadulthood.wordpress.com> > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 26 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 14:36:34 -0600 > From: Richard <legalize at xmission.com> > To: cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: AVL ROAD RUNNER...My father built it > Message-ID: <E1SWZLG-0001eP-Cu at shell.xmission.com> > > > In article > <CAA3rs20ypc3mWNGn_JmjCpEtXVjPFQQdb9mkXrkRwmMgHs6zYQ at mail.gmail.com>, > Adrian Stoness <tdk.knight at gmail.com> writes: > >> ? > > ! > -- > "The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline" free book <http://tinyurl.com/d3d-pipeline> > The Computer Graphics Museum <http://computergraphicsmuseum.org> > The Terminals Wiki <http://terminals.classiccmp.org> > Legalize Adulthood! (my blog) <http://legalizeadulthood.wordpress.com> > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 27 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 21:49:57 +0100 > From: John Honniball <coredump at gifford.co.uk> > To: General Discussion: On-Topic Posts Only <cctech at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: CRT degaussing coil (was Re: PDP-11/35 power supply woes) > Message-ID: <4FBAAA75.4010809 at gifford.co.uk> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed > > Tony Duell wrote: >> Yes, some monitors degauss with quite a lound 'clang' (I assume it's the >> shaddowmask. flexing. I've never heard a TV that does that. > > I think it's the thin steel internal screening can of a computer > monitor that makes the "clang". And the screening is something > that I don't think I've ever seen in a TV. Although, my Sony > widescreen CRT TV (FreeCycle) makes a slight twang sometimes > on power-up. > > Tony, do you remember that Tomorrow's World programme when > Raymond Baxter showed us how to distort a TV picture with > a magnet? And the warnings on the next week's episode > where they said "don't try this on a colour TV!". I think > they said that the producer had tried it on a colour set, > and it was OK, so they broadcast it -- without realising > that he'd been lucky, and a stronger magnet would do > bad things. > > -- > John Honniball > coredump at gifford.co.uk > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 28 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 15:04:33 -0600 > From: ben <bfranchuk at jetnet.ab.ca> > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Subject: Re: VT220 focus > Message-ID: <4FBAADE1.3010504 at jetnet.ab.ca> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed > > On 5/21/2012 12:26 PM, Dave McGuire wrote: >> On 05/21/2012 01:14 PM, Liam Proven wrote: >>>> [nit: please consider hitting RETURN every 75 chars or so] >>> >>> Please don't. Hard line-wrap has been a PITA since the 1960s and still is. >> >> How, exactly, is it a PITA? > > TTY's are 72 chars wide. -:) > >> -Dave >> > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 29 > Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 14:08:18 -0700 > From: dwight elvey <dkelvey at hotmail.com> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: RE: Software for OCR'ing paper tape? > Message-ID: <SNT129-W2541E8D64060126342A5ACA31D0 at phx.gbl> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > > >> From: dave.g4ugm at gmail.com >> >> On 21/05/2012 19:21, Dave McGuire wrote: >> > >> I am in the UK but I have two optical tape readers, and will happily >> read tape in reasonable quantities from any one in the UK. I can also >> copy if required. >> But the question was scanned images which might be available after the >> tape has degraded and can't be read. >> >> Dave > Hi I have a high speed reader to but I've had troubleswith rubber bands. They > leave gunk on the tapes andlayers stick together. On a high speed reader, > itrips the tape before one has a chance to stop it. Mine is a parallel one and > I just connected it to theprinter port ( guess that dates my laptop ). A > simpleprogram reads the data and puts it into files. On making a reader, the > ideas of using a pile ofphotodiodes to read a punch card doesn't makemuch > sense. It might be better to have a LED lightat each hole position of a column > and a single photodiode.One could then just sequntially drive the lightsand > detect it with just one photodiode.One might need to aim each light at the > diode.As with Dave, if someone has fan fold paper tape toarchive, I could do > an reasonable amount. I'min San Jose, Ca, USA.I'm not setup to handle spooled > tape safely.Dwight > > End of cctalk Digest, Vol 105, Issue 48 > *************************************** >

12 years, 4 months

Commodore Pet 2001-8 w/flaky brightness adjustment

by wheagy＠gmail.com

I have a 2001 that was doing the same thing and blasted it a few times with contact cleaner and it works fine now. Win Subject: RE: Commodore Pet 2001-8 w/flaky brightness adjustment Message-ID: <COL106-W26E407007EFFA5DAFE444E91D0 at phx.gbl> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > On May 21, 2012, at 5:20 PM, Jim McCusker wrote: > >> >> I have a working Pet 2001-8 that has one annoying issue. When I power up the unit I typically don't see any characters displayed unless I apply a slight amount of pressure on the back of the brightness control in the back of the monitor. I suspected bad solder joints but couldn't see anything wrong. Turning the control brightens the screen but somehow this control is causing the character display to turn on/off. Any ideas what might be going on here? > > Could easily be dirty contacts on the wipe for the pot. Try isopropyl > alcohol, or any number of commercially-available contact cleaners for > stereos, etc. > > Or, given your description, the slight flex you're applying might be > wiggling other bad solder joints elsewhere on the board to the point > where they connect. I've had that happen (it was a nasty bugger to > find, too). Thanks Dave, I'll give the isopropyl idea a try, followed by closer inspection of the circuit board while the back is off. I have the circuit schematics but not enough experience with monitors to feel confident touching very much inside while the circuit is energized. I'll take some photo's if it's still not working and see if anyone familiar with the circuit sees anything. Once I get this working I'll be working on a few bad chicklet keys and then I'll have a complete working system. --Jim

12 years, 4 months

Question about Military terminal

by jws＠jwsss.com

My uncle served in the Navy in the Philippine Islands in a Signal Corps unit doing communications of some sort. One of the interesting souvenirs he made and brought back was a 5 level punched tape, which his oldest daughter had in her collection. I heard about it and had her copy a bit of it and send the image. After I figured out the code, I had her send scans of the entire tape 14" at a time, and have deciphered the entire thing. I wonder what I could get from the assembled group here to help try to figure out what terminal might have been used? Unfortunately I don't have any data showing what he did, other than some bits of stories. Most of his photos are interesting, but don't give a hint as to what he was doing. I have some ideas, but thought I'd ask here before guessing. I'm hoping to make a guess as to a terminal and then find a photograph for the scrapbook with the deciphered tape. I also found some naval dispatches online which I suspect he might have had to do with (form, not specific dispatches) if he was handling a tty of some sort for transmission. Anyway if you have info you want to share, feel free to send off the list, or on if it won't go to far afield. BTW, for those who want to read a lot of interesting info, here is the site with the dispatches, and a lot of other fun reading about WW2 affairs. http://www.uboatarchive.net/index.html I know the main topic is about german subs, but there are some nice dispatches which I suspect are similar in form to what they would have used with mechanical transmission equipment. I'd also take any descriptions about procedures, and other equipment if it is on this topic. I have a group of WW2 aviators I'm going to send this to for response as well, but this group will probably know about the coding and technical info. thanks Jim

12 years, 4 months

BA23 PDP11/23 Power Supply that couldn't; Trying to locate a replacement cap

by tshoppa＠wmata.com

> I am curious, now, as to why they used this glass-encased "metallised > paper" capacitor instead of, say, an electrolytic. There are many > electrolytics inside the PSU, so it clearly wasn't a lack of availability. > Presumably there was a specific reason they chose this type of cap over > another. I'd hate to be wrong and do worse damage. It's an X (across-the-line) capacitor, almost certainly being used as a snubber. For across-the-line and snubber networks metalized film/paper or foil+paper are still the cat's meow. They have well understood failure modes. Ceramics are also rated as X safety capacitors in some circumstances. >From the X, it's probably rated at least at 250VAC and is non-polarized. This is not the job for an electrolytic or an unpolarized electrolytic. It is the job for a safety rated capacitor. Tim.

12 years, 4 months

Free (for the price of shipping) RA-81 chassis

by alanp＠snowmoose.com

Oops. Sorry. It is at 98110. Bainbridge Island, WA, across the water from downtown Seattle. I am willing to deliver it on the other side of the water. alan On 5/21/12 10:00 AM, cctech-request at classiccmp.org wrote: > Not that I am likely to be able to house this, but it might help others to > know the location of the item. > > Regards > > Rob > >> > -----Original Message----- >> > From:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk- >> > bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Alan Perry >> > Sent: 20 May 2012 18:22 >> > To:cctech at classiccmp.org >> > Subject: Free (for the price of shipping) RA-81 chassis >> > >> > >> > I have a RA-81 that I am getting rid of. It is complete except for the disks >> > and the housing that they spin in. It has the motor, so it is still heavy. >> > Probably a local pickup, but I will consider shipping. >> > >> > If there are no takers, maybe it will just appear on the Living Computer >> > Museum's doorsteps. Wait, Ian and Rich subscribe to this list ... >> > >> > alan

12 years, 4 months

DecTalk Express debugging?

by cctech＠beyondthepale.ie

> >Currently, I get nothing out of it whatsoever. I discovered that one of >the surface-mounted fuses had blown so I've replaced that and I'm still >getting nothing, though I am now at least getting a low voltage (about >.5V) at components on the board when it's powered on. > >This unit has a rechargable ni-cad battery in it (that I'm pretty sure >no longer holds a charge) and I'm curious whether a functioning battery >is required for normal operation. > Less likely with a battery but indiviual ni-cad cells can die short circuit due to some sort of conductive whiskers growing internally between the poles. Perhaps the battery is shorted and this is dragging down the power supply resulting in the fuse blowing? If that is not the problem, look for something that is getting hotter than it should due to drawing too much current from the power supply. Regards, Peter Coghlan.

12 years, 4 months

Identify Lockheed core memory

by pontus＠Update.UU.SE

Hi. A friend of mine picked up a rather massive stack of core. Now we are very curious to know what machine it comes out of. And of course any other facts about it. Pictures here: http://www.abc80.net/zz/pdp8/DSC_0973.JPG http://www.abc80.net/zz/pdp8/DSC_0974.JPG http://www.abc80.net/zz/pdp8/DSC_0975.JPG (Notice that the "pdp8" in the URL has nothing to do with this core stack) Thanks, Pontus.

12 years, 4 months

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test-drb May 2012