test-drb July 2012

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

196 participants
250 discussions

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, 11 months

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, 12 months

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, 12 months

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 || | | | | | | | |

13 years

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...

13 years

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>

13 years

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

13 years

DEC RX02 microcode listing

by chd＠chdickman.com

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

13 years

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

13 years, 1 month

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.

13 years, 1 month

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test-drb July 2012