test-drb September 2015

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

198 participants
312 discussions

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> On looking at the 11/05S print set online, I think it has most of the > MM11-Y prints Err, make that the 11/04 print set. (Sorry!) The 11/05S has the MF11-U (or would that be MM11-U - I wonder if there's a system to the ME/MF/MM designators). Noel

8 years, 10 months

Reading ROMs

by gerardcjat＠free.fr

List of blank for 21MX and microcode : That would be very usefull. Thanks in advance --- L'absence de virus dans ce courrier ?lectronique a ?t? v?rifi?e par le logiciel antivirus Avast. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

8 years, 10 months

What kind of keyboard is this?

by wheagy＠gmail.com

I picked this up at Radio Shack about 25-30 years ago and have been hauling it around ever since. http://imgur.com/oNEcRFv,VacFqrY#0 (There should be two images...a link to the second.) It was a surplus thing that RS was selling on the parts wall and I grabbed on the off chance I'd need it someday. I lost the cardboard top to the plastic bag it came in, so I know nothing about it. Anyone have any idea? Thanks...Win

8 years, 10 months

Problem with RF73 DSSI disk

by holm＠freibergnet.de

Since the capacity of 2x RF31 and 1x RF71 disks is a little bit low for VMS with some compilersi (~400MB every disk), I've looked for a bigger disk, at least for the sytem itself. (I've already relocated the pagefile to the 2nd disk). Ok, there are RF73 available at ebay US for $100, but addiotional $50 and more for shipping is to much, I have to pay additional 19% of customs VAT on top of the sum from disk+shipping.. Maybe there are people that think that this prices are ok, but not me, not for an old 2GB disk for an computer with that power consumtion and that computing "power".. In the case there is someone in europe that want to give away such a disk for an acceptable price, please mail me.. Luckily an old friend of mine found 2 Disks in his stock, another RF31 (not tried jet) and an RF73. I've changed now the working but still almost empty RF71 in my VAX4000-300 against that RF73 disk and tried to integrate it to the system. It starts with all LEDs on (as the other do), begins to rattle a little with the head assembly (as the others do) but stops then and begins to reposition somewhere in 0.5s cycles. It never finishes doing that, it is not going to ready. The ready led is blinking for a short time after every 0,5s cycle. I've tried to talk with the disk using the KA670 Firmware with set host/dup/dssi/bus:0 2, PARAMS is working and STATUS is responding, the displayed last failure was 3304(X) and I don't know what that could be.. All other commands do work, but they are aborted since the disk is busy. The available RF72DUG8 gives the hint that the error codes are listed in the service manuals, but it seems that those manuals aren't available somewhere. What could the error be? Is the disk dead? 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

8 years, 10 months

Fw: MITS Altair 8800b switches needed

by mhs.stein＠gmail.com

Oops: http://www.dailywell.com.tw/uploadpic/file/20130914143655f.pdf ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Stein" <mhs.stein at gmail.com> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Sent: Monday, September 07, 2015 12:41 AM Subject: Re: MITS Altair 8800b switches needed > Anything here you like? > > Might have to hunt for a distributor/retailer > though. > > m > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "drlegendre ." <drlegendre at gmail.com> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic > Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2015 4:21 PM > Subject: Re: MITS Altair 8800b switches needed > > >> Since Erik brought it up.. >> >> I could also use a couple switches, but in my >> case they are for an 8800A >> model. (Well, it's sort-of a 'B' now as it was >> upgraded to the 'B' power >> supply, but it still has the original 'A' type >> D/C board). >> >> Like the 'B' it uses mostly Mom-Off-Mom >> mini-toggles, with panel mount >> bushing, and the long solder terminals that >> solder directly to the PCB (not >> the small eyelet type). But the handles are the >> standard mini-toggle bat >> handle - not the flatted paddles Erik >> describes. >> >> Any leads, feel free to mail me off-list. >> Thanks! >> >> -Bill >> >> On Sun, Sep 6, 2015 at 1:13 PM, Erik Klein >> <classiccmp at vintage-computer.com> >> wrote: >> >>> I am desperately seeking NOS, working pulls or >>> accurate replacement >>> switches for my MITS 8800b. >>> >>> These are flattened paddle switches, both >>> ON-OFF and MOM-Off-MOM type. >>> SPDT, Panel mount, solder post with a 15mm >>> actuator. This last part is the >>> pain as everything I've found is 10mm or less. >>> >>> I've checked every online source that I know >>> of plus all of the local >>> electronics and surplus shops with no luck. >>> >>> I'm sure someone here has a stash or knows >>> someone who does. I need at >>> least one of each type but would prefer a few >>> more as I do have a few >>> marginal switches to replace if I can. >>> >>> I'd even buy a complete 8800b D/C board if >>> that's what it took. >>> >>> Please email me at my webmaster@ >>> "vintage-computer.c0m" address if you can >>> help. >>> >>> Thank you! >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Erik Klein >>> www.vintage-computer.com >>> www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum - The Vintage >>> Computer Forums >>> marketplace.vintage-computer.com - The Vintage >>> Computer and Gaming >>> Marketplace >>> >

8 years, 10 months

MITS Altair 8800b switches needed

by classiccmp＠vintage-computer.com

I am desperately seeking NOS, working pulls or accurate replacement switches for my MITS 8800b. These are flattened paddle switches, both ON-OFF and MOM-Off-MOM type. SPDT, Panel mount, solder post with a 15mm actuator. This last part is the pain as everything I've found is 10mm or less. I've checked every online source that I know of plus all of the local electronics and surplus shops with no luck. I'm sure someone here has a stash or knows someone who does. I need at least one of each type but would prefer a few more as I do have a few marginal switches to replace if I can. I'd even buy a complete 8800b D/C board if that's what it took. Please email me at my webmaster@ "vintage-computer.c0m" address if you can help. Thank you! -- Erik Klein www.vintage-computer.com www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum - The Vintage Computer Forums marketplace.vintage-computer.com - The Vintage Computer and Gaming Marketplace

8 years, 10 months

seeking Burroughs B6700 manuals and software

by nw＠retroComputingTasmania.com

We would be glad to hear from anyone who might have new material related to the Burroughs B6700. We're on the hunt for any manuals or software related to the Burroughs large systems so we can build an emulator for the B6700. This search includes the B5000, B6000, B7000 families, since there is considerable overlap across these families and collateral from one system family can assist understanding another. Example models include B5500, B5700, B6500, B7500, B6700, B7700, B6800, and B7800. We were amazingly lucky with the B5500 to have so much of the critical documentation (thanks Bitsavers!) and a complete suite of system software, but even though the B6700 was more recent and produced in larger numbers we're not having the same level of good fortune finding artifacts. What we have so far is documented here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JnMsyE8ssJi_-MUsK0rT9LPtNpeJCpTv1Qr… If you're interested in this system then you likely remember that it had a particularly impressive front-panel display, seen here: http://www.retrocomputingtasmania.com/home/projects/burroughs-b6700-mainfra… This was known as the MDL display: Maintenance Diagnostics Logic display. Because the MDL had the 4 x top-of-stack registers down to the bit-level particular bit-patterns allowed words to be displayed. The early MCPs put IDLE into the display during IO waits, and subsequent releases: B for Burroughs, but sites quickly started putting their own company initials or the time. The Danish museum is so far the only place I've found that kept the MDL: http://datamuseum.dk/wiki/Genstand:11000045_Konsolpanel_Burroughs_B6700 Thanks to Finn Verner Nielsen for being so helpful and undertaking an expedition into their warehouse to locate and photograph the item for us. On that DDHF web-page you will see on the left of the picture the B7800 MDL they have too. My goal is to also construct a replica of the B6700 MDL. Steps undertaken so far: Posts to newsgroups Posts on LinkedIn, wikipedia, Yahoo groups Emails to a few dozen people who were involved with the system Trawling the Internet

8 years, 10 months

PDP-8 diagnostics SR settings?

by charlesmorris800＠centurytel.net

Johnny, I appreciate the thought, but there are over 1500 pins on this board and soldering them all would be a major undertaking in itself... I don't have a wave soldering machine ;) The first error flagged today is on D1 CA 3, the Command Register A bit 3. Scope loops definitely identify this bus as trouble and it's part of the disk address register too. The command register is two 'LS174 hex D-flops, and it drives the input of a '165 shift register (disk address) and the input of an 8234 (2-1 multiplexer/driver) back onto the data bus, and that's it. Should be simple... ha! The voltage on that output pin will go up and down as set by the loop until the board is flexed - then it will wander up to around 1-2 volts (measured at the pin with a DIP clip). However, I measured its ability to drive a 510 ohm load to 3.5 volts, and sink at least 10 ma (measured directly) staying below 0.8 volts. And the inputs to those two gates can be pulled to 0 with only a fraction of a milliamp, and go high when the driving D-flop is disconnected! I couldn't reproduce the problem while flexing the board either, but then I'd need three or four hands. So I changed the LS174 anyway. No luck - the card passes diagnostics until the board is flexed. All three of those chips are in the same general area of the board, too. Close inspection of the driven '165 shows a lot of black oxidation on its pins... don't those tend to grow crud inside the package and cause problems too? But... read on ;) After perusing the schematic several more times this evening, I found one more place I'd overlooked where D1 CA 3 (the "flaky" line) connects... to an AND gate E96 in the center of the card, that has a solderable jumper for RL01/02. I had moved that jumper to RL01 for testing by another member (as that is the drive he has), and back to RL02 when I got the card back from him. Lo and behold, underneath that piece of wire was a tiny solder whisker, at the moment shorting the CA 3 line to (something else?) but it was definitely continuity to another trace. Don't know how long that whisker might have been there, quite possibly from before I changed it for the test! Anyway I cleared it, and I've flexed the board numerous times while running AJRLAC controller diagnostic, and made 8 passes without an error. So far so good. So I connected the drives, booted up SerialDisk and can read their directories (only C & D, but that's a PIP version problem that I corrected on my RL02 image). Drives seem to be working :) ... of course R20A: (the SYS directory) is clobbered, so I'll have to remake the pack with my known-good image, but I was able to format the pack in Drive 1 without errors. Even wiggling the board several times. Now I'm running read/write tests (AJRLIA.DG) on Drive 1. No errors so far after two ten-minute passes :) THIS time maybe I really got it... CA 3 is the 4th bit of course where all the problems were occurring. Will let it run for a while longer. David Gesswein just sent me a version of dumprest for RL that he's just written, modified for my Omni-USB port at 40/41. If that works I'll be able to upload an entire RL02 in about 2 minutes instead of 3 hours with vtserver... -Charles

8 years, 10 months

Reading ROMs

by marc.verdiell＠gmail.com

Jay, Mike, John, Thanks for the helpful information. It just dawned onto me that these were "write once" PROMs, not modern EEPROMs. Duh. So you get one shot at doing it right... The Data I/Os on ebay seem to be quite a bit more than $100 right now, I'll keep looking. I guess none of the modern ebay Chinese ones would do? Also where can you get the blanks? Any modern equivalents here too? Marc ------------------------- Jay West wrote: The Data I/O 29B works perfectly for those old fusable link proms. John Robertson wrote: One can pick up a Data I/O 29B and Unipak II off eBay starting around $100USD (ish). There is a very good support group on yahoo groups: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Data_IO_EPROM Mike Loewen wrote: I used a Data I/O 29B programmer to burn the PROMs, with a Unipak 2B. The blank PROMs were variously Signetics N82S141, MMI 6341-1 and National 74S474. Along with the 12821A HP-IB board, you also need a Boot Loader PROM, 12992H (12992-80004). The boot loader PROM is a Signetics N82S129 or equivalent. For installation information about the firmware PROMs, see manual 12791-90001 (HP 1000 M/E/F-Series Firmware Installation and Reference Manual). For boot loader information, see manual 12792-90001 (HP 12992 Loader ROMs Installation Manual). ------------------------

8 years, 10 months

Data General 6050 Cartridge Disk Drive

by bcoleman3＠hotmail.com

I know this is a pretty long shot, but does anyone happen to have any service or maintenance manuals on the DG 6050 disk drive that have a procedure for adjusting the servo control circuit board? Or does anyone know anything about doing this? Thanks

8 years, 10 months

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test-drb September 2015