test-drb September 2012

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

186 participants
241 discussions

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

Started prepping the Microdata for restoration tonight. The cpu, mag tape, and front panel are in very good condition. The power supply - not so much. It was apparently a long term home for mice. I don't see any chewed wiring - suprising - but their leavings induced a lot of corrosion and rust. I'm gonna bet those batteries aren't holding a charge. No power applied yet, going to go through the power supply with a fine tooth comb first. I thought the box was an M1600 for some reason, but it appears to be an R4510. Many years ago I did own two M1600's, and this box seems extremely similar, but the front panel is more reminiscent of the Reality Royale rather than the M1600. I haven't located all the stuff that came in the haul, but enough to get started in any case. The power supply is Microdata A20014662-002. Dare I ask.... any schematics? CPU info: Backplane - 19 Connector A20001279 rev a Slot 1 - 8k rom maintenance interface A20001281-001 rev H Slot 2 - control A20001273 rev E Slot 3 - data A20001043 rev K Slot 4 - empty Slot 5 - memory array board CS20002234 rev D Slot 6 & 7 empty Slot 8 - memory control A20002241 rev F Slot 9 - Formatted MTU control A20001274 rev G Slot 10 - Microcomputer Systems Corp CS20002991 rev B (disk) Slot 11 - 8way A20002615 rev J Slot 12 - GPBIO A20002510 Slot 13 - 19 empty It's been over 30 years since I had my hands inside the guts of a Microdata Reality. Brings back lots of memories. I've got the power supply pulled out and on a bench, all the cabinet panels removed, and cpu cables marked & removed. Haven't dug the Reflex I drive out of storage yet. There's also a box of serial number proms :) Pictures are at www.ezwind.net/microdata Game on :) J

12 years, 3 months

PDP8-L and Teletype in eBay

by spedraja＠ono.com

For anyone interested and with cash available. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DEC-Digital-PDP-Industrial-8-Minicomputer-Manuals… Regards. SPc.

12 years, 3 months

slide rules

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

Coincidentally with the recent discussion of slide rules, this nice article just hit EDN: http://www.edn.com/design/analog/4396854/Slideshow--Slide-rules-and-charts-… -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

12 years, 3 months

LOBO Systems MAX-80

by billdeg＠degnanco.com

> > Hi, > > I was curious if anyone had any information about (or experience with) LOBO > Systems MAX-80's. I have four of these, and they came with no > accessories, documentation, etc. > > I found an operations manual and a Technical Reference manual, but that's > about it. > > My only testing so far was to connect them to an NTSC monitor, and all I > get is some static-like display. Reading the operation manuals, it says > something to the extent that it should display static if there are no disk > drives attached. But another part of the manual says it should show some > text on power-on. > It's not saying that you will get something on the screen without disk drives attached, it's saying that AND valid boot media..Do you have boot disks? Otherwise you're not going to get very far. On my web site I have the scan of the page that you need to know where to attach the drive, but it's documented in the manual. There are boot media images online you can build using the ImageDisk. Bill

12 years, 3 months

TRS-DOS as possible prior art for MS patent on exFAT, and Reference request

by eric＠brouhaha.com

Microsoft introduced a new "exFAT" file system a few years ago, and I wouldn't care about it in the least, except that it is now the official filesystem for SD-XC cards. I only care about that in that digital cameras and such will likely only support exFAT on SD-XC cards, and I'd like my computer, not running Windows, to be able to efficiently access files on such cards. The problem is that Microsoft filed several patent applications covering exFAT. One of them is application US 2009/0164440 A1, for which the US patent office has recently mailed a "Notice of Allowance", which means that they have decided to issue the patent. This application is titled "Quick filename lookup using name hash". Based on the title, it sounded like they are doing what TRS-DOS 2.0 did back in 1978, which is putting on the disk a hash table of filenames which then refer to directory entries. TRS-DOS did that so that it usually only needed to read two sectors to look up a file, the HIT (Hash Index Table) sector, and the actual directory sector containing the file's directory entry. Otherwise they might have had to read multiple directory sectors to find the file if it existed, and all of the directory sectors if it did not. The claims of the patent are a little difficult to interpret. They refer to "a first one or more computer readable storage media having computer executable instructions...". This is basically referring to the disk/flash/etc. the operating system is booted from. They refer to "a second one or more..." which is the disk/flash/etc. which holds the file system in question. Here's are two of the independent claims: 1. A first one or more computer readable storage media having computer executable instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, configure the at least one processor to perform a method of detecting if a target file name exists on a second one or more computer readable storage media, the method comprising: (A) determining a name hash from the target name; (B) determining if the name hash corresponds to a directory entry set name hash value, the directory entry set name hash value corresponding to one of a plurality of directory entry sets, each of the plurality of directory entry sets stored on the second one or more computer readable storage media; (C) determining if the target name matches a directory entry set name corresponding to the one of the plurality of directory entry sets after step (B) determines the name hash corresponds to the directory entry set name hash value; and (D) indicating that the target name exists after step (C) determines the target name matches the directory entry set name. 19. A method of detecting if a target file name exists, the method executing on one or more processors, the method comprising: (A) determining a file name hash from the target file name; (B) determining if the file name hash corresponds to a directory entry hash value, the directory entry hash value corresponding to one of a plurality of directory entries; (C) determining if the target file name matches a file name, the file name corresponding to the one of the plurality of directory entries after step (B) determines the file name hash corresponds to the directory entry hash value; and (D) indicating that the target file name exists after step (C) determines the target file name matches the file name corresponding to the one of the plurality of directory entries. These seem to be to be to be *exactly* what TRS-DOS 2.0 did as early as 1978, so it seems possible that TRS-DOS could be used as prior art to invalidate at least these independent claims, and quite possibly some of the dependent claims as well. So my question is, are there any published works documenting the TRS-DOS file system on-disk format, especially the use of the HIT table, other than "TRS-80 Disk and Other Mysteries" by H. C. Pennington?

12 years, 3 months

Beware of eBay id TRIPLEHAATA

by rampaginggreenhulk＠yahoo.com

He keeps e-mailing me and asking me to pull key tops off of keyboards. NO intention of actually buying a k/b mind you (not at the price I'm asking for one, priced _not_ to sell ;). Beware of this guy, he's simply up to no good! You'll try and be nice and wind up RUINING a keyboard. What chutzpah! ?And relative to a recent thread, YES he does collect keyboards ;)

12 years, 3 months

Free SGI and other in Vancouver, BC

by pontus＠update.uu.se

Hi A fellow over at the SGI forums has run into some problems and need to let go of his entire collection pretty fast. http://forums.nekochan.net/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16726942 I don't know the story, I don't know him outside of the forums but there are some really nice machines (even DEC) in there for a person with some storage space and a big car. Regards, Pontus.

12 years, 3 months

PDP11 (brazil)

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

PDP11 of unknown model Used from 1978 until "yesterday" to do the billing for Rio De Janeiro's Metro transit billing system. Includes an "EDMONSON" card, whatever that is. Contact me off list if interested. J

12 years, 3 months

Microdata Reality M1600

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

I'm pondering starting the restoration project for the M1600. One thing concerns me though, I have fairly high suspicion that the Reflex I drive is "beyond all recall". Before I put a lot of time in starting that project, anyone have a spare Reflex I drive around just in case I get to that point and it's not recoverable? I'd hate to spend all the time on the machine and find out it's unusable. Unlike a lot of other machines, the M1600 is a paperweight without a disc drive....

12 years, 3 months

PDP 11/03 (australia)

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

PDP 11/03 available in australia, contact me off-list if interested. J

12 years, 3 months

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test-drb September 2012