Progress on getting the MVII up and running:
I ordered the SCSI2SD adapter and it has come in, the plan is to use it
as the system disk on the MVII.
The hobbyist VMS PAKS have arrived and I was able to download the VMS
7.3 iso, not sure what I can do with it since I think it must be burned
to a 512 byte sector CD.
I asked if the PAKS were good for older versions of VMS, like 5.5, and
was told yes they were. We'll see about that.
The Hobbyist VMS CD I had for VMS 7.2 was found and I was able to get
the old Toshiba CD drive to work on the MV 4000 using a CQD 223A. How
can I create an image of these CD's on the VAX 4000 that I could use in
an emulator?
I wasn't able to get the UC07 to see the CDROM because of a bad SCSI
cable, I had hoped to format the SCSI2SD using the UC07.
Is it possible to use the SCSI2SD on a microPDP-11 under RT-11? I ask
because of the disk size limit under RT-11.
Doug
Does anyone happen to have the IBM Diskette OEM Information manuals:
GA21-9190 one-sided
GA21-9257 two-sided
I'm specifically NOT looking for the Diskette General Information
Manual, GA21-9182, unless someone has an edition earlier than Fourth
or later than Sixth.
The OEM Information manuals were the definitive reference for the
track formats for eight-inch diskettes. Generally equivalent
information is available from a lot of later sources, including ECMA,
ISO, and ANSI standards, and from vendor datasheets and application
notes for floppy drives and floppy disk controller chips, though I've
encountered a number of inaccuracies in vendor documentation.
The ECMA standards are available online. I'm interested in the IBM OEM
information manuals primarily for historical reasons, not because I'm
missing any particular technical information.
Thanks!
Eric
Hi
Note that the combo card does not work reliably above
4800 baud. It feeds the serial through an optical isolator,
even when doing RS232. It is really intended to do current loop
at lower speeds.
Dwight
________________________________
From: cctalk <cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org> on behalf of Bill Sudbrink <wh.sudbrink at verizon.net>
Sent: Monday, August 1, 2016 6:01:21 PM
To: 'General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts'
Subject: RE: How to get a Heathkit H8 to work with a serial terminal
Try in the SEBHC group:
sebhc at googlegroups.com
Make this yet another person as well in BC who would be jumping on it . I
got almost no use for a card reader if I have no way to punch the cards.
>Ditto. I'd be all over that if I wasn't in BC.
Okay thanks. ?I gues where I'm getting confused is Michael Holley's guide to new 6800 users says because of the 6810 being cut you want RAM at $A000.. what you're suggesting sounds like the opposite? ?Maybe I'd better reread those instructions.
Sent from my Samsung device
-------- Original message --------
From: Brent Hilpert <hilpert at cs.ubc.ca>
Date: 2016-08-05 10:52 AM (GMT-08:00)
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Subject: Re: SWTPC 6800
On 2016-Aug-05, at 9:55 AM, Brad H wrote:
>
> 3) Ah, this may be part of my problem.? I don't quite understand memory
> addressing yet.? The instructions said you needed RAM at A000 if the 6810
> chip was disabled (which it appears to be, the correct trace is cut).? My
> machine has 4 RAM boards.? 2 are MPM, 2 are 16K DRC boards.? For whatever
> reason, the DRC boards are config-ed to be first (0000-3FFF) and second
> (4000-7FFF).?? Trying to strip the machine down and have as little RAM as I
> could get away with, I just installed the single board at 0000-3FFF.? These
> boards are (thank god) socketed, so I have some means of testing and
> removing RAM.? The MP-M boards are not socketed, so I don't want to mess
> with those until I have to.? I could config the second DRC board for the
> $Exxx-$Fxxx and shove it in there.
Don't take my word on the specific address, I should have just said you need some RAM in high mem.
The 6810 was there to fulfill that need of RAM for the xxxBUG monitor.
You might reenable it, or config a RAM board to cover that range (A000? to ?).
But if you use a RAM board you have to config it so it doesn't extend up into (overlap) the ROM and IO address space.
(I have a memory map for this on another machine not set up at this time).
(For purposes of exercising the xxxBUG monitors you don't need memory down at $0000.)
Yeah to be honest.. I'm not sure I'm the biggest serial terminal computer fan. ?I find them way harder to diagnose than computers with video cards. ?But, the SWTPC is an iconic system.. so I'll just keep muddling until I figure it out.
Sent from my Samsung device
-------- Original message --------
From: Fred Cisin <cisin at xenosoft.com>
Date: 2016-08-05 11:25 AM (GMT-08:00)
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Subject: RE: SWTPC 6800
On Fri, 5 Aug 2016, Brad H wrote:
> I then tried 7 N 1 (that's how my CT1024 terminal is set up).? This time I
> got more consistent characters.? If I hit reset, there is also a response.
If and when you get consistent characters, no matter how wrong, then it's
time to look at the bit patterns of what you get V what you expect? (is
anybody around who knows?)
Since, obviously, if consistent, then it might be right except for one or
more bits stuck on or stuck off.
Yes, it is frustrating.
Thought I would post this here in case it reaches eyes my forum posts don't. ?So I finally got my hands on a SWTPC 6800! ?
This machine is chock full of boards.. 4 ram boards, the cpu card (with SWTBUG ROM), MP-S, MP-C serial cards, a floppy controller, some little custom board, a sound card.. etc.
This presents some challenges obviously, since the machine has been altered from stock it could be tricky getting it running.
Before I had it stripped down, I tried powering up as is (i pulled the older MP-C card and put MP-S in slot 1). ?This produced little except for a string of random characters that would repeat every time I hit reset, exactly the same number.
I tried stripping it down to CPU card, MP-S, and the RAM board designated as '0'.. but all I get at the terminal end is a single random character on power up. ?
I then thought I'd try my luck putting the CPU card in my working MSI system (taking out its card). ?Nope. ?
Now, because my CPU card has been modified to accomodate SWTBUG and possibly something else, I'm not sure if it'll even work in a stripped down config. ?Not sure about the interplay between boards.
Anyway.. if anyone has any thoughts to point me in the right direction I'd be most appreciative. ?Ultimately I'd like to get this beast working with my CT1024 terminals.
Brad
Sent from my Samsung device
Hey guys,
In addition to that 6800 SWTPC I got, I also picked up this 'board bucket'
>from ebay:
http://s1381.photobucket.com/user/unclefalter/library/Tektronix%206800%20Dev
eloper%20Computer?sort=3
<http://s1381.photobucket.com/user/unclefalter/library/Tektronix%206800%20De
veloper%20Computer?sort=3&page=1> &page=1
It's a 6800 system of sorts and has BASIC and 'DDE' ROMs. I've tried
hooking it up to a terminal but no response. I think the system isn't fully
running. This is a video I took:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YSUuF6xTAg
Hard to see with the camera, but when you hit and hold reset the little
display looks sort of normal. When you release, it's like some of the
segments are half-on rather than fully on or off. I tried pulling RAM boards
and such but no action yet. Step button on the CPU card doesn't do
anything.
If anyone has seen one of these or has any ideas on getting her working, I'd
be most interested. I sent an email to Tektronix to inquire about it as
there are part numbers and stuff on the boards. Hopefully they can answer
questions.
Brad
I don't know about using eBay as things are all over the place. I have paid from $0.99 + s&h to $29.99 w/ free shipping (for something that is useful e.g. HMS for 5150 in unopened condition). My average seems to be $9.99 for more popular stuff and $4.99 for esoteric stuff (say GTO to the 7327 plotter). Every once in a while things sell for crazy prices (do you really need the TR to the cluster network for $90?). What sells high seems to be SW specially DOS 1.0 and IBM branded CP/M. Those are fetching >$500 these days.
Just my two cents....
-Ali
