> Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 01:04:48 +0100
> From: shadoooo <shadoooo at gmail.com>
> To: cctech at classiccmp.org
> Subject: Re: VAX 11/730 Documentation
> Message-ID: <54600120.9080902 at gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Hello,
>
> > I haven't booted my machine up yet, because it hasn't been able to
> read any of its console tapes.
>
> I have too a lot of tapes, complete and uncomplete sets of software
> installation tapes,
> plus two/three console versions and some with unknown content.
> The problem is, many of them suffer from sticky rubber on tape (if you
> try to move the rubber leader,
> it will create blank spots on tape, removing the magnetic oxide
> substrate).
> Other have a broken band. I read somewhere around, it is possible to
> detach the rubber band using hot air,
> and replace it with some sort of PVC strings. I would need a lot of time
> to try something... but the bigger problem is not this...
> I don't have a TU58 to be used on the desk to try to read the tapes, and
> even better to assembl?e a new firmware allowing to format
> blank tapes.
> I'm trying to buy some piece of hardware since a lot of time... no luck
> so far.
>
> If anybody has a TU58, or parts, please let me know.
>
> Andrea
I got the machine inside yesterday and started to look it through. Have
also problem with the TU58's. The rubber wheels are just goo.
I have a lot of tapes, ~30 of them. Don't know what they contain yet.
/Anders
I've been back at scanning the big pile of Sun binders lately and I'm
down to the last box (that I can still find.) I've uploaded a few
over the last 24 hrs but one may be worth calling attention to for
early Sun fans, doc #813-2004-14, "Cardcage Slot Assignments and
Backplane Configuration Procedures." I've seen a number of FAQ and
help pages with charts pulled from various versions of this doc but
not the whole thing. It covers various models of the Sun-2 through
Sun-4 range. You can find it and the others here:
http://chiclassiccomp.org/docs/index.php?dir=%2Fcomputing/Sun
-j
Are there any AS/400 emulators out there?
Alternately, any baby AS/400 systems in the Columbus, OH area? I'm
asking for a friend.
--
-Jon
Jonathan Katz, Indianapolis, IN.
Hello !
Vintage workstations and servers for sale/auction
in Slovenia, Europe. Below is the list of hardware,
if you are interested, please read the details
regarding the sale terms at the end of the list.
For anything else you wish to know, please direct
all questions regarding equipment to E-mail
janprunk-at-gmail.com and not to the mailing list.
3 x HP 712
1 x Switch Hubstack JEHI-24
1 x Power Macintosh 7500/100
2 x SUN Sparcstation 4
1 x HP 9000 PC-308 (XT)
1 x Digital DEC 3000
1 x HP Terminal (monitor) 700/96
1 x Digital DEC 2000
1 x HP 9000 E35
STATUS OF THE EQUIPMENT :
Equipment is being sold AS IS, meaning there is no
facility to test it ! Computers should be in a working
condition, some were even used by me personally,
but consider them being sold as a DEFECT, due to its age,
limited skills and lack of my time to exclude warranty terms.
I am able and willing to provide the photos of the exterior,
but please don't ask me to open up the machines to photograph
the interior or components, boot up the OS, test the condition
etc. I can provide exact model and serial number if that will be
helpfull to you. Some computers come with the original hard
drive inside and some don't.
AUCTION:
You are welcome to bid prices for this equipment.
To limit the sale to serious bidders, I will only consider
bids above 100 EUR per computer, if there are more
bids for the same computer I will consider the highest
offer. I haven't placed the equipment on EBAY at this
time, because that would make me obligated to ship
the computers even with a 1 EUR bidding win price and that
would just mean too much work and no pay for me.
PAYMENT:
I am able to accept bank wire as a preferred method,
cash or cheque, cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin but
I am unhappy to accept Paypal due to its refundment
policy which always sticks with the buyer.
SHIPPING:
I would prefer if you can do local pickup, however
that might not be possible for people who don't live near
Slovenia. I am willing to ship the equipment by mail,
but be advised that Slovenia foreign parcel shipping is
very expenssive so it wouldn't cost less than 80 EUR to
ship the computer across Europe, due to its weight and
dimensions. Shipping outside Europe would probably even
double the amount, but if you are a serious collector
I will also consider that option if you are willing to
pay for shipping. I might have the accessories for
computers - keyboards, cabling ... but consider the
workstations being sold without that, as shipping
the workstation + keyboard can be a problem, due to
different dimensions and it would need to be packaged
into two separate packages, therefore doubling the
shipping costs aswell.
ADDITIONALS:
Keep in mind that bids below 100 EUR would just mean
too much work for me to organise the shipment so I would
rather not deal with it. I hope that the computers can
find a new home with some other collector. For anything
else you wish to know, please direct all questions
regarding equipment to E-mail janprunk-at-gmail.com
and not to the mailing list.
I wish you all a happy bidding !
Kind regards,
Jan Prunk
Has anyone been able to reach Vince Briel recently? I hope he's ok, as
I've enjoyed his pocket-term and micro-kim kits.
I ordered a Superboard III kit on August 25th. I was hoping to use it
as a gift in early October!
On 9/18 I heard back with
"Hey Gary,I have a OSI 600 and I can say the Superboard III is really
close to the exact same thing (little better video quality). I'll look
for your order and see if I can't get it out shortly"
And on October 13th
"Hi Gary. Sorry ive been moving this week. Should be done in a day or
two. My main pc went down but i should have it fixed this week. Still
only have phone for internet."
Nothing since, and no additional information on his forum or website.
Hello,
I have a 730 too, with a bunch of documentation.
Unfortunately, the system is stored in a friend's garage by now,
and the documentation is all there too.
But I could go there to seek if there's something interesting that is
not on bitsavers yet.
Anyway, thanks for your contribution!
Andrea
> From: Noel Chiappa
> I also discovered and repaired at least two cold-solder joints (one was
> one of the pins for W1, the master clock control - the pin was actually
> loose when I wiggled it).
So it turns out that loose wire-wrap pins seem to be a systemic problem on
11/23's. I just discovered _3_ more on one single 11/23 board - two of them
the pins for the master clock! I put my finger-tip on them and wiggled, and
they were loose.
I'm not sure why it's the wire-wrap pins especially - maybe their physical
size meant that they have larger thermal inertia, and so need a longer heat
than the manufacturing process gave them, to bring them up to temp to prevent
a cold solder joint?
Anyway, if one has a flaky 11/23, that's definitely something to check.
Noel
> From: Pete Turnbull
> I didn't think Noel was referring to backplane pins .. but to the
> various jumper pins on the 11/23 PCB itself. .. Noel?
Correct.
Noel
I've been working on getting a PDP-11/23 running for a while now, with
various amounts of success!
I had it in a state where I could boot XXDP from a virtual TU-58 and
everything seemed to work pretty well. I then got ambitious and got an RL02
and an RLV11 (M8013+M8014), and last night I tried to get the RLV11 to pass
the unconnected diagnostics that just test the controller.
I tinkered with it for a while, but never got it to work. Then, in between
trying a few things (but without touching the hardware), the machine seemed
to get very flaky. Right now I can still boot an XXDP tape image, but as
soon as I try to do anything it dumps me back to ODT:
NOT ENOUGH MEMORY TO BOOT XXDP-XM
BOOTING UP XXDP-SM SMALL MONITOR
XXDP-SM SMALL MONITOR - XXDP V2.6
REVISION: E0
BOOTED FROM DD0
28KW OF MEMORY
NON-UNIBUS SYSTEM
RESTART ADDRESS: 152010
TYPE "H" FOR HELP
.
150674
@
I tried removing the RLV11 boards, returning the machine to it's former
state, but I have the same issue.
I'm pretty new to all of this and always have trouble figuring out what the
next debugging step should be.
My machine is a PDP-11/23 with a H9273 backplane. I have, in this order
>from the top: M8186, M8043, M8044DF, and an M8012 at the bottom.
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
--
Ben Sinclair
ben at bensinclair.com
