test-drb October 2021

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

100 participants
69 discussions

by a.carlini＠ntlworld.com

I have three AlphaServer 2100 systems in storage in the UK (Oxfordshire). The storage, however, is due to be demolished (soon, but no fixed date). I won't have room to store these three systems, so if anyone would be interested in offering them a home, then please get in touch! I can probably get some pictures in the next day or two. These systems were SMP Alphas and could sport as many as 4 CPUs. I'm not sure of the configuration of these systems but I can probably find that out soon. They have not been run since ~2003 so they may be in need of some TLC. OTOH they are not rusted to death so you have a chance of getting them back to life. Just so you know what you might be dealing with these systems are about: 700mm H x 430mm W x 810mm L. I can't find the weight in any of my references right now but they are very heavy. Three people can move them up a slight slope with some effort but you would not successfully lift it into a car (assuming that it would fit). I'm planning to dismantle them to move them (i.e. remove PSU/PSUs etc. until they are light enough to move). A tail-lift would probably be the sane way to go (and is, indeed, how they got to their current location. I'm hoping that someone can step forward and offer one or more of these machines a new home. Please contact me off-list (once you're sure you understand what you are getting into :-)). Antonio -- Antonio Carlini antonio at acarlini.com

2 years

H7821 power supply in MicroVAX 3100, SCSI disk enclosures and others

by cctalk＠beyondthepale.ie

The recent discussion on BSC protocol prompted me to dig out my Microvax 3100 with DSH32 synchronous serial interface. It had been idle in storage for several years and it wouldn't power up, only giving a brief flash on the diagnostic LEDs and a quick twitch of the fans. There was a slight smell, like the stale air that comes out of a deflating tyre. I took out the H7821 power supply and found that five identical brown 1800uF 25V electrolytic capacitors on the output side had leaked. The SCSI disk enclosure where the machine's system disk lives required several power cycles to get it to run at all and it died as soon as the disk tried to spin up. It turned out to also contain a H7821 power supply which had a similar issue with the same five brown capacitors, although not as extensive as in the main unit. I found a second disk enclosure which had seen little use and grabbed the power supply out of that to put in the MicroVAX. It worked well enough to test with but there was a ring of goo around the bottom of one of the brown capacitors which was worst affected in the other units. Time to order a batch of replacement capacitors and figure out what else has been damaged. While it is not the worst I have seen, access to these power supplies for repairs is quite difficult and it is really difficult to debug them safely while they are running with the cover off :-( If anyone has anything with H7821 power supplies in them, I suggest checking on these capacitors. If anything with these power supplies is in storage, I suggest ensuring it is stored the normal way up as this should limit the ability of the goo to escape and spread around the power supply. And there I was thought I was being safe enough by removing the nicad battery packs some years ago... Regards, Peter Coghlan.

2 years, 3 months

Apple I auction

by shumaker＠att.net

Another Apple I on the auction block: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/114629733_the-chaffey-college-apple-1-… Steve

2 years, 3 months

FTGH: FH disk drives (and one HH) - Toronto

by toby＠telegraphics.com.au

Hi, Located in Toronto Canada, for shipping cost only: - 3 x Hitachi DK516-15 - 2 x Computer Memories Inc (CMI) 6426-S - Microscience HH-1060 (half height; marked bad) - Tandon TM-502 Unknown working condition, but have been stored well. First come, first served, etc. --Toby

2 years, 5 months

Anyone out there with a working Victor 9000 (US only)?

by david4602＠gmail.com

On 10/1/21 1:00 PM, Chuck Guzis<cclist at sydex.com> wrote: > Got a small batch (8) of Victor 9000 floppies, MSDOS ca. 1985. I > really don't want to write a decoder for such a small batch--I've got > other things on the burner right now. Anyone want to take a crack at > transferring the data? (Funds available). > > --Chuck I don't have a Victor (looked for one for a while, and man, are they heavy) because I have a couple of large-ish batch of disks here as well. I read them and have "triangular," Chuck Peddle-esque images, but not sure how to get something like mtools to understand a triangular image. So I understand the motivation to just Kermit the files over to something more sane. :-) - David

2 years, 5 months

Overclocked TI Silent 703 at 1200 bauds?

by charlesmorris800＠centurytel.net

Please excuse the hijack: I have two Silent 700's, I think the 745 models with acoustic coupler and 110/300 baud rocker switch. One I have fixed and it works great (well, at least as far as that silvery thermal printout goes). Unfortunately one has three bad keys and at least one missing column on the printhead (yes, the head itself is bad). Does anyone have a junker >from which I can buy three keyswitches and a printhead? :) thanks Charles

2 years, 5 months

Overclocked TI Silent 703 at 1200 bauds?

by curiousmarc3＠gmail.com

I recently acquired a TI Silent 703 on ePay and just fired up. It worked right away. But I expected it to work at 300 bauds as advertised, and to my surprise, it clocked at a the head turning speed of 1200 bauds! Did they hot-rod it later in its product life? It says MODEL 703 at the back, part no. 2310503-0010. I did not open it up yet. Is this a hardware mod? Is there an internal switch that can toggle it between 300 and 1200? Marc

2 years, 5 months

LINCtape images

by cc＠informatik.uni-stuttgart.de

Short question: How do I transfer LINCtape images back to tape on a PDP-12? Ideally there is some binary program to load via papertape to format a tape and recreate it with data transfer over the console serial line. Christian

2 years, 5 months

Terminal Emulator for Android

by dj.taylor4＠comcast.net

I would like to use my tablet, Samsung Tab E model SM-T560NU, to connect to my VAX and Linux computers.? There seem to be a large number of 'Apps' out there.? What is a good one to use? The VAX doesn't have SSH only insecure TELNET.? Another can of worms, SSH on the Vax? Doug

2 years, 5 months

Mystery 1702A(?) EPROM Programmer

by deramp5113＠yahoo.com

It might be the Mikra-D MD-2040 1702 programmer. Similar to the MD-2044 on my website but a parallel data interface (e.g., manual switches and lights) instead of a serial RS-232 interface. The 2040 is briefly mentioned in the .pdf file here: https://deramp.com/downloads/eprom_p...kra-d/md-2044/ Mike

2 years, 5 months

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test-drb October 2021