< What's the best way to read N* DSDD CPM disks on a PeeCee? I download
<22disk from Sydex, but the configuration file that lists the supported CP
<types does not list Northstar. Maybe it's supported in the full version o
<22disk. Anyone know?
It's not possible. The format is HARD SECTOR and none of the softsector
controllers can read it. There is no way to fiddle a PC controller to
read it either. This is typical of most hard sector formats.
Allison
I got a few disk packs (RL02-style thingies) from an IBM System/3 (What's
that?) Any chance of reading these on my PDP-11?
One has the label SYSGEN on it...
Anyone else capable of reading these?
-------
Thank you Tony, for your response. I will continue this here on
the list for the possible benefit of other collectors... but
private e-mail is welcome as well.
(I am not re-posting my previous msgs or replies.. )
So: given an 11/34 with the regular (?) 9-slot system unit, from
the right going left I have: cpu,cpu, console card+boot/term,
128Kmem, 128Kmem, slu/ltc, blank, blank, bus term.
I removed the existing grant continuity cards.
I have the printsets on these cards, and a selection of manuals,
but not enough info to figure out the details of hardware config. As
currently (above) set up, the machine is autisitic and the console
malfunctions (no display and all leds lit dim.
What is the deal with the slots? With the red/white guides? I
can't remember or find out exactly *which* slots each module ought
to be placed in.
I have figured out the switch settings for the 9301 from the
schematics, but it's the 48 on the SLU I'm scared of... any
pointers to where I might find them listed? (DL11W, M7856)
Thanks again... it's exciting to drag this thing out of it's
coma..
JOhn
>> Of the 16K-64K mb's there are reputed to have been two distinct series,
>> called "Series 0" and "Series 1." A 16K, Series 0, no-floppy IBM PC is
>> alleged to have sold at auction in the UK for over UKP 10,000 ....and my
>> intuition (but no more than that) detects an institutional buyer. (And not
>> auction like eBay -- auction like Christie's.)
what were the differences between the two? I've got a 16KB model
somewhere with cassette interface; it's got a floppy controller in it
too, so I don't know whether that implies that the BIOS has been
re-burnt at some point to handle this (it's funny joining this list -
it's scary how much of this stuff I would have known at one point and
have since forgotten!!).
I seem to remember scrapping a good twelve or thirteen of these boxes a
few years back working for a firm specialising in bringing old computer
gear back to life (it was amazing how much strange stuff from the 70's
and early 80's I saw pass through that place!). The local scrap dealer
would only pay about 2 pounds for each system, so the whole lot just
went in the skip out the back of the warehouse... it's funny how much
perfectly good equipment I saw get slung out just because there wasn't
space for it and we had several piles of spares, seems a shame
considering that someone somewhere would have made use of it!!
back on topic though, what cassette unit could be connected up to the
original PC machines? Was it a custom IBM unit only (similar to the way
the C64's only accept Commodore tape decks), or could anything be used
if a cable was made up?
cheers
Jules
>
I met with my latest VCF2 speaker, Ray Holt, today, and boy does he have
some stories to tell. The guy is amazing.
His first commercial work was with AMI, which made microprocessors and
custom logic back in the early 70's. Ray was responsible for the AMI 7200
and 7300 processors. AMI decided to drop their microprocessor line in the
1973 timeframe saying, according to Ray, that "there was no future in
general purpose microprocessors, and everyone was moving towards custom
controllers." :)
Ray joined a consulting firm called Compata, Inc., and for a while he was
working for Intel as a subcontractor with his soon-to-be business partner,
Manuel Lemas, training engineers in different high-tech companies how to
use the Intellec-4 (based on the Intel 4004). I only just learned that
there was indeed an Intellec-4 from some material Ray gave me. Neat.
He then went on to start his own company with Manny Lemas called
Microcomputer Associates Inc. There he created the JOLT computer and
later the Super JOLT. The JOLT was 6502 based and had a current loop and
RS-232 interface. It also featured a ROM called the "DEMON"
(DEbugger/MONitor). Tens of thousands were produced, and the JOLT is
still in production today(!) used in embedded controller applications.
Ray brought along the original JOLT prototype to show me. Two amazing
things about this computer. It was made in the early-mid 1975 timeframe
(very soon after the Altair hit the streets) and included a complete
computer (CPU, RAM, ROM, current-loop/serial interface) on a PCB about
4"x8"! This is amazing for that timeframe. It could be expanded up to
64K with add-on RAM boards that piggy-backed to the main computer, and he
also made Peripheral Interface Adapter (PIA) cards for it, as well as a
cassette controller card that could control up to three data recorders on
one board! The system he showed me had the interface board and two extra
4K RAM boards stacked with the main computer board.
He also had a good story to tell. One day some guy named Steve Wozniak
came by and bought a JOLT from him. A few months later he heard about the
Apple 1, and then the Apple ][. Interesting, no?
Ray later designed a computer called the VIM-1 (Versatile Interface
Module). The VIM-1 was Ray's answer to the Mostek KIM-1. His company was
then acquired by Synertek, and the VIM-1 was changed to the SYM-1. Ray
brought along the 25,000th SYM-1 which was given to him as a token of
achievement by Synertek. All the traces were etched with gold. Ray said
there were about 50,000 SYM-1's produced (there was also a SYM-2) before
Synertek folded. The story behind that is Synertek was bought by
Honeywell, and Honeywell, through poor management, ran the Synertek
division into the ground. Ray said there is still a guy running a company
in San Jose with a name that has "SYM" in it (SYMCOM?) who still produces
or maintains SYM-1 boards for the many, many clients who still have them
in use.
50,000 units is a huge number, and this just makes me laugh harder when I
hear about "collectors" paying $405 for a SYM-1 on eBay.
PS. I ended up with an original copy of the SYM-1 schematics.
Ray then told me his remarkable version of the origins of the TRS-80 Model
1. Ray's company was approached by Radio Shack to build a computer for
them that they wanted to market. Ray put together a working prototype in
about a week from scratch that included Micro-Soft BASIC, 4K RAM, an
integrated monitor, and an integrated keyboard. He and Manny then flew to
Texas to demonstrate the unit. The RS folks were thrilled, and asked if
they could hold onto the unit for a few days to look it over. Without
signing anything, Ray and Manny agreed and went back home. A few days
passed and they hadn't heard anything from RS, so they called them up but
were told to chill. More time had passed with no response from RS and
they started getting anxious. Finally, after a month of calling to find
out when they would get their computer back, a box arrived one day in the
mail. In it was the remains of their prototype, hacked to pieces. It was
obvious that it had been reverse engineered. A short while later, Ray
found out that the computer RS decided to release as their TRS-80 Model 1
was based on the design Ray had come up with! They went to a lawyer but
were told that there was nothing that could be done since they didn't even
have a receipt for their plane ride to Texas signed-off by Radio Shack
(they paid for the plane tickets themselves). Ray said he later learned
that the project manager who Ray and Manny had dealt with took credit for
the TRS-80 design! The guy took Ray's design and passed it on to
corporate as his own!
Comments from you RS-heads? Allison? Ward?
Ray's had a very fruitful career, and is responsible for at least 3 of the
true classics we collectors seek out. But of what I've told you here, it
pales in comparison to the work Ray Holt did prior to his days at AMI. Of
course this is a teaser. We're saving that for VCF2. So if you want to
hear it first, make plans to come to VCF2. Otherwise, read about it in
the papers. :)
Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ever onward.
September 26 & 27...Vintage Computer Festival 2
See http://www.siconic.com/vcf for details!
[Last web page update: 05/11/98]
Hello list. Having three (3!!) *entire* days off, I have decided
to try and make one nice PDP11 system out of the various Bits and
Pieces strewn about the place. And I have naturally run into a brick
wall that I have not the knowledge or experience to scale. So I turn
to the Experts and Gurus for a 'boost over'.
I have two complete PDP11/34a systems and an 11/04, configured
similarly with RK05s, RX01s and RL02s. One of these systems was
actually working, and it's RK05 (0) died. In the (loooong) process
of trouble shooting, I found that the entire system's DCLO line was
the culprit, but after fixing that, the system never would boot out
of ODT again... all ok, I'll deal with it later.
Now later has come. I wish to have one working 11/34 system, with
two RL02s, an RK05, a Decwriter III for the console, a Kennedy 9trk
tape, a punch/reader, and at least one of the big SMD drives I have
(System Industries 470MB Fujis)
I have all of the above hardware save the formatter/IO for the
Kennedy.
Right now, I have a minimum system in a BA11 with the programmer's
console:
M8265
M8266
M7859 M9312
M7891 BF
M7891 BF
M7856
M9302
Power supplies have been checked are in spec.
Bus grant cards are in (and undisturbed from when the thing
actually used to *run)
The DL11 is hooked to a known good VT100.
On power-up, the Console shows all 0000000 and the 'Run' led...
data can be entered into the disply but apparently not deposited...
There is no SLU response on power-up, and I have an RS232 sniffer in
the line and it indicates the proper static levels, but no data.
I know this might not be enough info... but its a start.
begin(whine)
It's no fun having tons of gear in your living room if it
just sits there whirring loudly...
end(whine)
Thanks in Advance
John
PS: Im trying to 'thin' my collection a little to concentrate on the
PDP11 series... anyone in the SoCal area who would like to trade
'experience' for equipment... Mostly Plessey-badge Clones and
probably the 11/04, various drives and bits and parts... I have a
truck and can deliver...
thanks
At 14:59 23.5.1998 -0400, you wrote:
>At 12:02 AM 5/23/98 -0700, you wrote:
>>At 23:07 5/22/98 -0400, you wrote:
>>>Yeah, but you Brits have got _weird_ concepts in transportation.
>>>The Morris Minor for instance never should have been licensed as
>>>an automobile -- a four-wheeled powered bicycle on its best day.
>>
>>Eee, lad, y're not up on yer British automotive innovation. The
>>four-wheeled powered bicycle was the Berkeley Frisky. My other fave was
>>the Ginetta 1600 R, which is what you got when you crossed a Ford Cortina
>>with a bespoke tapered London suit. Then there was always, gawdelpus, the
>>three-wheel Morgan.
>>__________________________________________
>>Kip Crosby engine(a)chac.org
>> http://www.chac.org/index.html
>>Computer History Association of California
>>
> How about the Austin Seven, in which, if I have been informed correctly,
>the oil would migrate up the steering column and drip into one's lap.
>
> Cheers
> Charlie Fox ('52 MG TD owner)
>
Hey, that subject line really hit me head on,
so I hereby break the rule not to engage in an off-topic subject.
You see, I subscribe to those two lists: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu and
suzuki4x4(a)unix.off-road.com
and filter my E-Mail by the headers...... and then suddenly......
the exact displacement of my car engine shows up on the classiccmp list!!
The car in question is a 1981, 785cc, Suzuki LJ-80, it's a kind of a
micro-jeep really
and it has no electronics whatsoever.
Sorry, clearly off-topic but I just could not resist.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Thorhallur Ragnarsson Electronics Technician
Bjarmastig 1 Verkmenntaskolinn Akureyri
IS-600 AKUREYRI Box 280
Iceland IS-602 AKUREYRI
E-Mail: thorh(a)ismennt.is Iceland
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Does anyone know a computer called EMMATRONIC?
It was used as a control computer for knitting machines some 15-20 years ago,
the mechanics of the knitting machines are running fine, but now there is
only
one reliable system/program disk left.
The maker of the knitting machines is out of business some time ago and so
will
the knitting machines soon be if I can not make the owner a backup copy of
the disk!
I have been told it's some sort of Apple II for the European market
but then again I might be totally wrong.
I need to copy a 5.25" disk for this system, the format is unknown and
unfortunately
the disk is known to be protected somehow (at least the EMMATRONIC refuses
to copy it)
and also I have no working Apples.
Any ideas/suggestions?
thanks in advance.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Thorhallur Ragnarsson Electronics Technician
Bjarmastig 1 Verkmenntaskolinn Akureyri
IS-600 AKUREYRI Box 280
Iceland IS-602 AKUREYRI
E-Mail: thorh(a)ismennt.is Iceland
--------------------------------------------------------------------
-----Original Message-----
From: Marty <Marty(a)itgonline.com>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Thursday, 21 May 1998 22:47
Subject: Re: Prices to pay for old computers...
> Are you refering to the original 16KB-64KB motherboard 5150 PC or do
> you mean the 64KB-256KB motherboard 5150 PC? I have only seen two
> original 16KB-64KB 5150 PC's. I'm certain there must be plenty of them
> out there but I never see them. I see the 64KB-256KB motherboard
> 5150's everywhere.
>
> Marty
>
>
>
>______________________________ Reply Separator
>_________________________________
>Subject: Prices to pay for old computers...
>Author: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu at internet
>Date: 5/21/98 5:45 AM
>
>
> email: desieh(a)southcom.com.au
> desieh(a)bigfoot.com
> museum_curator(a)hotmail.com
> Apple Lisa Web Page:
> http://www.southcom.com.au/~desieh/index.htm
>
>
> One of the best examples of this would be the original IBM PC.......
> now apparently the dudes on ebay say $100 for a IBM PC well if you have
one
> in its original box will all manuals and
> all original parts, manuals, disks etc this would be a reasobabley fair
> price to pay. .999% of all IBM PC I come accross
> have been upgraded,
> treated badly, hacked, and far from thier original condiditon, and there
are
> no manuals in site..............
> but if you have one with only the CPU at that it well, perhaps $0-10 is a
> fairer price........
> You cant just say that xxxxx computer is worh $xx amount...... you have to
> allow for some systems that have manuals, disks,
> boxes etc.............
>
> systhems in these conditions are few and far between............
>
> this is just my opinion on the subject so I would like to hear other
peoples
> comments..............
>
>
>
>
> ------ Message Header Follows ------
> Received: from lists2.u.washington.edu by smtp.itgonline.com
> (PostalUnion/SMTP(tm) v2.1.9i(b5) for Windows NT(tm))
> id AA-1998May21.054516.1767.42801; Thu, 21 May 1998 05:45:16 -0400
> Received: from host (lists.u.washington.edu [140.142.56.13])
> by lists2.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW97.07/8.8.4+UW97.05) with SMTP
> id CAA21789; Thu, 21 May 1998 02:42:58 -0700
> Received: from mxu4.u.washington.edu (mxu4.u.washington.edu
[140.142.33.8])
> by lists.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW97.07/8.8.4+UW97.05) with ESMTP
> id CAA29832 for <classiccmp(a)lists.u.washington.edu>; Thu, 21 May 1998
> 02:42:49 -0700
> Received: from hobart.southcom.com.au (root(a)hobart.southcom.com.au
> [203.60.16.2])
> by mxu4.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW97.07/8.8.4+UW97.09) with ESMTP
> id CAA14995 for <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>; Thu, 21 May 1998
02:42:47
>
> -0700
> Received: from mr-ibm (pAc5.hbt.southcom.com.au [203.60.23.198])
> by hobart.southcom.com.au (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id TAA13271
> for <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>; Thu, 21 May 1998 19:42:44 +1000 (EST)
> Message-Id: <000e01bd849b$e5dcebe0$0f01a8c0@mr-ibm>
> Date: Thu, 21 May 1998 19:36:13 +1000
> Reply-To: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu
> Sender: CLASSICCMP-owner(a)u.washington.edu
> Precedence: bulk
> From: "Desie Hay" <desieh(a)southcom.com.au>
> To: "Discussion re-collecting of classic computers"
> <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Prices to pay for old computers...
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain;
> charset="iso-8859-1"
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
> X-To: <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
> X-Priority: 3
> X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
> X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.2106.4
> X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN
>
yes I am talking about the original 16kb-64kb model............
I wounder how many IBM PCs are still out there with only cassette input and
16KB of RAM............
no floppy drives.............
oh well
Ok, I'm no electrical wiz. I have an old computer that wants 220. First
of all, I got this computer without the 3-prong plug (it'd been cut off).
Without paying attention to the "220" which was written on the transformer
inside, I wired a plug onto the power cord and plugged it in. Needless to
say the unit didn't come on, but I'm hoping that it didn't mess anything
up. I wouldn't think it did.
Anyway, what can I do to run this thing off of 110? The transformer has a
solid black lead going to the black wire of the power cord (through the
switch), a black lead with a white stripe looped back into the xformer via
a white lead, and a blue lead with a white stripe connected to the red
wire of the power cord (through the switch with an inline fuse...the fuse
is fine).
The side connected to the cpmputer board has a rainbow of seven colored
wires in the order (from left to right): brown, red, orange, yellow,
green, blue, violet.
1547 is stamped on the transformer. ?.
I'd like to make this run off 110 without having to modify the actual unit
itself.
Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ever onward.
September 26 & 27...Vintage Computer Festival 2
See http://www.siconic.com/vcf for details!
[Last web page update: 05/11/98]
