Hi
I received a DECpc 433 Workstation today with SCSI expansion box. It's a
small system which reminds me of the VAX VLC, but not quite.
I've not been able to find any manuals online, does anyone have anything?
Regards,
Pontus.
John wrote....
----
I'm still looking for Oregon Software Pascal as well...
----
I said I would look, I did, and it was fruitful.
I have in my hands an original distribution fedex shipping box from Oregon software to my high school (Saint Louis University High) containing:
Oregon Software Pascal-2 Software Development System version 2.1F for RT-11 release package checklist (RN-121, august 1988):
Installation & Release notes
Oregon Language Letter, Summer 1988, announcing two new compilers (Oregon Modula-2 and Oregon C++)
8 SS/SD RX01 format disks containing P-2 RT-11 v2.1F (original, Oregon software labels, including my high schools site/license number)
Oregon Software Field Report form (4 carbon copy)
Misc Notes of my own from a skim of the above:
The compiler version here runs under RT-11 v5 or later
The compiler can run under XM or SJ monitors
Programs compiled with the compiler can run under FB, BL, SJ, or XM
Minimum requirements: EIS. P-2 uses FPP hardware or simulated floating point software (FIS). Also need 3500 blocks to install, and during compilation about 500 blocks are used for temporary storage. Computers with only flexible disk systems do not have enough storage.
I have no idea if these diskettes are still readable. I know my high school was fastidious about making a copy and then locking the masters away so these disks likely only saw one read. I do know that they used this software extensively, and there may well be other copies of these floppies around here.
I'd love to post images of these diskettes, but I don't know the status of Oregon Software and the IP situation.
So in the interest of completeness, anyone have other RT-11 versions of other Oregon Software's compilers?
I also found original S&H distribution copies of TSX+ v5, v6, and v6.2 (again, stamped with my high schools license number).
Best,
J
Dave - - actually there should be a scan out it out there already...
it is of the same vintage as the hp minicomputer handbook with the old
hp-2115 on the front....
Here I found a link to the early version! just enter any word in the
human checker thing and you can download the pdf! there are other hp
2000 things there too at that main url
http://www.hpmuseum.net/capcha/freecap_wrap.php?r=1124
posting the cc also to rest of list for those that would like
this also...
Yea our old one if we opened it to flat bed scan it it would be a
sheaf of lose pages I fear... but this pdf should be good for
info.
We love HP 2000 stuff here it was part of my work in the old days
fixing and selling therm and selling time on them. We still have our
first 2000 system we bought but we NEED THE 2883 disk drive and the hp
version of the GE terminet 300 to put with it.
Ed Sharpe archivist for SMECC _www.smecc.org_ (http://www.smecc.org)
In a message dated 5/16/2015 11:27:44 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
jdbryan at acm.org writes:
Hi Ed,
On Saturday, May 16, 2015 at 21:35, COURYHOUSE at aol.com wrote:
> Many Thanks for the HP 1000 interface board manual...
You're welcome.
> We have the old one here at the museum with the 2115, 2116 etc
> but it has gotten brittle on the back binding and if we do not
> have to open it.......
Maybe open it one more time to scan it?
-- Dave
I received this email - contact Alex below if interested:
===================================================================
I'm a reporter for the New York Times and I'm working on a story about vintage tech/computer equipment, particularly when used as items to be displayed, or as home-decor.
Do you know have any collectors of vintage tech who have used it in any creative way as objects around the house?
If you have any thoughts on the topic, I'm all ears. Thanks!
--
Alex Williams
Reporter
The New York Times
212 556 1158
===================================================================
Chuck Guzis wrote:
One more category springs to mind--5xx would be printers (e.g. 501 and
512). Maybe I;m trying to forget about what it was like having a
machine gun on one side (501 drum printer) and a screaming banshee (512
train printer) on the other side.
8xx also includes drum storage.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
To add a little more: 1XX was test equipment; 3XX was paper tape equipment; 7XX was interconnect gear.
Later the numbers were changed to an elaborate code that used 2 Alphanumerics a dash, 3 more alpha numerics. This was later modified to include another dash and alphanumeric. For example, a disk drive might be: BJ-3A4-C.
There is a model decoder somewhere on bitsavers.
And there was a whole family of unique specially designed peripherals called SPAM boxes = Special Purpose Alogrithm Machines. These were usually all electronic. Most were used in the oil industry; for example strip recorders/readers for seismic data.
One I worked on a lot when in Houston, would add up all the one bits in a large field of data. For some applications, the petrol companies loved it.
Inital telecommunication products started here then evolved into their own families.
Chuck, I'll swap you for the time I was at CERN working on 627 (one inch) tape drives and some idiot rewound 24 of them at the same time. It was a gag they pulled on new operators. It could take an hour before you could hear people talk again.
Billy Pettit
Sean Caron <scaron at umich.edu> wrote:
> I remember long ago there used to be a really neat site about the
> VAXstation 3520/3540 machines but it's long gone ...
Any chance you have the URL noted? If so, the WayBackMachine might still
have it.
Noel
Many Thanks for the HP 1000 interface board manual... We have the old
one here at the museum with the 2115, 2116 etc but it has gotten
brittle on the back binding and if we do not have to open it.......
At one time when we would building voice boards to the 2000/1000
series back then we had scored a batch of blank IO proto boards with the
buss tag traces on them.. be interesting to see if I saved any...
Thanks ! Ed# _www.smecc.org_ (http://www.smecc.org)
In a message dated 5/16/2015 3:42:18 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
pbirkel at gmail.com writes:
That is a *really* nice document, in so many ways. Thanks for sharing,
and
for the answers to earlier questions :->.
On Thu, May 14, 2015 at 11:31 AM, J. David Bryan <jdbryan at acm.org> wrote:
> On Thursday, May 14, 2015 at 1:46, Paul Birkel wrote:
>
> > What do they recommend on the receiver-end?
>
> LSTTL with a 4.7K pulldown to -2V on the input.
>
>
> > Is the "HP 1000 M/E/F-Series Computers I/O Interfacing Guide"
> > (02109-90006 September 1980) available online somewhere?
>
> I thought I had sent it to Al some years ago, but it's not listed. In
any
> case, I've posted it here:
>
> http://home.earthlink.net/~jdbryan/dropbox/02109-90006_Sep-1980.7z
>
> See chapter 5, pages 5-5 and 5-6.
>
> -- Dave
>
>
All ?
I thought I would pass the attached on to the group. Please let me know if
the attachment (Word doc) doesn?t come through and I?ll send it separately
to those interested. I received the attached email, unsolicited. Looks like
two complete Altair systems for sale for $7,000, with offers considered. No
location is given in the listing but the area code points to Washington
State (Olympia??).
Rich
--
Rich Cini
Collector of Classic Computers
Build Master and lead engineer, Altair32 Emulator
http://www.classiccmp.org/cinihttp://www.classiccmp.org/altair32
From: Richard Cini <rcini at msn.com>
Date: Saturday, May 16, 2015 at 10:54 AM
To: Richard A Cini <rich.cini at verizon.net>
Subject: FW: Altair 8800 Electrical Engineer Estate "lot"
From: ecyclenw at msn.com
To: ecyclenw at msn.com
Subject: Altair 8800 Electrical Engineer Estate "lot"
Date: Fri, 15 May 2015 01:32:57 +0000
Hi,
You are receiving this e-mail due to interest expressed as a collector, on
theantiquecomputer.com.
Please find attached a word document with the information and details of
this Altair 8800 Estate Lot. More photos available.
Also, please pass this information to anyone who may be interested.
Thank You
Dan
Dan Tharp
EcycleNW
dan at ecyclenw.com
ecyclenw at msn.com
Sent from Windows Mail
Am I too late? Still available for sale?
Richard
I really need some cash and some space, so it's time for my Intel Intellec
MDS gear to find a new home. I inherited this kit some years ago, and know
almost nothing about it - in fact, I'm even confused as to the correct
model number; 'experts disagree', it's either an MDS-225 or MDS-800.
It's a large white cube, about 20" on a side, with a CRT, one 8" floppy and
a number of plug-in boards. There is also a blue Intel dual 8" drive, one
seriously heavy-duty keyboard, a few cables and a bevy of 8" floppy discs.
I also have an ICE pod for it, somewhere..
It has never been powered-up once since I've had it, though it was
apparently 'working fine' when retired sometime in the early-mid 1990s.
Cosmetics are very good, it's no ugly duckling by any stretch.
Photos will appear as I'm able to move it to a location with sufficient
light.
*Richard Brewster Main, Esq.*
*Of Counsel*Main Cafe
invention & patent development
Newark, CA 94560
+1 408 409 6246
http://www.maincafe.us/
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: E-mail may contain *attorney-client confidential
information* that is legally privileged. Do not read this e-mail if you are
not the intended recipient. This e-mail transmission, and any documents,
files or previous e-mail messages attached to it may contain confidential
information that is legally privileged. If you are not the intended
recipient, or a person responsible for delivering it to the intended
recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying,
distribution or use of any of the information contained in or attached to
this transmission is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. If you have received this
transmission in error, delete it, please immediately notify us by reply
e-mail to mainpatents at gmail.com or contacting us by telephone at
408-409-6246
F.Ulivi,
I have an MDS-225 on a breadboard for easy access. I bought it in
pieces and now getting it going. I believe I may be able to dump all
the EPROMS in my Pro-Log M980 and het hexfiles over USB-232 to my
WINDOWS laptop to email to you.
I just got the Intel 2708 personality module for the Pro-Log and not
sure its working.
On the built in CRT, Intel used the Ball Brothers TV120 with an early
VGA interface. It is TTL with /VERT, HORIZ, and VIDEO. You can wire up
a modern DB25 VGA monitor to the IOC and hook each of R G B through
270 ohm resistors to IOC VIDEO. maybe need to invert the vertical
sync.
Richard
I'm looking for the images of ROMs installed on the IOC (I/O controller)
board of Intel MDS-2 development systems. In particular I'm looking for
the content of the character generator ROM (A19-2708) and of firmware
ROMs (A50 to A53-4x2716). So far I had no success in googling them.
My goal would be to contribute a good emulation of MDS systems to MESS,
especially for what regards the look of the video terminal. Well, this
is the plan, when "real-life" is not inteferring too much...
*Richard Brewster Main, Esq.*
*Of Counsel*Main Cafe
invention & patent development
Newark, CA 94560
+1 408 409 6246
http://www.maincafe.us/
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: E-mail may contain *attorney-client confidential
information* that is legally privileged. Do not read this e-mail if you are
not the intended recipient. This e-mail transmission, and any documents,
files or previous e-mail messages attached to it may contain confidential
information that is legally privileged. If you are not the intended
recipient, or a person responsible for delivering it to the intended
recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying,
distribution or use of any of the information contained in or attached to
this transmission is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. If you have received this
transmission in error, delete it, please immediately notify us by reply
e-mail to mainpatents at gmail.com or contacting us by telephone at
408-409-6246
Hi Eric,
I reverse engineered the Intel IOC in my MDS-225 back in 1980 and
designed/programmed the Zendex equivalent. Your project sounds interesting.
I just got a MDS-225 in pieces that I'm getting fired up with DD dual 8"
floppies and ISIS-II.
Got any parts or need any parts?
Richard Main
Newark, CA USA
+1 510-229-9711
I picked up an Olivetti M24 the other day. When I opened it up I found a
"Fox Research LAN Interface" dated 1984. I have not been able to find any
information on this card. It has a make DE-9 connector with only 3 pins
(technically does that make it a DE-3?). Can anyone give me any details of
this interface?
The machine does not have the expansion board, and it is missing one of the
floppy disk drives. It also does not have a hard disk controller. If anyone
has any of these bits going spare I would love to hear from you.
Thanks
Rob
Hi *Dave Mabry,*
*I have an Intel MDS-225 that I'm getting up and running. I have quite a
bit of experience with these from back in 1980's when I developed a lot of
Intel SBC boards and wrote ASM-80 assembler on the MDS. I have a complete
double density dual drive Intel disk for it and will be up and running
ISIS-II on this soon.*
*What parts, software are you looking for? What do you have to sell?*
*Richard Main 510-229-9711*
>> it looks like the backplane blocks .. are cast around them
> From: Brent Hilpert
> all have secured the pin in the housing via some deformation of the metal
> pin, post-insertion; as opposed to moulding the housing around the pin.
> From: Ethan Dicks
> these are cast blocks of plastic with embedded pins.
> From: Jon Elson
> On some of the connectors, the pins are pressed in from the card side.
There appears to be some question as to whether thyy are cast in place,
or inserted.
Actually, I started to wonder about my assertion shortly after I posted it,
and took another look at the backplane. The thing is that the hollows that
the finger contact pins are in are fairly complicated (since they allow the
contact pins to move back and forth, but hold them from going too far), and
I'm really wondering if it would be possible to cast that shape, and then
remove the mold, and also have the pin in there. So I'm wondering if in fact
they weren't inserted post-casting.
> From: Brent Hilpert
> The problem in your situation of course, is getting the remainder of
> the pin out from between the edge connector housing and the backplane
> PCB without having to unsolder the entire connector.
Well, I'm kind of assuming they are inserted from the edge-connector side,
and not the wira-wrap pin side (what with the contact pins being bent, etc on
the edge-connector side), If they _were_ inserted from the wire-wrap pin
side, I'm totally @&@^$#%@&^, there's no way to get that PCB off now.
So in theory, at least, I'd have to de-solder them from the PCB and then try
and push the remaining part back through (after identifying and defeating
whatever the capture mechanism is - which I might not be able to reach with
the PCB in the way). And then I'd have to find replacement pins and put them
in. Both of those sound non-trivial.
(All assuming, of course, that they are inserted post-casting, and not
cast into place... still not sure about that.)
This has assumed a little extra urgency as on closer examination, some of the
pins in the UNIBUS in-out area are clearly very weak - I imagine there's only
a tiny bit of metal holding the contact pin in place, and it could break off
any time. And I won't be so lucky as to have them all be ground pins..
So if one breaks off, the backplane is toast (unless it's the the last thing
on the UNIBUS, it could be kludged - i.e. attach the termination/ pull-up
directly to the wire-wrap pin).
Which I guess is not the end of the world - DD11's aren't _that_ rare...
Noel
Do we know where theses drives are ( located ) ??
---
L'absence de virus dans ce courrier ?lectronique a ?t? v?rifi?e par le logiciel antivirus Avast.
http://www.avast.com
Forgive the interruption...
I am trying to get a hold of Wayne Smith. I sent him an e-mail a couple
days ago but he has not responded. Is he lurking here? If so, please
contact me.
Thank you!
--
Sellam ibn Abraham VintageTech
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintagetech.com
Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. The truth is always simple.
* * * NOTICE * * *
Due to the insecure nature of the medium over which this message has
been transmitted, no statement made in this writing may be considered
reliable for any purpose either express or implied. The contents of
this message are appropriate for entertainment and/or informational
purposes only. The right of the people to be secure in their papers
against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated.
I got a private email (I suspect many of you did too) regarding a sizeable
altair setup (and other accoutrements) being offered up out of an estate
sale.
>From a quick scan, I don't see that this made it to the list. Just in case,
I'm reposting brief info here and a link for more info.
Email:
Hi,
You are receiving this e-mail due to interest expressed as a collector, on
theantiquecomputer.com.
Please find attached a word document with the information and details of
this Altair 8800 Estate Lot. More photos available.
Also, please pass this information to anyone who may be interested.
Thank You
Dan
Dan Tharp
EcycleNW
dan at ecyclenw.com
ecyclenw at msn.com
Also - the attached file (which I cant send to the list, I don't allow
attachments) has been placed at http://www.ezwind.net/altair
It is a word document, but it has embedded pictures and such.
Best,
J
Dave,
Thanks a million! I did not know that. As for the receivers, it can go into
straight TTL apparently, I read that somewhere in an HP manual.
Marc
>From: "J. David Bryan" <jdbryan at acm.org>
>> ...where to get the older CTuL logic IC bus drivers (the 9956 in
>> particular) besides from old boards?
>With the inclusion of a pulldown resistor to -2V, the TI SN75121 is a
recommended replacement, per page 5-6 of the
>"HP 1000 M/E/F-Series Computers I/O Interfacing Guide" (02109-90006
September 1980). It's an active part:
> http://www.ti.com/product/sn75121
> -- Dave
Boy, if you don't know, then who is... But this brings up another good
point, where to get the older CTuL logic IC bus drivers (the 9956 in
particular) besides from old boards? I'll probably need a few to make my own
I/O boards, else I'll have make my own level converters out of SMD
components...
Marc
>From: "Jay West" <jwest at classiccmp.org>
>Subject: HP board id?
>It seems over the years I acquired more than a just a few of these (two
>types of) boards for the HP1000. I'm pretty certain they all came from a
>batch of about twenty HP 1000 series systems I got that were decommissioned
>from military use. They do not seem to be HP in origin, and I don't have
>any
>clue what they are for. Mostly they seem to be stuffed with large numbers
>of
>op amps and some line drivers. Perhaps just flight line testing or ATP?
> If no one thinks these are of any use. they will be scavenged for bus
> driver chips. But I'd hate to do that if they might be historical or
> "interesting".
>A few pictures of each board are at www.ezwind.net/hp-unk
>Educated guesses?
This grew out of off-list correspondence about the
card punch I'd mentioned on here recently; I
thought it might amuse some folks or just possibly
even be interesting:
----- Original Message -----
> On Tue, May 5, 2015 at 10:11 PM, Mike Stein
> <mhs.stein at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I've got a crazy idea; are you handy
> mechanically and electronically?
>
> I've got a couple of mag card readers; I think
> it would be a most awesome kludge to turn one
> into a punched card reader ;-)
>
> On the other hand, one of my PPT readers also
> reads EPCs (Edge Punched cards)...
>
> m
----------
> From: Kyle Owen
> To: Mike Stein
> Sent: Wednesday, May 06, 2015 11:23 AM
> Subject: Re: Fw: Wright card punch
>
> Hey Mike,
>
> I'm certainly more handy when it comes to
> electronics than mechanics, though I've dabbled
> in a bit of everything it feels like.
>
> What kind of mag card readers do you have? And I
> assume PPT is punched paper tape? I guess I
> haven't seen too many EPCs in my time. What were
> they used for?
>
> Kyle
-----------------
Hi Kyle,
I wasn't entirely serious about the mag card
readers, but it's not a totally ridiculous idea
either.
They're sort of like a linear floppy disk: Imagine
a credit card reader like the one at your local
ATM that sucks in the card and spits it out, but
the card is the size and shape of an 80 column
punched card but made from more or less the same
material as a floppy disk.
The tracks are straight and lengthwise instead of
concentric and they're read the same way as your
credit card, with a stepper mechanism to select a
specific track across the width (height?) of the
card either under computer control or manually
(note the < and > buttons on the front).
Remove the track-select stepper mechanism, add a
light source and an array of 12 photo sensors (or
a mechanical contact of some sort) and you've got
a one-at-a-time card reader; it's even already got
a couple of photo sensors ;-)
As usual with the old stuff (and most of the
'real' punched card readers) the feed rollers look
a little rough, although it looks like you could
probably make new ones out of wood or plastic and
just put a rubber band around them.
Pity I'm getting rid of the punch or I might
actually try it myself for a lark.
EPCs are really just punched cards of various
sizes but instead of using the whole area of the
card the data is punched along the bottom edge
just like paper tape; they're usually read by
normal PPT readers that have a special guide for
the card.
Pictures of the mag card reader here:
http://s1056.photobucket.com/user/dm561/library/?view=recent&page=1
> From: Bill Degnan
> Accepting best offer for a PDP 11/44 located in Landenberg, PA.
Before Bill's mailbox explodes, he has listed this on eBay, and it will sell
there. (Note, he has it listed local pickup only.)
Noel
I have a VAXStation 3520 I'd like to upgrade a bit (because why not) -- if
anyone has any spares they'd be willing to sell/trade for, let me know.
I'm looking for additional memory (I have only 8mb) or an extra dual
processor board (so I can have a quad-processor VAX, which sounds fun).
Thanks as always,
Josh
I have a very strong suspicion that the answer to this is going to be 'no',
but I figured I'd do due diligence and ask...
I have a backplane (one of the rodent barn group) which has a couple of finger
contacts in the backplane missing. (Two came out while I was cleaning it - and
I wasn't being hard on them, they must have been eaten away by the same kind
of chemical action that lifted traces off the boards.)
Is there any way to replace broken/missing finger contacts? I would _guess_
'no', since it looks like the backplane blocks (the things cast out of dark
green plastic, which looks like Bakelite - anyone know exactly what it is,
BTW?) are cast around them (since there's a wire-wrap pin on one side, and a
finger contact on the other).
If the answer _is_ 'no', no biggie - all except one are on one SPC slot, and
it's a 9-slot backplane, so we'd lose one SPC slot - not the end of the world.
The other pin is in the UNIBUS in/out area (1/9AB), _but_ the antique hardware
gods are smiling on us, it's a ground pin (of which the UNIBUS connector
pinout has multiple, so we can probably withstand the loss of one).
Thanks in advance for any help!
Noel
