The interest in video terminals has been awoken again, and I am again searching for one.
I like the look/size of the VT220s, very nice and compact!
Anybody have extra DEC or IBM terminals in Toronto (Canada) ? I?m probably somewhat interested!
-brian
seeing if 'x'x'x' is tripping the list profanity filter
-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: TSC UniFLEX 68xxx
Date: Sat, 12 Nov 2016 12:38:38 -0800
From: Al Kossow <aek at bitsavers.org>
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
I wanted to see if anyone has any more information or software distribution disks
than what I just put up on bitsavers under tsc and gimix. I have a hard disk image
for the GMX Micro-20 that I just bought on eBay, but no distribution floppies.
I didn't realize that the 68K version was so uncommon, since the 6809 version seems
to be everywhere.
The person working on Integral PC emulation in MAME asked for it, so it's up now under pdf/hp/hp150
Unfortunately, what he was looking for was info on the graphics ASIC, which isn't really talked about at all :-(
Talk of the MX-80 has reminded me of a couple of more obscure models...
The first is the TX80. This, I think is a little older. The mechanism
is strange,
it has one DC motor (and no steppers). The motor drives a dual-pitch scroll
thing (sort of a coarse leadscrew) that as it turns in one direction moves the
printhead left to right and then returns it more rapidly. On the return journey
it (mechanically) causes a linefeed. I have never seen a complete TX80, but
the mechanism turned up in an early Commodore printer (2023 or some such)
and I think I have a logic board from the Epson one somewhere.
The other is a bit later. The HI-80. This is a 4 (ballpoint) pen
plotter. No, not
the well-known Alps mechanism. This has the 4 pens on a sliding mechanism
on the carriage. It is moved by running the carriage into the end stops (!).
There are the obvious 2 stepper motors (one for carriage movement, one
to move the paper) and a solenoid to lower the pen.
The HI-80 certainly has the connector for optional interface boards. I think
the TX80 does as well.
Incidentally I am looking for any manuals for the HI-80. Documentation on the
TX80 would be interesting too.
-tony
Just FYI the VAX/VMS (and Alpha VMS) ADA, BASIC, C, Pascal and Fortran
compilers can be found on the relevant CD images on VaxHaven. I've
tested each, since licenses for all are still part of the hobbyist
package, and a modern hobbyist license will work with the older versions
found on VaxHaven from the mid 90s just fine.
So if anyone just wants the compilers themselves rather than a specific
older version, that should work quite well for you.
I found Alps key switches at a small Swedish electronic surplus seller. The
resembled some switches I have seen before so I took a chance and bought
some. The price was the equivalent of 2 USD for ten switches.
I took a few photos in case someone could identify them:
http://i.imgur.com/L5agnfc.jpg
Could be interesting to know if they are used in some known machine.
The part number might be 58990003 and 58990002 which was the number
mentioned in the catalogue.
The company selling them is Belganet Data Elektronik and their catalogue is
at:
http://www.bde.se/skat11_1.pdf
/Mattis
Hi*
>> Any chance it could be put into 'production'?
*I placed an order today for 3 RL02 emulator interface boards from OshPark.
I expect it will take 2 weeks to get the boards back from OshPark.
I am leveraging RL02 emulator work from Reinhard Heuberger, but I am
using a newer FPGA board than his current design (the FPGA board that
he is currently usingis not available), so there is some porting work
required which will also take some time.
Regards,
Scott
So last week there was some conversation about lisp compilers and an
expressed interest in old VAX lisp comilers. Co-incidently, I was rooting
through the morgue at work on semi legitimate business and found
VAXlisp 2.2 copyright 1987. Sadly, it is on a TK50 and is the Ultrix
version.
Since it sparked my interest, I went through the rest of the pile but
no VMS lisp compiler was unearthed. I found o-l-d VAX/VMS ADA, C, basic,
pascal, fortran compilers but no lisp compilers and all on moldering
TK50s lying in wait for any hapless tape drive that may accept them.
Oh yes, this is all VMS 5.5-1 stuff, there seems to be an entire distro
there plus a lot of layered products. These are reduntant, my employer's
last VAX is now sleeping in my basement.
--
Richard Loken VE6BSV, Systems Programmer - VMS : "...underneath those
Athabasca University : tuques we wear, our
Athabasca, Alberta Canada : heads are naked!"
** rlloken at telus.net ** : - Arthur Black
