January 2014 - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

by mtapley＠swri.edu

On Jan 8, 2014, at 12:00 PM, ARD wrote: > THe HP41 was a much mroe expandable ssytem than the TI59. Or at least, > IU've never seen an TI59 controlling a benchtop of HPIB instruments, > savign the readiungs to floppy disk or tape and then trasnmittign the > logged data over an RS232 link. I do that with my HP41 all the time. > > I don;t think the TI ever had a realtime clock, did it? > > And of course the HP had an alphanumeric dispaly. All true to the best of my knowledge; expandability and extensibility (sic?) was one area where the HP was leaps and bounds ahead of the TI. I was insufficiently precise; I was looking at total storage capacity and program execution speed as my main ?performance? criteria at the time. FWIW, the TI would print alpha characters on its PC-100 printer/cradle, if you had one of those. But it was pretty kludgey, and I don?t think there?s any way to get alpha out of the handheld part of the system. Well, OK, get the result 07734 and hold the calculator upside down. :-) >> 2) I quibble with Tony?s recommendation to reject a machine that says >> Sin(Pi) = 0. I?m pretty sure the TI says that; the quicker but >> essentially equivalent test I always used to taunt my HP-41-equipped >> friend was (Sqrt(2))^2. The TI said 2, the HP said 1.99999? I claim > > Actually, that is something rather different. > > If you take a decimal approximation of SQRT(2), round it after, say, 13 > digits, then square it and round the reult to 10 digits (or whatever), > you will get 2. But if you take any finite number of dgits of pi, > calculate the sin, the answer is not zero. It's of the order of > 10^-(number of digits). So even if you take 13 digits of pi, the SIN > should not display as zero. I suppose you could argue that if you took > over 100 digits, the result would be zero (since a number of the order of > 10^-100 will underflow to 0), but I doubt that the TI uses 100 digits > anywhere. (Quote slightly modified) Point taken; the TI gets very close to 2.00 for my test and should show 2.00, but for the near-zero result, it should show the scientific-notation value it gets, not 0.00. Now I?m curious; I?ll have to try to get my TI running long enough to try this. Hopefully Pi and Sin are two of the keys with fewer bounce problems than the others?.and I really don?t know what I?ll do for a battery pack. Sigh. At least the cells look like standard Ni-Cads. And no, although I did think about trying to write an arbitrary-precision set of subroutines for the TI using multiple registers to represent a single number, I never did it and 100 digits of Pi, or 100 digits of Sin(x) function, would have been beyond my math/programming skills anyway. - Mark

11 years, 4 months

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Fwd: FS: Apple Lisa 2

by lproven＠gmail.com

Again, don't ask me - I am just passing this on... - LP ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Pam Tcath <ptcath at gmail.com> Date: 9 January 2014 18:06 Subject: FS: Apple Lisa 2 To: lemswap at googlegroups.com For sale is an Apple Lisa 2 updated (in-board hard drive and 3.5" Floppy Drive). It has been in an attic for 20+ years. It powers on, but since I have never had a Lisa before, I did not want to screw anything up and didn't test it further. The Keyboard and Mouse are in their original boxes inside the original Accessories box. Pictures available on request. Once cleaned and restored it could be museum quality as there is no structural cosmetic damage. I checked eBay this AM and the only Lisa 2 is $ 2500.00. My friend who runs an Apple Museum values a working Lisa 2 at $ 1500.00. I am asking $ 1200.00 postpaid CONUS. PayPal ONLY. Pam Tcath Cranston, RI 02910 -- You received this message because you are a member of the LEM Swap group. To post to this group, send email to lemswap at googlegroups.com To unsubscribe, send an email *from your subscribed address* to lemswap+unsubscribe at googlegroups.com LEM-Swap is not a discussion list; it is for buying & selling Mac stuff. Reply directly to the person who posted, never to the list. Software piracy is illegal and not allowed on LEM Swap. Except for freeware and software originally provided with computers, no software is to be left on hard drives unless the original installer (not a burned copy) is included, along with any required registration number, password, etc. Shipments valued at US$100 or more should be insured, and shipments valued at US$25 or more should be shipped so they can be tracked. See the list FAQ http://lowendmac.com/lists/swap.html for guidelines on postings, feedback, and dispute resolution. Seller feedback at http://groups.google.com/group/swap-feedback --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "LEM Swap" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to lemswap+unsubscribe at googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. -- 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

11 years, 4 months

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TI vs HP

by mtapley＠swri.edu

On Jan 9, 2014, at 1:40 AM, cctalk-request at classiccmp.org wrote: > A program loadaed from magnetic card use the top row of keys (A-E) to > run it, Generally true. It?s also possible to label other keys as ?subroutine headers? and execute the subroutine from the keyboard (by for example hitting SBR Sin, if somewhere in the magnetic-card-loaded code is a PGM Sin (I think, been a while) followed by <code> followed by RTN. So it does help to have documentation with the magnetic stripe card. But for most cards, Tony is right, the 5 function keys were what called the pieces of code on the card. Also agreed with the other users, the ROM packs came with plain plastic label strips, which were totally superfluous if you had the documentation and could remember which key did what. - Mark

11 years, 4 months

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Lisp does NOT use RPN - Re: cctalk Digest, Vol 125, Issue 13

by toby＠telegraphics.com.au

>> It's the same kind of superior smugness you get from Lisp zealots, who >> also use >> ten-dollar words like "homoiconcity" and claim that it's the only tool >> that can >> bring us artificial intelligence, despite the fact that it has yet to >> actually >> produce any AI of note despite having been around for 56 years. It >> does however >> make sense once you realise that Lisp source code is also Polish >> Notation. > > It's not. Lisp does NOT use RPN. > ---------------------- My friendly Lisp expert (Quadrescence) clarifies me that Lisp does use Polish Notation per se (but not, of course, REVERSE Polish Notation). So this post is dedicated those people who occasionally wrongly claim that Lisp is RPN (though Peter Corlett does not appear to be making this claim). Sorry, Peter. I would dispute that Lisp has not delivered any meaningful AI, however. It was the substrate for decades of symbolic AI research, the fundamentals of which are neatly summarised in books like Norvig's Paradigms of AI Programming. --Toby > > Lisp uses prefix ordering ... > > There are languages that use RPN (I won't bother listing them) but Lisp > is not among them. > > --Toby

11 years, 4 months

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TI vs. HP

by mtapley＠swri.edu

All, I?m siding with the peacemakers - if you find you think better in stack, use a stack-based machine like an HP. If you find you think better in parentheses, TI/Casio is clearly the way to go. I?m truly glad both exist. I have a couple of observations, though. 1) TI-59 and HP-41 were both powerful enough to program to emulate the other style. I had a relatively easy job programming my TI-59 to run RPN, using the A..E keys for the operations; my high-school friend with the HP-41 had a tougher time programming his machine to do parentheses, using function keys for ( and ). I picked the TI because at the time (~1979), it had nearly the same performance for a considerably lower price. However I now have awful keybounce issues on my -59 and my Dad?s HP-41CV is still going strong. My personal preference both for ease of use and (particularly) for programming is that the RPN machine is easier, but I do concur it takes a while more to get used to. However the difference was less important to me than the cost difference at the time. 2) I quibble with Tony?s recommendation to reject a machine that says Sin(Pi) = 0. I?m pretty sure the TI says that; the quicker but essentially equivalent test I always used to taunt my HP-41-equipped friend was (Sqrt(2))^2. The TI said 2, the HP said 1.99999? I claim both answers are correct. The HP is correct because the rounding error did appear, and the calculator correctly reflected its effect in the final result. However the TI answer is *also* correct because the TI does arithmetic to 13 digits, and displays only the high-order 10 digits. The rounding process from the truncated result to the displayed digits results in the 2.00.. answer which is displayed. I?ll freely admit that the 13-digit-calculation to 10-digit-display rounding process is concealing the truncation problem from me, and if I don?t know to look carefully for it (which can be done, by calculating (Sqrt(2))^2 -2, resulting in 1E-12 or so) I could be bitten badly by it when it finally *does* accumulate up into the displayable digits, or when I do an X=Y test that ?looks? like it should succeed, etc. But, I claim knowing this is part of being familiar with the tools you use, and incumbent on the user. Different tools, different characteristics; both powerful and effective, in my opinion. - Mark

11 years, 4 months

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Looking for Execuport 4000 manual

by lists＠loomcom.com

Hey folks, It's a long shot, but does anybody have a manual for an Execuport 4000 printing terminal? It was made by Computer Transceiver Systems, Inc. I haven't found it on Bitsavers, and Google isn't being very helpful. Thanks, -Seth

11 years, 4 months

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Wanted: Kaypro 16 disks

by james＠slor.net

If anyone has original (or copies of original) disk that shipped with the Kaypro 16 (the hard drive model, not the 16-2), I would love to get ahold of a set of floppies or images. I've probably posted this request more than once over the years, but I have yet to find a set of this software. If anyone can help me out, please drop me a line. Thanks! James

11 years, 4 months

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Televideo PM and Infoshare Manual/Media.. Archived anywhere?

by me＠GarrettMeiers.com

I picked up this set of Televideo PM and InfoShare Supervisor's Manual and Media last month. I don't see it on Bitsavers, unless I am missing it... Does anyone know if this is archived anywhere already? If not, I'll add it to my "to scan" and "to image" piles. ?https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yvvpgdth1o6ch26/-7_V9yLMOh#/? ?Thanks,? Garrett Meiers Founder, BitHistory.org & President, ConsulNIX, LLC www.BitHistory.org www.linkedin.com/in/theunixguy

11 years, 4 months

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2014 started off well here..

by jdr_use＠bluewin.ch

The local craigslist equivalent yielded a tiny advert "Imsai 8080 computer from 1977". price : 110 USD, negotiable.... The picture was a tiny B/W jpg lifted from the internet, and did not look too promising. The actual hardware ? An absolutely mint, as-new, IMSAI 8080... >from the orignal owner.... with full documtation, including original invoice... in the original IMSAI cardbox ! Also MPU-A and MIO cards.. 24 Kbytes of 2102 SRAM.. all ICs socketed.. with papertape software.... handpulled papertape reader... Needless to say no further price negotiations took place. About the only minus is the MDC-A4 floppy controller, which requires more difficult to find hardsectored disks. ( Original diskdrive and disks were scrapped a long time ago ) I will also need to find some extra s100 connectors to complete the backplane. it seems the '2014 project is defined ! Jos

11 years, 4 months

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WTB: Floppy disc test/service disc

by pinball＠telus.net

I'm looking for a service disc for the 3.5" (IBM-XT/AT vintage) drives (not 5-14") - does anyone have one for sale? Ideally this is the original as they came with ondisc faults for part of the testing procedure AIR. Thanks! John :-#)# -- John's Jukes Ltd. 2343 Main St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 3C9 Call (604)872-5757 or Fax 872-2010 (Pinballs, Jukes, VideoGames) www.flippers.com "Old pinballers never die, they just flip out"

11 years, 4 months

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A New Year and a large cleanup

by quapla＠xs4all.nl

After deliberating it for several months, I have decided to let go of most of my PDP-11 stuff. It consists roughly of a 11/70, 2 RK07's, 3 RK05's, 2 RL02's, TU-80 (upright one), RM03 drive and a PC04, + many parts etc. A more complete list can be found at www.groenenberg.net/download/1170 as well as a few pics. Offers are entertained, and questions will be answered. Response to offers will be not immediate, I'll wait at least a week before a decision is made on that. The stuff is located in the Netherlands, about 20 Km west of Arnhem. Ed -- Dit is een HTML vrije email / This is an HTML free email. Zeg NEE tegen de 'slimme' meter.

11 years, 4 months

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ISO Hitachi JK-260 paper tape reader schematic

by aek＠bitsavers.org

Not much chance, but I thought I'd ask. It is a capstan driven desktop 8 channel optical paper tape reader, circa 1980. AC motor, built like a tank, and the capstan still feels OK. It shouldn't be too difficult to trace out if not, there are only 11 signals coming out to a 25 pin connector. Obviously parallel given the logic on the circuit board. I'll take some pictures of it and scan the circuit board today.

11 years, 4 months

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WTB: Floppy disc test/service disc

by marvin＠west.net

On 1/6/14 6:52 PM, Al Kossow wrote: > That reminds me I need to take some pictures of a Dysan test box that > I picked up at the flea market. It uses a normal drive, so it won't > write off track but it has a lot more circuitry than would be > required for just an ordinary read/write circuit. Al, Bitsavers does not have manuals for either the Dysan Model 450 (5 1/4" drives" or Model 850 (8" drives) online. I do have an original Model 450 manual if you need scans. (I know, I still owe you VG schematic scans.) I did put a Dysan PAT-1 Model 850 (8" drives) up on eBay yesterday in case anyone cares. No manual or accessories :(. FWIW, I have both the Accurite HRD and Dysan DDD 5 1/4" Digital Diagnostic Disks, and they don't seem to be compatible. I use QAFloppy (Diagsoft QAFE/Plus) with the Accurite HRD and it works fine. However the Dysan disk is not recognized by the software. Second, I see the PAT-1 Schematic on Bitsavers is for the PAT-1 Model 850 for 8" disks. Third, the PAT-1 box isn't directly compatible with PC floppies as the interface signals are slightly different. Works fine with the early Shugart/Tandon drives, but won't recongnize PC drives. Finally, I have maybe six or so of the Dysan DDD disks marked bad, bad side 0, or bad side 1. If someone wants to see if they can use them, let me know.

11 years, 4 months

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Clear out of various computer detritus (Surrey,UK)

by toby＠pdp11.co.uk

Hi, I've decided to have a clear out to raise some funds for the school club I run teaching 7-11 year olds computer programming, electrics and engineering. So here is what I have looking for a new home: - Lots of micro-vaxes (pizza box style) - Lots of microVax chassis (mostly unpopulated with cards) - Various Apple IIs and Apple II peripherals - Various terminals - SMD drives - BBC micros, Spectrums and ZX81s - Atari 2600's (woodies, darth vaders and jr's) - IBM PC/XTs - Misc PDP-11 parts (a few QBUS chassis, RX50s, TU58s, TK50s, QBUS cards, UNIBUS cards, PDP-11/44, RD,RF,RZ series hard drives) - Lots of other assorted items If anyone is interested in anything or would like to visit and dig through the stash get in contact. All the best, Toby

11 years, 4 months

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MFM Control Signals and RD disk size (Robert Jarratt)

by tiggerlasv＠aim.com

On Monday, January 6th, 2014, Jerome Fine wrote: >I assume that drive 0 was DS3 and drive 1 was DS4? Please confirm. >I managed to make up the required circuits and LEDs for a BA23 >box with 2 hard drives and an RX50 (placed outside of the BA23, >but connected with long cables to the normal connectors) connected >to an RQDX2 via the standard distribution board adjacent to the >hard drive bays. I remember that lines 3 and line 4 on the 10 pin >cable supported the second hard drive. My first attempt jumpered >line 1 and line 3 along with line 2 and line 4 to allow the 4 button >panel to support both hard drives as long as they were BOTH in >WRITE PROTECT at the same time. The circuit I developed >much later needed two switches, two resistors and 4 LEDs. >On occasion when I need two hard drives in an BA23, I disconnect >the 10 pin cable to the normal 4 button panel and connect that 10 pin >cable to my contraption. >I am curious, do you have the circuit needed to support the second hard >drive? And did you have to cut any traces on the 4 button panel? >What I don't understand is why DEC did not make the information >easily available if you found it so easy to make supporting a second >hard drive possible. But back then, I guess DEC was DEC. It was >much more profitable selling an expansion BA23 box or better yet >a BA123 box. >Jerome Fine I typically took the easy way out, and soldered two 1/4 watt resistors onto the 4-button circuit board, which ultimately strapped the 2nd hard drive as "Always ready" and "Write Enabled". T

11 years, 4 months

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MFM Control Signals and RD disk size (Robert Jarratt)

by michael.99.thompson＠gmail.com

> > From: Glen Slick <glen.slick at gmail.com> > Date: Sat, 4 Jan 2014 12:02:32 -0800 > Subject: Re: MFM Control Signals and RD disk size > On Sat, Jan 4, 2014 at 11:16 AM, emanuel stiebler <emu at e-bbes.com> wrote: > > On 2014-01-04 11:59, Robert Jarratt wrote: > > > >> So how does it do this when the disk is yet to be formatted? In other > >> words, > >> when it formats the disk how does it know what size the disk is? > > > > > > DEC drives have this information in a special area of the drive. > > If for exmaple, the MV2000 finds this blocks, it formats to exactly this > > specs. You see this, if you go into the MV2000 diagnostics. > > > > All other drives, you have to enter the specs manually ... > > > > How does that match with this information, if it is correct, that the > MicroVAX 2000 disk recognizer works for the set of known disk drives > even if the disk came from a different system and has no DEC specific > information or formatting on it currently? > > http://home.iae.nl/users/pb0aia/vax/fmtbob.html > > "The standard DEC drives that are supported in the VS2000 and their > industry equivalents are: > > RD54 - Maxtor XT-2190 > RD53 - Micropolis 1325 or 1335 > RD31 - Seagate ST-225 > RD32 - Seagate ST-251-1 > > If you have any of these standard drives you can simply plug it into > your 2000 and the ROM formatter will automatically recognize the drive > types. I've never seen this fail, even if the drive has never seen a > DEC machine before, or even if the drive was previously formatted in > a PC." > This was posted years ago for the RD53 - Micropolis 1325 or 1335: Unscrew the two screws holding the circuit board to the bottom of the drive and carefully lift it up. Along one edge of the circuit board you will find a place where it would appear that a resistor should be -- this place is marked R7. Solder a jumper into that spot to make this drive into an RD53. Set the drive select jumper to DS2 and you should be in business. -- Michael Thompson

11 years, 4 months

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That was quick! S-100 Z80 CPU V2 PCBs ordered

by LYNCHAJ＠YAHOO.COM

Hi! Thanks to the great response on the pre-orders for S-100 Z80 CPU V2 PCBs! I have placed a PCB manufacturing order and they should arrive about the 22 Jan 2014. I will send out the pre-ordered boards first and then offer the remainder to the builders. Thank you very much and have a nice day! Andrew Lynch

11 years, 4 months

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Wanting a SWTPC 6800 but need more information

by billdeg＠buzz1.com

>> >> A working, complete, 1975-6 SWTPc with top and bezel, original backplane, >> original CPU and RAM with an MP-S card is worth $1000+. That would be the >> bare minimum system. $700 is too low for a working system. The newer 6809 >> SWTPc's would be worth less, maybe you can get one of these for $700. > >Although note that the earliest SWTPC 6800 used the MP-C card as the >console interface along with Motorola's MIKBUG ROM monitor. This was >all pretty much from the MEK6800-D1 eval kit reference design. > >If you have an MP-S card for the console interface then you will also >have SWTBUG, which SWTPC developed and came later in the evolution of >those systems. Oops. Yes the MP-C, not the MP-S. A working system from the first year or two would be worth a lot more than $700, MP-C / MIKIBUG. Forgot that I upgraded mine. I use the MP-S but I still have the MP-C. Bill

11 years, 4 months

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Raritan Dominion PS2 cables available

by sales＠elecplus.com

http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/Raritan-Dominion-KX-PS-2-CIM/597051.aspx?cm _mmc=ShoppingFeeds-_-GoogleBase-_-Servers%20_%20Server%20Management/KVM%20Co nsoles%20_%20Switches-_-597051_Raritan%20Dominion%20KX%20PS_2%20CIM_RAR-DCIM -PS2 <http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/Raritan-Dominion-KX-PS-2-CIM/597051.aspx?c m_mmc=ShoppingFeeds-_-GoogleBase-_-Servers%20_%20Server%20Management/KVM%20C onsoles%20_%20Switches-_-597051_Raritan%20Dominion%20KX%20PS_2%20CIM_RAR-DCI M-PS2&gclid=CLrwnMzA6rsCFa4-Mgoddz0A6A> &gclid=CLrwnMzA6rsCFa4-Mgoddz0A6A A large qty of these are available to me, new. Any takers? Where do you want to be on price? Cindy Croxton Electronics Plus 1613 Water Street Kerrville, TX 78028 (830)792-3400 phone (830)792-3404 fax AOL IM elcpls _____ No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2014.0.4259 / Virus Database: 3658/6978 - Release Date: 01/05/14

11 years, 4 months

1
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DEC cables for BlackBox

by sales＠elecplus.com

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BLACKBOX-EHN051-0010-10-FT-VGA-PS2-PS2-M-SERVSWITCH- CABLE-USED-/221148056077 I have 17 pcs of these NEW, available to me. Any takers out there? If so, where do you want to be on price? Cindy Croxton Electronics Plus 1613 Water Street Kerrville, TX 78028 (830)792-3400 phone (830)792-3404 fax AOL IM elcpls _____ No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2014.0.4259 / Virus Database: 3658/6978 - Release Date: 01/05/14

11 years, 4 months

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RFC Ethernet Bus Interface V1

by aek＠bitsavers.org

Here is a first draft. Anything wrong/missing architecturally? Ethernet Bus Interface Board 2013-12-21 aek +--------------+ | 4Mx16 BBSRAM | +------+ | AS6C1616 | | | +------+-------+ LEDs - + ARM | | SD -- + uCtl | JTAG +------+-------+ USB -- + +-----------+ | -> Simulated Peripheral Registers ENET - + +-----------+ FPGA | Bus Monitor / Adr Mapper SER?-- | | ARM intf | | Bus Master Controler +------+ +------+-------+ | +------+-------+ | | | 5v<->3.3v | | Bus Buffers | +--------------+ The entire address space of the host is maintained in the SRAM ARM performs DMA by placing the data to be transfered where it will appear on the host. If the local memory is the system memory, we're done, just clean up the DMA registers. If not the FPGA does DMA to synchronize local memory with core. 3 cycle data break side effects will have to be investigated. Does any driver watch the value of ADR,WC in memory while a DMA is occurring? Bus transactions are snooped to maintain consistency on the PDP-8 where some core memory is on the Omnibus. This may work OK on small 11's, too but won't be the right thing to do on an 11/70 where memory transactions occur that are invisible to the Unibus. It should be possible to simulate all the front panel functions of an Omnibus machine and to capture all of the state in real time for all of the major registers from watching Omnibus transactions. It is also possible to adapt the board to be a dedicated bus analyzer or soft front panel or peripheral/ memory exerciser for any supported bus architecture. All registers and supported peripherals are obviously soft. The configuration is stored on the SD, along with the FPGA bitstream. Everything should be reconfigurable through transactions across the Ethernet by updating files on the SD card. Battery-backed SRAM was chosen over FRAM because of cost. I'm not sure if a local serial interface would be that useful other than for debugging messages. There are a small number of LEDs hung off of a STP08DP05 Small local SPI NOVRAM for configuration/bitstream storage? SD hot-swap? Larger local storage? Is performance an issue on Omnibus/Qbus/Unibus CPUs? They are slow enough busses that they'll saturate in the couple MB/sec range. Write-through track caching in SRAM? Block mode on QBus .. and on and on Ethernet Peripheral Controller This is the mirror of the Bus Interface Board. It provides block-level data that the Bus Interface sends into the computer. In its simplest form, there is no hardware at all, it is just a simulation running on a computer on the network. The second simplest is hardware that understands the Ethernet peripheral command protocol but has a simple enough interface to the physical device that no FPGA is required. It may also not need any local storage. The most complicated could look like the Bus Interface Board, with local SRAM and FPGA. A Diskferret-like forensic disk interface would be an example of this.

11 years, 4 months

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Need DEC BC80J-20 cable

by charlesmorris800＠centurytel.net

I'm looking for a BC80J-20 cable... that's the one that goes from the RL controller card to the first drive, with a 40 pin header on one end and that big quick-release connector on the other end. (I am tired of failures and damage to the rigged ribbon cable/IDC header I've been using, and now that I'm chasing a fault in my two- RL02 system, I can't swap drives without taking the cover off to get to the header connectors inside). thanks Charles

11 years, 5 months

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Lot of fiche and books on UK ebay

by pontus＠update.uu.se

I thought this might interest some of you. I'd go for it myself but the bulk of the books I don't want will raise the shipping costs to much. /P

11 years, 5 months

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BNC video cables

by sales＠elecplus.com

Ask and you shall receive.. 4 BNC to PC VGA, new, qty 4, approx 4 feet long, $15 each 3 BNC to PC VGA, used, qty 1, approx 3 feet long, $10 5 BNC to PC VGA, used, qty 1, approx 5 feet long, $15 4 BNC to 15-pin Rasterops PN 9000-0059, new but dusty, $15 (will not work on PC, wrong end) 4 BNC to 15-pin Rasterops PN 9000-0001, new, $15 (will not work on PC, wrong end) Shipping $6 for the 1st cable, and $3 each additional cable ground in US. Cindy Croxton Electronics Plus 1613 Water Street Kerrville, TX 78028 (830)792-3400 phone (830)792-3404 fax AOL IM elcpls _____ No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2014.0.4259 / Virus Database: 3658/6978 - Release Date: 01/05/14

11 years, 5 months

1
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MFM Control Signals and RD disk size

by robert.jarratt＠ntlworld.com

As I don't have a logic analyser to help me with my analysis of the MFM interface, can anyone tell me how the MicroVAX 2000 determines disk size? I know it is related to the number of heads, but what does the drive do when the host asks for a head that does not exist? How does it report this back? The only thing I can think of is the Ready signal, could that be it? Regards Rob

11 years, 5 months

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cctalk Digest, Vol 125, Issue 14

by seefriek＠gmail.com

From: Liam Proven <lproven at gmail.com> > So, an ad-hominem attack is your idea of a balanced reply, is it? Can't attack the message, attack the messenger. Good to see my assessment was spot on. KJ

11 years, 5 months

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Ten classic electronic calculators from the 1970s and 1980s • The Register

by woyciesjes＠sbcglobal.net

For you calculator geeks out there.... http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/01/03/ten_classic_calcutors/ -- --- Dave Woyciesjes --- ICQ# 905818 --- CompTIA A+ Certified IT Tech - http://certification.comptia.org/ --- HDI Certified Support Center Analyst - http://www.ThinkHDI.com/ Registered Linux user number 464583 "Computers have lots of memory but no imagination." "The problem with troubleshooting is that trouble shoots back." - from some guy on the internet.

11 years, 5 months

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Possibly dumbest ebay ad ever...

by evan＠snarc.net

Someone put an Apple sticker on a briefcase. Asking price: $6,000. http://tinyurl.com/n8aw6gl

11 years, 5 months

6
6
0 0

Wanting a SWTPC 6800 but need more information

by billdeg＠buzz1.com

> I'm just wondering if anyone knows what a typical value for a single unit > with nothing fancy is? I note a recent auction had two of them together for > $1400 - Am I correct to imply from that that the value of an individual unit > is probably less than $700 (that set was unique due to the systems being > linked and that control box they had, I think). A working, complete, 1975-6 SWTPc with top and bezel, original backplane, original CPU and RAM with an MP-S card is worth $1000+. That would be the bare minimum system. $700 is too low for a working system. The newer 6809 SWTPc's would be worth less, maybe you can get one of these for $700. Bill

11 years, 5 months

3
2
0 0

3rd Party 11/730 memory boards

by seefriek＠gmail.com

I've seen a couple of vague references to 3rd party memory cards for the VAX 11/730, equivalent to the M8750, that used denser DRAM chips in order to use less power. Unfortunately, my google-fu has turned up nothing. Does anyone know who made these cards and what part number they would be (assuming they exist at all)? KJ

11 years, 5 months

2
1
0 0

RD54 IDs

by sander.reiche＠gmail.com

Hi all, I think I'm not getting it. I have a BA23 with a 11/83 and a RQDX3. I have set the IDs on the RD54s (XT2190s) to ID 0 (pin 1 and C) and ID 1 (pin 2 and C) but yet ZRQCH0 or RT-11 does not seem to find the second disk, which should be DU1, right? Am I missing something here? regards, reiche

11 years, 5 months

3
2
0 0

DEC InfoServer 100 Firmware archived anywhere?

by glen.slick＠gmail.com

Has anyone archived the DEC InfoServer 100 firmware anywhere? I see that CHM has one, http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102682746 Is the InfoServer 100 motherboard identical to that of the MicroVAX 3100 Model 20, except for the firmware? From information I've found on the net that appears that it might be the case but I haven't found a definitive answer on that. I have a MicroVAX 3100 Model 20 that isn't too interesting and it might be more interesting if it could be converted to an InfoServer 100 with a firmware swap. -Glen

11 years, 5 months

5
4
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DEC InfoServer 100 Firmware archived anywhere? (Zane Healy

by michael.99.thompson＠gmail.com

> > Subject: Re: DEC InfoServer 100 Firmware archived anywhere? > On Jan 4, 2014, at 12:53 PM, Glen Slick <glen.slick at gmail.com> wrote: > > > Has anyone archived the DEC InfoServer 100 firmware anywhere? > I have V3.5a. -- Michael Thompson

11 years, 5 months

2
1
0 0

Need DEC BC80J-20 cable

by charlesmorris800＠centurytel.net

On Jan 3, 2014, at 12:00 PM, cctalk-request at classiccmp.org wrote: > From: Brad Parker <brad at heeltoe.com> > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Need DEC BC80J-20 cable > Message-ID: <52C6D5C1.3080207 at heeltoe.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > On 12/15/13, 10:48 PM, Charles wrote: >> I'm looking for a BC80J-20 cable... that's the one that goes from the >> RL controller card to the first drive, with a 40 pin header on one >> end >> and that big quick-release connector on the other end. >> >> (I am tired of failures and damage to the rigged ribbon cable/IDC >> header I've been using, and now that I'm chasing a fault in my >> two-RL02 system, I can't swap drives without taking the cover off to >> get to the header connectors inside). >> > I think I'm looking for one of these as well. Or maybe someone here > can > point me to what I really want :-) > > I have an RL02 driver and an RL02 controller, but I seem to have > lost/misplaced the "cabinet kit". I could swear I had one at one > point. > > So, the RL02 drive has a terminator and a nice long round cable which > seems to have a 2x.1" header. But I believe I need the cable part > which > is normally install on the cpu cabinet. My guess is it would cable a > shielded ribbon cable with a connector for the board header and the > other end would have a metal bracket and something to mate with the > nice > round cable... > > Is this even close? > > -brad The BC80J-20 has the 40-pin header on one end and enough flat ribbon cable to make it out the back of the chassis... I have never seen a "real" one but I believe it has some kind of transition to the round cable (which then has the quick-disconnect on the other end)? BTW, Continental Computers answered my quote request with they can "let it go for $145"... that's about four times what I expected to pay for one! -Charles

11 years, 5 months

5
9
0 0

Wanting a SWTPC 6800 but need more information

by brad＠bettercomputing.net

Hey guys, I am keeping an eye out for an SWTPC 6800 system. I was hoping for one with the SWTPC black case. I thought that'd be nice to go with the CT-1024 terminal I have (if I get it working). Have developed a bit of a fascination with SWTPC lately. I'm just wondering if anyone knows what a typical value for a single unit with nothing fancy is? I note a recent auction had two of them together for $1400 - Am I correct to imply from that that the value of an individual unit is probably less than $700 (that set was unique due to the systems being linked and that control box they had, I think). I keep seeing this one popping up on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/SWTPC-6800-in-custom-case-with-PLEXIGLASS-Cover-Rare -/151200879158?pt=US_Vintage_Computers_Mainframes <http://www.ebay.com/itm/SWTPC-6800-in-custom-case-with-PLEXIGLASS-Cover-Rar e-/151200879158?pt=US_Vintage_Computers_Mainframes&hash=item2334465236> &hash=item2334465236 But it's got a custom case, and looking at the written dates on the ROMs appears to be later than what I believe was the 6800's heyday (mid to late 70s?). Did SWTPC sell 6800s as parts like that, or is this something someone cobbled together? Brad

11 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

HP 97500-85620 Drives.

by me＠GarrettMeiers.com

Does anyone have any information about these HP hard drives? https://www.dropbox.com/sc/xovh6yyel6zhzil/B4UelO3lhK Model 97500-85620. They have a 40 pin connector on them, but no power input. Doing a search shoes a mix of companies describing these as either HPIB or IDE. I believe HPIB is probably the case, but I can't find any documentation for the drives to be 100% sure. I would love to find a manual/spec sheet for the drives. Thanks! Garrett Meiers Founder, BitHistory.org & President, ConsulNIX, LLC www.BitHistory.org www.linkedin.com/in/theunixguy

11 years, 5 months

4
3
0 0

BNC Video out and LCD monitor with VGA D-Sub video in

by aswood＠t-online.de

Hello all, how to connect a HP 9000/300 with RGB BNC video out to a modern LCD monitor, which has only a D-Sub VGA video connector. Can I simply use a classic BNC to VGA cable just reverse connected? Since from 2015 on there will be no new monitor supporting VGA singnals anymore what we have to do to connect our old workstations? Andreas

11 years, 5 months

3
2
0 0

IBM 5120

by webmaster＠supervinx.com

Hi! It's mandatory to connect the printer? Trying to access the internal drives leads in 013 error (Device not attached), both for D80 and D40. I've not opened it yet. The drives spin, I can hear the noise inserting a disk. Thanks!

11 years, 5 months

4
10
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Intel MDS 225 system being auctioned by Chicago Transit Authority

by brad＠bettercomputing.net

I've been looking at the various means if creating a disk from image.. but given the hardware required and rigging it all up.. I'd rather just obtain a copy somewhere i think. Sent from Samsung Mobile <div>-------- Original message --------</div><div>From: Chuck Guzis <cclist at sydex.com> </div><div>Date:01/03/2014 4:29 PM (GMT-08:00) </div><div>To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> </div><div>Subject: Re: Intel MDS 225 system being auctioned by Chicago Transit Authority </div><div> </div>On 01/03/2014 02:19 PM, Dave Mabry wrote: > If an MDS225 was "upgraded" with the double density boardset and the > internal cable, that turns the internal drive into a double density only > drive. > > I've seen several that were upgraded that way. Yeah, I remember both the DD and SD versions of the board set--and I remember how hot the channel board ran.? One of the first questions I asked on the VCF posting was whether or not the OP had the DD board set--kind of hard to miss.? He reported that he did not, so he's running off the 8271 built-in controller. If he was using the DD board set, that would create an interesting issue, as it uses MMFM, not MFM for encoding.? Not something easily done on a PC. Fortunately, it's clear that plain old SSSD disks will work just fine--and he can probably use a PC to write the images to disk. --Chuck

11 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

S-100 buffered prototyping board PCBs are here

by LYNCHAJ＠YAHOO.COM

Hi! Good news! The S-100 buffered prototyping board PCBs have arrived! Here is your chance to build your own S-100 board project! Here is more information on the S-100 buffered prototyping board. These boards have been respun and contain some minor improvements from previous versions. http://www.s100computers.com/My%20System%20Pages/Prototype%20Board/Prototype %20Board.htm The PCBs will be $20 each as per the usual arrangement. Shipping in the US is $3 for a single PCB and $2 for each additional PCB. Shipping internationally is $12.75 for a single PCB and $3 for each additional PCB. This is for the bare basics USPS first class postage with no tracking or insurance. The builder assumes all risk of delivery as per usual arrangement. My preference is to sell these PCBs to vintage computer/home brew computer/classic computer hobbyists first but if there are any remaining boards I will put them on eBay. Please send a PayPal to LYNCHAJ at YAHOO.COM with the subject "S-100 buffered prototyping board" and I will send your board(s). There are several PCBs left. Thanks and have a nice day! Andrew Lynch

11 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Intel MDS 225 system being auctioned by Chicago Transit Authority

by brad＠bettercomputing.net

I just bought one of those off ebay for $50. ?Shipping was a killer though. ?Very nice machine. ? Just wish I had a boot disk for it. Brad Sent from Samsung Mobile <div>-------- Original message --------</div><div>From: Jason T <silent700 at gmail.com> </div><div>Date:01/02/2014 1:46 PM (GMT-08:00) </div><div>To: "General Discussion: On-Topic Posts Only" <cctech at classiccmp.org> </div><div>Subject: Re: Intel MDS 225 system being auctioned by Chicago Transit Authority </div><div> </div>On Thu, Dec 12, 2013 at 3:48 PM, Colin Howell <colin.d.howell at gmail.com> wrote: > The Chicago Transit Authority is auctioning off a whole load of > miscellaneous stuff (including a couple of rail cars!). One of the items > being auctioned is what appears to be an Intel MDS 225 "Blue Box" (4 MHz > 8085A system) complete with an MDS 720 disk expansion unit and some sort of > Control Data hard disk. > > The specific lot is here: > > http://ricklevin.nextlot.com/public/lot/15005194?section=photos Despite being local *and* placing a low bid on the lot, I completely dropped the ball (mouse?) and forgot about the closing. Did anyone here end up with this fine blue machine?

11 years, 5 months

5
8
0 0

SWTPC TVT-II

by brad＠bettercomputing.net

Hey everyone, I'm a fairly middle-weight collector based in Squamish, BC. I have about 70 machines total, a few of which are projects that I'm seeking advice/help on. One of them is an SWTPC TVT-II CT-1024 terminal. I bought it a couple of months ago, complete on ebay. I've tried to read as much documentation on these as I can find, but there are a few things I can't figure out. I've posted a few videos of it -- including this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2rX10-m8GQ Initially when I turned it on, I got just garbled screen. The first monitor I attempted to hook up to was my Apple III, which apparently can't handle it at all. Then I went to my Commodore 1702 and 1084, and I can adjust things enough to make out a picture and characters, but it's repeated several times, as you can see in the video. On the first few powerups I'd see the occasional flickering of a full field of questionmarks, but it wouldn't stay. I learned about the voltage trimmer on the PSU and have trimmed it to 5V exactly, and now when I turn the unit on, the field of question marks comes up and stays. There is a switch I've discovered (none of them are labelled) that causes that field to disappear. I think this puts the unit into terminal mode. The keyboard is connected to the serial card (I think there is a connector on the motherboard where it could go also if you didn't have that). I also played with some trimmers on the motherboard that adjust horizontal position and so on. Anyway, what you see in the videos up to the most recent one is the most I can make it do. It doesn't seem to respond to keystrokes, and the documentation I have is limited or a bit over my head. Mainly I'd like to figure out why the screen is so messed up. Much appreciated if there are any of you out there familiar with these old timers and would have an idea where to begin looking. Brad

11 years, 5 months

4
4
0 0

2BSD and RL02 (was Re: Need DEC BC80J-20 cable)

by ethan.dicks＠gmail.com

On Fri, Jan 3, 2014 at 4:17 PM, Mark J. Blair <nf6x at nf6x.net> wrote: > I'm just getting started in DEC stuff in general and RL02 drives in particular. I'm > putting together a PDP-11/44 system, and I hope to try running both RT11 and > BSD on it. The 11/44 has split I&D so you can go with 2.9BSD or 2.11BSD. Generally speaking, you'd probably want to go with 2.11BSD because you can. > Would a two-drive system be sufficient, or would I need more storage space? > I have four RL02 drives in unknown condition, but I was only planning to rack > up two of them with the PDP-11/44 and a Kennedy 9610 9-track tape drive. My experience is that I was able to fit the base install on the first RL02 pack, but there wasn't room to pull the sources and rebuild the kernel without more storage. Even so, 20MB total was kinda tight, maybe too tight. Back when this hardware was current, it was IIRC easy to plunk 2BSD onto one or two RK07s (28MB each). When I started playing with simh 15+ years ago, it was easier to define an RP03 and install into one big 60MB pot (which is how I helped find a simh bug long ago). You can give it a try now with simh by practicing with a couple of 10MB image files and the 2BSD distro tape images. It's an authentic experience in terms of the approach you'd have to take and the commands you'd have to type (without bad blocks and tape errors to pull you astray). If it fits on 2x RL02 in simh, it'll be the same on real hardware. That reminds me - you have to have error-free packs. DEC used to sell RL02-EF packs for use with UNIX (RT-11 can mark bad spots on the disk and if they aren't in the first tracks or if there aren't too many, you can mark those sectors allocated and work around them. Not so with BSD). For RT-11, even a single RL02 is plenty of space. I used develop applications on an 11/23 and an RL01 was enough for the OS and all my code. > My PDP-11/44 pile came with an RL11 board and the cable from it to the > first RL02 drive. It doesn't have a bulkhead fitting; it just goes from > the controller directly to the connector that plugs into the back of an > RL02 drive. I haven't looked at the cable carefully yet, but I can > examine, measure and photograph it if that would be helpful to anybody > else in this thread. The bulkhead bracket was convenient but not essential. To get out of the CPU cabinet, you almost certainly have a flat 40-pin cable, then the transition connector, then probably the usual drive-to-drive round cable, but just laying in a line, not bolted to your rack. It will work just fine but there's a risk of kinking or pinching cables if you move the drives around a lot (the bracket has a spot to screw down a tab on the shield of the round cable as a strain relief with either a 6-32 or 4-40 machine screw). I know I have at least 1-2 bad cables from excessive flex/pinching (I've thought about cutting them at the point of physical damage and trying to make one or two of them into a BC80M cable since I have the right crimper for those Berg pins). > BTW, I am looking for drive ID lenses for my RL02 drives. I need a "1" and > a "2", and I could either buy them outright or trade "0" lenses for them. My > RL02 pile came with three "0" lenses and a "3". My recollection is that it was common to have 1-2 drives, but not 3-4 (for reasons of cost), and as systems were consolidated, there were more "0" plugs than the others combined. I've thought about molding replacements or even 3D printing them (they'd be suitably light-transmissive if made from natural ABS or especially natural or clear PLA) but I haven't tried making an STL of them. There'd be a risk of the fingers snapping off and getting stuck in the switch mechanism, but I think an ABS drive plug that was subjected to the acetone vapor treatment would firm up nicely and be resistant to the layers separating. Anyone care to make up an engineering drawing of the plug with tolerances in the 0.1mm range? -ethan

11 years, 5 months

4
8
0 0

Keeping a Heavy Machine on a Domestic Suspended Floor (UK)

by robert.jarratt＠ntlworld.com

I recently bought a lovely PDP11/45 in a H960 rack, with the CPU, a Unibus Expansion box and an RK05 drive. I am guessing the whole thing must weigh at least 100Kg, possibly 150Kg or even more (my worst case estimate is 200Kg). I am concerned whether the floor of the upstairs room where I now have it can bear the weight. I have placed it right next to a load bearing wall to ease the strain on the joists. Can anyone tell me what sort of weight a normal UK upstairs floor can bear? If my guessed weight is anything close to the limit I will weigh parts of the machine to get a more accurate idea of the actual weight. Thanks Rob

11 years, 5 months

12
17
0 0

BNC Video out and LCD monitor with VGA D-Sub video in

by hp-fix＠xs4all.nl

You'll need a Sync On Green to VGA converter to separate the sync signals. -Rik -----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- Van: "Andreas Holz" <aswood at t-online.de> Verzonden: ?4-?1-?2014 09:24 Aan: "cctalk at classiccmp.org" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Onderwerp: BNC Video out and LCD monitor with VGA D-Sub video in Hello all, how to connect a HP 9000/300 with RGB BNC video out to a modern LCD monitor, which has only a D-Sub VGA video connector. Can I simply use a classic BNC to VGA cable just reverse connected? Since from 2015 on there will be no new monitor supporting VGA singnals anymore what we have to do to connect our old workstations? Andreas

11 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

VAX 4000-500

by me＠GarrettMeiers.com

I purchased a VAX 4000-500 last month and am pretty excited. I've only owned MicroVAX'es in the past, and this is the first larger VAX I've had.. Although, it's more of a medium-sized VAX. :) ?Came with an Infoserver 100, and a R400X? Expander with three drives. I haven't fired it up yet, but was told it all works. I have the DSSI cables, and need to do a little reading before I connect these up, and fire it up. Any pointers for working with this setup -- in particular DSSI and the Expander, would be appreciated. https://www.dropbox.com/sc/4ziahrtsp5lw57l/fy1lCpcoar#/ ?Thanks, Garrett Meiers Founder, BitHistory.org & President, ConsulNIX, LLC www.BitHistory.org www.linkedin.com/in/theunixguy

11 years, 5 months

2
2
0 0

Need DEC BC80J-20 cable

by charlesmorris800＠centurytel.net

On Jan 3, 2014, at 5:18 PM, cctalk-request at classiccmp.org wrote: > From: Ethan Dicks <ethan.dicks at gmail.com> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Need DEC BC80J-20 cable > Message-ID: > <CAALmimndRqNj0eDbaYdyFGz+VsO0pikpHK_1O5wn4R-n2eV5sg at mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > On Fri, Jan 3, 2014 at 1:35 PM, Al Kossow <aek at bitsavers.org> wrote: >>> BTW, Continental Computers answered my quote request with they can >>> "let it >>> go for $145"... that's about four times what I expected to pay for >>> one! >> >> The BC80M listed for 57.50 should work fine. > > That one looks to be 6' (BC80M06) which is the only length I've seen > in person. They also have a BC80M25 for three times as much. > >> You'll probably have to fiddle with the big drain cable on the >> controller end. > > I remember that big fat braid. ISTR it was not easy to find a > convenient place to bolt that down on a BA23. > > -ethan I am sure I can find a place to fasten it, even if I have to modify the braid (or the chassis) slightly... Anyway I was thinking of just bending over and paying the $57.50. Until I got to "standard 9-13 day shipping $15.00" and it goes up from there. Postage rates have really gotten ridiculous and the companies (except McMaster-Carr who are quite reasonable for shipping) are adding on their profit too. Perhaps I can locate some surplus multiple twisted pair cable and carefully solder the ends to a header connector. There are 13(?) twisted pair differential signals and the rest are no-connects or grounds. As Henk pointed out, some of the trouble may be the 6' of unshielded ribbon cable (which is also smaller gauge than the twisted pairs)... -Charles

11 years, 5 months

5
4
0 0

No Console on MicroVAX 2000 if Disk Not Plugged In

by robert.jarratt＠ntlworld.com

I have come across a strange problem with my MicroVAX 2000. If the hard disk is not plugged in I get absolutely nothing on the console, as if the machine was dead. I have perused the technical documentation and I cannot find anything that describes this behaviour. Does anyone know why it might do this and which signal(s) prevent the console coming up? I need this to be able to do some initial testing of a basic emulation of the RD5x disks with an FPGA. Thanks Rob

11 years, 5 months

5
8
0 0

older memory, tested on memory tester

by sales＠elecplus.com

No reasonable offers refused J Desktop: 8MB 60ns 11 16MB 60ns 78 32MB 60ns 301 64MB 60ns 19 64MB PC100U 169 64MB PC100E 16 64MB PC133U 17 64MB PC133E 8 128MB PC100U 152 128MB PC100E 11 128MB PC100R 12 128MB PC133U 179 128MB PC133E 9 256MB PC100U 71 256MB PC100E 8 256MB PC100R 11 256MB PC133U 20 256MB PC133E 14 256MB PC133R 8 512MB PC100R 6 512MB PC133U 7 512MB PC133E 1 512MB PC133R 23 1GB PC100R 2 1GB PC133R 3 Laptop: 128MB PC133S 2 256MB PC133S 9 512MB PC133S 3 Cindy Croxton Electronics Plus 1613 Water Street Kerrville, TX 78028 (830)792-3400 phone (830)792-3404 fax AOL IM elcpls _____ No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2014.0.4259 / Virus Database: 3658/6971 - Release Date: 01/02/14

11 years, 5 months

2
1
0 0

Commodore PET 2001 with screen problem

by brad＠bettercomputing.net

One other project I'm having some difficulties with is a Commodore PET 2001 that I've had for 10 years. In that time, turning it on only ever produced a 'blank' raster screen, as in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5Rkwu858zA For years I assumed the computer was basically dead and kept it on static display. But just recently I acquired a good working 2001-16, and discovered that I could use its monitor with the 2001-8. I discovered the standard garbage screen, and after acquiring a whole bunch of rare NOS 6540s, and some 6550 RAMs, was able to get the 2001-8's motherboard fully functional. The screen however remains the same. I have connected it to the other working PET to no avail. I have even used the working PET's own cabling. So my problem is basically the video board. I've fixed the brightness control but that's as far as I've dared go given the voltages involved with a CRT. Wondering if anyone has any other ideas on where my problem could be. Thanks!! Brad

11 years, 5 months

2
1
0 0

Anyone else getting multiple Digest mailings?

by kevin_anderson_dbq＠yahoo.com

On this e-mail list, plus another one that I belong to (on a totally different server as far as I know), I've started to received multiple copies of the Digest. Up to four copies of each digest are being sent. Same on the other e-mail list I belong to. List owner - was a recent upgrade to the Mailman software put on your server just a few days ago? It seems coincidental that both list, both using Mailman software, are suddenly behaving this way. Kevin Anderson, Dubuque, Iowa

11 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Need DEC BC80J-20 cable

by js＠cimmeri.com

Subject: Re: Need DEC BC80J-20 cable From: Brad Parker <brad at heeltoe.com> Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2014 10:22:41 -0500 I think I'm looking for one of these as well. Or maybe someone here can point me to what I really want :-) I have an RL02 driver and an RL02 controller, but I seem to have lost/misplaced the "cabinet kit". I could swear I had one at one point. So, the RL02 drive has a terminator and a nice long round cable which seems to have a 2x.1" header. But I believe I need the cable part which is normally install on the cpu cabinet. My guess is it would cable a shielded ribbon cable with a connector for the board header and the other end would have a metal bracket and something to mate with the nice round cable... Is this even close? -brad Brad, From the controller, there's a shielded flat ribbon cable with a Berg on either end. Next is a Berg->RL02 cable adapter which can mount in a distribution panel. Not sure what the RL02 connector is, but it's the same as is on back of the RL02. Next, is the nice round RL02 cable with the special twist-lock connectors on either end. Last, of course, is the RL02 with two connectors, one having a terminator if end of chain. - John S.

11 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Keeping a Heavy Machine on a Domestic Suspended Floor (UK)

by elson＠pico-systems.com

From: "Robert Jarratt"<robert.jarratt at ntlworld.com> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: Keeping a Heavy Machine on a Domestic Suspended Floor (UK) Message-ID:<068e01cf07f6$bde4ee40$39aecac0$(a)ntlworld.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I recently bought a lovely PDP11/45 in a H960 rack, with the CPU, a Unibus Expansion box and an RK05 drive. I am guessing the whole thing must weigh at least 100Kg, possibly 150Kg or even more (my worst case estimate is 200Kg). I am concerned whether the floor of the upstairs room where I now have it can bear the weight. I have placed it right next to a load bearing wall to ease the strain on the joists. Can anyone tell me what sort of weight a normal UK upstairs floor can bear? If my guessed weight is anything close to the limit I will weigh parts of the machine to get a more accurate idea of the actual weight. Really, compare it to a piano! Even an upright piano weighs more than 200 Kg. I seriously doubt you have any danger. You can probably get the true weight from installation docs on bitsavers. It is possible it weighs more than 200 Kg, but still less than some really heavy furniture or a grand piano. Jon

11 years, 5 months

2
1
0 0

2014 started off well here..

by hp-fix＠xs4all.nl

Congrats, a nice find! You should post some pictures. -Rik PS. Gelukkig 2014. -----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- Van: "Jos Dreesen" <jdr_use at bluewin.ch> Verzonden: ?2-?1-?2014 23:24 Aan: "On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Onderwerp: 2014 started off well here.. The local craigslist equivalent yielded a tiny advert "Imsai 8080 computer from 1977". price : 110 USD, negotiable.... The picture was a tiny B/W jpg lifted from the internet, and did not look too promising. The actual hardware ? An absolutely mint, as-new, IMSAI 8080... >from the orignal owner.... with full documtation, including original invoice... in the original IMSAI cardbox ! Also MPU-A and MIO cards.. 24 Kbytes of 2102 SRAM.. all ICs socketed.. with papertape software.... handpulled papertape reader... Needless to say no further price negotiations took place. About the only minus is the MDC-A4 floppy controller, which requires more difficult to find hardsectored disks. ( Original diskdrive and disks were scrapped a long time ago ) I will also need to find some extra s100 connectors to complete the backplane. it seems the '2014 project is defined ! Jos

11 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Intel MDS 225 system being auctioned by Chicago Transit Authority

by colin.d.howell＠gmail.com

(I'm not subscribed to the list, but I'm passing this along because I thought it would be of interest to list members.) The Chicago Transit Authority is auctioning off a whole load of miscellaneous stuff (including a couple of rail cars!). One of the items being auctioned is what appears to be an Intel MDS 225 "Blue Box" (4 MHz 8085A system) complete with an MDS 720 disk expansion unit and some sort of Control Data hard disk. The specific lot is here: http://ricklevin.nextlot.com/public/lot/15005194?section=photos No idea whether any of the hardware is functional. Bids for the whole lot currently stand at $60. Auction for this lot ends December 18th (Wednesday), 11:10 AM local time (Central Standard Time). More info on the auction can be found via the link above. General news story on the auction: http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20131212/downtown/cta-selling-bus-signs-trai… Colin Howell

11 years, 5 months

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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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Looking for info on a DTC controller

by azd30＠telus.net

Hi, I came across a qbus card manufacturded by Data Technology Corp. labelled DTC LSI11-2. Has a 50pin header connector upper left hand side when looking at the component side. Searching around on bitsavers revealed a manual for the DTC LSI11-1. It seems to be a disk controller. Does anyone have any info on the 11-2? Switch settings, and/or drives that can be connected to this? I can provide pics of the controller if it would help. thanks alex p.s apologies if this msg shows up twice, e-mail has been acting up today. --

11 years, 5 months

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Apple II+ revised video

by terry＠webweavers.co.nz

I just couldn't let my Apple II+ languish on Youtube in low-def. For those interested the new HD remake here : http://youtu.be/eOsFeKGgEVg

11 years, 5 months

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Commodore SuperPET history and HOSTCM

by rob＠bitscience.ca

My apologies for the missing links; they got stripped out by the mailing list software. Please see http://seefigure1.com for the various things I referenced. Thanks, Rob Ferguson

11 years, 5 months

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Message from BillDeg

by hp-fix＠xs4all.nl

Can someone put the poor bastard out of this misery ;) I think loosing your short term memory is one of the first signs of Alzheimer.. -Rik -----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- Van: "billdeg at degnanco.com" <billdeg at degnanco.com> Verzonden: ?1-?1-?2014 18:07 Aan: "cctech at classiccmp.org" <cctech at classiccmp.org> Onderwerp: Message from BillDeg Effective Immediately After 16 years of use, it's time to retire billdeg at degnanco.com. Henceforth all emails to billdeg at degnanco.com will be deleted. If you wish to contact Bill by email, please use billdeg at buzz1.com B

11 years, 5 months

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Message from BillDeg

by billdeg＠degnanco.com

Effective Immediately After 16 years of use, it's time to retire billdeg at degnanco.com. Henceforth all emails to billdeg at degnanco.com will be deleted. If you wish to contact Bill by email, please use billdeg at buzz1.com B

11 years, 5 months

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Replacing Ribbon Cable in a DSSI Cabinet Kit

by robert.jarratt＠ntlworld.com

I have managed to break one of the wires in the ribbon cable of the DSSI cabinet kit in my BA213 MicroVAX 3400. It looks like it would be fairly easy to replace with any 50-way ribbon cable with a male connector and multiple female connectors. The only problem is the connector to the front panel, the ribbon is split into two at the external connector and goes into two separate halves of the back of the connector. Is it possible to open up the back of the connector without damaging it? The alternative would be either to find a replacement cable (anyone have one?) or try to repair the broken wire Regards Rob

11 years, 5 months

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Commodore SuperPET history and HOSTCM

by rob＠bitscience.ca

Over the last year or so, I've been researching the history of the Commodore SuperPET. I've just pushed a couple of things that I've been working on out to my website, and I thought people here might find them interesting. First is a narrative about how the SuperPET came to be, and how work on academic software at the University of Waterloo culminated in a collaboration with Commodore. Much of the information stems from new research which I conducted in the UW Archives this past summer. It also traces the origin and fate of the MICROWAT, a precursor hardware design that had a great deal of influence on the SuperPET. The whole thing can be found here: How the SuperPET came to be Second, I've written a timeline that documents significant events in the birth, life and decline of the SuperPET. That's here: The Commodore SuperPET: a timeline Third, one of the more interesting -- and mostly undocumented -- features of the SuperPET was its built-in ability to be a client to a remote fileserver; this relied on an RPC-like facility called HOSTCM that used the serial line as a transport. I have reverse engineered the protocol, and written a program that acts as a HOSTCM fileserver for the SuperPET. It runs on a variety of modern machines, including Mac OS X, FreeBSD and Linux. Among other things, this means that you can use a SuperPET without an attached diskette drive, and that you can move disk images, files and programs between the SuperPET and modern machines without specialized hardware. You can find the program here: HOSTCM and the protocol documentation here: The HOSTCM protocol Finally, I've written a couple of utilities that are useful for manipulating archived Commodore disk images for use with my HOSTCM implementation. That can be found here: Utilities for HOSTCM Oh, and there are some good pictures, too. If anyone has comments or questions, please let me know. Cheers, Rob Ferguson

11 years, 5 months

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test-drb January 2014