test-drb January 2014

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

224 participants
263 discussions

1/10th speed PDP-11/40 simulator on ATmega2560

by ethan.dicks＠gmail.com

Found via Hack-a-Day just now... https://github.com/davecheney/avr11 It apparently can handle booting v6 UNIX on an emulated RK05 at about 10% the speed of real hardware. It requires a custom sheild to add a couple of 8-pin SPI RAM chips. Directions for that are said to be coming soon. -ethan

10 years, 11 months

Booting my PDP-8A, so close yet..

by cramcram＠gmail.com

I've got a PDP-8A with RK05's and a TC08/TU56. I've verified the serial port is okay (via checkser), loaded focal with the rim loader and run both read and write tests on a RK05 pack. I've done a restrk05 with both diagpack2.rk05<http://www.pdp8online.com/pdp8cgi/os8_html?act=dir;fn=images/os8/diagpack2.…> and haygood-osv3r.rk05<http://www.pdp8online.com/pdp8cgi/os8_html?act=dir;fn=images/os8/haygood%2D…>. It seems to progress ok, counting up to the last cylinder and leaving the AC equal to 0 when done. However when I execute the two word bootstrap for the RK8E I hear the drive seek once and then stop at location 0031. I've also tried a restore with the TC08 but it never even gets to the point that the drive gets selected (the SR is 0 on entry). However if I punch in the TC08 bootstrap unit 0 does a rewind, then goes forward (with lots of das blinken lights), goes past quite a few blocks and then halts (this is on a tape that claims to have OS8 on it). The RK05 is most frustrating since it passes the rw tests (9 passes) but doesn't boot. I guess I'm going to be loading in some maindecs unless someone out there has any other ideas. Thanks, Marc

10 years, 11 months

Alcon surgical laser S-100 board

by alexandre.tabajara＠gmail.com

Dear sirs, I'm looking for education, since I know nothing about S-100 I got some boards from an Alcon surgical laser, and they SEEMS TO BE clearly S-100-compatible. The CPU board uses an 8085, with ROM mapped from $1000 on. BIN avaiable upon request. Since I'm a complete n00b about S-100 systems, how can I positively identify this board as a S-100 compatible board, and what are the minimal connections I can use for, at least, make it tick? (now I understand the need to learn more about CPU emulators and how to integrate "blocks" of code to emulate an unknown computer easily) Thanks Alexandre Souza

10 years, 11 months

Who built the first minicomputers?

by rickb＠bensene.com

Correction...the G15 was introduced in 1956. Rick Bensene -----Original Message----- From: Rick Bensene [rickb at bensene.com] Received: Friday, 24 Jan 2014, 10:18AM To: cctalk at classiccmp.org [cctalk at classiccmp.org] Subject: RE: Who built the first minicomputers? What about the Bendix G15? Introduced in 1953. Definitely fits the criteria outlined in the article. Not that I agree with the article..like many others here feel, the term `first` in a historical context is too fraught with issues of definition. Rick Bensene -----Original Message----- From: Chuck Guzis [cclist at sydex.com] Received: Friday, 24 Jan 2014, 9:17AM To: General at bensene.com [General at bensene.com]; Discussion at bensene.com:On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts [cctalk at classiccmp.org] Subject: Re: Who built the first minicomputers? I'm surprised that the Packard-Bell PB250 wasn't considered. It could run from a standard US lighting circuit. Circa (IIRC) 1959. Not a drum machine, but used a recirculating magnetostrictive memory. It also seems that there may have been a few military computers that would satisfy your criteria. As Will has stated "first" is a very dangerous word and "minicomputer" is, in fact, a term of art. Like pornography, it's what it is because someone says so. --Chuck

10 years, 11 months

IBM 3179

by aek＠bitsavers.org

http://www.ebay.com/itm/380684482851 the seller is 'special' he had useless pictures, updated them at my request, then realized that there was a market for just the keyboards, pulled them off and now is selling them separately for $50 I'm sorry I even asked Anyway, if someone else is looking for one for $150, here's your chance.

10 years, 11 months

NS405, NS455 (was Re: NEC uPD7201C Datasheet, Pinout?)

by spacewar＠gmail.com

On Jan 20, 2014 2:07 PM, "Holm Tiffe" <holm at freibergnet.de> wrote: > Next interesting thing are 10 pcs. of NS405-B18N, a sticker says that that > are display processors, someone knows where tehy where used in? To a first approximation, nowhere. Ciarcia used it in the TERM-MITE construction article in the Feb. 1984 issue of BYTE, reprinted in _Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar, Vol. 7_. There's also an NS455 variant, and alternate part numbers (e.g. NS32045). They have an enchanced 8048 core and a text-oriented CRT controller.

10 years, 11 months

Generic monitor ROM...

by geneb＠deltasoft.com

Does anyone here know where I could find a "generic" monitor ROM that could be tweaked for the target system? I'm looking for something that would fit in a 4K EPROM. tnx. g. -- Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007 http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind. http://www.diy-cockpits.org/coll - Go Collimated or Go Home. Some people collect things for a hobby. Geeks collect hobbies. ScarletDME - The red hot Data Management Environment A Multi-Value database for the masses, not the classes. http://scarlet.deltasoft.com - Get it _today_!

10 years, 11 months

Vintage-computer.com

by barythrin＠gmail.com

The forums have a maintenance announcement up last time i checked an hour or so ago so hopefully some planned maintenance is going on. It didnt specify any eta but they're (or Erik) usually pretty quick to get things up.

10 years, 11 months

MAINDEC diagnostic program instructions?

by charlesmorris800＠centurytel.net

I still can't boot OS/8 on my 8/A with RL02's. I now have the ability to download files from my PC to the console port (which goes a heck of a lot faster at 9600 baud than at 110!). For example, FOCAL-69 downloads in about 20 seconds. It works too, so I don't think the problem is with the 8/A itself. Anyhow, I have all the RL02 diagnostics from the diagpack2.rk05 image. So far, AJRLHA.BN (that's the "SEEK/FCTN" test) works without errors. I'm about to try the AJRLIA (read/write test) which should require losing the contents of a pack... What I'm looking for is a library of all the instructions for the diagnostic routines on that pack, since they are not all just "start at 0200 and follow the prompts". Is there such a thing, or do I have to try and find each one separately? At least just the AJxxxx diagnostics? thanks for any hints. -Charles

10 years, 11 months

Syquest Drives - 200 vs 88

by silent700＠gmail.com

I was handed a pile of 88mb Syquest disks - ostenisibly Mac formatted - a while back and I decided to have a go at them tonight. The only Syquest drives I found in my pile were the original 44mb and the later 200mb (model 5200C.) Everything I can find on this drive (which isn't much) declares that is is backward *read* compatible with 44mb and 88mb cartridges. That's fine, reading is all I want to do. My test platform is Win7 x64 (boo hoo I know...but it's convenient and there is a working 'dd' I've used many times for hard disk imaging.) I first tested the drive with a 200mb pack I already had. It mounted the cart, presented it to the OS and allowed me to dd the cart to an image file which mounted in a Mac emulator. I declared the drive good. Trying 88mb carts results in consistent errors. The drive sounds like it's mounting it, clicks a bit, spins up and down and finally settled on a 5-green, 5-amber blink code. According to this chart: http://www.kassj.com/articles/sqtable.html that means "incompatible cartridge." My carts are all Syquest-branded. Beyond that (and the possible Mac formatting,) I know nothing else about them. The real rub is this - once it displays that error code, the drive _disappears_ from the SCSI chain. Neither the OS tools nor a SCSI explorer utility find it. Insert the 200mb cart and it's back again; not even a power-cycle needed. The drive does appear with a SCSI ID before inserting a cart; a mounted cart is not necessary for it to present itself. So, theories: - This drive isn't 88mb compatible after all - *All* my carts are bad - The carts were degaussed and thereby lost some sort of low-level formatting or other ID method that the drive uses to recognize them - There's some sort of mode jumper or switch (hardware/software) to kick it into 88mb compatibility mode, if such a thing exists. I have no manual for these drives - I need some sort of driver to enable reading 88mb carts; I don't think this is the case - most OSes should simply see them as removable media; it's the drive's job to sort out cart compatibility Any experience/insight/advice is appreciated here. Also offers of a 88mb Syquest drive :) -- jht

10 years, 11 months

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test-drb January 2014