test-drb

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101090 discussions

by evan＠snarc.net

Yesterday, here in New Jersey, a Burroughs B-205 tube computer was destroyed when the barn containing it burned down. It belonged to 85-year-old Claude Kagan who is a legend out here. Among other things, he formed the student computer club called the "RESISTORS" in the 1960s, and he wrote the SAM-76 programming language. The good news is that Claude was not harmed, and his main house is okay. But it's a good reminder, if anybody needs one, to save vintage computers while we can -- and to ensure the integrity of our storage areas.

16 years, 5 months

Reanimating a PDP-11/23

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On Fri, December 4, 2009 5:52 pm, Pontus wrote: >> Then, assuming the cable really is correct (have you tried swapping Tx >> and Rx?), is plugged in to the correct > This was the somewhat obvious error I missed when checking the cable. I > discovered it by trying another cable which isn't keyed. So I > accidentally put it in upside down, which incidentally flips Tx and Rx. > Thanks for putting up with me :) > > So now I get this: > > 28 > START? > > Which confuses me, I have a 32kB (or is it kW ?) worth of memory > installed (M8044-DD) configured to start at address 0. Shouldn't it say > 32 instead of 28? How does the memory detection work anyway? 4K for the I/O page.. -Dave -- Dave McGuire Port Charlotte, FL

16 years, 5 months

Iomega

by jgessling＠yahoo.com

Despite their crappy products, IOmega did leave behind one good legacy. Cheap 5/12v DC regulated wall warts. Perfect for the VFD clocks that I'm working on. 5v for the logic and 12v for the display. And thanks to the throwaway nature of their products these can be found pretty cheap at local flea markets. Regards, Jim

16 years, 5 months

MC68010 early unix computer for sale on ebay

by vax9000＠gmail.com

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280433391656 I am selling it, and classiccmp members enjoy a discount if you win the auction.

16 years, 5 months

Amiga Sidecar (was Re: Computer auction in Vancouver BC)

by ethan.dicks＠gmail.com

On 12/1/09, Brian Lanning <brianlanning at gmail.com> wrote: > On Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 3:13 PM, Alexandre Souza - Listas < > pu1bzz.listas at gmail.com> wrote: > >> http://www.amiga-hardware.com/showhardware.cgi?HARDID=327 >> >> Wow, a complete PC-XT that uses the keyboard and video monitor of the >> Amiga! :oD > > More cool pictures: > > http://www.amiga.org/gallery/index.php?n=2440 > http://www.amiga.org/gallery/index.php?n=2333 > http://www.amiga.org/gallery/index.php?n=2201 > http://www.amiga.org/gallery/index.php?n=2227 > http://www.amiga.org/gallery/index.php?n=2290 > http://www.amiga.org/gallery/index.php?n=2202 Very nice. I have a couple of 8-bit and 16-bit Bridgecards, but never ran across a Sidecar (and couldn't afford one when they were new, but didn't really need one then, anyway). I heard that by the A2000-A2286 era, one of the reasons Commodore kept making Bridgecards was for those customers whose employers had a strict "must run MS-DOS" rule for IT Purchasing. I do remember seeing forms in the mid-1980s with a checkbox that indicated if the machine being ordered was "IBM Compatible" - with the implication that you had better be prepared to explain yourself (or be rejected) if you didn't check the box. -ethan

16 years, 5 months

HP Integral PC Manuals?

by derschjo＠msu.edu

Hey all -- Picked up an HP Integral PC. Probably paid too much for it but something about a luggable HP machine with a plasma display running HP-UX from ROM seemed irresistible. But I digress. Has anyone archived the manuals for this thing? I've been unable to find anything in my searches on the internet. Found some software archives (and after lubricating the floppy mechanism I've been able to make use of it...) but not much documentation. Docs for the HP BASIC for this machine would be nice, too. I've only played with it for a little while, but it seems like a really neat machine. (Though it seems like this thing is just begging for some sort of mass-storage other than the internal floppy and RAM. Anyone have an HPIB hard disk for sale? :) Thanks, Josh

16 years, 5 months

Looking for mirror site

by fjkraan＠xs4all.nl

Hi, Since some time the only mirror of my site is gone, so all scanned material and some additional info are only present (as a set) via my local site. This site resides on cheap consumer grade quality hardware, so is not very reliable. So if anyone want to mirror it, I would be grateful. The site contains information on a limited set of computers, like DAI, Epson, some obscure DEC, etc. The url is http://electrickery.xs4all.nl/comp/. A list of the scanned documentation is at http://electrickery.xs4all.nl/comp/virtlibrary.html. Please contact me before starting copying; - the site is at the wrong side of an ADSL line, and contains mirrors of other sites (in http://electrickery.xs4all.nl/comp/mirrors). Also it _contains_copyrighted_material_ (but of vintage or cctech interest). Fred Jan

16 years, 5 months

Different take on 10 Yr. 'RULE'

by dm561＠torfree.net

Date: Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:49:20 -0500 From: Murray McCullough <c.murray.mccullough at gmail.com> Subject: Different take on 10 Yr. 'RULE' A different interpretation on the 10 Yr. 'Rule'. Many experts, CPU mag being one, say that we shouldn't store info on CDs, DVDs, etc. as they may be unreadable in less than 10 yrs. Wouldn't it be sad if we lost valuable information on the classic computing era? I guess old-fashioned paper is the best way after all! Let's hope these technologies last longer than my Zip-drive and disks that can't be read because the drive died and I can't get it fixed or at the very least at a decent price. So Sad! Murray-- --------------Reply: Only sad if you want it to be... No problem finding a working ZIP drive for free or next to nothing these days; all kinds of them on eBay at .99 with no bids, or just ask on the various forums and I'm sure someone'll be happy to get rid of one. Never had any problems with my drives or disks, FWIW. m

16 years, 5 months

Ancient 3com switch

by mark.kahrs＠gmail.com

I don't know if the 10 year rule applies here, but I have a old 3com switch (3c3500) that I'd like to use. Problem is that the previous administrator was competent and changed all the passwords. So, how should I reset this unit? Mind you, there is a socketed flash SIMM ... Any ideas? There's also a bad SRAM chip, but that's another kettle of fish.

16 years, 5 months

Leaky caps [Was: Re: vintage components]

by trag＠io.com

> > Date: Wed, 2 Dec 2009 13:23:18 -0600 > From: Brian Lanning <brianlanning at gmail.com> > Batteries I can handle. But leaky surface mount caps scare me to death. > I can solder, but not on the new surface-mount stuff. My eyes aren't what > they used to be. Maybe I should practice some and invest in a reflow > setup. But I don't have enough time either. The surface mount electrolytics aren't bad at all. You should be able to manage with reading glasses. To remove the old ones, just get two soldering pencils. Heat controlled is nice, but you can use a pair of Radio Shack 15watt grounded pencils (>$10 ea. last time I checked). Apply one pencil to each side of the capacitor until it lifts easily off of the board. Do not pry. Remove the old solder with a bit of desoldering braid. Clean the pads with your favorite solvent(s). Lightly tin one pad. Position the new capacitor on the pads and hold in place by pressing down with a flat blade screwdriver or similar (pencil eraser at end of pencil might work well). Heat the tinned side until the capacitor sinks flat on the pad. Remove heat, then remove screwdriver. Solder the other terminal normally. In the old Macintosh world we've been replacing the SM electrolytics with SM tantalums in hopes that they will last longer. Anyway, this may not be best practice, but it gets the job done for about $20 in equipment (two soldering pencils) and less than $10 in supplies (solder, flux, braid). Jeff Walther

16 years, 5 months

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