test-drb April 2014

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

174 participants
170 discussions

Cleaning 8-inch Floppies (was: Re: The US Military still use 8-inch floppies.)

by bobvines00＠gmail.com

> Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2014 16:11:29 -0700 > From: Chuck Guzis <cclist at sydex.com> > > On 04/28/2014 02:56 PM, Thomas Dzubin wrote: >> The American TV Show "60 minutes" showed 8-inch floppies are still >> being used by the military >> >> http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/04/60-minutes-shocked-to… >> >> >> Good to see people still use 8-inch floppies.... or maybe not > > Hardly surprising. I'll take an 8" floppy over a 3.5" one or 5.25" one > any day. Provided that they weren't crap to start with, there's no > reason why they shouldn't continue to work for many years more. The > technology used to write and read them was extremely conservative. None > of that "shirt pocket" garbage. > > I routinely get 8 inchers from the 1970s to retrieve data from and I > experience problems only rarely. I wish I could say the same about old > 5.25" disks from the 80s and 3.5" disks from the 90s. > > Back around 2000 (IIRC) I received a lot of very grimy RX-02 floppies > (at least they were RX02-style MFM) with a request to copy them to clean > media. All came through (after a bit of cleaning) just fine--they were > used on some sort of jig for the C130. > > --Chuck Chuck, Can you give details on your "bit of cleaning" procedures for the 8-inch diskettes? I've got quite a few RX01/RX02 diskettes to "save" (image) and recover data from a few for a friend. Any tips on checking and/or cleaning the drives too, to avoid physically damaging the diskettes, beyond what is in the DEC Maintenance Manuals? My basic plan is to get my PDP-8/A running with an RX01 and/or RX02 drive and use a serial port to send the data/image to a PC. Or can anyone detail an easier way? Thanks, Bob

10 years, 8 months

Checking Contents of Unknown Disks

by robert.jarratt＠ntlworld.com

I have some SCSI disks with unknown contents which I would like to check before overwriting them. I don't even know what OS they were used with. The only systems I have to hand with SCSI are MicroVAXen, so I can check them for VMS format without issue. However, for the ones that are not VMS format I would need a way to find out what format they are. I was wondering if there is any VMS software for reading FAT disks (as that is a pretty likely format). According to Hoff (http://www.hoffmanlabs.org/vmsfaq/vmsfaq_012.html) there is VMS freeware that will read FAT diskettes, I am not sure if it will read hard disks too. Trouble is I don't seem to have that version of the Freeware, does anyone have version 6 and the WINFX software? Another way would be to use a PC SCSI adapter. I don't have one yet, but I think I will get one. I like the look of the Adaptec 2940AU. Regards Rob

10 years, 8 months

BERG connectors for DEC cables?

by j＠ckrubin.us

I've asked this before but it seems like time to ask again. I'd like to make some _proper_ DEC-style cables with round shielded cable and true BERG headers on the end(s). I know that IDC connectors can be used as a substitute but I'd really like to be able to find the old crimp-pin and insert style. Does anybody have a source or even a non-DEC part number for the header box and/or pins? Note that it is actually a 44-pin carrier to center it in the 40 pin receptacle. Thanks, Jack

10 years, 8 months

Lost artworks by Andy Warhol found on 80s-era FLOPPY DISKS • The Register

by woyciesjes＠sbcglobal.net

Definitely cool... http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/25/warhol_amiga_artworks_found/ -- --- Dave Woyciesjes --- CompTIA A+ Certified IT Tech - http://certification.comptia.org/ --- HDI Certified Support Center Analyst - http://www.ThinkHDI.com/ Registered Linux user number 464583 Occasionally found on IRC - #bikeshed on irc.dal.net "Computers have lots of memory but no imagination." "The problem with troubleshooting is that trouble shoots back." - from some guy on the internet.

10 years, 8 months

Wanted: Bay Networks Annex and Rackmount Modems

by slandon110＠gmail.com

Looking for rackmount modems and a bay networks annex for a project im working on. Or a multiport serial card that works with SunOS. Also looking for something similar for an HP 712.

10 years, 8 months

Many fine vintage machines at AsiaBSDcon - identify all the machines?

by abs＠absd.org

I saw this (didn't get to attend unfortunately :) and thought this might be of interest to the list http://www.soum.co.jp/~jun/asiabsdcon2014.pdf Machines seem to include Sharp x68k, netwinder, news MIPS, javastation, luna68k, luna 88k, Atari, Amiga, Acorn Archimedes, DEC Alpha, Arc MIPS, Bebox, cobalt Cube, Dreamcast, arm/mips/sh3 netbooks, landisk hp300, hppa, IBM prep, 68k mac, SGI, sun3, shark and more. All running *nix. Thats quite an impressive list :) Challenge for the list - identify all the models in the pictures! (can probably safely exclude the couple of x86 boxes :)

10 years, 8 months

Mid-1970s Pictures Posted

by bobvines00＠gmail.com

> Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2014 16:57:52 -0500 > From: Kyle Owen <kylevowen at gmail.com> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Mid-1970s Pictures Posted > > Those are great! Thanks for sharing. In a similar vein, I scanned some > photos from Auburn University, ca. early 1980s. > > http://imgur.com/a/Kwnn9 > > Kyle Kyle, It's a shame that you only had photos from the (relatively) "official" computers at Auburn, primarily EE & (I guess) the Main Computer Center over in the Math & Science Building. As an ME, I didn't get to see or use any of the systems in your photos, but got hooked on "Blinkenlights" when I was able to use Dr. Bussell's DG Nova 1220 (in ~1981-82) with an ASR-33 and some type of Tektronix terminal along with disk cartridge drives, pretty much as a "personal computer." It was "hidden" in a closet in the old Mechanical Lab building. Having access to that system as a "personal computer" sure beat the hell out of lining up at the Computer Center to try to use a terminal, especially once the basic programming classes graduated to FORTRAN (which brought the systems to their knees due to 30-40 students all trying to run/debug their FORTRAN programs at the same time ;) . Because of that Nova 1220 experience, I've been infected with collecting and trying (also as a non-EE) to restore old computers, mostly PDP-8 family members, with a few Q-Bus PDP-11s, a VAX 4000-200, a Commodore 64, a TI99/4A, a Sinclair (I think), an Apple III (I think), a TRS80 Model III, a Canon BX-1, and various PC clones from the early '80s almost to today. Along with an ASR-33, an LPQ01 (I think), an RK-05, a half-dozen RL01/02s, a couple dozen disk packs, and a half dozen RX01/02s, literally thousands of 5.25-inch, a few-hundred 3.5-inch, & about a hundred 8-inch diskettes. Perhaps one of these days, I'll be able to rearrange my workshop to have room to take decent photos of my collection too. Bob

10 years, 8 months

BERG connectors for DEC cables?

by tiggerlasv＠aim.com

On Sat, Apr 26, 2014 at 12:26 PM, Jack Rubin <j at ckrubin.us> wrote: > I've asked this before but it seems like time to ask again. I'd like to > make some _proper_ DEC-style cables with round shielded cable and true BERG > headers on the end(s). I know that IDC connectors can be used as a > substitute but I'd really like to be able to find the old crimp-pin and > insert style. Does anybody have a source or even a non-DEC part number for > the header box and/or pins? Note that it is actually a 44-pin carrier to > center it in the 40 pin receptacle. A few different manufacturers still produce them, including FCI, and Molex. Both Mouser, and Digikey carry them. Here is the Mouser link for the 44-pin housing -- Is this what you're looking for? http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Molex/22-55-2442/?qs=f4rpoa%252bd1nHknk… T

10 years, 8 months

Recreating a Dial In ISP with Sun Sparc and HP PA RISC Hardware

by slandon110＠gmail.com

My summer project is to recreate dial in shell access like we all used to. I have 2 machines that are candidates for it. an HP 712 system running HP UX 9.04 and a Sun Sparcstation 5 running Solaris 1.1.2. For PPP access I can set up a linux box as well. Anyone ever thought of doing this or how it could be accomplished?? Thanks Steve

10 years, 8 months

FS: Lantronix UDS 10 NIB & some other goodies

by slandon110＠gmail.com

Getting rid of my never used Lantronix UDS-10 which is New in box. Asking 35 shipped anywhere in the USA PayPal accepted 10 BBS Telecom Plexus PVT-30D Key Telephones. Used with the Macro Plexus PBX system $35 each shipped in the USA Codex 5280R Leased Line Modem 4800 Baud. Really nice shape. Powers up $50 shipped in the USA

10 years, 8 months

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test-drb April 2014