- test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org - classiccmp.org

Who's rewired their house for this hobby?

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Eric Smith > I was surprised about an aspect of the KL10 design. To my astonishment, > he replied, "The reason I made that decision was..." Any chance you could document (for history) what the aspect was, and why he did it the way he did? Actually, there is this thing called the 'IEEE Annals of the History of Computing' journal, and they have a special category called 'Anecdotes', where people tell the history of things they were involved in. They don't go through the whole peer review process, so there's a lot less hassle to writing something for that. I just did one on token rings at MIT. It's a good way to capture all this stuff that is of historical interest, but not otherwise documented. Maybe he could be convinved to do one on 'The Design of the KL-10'? Noel

11 years, 8 months

2
1
0 0

Who's rewired their house for this hobby?

by michael.99.thompson＠gmail.com

> > From: jnc at mercury.lcs.mit.edu (Noel Chiappa) > Subject: Re: Who's rewired their house for this hobby? > > > From: Michael Thompson > > > just for the KS10 > > You have a KS-10? Way cool! What OS are you running on it? You should run > ITS > (the best PDP-10 OS _ever_, all sort of cool features), it was modified to > run on a KS-10, and there are emulated KS-10's running it still. > > Noel > The KS10 is on long term loan from the Rhode Island Computer Museum. I borrowed it so I could get it and a RP06 working. It runs TOPS-10 and TOPS-20. I haven't tried ITS, but I have everything that it would take to get ITS running. There are actually quite a few real KS10s in collectors hands. -- Michael Thompson

11 years, 8 months

1
0
0 0

retry: classiccmp help sought

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

I sent this a week ago, didn't get a response, thought I'd try one more time before trying to shoehorn time on my own to address (aka defying the physics of time): Greetings folks. Is there anyone that is *very* well versed in mailman "under the hood" that can do a one-time assist with the following: 1) Get the "two views of the same list but joined at the hip" working the way it previously was. I have some details/recollections on this, but not complete "do this" instructions. 2) There has been an ongoing issue for years with the "forgot password" emails and/or the new subscriber email verification not working right. 3) Please for the love of god figure out why every single post to the list gets me a "bounce rejection" notice to my mailbox and stop it. 4) Integrate multiple fragments (I have several, if that's not complete other listmembers have mentioned they can supply any missing fragments) of the list archives into one archive that is complete. FYI - when rebuilding the server a couple weeks ago, I switched from sendmail to postfix, so a passing familiarity with postfix would be helpful as well in your endeavors above. The OS is FreeBSD r10 p11. If anyone is versed in the above and has a bit of time to spearhead the above tasks, please email me off-list. Also - once the archives are cleaned up, two other folks have volunteered to get archive searches to be "much improved". Thanks!! J

11 years, 8 months

3
2
0 0

Reading a CD that has no reflective layer

by jfoust＠threedee.com

At 06:06 PM 11/24/2014, Eric Smith wrote: > Having an ISA slot is necessary but not sufficient; it also >requires a sufficiently slow CPU, and I'm not sure where the cutoff >is. Probably need a 286 or older. Yes, I think I saw a note that said 25 Mhz was too fast. - John

11 years, 8 months

1
0
0 0

Machinery, free for local pickup in Germany

by jkunz＠unixag-kl.fh-kl.de

Hi. The Unix-AG has several machines taking up space. Those machines have not seen any use in many years. So we would like to give them into good hands. If YOU don't take the machines they will hit the dumpster, sooner or later. I can't rescue them. My flat is completely out of space. Problem: Local pickup in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Take them all, take only part of it. We don't care. As long as we can get rid of the stuff. Available is: - about half a dozen HP9000 B2600 - about half a dozen RS/6000 43P-100/-133 - about half a dozen RS/6000 44P-170 - one RS/6000 F50 - one Sun Enterprise 450 + the guts of an other E450 - one Sun Enterprise 250 + the guts of an other E250 - some Sun OEM thing, basicly a rackmount U60, dual 400 or 440 MHz. - one or two Sun Ultra 5 - one or two Sun Ultra 10 - one or two SparcStation 5 and 20 each. - Myrinet switches, cables and PCI adapters. (Copper and fiber optic.) - probably a SGI Indigo R4k and an Indigo2 R8k. - some minor stuff I forgot about. I may throw in some HP9000/700, SPARC and RS/6000 stuff from my private collection... (I need space to work on my PDP-11/34 and its Tektronix 4012...) -- tsch??, Jochen

11 years, 8 months

2
1
0 0

TRS-80 Model 16

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Kevin Parker > good quality 8" media is a significant problem given its age .. > I have .. several hundred 8" floppies. .. > Some of the disks look like the parched earth of a desert so they'll be > a no go. As for the rest it's a guess - just be careful if you're > popping disks in and out and check if the surface of the disk is > visually OK and that it leaves nothing behind in the drive. I was under the impression that older floppies should be given the same 'heat soak' treatment given to old tapes (which makes sense; they are similar formulations on a mylar base). Once that is done, my understanding is that older floppies are actually generally quite usable, pretty must like they were when new? Noel

11 years, 8 months

5
6
0 0

Who's rewired their house for this hobby?

by killingsworth.todd＠gmail.com

Hi All - I'm looking into getting a bigger Sun box (bigger than my E3000) and after reading the specs... If I'm really going to do this, I'll need to get some 220v outlets wired up. (I'm in the US.) Any advice to pass along for this? I'd much rather listen to other people's surprises than have to rediscover them on my own. How much of what you collect requires 220v? How many big boxes do you keep running - 24/7 or just turn it on/off as you want to use it? I guess somewhere in the back of my mind, I realized that old machines took lots of power. But do the collectors here wire up their homes and keep machines there? Or do you have another place (old warehouse or somesuch) that already supports multiple 220v hookups? Or do you colo it somewhere? Not yet sure how expensive it would be, but my wife thinks I'm completely certifiable. Todd Killingsworth

11 years, 8 months

22
53
0 0

Yay, now I need some Osborne boot media!

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Fred Cisin cisin at xenosoft.com > The flamewar about RX02 is based on defining what is meant by the > phrase "MFM floppy"! ... The RX02 is NOT an "FM floppy"; the RX02 is > NOT an "MFM floppy". It is a hybrid. Exactly. > In terms of the floppy ITSELF, disks rated for FM or rated for MFM > should both work I guess I don't understand this. Single-density FM and double-density MFM have the same maximum number of flux reversals per unit distance (which is how the RX02 can write double-density data on a single-density floppy). So >from the magnetic domain perspective, the coating can't really see any difference between single-density FM and double-density MFM. So what's the difference, if any, between a disk which is "rated for FM" and one "rated for MFM"? Noel

11 years, 8 months

5
4
0 0

mainframes and other stuff

by jfoust＠threedee.com

At 12:32 PM 11/24/2014, you wrote: > To give a more modern >perspective on things - how much gold do you think is in a Pentium Pro >microprocessor? Thick plate over a large surface area...go look it up, >and you will probably be surprised. Then do some back of the napkin >calculations on the surface area of the PPro, compared to thousands >upon thousands of pins in a 2075... Let's say that a Pentium Pro has a third of a gram; a troy ounce is 31.1 grams; so 94 Pentium Pro to the troy ounce; 4.5 pounds is about 65 troy ounces; so 6,182 Pentium Pro might have that much gold. The price of gold was still $35 a troy ounce in 1970; so that S/360's gold cost about $2,300 (or what feels like about $14,000 today.) In 2013 at $1,200 an ounce, that S/360's gold was worth $78,720. - John

11 years, 8 months

1
0
0 0

DEC Professional 350 - video issues

by commodorejohn＠gmail.com

I went out to Seth's moving-sale giveaway this past weekend and came away with a few DEC goodies, including a DEC Professional 350 which was given to me on the understanding that the video didn't work. I set it up yesterday and sure enough, the video doesn't work. Specifically, the monitor (a VR201 with BCC02 cable) turns on and displays no picture, but shows visible sync lines all across and down the screen, and the diagnostic LEDs indicate a selftest failure on the card slot that the bitmap card is plugged into. (I tried moving it to another slot just to check, and sure enough, it fails there, too. I don't think it's a general CTI bus issue because the other two cards don't generate a selftest failure code. I did test the monitor with the Rainbow I also picked up and it's working fine.) The card itself doesn't have any socketed ICs, so it's not chip creep, and the ZIF connector looks to be in good shape. Beyond that, I don't know what to look for in diagnosing the issue - does anybody have any idea what might be wrong with it, and how it could be fixed? (Is there a service manual for the card out there somewhere? I couldn't find one.)

11 years, 8 months

1
0
0 0

RX01 Floppies

by michael.99.thompson＠gmail.com

>So is the original poster (Michael) really looking for already >formatted RX01 floppies, or will blank 8-inch single sided floppies do >just as well? Probably easier to find generic floppies than already >formatted RX01 floppies. So, where can I get some already formatted generic SSSD 8" floppies? -- Michael Thompson

11 years, 8 months

2
1
0 0

TRS-80 Model 16

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Al Kossow > IBM-branded, Dysan, and 3M have held up pretty well, most of the rest > esp Verbatim, BASF, and Memorex, have not, and baking will not help > them. Hmm. I had a number of second-hand floppies with what looked like it might be interesting stuff on them; I was planning on reading them, seeing if it was worth uploading, and then re-using the floppies. Unfortunately, dipping into one box of them, there are a lot of Verbatim and Memorex in there. Am I wasting my time even trying to read them to get the bits off, or what? Also, other brands I see that weren't listed above - Maxell and HP. Good/bad? Noel

11 years, 8 months

2
1
0 0

Reading a CD that has no reflective layer

by spacewar＠gmail.com

Thanks to John's pointer, I've got a CM153 card, so I might be able to test my stash of CM100 drives at some point. Now I need to track down the CM153 driver, and an old enough PC that it's got a chance of working. Having an ISA slot is necessary but not sufficient; it also requires a sufficiently slow CPU, and I'm not sure where the cutoff is. Probably need a 286 or older.

11 years, 8 months

2
1
0 0

IBM 9406-270 Install Media / Drive Recommendations?

by Kevin＠RawFedDogs.net

Classic Computer Enthusiasts, I took a chance on an IBM 9406-270: http://www.eBay.com/itm/291300259440 I probably paid way too much for it, especially without drives. The fact that it was small enough to not require freight shipping appealed to me. Plus that fact will make it easier to deal with once it arrives. I realize when all is said and done I may end up with an overpriced doorstop. Does anyone have suitable OS/400 install media for this box I could borrow or get a copy of? I know I need AS/400 specific drives for this box. Does anyone have recommendations on the minimum number and size of drives I'd need to perform an OS install? I know without license keys the most I can hope for is a base OS install that would have to be restored or reinstalled every couple of months. I'll also need a twinax terminal for a console, and probably a multi-port twinax connector block since one wasn't listed in the eBay listing with the box itself. Is there anything else I might need to get started? -- Kevin http://www.RawFedDogs.net http://www.Lassie.xyz http://www.WacoAgilityGroup.org Bruceville, TX What's the definition of a legacy system? One that works! Errare humanum est, ignoscere caninum.

11 years, 8 months

2
3
0 0

Who's rewired their house for this hobby?

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Michael Thompson > just for the KS10 You have a KS-10? Way cool! What OS are you running on it? You should run ITS (the best PDP-10 OS _ever_, all sort of cool features), it was modified to run on a KS-10, and there are emulated KS-10's running it still. Noel

11 years, 8 months

1
0
0 0

Who's rewired their house for this hobby?

by michael.99.thompson＠gmail.com

In installed three 30A 115VAC, one 20A 220VAC, and lots of 20A 115VAC just for the KS10. -- Michael Thompson

11 years, 8 months

1
0
0 0

VAX/VMS Manuals Sets Available

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Lee Courtney > I have scanned all these and they are headed to Al Wow! That's quite a list of scanned stuff! You must have been using something with mechanical page-feed! :-) Hats off for such a great effort for preservation! Noel

11 years, 8 months

1
0
0 0

books available

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

They have been claimed. J

11 years, 8 months

1
0
0 0

books available

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

PDP-11 Architecture Handbook (1983) PDP-11 Microcomputer Interfaces Handbook (1983) PDP-11 Micro/PDP-11 Handbook (1983) PDP-11 Unibus PDP-11 Handbook 11/84, 11/44, 11/24 (1985) In addition, there are: PDP-11 Programming Card (1975) VT220 Installation Guide (1984) VT220 Programmer Pocket Guide (1984) They are all in excellent shape. Owner is willing to send via USmail for free. I saw a picture of them and they are in mint condition. Email me off-list if interested. Best, J

11 years, 8 months

1
0
0 0

DECWriters Available

by leec2124＠gmail.com

I have a DECWriter III and II available for pick-up in Menlo Park, CA 94025. The III powers up, the II does not. It goes without saying that these are used, cases are yellowed. But all the parts are there and good restoration project. Contact me off-list lee_courtney (at) acm (dot) org to arrange local pick-up. Sorry no shipping. Need to be gone by Sunday 11/30 or going to AuctionBDI. -- Lee Courtney

11 years, 8 months

1
0
0 0

VAX/VMS Manuals Sets Available

by leec2124＠gmail.com

VMS 4.4 and 5.0 manual sets, plus some additional bits and pieces available for pick-up (only) in Menlo Park CA 94025, first-come first-serve. Sorry, paper only, no binders. Must be gone by Sunday November 30. Contact me off-list via lee_courtney (at) acm (dot) org. I have scanned all these and they are headed to Al as soon as I can finish post-processing and convert filenames. Here is a list of available documents: 0000_00_Extensible VAX Editor (EVE).pdf 0000_00_PDP-11 44 Site Planning Material.pdf 0000_00_VAX C Runtime Library Reference Manual.pdf 1976_05_DMS 500 USER'S GUIDE.pdf 1979_06_LA120 USER GUIDE.pdf 1982_02_Silent 700 Model 745 Portable Data Terminal Operating Instructions.pdf 1982_05_Programming in VAX 11 C.pdf 1982_05_VAX VMS Guide to Writing a Device Driver.pdf 1982_11_BASIC Reference Manual.pdf 1982_11_BASIC User's Guide.pdf 1983_01_Introduction to VAX-11 FMS.pdf 1983_09_Correspondent Operator Reference Guide.pdf 1983_09_Correspondent Programmer Reference Manual.pdf 1984_02_BASIC User's Guide.pdf 1984_08_VAX FMS Installation Guide and Release Notes.pdf 1984_08_VAX FMS Utilities Reference Manual.pdf 1984_09_Guide to Networking on VAX VMS.pdf 1984_09_Patch Utility Reference Manual.pdf 1984_09_VAX VMS Accounting Utility Reference Manual.pdf 1984_09_VAX VMS Authorize Utility Reference Manual.pdf 1984_09_VAX VMS Bad Block Locator Utility Reference Manual.pdf 1984_09_VAX VMS Command Definition Utility Reference Manual.pdf 1984_09_VAX VMS DELTA XDELTA Utility Reference Manual.pdf 1984_09_VAX VMS Disk Quota Utility Reference Manual.pdf 1984_09_VAX VMS Install Utility Reference Manual.pdf 1984_09_VAX VMS Librarian Reference Manual.pdf 1984_09_VAX VMS Linker Reference Manual.pdf 1984_09_VAX VMS Mail Utility Reference Manual.pdf 1984_09_VAX VMS Message Utility Reference Manual.pdf 1984_09_VAX VMS Mount Utility Reference Manual.pdf 1984_09_VAX VMS Phone Utility Reference Manual.pdf 1984_09_VAX VMS Sort Merge Utility Reference Manual.pdf 1984_09_VAX VMS System Generation Utility reference Manual.pdf 1984_09_VAX VMS Verify Utility Reference Manual.pdf 1984_11_M2311K M2312K Disk Drives Engineering Specification.pdf 1985_03_TC11 TAPE CONTROLLER TECHNICAL MANUAL.pdf 1985_07_Guide to VAX VMS System Security.pdf 1985_07_M2311K M2312K Microdisk Drives Customer Engineering Manual.pdf 1985_07_VAX VMS Error Log Utility Reference Manual.pdf 1985_07_VAX VMS Exchange Utility Refeence Manual.pdf 1986_04_VAX VMS Access Control List Editor Reference Manual.pdf 1986_04_VAX VMS Backup Utility Reference Manual.pdf 1986_04_VAX VMS DCL Concepts Manual.pdf 1986_04_VAX VMS DCL Dictionary.pdf 1986_04_VAX VMS Debugger Reference Manual.pdf 1986_04_VAX VMS IO User's Reference Manual Part 1.pdf 1986_04_VAX VMS Monitor Utility Reference Manual.pdf 1986_04_VAX VMS Network Control Program Reference Manual.pdf 1986_04_VAX VMS Networking Manual.pdf 1986_04_VAX VMS Show Cluster Utility Reference Manual.pdf 1986_04_VAX VMS System Dump Analyzer Reference Manual.pdf 1986_04_VAX VMS System Manager's Reference Manual.pdf 1986_04_VAX VMS System Messages and Recovery Procedures Reference Manual.pdf 1986_04_VAX VNS Debugger Reference Manual.pdf 1987_03_EMULUX PDP-11 LSI-11 DIAGNOSTIC DISTRIBUTION KIT.pdf 1987_03_Guide to VAX C.pdf 1987_04_Guide to VAX DEC Code Management System.pdf 1987_04_Guide to VAX DEC Module Management System.pdf 1987_04_VAX DEC Code Management System Callable Routines Reference Manual.pdf 1988_04_Guide to Creating VMS Modular Procedures.pdf 1988_04_Guide to DECnet-VAX Networking.pdf 1988_04_Guide to Maintaining a VMS System.pdf 1988_04_Guide to Setting Up a VMS System.pdf 1988_04_Guide to Using VMS Command Procedures.pdf 1988_04_Guide to Using VMS.pdf 1988_04_Guide to VMS File Applications.pdf 1988_04_Guide to VMS Files and Devices.pdf 1988_04_Guide to VMS Performance Management.pdf 1988_04_Guide to VMS Programming Resources.pdf 1988_04_Guide to VMS System Security.pdf 1988_04_Guide to VMS Text Processing.pdf 1988_04_Introduction to the VMS Run-Time Library.pdf 1988_04_Introduction to VMS System Management.pdf 1988_04_Introduction to VMS System Routines.pdf 1988_04_Introduction to VMS System Services.pdf 1988_04_Introduction to VMS.pdf 1988_04_VAX DIGITAL Standard Runoff Reference Manual.pdf 1988_04_VAX EDT Reference Manual.pdf 1988_04_VAX VMS I O User's Reference Manual Part II.pdf 1988_04_VMS Accounting Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Analyze Disk_Structure Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Analyze RMS File Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Authorize Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Backup Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Bad Block Locator Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Command Definition Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Convert and Convert Reclaim Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS DCL Dictionary.pdf 1988_04_VMS Debugger Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS DECnet Test Sender DECnet Test Receiver Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Delta XDelta Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Device Support.pdf 1988_04_VMS Error Log Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Exchange Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS File Definition Language Facility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS General User Master Index.pdf 1988_04_VMS General User's Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Glossary.pdf 1988_04_VMS Install Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Installation and Operations VAX-11 725, 730.pdf 1988_04_VMS IO User's Reference Manual Part 1.pdf 1988_04_VMS IO User's Reference Manual Part II.pdf 1988_04_VMS LAT Control Program Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Librarian Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Linker Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Mail Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Master Index.pdf 1988_04_VMS Message Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Monitor Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Mount Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS National Character Set Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Network Control Program Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Networking Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Patch Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Phone Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Programming Master Index.pdf 1988_04_VMS Record Management Services Reference Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS RTL DECtalk DTK$ Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS RTL General Purpose OTS$ Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS RTL Library Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS RTL Mathematics Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS RTL Parallel Processing Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS RTL Screen Management (SMG$) Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS RTL String Manipulation Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Show Cluster Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Sort Merge Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS SUMSLP Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS SYSMAN Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS System Dump Analyzer Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS System Generation Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS System Management Master Index.pdf 1988_04_VMS System Messages and Recovery Procedures Reference Manual Part II.pdf 1988_04_VMS System Services Reference Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Terminal Fallback Utility Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS Utility Routines Manual.pdf 1988_04_VMS VAXcluster Manual.pdf 1988_08_PDP-11 FORTRAN-77 Language Reference Manual.pdf 1988_08_PDP-11 FORTRAN-77 Object Time System Reference Manual.pdf 1988_08_PDP-11 FORTRAN-77 User's Guide.pdf 1988_08_VMS DECwindows Guide to Non-C Bindings.pdf 1988_12_VMS Version 5.1 Installation Guide.pdf 1989_05_DECforms Guide to Converting VAX FMS Applications.pdf 1989_10_Realtime Systems and Options Catalog.pdf 1989_11_Systems and Options Catalog VAX Systems DECSystems BW.pdf 1989_11_Systems and Options Catalog VAX Systems DECSystems GREYSCALE.pdf 1990_05_SD89X SERIES DISK DRIVE USER's MANUAL.pdf 1990_06_VMS DECwindows Device Driver Manual.pdf 1990_06_VMS DECwindows Display PostScript System Programming Supplement.pdf 1990_11_SLC-1 User's Manual.pdf 1991_08_DECWindows Extensions to Motif.pdf 1991_08_VMS DECwindows Guide to Xlib Release 4 Programming MIT C Binding.pdf 1991_08_VMS DECwindows Guide to Xlib Release 4 Programming VAX Binding.pdf 1991_08_VMS DECwindows Motif Guide to Application Programming.pdf 1991_08_VMS DECwindows Transport Manual.pdf

11 years, 8 months

3
2
0 0

mainframes and other stuff

by elson＠pico-systems.com

On 11/23/2014 02:53 PM, John Foust wrote: > At 09:28 PM 11/21/2014, William Donzelli wrote: >> The NASA model 67 reportedly had 66 ounces of gold in the CPU. Even an >> early model 30 could have 8 or 9. > How could a CPU have four-and-a-half pounds of gold? > > I'm VERY skeptical of this one! First, I know IBM went to great lengths at some time in the early 60's to figure out how to make reliable computers with a LOT less gold than the traditional wisdom required. As far as I know, all 360's had a LOT less gold in them than similar-sized machines from other makers at the same time. On the other hand, a lot of gear from the mid-60's actually used gold as the etch resist on the circuit boards. I have some examples of that. The traces of the boards are totally plated with gold! Jon

11 years, 8 months

2
1
0 0

TRS-80 Model 16

by wrh＠wootsie.com

Hello, I recently recused a TRS-80 Model 16. It's in beautiful condition and appears to be fully functional. I received some 8" SS,DD 128/F floppies with it, but unfortunately none of them appear to have anything on them (that I can tell) - receive "BOOT ERROR RS" on this system. What are my options? This is my first TRS-80 model II/8" floppy-based hardware. I'm located in central Wisconsin. Thanks! -Bill

11 years, 9 months

4
4
0 0

Net-boot and install OpenVMS 7.x on MicroVAX 3x00?

by scaron＠umich.edu

Hi all, Now that I've got some BA23s I've been busy building up a few Q-bus systems. I've got one KA650 based system with a good, booting RD54 and one KA655 based system with a good, booting Maxtor 340 MB ESDI drive (via a Sigma controller). Points to Maxtor for quality, I guess! As fun as it is to boot the vintage VMS 5.x releases on these drives and fool around, I'd like to get OpenVMS 7.2 or 7.3 installed at least on my KA655. While I'm saving up my pennies for a Q-bus SCSI card, does anyone know if it's possible to do both a net-boot and a fresh VMS installation given an existing VAXcluster where I do have a SCSI CD-ROM hooked up to one of the machines? I don't just want to boot it as a satellite node, I just want to use the net-boot to bootstrap an installation since I don't have a local CD-ROM on that machine to boot from. If I can get it booted as a satellite maybe there's something "unsupported" I can do to perform a network installation? If not I guess I'll just play with 5.x until I can get a SCSI card on hand. Thanks! Sean

11 years, 9 months

4
4
0 0

Osborne Vixen - Zenith 7" display t-shooting issues

by drlegendre＠gmail.com

Need some help on this one.. trying to repair the built-in CRT in an Osborne Vixen portable. There's some complexity here, so I'll do my best to be succinct. The unit presented with a vertical line down the screen, and very low voltages on the scan-derived power supplies - the 50V in particular was doing about 18-20V Removed / tested the horiz. opt. transistor (HOT). Neither open nor shorted, but beta measures ~12. Replaced the HOT and scoped the B & C circuits - base drive was +much+ higher (like 10X) level than the output at the collector. So again pulled the HOT and swapped in the only thing I had that +seemed+ it might work: RCA SK9118 (375) - Pt 25W / Vcbo 200V / Vceo 150V / Vebo 6V / Hfe 150 (typ.) Bingo! Display is now bright & crisp, looks great.. but.. the sub. HOT is running way, way hot. Rose to 170F in 2-3 min, and was steadily climbing. And that's in free air, not sealed up in the case. 50V supply came up to 42V.. better, still seems too low. So I think you can see my conundrum, here.. Is the +original+ HOT actually OK, and I'm only masking another problem in the circuit by installing a new part with 10X the gain? Why is the new part running so dang hot - and if the orig. is in fact bad, what killed it, anyway? To make things worse, I can't find +any+ service data or parts list for the display; all I have is a schematic. Nor can I find a datasheet for the original HOT - so I can't tell if it's in or out-of-spec. It's marked "SGS 1070 / 8309". I +think+ the 8309 is for March 1983 but who knows. Any ideas on this one, folks? =)

11 years, 9 months

7
51
0 0

FS: HP 16500C logic analyzer system

by rob＠bitscience.ca

I?m getting rid of my HP 16500C logic analyzer. It?s got the 16550A and 16517A modules. The former has 96 data channels and 6 clock/data channels, all at 100MHz; the latter provides 16 channels @ up to 4GHz. It comes with all the pods/probes and many connectors, as well as the manuals and training materials. It passes all self-tests. I?m in Vancouver, BC. The LA is probably too big to ship economically, but if someone in the BC lower mainland or Washington state is interested, let me know. I?ve got it up on Craigslist for a firm $300 (http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/nvn/ele/4775079685.html <http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/nvn/ele/4775079685.html>), but list members can make me an offer. Thanks, Rob Ferguson

11 years, 9 months

2
1
0 0

mainframes and other stuff

by wdonzelli＠gmail.com

> How could a CPU have four-and-a-half pounds of gold? First, 66 oz. of gold really is not all that much metal. If you ever have the chance to hold a pound of gold, take it - it is impressive how a little lump can be so heavy. Second, the 2075 was really freakin' big. -- Will

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

mainframes and other stuff

by jfoust＠threedee.com

At 09:28 PM 11/21/2014, William Donzelli wrote: >The NASA model 67 reportedly had 66 ounces of gold in the CPU. Even an >early model 30 could have 8 or 9. How could a CPU have four-and-a-half pounds of gold? - John

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

RX01 Floppies

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Johnny Billquist > The RX02 is not a standard double density floppy. It is a single > density format floppy with a double density encoding for the data area > of each sector. .. > I have double density IBM floppies at home, and believe me, I have > tried using them in RX01 and RX02 drives. Something I'm mildly curious about, all, knowing very little of the very-low level recording techniques used in single-density, RX02, and 'standard' double-density 8" floppies: The RX02 documentation indicates that the encoding scheme used in the double-density data portion of the sector is 'Modified Miller Code'. (Miller Code I get - it's either 0 or 1 flux reversals per bit time, which is half the maximum flux reversal rate used in the single-density FM encoding - but the Modified Miller is beyond me; it's not explained very clearly, and I don't see any value to forcing my aging neurons to work it out! :-) So, my question: is either of those (Miller and Modified Miller) the same recording scheme used in standard double-density, or do those use something else again? Noel

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

HP2100A luser questions

by ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk

I am still unpacking after the move.... Anyway, I came across my HP2100A minicomputer, so I took a long look at it (seriously, I must have spent a couple of hours pulling boards, etc). Some day I would like to get it running again. I have the standard 8 CPU boards, and the 12895 DMA board. I almost have 32K of core. What I mean by that is that I have all the boards for 32K words of core. I am missing one of the top connectors between a core board and the address driver next to it. I have a few I/O cards in the machine : 12531-60022 Buffered TTY Reg (2 off) looks to be current loop and RS232 serial 12551-6002 Relay Out Reg 12592-6001 +8 but Dup Reg (8 bit parallel for paper tape punch/reader?) 12554-60023 +16 bit Dup Reg (16 bit parallel?) 12566-60021 +True In/Out (another 16 bit parallel?) 13210-60004/6 Disc Interface 1/2 (7900 interface, 2 boards) 12539-60001 Time Base Gen (Heartbeat interrupt ?) 12590-6001 Plotter (I can find nothing about this board on the obvious sites). Anyway, I have downloaded the appropriate manuals, but have some questions... What is Current Transfer Logic, the machine seems to be full of such ICs? Any data sheets, etc out there? I assume there's no chance of me finding a top connector for the memory system. Am I right that the only difference between the 2 flavours is the spacing of the edge connectors on the PCB? Due to the fact that the connector plugs into the core plane daughterboard, which is fitted on the component side of the sense/inhibit board, so the spacing between the edge plugs changes depending on whether the core is to the left or to the right of the address driver. Both top connectors seem to be just pin-pin wired on the PCB, but the manuals don't really mention them. There is a tab on my A2 board telling me I have the floating point microcode and indeed the 6 ROMs are fitted (in sockets) near the standard microcode ROMs. Was there ever a published source listing of this? It would be interesting... Any information on that 'Plotter' board? One major problem concerns the power switch. I don't have the key, and it's currently in the 'panel lock' position. Now, I can trivially jumper the switch to enable the panel but I would rather not. I have taken the switch assembly apart (there is an exploded diagram in the IPB manual) and it seems to use a standard Ace 7 pin tubular lock. Were all 2100A's keyed alike (like all DEC machines were)? If so, does anyone have the key cutting data? If not, I wonder if I could get a replacement lock and key? Or take the existing lock apart (looks to be one pin to drill out to get it apart, at least the IBM 5170 lock comes apart like that) and either get a key cut to suit the existing pinning, or re-pin it. With the configuration I have (assume I can get 32K words of core, and have the I/O cards I listed) what can I run on it? -tony

11 years, 9 months

8
17
0 0

RX01 Floppies

by michael.99.thompson＠gmail.com

Where can I get RX01 SSSD 8" floppies? Used are fine. -- Michael Thompson

11 years, 9 months

8
19
0 0

Free: NeXT Mono Slab & Matching Printer

by slandon110＠gmail.com

About 4 years ago a very generous list member had given me a NeXT Mono Slab, I havent used it very much since then and I think the right thing to do is pass it along to someone else who will appreciate it and use it. The only thing I ask is that it never hits ebay and if you decide to get rid of it give it to another person who will love and appreciate it. Its a complete system with laser printer and matching NeXT power cord. Im located in Farwell Michigan

11 years, 9 months

2
1
0 0

11/73 (ba23) bringup after 12 years in deplorable storage conditions

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Jacob Ritorto > I don't yet understand where to insert the resistors, but I guess > anywhere there's 12v and 5v would be sensible. Alas, I don't (yet) have a BA23, so I can't offer any personal-based guidance on how to attach a dummy load to the power system. (On the BA11-N/BA11-S, it's pretty simple, there's a nice barrier strip, but I don't know much about how a BA23 is, inside. I suppose I should go read a manual... :-) Maybe I should just lend you some of my QBUS load modules? That would avoid the whole issue, you just plug it in like a normal card. You're in PA, right? > So now, with no boards at all in the chassis, I do at least get a few > lights on the little front panel but unfortunately not the "DC OK" > light and still no fans. To get them to stay on, I have to kind of > 'trick' the PSU by turning it off, waiting a second, then turning it > back on. If it's a switching power supply (which it probably is, as late a machine as that is), it probably needs _some_ load to operate properly. > Would it be more sensible to just buy a commodity PC power supply that > has lots of 5v and some 12v, find a way to bolt it in and rework the > wiring to fit? Or do you think it's likely I'll be able to bring this > power supply back to safe, reliable condition without getting in over > my head? Hard for me to answer that.. you're the one who knows how much you can handle! Alas, I'm not an analog whiz, so it will have to be others who help you through it, if you go that way. > Got lots to re-learn here; thanks for bearing with.. Hey, you're not the only person in that particular boat... :-) Noel

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

11/73 (ba23) bringup after 12 years in deplorable storage conditions

by jacob.ritorto＠gmail.com

Hey all, I've been getting the bug worse and worse to start working on a real pdp11. The Raspberry Pi / simh emulation is fantastic, but my hunger for authenticity is becoming rampant. I haven't run the youngest in my fleet of pdp11s, the 11/73, since circa 2002 and if I recall correctly, it was becoming flaky and popping out to ODT inexplicably from time to time back then (I think this is the one with the notoriously combustible power supply wires that probably haven't been ECO'd yet -- need to get to that too). It's been lying in a warehouse in western Pennsylvania with no heat and a lot of dust. So, worst case, we're talking temperature transients around 110 F and -20 F with no protection. It did stay quite dry. Think it'd be bad to simply blow the dust off and fire it up? thx jake

11 years, 9 months

5
8
0 0

National Semiconductor NS23C 1MB memory cards

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

So I have a couple of National Semiconductor 1MB QBUS memory cards, NS23C's. They have a _ton_ of configuration jumpers. I have located a technical manual for the NS23C, _but_, reading it, it seems it only applies to the 256KB version of this board. (It's definitely a 1MB version; the memory chips are KM41C256P, 256Kx1, and there are 36 - 4 bytes wide, with parity, so 1MB total. And there are tons of hits on Google for NS23C 1MB boards.) Does anyone happen to know how the 256K and 1M versions differ, if at all, jumper-wise? I can probably work it out (maybe there a couple of extra jumpers for the size, unless they simply multiplied the size settings by 4 - quite possible), but it would be not too useful to expend the effort if someone else already knows the answer. Noel

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

Old x86 "PC" SBCs (Toronto Microelectronics)

by jules.richardson99＠gmail.com

I've got this ISA card sitting around which was made by Toronto Microelectronics (TME), but it gives the impression that it may be a complete SBC in its own right; it has a 386sx for CPU, takes 30 pin simms, and has various connectors (IDE, floppy, 2x RS232 and parallel are obvious, then there are another six unlabeled connectors). IC dates are all around 1993. Does anyone happen to know anything about these boards - in particular, the purpose/pinouts for the unknown connectors, and whether they require a backplane to work? (Or, maybe there's a standard amongst the x86 SBC world for this kind of thing, I have no idea.) I'm thinking it might make the basis a nice little serial terminal, at least if it has any on-board video capability - it would be quite easy to hide it (along with a suitable small PSU) inside a 14" CRT case. There's a picture of one here, but I've been unable to find any info anywhere: http://www.ascent-tecsemispares.com/index.php/other/t/toronto-microelectron… cheers Jules

11 years, 9 months

2
3
0 0

Who's rewired their house for this hobby?

by ak6dn＠mindspring.com

Just curious: What is your maximum load in kVA when system(s) are running? What is that in $$/hr? -----Original Message----- >From: William Donzelli <wdonzelli at gmail.com> >Sent: Nov 21, 2014 5:14 PM >To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> >Subject: Re: Who's rewired their house for this hobby? > >> So, who has run 3-phase to power their MG set and HVAC for their mainframe? >> Extra points for chilled water and even more for a cooling tower for said >> water. > >I have 600 Amps of three phase service. > >I also have motor generator and solid state converters to make about >135 kVA of 400 Hz power, providing everything gets fixed. > >Oh, and (I think about) a 25 kVA 100/200 Volt transformer, in case of >Japanese machines. > >So there. > >-- >Will

11 years, 9 months

2
1
0 0

digital LA210 Letterprinter, available in Ottawa

by ba600＠ncf.ca

I have a friend loking to clean out his basement. >Have digital LA210 Letterprinter, tractor feed, and ribbon headed for scrap. >Want it? Is there any interest in DEC printers? -- Collector of vintage computers http://www.ncf.ca/~ba600

11 years, 9 months

2
1
0 0

An excellent cordless screwdriver recommendation

by drlegendre＠gmail.com

Decided to share this little bit of Good Info with the list. If you're like me, you probably turn away from most of those small, in-line cordless screwdrivers. Well, here's one to keep an eye out for, when you're browsing the garage sales, flea markets or thrift stores.. it's the best of the best ever made. The Black & Decker 9038 (Image attached) This particular model was good enough for Snap-On to re-badge (and re-color it, red & black) as a Blue Point Cordless Screwdriver - which they sold for silly $$$. Do NOT confuse it with ANY of the similar appearing models, no matter how close they may seem. Only the 9038 will do! They were only sold during the 1989-1992 era; later discontinued. The battery packs are no longer available, but can easily be re-built with generic NiCd cells. I've done at least two of them, this way, and they run quite a bit longer & stronger with modern NiCd cells. With its dual-planetary gear sets, this unit makes enough torque to break small screws or damage your wrist.. and it locks-up solid any time you're not running the motor - no need to 'shift gears' to reverse or lock the shaft. Reversing is simply a matter of moving the switch one way or the other. Find one, rebuild the battery, and put it in your kit. You'll love it.. one of the only electric tools I've used for 20+ years. Hope you find this useful.

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

Moving Sale (SF Bay Area, USA)

by lists＠loomcom.com

Well, it's finally happened. I've bought a house west of Seattle, and I'm going to be leaving the bay area. First things first: I am NOT getting out of classic computers! I'm taking a nice little core collection of microcomputers with me. That said, the move is going to be extremely expensive and I have a lot of stuff that I'm just not likely to ever get around to. Liquidating some stuff could save me thousands of dollars. So, it's time to try to pass it on. Everything here is located in Fremont, California, very close to I-880 and Decoto Road. It's in a garage for very easy access. Because of the craziness of moving, I'm very sorry to say that everything here is pick-up only. I cannot make the time to pack and ship. If you're remote and you'd like to get someone else who's local do some picking up for you, of course you're more than welcome. Anyway, I hate to do this, but it's time... First, the non-free stuff. I'd actually like some money for these. How much? I'll take reasonable offers. I'm not looking for eBay money. Seriously. Make an offer, the worst that could possibly happen is that I'll counter. - PDP-11/35. This is my semi-infamous restoration project that consumed much of my 2012. I very lovingly restored the power supply, backplanes, chassis, and front panel. The logic is almost certainly beyond repair. It needs a new set of cards. This system is housed in a full-height rack that has seen much better days. Includes a Diablo Series 30 drive, ECCO paper tape reader (not punch), and a DSD 440 8" floppy drive. I'll throw in a big huge pile of 8" floppies. - PDP-11/53. This is a nice half-height DEC rack with a PDP-11/53 card set in a PDP-11/23+ chassis, plus two working RL-02 drives. Will include 10 RL-02 packs. This is a nice setup. It pains me more to get rid of this than it does the 11/35, if I'm honest. (Drive heads are currently parked and secured!) Now, the cheap and/or free WORKING stuff. Just make a token offer to help defray some moving costs and I'll be thrilled. - MicroVAX 3800. Nice system. Used to belong to Lockheed Martin and once had Hubble Space Telescope pointing control software developer accounts on it! - Two AlphaServer DS20e systems and 4 SCSI storage arrays. Marginally classic, but come on, you know you want them. - TWO MicroVAX 3100 model 80s. Loud little beasts. Lots of small SCSI disks. Ideal doorstops. - AlphaStation 200 4/233. Cute little desktop. Works great! - Sun SPARCClassic. - Sun SPARC IPC. - Assorted Sun keyboards / mice. - SGI Octane. It's a perfectly nice system. No keyboard / mouse. It has texture RAM! - SGI R5000 Indy. Also no keyboard or mouse, sorry. At least these SGI systems are PS/2. - A C-One FPGA system. This is not technically classic, but it is neat. These were sold as a re-targetable FPGA system to emulate Commodore Amiga A500 among other systems. Had a minor following in the early 2000s before the project dried up. - Heathkit H-89. Had to do some minor power supply repair to get it working, but it works great now. Hard-sectored floppy drive. I'll throw in 6 hard sectored floppies. That's all I have! - Tandy TRS-80 Model 4. - Tandy Color Computer 3, still in the box! - No-name serial terminal. It's always good to have more of these, right? - Sharp PC5000 - TWO DEC Rainbows (one has a bad power switch), plus monitors and keyboards. - Panasonic Sr. Partner luggable computer. - Packard Bell 286 - 2 or 3 TI Silent 700 terminals. (I'm keeping a few, but I have an absurd number of these things) - Execuport 4000 printing terminal. - DEC LA100 printing terminal. - 90% working blue ADM-3a terminal. Needs some slight logic repair, should be an easy job. Finally, the stuff that DOES NOT WORK. I just want this gone. Please take it. Any of these could be a fun project. If you don't take it, it will go to WeirdStuff Warehouse where they'll do horrible things. I especially - KayPro 10. - Another MicroVAX 3800. The non-working version of the one above. - DEC Professional 350. Dead video. That's it. If you happen to come over and we're going through stuff and I find something else I should get rid of, you're welcome to it! -Seth

11 years, 9 months

6
7
0 0

RX01 Floppies

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Glen Slick > So is the original poster (Michael) really looking for already > formatted RX01 floppies, or will blank 8-inch single sided floppies do > just as well? Generic _single-density_ floppies are what the RX01/2 needs. So AFAIK any pre-formatted single-density floppy will work in either one. AFAIK, originally, all SSSD floppies came already low-level formatted, but that may have changed later on. (I don't recall if DSSD floppies exist; if they did, the RX0x would probably just ignore the second side.) I'm not sure what you mean by 'blank' - did you mean 'no data/ file system', or 'not low-level formatted'? The thing is that neither RX0x can _low-level format_ floppies (i.e. write sector headers, etc). They _have_ to have pre-formatted floppies. I have this bit set that DEC did it that way with the RX01 since that was the (then minimally-used) IBM standard; if so, probably they just continued that way with the RX02. So you _can_ feed an RX0x xSDD floppies - if you first put them in a machine which will format them to xSSD low-level format. (Which I think someone has previously enquired about here.) Noel

11 years, 9 months

2
1
0 0

RX01 Floppies

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> On 11/21/2014 2:26 PM, Glen Slick wrote: > Is it correct that RX01 format floppies can be created from blank > floppies with a standard PC floppy controller (or at least some > controllers / motherboards, depending on the controller chip) while > RX02 format floppies cannot? My understanding (perhaps incorrect, if so, someone please correct me) is that the wart-level-detail answer to this question is that '_blank_ RX02 floppies can be created on anything that can create RX01 floppies', but that RX02 floppies _with data on them_ can only be created on RX02 drives. I.e. an RX02 is fed RX01 floppies, which it then writes in the unique-to-DEC double density RX02 format. (As Chuck explained, the _headers_ are in the standard IBM form, but the _data_ part of the sectors is written in a DEC-specific double-density format.) Noel

11 years, 9 months

5
4
0 0

Re; What to look for in a Model 33 Teletype - a newb's buyer's guide?

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: drlegendre > And one more - how do you differentiate a 20mA current-loop model from > a 'standard' RS-232 model? I believe the Model 37 is the RS-232 Teletype. (Is it based on the 33, or 35? I don't know.) If you have a working UNIBUS PDP-11, there are still 20mA serial interfaces avalable for it. I have a DL11-C (M7800-YA) you can have for what I paid for it (a song, just about), and someone on eBay has a DZ11-C (M7814) for sale for cheap; someone else there has the breakout panel for it. Noel

11 years, 9 months

4
10
0 0

What to look for in a Model 33 Teletype - a newb's buyer's guide?

by drlegendre＠gmail.com

I've gone off the Deep End and now I just have to re-have a Teletype model 33.. I feel awful about what became of the junker I bought for $15 when I was a 13 year-old and wish I still had it today, so I could fix it and put it to use. So what should a mentally-challenged guy like myself be looking for, in a Model 33 - preferably an ASR model with the paper tape reader? What does and doesn't go bad? Are there any serious game-changing, show-stopping or buzz-killing issues that effectively render one of these units as a parts donor? What differences exist between the various ASR-model units, as they progress through the years? What does one look for - and more importantly, what to avoid? And one more - how do you differentiate a 20mA current-loop model from a 'standard' RS-232 model? Can you tell from the rear panel, or do you need to go under the hood?

11 years, 9 months

6
10
0 0

What to look for in a Model 33 Teletype - a newb's buyer's guide?

by radiotest＠juno.com

At 02:58 PM 11/21/2014, drlegendre wrote: >I have virtually no idea what any of that means. =/ The 20 mA current interface was the standard current loop interface for Teletypes such as the ASR-33 sometimes used as consoles for DEC minis. I used them for a number of years on a couple of pdp8/m systems that had ASR-33s as consoles, and also took care of many 20 mA loops used with other Teletype models when I worked as an Associated Press technician in the early 1980s. AP used Lenkurt data sets to receive data from analog telco loops and convert it to current loops for teletypes. Dale H. Cook, GR / HP Collector, Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA http://plymouthcolony.net/starcity/radios/index.html

11 years, 9 months

2
1
0 0

RX01 Floppies

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: tony duell >> the wart-level-detail answer to this question is that '_blank_ RX02 >> floppies can be created on anything that can create RX01 floppies' Sorry, I was slightly imprecise - I guess I should have said '_blank_ floppies that an RX02 can use to write double-density RX02 floppies can be created on anything that can create RX01 floppies'. But the bottom line is the one I gave: blank floppies which one can use in an RX02 can be created on anything that can make RX01 floppies. > An RX02 drive can reformat an RX01 disk as RX02. Right, that was what I meant with: > an RX02 is fed RX01 floppies, which it then writes in the unique-to-DEC > double density RX02 format If anyone wants to see the gory details, "RX02 Floppy Disk System User Guide" (EK-RX02-UG-001) has them on pg. 4-41, "4.3.3.5 Set Media Density (100)". Sections 1.5.2 ("Recording Scheme") and 1.5.3 ("Logical Format") give the technical details of the floppy content in quite complete form. Noel

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

5.25" SCSI Drives

by alexmcwhirter＠mojovapes.net

Does anyone need any of these drives? I have 18 of them that I don't need and are just taking up room. Anyone who's willing to pay for shipping can have some or all of them. I can only power test them at the moment. Some are regular 8 bit SCSI 50 pin, and some are 16 bit wide SCSI 68 pin. Sent from my iPhone

11 years, 9 months

7
7
0 0

Re; What to look for in a Model 33 Teletype - a newb's buyer's guide?

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: drlegendre > Though again, I don't know how or why that came into the conversation. You were asking about RS-232 for a Teletype; I was thinking, bring the mountain to Mohammed (a 20mA interface on the computer), not the other way around. Noel

11 years, 9 months

2
1
0 0

Who's rewired their house for this hobby?

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Todd Killingsworth > I realized that old machines took lots of power. But do the collectors > here wire up their homes and keep machines there? Heh, about to join this crew! I'm having the electricians in to put in a whole separate subsidiary panel (the existing ones are all pretty full), and run outlets from that (with those Hubble locking 3-pin sockets). > my wife thinks I'm completely certifiable. That's not the important question, which is 'is she tolerant of your insanity'? :-) > Todd Goodman > My wife thinks I'm certifiable as well since there couldn't possibly be > anyone else in the world interested in this "junk." So subscribe her to CCTalk... :-) > Oh, and also that I'm a "semi-hoarder." Duhhh! > From: Chuck Guzis > Where you get into the exotica is 3-phase service. There, you need a > cooperating utility and a deep pocketbook. Be prepared to be turned > down flat by your utility with the excuse that "We don't distribute 3 > phase in your area". Or they will try and give you what my house has (it came that way, the previous owner was a serious woodworking guy), which is 400A 3-phase service - but it's not really 3 phase. The area has two-phase service, and they hung a small transformer on the pole outside my house and wired it up to produce 3 phases that _will_ run a three-phase motor - but the third phase is like 170V to neutral, not 120V. (I forget the details, a foreman explained it to me once, but I've since forgotten.) So things that try and take three phases and power a bunch of 120V things, with some on each phase, won't work. Noel

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

Re; What to look for in a Model 33 Teletype - a newb's buyer's guide?

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: drlegendre > I have virtually no idea what any of that means. Clearly because you don't have a UNIBUS PDP-11! :-) Oh well, it was worth a shot (I didn't know). Noel

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

Reading a CD that has no reflective layer

by spacewar＠gmail.com

On Tue, Nov 18, 2014 at 7:45 AM, John Foust <jfoust at threedee.com> wrote: > The CM100 apparently only works on PC and XT era hardware. I saw > mentions on the web that even a 25 Mhz PC is incompatible. I have some CM100 drives, which may or may not work at this late date due to a combination of age and poor environmental conditions in storage. I do not have a CM153 interface card. The interface consists of three or four RS-422 pairs. At one time I reverse-engineered the 8051 firmware in the drive and understood the details of the interface quite well, but I've forgotten them and cannot currently locate my old notes or the service manual. Still, if a CM100 is useful to you, let me know.

11 years, 9 months

5
6
0 0

11/73 (ba23) bringup after 12 years in deplorable storage conditions

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Robert Jarratt > There is no printset that I am aware of the for the H7864 PSU. Really? Wow. With all the machines that used BA23 boxes (both -11s and uVAXen), you'd think that the printset for _one_ of them would have included the H7864. That was common DEC practise; the print-set for the 11/xx system as a whole usually included the prints for the 'standard' power supply for that machine. (That's how we have the prints for the H786 BA-11N power supply - as part of the prints for the 11/23 - someone kindly pointed that out to me.) So I'd check out all the machines that came in a BA23, and look for the print sets for them, and see if any has the H7864 included. (If anyone finds them, do let us know if you succeed - I have a feeling I'll be needing them before too long! :-) Noel

11 years, 9 months

2
1
0 0

dec rainbow claimed

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

The dec rainbow was claimed yesterday by a listmemeber. J

11 years, 9 months

2
1
0 0

The Whetstone Benchmark

by mark＠wickensonline.co.uk

This is an interesting read about the history of the Whetstone benchmark and a good summary of vintage performance: http://www.roylongbottom.org.uk/whetstone.htm Mark.

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

PET 6540 ROM operating temperature

by derschjo＠gmail.com

Hey all -- A quick one -- what's the normal operating temperature for the old MPS6540 ROMs used in the original Commodore PETs? I noticed last night after running mine for ~30 minutes that the ROMs were very hot, to the point of being painful to touch. The machine is running fine as far as I can tell -- though I haven't verified the contents of the ROMs, BASIC runs without any apparent issues. Voltages are normal (just a shade under 5V). I've not experienced ROM chips that run so very hot -- is this normal? Thanks, Josh

11 years, 9 months

4
6
0 0

equipment available

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

DEC Rainbow, working. No shipping - local pickup only, Colorado Springs area. Email me off-list if interested. J

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

11/73 (ba23) bringup after 12 years in deplorable storage conditions

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> Roe Peterson roeapeterson at gmail.com > I would remove all the boards, blow it out, insert the minimum board > set, (CPU, memory, DL console, maybe bus terminator depending on > backplane) and just turn it on. That long in storage, I think that I'd probably go for powering it on with a dummy load first. It's not _that_ much more work, and it could save some expensive/rare electronics. It you don't have any QBUS Minimum Load Modules, get a couple of high-wattage resistors (down at Radio Slack, if necessary) and rig the equivalent. The M7556 MLM draws 1A of +5V, and I like to run two for testing. RS sells 10-Ohm/10-W resistors (ISTR they had smaller ones too, but I needed to test a 12V supply, hence the 10-W), so buy four... Probably a good idea to throw a 'scope on the DC power, too, check for ripple, etc. Noel

11 years, 9 months

2
1
0 0

old DEC boards

by sales＠elecplus.com

NC won't save by PN, but they will save by general description, like the ones with the purple or white tabs on the ends, they can pull those easily enough. If these are still wanted, can people please send me some pictures? What will probably be sent is a box of x number of boards weighing x pounds that have purple tabs, or white tabs, or whatever is asked for. Also need to know what people want to pay. Cindy Croxton Electronics Plus 1613 Water Street Kerrville, TX 78028 830-792-3400 phone 830-792-3404 fax sales at elecplus.com AOL IM elcpls

11 years, 9 months

2
1
0 0

PDP-11/23 Debugging

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: tony duell > Err, isn't the first question 'Do you have a logic analyser?' Depends on who you're talking to... :-) > From: Ben Sinclair > I did find a Sigma brand M8043 equivalent on eBay for a decent price > (via a make best offer). Is using non-DEC hardware just adding more > variables, or are they generally okay? There are 3 factors to consider in using non-DEC boards these days, I find. #1 - Can you get documentation? (In this case, yes. I have some where the answer is a resounding no, e.g. a Clearpoint DCME/Q4E 4MB PMI memory card.) #2 - Can you get the cables/etc? I don't know the answer in this case; I will note that this apparently doe not use the same cable as a DLV11-J - it uses a 40-pin header - _but_ you may be able to plug your DLV11-J cable into it. There's an page that talks about it a bit: http://www.avitech.com.au/pdp-11-03/ba11nc.html#SCD-DLV11J/8P although note that there seems to be something wrong with the URL for the image of the board on that page, this works: http://www.avitech.com.au/pdp-11-03/pictures/SCD-DLV11J-8P_640X480.jpg and according to that page, you can plug a 10-pin shell into the 40-pin header. Seems slightly dubious to me, but maybe it'd work! #3 - How good were the boards when they were new? Reliable, flaky, etc? In this case, Sigma mostly made pretty good stuff, although I have no experience with this particular card. Your call! Noel

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

PDP-11/23 Debugging

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Ben Sinclair > It doesn't seem to work on mine, so maybe I am having an interrupt > problem on the DLV11! Definitely an interrupt problem of some kind! But this is a big step; knowing we have a specific problem, we can try and track it to its lair. > I have V6 jumpered, V7 jumpered, and V5 on X to 0. According to the > manual, that's the factory setting. Is that how you have yours setup? Yes. So the first question is 'do you have a spare DLV11-J you can swap in'? I'm assuming the answer is 'no'. :-) Where are you located? Noel

11 years, 9 months

5
7
0 0

VAXen available, pickup only from Newmarket, UK

by shadoooo＠gmail.com

Hello Andreas, hello Adrian, I'm interested on all UNIBUS (and possibly QBUS boards) and also to VAX 2000. I'm ready to pay an amount (but I expect it should be in proportion with the weight). How much would you ask to pick and ship? Andreas: I can't reach you via direct email, please check your SPAM service and contact me! Thanks Waiting for acknowledgment. Thanks Andrea

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

teaching young IT certed person about old minis/mainframes

by tom_a_sparks＠yahoo.com.au

A question for the ones that work in the industry and are working with old mini and/or mainframes: How do you teach a young IT certed person about the old minis/mainframe that your department maintains?

11 years, 9 months

6
6
0 0

PDP-11/23 Debugging

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Ben Sinclair > Thanks a lot for your help Noel! Sure, glad to help. I'm at just about this stage with my 11/23's, so it's no biggie. > I did write a Ruby program to enter programs in from files via ODT, so > I can probably run your test that way, assuming it's a set of addresses > and values. I can do that. Here you go (in Unix assembler, which is somewhat different >from the DEC one in some syntax details, notably '/' for comment, not ';'): br4 = 200 stack = 2000 conregs = 177560 rcsr = 0 rbuf = 2 tcsr = 4 tbuf = 6 rint = 100 . = 60^. conr; br4 / 1020 200 . = 1000^. test: mov $stack, sp / 12706 2000 mov $conregs, r1 / 12701 177560 / mov $rint, rcsr(r1) / 12761 100 0 mov $rint, (r1) / 12711 100 1: wait / 1 br 1b / 776 conr: movb rbuf(r1), tbuf(r1) / 116161 2 6 rti / 2 (The numbers on the right are hand-assembled octal, but I did put it through the assembler to make sure I'd gotten it right. The commented out instruction is clearer, but adds one word to the required type-in.) Here it is in address/location form: 60 1020 62 200 1000 12706 1002 2000 1004 12701 1006 177560 1010 12711 1012 100 1014 1 1016 776 1020 116161 1022 2 1024 6 1026 2 Start with "1000G" to ODT. It should echo everything you type, using interrupts from the console DL11 to do so. I did try this on my machine to debug it, and fixed one minor thinko (I had used "rts pc" instead of "rti"). After that, worked like it says on the tin. My machine is (at the moment) basically identical config to yours: an 11/23, a memory card (NatSemi), and a DLV11-J. (No terminator/ROM, it's in a Sigma box which has termination built in.) > That PDF is the one I was looking at OK. > though it looks like there are more diagnostics available for the 23+, > so that might not be completely equivalent to the test available for > the 23. Yes, that was my sense too. > I'm hoping a memory test shows that I have some problems there, which > is potentially the easiest thing to fix. Do you have a memory test, yet? I am planning on whipping up one of those too, for my own use, although it will be more elaborate than that console interrupt test. If you can use octal dumps to load, I can produce that form pretty easily: let me know what syntax your loader takes. > Someone told me a while back that the M8044 memory tends to be fail, so > maybe I should look for something else. Interesting; I have a whole stack, and the first one I tried seemed not to work. Noel

11 years, 9 months

2
2
0 0

DELUA technical manual, VAX diagnostic

by RichA＠LivingComputerMuseum.org

We have a crumbling DELUA in the VAX-11/780-5 at LCM. There is a copy of the *User's* Manual at Bitsavers, but not the *Technical* Manual. Does anyone happen to have a copy lining the hamster cage floor, vel sim.? The User's Manual refers to a diagnostic, EVDYB, which "runs under the VAX diagnostic supervisor (VDS)." Does anyone here have either of those things, or pointers to them? In the mean time, I'm going to try to get the PDP-11/70 to run CZUAD from a simulated TU58, but I'm told that getting the DELUA into and out of the crowded Unibus backplane is an exercise in bloodletting. Thanks, Rich Rich Alderson Sr. Systems Engineer Living Computer Museum 2245 1st Ave S Seattle, WA 98134 http://www.LivingComputerMuseum.org/

11 years, 9 months

6
9
0 0

WG: Re: VAXen available, pickup only from Newmarket, UK

by aswood＠t-online.de

Adrian and all listeners to this list, as promised I'd like to specify my interest more in detail. I'm esp. interested in the - VAX 7710, various processors + memory - AlphaServer GS60e - VAX 6610 and some of the smaller Alphas or all stuff fitting into the van. I'd take a 7,5t van to go from Germany to the UK to pick up these items. As in 2003, when I went with Fred (van Kempen) to London to pickup a large PDP11 systems at Zetter, I'm offering interested persons to accompany this trip to the UK. On the other hand I'd offer the possibility to pick up items into the van to carry these to continental Europe to be distributed to interested persons. Accompanying people, or for items to be carried to Continental Europe would have to share costs for the van and the ferry costs to the UK. @Adrian - what is the time frame for picking up these items? Andreas -----Original-Nachricht----- Betreff: Re: VAXen available, pickup only from Newmarket, UK Datum: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 18:48:44 +0100 Von: Andreas Holz <aswood at t-online.de> An: "binarydinosaurs at gmail.com" <binarydinosaurs at gmail.com> Adrian, we are interested - in all stuff. Please give me time until tomorrow to specify our interests in detail. Andreas > Am 17.11.2014 um 18:02 schrieb Adrian Graham <binarydinosaurs at gmail.com>: > > Folks, > > Thanks to building reductions we're having to offload all our old VAX kit > and I'd much rather see it go to someone who can use them, even as spares. > There's also a load of UNIBUS and QBUS spares, too many to list. > > Big stuff: > > VAX 7710, various processors + memory > AlphaServer GS60e > Possibly VAX 6610 > > Less big stuff: > > Alpha 2100 + spares > Alpha 2000 > Alpha 800 > Alpha 1000 x3 > AlphaStation 2xx x4 (spares only) > 2 MicroVAX 2000 > Various VAXstations, 3100s etc + spares > Several BA415 VAXen, 3400/3800/4200/4300 > VAXstation 4000s > Possibly an Alpha1200 and DS20 (big box version) > > Collection only, obviously these things are HEAVY. > > Cheers, > > -- > adrian/witchy > Owner of Binary Dinosaurs, the UK's biggest home computer collection? > www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

PDP-11/23 Debugging

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Ben Sinclair >> Is there a DL11 diag you can run on it? (If not, I can whip up a >> simple test to check it out.) > The diagnostics manual mentions this: > NDLAA0.BIN DLVll-J (M8043 & FALCON) LOGIC TEST > But, the only XXDP disks I have are the ones from AK6DN, and that test > doesn't appear to be on any of them. OK. Give me day or so, and I can whip up a really small test that you can toggle in to check out the interrupt on the console line. I won't be able to give it to you in a down-loadable format, alas: I'm working with a Unix (V6) toolkit, and at the moment I don't have the ability to produce DEC-format binary files, just Unix a.out. At MIT we did have a complete set of things for V6 Unix for doing DEC-compatible stuff (MACRO, LINKER, along with programs to convert back and forth between .REL and a.out format, and also to convert things to .LDA format), but at the moment the backup tapes I have which contain all that are in the process of being read, so there's no point to re-writing them all. > I've run a memory test program I found that's not part of XXDP, and I > believe it's fine, but is there a test in XXDP I could run? Sorry, I don't know anything about XXDP. Maybe someone else knows? > I don't see anything in the XXDP manual related to an M8044/MSV11. I'm not sure they'd have a MSV11-D-specific test program; it has no control registers or anything, so just a generic memory test is all you can do with it. > I moved all of the jumpers from my old M8186 to the new M8186. It works > just the same... It still fails that CPU test. So it's not a CPU problem. Starting to sound like maybe a DLV11-J problem - or maybe the test wants something we don't know about? > I found the microfiche for the KDF-11B on Bitsavers, but they're > missing the one for the KDF-11A unfortunately! That might still be useful. I wanted to look at the -11B one, but I'm not sure I've found it; is this it: www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp11/xxdp/fiche_200dpi/0170_CJKDJB0_1123B.pdf The KDF-11A and KDF-11B are _almost_ identical, programming-wise (they use the same chip-set) - the only differences I know of are that the -B has i) a built in LTC register, and ii) Bootstrap and Diagnostic registers. > I wish I had the microfiche for this CPU, as the one for the KDF-11B > lists the hardware requirements! Looking at that CJKDJB0_1123B thing, it does seem to want things specific to the -11B (e.g. it tries to test the second on-board serial line). If it's not a simple DLV11-J problem, I see dis-assembly in our future, sigh. Noel

11 years, 9 months

3
2
0 0

Coleco Adam

by healyzh＠aracnet.com

After searching since the late-90's, in the last month I've finally had some real luck on the Coleco front. First I got a ColecoVision, and then this last Saturday I was able to get a Coleco Adam quite reasonably. In doing some research I've learned that I should be able to replace the printer with an Arcade power-supply that supplies +12V, +5V, and -5V. I also see that I can get a IDE/CF adapter that lets me use a CF card as a drive. Now for my questions, what software is available for the Adam that can make use of a CF card 'disk drive'? Also, I gather that the system will erase any magnetic media when turned on or off? What is it that actually does this, is it the power supply, cassette drive, or something else? Zane

11 years, 9 months

3
4
0 0

Calling Philip Pemberton - UNIX PC/3b1 Emulator follow-up

by mediatransferfiles111＠gmail.com

Philip, I have studied the documentation on your work on your 3b1 emulator project. I am trying to rebuild a bootloader for a Convergent Technologies MightyFrame, and I have several working UNIX PCs that I am using for study, since they are similar...(by no means identical, but similar enough). You seem to have done some fantastic work on I see your posts on comp.sys.3b1 from 3+ years ago, and I am very impressed with your ability to decode the design of the UNIX PCs bootloader file. I was wondering if I could request some help with doing the same for our MightyFrame bootloader. I'd love to chat. I've sent a few emails to the address you provide on your 3b1 emulator site, as well as responded to your 3-year-old comp.sys.3b1 thread. Congratulations on some fantastic work, and I look forward to connecting with you. Sincerely, -AJ Palmgren http://MightyFrame.com ---------------------------------------- */usr/lib/iv/s4load.verbose* Download the s4load.verbose source code <http://6reoquestions.com/misc/MightyFrame/ATT7300/Files/s4load.verbose> Here Philip Pemberton discusses the code inside of s4load.verbose <https://groups.google.com/forum/#%21msg/comp.sys.3b1/VDPaYJCs0RM/dtXb5rVZ1F…> For reference, Philip is the author of a 3b1 emulator project <http://www.philpem.me.uk/code/3b1emu/>.

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

Looking for access or scans or info on WPNews

by jason＠textfiles.com

Hi, everyone. I?m looking for WPnews, or Word Processing News, published out of Burbank in early 80s. Editor: Barbara Elman. A friend is doing research in word processing history and this would help a lot.

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

Visual Technology Visual 1050 site

by rich.bramante＠gmail.com

Thanks to Jay, the previously orphaned Visual 1050 information site has a new home on classiccmp: http://v1050.classiccmp.org. This is a repository for all the information I could find on this early-80's CP/M system including photos, documentation, source code, emulation instructions, etc. etc. Please take a look if interested and let me know if there's anything additional you can contribute. Thanks again Jay!

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

PDP-11/23 Debugging

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Ben Sinclair > I don't believe I have any discontinuity, but how would I tell? Well, usually, it's caused by leaving a card or grant jumper out. I don't think I've ever seen anything else cause it, although I suppose an electronics failure on a card (failure to pass the grant) could also cause it. But neither of those sounds like it's happening here (since you have only one card that can interrupt...) > I think with my backplane (H9273) I'm supposed to put everything down > the left side, with the BVD11 at the bottom. Right. The 9273 is a so-called Q/CD backplane, which means the QBUS (which only takes one dual slot) runs down the left side (when looking at it from the side the boards plug into); all the RHS slots are wired for C-D interconnect. > Currently I have starting from the top left and going down the left > side: M8186, M8044, M8043, then the BVD at the very bottom. That sounds right. And the chances of the 8044 not passing the grant are zilch, since it has very substantial grant jumpers. So unless your backplane is damaged (again, very unlikely), or the grant drive on the CPU card is bad (possible, I suppose), the grant should be getting to the DLV11-J (I'm assuming that test uses the console DL11 to test interrupts - can't think what else it could possibly be using :-). So, if the CPU checks OK, maybe the DLV11-J has a problem with interrupts? Is there a DL11 diag you can run on it? (If not, I can whip up a simple test to check it out.) > I have another memory board, but I know it's bad, so I can't try that! Probably the one you have passes the memory diag, though, right? If it's not an issue with the DL11 interrupting, it sounds like we may have to dig into that diag to find out what it thinks it's doing when it blows up. If I can get my tool-chain working (currently downloading the abs-loader isn't working right somehow), I'll see if I can figure out how to load it, and DDT along with it, and poke into it. Locating the fiche would be another way to go... Noel

11 years, 9 months

2
3
0 0

Reading a CD that has no reflective layer

by spacewar＠gmail.com

John Foust wrote: > Apart from the card and the drive, there's the question of > the DOS driver software disks. I imagine it was just an API > and there weren't any tools at the DOS level. I'm pretty sure they provided the API used by MSCDEX, though I don't know where that API (MSCDEX bottom side) is documented. > You mentioned you'd never seen the SCSI CM110. This fellow > seems to have one. It looks like he had connections to Eindhoven. Cool! I'd like to get one someday, but it's not a high priority. Same with DEC KRQ50 (M7552) controller for RRD50.

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

Reading a CD that has no reflective layer

by jfoust＠threedee.com

At 06:03 PM 11/18/2014, Eric Smith wrote: > I do not have a CM153 interface card. The interface >consists of three or four RS-422 pairs. At one time I >reverse-engineered the 8051 firmware in the drive and understood the >details of the interface quite well, but I've forgotten them and >cannot currently locate my old notes or the service manual. Yes, googling turned up a number of your messages from a decade or more ago. You still have a pile of them, but you never had an interface card? As I said, there's a fellow on eBay selling them cheap and new-in-box for $10. Apart from the card and the drive, there's the question of the DOS driver software disks. I imagine it was just an API and there weren't any tools at the DOS level. You mentioned you'd never seen the SCSI CM110. This fellow seems to have one. It looks like he had connections to Eindhoven. http://home.claranet.nl/users/pb0aia/cm/sroom.html - John

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

Big VAX shipping in Europe

by wdonzelli＠gmail.com

> I would *love* to get my hands on the larger VAXen. It would be such > a pity if they'd to to the scrapper... I do even have space and > three-phase power for thembut I see no straight-forward way to ship > them over here... OK, I am curious. No, I am not interested in the machines (unless it was a VAX 9000). How much could one reasonable expect to pay for getting a big VAX, lets say a 350 kg in the typical DEC cabinet, from mainland Europe to Britain? Or from Britain to mainland Europe? Or even to and from Scandinavia? Sure, one could hire movers and riggers - pay them enough and they will deliver a locomotive - but what about typical on-the-cheap hobbyist methods? -- Will

11 years, 9 months

4
6
0 0

Looking for a Linux-usable EPROM programmer

by cruff＠ruffspot.net

If anyone is looking for a USB attached programmer, I picked up a Batronix BX40 Bagero II programmer recently, which is supported under Linux, OS X and Windows. This specific model doesn't handle PAL, GAL, MCU or NAND flash, but they have another model that does. It doesn't even require an external power supply.

11 years, 9 months

2
1
0 0

VAXen in Hawai

by stephane.tsacas＠gmail.com

Civil Bytes: Our New Governor Should Upgrade State?s Sorry Technology http://www.civilbeat.com/2014/11/civil-bytes-our-new-governor-should-upgrad… -- Stephane

11 years, 9 months

4
3
0 0

PDP-11/23 Debugging

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: John Wallace > Perhaps not so obviously,11/23 boards were available in variants with > or without floating point, and (iirc) with or without memory management > unit (MMU) (correction welcome). No, you're right on target. (Although one couldn't have FP without the MMU; the FP registers were actually in the MMU chip, see MicroComputers+Memories '82 pp. 350-351. > is it vaguely conceivable that the diagnostic in question needs a piece > of hardware that isn't on the board in question Hmm. Possible, but from what I know, unlikely. That test claims to test: Part 1 - the CPU checks out the basic PDP11 instructions in every addressing mode with various data patterns. Part 2 - tests all trap instructions, trap overflow conditions R6, interrupts, the reset and wait instruction. Part 3 - tests the EXTENDED INSTRUCTION SET, the ASH, ASHC, MUL and DIV instruction all of which are, AFAIK, part of the basic chip. (Unlike the 11/03 and 11/40, where MUL et al are part of the optional EIS.) Although I see 'interrupts' listed there - I wonder what they are using to generate the interrupt? The console serial line? Must be, I can't think of any other device in the config he was testing. Ben, you didn't have a discontinuity in the grant jumpering, did you? What kind of backplane do you have, and in what order/slots were the boards plugged in? > or is seriously broken on the board in question? That is the other possibiliy. Ben, do you get the same error with both CPU cards? Do you have spare memory/serial line cards you can swap in? Noel

11 years, 9 months

2
1
0 0

Looking for: Parts keyboard for chicklet PET (or just a "-" keycap)

by derschjo＠gmail.com

Made good progress with the PET; after fixing the video I got the reset circuit humming again (a bad ceramic cap on the 555 trigger circuit) and it fired right up after that, much to my surprise. And only 4 of the 18 6550 RAMs are bad :). Replaced a few terrible sockets and it's running reliably, albeit with only 6K of RAM. The keyboard on this thing has suffered some abuse; the "-" keycap on the numeric keypad has been broken off. I figure it's a long shot, but does anyone happen to have a spare "parts" quality keyboard they'd be willing to sacrifice a "-" key from? Thanks, Josh

11 years, 9 months

2
2
0 0

Reading a CD that has no reflective layer

by tothwolf＠concentric.net

On Tue, 18 Nov 2014, John Foust wrote: > At 09:30 AM 11/18/2014, Mouse wrote: > >> I was speculating that, on the scales of interest here, it's >> easier/cheaper to produce a non-smooth surface of a uniform material >> (how pressed CDs are actually made) than to produce a smooth surface of >> a nonuniform material (the alternative). > > I see... you're asking why CDs couldn't be made with a printing process > (ink on paper being effectively smooth) as opposed to the non-smooth > method of pits and lands. On one hand, it almost sounds like you've > re-invented CD-R, where a dye gets zapped and changes its reflectivity - > but I was surprised to read that even CD-Rs have a single spiral > "pre-groove" pressed into the polycarbonate. You'd need a rather precise > printing process to make tiny spots. > >> Yes, but I think the light normally used for CD reading is outside the >> visible range. This raises the possibility that the disc might be >> clear in the visible range but not in the range used for reading. Your >> experience trying to read it argues against that, though. Oh well, it >> was a nice theory while it lasted. > > At this point, I only hold out hope for finding an existing reader that > can see the pits, and the best candidate seems to be the oldest readers, > not the newest. > > I can't help but think this is an important topic for data recovery. A > peeled reflective layer is a common failure mode for discs. If there > was a way to dissolve everything above the pits (the label and aluminum) > and recoat with acrylic for protection, and read a clear CD, you could > rescue failed CDs. Couldn't one also apply a layer of aluminum? This is commonly done with mirrors for optics in telescopes and such, by hobbyists. I'm not 100% familiar with the process, but I understand it is done in a small vacuum chamber with some sort of electrical process to vaporize the aluminum. I think I actually have a /very/ early Philips cd-writer drive in storage, but it is behind a couple of large stacks of gear. It has a SCSI interface and is about the size of a home stereo component. I /might/ also have a Philips CM-100 on another more accessible shelf, but it may be a few days or a week before I can have a look and see what I have. I seem to remember the drive I have has an unusual data connector. Does the CM-100 require a special interface card?

11 years, 9 months

2
1
0 0

PDP-11/23 Debugging

by johnwallace4＠yahoo.co.uk

Apologies if this is obvious/already covered, but along the same lines as Noel's "it's probably 'JKDBD0', not "JKDBDO" it's almost certainly "JKDBD0 DCF11 AA CPU DIAGNOSTIC" or maybe even "JKDBD0 DCF11-AA CPU DIAGNOSTIC" not "JKDBDO DCFlI AA CPU DIAGNOSTIC". Of itself, that may not matter much. However, it may lead elsewhere. The F11 was [obviously] the 11/23 (and /24) chipset. Perhaps not so obviously,11/23 boards were available in variants with or without floating point, and (iirc) with or without memory management unit (MMU) (correction welcome). Also, the relevant bits were socketed, hence a particular board today may not match the board (and part number) as originally manufactured. Relevant handbooks etc will contain further details. I can't remember what's been previously written in this thread, but is it vaguely conceivable that the diagnostic in question needs a piece of hardware that isn't on the board in question, or is seriously broken on the board in question? A search for DCF11-AA CPU Diagnostic gets a few hits, including http://www.pdp-11.nl/pdp11-24/cpu/diags/jkdb.html which contains the delightful line "For more infromation refer to your microfiche library." and some rather more useful stuff too - sounds like you've found this or an equivalent already? Hope this helps, best of luck. John Wallace

11 years, 9 months

2
1
0 0

Proof they're still in service...

by earl＠baugh.org

The other day I was touring one of the HP support labs where they have a LARGE collection of HW that is used for reproducing customer problems. (I was there to see some of the new Generation 9 machines that are coming out...) ANYWAY, they pretty much have all of the HW that they have support contracts for... and that generate enough questions to reserve floor space for the HW. Guess what still has floor space? A DEC 7000 and Vax 6000. Not a PDP-7, but still enjoyed seeing them...and knowing that enough places are still using them to cause HP to reserve floor space for them in the lab...(proof, as always, is in the pictures : http://s1290.photobucket.com/user/theearlsquirrel/library/ ) Earl the Squirrel

11 years, 9 months

2
1
0 0

Reading a CD that has no reflective layer

by mouse＠Rodents-Montreal.ORG

[John Foust, quoting me] >> I don't understand why this technique was used. Perhaps it's >> easier/cheaper to produce a nonsmooth surface made of a uniform >> material than to produce a smooth surface of a nonuniform material? > I'm not quite sure what you mean here. The goal is changes in reflectivity on a fairly small scale. There's no reason in principle this couldn't be done with a smooth surface by making the surface not all the same material. (A larger-scale example of this is ink on paper: inked paper reflects less light than un-inked paper does.) I was speculating that, on the scales of interest here, it's easier/cheaper to produce a non-smooth surface of a uniform material (how pressed CDs are actually made) than to produce a smooth surface of a nonuniform material (the alternative). > Wikipedia has an explanation of the process: > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_Disc_manufacturing Yes, but it does not discuss why that process was chosen over various alternatives. >> Is it possible that it's clear only in visible light, with some sort >> of reflective layer present in the (infrared, IIRC) wavelengths >> used? > But as you mentioned, detection normally uses the phase shift, and > that's dependent on the frequency of the light. Yes, but I think the light normally used for CD reading is outside the visible range. This raises the possibility that the disc might be clear in the visible range but not in the range used for reading. Your experience trying to read it argues against that, though. Oh well, it was a nice theory while it lasted. /~\ The ASCII Mouse \ / Ribbon Campaign X Against HTML mouse at rodents-montreal.org / \ Email! 7D C8 61 52 5D E7 2D 39 4E F1 31 3E E8 B3 27 4B

11 years, 9 months

2
1
0 0

VAXen available, pickup only from Newmarket, UK

by binarydinosaurs＠gmail.com

Folks, Thanks to building reductions we're having to offload all our old VAX kit and I'd much rather see it go to someone who can use them, even as spares. There's also a load of UNIBUS and QBUS spares, too many to list. Big stuff: VAX 7710, various processors + memory AlphaServer GS60e Possibly VAX 6610 Less big stuff: Alpha 2100 + spares Alpha 2000 Alpha 800 Alpha 1000 x3 AlphaStation 2xx x4 (spares only) 2 MicroVAX 2000 Various VAXstations, 3100s etc + spares Several BA415 VAXen, 3400/3800/4200/4300 VAXstation 4000s Possibly an Alpha1200 and DS20 (big box version) Collection only, obviously these things are HEAVY. Cheers, -- adrian/witchy Owner of Binary Dinosaurs, the UK's biggest home computer collection? www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk

11 years, 9 months

7
6
0 0

Reading a CD that has no reflective layer

by jfoust＠threedee.com

At 05:57 PM 11/17/2014, Don Hills wrote: >I think you're actually more likely to be able to read it in modern drives, >which are designed to handle lower reflectivity as found on burnt CD-R and >CD-R/W discs. So far, no luck on that front. I think it would require a tweak in firmware. At 06:07 PM 11/17/2014, drlegendre . wrote: >Slap a layer of Mylar on the back and give it a shot..? Might even work >with something of lower reflectivity, like white paper.. Adding a reflective layer to the back was a first and obvious idea, but upon deeper reflection I don't think it's the right answer. The pits receive the sputtered aluminum. If adding a backing layer was the answer, you'd think CD-ROMs would've been made that way in the first place, as it's easier. It's not a matter of boosting reflectivity in general, it's about accentuating the difference between pits and lands. (I tried Krylon "Looking Glass" spray paint on a couple test discs. Although this paint does a wonderful job of mirror-izing glass, it turns out more gray on plastic.) If the anecdote about early CD drives being able to read non-aluminized discs is true (and I believe the stories) then it would seem the answer would be to find a drive that used the old Phillips read heads and somehow ask it to dump a raw image of the bits it finds, in order to allow another system to interpret the image. High Sierra wasn't adopted until late 1986, and ISO-9660 after that. The CM100 apparently only works on PC and XT era hardware. I saw mentions on the web that even a 25 Mhz PC is incompatible. At 02:51 PM 11/17/2014, Mouse wrote: >I don't understand why this technique was used. Perhaps it's >easier/cheaper to produce a nonsmooth surface made of a uniform >material than to produce a smooth surface of a nonuniform material? I'm not quite sure what you mean here. Wikipedia has an explanation of the process: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_Disc_manufacturing >Is it possible that it's clear only in visible light, with some sort of >reflective layer present in the (infrared, IIRC) wavelengths used? The pits surface is normally aluminized and then covered with some sort of acrylic or lacquer. I too wondered if there's not some optical characteristic of that boundary that could work like aluminum. But as you mentioned, detection normally uses the phase shift, and that's dependent on the frequency of the light. You'd need to develop an entirely different optical path. - John

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

PDP-11/23 Debugging

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Ben Sinclair > what is the best way to connect the wire-wrap jumpers? I've never > actually wire wrapped anything, but is that what I should do? Well, I use wire-wrap, but anything that makes a good connection and doesn't get in the way (of other cards, etc) is fine, really. Don't feel you have to use wire-wrap, or anything. If you want to wire-wrap, there are two ways to go. They used to make manual tools for wrapping the wire, but I've never used those; I learned with a gun. Those are available on eBay now for relatively cheap, since wire-wrap is now more or less obsolete (if you're slightly patient - I paid $25 for a kit containing two guns, a bunch of different tips for different gauge wire, several packages of pre-stripped wires, several of the strippers that cut the wire and strip the right amount, and some un-wrap tools - a great deal :-); that's the way I'd go. They are pretty easy to use; the only real trick is to learn how to apply just the right amount of up-down force while doing the wrap. Too much up, and you tend to pull the gun up as it wraps, and you don't get a nice tight wrap. Too much down, and you get an ugly ball at the bottom of the post as the wrap winds around itself. The trick is to try and hold the gun neutrally weighted, and as it wraps let it push _itself_ up the pin, producing a nice tight wrap. And of course you can do test wraps, and undo them if they come out looking bad. It doesn't take long to get reasonably good with it. Noel

11 years, 9 months

4
7
0 0

VAXen available, pickup only from Newmarket, UK

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: shadoooo > still I'm very interested to unibus (possibly qbus) boards. Actually, if someone in the UK wanted to be rewarded with a modest fee, I'd happily pay for them to go pick up all the cards and ship them to me (in the USA). Any I don't need I'd be happy to pass along. No matter what, they shouldn't go in the dumpster/recycle, if at all possible! Noel

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

Addmaster 608 documentation?

by anders＠abc80.net

Does anyone has schematics/manuals on the Addmaster 608 paper tape reader? /Anders

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

DECwriter II in NH

by silent700＠gmail.com

Not mine, just spotted while trolling Craigslist: http://nh.craigslist.org/sys/4731917401.html

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

Looking for a Linux-usable EPROM programmer

by dgriffi＠cs.csubak.edu

I've come across a program called "geepro" for burning EPROMs under Linux, but I've yet to identify a known-good programmer. Could someone please recommend one? Geepro's documentation says that it supports the Willem 4.0. On Ebay I see the "GQ-4X" which is claimed to be a "Willem Universal". Will that work? -- David Griffith dgriffi at cs.csubak.edu

11 years, 9 months

4
3
0 0

Reading a CD that has no reflective layer

by mouse＠Rodents-Montreal.ORG

> As I understand it, the depth of the pits are about a fifth of the > wavelength of the light used to read them, so the detector sees a > phase shift. I thought the pits were, in theory, 1/4 wavelength deep, so that the reflection from the pit is 180 degrees out of phase with the reflection >from the surrounding area, producing destructive interference (ie, manifesting as a drop in reflectivity). Of course, .25 is about .2.... I don't understand why this technique was used. Perhaps it's easier/cheaper to produce a nonsmooth surface made of a uniform material than to produce a smooth surface of a nonuniform material? (That's the other way I'd expect to produce reflectivity variations.) Is it possible that it's clear only in visible light, with some sort of reflective layer present in the (infrared, IIRC) wavelengths used? /~\ The ASCII Mouse \ / Ribbon Campaign X Against HTML mouse at rodents-montreal.org / \ Email! 7D C8 61 52 5D E7 2D 39 4E F1 31 3E E8 B3 27 4B

11 years, 9 months

3
2
0 0

PDP-11/23 Debugging

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Ben Sinclair > If I setup the BDV11 to control the LTC interrupt, should I have W4 in > or out? If you have W4 in, you can do whatever you want on the BDV11, with the front panel LTC ('Aux') switch, etc, and it won't make a difference - the machine will not do LTC interrupts, no way, no how! :-) If W4 is out, _and_ the LTC switch on the front panel is on, _and_ the BDV11 is set up to control the LTC, then the machine will boot with the LTC off, and the LTC can be turned on by the software (by storing a '0100' in 177546). > I'm currently only running with the CPU, memory, and serial boards > installed. Oh, one other thing to pay attention to: not all DEC backplanes have termination QBUS pull-up resistors. The H9270 and H9373 (normal equippage in the BA-11M and BA-11N boxes, respectively), for instance, do not. Those machines need something at the end of the bus to provide the termination/pull-up - such as a BDV11 or an REV11. And then we get to 18 and 22 bit busses... :-) Noel

11 years, 9 months

2
1
0 0

VAXen available, pickup only from Newmarket, UK

by shadoooo＠gmail.com

Hello Adrian, I can't come to uk to take up the stuff, but still I'm very interested to unibus (possibly qbus) boards. Do you think you could add some to the box of the SDI disks you have there for me, when possible? Thanks in advance Andrea

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

PDP-11/23 Debugging

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Ben Sinclair > I did not have a jumper on W4, so I added one Err, adding jumper W4 _disables_ the LTC interrupt; see pg. 324-325 of the "Microcomputers and Memories Handbook (1982)". (Since you were apparently seeing LTC interrupts before, it makes sense that the prior state of the board had them enabled...) If you don't have that book, worth picking one up on eBay - full of all sorts of useful info. > The test I can't run .. is the JKDBDO CPU test. When I try to run this > one it doesn't print anything and drops me to ODT at 037526. Hmm. Probably need listings, or something, to figure out what it's unhappy about. The only documentation I could find online is the "PDP-11 Diagnostic Handbook", and various copies of the content there, and it's not very detailed. (BTW, it's probably 'JKDBD0', not "JKDBDO".) > The BDV11 manual says they are controlled through a register via > software, so maybe I'm just not running anything that sets them. That would be my guess too. > The only boot rom I have on the BDV11 is a TU58 boot loader, so if it's > up to some other boot rom to set that LED register More likely the system software, not the ROM. Noel

11 years, 9 months

3
3
0 0

TI Silent 709 convert to 703?

by simski＠dds.nl

Hello there, we have a Silent 709 with external modem, connected through a db25M on the machine. is it vey different from a 703 with just a RS232 connection? is this convertible to RS232? -- Met vriendelijke Groet, Simon Claessen drukknop.nl

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

Reading a CD that has no reflective layer

by jfoust＠threedee.com

A contemporary band recently released a CD without a reflective layer. My son asked me about ways it might be read. It looks completely clear but when tilted in the light you can see the rainbow of recorded material. I believe it's a data CD, not audio, as statements from the band hint it contains the MP3s of their previous four albums. (Why did the band do this? They said they were making an artistic statement about the nature of and longevity of CDs, and as a puzzle to their fans. The other half of the package was on a second CD in an uncommon format known as "Mini-Max", where it is an ordinary-sized CD but only the center 3" is silvered, giving it a distinctive look.) I asked a friend who was an engineer at a 3M pressing plant in 1986-88. He said that early CD-ROM drives could read a CD that didn't have a reflective layer. He thought these drives had some of the first Phillips and Sony mechanisms. He said they read discs like this "all the time" in the production process. He also thought there were a few "novelty" cealer discs produced this way in those early days. He thought that by today's standards, these first-gen readers had lasers that were overpowered and the gain circuitry more sensitive, so they were able to read the un-aluminumized pits in the pressed polycarbonate. I believe I first acquired a CD-ROM drive in 1988 or so. I may even still have it, but I've yet to hunt for it in my storage. I don't remember the brand of its internals. On eBay I see old Phillips CD reading mechanisms selling for astounding prices of more than $500, as they're used by equally astoundingly-priced ($3,000-5,000) high-end CD players such as the Studer brand. Bits is bits, you'd think, but as usual, not for the high-end audio enthusiast. http://www.thevintageknob.org/THEVAULT1/D730/D730.html The same mechanisms were used in the first CD-ROm readers for PCs such as the Phillips CM100. I believe this CD has its top-coat of acrylic / lacquer. I think that adding a reflective layer at this point (such a shiny paint) wouldn't affect the readability of the pits (and that spray-paint would probably melt the lacquer.) As I understand it, the depth of the pits are about a fifth of the wavelength of the light used to read them, so the detector sees a phase shift. Does anyone remember if first-gen CD drives had such super-powers? Does anyone remember any clear pressed CDs? Any advice on how this clear CD might be read? - John

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

PDP-11/23 Debugging

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Ben Sinclair > I wasn't clear though on the discussion about the line clock... If my > machine is having problems with the line clock, would I need to do > anything to the aux switch, other than leave it in a certain position? Well, I wouldn't call it a 'problem'. The thing is that the 11/03 and 11/23 were, unlike all other PDP-11s, designed with a line clock which _the software could not enable/disable_. [*] The only way to turn the LTC on/off on those machines is with that front-panel switch. When running software which _does not_ handle line clock interrupts, turning the LTC on will blow the software away - it will get an un-handled interrupt. (As happened to you.) So if you're running code which does not use/handle the LTC (like XXDP, apparently), turn it off. If you're running something that does want/need it, turn it on. (And some software may require that it be _off_ while booting, and turned _on_ once the system has started - Unix V6 falls into this category.) * Two caveats. First, the 11/23-PLUS _does_ have software control over the LTC; there's an LTC register on that board; it's only the dual-height 11/23 which does not. Second, the BDV11 card has this really elegant kludge that basically adds an LTC register to a 11/03 or an 11/23, so on an 11/03 or 11/23 with a BDV11, you can leave the LTC switch on all the time, and the software can enable line clock interrupts if it wants them. Noel

11 years, 9 months

3
3
0 0

PDP-11/23 Debugging

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Noel Chiappa > There's documentation somewhere (don't recall off the top of my head > ..) about how to configure the Aux switch. Remembered where I saw it: in the "PDP-11/23B Mounting Box User's Guide" (EK-23BMB-UG-001), available here: http://www.computer.museum.uq.edu.au/pdf/EK-23BMB-UG-001%20PDP-11-23B%20Mou…'s%20Guide.pdf among many other places, on pp. 2-3 and 2-4. (This manual talks about the BA11-S, but the front panel configuration is the same for other boxes - my BA11-N has the exact same hardware on the front panel.) Noel

11 years, 9 months

3
2
0 0

Looking for.....

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

Shortly I'll be building yet another HP2000 TSB machine, so I'm looking for either of the following: HP 12920B Asynchronous Multiplexer : 12920-60001 Upper Select Code Data Board 12920-60002 Lower Select Code Data Board 12922-60001 Control Board Or HP 12920A Asynchronous Multiplexer: 12921-60001 Upper Select Code Data Board 12921-60002 Lower Select Code Data Board 12922-60001 Control Board Generous bounty and/or trades available for either of the above. Even single boards of any of the above would be a big help. Best, J

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

ICL Quattro

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Yvan Janssens > TNMOC in Bletchley Park [1] > ... > [1]: http://www.tnmoc.org/ Wow! What a great site! Thanks for the pointer. Y'all should go check it out - they are building an EDSAC replica, and the have the original Harwell Dekatron (aka WITCH) - the world's oldest operational computer - designed 1949, first operated 1951. Noel

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

HP2000 TSB Contributed Library

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

Curious if anyone might remember this. On the HP2K TSB system I used in high school, there was a system library program to assist with what we then called "spot plotting". This is what allowed you to position the cursor anywhere on the screen (given a terminal specific library of control codes for each terminal). All I can remember was that the system library program was called something like $PLOT or $ZPLOT or something similar. It was something to the effect of a different string with the control codes for each terminal, and the substring positions matched up with the row/column you wanted to go to. So printing A$(3,1);A$(8,1) or similar positioned the cursor at row 3 column 8. I'm sure this description isn't completely correct but it was something similar to that. I've looked through the HP Contributed library and while I can find a number of programs named similar to PLOT, none of them seem to provide this functionality. Perhaps it was site specific, but I'm wondering if anyone remembers anything like this and can shed light on it? I think it was a program stub that you "APP-" to your program, not sure. Best, J

11 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

test-drb