July 2012 - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

Does anyone have docs for a Ventel brand MD212-plus modem?

by ethan.dicks＠gmail.com

Hi, All, A friend of mine just returned a modem he got from me decades ago, a Ventel MD212-plus. It's an early-1980s non-AT-command-set autodialling modem. The settings are adjusted via a pair of 10-pin DIP switches accessible from the back. I've checked the web and bitsavers. So far, all I've found is some old Usenet articles and a couple of pictures, but no manual or jumper guide. One "feature" is that it lacks a modular jack to plug into the phone system. Fortunately, my friend kept the proprietary DA15 cable. I've never seen that choice of connectors on any other modem. Does anyone have any Ventel docs? Thanks, -ethan

8 years, 5 months

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Digital archiving tools

by wmaddox＠pacbell.net

Many of us maintain large collections of bits that we'd like to preserve over a long time, and distribute, replicate, and migrate via unreliable storage media and networks. As disk sizes (and archive sizes) have increased, the probability of corruption undetected or uncorrected by the mechanisms normally built into disk drives, network protocols, and filesystems has increased to a level that warrants great concern. I would be interested to know if there exists an archive format that has the following desirable properties: 1) It is well-documented, and relatively simple, to facilitate its implementation on many platforms present and future. 2) It supports some degree of incremental updating, but need not be particularly efficient about it. An explicit compaction operation is preferable to an overly complex format. It is adequate to use append-only strategies appropriate for write-once media. 3) Insertion and extraction of files, copying of the archives, and other archive-manipulation utilities support end-to-end verification that identical bits have been stably recorded to the media, bypassing or defeating platform-level or hardware-level caching mechanisms. Where this is not possible, the limits must be carefully delineated, with some basis for determining the properties of the platform and certifying reliability properties where possible. 4) The format should provide for superior error detection capability, designed to avoid common failure modes with mechanisms typically used in hardware. For example, use a document-level cryptographic checksum rather than a block-level CRC. 5) The format should include a high degree of internal redundancy and recoverability, say, along the lines of a virtual RAID-array. Just as biological organisms constantly correct DNA transcription errors, the idea is to have a format that is robust across long-term exposure to imperfect copying and transmission channels. Does anything like this exist? --Bill

8 years, 8 months

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Scraping DEC Equipment

by dm561＠torfree.net

----- Original Message ----- > Date: Sun, 22 May 2011 22:56:32 -0500 > From: Daniel Seagraves <dseagrav at lunar-tokyo.net> > Subject: Re: Scraping DEC Equipment > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Message-ID: <C7A98127-DFF4-41B1-A6AF-5DFCA234D286 at lunar-tokyo.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > I need a tractor feed assembly for a LA100, are the ones on the 120 > compatible? ----- Reply: Apparently not, but I might have one for an LA100. mike

9 years

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Tektronix 4404 servcie manuals needed

by g-wright＠att.net

I would like to get a Tek 4404 computer going but lack any service manuals. The system turns on but has no curser on the screen. Has good power from the Power supply and heater is on in the CRT. Has a row of LEDs on the mother board. Does anyone know how to read these. - Thanks, Jerry

9 years, 1 month

3
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Servant .953

by roger.holmes＠microspot.co.uk

On 7 May 2010, at 08:25, cctalk-request at classiccmp.org wrote: > > Message: 2 > Date: Thu, 06 May 2010 16:06:37 -0700 > From: Al Kossow <aek at bitsavers.org> > Subject: Re: Servant .953 > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Message-ID: <4BE34B7D.6060902 at bitsavers.org> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > On 5/6/10 2:23 PM, Fred Cisin wrote: >>> Al Kossow wrote: >>>> I am interviewing Andy Hertzfeld tomorrow, and had hoped to talk about >>>> Servant, but I can't find a copy of it around anywhere tonight. > > A huge thank you to Nigel Williams who forwarded a working copy of .951 five > minutes before Bill and Andy arrived. We spent an hour talking about MacPaint > and Quickdraw (Apple has finally given CHM approval to make the sources available) > then another hour on Alice, Dali Clock, Servant, Hypercard, and Magic Cap. Could you please clarify, the QuickDraw source is available for what purpose? Could developers modify it any include it in heir commercial 64 bit Intel applications for instance? Is the source Pascal, Assembler, C or something else? Roger Holmes, Director of Microspot who has a Carbon application which compiles with over 10,000 warnings about deprecated QuickDraw calls.

9 years, 1 month

4
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Any word on the Multics revival front?

by madcrow.maxwell＠gmail.com

When Multics was officially released as free software a couple of years ago, there was a flurry of activity aimed at getting some sort of emulator up and running to run it. Did anything ever come of that or did folks just lose interest (or find out that the needed GE/Honeywell hardware was too poorly-documented to write an emulator of) Mike

9 years, 3 months

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Source for IBM logic probe tips

by h.j.stegeman＠hccnet.nl

Hi, Who can help me with a source (not IBM) for logic probe tips used with IBM MST and SLT backplanes. See: http://home.hccnet.nl/h.j.stegeman/IBM_logic_probes.jpg Prefably the lower one (P/N 453826). Thanks for your replies. Regards Henk

10 years, 3 months

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Stardent 19" workstation monitor

by vcf＠siconic.com

I have a monitor for a Stardent workstation. It's a re-badge Sony, model number 130-0001-01. Free for pickup, or 1.2 * cost of shipping to recoup time and trouble if you want it shipped. Please respond soon if you are interested as it will be going off for scrap in a week if there are no takers. -- Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org [ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ] [ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]

10 years, 10 months

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6809 SBC

by lynchaj＠yahoo.com

http://classiccmp.org/pipermail/cctalk/2010-January/282022.html It always suprised me that hre BBC micro used the 6502 rather than the 6809. By the time the Beeb was designed, Acorn had made a 6809 processor board for their System machines, so they must have had experience with the chip. THe Beeb is nice, but a Beeb with a 6809 processor would have been something else :-) -tony Hi! When I designed the N8VEM 6809 host processor it is loosely based on an article I read for the BBC computer called "Dragon in the tube". I am not very familiar with the UK microcomputers but apparently 6809 "coprocessors" were fairly common peripherals on their Z80 and 6502 designs. I used a similar concept for the N8VEM to allow its Z80 SBC to access the 6809 as a "host processor" peripheral on the ECB. One of the builders was able to get CUBIX running on the N8VEM 6809 host processor using the Z80 as its "IO processor". However, I can see how the implementation can get confusing because it is either a Z80 based system with a 6809 coprocessor or a 6809 based system with a Z80 IO processor. In reality it doesn't really matter but it's a matter of perspective. The N8VEM 6809 CUBIX implementation allows the use of ECB peripherals like IDE, video, floppy, serial, parallel, etc but it requires the Z80 to serve all the IO based on 6809 commands. I added the 6809 IO mezzanine board (power, ACIA, PTM, 2 VIAs, expansion bus) to give builders the option of using the 6809 host processor as a stand alone computer or to add separate IO to the N8VEM system when connected to the bus. The idea being to let the 6809 host processor interact with the outside world using its own IO and only involve the Z80 when absolutely necessary. The hardware seems to work OK but we'll see where the software goes. I think with CUBIX the 6809 N8VEM system becomes a lot more practical. The IO mezzanine fits on top of the 6809 host processor. You can see some photos here. These are out of date but give a good idea. Recently I fitted an improved serial cable and the nylon standoff hardware. Also the PTM seems to be working and that's good. http://n8vem-sbc.pbworks.com/browse/#view=ViewFolder&param=m6809 I have many 6809 host processor and IO mezzanine PCBs so if anyone is interested please let me know. This would be a great opportunity for anyone who would like to do some 6809 hardware and software hacking. I think the N8VEM 6809 host processor is the only system I am aware of other than Dave's homebrew that is running CUBIX. There maybe some other homebrew systems out there too I can't find them after some searching. Thanks and have nice day! Andrew Lynch

11 years, 2 months

9
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VT-180 (Robin) EPROM images?

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

> >Subject: VT-180 (Robin) EPROM images? > From: "Robert Armstrong" <bob at jfcl.com> > Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2007 20:23:04 -0800 > To: <cctech at classiccmp.org> > > Does anybody have images of the v2.1 Z-80 firmware for the VT-180 (aka >Robin) ? At least, I think 2.1 was the last version ever released. They >should be DEC part numbers 23-017E3-00 and 23-021E3-00. > >Thanks, >Bob Armstrong I have enough of them laying around I could supply the actual roms. I've never imaged them as It's easier to replace the code outright. Curious why are you looking for them? Allison

11 years, 5 months

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DiscFerret: It just keeps getting better...!

by classiccmp＠philpem.me.uk

Hello, folks! Hope you all had a very merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, or whatever you celebrated! Also, best wishes for the New Year, which will be... in around two and a quarter hours in my neck of the woods :) It's been a while since I posted anything related to DiscFerret. Rest assured, I have not been resting on my laurels (Balrog and Lord Nightmare have made certain of that!). In fact, I've just released a shiny new toy for all you DiscFerret owners... Well, two actually! Microcode Release 0026 and C-API 1.3! New in these releases...: - Microcode: - Added a clock divider to the Data Acquisition core. Now you can specify how much timing resolution you need -- 80ns (12.5MHz), 40ns (25MHz), 20ns (50MHz) or the full 10ns (100MHz). When set to 40ns, the DiscFerret matches the Kryoflux for read speed (84 tracks double-sided in one minute and 45 seconds). At full resolution, it still only takes three minutes and 25 seconds to image the same disc. - Completely rewrote the data sync-word detector. All the ripple clocks and clock-domain crossings are gone, and the data separator is FAR more reliable. The capture and lock range is about 20% of the nominal data rate (!), which is more than adequate for most disc drives. The sync word may be up to 16 bits long, and can also include "don't care" bits! - Miscellaneous fixes to the data separator configuration (it was set for a 16MHz clock, but provided with a 20MHz clock. Despite this, it still worked fine!) - C/C++ API - Support added for the new clock divider register. Files are all downloadable from the usual place -- http://www.discferret.com/ (or more specifically:) http://www.discferret.com/wiki/DiscFerret:Downloads And you can, as always, browse the source code here -- http://hg.discferret.com/ On the cards for the New Year -- - Work has started on a new, simplified API. This will make its grand d?but some time in the new year. - I'm working on improving the accuracy of the INDEX pulse storage logic. When finished, this will improve the accuracy of INDEX timing measurements to match the data timing measurements! (This is a minimum of a factor of 8 improvement over the KryoFlux analyser, and a factor of 128 improvement over the current microcode release!) Special thanks for this release are due to: Rich Thomson, Karsten Scheibler, Sarayan, Balrog, Lord_Nightmare, ... and anyone else I've forgotten! Thanks! -- Phil. classiccmp at philpem.me.uk http://www.philpem.me.uk/

11 years, 8 months

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Compaq SLT/286

by aw288＠osfn.org

Like the Sanyo just yesterday, I have a Compaq SLT/286 portable computer taking up space. Very nice condition, with power unit, dock, and bag. Any interest CHEAP? I am located in New York, zip 10512. Unlike the Sanyo, if there is no interest, I suppose I will just chop this up. I am desperately trying to clear out a bedroom to work on it - the bedroom that ends up being the junk overflow containment chamber. It would actually be nice to sleep in it sometime. William Donzelli aw288 at osfn.org

11 years, 10 months

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Starting a PDP 11/03

by kelly＠catcorner.org

I have a PDP 11/03 that used to be part of the startup for an 11/780 at the University of Arkansas at Fayettville. The 780 has long ago been scrapped. So, the 11/03 has the following boards: M8017-AA : DLV11-E/EC Single-line async control module (Replaces M8017,M8017-YB) Renamed DLVE1 M7940 : DLV11 Serial Line Unit (SLU, Async) M7944 : MSV11-B 4-Kword 16-bit MOS RAM M7946 : RXV11 RX01 8" floppy disk controller M9400-YE : Bootstrap terminator I also have the RX01 drive. So, other than media, what other options do I need to get this running as an 11/03? Where is the best place to get some basic media images? Is it possible to create boot media on the 8" drives I have connected to my PC using IMAGEDISK, 22DISK or the catweasel? I know a lot of these questions are answered out there, but I've not seen (yet) a simple step by step to get one of these running. I have the opportunity to get a couple of memory boards also: M8044-DB 32K, 16-BIT RAM for LSI-11 M8044-DE 32K, 16-BIT RAM for LSI-11 So, will these work with this 11/03? It seems they will, but I was looking for verification. Thanks for any help, and of course the associated "have you tried googling..." responses. Kelly

11 years, 10 months

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Computer history book on sale!

by david＠classiccomputing.com

I wouldn't mind moving a few more copies out of this stack of 100 freshly printed books! So I'm knocking $3 off and it's shipped free in the US ($3 off international shipping). http://www.classiccomputing.com/CC/HB_Book.html Best, David Greelish, Computer Historian - Author, "The Complete Historically Brewed" - Founder, Atlanta Historical Computing Society - "Classic Computing Show" podcast - "Stan Veit's History of the Personal Computer" audiobook podcast - "Retro Computing Roundtable" podcast ClassicComputing.com | atlhcs.org

11 years, 11 months

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FDOS for Fluke 1720A

by geoffb＠vigilan.com

Does anyone have the O/S, Applications, and Diagnostice disks for this ancient IEEE 488 bus controller (Fluke 1720A)? It used a TI 9900 processor if I remember correctly. The operating system was called FDOS- a custom effort too I think, distributed on three 5 1/4" floppies. This is no longer available from anywhere or anyone, including Fluke. Thanks for any help and/or leads. Geoff

12 years, 1 month

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KDJ11-B rev 8 boot roms

by aek＠bitsavers.org

put these up under http://bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp11/1173/firmware/KDJ11-B_Rev_8/ Pete Turnbull had revs 6 and 7

12 years, 1 month

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Kaypro System disks?

by brain＠jbrain.com

I have been fortunate to acquire a Kaypro system that appears to be in great condition and looks to work. It looks exactly like this: http://www.computermuseum.li/Testpage/Kaypro-I-Micro.htm Thus, it says Kaypro 1 on the artwork Still, the sticker on the rear says Kaypro 2, so I'm confused. In any event, I have no system disks for it (There is a slight possibility they are part of the stash with which the Kaypro was bundled, but it's 100 sq ft of stuff). Thus, I'm wondering if there is a kind soul who might be able to ship me a set of disks. (I'll pay shipping, of course). I also am the proud owner of 2 Obsorne machines (one works, the other seems to have drive issues. They are the redesigned units, but (as I suspected) the systems disks won't work on the Kaypro. Jim -- Jim Brain, Brain Innovations (X) brain at jbrain.com Dabbling in WWW, Embedded Systems, Old CBM computers, and Good Times! Home: http://www.jbrain.com

12 years, 2 months

10
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CMD CQD-220 ROM fixes

by fraveydank＠gmail.com

A while back, I mentioned that I'd found and potentially fixed the "bricking" problem with the CQD-220. To recap, for those that werent following, the problem lies in the code for the on-board 8086 when you set the number of both disks and tapes to zero. The 8086, during its routine to load the values from the EEPROM, loads the total number of disks and tapes and executes a loop with a counter predecrement; if the counter is loaded as 0, it effectively runs through the loop 256 times instead of 7 (the max), which spins out of control and blows away some RAM somewhere before crashing. Fortunately, through a compiler bug or some such, there are 5 bytes available from a totally redundant instruction (loading a value into a register where the same value is already loaded) in just the right place to test the total number of devices and jump to the "uninitialized device table in EEPROM" section of the routine if it is zero. With one byte to spare! (good thing NOP is only a byte in 8086) This applies to the A7A revision of the ROM, anyway; I haven't gotten to the A8 version yet, though I know it exhibits the same bug. Hopefully it also has the same redundant instruction. In any case, I should be able to find and fix it quickly once I have the time, because I know where to look. So, here's the thing; I've finally gotten the time to test the fixed ROM image (was temporarily short of 27256 chips, but that's been resolved) and I'd like to get the fixed images somewhere they'll be easy to find if anyone else runs into the same problem (this took me over a year of sporadic attention to fix). Does anyone know where I should post this? There's my own website, which is really not a thing anymore, but there are probably lots of places Google is more likely to find. Also, are there copyright implications to consider? I know CMD is long gone, but I still worry about these things. Last thing: does anyone know the difference between the A7A ROM and the A8? I've not found anything different; I assume it's probably an obscure bugfix. The images are only 64K total, so I shouldn't imagine they'll be bandwidth intensive. - Dave

12 years, 2 months

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A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

by lproven＠gmail.com

Tom's Hardware - a popular site for PC hardware tweakers and overclockers - has done an ambitious article on the development of the mainframe: http://www.tomshardware.com/picturestory/508-mainframe-computer-history.html It's a little American-centric but it's not at all bad. -- Liam Proven ? Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/liamproven Email: lproven at cix.co.uk ? GMail/GoogleTalk/Orkut: lproven at gmail.com Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 ? Cell: +44 7939-087884 ? Fax: + 44 870-9151419 AOL/AIM/iChat/Yahoo/Skype: liamproven ? LiveJournal/Twitter: lproven MSN: lproven at hotmail.com ? ICQ: 73187508

12 years, 2 months

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PCjr Telnet Server Test

by mbbrutman-cctalk＠brutman.com

It's running! Telnet to 97.86.233.68 to take a look and help me test it. You can use the standard Windows telnet program, Putty, Linux, or whatever you have handy. Around 10 users can be on at the same time. When you sign on (no password required) there will be a little menu to help you waste some time. Some things you can do are see who else is on the server, view the machine type, ROM BIOS date and DOS version, check the TCP/IP statistics to see how much traffic it is handling, etc. There are some upgrades since the last time I ran this test (in Dec 2007): - The TCP/IP stack is much better - I'm doing 'telnet' negotiation to figure out the terminal type, turn echoing on, etc - Crude line editing has been added Right now it is running on my PCjr using a Xircom PE3 10BT. I plan to leave it up as long as it runs, or three days, whichever comes first. It is a PCjr so if there is a momentary delay, don't panic - it's probably just doing disk I/O. Backspace is a little dodgy .. it really wants ASCII 8 and a lot of terminals and emulators do ASCII 127 instead. Try variations with the shift and control keys if it doesn't work. Thanks, Mike

12 years, 2 months

25
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VCF East pictures

by mloewen＠cpumagic.scol.pa.us

http://sturgeon.css.psu.edu/~mloewen/Oldtech/VCF-East2012/ Mike Loewen mloewen at cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://sturgeon.css.psu.edu/~mloewen/Oldtech/

12 years, 4 months

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any interest in an IBM Displaywriter

by rampaginggreenhulk＠yahoo.com

I payed 100$, and had to pick it up in Queens/Nassau. I'll take 50$ plus shipping, from 08758. It works, but there is noticeable screen burn even when off. I have some disks, and the 8" drive cabinet.

12 years, 4 months

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Wait! There's more including MS-DOS 1.25!!!! was Sanyo MBC-550 (Yuck!) software available

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

I'm still digging. I found more 550 stuff. I think this is everything that came with the 550. Here's a chance for you 550 owner's to get the whole set at one shot! Original DS-DOS box and invoice. Original Sanyo Easywriter ver 1.3 disk Original Sanyo disk box with 550 dos ver 2.11 and BASIC 1.25, two original Sanyo disk for InfoStar (set B disk 2 and 3 of 4; disks 1 and 4 are below), original Sanyo disk for DOS 1.25 and BASIC ver 1.1 Original Sanyo disk box with all three original disk of set A, WordStar and CalcStar and a backup copy of DS-DOS. Two card board dummy disks used to protect the floppy drives duing shipment. Joe > >A few weeks ago we were talking about the Sanyo 550 series and someone mentioned one of the alternates operating systems that supported 80 track drives in the 550. I said that was DS-DOS by Michtron. > > Today I found an old Sanyo disk package with four disks for the 550. One of them is DS DOS 2.11, one is InfoStar, one is MailMerge/SpellStar and the other is a disk of misc utilities. The first three are original disks. In additon, the InfoStar, MailMerge/SpellStar are Sanyo labeled disks that came with the 550. If anyone wants them, trade me something I can use and they're all your's. > > Joe

12 years, 5 months

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Seeking information on some Qbus disk/tape controllers: Dilog DQ37, Emulex QT131 and UC07

by ethan.dicks＠gmail.com

Hi, All, I was going through a box of "interesting" cards last night and I came across three cards that I'm looking forward to using: o Dialog DQ37 - an S-box-handle Qbus SCSI controller o Emulex QT131 - a Qbus Pertec tape controller? o Emulex UC07 - a Qbus SCSI controller I found the UC07 manual on Bitsavers, so I'm good there for setup and configuration, but I was curious if anyone knows about different firmware revisions I should be aware of or seek to put on the card (I've owned plenty of Emulex communications controllers, and done plenty of firmware swaps on those, and since they put firmware (ROM chip) upgrade instructions in the manual, it makes me practically expect to have to do something to it). I could not find more than a couple of comments about the QT131, but I'm reasonably certain whatever jumper settings are on there are a) the defaults, and b) just fine. If anyone here has any experience with the QT131 or even better, a manual, that would be appreciated. As for the Dilog DQ37, I can find nothing except 3rd-party resellers offering to sell me one if I click the "give me a quote" button. The ones I have (2) appear to have the single-ended SCSI portion of the board populated and have a large bare patch that, from the component values on the silkscreen, seems to me to be for High Voltage Differential. No biggie. I don't have any HVD drives anyway. I don't own any S-box hardware, so "just plug it in an see what it looks like" is not the preferred method - I'd like to know more before I go further. I'm especially wondering if this is a TMSCP-only controller or if it will do MSCP and/or TMSCP, and if there are any firmware variations I should know about. So... anyone here know about these cards or where to find docs (besides the UC07 docs on Bitsavers)? Thanks, -ethan

12 years, 6 months

5
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IBM 5151 green phosphor monitors for sale

by sellam＠vintagetech.com

I have a limited number of IBM 5151 monitors for sale. This is the classic green screen monitor that shipped with the basic IBM PC 5150. Condition is adequate. They are dirty but I will clean them up before shipping out. Will test for basic functionality. No burn-in or other problems, but no warranty either. The price is $30 each plus shipping. First come, first served. Please contact me directly via e-mail. Thanks! -- Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org [ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ] [ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]

12 years, 6 months

2
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Gooey TU58 rollers

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

> >Subject: Re: Gooey TU58 rollers > From: "Ethan Dicks" <ethan.dicks at gmail.com> > Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2007 17:39:20 -0500 > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > >On 8/27/07, B M <iamvirtual at gmail.com> wrote: >> I am trying to get a Vax-11/750 machine up and running. It looks like the TU58 drive >> is suffering from the 'gooey roller syndrome'. > >Unsurprising. > >> I see that people have successfully used 1/2 inch (ID) Tygon tubing to replace the >> goo. Is there any specific type of Tygon tubing (eg. R3603, R2000, etc.) that is used? > >I don't know the particular variety I used in mine - I just went to >the Lowe's down the street and bought a foot of 1/2" ID tubing - >whatever they had on the shelf. I was unaware of a large amount of >varieties of tubing, so I just used what they had in stock, and it >worked perfectly. > >-ethan I started that many years ago like 1995ish. I spec'd Tygon (brnad name) as that was available to me. Most any generic Vinyl tubing works so long as it fits tight and has enough wall thickness. After about 10 years it tends to get hard, the fix is obvious. Allison

12 years, 7 months

4
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Wanted: Research Inc. Teleray terminals

by legalize＠xmission.com

I'm looking for more information on the Teleray series of terminals >from Research, Inc. (Note: Teleray is the name of the terminal line, not the name of the company! Although later they referred to themselves as the "Teleray Division" of Research, Inc.) In particular I'm looking for manuals and other documentation. If you have a Teleray terminal and you're looking to get rid of it, I would be interested in purchasing it from you. I know of the following models: Year Model 1971 Teleray 3300 1975 Teleray 3900 1976 Teleray 3811 <1977? Teleray 3541 <1977? Teleray 3741 1977 Teleray 3841 1977 Teleray 4041 1978 Teleray 1061 1979 Teleray 10 1979 Teleray 11 1979 Teleray 12 1980 Teleray 14 <1981? Teleray 100 1982 Teleray 16 1985 Teleray 20-7305 <1990? Teleray 30 Thanks! -- "The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline" -- DirectX 9 version available for download <http://legalizeadulthood.wordpress.com/the-direct3d-graphics-pipeline/> Legalize Adulthood! <http://legalizeadulthood.wordpress.com>

12 years, 7 months

6
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Diagnosing and Reparing Commodore 64s

by ark72axow＠msn.com

Hello everyone, I was hoping for some definite direction in my endless quest to fix my C64. I don't have a lot of free time to work on this. So it is ongoing in many ways. Plus I am cautious about doing things that I know little about. Which can be good especially when you get people that give you conflicting advice. I do find a lot of helpful people on IRC, but you have to sort out what they are all telling you. I won't want to go and start buying all sorts of stuff and equipment without knowing why or then finding that I should have bought Y, when I bought X. I know a little. Bits and pieces here and there, but nothing that will give me confidence to just dive in. This is my quest to learn how to repair my C64: I started with my original C64 which I bought in 1987. I had left it in a garage for two years and then tried to use it and it didn't work. First I was told that I should clean my C64 with regular dish detergent and a hair dryer. I was told that this would solve many problems. Sounds unsafe, but I guess I will try it. Then I was told that I should buy another C64 since it isn't worth repairing them, since they are so plentifully available and cheap. So now I have many non-working ones. Then I need to replace chips that are bad, so I need to know how to solder and de-solder. Which kind of device to get ? There are different wattages and if you do it wrong then you burn up your boards (as a friend of mine did with more soldering experience did). Do I get a combination desolder sucker ? Or a little squeeze one ? Or a push and suck stick ? Do I get a soldering station ? A braider ? Too many different choices and combinations. I prefer something that will work and not damage my boards, and for desoldering, something that won't give me repetitive stress injury. Then I'm told to get a diagnostic cartridge for C64, which works well expect when the PLA chip is bad and there you can't see video. Then I should get a diagnostic harness, which works better, but again you need video. Then I find a Diagnose 64 cartridge which tells you which chips are bad very simply with LED lights, but they are hard to find. I'm borrowing one right now from a friend and figuring out how to use now. Then I'm told to get a multimeter, how do I use ? Which one to get ? I get one, then I'm told there is a better that could have been gotten for a little more money. Then I'm told to get a logic probe. Which one ? Again, how to use ? Then I'm told a logic probe is not as good as an oscilloscope. Which one ? How to use ? Then I'm told that I don't need an oscilloscope. Then I'm told to go to Ray Carlsen's site and that will have everything I need. http://personalpages.tds.net/~rcarlsen/cbm.html. Which is very nice, but I'm a beginner and I don't need just a bunch of schematics and reference material. I need step by step method which explains which tools, techniques etc. that I need to do. Then I'm told that going to the Rob Clarke and Bil Herd workshop would give me everything that I need to know. It is good information, but not hands on. Jeff B

12 years, 8 months

30
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Serial Connection for UVax II with H8571-B

by tpresence＠hotmail.com

Hey guys and gals, I have tried and failed to get a successful connection between my uvax II and a pc rs-232 serial port. The H8751-B didn't seem to work, so I pulled it off and wired my own MMJ-DB9 connector. I have tested the MMJ cable, and it works flawlessly. For my connectors I have followed "The Cable" documentation at http://www.mcmanis.com/chuck/computers/vaxen/panels.htm (chucks house of vax), under "The MicroVAX II" section but it hasn't helped. I have tested the MMJ-DB9 connection from my uvax III consoles and from the microvax 3100 and it works fine, so I think the PC side is working correctly. The MMJ-DB9 on the pc side is DB-9 Pin Color Purpose 1 Pin 4 & 6 2 Yellow Transmit 3 Black Receive 4 Pin 1 & 6 5 Red Signal GND 6 Pin 1 & 4 7 N/A 8 N/A 9 N/A When I toned out the H8571-B connector and this is what it toned out to (using a straight MMJ cable out of the connector: H8571-B Pinout DB-9 Pin Color Purpose 1 N/A 2 Black Transmit (Tx+) 3 Yellow Receive (Rx+) 4 White DSR 5 N/A 6 Blue DTR 7 Red Transmit Ground (Tx-) 8 Pin 8 9 Pin 9 Any idea what pinouts I should use for the H8671-B -> PC connector cable should be? This situation is driving me nuts. Kevin

12 years, 8 months

4
10
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Texas Instruments 960B

by aek＠bitsavers.org

> does anybody have bits for the TI 960B (not 960A) minicomputer, e.g. > software, schematics etc. ? I have some additional material on the 960 that isn't up yet on bitsavers. The 960 and 980 share some peripheral interfaces. Did you end up with the 990 system as well?

12 years, 9 months

7
6
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HP 9820A

by pye＠mactec.com.au

I was dropping off some rubbish today at the local council dump, and noticed an old HP machine in the trailer next to me. I didn't even say anything, I just stopped and stared at it and the guy asked if I wanted it. When I said yeah, he replied with "shame you weren't a few minutes earlier, I just chucked two others in the recycling bin and all the manuals and tapes/cards are in the pit." Turned out to be an HP 9820A, and I managed to get the other 9820A and a 9810A out of the recycling bin without anyone noticing. Unfortunately couldn't retrieve anything else. Just wondering if there is anything in particular to watch out for when powering up one of these for the first time other than normal power supply checks? I (obviously) don't know much about these machines at all, but I'm particularly mystified about how the built in card reader worked (is it magnetic?).. Could it be written to as well? Cheers, Chris

12 years, 9 months

11
22
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Prototype PCBs?

by brain＠jbrain.com

Anyone know an inexpensive source for prototype DIY circuit boards? From time to time, I like to use them to prove out ideas, and I'm running low on stock. Jim -- Jim Brain brain at jbrain.com www.jbrain.com

12 years, 9 months

16
25
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Service bureaus (Was: Tek 4051 firmware listing

by dm561＠torfree.net

Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2010 15:08:12 -0800 From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com> Subject: Re: Service bureaus (Was: Tek 4051 firmware listing <snip> After that, I learned to drop by keypunch to occasionally chat with the ladies (it was comprised entirely of women), and occasionally drop off some munchies and other things. They knew me and I knew them. And I never had an issue with keypunch after that. --Chuck +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ As a matter of fact my very first job was also in a service bureau and that's where I also learned the importance of being able to charm the ladies, a skill that's served me well (and gotten me into considerable trouble) in subsequent years... mike

12 years, 9 months

44
133
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Amstard PPC640D - boot idsk?

by peter＠vanpeborgh.eu

1987 vintage. I have this one in beautiful condition, although batteries may be tired. Does anyone out there have a functioning system disk for its drive A? The ones I have are duff or not the correct type of disk - difficult to tell. DOS 3.3 is the revision of DOS required. Thanks. || | | | | | | | | Peter Van Peborgh 62 St Mary's Rise Writhlington Radstock Somerset BA3 3PD UK 01761 439 234 || | | | | | | | |

12 years, 9 months

13
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Official Spring cleaning sale

by dm561＠torfree.net

----- Original Message: Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:01:00 -0500 From: John Foust <jfoust at threedee.com> At 05:07 PM 4/15/2012, David Riley wrote: >On Apr 15, 2012, at 1:02 PM, Steven Landon wrote: > >> <loads of crap> > How can this fellow continue scamming, year after year? > - John Well, as he gets banned from one forum/list after another, he just moves on to the next; looks like he's found a home here at last... To his credit some people have apparently bought from him with no issues, but I'd still be wondering if any of the stuff he's flogging now is part of the loot he stole from fellow hobbyists in his prime...

12 years, 9 months

13
21
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ebay: Apollo 68030 motherboard?

by legalize＠xmission.com

<http://www.ebay.com/itm/180935524789> FYI -- "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>

12 years, 9 months

5
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DEC MS11-J (MOS memory) question

by lists＠loomcom.com

Here's a puzzler. One of the two memory boards from my PDP-11/35 is short four ICs. See: http://www.loomcom.com/projects/pdp11-35/ms11_j.jpg It looks like it was an 8KW board that was user-expanded to 16KW, and if I'm reading the switches correctly it was configured for starting address 000000. (The other 16KW board I have is configured to start at address 100000) Those four missing ICs seem weird, though. The other board is is fully populated. Were they just pulled before the PDP was trashed? Or is that a valid configuration? -Seth

12 years, 9 months

11
15
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DEC RX02 microcode listing

by chd＠chdickman.com

Is a microcode listing for the DEC RX02 floppy controller available anywhere? -chuck

12 years, 10 months

10
39
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DEC Server 300

by holm＠freibergnet.de

Hi, a friend of mine sent me an DEC Server 300 which he saved from the dumpster. There is a triangle in the bottom that some sharp metall edge must have made. This hit broke a 300mil 24pin DIL chip in the inside that must be related to the BNC network. The Chip is located next to the 20MHz Crystalnext to the poushbutton Switch, it is broken in two halves and the ceramic top plate of the chip is missing. It seems that the pcb survivied, so here comes the question: What was this for an (Network-)chip? Can please someone help? Kind Regards, Holm -- Technik Service u. Handel Tiffe, www.tsht.de, Holm Tiffe, Freiberger Stra?e 42, 09600 Obersch?na, USt-Id: DE253710583 www.tsht.de, info at tsht.de, Fax +49 3731 74200, Mobil: 0172 8790 741

12 years, 10 months

12
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Modern computers with docs (was: Re: PM 6100/60, was: Powermac...)

by mtapley＠swri.edu

At 19:48 -0500 7/1/12, ARD wrote (more or less): >More seriously, can you name a present-day computer where the >manufactuers do supply schematics, data on ASICs, and the like? N8VEM. Pretty sure that's not what you meant, though. Seriously, I love the idea but see no good way to market it to the average user. Imbedded systems, "educational" systems, etc. could maybe develop a market size that would make it possible to produce, but the cost of providing good service info (much more to produce good "educational" material to accompany the system if that's the route you are going) ... ouch. It looks to me like the market has fragmented into a) N8VEM class systems - *truly* niche market, open architecture but tiny numbers sold b) Rpi class systems - incomplete docs and SMI/unserviceable construction, moderate numbers sold c) Commodity boxes, iPad/ThinkBook/etc - serviceable only with specialized tools or not at all, the vast majority of the market. d) Server boxes more serviceable, but at the fast, board-swap-to-get-it-running level. Expensive. Small fraction of market. Anyone have ideas on how to break out of those categories? I think whatever it is will need a powerful enough CPU to run a *big* fraction of modern hardware (recent Linux -> web browser + self-hosted development environment?), be easy enough to assemble to require minimal tool acquisition, and use commodity peripherals (flash card storage, HDMI output, bluetooth or USB KB/mouse, microphone?). Complexity is already an issue at that point; trying to "educate" a new user across that whole array of components is pretty daunting. -- - 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.

12 years, 10 months

7
8
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potter pens.

by bfranchuk＠jetnet.ab.ca

I just noticed this ad about space pens. Will the same cartridges fit on the older plotter? http://www.spacepen.com/

12 years, 10 months

4
4
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Composite Black and White monitor dead

by terry＠webweavers.co.nz

Hi Guys, I posted this note on Vintage Computer Forums, and thought I'd see if anyone could help here too. T actually an acceptable looking TRS-80 Model 1 monitor I snagged for $3 but I figure the principles are the same regardless. It's dead. No raster and no glow in the tube neck. The board does heat uo though and there is that smell of old electronics being startled awake after many years. I've done no tests yet, but I have Sam's Facts for the model 1, and they provide a troubleshooting guide for the monitor and say what voltages should be on cetain components. I suspect something to do with the AC power supply of maybe horizontal sweep. Some faulty power transistor maybe? What I would appreciate from anyone who knows, is a link to a page or doc which explains how composite B/W monitors work. The Sam's document is great >from the perspective of troubleshooting detail but it does assume you know, conceptually, just what's going on. I don't and I'd like to get some understanding before I start poking around. Incidently the SAM's fact PDF covers the 110V version while I have a 240V one. There are some differences, one of which is there appears to be no fuses in the AC circuits! Thanks Tez

12 years, 10 months

5
12
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Finding a Honeywell 316?

by wackyvorlon＠me.com

My father worked in a mine in the '70s that was using a Honeywell 316 for process control. I was thinking it might be neat to see if I could track one down. What are they worth the days? How common are they? Sent from my iPad

12 years, 11 months

7
20
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Looking for DEC VT125 Maintenance print sheets (since VK100 MP is AWOL)

by jgevaryahu＠gmail.com

Does anyone have a copy of the DEC VT125 Maintenance print sheet set? The mp sheets are DEC part number #MP-01053-00 These should hopefully be slightly easier to find than the VK100 MP sheets. These are needed for repairing a VK100 and for a project reverse-engineering how the hardware worked, since it turns out the VT125 uses an almost but not exactly identical state machine "engine" for drawing vectors to the VK100. This VT125 information should be extrapolatable to the VK100 hardware which preceded it. The Tech manual for the VT125 is on bitsavers as part of the VT100 Tech manual revision 3 ( http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/terminal/vt100/EK-VT100-TM-003_VT100_Techn… starting on page 6-70, pdf page 316) I'd be more than willing to scan (at high quality) or photocopy the MP sheets if anyone has a copy they could lend me. A good quality 11x17 1:1 photocopy of the originals is better than nothing, as long as the tiny labels on the schematics are still readable. (If all you have is a poor photocopy, though, let me know! A poor copy is better than no copy at all!) I am fine paying for shipping, handling, finding/digging out of a pile, etc. P.S. Does anyone have a VT125 and the means to dump the three code roms on it? I'd love to get my hands on a copy of those as well. P.P.S. Does anyone have a VT125 and a desoldering station/know-how to remove and dump the ?five? proms on it? They're not immediately necessary but it would be convenient to have copies of their data for the future and to help with potential repairs. P.P.P.S. If anyone has a not-installed VT100->VT125 upgrade kit which they are willing to sell, let me know off-list. -- Jonathan Gevaryahu jgevaryahu at gmail.com jgevaryahu at hotmail.com

12 years, 11 months

3
3
0 0

See the ENIAC in person - well, part of it anyway.

by gilcarrick＠gmail.com

The 3rd annual Vintage Computer Festival Southwest http://vintage.org/2012/southwest/ is this August 4th-5th. We will feature a tour of the Ross Perot collection http://mit-a.com/perotcollection.shtml of vintage computing, including several sections of the original ENIAC computer. ? We will also be adding a special tour of the Cowboy Stadium IT infrastructure. http://mit-a.com/CowboyStadiumTour.shtml The regular tour lasts an hour and a half - this one will run slightly longer. The group tours cost $20 and everyone says it is definitely worth it. We will need to have at least 15 or so people for this tour, and will need to sign up (and pay) in advance.? ? The VCF SW 3.0 will be at UT Arlington. http://www.uta.edu/uta/ More exhibitors, vendors, and speakers are registering frequently, so check the website. We are still looking for exhibitors, vendors, and volunteers (who get to attend free.) Gil -- A. G. (Gil) Carrick Director Museum of Information Technology at Arlington 1012 Portofino Drive Arlington, TX 76012 817-264-MITA (6482) - gil.carrick (Skype) http://MIT-A.com

12 years, 11 months

5
5
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Microsoft licensing

by saquinn624＠aol.com

Richard writes: Wrong. As long as you have the certificate of authenticity for copies of MS-DOS, you can continue to ship product using that operating system. Medical device manufacturers are doing this because if they change the operating system, they have to requalify their devices which is a very expensive process. So they continue to buy NOS copies of MS-DOS, as long as they have the certificate of authenticity, and use those to ship their products. They will continue to do this as long as the cost of obtaining NOS MS-DOS product is less than the recertification process. Given the number of NOS copies still in the marketplace, they won't need to upgrade the OS for some time. There is a local guy who mostly deals in C=64 equipment that has been making quite a nice side business of finding NOS copies of MS-DOS for some time now. You would think so, wouldn't you, but as I said before Microsoft is being very creative. The software that you're talking about is unused, possibly retail or possibly OEM, but in any case the license has not been attached so it can be used on any device (for OEM, provided that the equipment is new). You would think that an OEM license, since it is attached permanently to the hardware, would transfer with the hardware, right? You would think that presenting the certificate of authenticity or other evidence that the hardware was licensed would be enough to show a license, right? Not so fast. A couple of years ago MS, upon a closer reading of the license agreement, noted the part that says that all copies must be transferred when the license transfers. Most people understood (and probably understand) this to mean that you can't keep any copies because there's only one license, but MS reinterpreted it to mean that if all copies are not transferred then it is not a valid license transfer and the license is invalidated, requiring a new license transfer. They set up a new "Refurbisher Program," whereby people selling used computers can give Microsoft more money to make sure nothing bad happens to their nice business. In an interesting twist, the now "meaningless" original "Certificate of Authenticity" must still be present, otherwise you need to cough up the full retail price should you want Windows - thus, per MS, the computer product the license is tied to is the mainboard (which cannot be replaced unless in cases of failure, when MS may choose to make an exemption if they really feel like it), the COA, and any manufacturer provided backup media, including the "recovery partition" of a disk which, if it is damaged, now appears to nuke your license for Windows. At this point they only seem to be targeting used computer stores selling machines with Windows, but until someone takes them to court and wins it could be anyone they want to squeeze. As noted, one copy of MS-DOS is probably not going to be a big deal, but MS appears to not be taking the "live and let live -after all we've already been paid" attitude and it might get worse. I found all of this out because of the good part of the program - MS will give really cheap upgrade licenses to qualifying nonprofits using used computers through the same program. Want to check it out? Search MS for "refurbisher program"

12 years, 11 months

5
6
0 0

IBM 7090 mainframe!

by peter＠vanpeborgh.eu

Does anyone know (of) anyone running/restoring an IBM 7090, early 60s vintage? I am about to clear out a friend's collection of vintage computer bits and I may find relevant modules and documentation, h/w and s/w. peter || | | | | | | | | Peter Van Peborgh 62 St Mary's Rise Writhlington Radstock Somerset BA3 3PD UK 01761 439 234 || | | | | | | | |

12 years, 11 months

24
40
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cctech Digest, Vol 107, Issue 47

by jonas＠otter.se

On Sun, 29 Jul 2012 18:48:32 +0100 (BST), ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) wrote: > Incidnetaslly, I never met a school maths or physics teacher who realsied > that. I must say I cannot understand how you succeeded in getting such universally and consistently incompetent teachers. During my year in the UK in the 5th form, *all* of my teachers were intelligent, clueful, helpful and sensible. Admittedly, it was a private school (not one of the expensive and fashionable ones) and may have been able to recruit better teachers. I don't know if the state schools are generally bad or not. /Jonas

12 years, 11 months

3
3
0 0

PDP11/05 front panel switch

by iamcamiel＠gmail.com

Hi Again, While I'm still struggling with the powers supply in the /84, I decided to also take a good look at the /05. Amazingly, the power supplies on this one (1972) are 13 years older than those on the /84 (1985), yet their outputs look absolutely perfect. Plugged in the cards, and it seems to work, apart from one annoying little thing: one of the front panel switches is bad. I noticed it when I was depositing, then reading back some data, then took a multimeter to determine that it's the switch itself that's broken. Cosmetically it looks ok, but it doesn't work. It's just one of the address/data switches, all other switches work fine. Are there any replacements for these switches to be found? Camiel.

12 years, 11 months

3
3
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cctech Digest, Vol 107, Issue 47

by jonas＠otter.se

On Sun, 29 Jul 2012 16:58:16 -0700 (PDT), Fred Cisin <cisin at xenosoft.com> wrote: > Except that it's MODE.COM (.EXE? (gotta check a copy sometime, and see > what the first two bytes are!)) contained [EGA,CGA] options that are > inapplicable for video boards other than the Compaq ones (that had an > internal and an external video). Do you mean "its MODE.COM contained options blabla"? /Jonas

12 years, 11 months

2
1
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test-drb July 2012