> RS published a technical manual for the color computer; I have a copy of i
> somewhere. HOWEVER I found there's an app note from Motorola with schemati
> that almost exactly match those in the RS technical manual. I don't recal
> whether it was a 6809 app note or a 6847 app note though. If you can find
> set of old Motorola data books you may be able to find it.
Since I have three distinctly different generation boards I suspect the moto
prints would hold to the oldest.
Allison
Due to massive amounts of caffeine & sleep deprivation, Doug Spence said:
>...and a BIZARRE
>piece of IBM equipment: an external 5-1/4" floppy drive, model 4869.
Actually, if one worked in an IBM shop, they were quite commonplace...
especially when the PS/2's came out. The PS/2's had *no* way to hook an
internal 5.25" floppy (due to size of case... and IBM's wanting to create a
new standard...) so you had to go external if you wanted/needed to share
data with other machines with 5.25" drives.
>Now, on the subject of that weirdo IBM 4869 disk drive... what does this
>plug into? The guy I bought it from said it was for an old PC. It has a
>37-pin connector on the end of its cable. It's LARGER in two dimensions
>than even a Commodore 1541 drive. Its power switch is very high quality.
>:) Would this be a 160K drive? I haven't ripped it apart (yet) to see
>how many heads the thing has.
The size of the drive is mainly because of the PS & case (the case is
*very* well RFI shielded)... the drive itself is a standard 1/2 height 360K
40TKDSDD 48TPI drive, with a standard 34-pin edge connector. I have one
sitting on my desk at home, modified to use a standard cable (read: hole
cut with dremel tool in top of case to fit cable) so I can use it with
either my PC or with my Tandy CoCo3. *Very* nice drive. Trying to find a
few more, so I can floppyize my CoCo2 and CoCo1.
If you (or anyone) needs more info on this drive, lemme know. But I can
tell you, that just taking it apart is *fun*, if you have 3-4 hours to get
it apart and back together. I've had mine disassembled 3-4 times now, to
figure where to cut holes & stuff for my cable mods.
Enjoy!
Roger "Merch" Merchberger
--
Roger Merchberger | If at first you don't succeed,
Programmer, NorthernWay | nuclear warhead disarmament should
zmerch(a)northernway.net | *not* be your first career choice.
I have one of these and I believe it is based on the Intel 8086.
Bob
----------
From: Marvin
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 1997 1:21 PM
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
Subject: Tandy 600
In checking through the master computer lists, I found a Tandy 600
computer that is not listed. In checking through the docs, I can't find
any reference to what the CPU is and I would prefer not to take it apart
to find out:). Anyone know what CPU it uses? The manual was copyright
1985 but I don't know when the machine was actually released although I
would *assume* 1985. It operates with MS-DOS style files and with all
software residing in ROM. It appears that the basic machine comes with
32K of RAM expandable to 128K or 224K with special 96K upgrade kits. It
is classified as a "lap-size" or "handheld" computer; this with the
dimensions being 11 1/2" x 12 1/2" x 2 1/2" and weighing about 9 1/2
pounds. It comes with a 16 line x 80 character LCD screen, 3 1/2" drive
and a build-in modem. Built in software includes MS Works V1.2 with
Word, Calendar, File, Telecom, and Multiplan.
Subject: Re: Seattle Computer CPU Module
> The 8080 is a 40-pin package. The Z-80 is a 48-pin package. If I
> remember correctly (my life in computers started with the Z-80, really,
Whn I got up off the floor laughing... The z80, 8085, 8080 are all 40 pin
packages and the z80 in any varient was never in a 48 pin package. The z180
aka 64180 was a 64 pin package or 68pin plcc.
> since my friend with the Altair when I was in the USAF didn't let me at
> the hardware, he knew my [inclined to injure myself] soldering skills).
> This generally means that an adapter was needed to plug a Z-80 into a
> board designed for a 8080. But I started my real computer career when
Not true. there were z80 based boards to replace the 8080 board. For a
while due to costs there where boards that carried z80s that would plug into
an 8080 socket to upgrade the machine to z80 perfomance...
> computers showed up where you didn't have to count the pins on the CPU,
> specifically the TRS-80 (later renamed the Model One). I remember the
> first time I looked down into a Model 16 and saw the MC68000 and wondered
> why the hell that thing wasn't climbing up the side of the Empire State
> Building.
What you missed was the ti9900 chip that was 3 years older and also 64 pins.
FYI the ti9900 chips was a 16bit cpu!
Allison
--LAA09304.865785477/europe.std.com--
Hi all,
I have just recieved this email offering me a Sage IV. I am not
interested as I already have one so the cost of shipping to here in the
UK isn't worth it. So if someone wants it contact him directly.
Kevan
------- Forwarded Message
To: collector(a)heydon.org
Subject: sage IV
Hello, I own a Sage IV computer and have some word processing software
and spreadsheet software for the computer. I also own two amber
monitors for the Sage IV. If you are interested in purchasing these, or
know a source in the United States that is interested in this computer
equipment, please leave me a note on the web, or at CompuServe 76627,224
Jim Krasno (my wife is Nancy Nelson)
Jim
------- End of Forwarded Message
At 07:23 PM 6/9/97 -0700, Jeff wrote:
>written specifically for the Bit-3 or not? Also, could someone tell me
>the power requirements for an Atari 850 interface, as I also picked up
>one of those but it didn't have the PSU. Thanks.
>
> Jeff jeffh(a)unix.aardvarkol.com
>--
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
>Collector of Classic Computers: Amiga 1000, Apple II+, Atari 800,
>800XL, MegaST-2, XE System, Coleco Adam, Commodore 128D, 16, Plus/4,
>VIC-20, IBM 5155, Kaypro 2X, Mattel Aquarius, Osbourne Executive,
>Radofin Aquarius, TI-99/4A, Sinclair ZX-81, Timex-Sinclair 1000, TRS-80
>Color Computer 3, Model 4, and Model 4P. Also Odyssey2, Atari SuperPong
>and Atari 2600VCS game consoles
>
I have been using the same power supply for my 850 as my 800. Come to think
of it, just about everything I have hooked to my atari is using the exact
same power supplies, except for the 1027 printer which has a different sized
connector. I will double check the 850 manual when I get home, but I know I
just grabbed a regular old atari 800 power supply and started using it. If
it turns out to be different, I will post the requirements.
Isaac Davis
idavis(a)comland.com
indavis(a)juno.com
Although I currently have a decent QBUS-to-SCSI adapter (Sigma Information
Systems model RQD11), it does not appear to be capable of handling, or
booting from, a CD-ROM drive with its current revision of firmware.
Despite this, it does appear to work quite well (recognized by the
MicroVAX it's plugged into, sees devices on the SCSI bus). Since I need to
boot from CD, though, the board is of little use to me in its current state.
Anyone on here interested in maybe trading me an Emulex or Dilog SCSI card
for this one? I do have the original manual (and if you think that was easy
to find...) ;-)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bruce Lane, Sysop, The Dragon's Cave BBS (Fidonet 1:343/272)
(Hamateur: WD6EOS) (E-mail: kyrrin(a)wizards.net)
http://www.wizards.net/technoid
"Our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our own
human terms. It cannot, in any way, define any of them..."
> Personally, my opinion of the TI-99/4a varies from stupid piece of shit
> to semi-decent machine. Today I feel like stupid piece of shit. It was
> almost completely closed, it's BASIC sucked and was slow, it's keyboard
I have two of the beasts and a expansion box with floppy, ram, aftermarket
ram and rs232 and ever the little talker thing and a box of games.
It is slow. The manuals for the cpu and expansion were available, I got
them. It's a compilation of the things you can do to a good cpu to make it
run slow and try to do everything.
> but then, I came from the world of Apple ][, to which nothing could
> compare (uh oh, here come the holy wars).
It's attraction? One it was cheaper than an apple with disks! When TI had
the great sell off the console was $50, expansion $50, and modules $25-100.
That made it appealingly cheap for what it was. I got my during the fire
sale so they have been with me since new and work great. Parsec is still
a favorite game. Since I have the editor, assember and other packages
I also use it for assembly of TI9900 code for the technico board.
An aside: The ti994a was an attempt at the time of emerging PCs to deliver
the home computing applance. Everyone had an idea and generally the all
were poor. Even the original PC was really bad, mostly closed design. They
were all noteable as it told marketers what would fly and what had to be
there. Amusingly the ti has what every P5 box has today, graphics, sound,
games so they weren't that far off <in a perverse sort of way>.
Allison
Greetings!
I will be going to the US next week and would naturally like to take the
chance to find some classic stuff. It presently looks like I will be
moving around the states Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota.
Unfortunately, airline baggage regulations will not allow me to purchase
any considerable amounts of hardware, so I will be mostly interested in
software.
Does anyone have any information about shops or other places in those
states where I may purchase classic software (or hardware)? I mostly
collect Commodore, but anything is of potential interest.
/Fredrik
I picked up a Commodore 64 a while ago that had this special board
inside. It was inserted between the keyboard and the motherboard. IE.
it had a connector that plugged into the keyboard rolex connector on the
motherboard and then the keyboard ribbon cable plugged into it. Then it
had a 9-pin male D-type connector than came out the back of the C64. My
guess is that it was for a numeric keypad or something. I forgot what
was stamped on the circuit board. Any ideas?
Sam
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass
