test-drb January 2014

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

224 participants
263 discussions

"The search for the lost Cray supercomputer OS"

by seefriek＠gmail.com

From: Geoffrey Oltmans <oltmansg at gmail.com> >I wonder if our local Alabama Supercomputer Authority office might have >archives of software for the Cray X-MP and on. They are down the street >from my work. Supposedly the X-MP24 was the first machine that they >installed and put in operation back in the 80's. Interesting idea. The last Cray I spent quality time on was an X/MP-48 at the Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center in the mid- to late-80s. They're still around. Wonder if anyone has checked in the closets there for old tapes. KJ

10 years, 11 months

DEC 18-bit Operating Systems

by captainkirk359＠gmail.com

So, I've been plinking around a bit with some of the operating systems for DEC's 18-bit machines. Specifically with DECsys-7 for the PDP-7, and XVM/DOS for the PDP-15. I've heard that DECsys-7 can run on the PDP-4, and in fact it "kind-of/sort-of" does. I'm wondering if anyone here knows how to get DECsys-7 working on the '4 to the point of being usable. The problem is that the PDP-4's console teleprinter was the 5-bit (ITA-2/USTTY/"Baudot") Model 28 KSR Teletype, the '7 used an ASCII machine (33 KSR, or 35 KSR). So the one key which is used in DECsys to terminate input to the text editor the delete/RUBOUT key is not present on the 28. So, you can't create any programs in DECsys on the PDP-4. There has to be something I'm missing that'll get it to work (surprisingly, the other key vital for using the editor in DECsys -- the tab key -- will work by inputting the teletype's bell code). My next question has to do with XVM/DOS; I cannot seem to get FOCAL to run. The system was built to the simulator's configuration (no UC15 UNICHANNEL, FP15, floating point, RP15, RF15, LP15, no VT15 or VP15, support for API), using SGEN I then tailored the system properly (start up with XVM and API turned on, and memory size of 128KW). I assigned the DAT slots needed for FOCAL: (-1 and -4 are already assigned by the monitor to SYA <SYS>.) ASSIGN SYA <CMG> 3,5,7,10 Trying to execute FOCAL with "E FOCAL" I get an IOPS13 error ("FILE NOT FOUND - CAL ADDR **"), and trying it with LOAD and GLOAD I get a .LOAD 3 error ("SUBR NOT FOUND"). Anyone here know the magic of how to get FOCAL to run on XVM/DOS? Thanks to any who respond. Regards, Christian -- Christian M. Gauger-Cosgrove STCKON08DS0 Contact information available upon request.

10 years, 11 months

"A DiskVaccuum For Obsolete Disk Formats"

by lproven＠gmail.com

http://hackaday.com/2014/01/10/a-diskvaccuum-for-obsolete-disk-formats/ "[Jim] has a box of disks for a very old Compucolor II computer, and with bit rot slowly setting in he figured it might be time to dump all those disks to a more permanent format. After reviewing the existing tools to read these disks, he decided to build his own floppy disk interface that he calls the DiskVaccuum. "The DiskVaccuum is based on a Papilio Pro FPGA board and a few chips worth of level conversion. The FPGA is able to read bits and move the head of the disk with ease, saving everything to the drive of a much more modern computer." -- 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

10 years, 11 months

Close look at my C1P and C4P

by terry＠webweavers.co.nz

I love the oldskool feel and appearance of my Challenger Machines. At: http://youtu.be/xQUhFoBDGT0 in HD this time if anyone wants to take a peek. Terry (Tez)

10 years, 11 months

eBay PDP-12

by michael.99.thompson＠gmail.com

> > From: Rich Alderson <RichA at LivingComputerMuseum.org> > To: "'General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts'" < > cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Cc: > Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 21:45:45 +0000 > Subject: RE: eBay PDP-12 > From: John Ball > Sent: Thursday, January 16, 2014 9:29 AM > > >> I can't know for sure, but here is a lower bound: 11 > > >> Clubs: > >> 1 - Update Computer Club, Uppsala > >> 2 - Retro-Computing Society of Rhode Island. > > >> Museums: > >> 1 - Living Computer Museum, Seattle > >> 3 - Computer History Museum, Mountain view (the may have more, but at > least > >> 3) > > >> Private collections: > >> 3 - Undisclosed :) > > > The Corestore has two PDP-12's as well. > > LCM has 2. > > That bumps the number up to 15, by my count (with the RI correction by > Will). > > Rich > > > Rich Alderson > Vintage Computing Sr. Systems Engineer > Vulcan, Inc. > 505 5th Avenue S, Suite 900 > Seattle, WA 98104 > > mailto:RichA at LivingComputerMuseum.org > > http://www.LivingComputerMuseum.org/<http://www.livingcomputermuseum.org/> > > The RICM is negotiating with a private collector for one, so you can add that to the list. > -- > Michael Thompson

10 years, 11 months

Longshine LCS-6610F REV C FDC, Jumpersettings needed

by holm＠freibergnet.de

Hi all, the Suject already tells what Im looking for. I have an XT Floppy Controller for an 8 Bit Slot that his it's own Bios Chip. So far as I know should even 1.2 and 1.44MByte Disks possible with that beast..if I could figure out how the jumpers are to set. There is a description on TH99, but this is a different Version, the Jumpers are located totally different. The Label on the PCB of my Controller is "LCS-6610F REV:C". Has someone a Manual with the correct Jumper settings? 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

10 years, 11 months

Motorola 68008 (was Re: Retrospective on the Sinclair QL, 30 years later)

by ethan.dicks＠gmail.com

On Sun, Jan 12, 2014 at 11:30 AM, Liam Proven <lproven at gmail.com> wrote: > Good, in-depth article from the Register. > > 2 very long pages. This is the single-page less-cluttered print view: > http://www.theregister.co.uk/Print/2014/01/12/archaeologic_sinclair_ql/ Very cool. One of my co-workers, who designed some of our 68000-based COMBOARDs had a QL, the only one I've seen in the States (I bought an Amiga the next year). The only other 68008 I've seen was in a "COMBOARD-mini" design I came up with that never launched - it was essentially a protocol emulator/async-sync converter to sit on a cable between a host and an IBM Front End speaking HASP or 3780. We were moving into the era where it was going to be easier to hook up to a serial port than stick a card in a box, so we kicked around a miniaturized version of our flagship product. Since the code was already in 68000 assembler, in a dialect of our own, changing CPUs wasn't feasible, but going from a 16-bit DMA host interface to an async serial host interface was. We made a run of boards, assembled a couple, but never had enough market response to dedicate the labor to port the host transport layer >from DMA buffers to async ports. We could build it, but they wouldn't come. The era of bisync comms was over. -ethan

10 years, 11 months

Need DEC BC80J-20 cable

by charlesmorris800＠centurytel.net

On Thu, 16 Jan 2014 23:13:34 -0600, you wrote: >From: Ethan Dicks <ethan.dicks at gmail.com> >On Thu, Jan 16, 2014 at 12:40 PM, Charles ><charlesmorris800 at centurytel.net> wrote: >> I attempted to order the BC80M from Pinnacle Micro... an email canceling >> the order without explanation... they didn't have the cable in stock (and >> they claim their inventory is only updated periodically) > >Or they tried calling around and couldn't find one to buy cheaply >enough to sell to you. Our suspicious minds seem to be working the same way :D >> Meanwhile, I explained to Continental Computers that my need for the >> BC80J-20 was hobby/"vintage" and that I couldn't afford $145. They >> offered to sell it to me for $75, still steep but more reasonable. > >I have had good luck with Continental Computers in the pasts. ISTR >buying a KT8A from them about 15 years ago. > >> Plugged it in, hooked up the RL02's... same failure is still there :( >> (Fault lamp flashes when BOOT is toggled and the heads start to move, >> then the drive goes back to Ready status). Time to start downloading >> diagnostics via the console port! > >I have never had to debug drive electronics, so I have no idea. Do >you happen to have a PDP-11 and an RL controller? If I were chasing a >problem in my own hardware, I'd see how a different system/controller >handled things (but I know not everyone has a matrix of DEC hardware >to mix and match from). > >-ethan Funny you should ask. In fact I do have an 11/23+ with two RL02's (that works fine even with the homemade ribbon cable, although it's shorter than the one in the 8/A). Now that I have a long enough cable, I am planning to do just that (plug it into the RLV11 or whatever the controller is called) and see what's what. I also have one of Philipp Hachtmann's USB-port console interface cards that I haven't got around to playing with yet, and may use that to download diagnostics too. -Charles

10 years, 11 months

for free: several OS/2 related magazines

by bthomas＠brothom.nl

Hi, I have available for free: - 23 C/C++ users journal, early this century (okay, not OS/2 related) - 8 "Developer Connection for OS/2 News", I think mid 90s - all 1996 issues of OS/2 magazine - january 1997 issue of OS/2 magazine - 2 OS/2 developer magazines: may/june and nov/dec - february 1998 issue of "extended attributes" I'll throw them in the paper recycling bin a week after today if no one wants them. Regards, Bert

10 years, 11 months

Restoration of a PDP-8a

by anders＠abc80.net

> Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2014 22:27:32 -0800 (PST) > From: William Maddox <wmaddox at pacbell.net> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Restoration of a PDP-8a > Message-ID: > <1389853652.25217.YahooMailNeo at web181601.mail.ne1.yahoo.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 > > > >> I have a question about memory configuration. I have two core stacks? >> from different suppliers. One from DEC and one from Dataram corp. The? >> later one is impossible to find any information on. > > Is your Dataram board a DR118A?? I have the manual for that. > > --Bill > Yes it is. Can you scan it? Or at least check out how to configure it. /Anders

10 years, 11 months

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test-drb January 2014