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

by jce＠seasip.demon.co.uk

Liam Proven wrote: > Hey, John, welcome! Have you just joined or been here lurking all along? Just joined. > In CP/M, isn't the BIOS just a file on disk anyway? It is, but adding functionality to it without the loadable driver facility would be nowhere near as straightforward. You'd need to work out how to allocate memory to your additional feature, how to hook it into the various BIOS data structures, and then how to get the .EMS self-unpacker to relocate it to the right place. And since it would be infringement of copyright to distribute the patched file, you'd have to distribute a program that did that patching. Chuck Guzis wrote: > Suppose I wanted to use 1.44M 3.5" floppies. The hardware (with a > bit of tweaking) is capable of it. No way to get to the boot > software, however. Suppose I wanted to boot from a home-built CF > card... In theory you could replace the boot ROM (desolder the 8041, read its contents, and burn an 8741 with the new boot image. Or even an 8742, if you wanted more than 256 bytes of boot program). In the 9512 it would be even easier, because the corresponding microcontroller used an external ROM. It was also possible for peripherals plugged into the expansion port to provide their own boot ROMs; Cirtech's external hard drives did so, for example, and they advertised a similar device that booted from flash. -- John Elliott

13 years, 12 months

4
4
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I'm looking for a job

by ajp166＠verizon.net

Spammer! Does anyone trim the list? On 08/23/2012 04:39 AM, dennis.yurichev at gmail.com wrote: > Hi! > > Your email was taken from classiccmp/cctalk mailing list. > (So it's kind of SPAM). > I'm writing you because I'm looking for job and you'll see now why I do it in that way. > I'm good on reverse engineering of ancient software like those for MS-DOS, ancient Unices and/or for exotic platforms. > I'm

13 years, 12 months

12
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GIDE replacement?

by LYNCHAJ＠YAHOO.COM

[snip] > >> I'd love to find one of those add-on boards that would allow IDE or > >> CF to be used - the HD in my 10 isn't going to last forever. :( > > > > GIDE works in the Kaypros I think. > > > Is anyone selling them? > [snip] Hi The GIDE is a neat circuit but finding one is difficult. They are long out of production and are hard to replicate since it uses GALs. At least the equations for the GALs are known. It also uses obscure obsolete RTC chip that is hard to find. How about instead of just replicating the GIDE convert the XT-IDE V2 circuitry to use a Z80 socket rather than an 8 bit ISA slot. The XT-IDE V2 provides a 16 bit IDE interface, an optional boot ROM, and an optional UART for remote booting capability. All of those would be useful things on Kaypro or any other Z80 computer. It would use the same "shim socket" approach as the GIDE and would be easy for anyone to use and/or replicate. Thanks and have a nice day! Andrew Lynch

13 years, 12 months

8
16
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DEC RX02 microcode listing

by chd＠chdickman.com

Is a microcode listing for the DEC RX02 floppy controller available anywhere? -chuck

13 years, 12 months

10
39
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Dysan PAT-2+ manual

by aek＠bitsavers.org

Anyone have one? I have the front half of one, which is up on bitsavers now. Termites got the back of it.

13 years, 12 months

2
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The best CP/M machine ever? was Re: Kaypro II

by stekster＠gmail.com

I'm a bit surprised that there hasn't been more discussion about S-100 machines. In particular I would point out the Morrow Decision 1. It's DJ-DMA floppy controller could handle 8" SSSD thru DSDD, and both soft-sectored and hard-sectored (NorthStar) 5.25" formats and a separate hard drive controller was also available of course. Later variations even had a switching power supply. Not strictly a CP/M machine (though probably 90+% used CP/M or variation thereof) and CP/M came standard with the machine. Morrow even provided a UNIX-like OS, the name of which escapes me at the moment (Micronix maybe?). With the addition of an 8086 S-100 board it would certainly run a plain vanilla CP/M-86 system. Other S-100 systems like CompuPro and Cromemco and even NorthStar were all versatile and well-built CP/M machines which could aspire to be called 'the best CP/M machine ever.' In general I would even proclaim the category of S-100 micros as the holder of that title. Bob Stek Saver of Lost Sols

13 years, 12 months

4
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cctech Digest, Vol 108, Issue 39

by jce＠seasip.demon.co.uk

> Personally, I'm partial to the Amstrad PCW line.While it was marketed > as a dedicated word processor in much of the world, it had gobs of RAM > (at least 256KB), high-resolution monochrome graphics (720x256) and > shipped with a very nice CP/M Plus implementation which included a > better-than-average BASIC as well as DRI LOGO and the GSX graphics > libraries. The non-standard 3 inch floppies are a bit of a drag, but > it was fairly easy to add 3.5 inch drives and even hard drives were > available. Second-generation PCWs corrected that; they had 3.5" drives. And later iterations of the BIOS supported loadable device drivers, with all sorts of possibilities for mischief. -- John Elliott

13 years, 12 months

10
12
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Wabash Floppies

by stekster＠gmail.com

I haven't yet tried it but at tapeheads.net you can learn about the use of a 50-50 mixture of Nu-Finish car polish and naptha as a treatment for flaking/shedding reel-to-reel tape. (Honest)

14 years

2
1
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I'm looking for a job

by jhfinedp3k＠compsys.to

> > >[Snip] >Sorry if it was offensive! >And thanks in advance for your attention. > And as some of you have stated, the market these days is MUCH more difficult than it was a few years ago. I have been waiting to observe if anyone else mentioned the following two points: When you consider that probably every other response has used more bytes than the original request (including this one - and there have been at least 20), it certainly seems reasonable to have sent the request. In addition, no links were activated when the body of the e-mail was displayed. On the rare occasions I receive spam these days, most of the time a link attempts to activate itself - which is almost always impossible since I try to remember to disconnect the cable to the router before I start to read any e-mail. If such a link had been included, that would have been unacceptable!!!!! Jerome Fine

14 years

2
1
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Wabash Floppies

by cclist＠sydex.com

Has anyone had any success at all recently in recovering data from Wabash-branded floppies? I haven't. The binder on these things has gone to Hades and the oxide will flake off if you so much as touch it with a drive. Yesterday, I thought I'd try again after swearing off of the things, as the disks in question were 10-sector rather than soft-sector. I wondered if 10-sector being rarer than the soft-sector variety might not be different. No soap. That grinding sound, accompanied by dirty heads tells me that *no* Wabash disk is worth touching. Anyone got any secrets for these? Cheers, --Chuck

14 years

6
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was: The best CP/M machine ever?

by LYNCHAJ＠YAHOO.COM

Hi Rich! Thanks! I really appreciate the support! Here is a little background information in case anyone was wondering about building your own home brew CP/M computer. At the N8VEM home brew computer project there are several boards to assemble your own home brew CP/M computer. The original is the SBC V2 which is a Z80 based Eurocard system. It can be stand alone or act as an ECB bus controller for IO expansion. Next is the Zeta which is an SBC without bus expansion but several built in peripherals such as a floppy drive controller, IDE, serial, RTC, etc. Finally there is the N8 which is a Z8S180 based all-in-one computer with complete IO suite (FDC, IDE, serial, parallel, video, audio, etc). It is a bit like the P112 with built in video, sound, and some other peripherals along with hobbyist friendly components. All of the N8VEM CP/M computers share a common ROM BIOS (RomWBW) or you can use your own or someone else's custom BIOS (MSX CBIOS). What is really neat is a sizable robust community has grown up around the N8VEM computers and builders are even making their own systems (like the Zeta) for the group. We don't always agree on things but manage to get along pretty well. There are many points of view and not everyone sees things the same way. That's OK -- its healthy. There is also a fairly complete suite (25+ types) of S-100 boards with backplanes, serial IO, drive controllers, video controllers, RAM boards, CPU boards, etc. Really too many to mention here. All the hardware and software design information is free (as in speech and beer) and publicly posted. There is a mailing list and wiki available for information and support if you want it. You are free to use what's there even if you never participate in the N8VEM home brew computer project. Several other projects have branched off N8VEM and are now making their own CP/M computers, S-100 boards, etc. http://groups.google.com/group/n8vem http://n8vem-sbc.pbworks.com Most boards have parts lists in addition to full schematic and PCB layout. Complete KiCAD EDA files with custom libraries are included as well as full source code listings, tools, etc. I try to emphasize the use of free/open source tool sets so literally *anyone* can build their own systems including making their own home made PCBs. The PCBs are available through group buys which is a sort of informal process. I try to keep the cost as low as possible and it more or less works. Active community participation is encouraged and expected but not required since everyone is a *builder*. There are no bosses, management, users, stockholders, clients, or customers! So if you have the inclination or ever desired to build your own home brew computer this is your chance. It is pretty easy to do and a lot of fun! Please consider this your personal invitation to come to the N8VEM home brew computer project. You are all most certainly welcome! Thanks and have a nice day! Andrew Lynch PS, if you have questions feel free to contact me at LYNCHAJ at YAHOO.COM > -----Original Message----- > From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk- > bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Rich Cini > Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2012 9:19 AM > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts > Subject: Re: The best CP/M machine ever? was Re: Kaypro II > > Do you mean hobbyist or COTS? There are several hobby SBCs that can do it, > including the P112 and N8VEM. There are 68k and 8086 boards as well. > > > > Rich Cini > Sent from my iPhone > > > On Aug 23, 2012, at 8:56 AM, microcode at zoho.com wrote: > > > Are there any modern ready-to-go SBCs capable of running CP/M? > > > >

14 years

1
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The best CP/M machine ever? was Re: Kaypro II

by elazzerini＠interfree.it

I could not help but become part of the conversation even if people have already written more 'diligent and competent than me. My site is http://elazzerini.interfree.it Originally my disposal clone a Ferguson Bigboard I that I was able to start charging even CP / M 2.2 to 3.5" diskettes. Obviously I could not help but come into possession of his descendants: the Xerox 820-I and the Kaypro-II whose reviews I entered the site and are still working. The only board xerox 820-I has been assembled by me in a PC case for making all the corrections have composite video, and use PS2 interface-parallel drive with 3.5 ". The Kaypro II was full of his case but with a full size 5.25" drive out of service and when buying a separate drive full size 5.25 " is fully operational. I'm happy to have just these two machines, but fully functional. I could not afford them to buy them with the original prices of the 80's. To assess the selling rate of your Kaypro-II if the goal is to gain much more money I suggest whether it is fully functional and free of scratches, it is best to sell it to pieces, only one drive fullsize 5.25 " fully functional sold separately makes it almost more 'all over the computer alone. Probably be able to sell the first pair of drive 5.25 ", then the mainboard and then the keyboard or the power supply while you remain the case and the monitor. I do not think could you sell it in bulk to achieve a fair return if the product Kaypro-II at that time very popular. At least every three days you find it for sale on epay. I am currently looking for other boards like the Ferguson Bigboard II or the Ampro Little Board based on the Z80 or Z80 based mainboard in general other. Greetings Enrico - Pisa (Italy)

14 years

1
0
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1962 Navy Film on Digital Computers

by mc68010＠gmail.com

Kinda neat old film http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDQROzrFD1o

14 years

1
0
0 0

Kaypro II

by feldman.r＠comcast.net

>Message: 20 >Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2012 15:31:40 -0400 >From: Allison < ajp166 at verizon.net > > > >On 08/23/2012 01:06 PM, Fred Cisin wrote: <snip> >> Why didn't the Otrona catch on? >> Charlie Chaplin [clone] carrying a table with computer down stairs wasn't >> enough? >> >Osborne was first, smaller and had a 5" screen. > >Kaypro was later, had better screen, keyboard, more IO, and generally >better. >I'd agree the Darth Vader lunch box look as less than kool but it was >durable. > >Allison Regarding why the Otrona did not catch on (other than in some circles, such as the JPL): 1. Price. Much more expensive than either the Osborne or Kaypro. I think I paid over $3500 for my 8:16, with a substantial educational discount. 2. Screen size: 5". 3. Late arrival. The O1 and Kaypro were already established. I saw my first Otrona at a Chicago FOG meeting. I heard the Osborne described as a Buick, the Kaypro as a Chevrolet and the Otrona as a BMW. BTW, I still have my 8:16, which I had aftermarket upgraded to 512KB RAM . Bob

14 years

1
0
0 0

Sun 1 Computer - Here are the photos

by nick.allen＠comcast.net

Check out the photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/NeXTprototype/Sun1Computer?authkey=Gv1sRgCIbH_… Still need a way to get the Sun Series 2 Keyboard and Mouse working on the Sun 100u. Is my best bet trying to connect it to the SUN2 CPU series conectors, or the bwtwo prime mono video board serial connectors? Anyone have pinouts for the keyboard? Thanks a million! Nick

14 years

1
0
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hp 9000/300-320 68K, Questions

by jimpdavis＠gorge.net

I have a HP 9000/300 68000 with an extra processor card. I was surprised when I pulled the processor card from the machine and discovered a 68030 CPU. I was shocked I didn't remember that card. Looking for software, I checked bitsavers, but only located a Pascal compiler. Does this machine have any interesting (O/S) software freely available? Are their any list members playing with this machine? Is it possible to boot from the GPIB? I'm behind a dial-up wall and I was hoping to save some bandwidth before downloading the manuals. Thanks, - Jim.

14 years

7
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Announcing the Vintage Computer Festival Southeast 1.0

by david＠classiccomputing.com

The Atlanta Historical Computing Society has decided to host the first ever Vintage Computer Festival Southeast. It is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, February 9th, from 10 AM - 7 PM. We're also planning a Friday night dinner / hang-out, plus an after-show / cleanup dinner too. Lonnie Mimms, a local commercial property manager (and owner of perhaps the single largest personal computer collection in the SE) has agreed to furnish us a venue! Hopefully, he will also setup some computers for display and give at least one tour of his collection. There are lots of details to work out and we're just getting started. In any case, I'm excited and I wanted to start spreading the word. This will be great! Best, David Greelish, Computer Historian - Author, "The Complete Historically Brewed" - Founder, Atlanta Historical Computing Society - "Classic Computing Show" podcast - "Stan Veit's History of the Personal Computer" audiobook podcast - "Retro Computing Roundtable" podcast ClassicComputing.com | atlhcs.org

14 years

1
0
0 0

Coffee and ringing (was: Re: Hearing ...)

by mtapley＠swri.edu

At 0:06 -0500 8/15/12, Chuck wrote: >So, does anyone know of any publicly-owned hearing aid manufacturers? >Looks like a growth industry... > >--Chuck >(with some ringing in his ears) Unpopular suggestion of the day: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinnitus Avoidance of caffeine, nicotine, or salt can reduce symptoms, Anecdotally, it works for me (and I'm cutting out caffeine most days) and for a friend of mine (who cut out complaining about his "horrible Tinnitus" once I told him the cure (but only after verifying it via a 3-day coffee detox period)). Usually at this point I would say "hope this helps" but in this case ... ? -- - Mark 210-379-4635 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Large Asteroids headed toward planets inhabited by beings that don't have technology adequate to stop them: Think of it as Evolution in Fast-Forward.

14 years

3
2
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Any Transputer + Helios experts out there?

by derschjo＠gmail.com

Anyone out there have any expertise/experience with Helios on PC hardware? I've got a fairly small Transputer setup going; it's a standard PC + an ISA TRAM motherboard holding 10 1mb TRAMs. (I also have a 4mb TRAM coming in the mail, I'm so excited...) The PC's running DOS + Win98 at the moment and I've been playing around with Helios. Thus far I've been using the DOS I/O "server" executable to run Helios but I'd like to do something graphical with it (fractals of course, what else do you do with 10 transputers?). I have a Windows-based server (winsrvr3, v3.201) but I have no idea what its capabilities are or how to use them (graphics in particular). I've been unable to find any useful documentation for this server. Any tips here? Thanks! Josh

14 years

2
2
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Paging Al [Apple Stuff]

by jon＠jonworld.com

I saw this and remembered you may be among the photographed? http://www.nycresistor.com/2012/08/21/ghosts-in-the-rom/ -- -Jon Jonathan Katz, Indianapolis, IN.

14 years

2
2
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To all with interest in preservation

by wdonzelli＠gmail.com

> There's a lot to that report. It is also only dealing with semiconductor devices. While semiconductors are a crucial component, they are not the only one. Yes, but it is basically the first thing I found (and being tired after going to the Kagan memorial, I was not about to make a big project about it). The point is that Ian wanted a citation, so I gave him one, in less than a minute's worth of Google. There are similar studies on other components and materials, certainly. Even the paint industry has its own bushel of studies about paint aging. I will leave the discovery of those to you guys. > The problem is that none of these documents are studies on conservation. The way I see it, this is still in its larval form. Only 70 years ago these machines hadn't even been invented yet, that is within the life span of quite a few people who are still around. We just don't know how best to preserve a computer. The world needs data. Very, true, but we can make some very good guesses on how to preserve these machines. At least with the modern materials found in computers - materials that "normal" museums do not have to deal with - conservators can look to the bushels of engineering reliability studies, like that Panasonic one I pointed out, for some guidance. It is not shooting in the dark. > The only way to get data is to do our best, and try different strategies. There are many very clever people on this list and elsewhere. With enough effort, anything can be made and replaced. It's going to be a crapshoot either way until we've had more experience with this stuff. Yes, we need more data on this. But, one way to certainly taint that data is to keep using the materials (keep running the machines). > It's not necessary to convey the experience exactly. But an approximation can give people the feel of what it was like. Yes, and this is why simulations and living museums, like the Living Computer Museum, are good as well. For the time being, until we can have our perfect virtual reality simulators, having a running machine in a raised floor room is the best we can do, but it uses the artifact and changes what it is (I am not sure I want to get into a "historic fabric" fight with anyone at this point). Those changes can not be reversed, no matter what anyone says. This is why it is good to have machines that are in museums, preserved and not run at all. Everyone, please do not hate on the museums that preserve the machines by not running them - they have a point for doing so. -- Will

14 years

28
72
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New haul - three classics

by nospam212-cctalk＠yahoo.com

Picked up my first additions in some time today. Three new systems plus two packed boxes of software, documentation, books and magazines. All from the same original owner. Feel like a kid on Christmas morning. Going to take some time to document and record what all is in this collection but the three systems are: Compucolor II Osborne 1 Sharp PC-4501 So much stuff, so little time. Alas now I have to leave it at home and go into work. David Williams http://www.trailingedge.com

14 years

1
0
0 0

Panasonic HHC technical information

by ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk

Could the chap who wanted scehamtics, etc for the HHC please get in touch with me. It turns out it's been scanned and can be quite easily sent to you. I've lost your address... -tony

14 years

2
1
0 0

Heurikon HK68/V4F boards

by whsiung＠simconsultants.com

Hello, I came across this thread (http://www.classiccmp.org/pipermail/cctech/2006-May/020758.html) as I was searching for the subjected Heurikon VME modules. Do you still have the boards that you mentioned you had? If so, are you interested in making them available for sale? I am looking to purchase a total quantity of 3 boards (HK68/V4F) in working conditions with a 90-day warranty. Thank you for reviewing my inquiry. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Best Regards, Winnie Hsiung CentraTech Corporation

14 years

1
0
0 0

Sun 1 Computer LIVES!!!

by nick.allen＠comcast.net

Thanks everyone (especially Bear) for the wonderful help in reviving my Sun 1 Computer (100u to be exact). After extensive CRT repairs, a EPROM reprogram (from Rev N to V100), my Sun is now booting via the Sun2 CPU card and the bwone video board. Will upload screenshots tomorrow! Next step is to acquire a keyboard and mouse. Anyone have a series 1 Parallel Keyboard and mouse? Or have any ideas on what type of keyboard or mouse would be compatible (if I was able to rewire to DB25). It appears to be a serial protocol, are the old RJ45 keyboards of the same format? Other ideas? Thanks a million, you are the best! -Nick

14 years

11
15
0 0

Can a Selectric from 1961 converted in one Terminal Typewriter

by saquinn624＠aol.com

Message: 18 Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2012 22:01:09 -0400 From: Paul Anderson <wackyvorlon at me.com> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: Can a Selectric from 1961 converted in one Terminal Typewriter Message-ID: <60923E11-6481-4A2C-91FA-FCCFDAF18AA0 at me.com> Content-Type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII I'd keep it as a typewriter. They're great machines. Seconded. The Selectric (Correcting Selectric II) is my favorite typewriter. A bit too heavy to be considered portable, but solid and great feel. You'd need to recreate all of the drive and decode mechanism - it wouldn't be worth it unless you were very interested in recreating a Selectric Terminal Typewriter rather than just having a printing terminal.

14 years

9
14
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pdp-11/70 front panel bezel

by dgriffi＠cs.csubak.edu

I'm still searching for a pdp-11/70 front panel bezel. Does anyone have a spare? Does anyone know what the part number is for this thing? That would be very helpful. -- David Griffith dgriffi at cs.csubak.edu A: Because it fouls the order in which people normally read text. Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing? A: Top-posting. Q: What is the most annoying thing in e-mail?

14 years

10
14
0 0

hp 9000/300-320 68K, Questions

by rampaginggreenhulk＠yahoo.com

anyone have a spare processor card, 68k or other

14 years

1
1
0 0

Hans Camenzind, Inventor of the 555, dies.

by paco.linux＠gmail.com

Bad year : http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/08/16/hans-camenzind-inventor-of-the-555-… Paco -- |_|0|_| |_|_|0| ??? |0|0|0|

14 years

24
80
0 0

Tek oscilliscopes

by rampaginggreenhulk＠yahoo.com

I want one of the HP color crt scopes I used when they were released circa 1989. I think I'm getting closer to owning one.

14 years

2
2
0 0

IBM 5151

by mbouhoum＠hotmail.com

Hi Ismail; I'm interesed by a monitor for vintage IBM 5150, do you still have 1 unit of ibm 5151 ? Thanks Mohammed

14 years

2
1
0 0

Summer Searchings

by spedraja＠ono.com

Hi. I've reviewed one VT220, one DEC Letterwriter and my PDP8-E. Status: - VT220 terminal - dead (in appeareance, the tube). - Letterwriter: PS or/and some circuitry, - PDP-8E: working. I should like to get one Teletype for it. If someone has some ot these items to get rid or trade, let me know off-list. Destination, south of Europe (Spain). Regards Sergio

14 years

2
1
0 0

Local repair service wanted for BBC B micro/Master

by j.terry＠btinternet.com

Hi Does anyone have a contact within 5-10 miles of Purley, Surrey who can repair BBC computers at reasonable cost please? Thanks John

14 years

2
1
0 0

Sun 1 Keyboard

by nick.allen＠comcast.net

Looks like the 50pin connection (J1) on the SUN2 CPU has 2 serial ports, found a pinout: The two serial ports on J1 are usually labelled SIO-A and SIO-B on the back of the machine and appear as /dev/ttya and /dev/ttyb under SunOS. The documented maximum output speed is 19200 bps. All ports are wired DTE and are compatible with both RS-232C and RS-423, using Zilog Z8530A dual UART chips. The pinout of J1 is: 3 TxD-A 14 DTR-A 33 DD-B 4 DB-A 15 DCD-A 34 CTS-B 5 RxD-A 22 DA-A 36 DSR-B 7 RTS-A 24 BSY-A 38 GND-B 8 DD-A 28 TxD-B 39 DTR-B 9 CTS-A 29 DB-B 40 DCD-B 11 DSR-A 30 RxD-B 47 DA-B 13 GND-A 32 RTS-B 49 BSY-B Is the Sun 2 Keyboard a serial keyboard? If not, any ideas on where to get a serial keyboard. Thanks everyone! -Nick

14 years

4
6
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USB-serial adapters (was: Hans Camenzind, Inventor of the 555, dies.)

by d235j.1＠gmail.com

This little device seems to be the cheapest FTDI-based USB-serial adapter I could find. Not sure what level converter chip it uses since I haven't torn it down, but it seems to work with everything I've used it with so far. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TYCHIC/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title --Dave

14 years

1
0
0 0

The Manchester hoard of 7090 stuff.

by peter＠vanpeborgh.eu

Guys, We have decided that the 7090 artifacts should go to the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park, England. Partly for patriotic reasons: the use the computer was put to in the UK. Also, we decided it is what the owner, a British pioneer of medical computing, would have wanted. Lastly, TNMOC assured me that they would be prepared to make copies availble of anything requested by outside museums and collectors. The items should be with them by the start of October 2012. It was good to discover that two complete 7090s with support documentation is available in the US and Australia. That also weighed on the decision. I do hope they will one day be reactivated, when I will be delighted to come and have a look around! Kind regards, peter vp || | | | | | | | | Peter Van Peborgh 62 St Mary's Rise Writhlington Radstock Somerset BA3 3PD UK 01761 439 234 || | | | | | | | |

14 years

1
0
0 0

Interview 8200

by electronicdan＠hotmail.co.uk

Hello. I have a Telenex Interview 8200. After the self tests, it asks for the system disk and then to press any key. There is hard drive activity, but it seems that the system software is not present. Is it possible to obtain the software for this unit? Thank you. Dan.

14 years

1
0
0 0

Apple 1 insanity continues

by lawrence＠ljw.me.uk

[Forwarded by lawrence at ljw.me.uk] From: Tothwolf <tothwolf at concentric.net> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: Apple 1 insanity continues Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2012 17:37:48 -0500 (CDT) [3rd attempt to send this to the list.] On Tue, 24 Jul 2012, Al Kossow wrote: > http://www.ebay.com/itm/251115805166 > > down to cloning the Christies box > > gee.. I wonder where he got the scan of the manual from I came across this link today: http://www.applefritter.com/content/seems-another-apple-1-replica-newton-1-… According to posts there, the guy building them goes by the name "Mike Newton" and also has photos on Google+ at https://plus.google.com/u/1/photos/109866693740649982432/albums What I found odd in the Applefritter thread is that another person going by 'michael0623' started that thread, and then 'Mike Newton' shows up and mentions "michael0623 has helped to advertise a bit and he went further by helping me to list one set of Newton 1 on Ebay". This sure looks like spamming to me, but maybe someone else will spot something I missed. While 'Mike Newton' claims he didn't copy Mike Willegal's Apple I reproduction boards, it sure looks to me like he did. http://willegal.net/appleii/apple1.htm Supposedly this guy has made some sales, however I'm not buying his story. Anyone can do a buy-it-now on their own items, which is actually allowed per eBay policy, (although /bidding/ on one's own items is /not/ allowed). http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=251109274976 I call shenanigans.

14 years

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cctech Digest, Vol 108, Issue 34

by michael.99.thompson＠gmail.com

> On 19 August 2012 04:55, Nick Allen <nick.allen at comcast.net> wrote: >> Thanks everyone (especially Bear) for the wonderful help in reviving my Sun >> 1 Computer (100u to be exact). >> >> After extensive CRT repairs, a EPROM reprogram (from Rev N to V100), my Sun >> is now booting via the Sun2 CPU card and the bwone video board. >> >> Will upload screenshots tomorrow! > > Excellent stuff! Looking forward to more pictures :) > > Out of curiosity how much memory do you have for the system (just > wondering about different OS options :) > >> Next step is to acquire a keyboard and mouse. Anyone have a series 1 >> Parallel Keyboard and mouse? Or have any ideas on what type of keyboard or >> mouse would be compatible (if I was able to rewire to DB25). It appears to >> be a serial protocol, are the old RJ45 keyboards of the same format? Other >> ideas? > > As its a sun2 board with modified firmware maybe it might be possible > to get it talking to a sun2 serial keyboard? My 2/120 has six serial ports, a monochrome connector, and two RJ11 connectors on the back. One RJ11 is for the keyboard and one is for the mouse. I believe that two of the serial ports are on the CPU and four are on the SCSI controller. The keyboard and mouse serial ports are on the monochrome video board. Picture here: https://sites.google.com/site/mthompsonorg/Home/sun-microsystems/sun-2 -- Michael Thompson

14 years

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Sun 1 Computer LIVES!!!

by nick.allen＠comcast.net

Not sure of the memory, will need to look that up. I do have a sun 2 keyboard, I wonder if it is a possibility to connect it to the bwtwo video board exclusively for the keyboard use, while maintaining the bwone video board at the same time for video use. ------Original Message------ From: David Brownlee To: nick.allen at comcast.net Subject: Re: Sun 1 Computer LIVES!!! Sent: Aug 19, 2012 1:11 PM On 19 August 2012 04:55, Nick Allen <nick.allen at comcast.net> wrote: > Thanks everyone (especially Bear) for the wonderful help in reviving my Sun > 1 Computer (100u to be exact). > > After extensive CRT repairs, a EPROM reprogram (from Rev N to V100), my Sun > is now booting via the Sun2 CPU card and the bwone video board. > > Will upload screenshots tomorrow! Excellent stuff! Looking forward to more pictures :) Out of curiosity how much memory do you have for the system (just wondering about different OS options :) > Next step is to acquire a keyboard and mouse. Anyone have a series 1 > Parallel Keyboard and mouse? Or have any ideas on what type of keyboard or > mouse would be compatible (if I was able to rewire to DB25). It appears to > be a serial protocol, are the old RJ45 keyboards of the same format? Other > ideas? As its a sun2 board with modified firmware maybe it might be possible to get it talking to a sun2 serial keyboard? Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

14 years

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Free to any home: DEClaser 2000 font cartridges

by iamcamiel＠gmail.com

Hi Everyone, I have an original box with 7 DEClaser 2000 ROM cartridges: 1 x LNXXU-PS : PostScript Program/Fonts 3 x LNXX-CA : C.G. Times 3 x DEClaser 2150/2250 NVR Enable Card 1 x User guide for the PostScript card. If you want it, you can have it for the cost of shipping it from the Netherlands. Please claim it before the end of the week, or it'll go in the bin. Camiel.

14 years

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To all with interest in preservation

by jonas＠otter.se

On Wed, 15 Aug 2012 19:23:24 +0100 (BST), ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) wrote: > Now, goign back to classic computing, most people can run the emulators > at home if they so wish. And the emulators do, undoubtedly, provide > soemthign for hte 'feel' of the real machine. But if you go to the museum > you should get soemthign rather more, something you can't get at home. > And that probably means the msueum should run the real hardware. I completely agree. Seeing and hearing a Spitfire flying around above you adds a whole new dimension to seeing a stationary Spitfire in a museum. Recently I went with two of my sons to see the exhibition "Three tons of minicomputers - 40 years with computers in the service of Uppsala University". Both of them are very good programmers and interested in computing, and they found the exhibition very interesting. However, if the exhibits had been running, and they could have heard a line printer or an ASR-33 printing, seen and heard a disk pack seeking, seen the blinkenlights etc, it would have given them a much better idea of what computing was like 40 years ago. That wasn't possible as the exhibition was only a temporary one, but had it been permanent, I definitely agree that they should have been shown running. /Jonas

14 years

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Anyone interested in servicing a trs-80 external hard drive

by kelly＠catcorner.org

I know of someone in Jackson, Mississippi looking for someone to service and repair the external hard drives for some Tandy 6000 computers. Anyone interested? Kelly at catcorner.org

14 years

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ETI Mags

by thannabus＠gmail.com

Hi there, I saw your post some where and I thought I would reply. What I am doing is "scanning" in all my electronic magazines, and saving them as *.pdf files on my hard drive. I do remember seeing a 6802 project some where, I skipped it as I am more concerned with 6502 CPU based systems. My mags are from 1977 up to 1992 and this is ETI (UK), PE and EPE. I am now coming to the end of the ETI mags. If you want that article on the 6802 CPU, I can scan it and forward it. I am not sure what sort of copy right trouble this will invite, but as no money will exchange hands, I cant see them getting upset or anything Cheers Trevor

14 years

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USB keypad with FTDI RS232 chip

by Arno_1983＠gmx.de

Hi everybody, the recent talk about FTDI USB/RS232 chips reminded me of this... Sometime ago, I bought a numeric USB keypad with a two-line dot matrix LCD on top on a flea market. This piece of hardware is designated DATACOMP Electronics co., Ltd. Model No.: DLK18U_100AL and has a marking referring to "alphyra" (which seems to have been a now-defunct/absorbed e-payment outfit) above the display. It has 18 keys (4 blank, ESC (red key body), numeric keypad "0"-"9",".", backspace (left arrow), and Enter (green key body)) and shows, IIRC, "Version 1.0" on the display when powered. The .tw-based manufacturer is alive and even has a driver download for it, which seems to be nothing more than an FTDI serial port driver providing a new COM port on my computer. The FTDI chip inside the keypad is attached to an EN78P447xxx device, which I found out to be an OTP microcontroller. What I unfortunately wasn't able to find yet was any description how to talk to/what to expect from this port. Listening on the COM port at various speeds with the usual 8n1 parameters and pressing keys on the keypad yielded nothing, so there's probably some sort of initialization necessary. A long shot again I know, but if somebody has experience or documentation regarding this keypad that may be shared, then please contact me. Yours truly, Arno Kletzander

14 years

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Emulating a long-lost portrait-display card for the PC

by lproven＠gmail.com

I thought this might interest ClassicCmpers... -- Liam Proven ? Profile: http://lproven.livejournal.com/profile Email: lproven at cix.co.uk ? GMail/G+/Twitter/Flickr/Facebook: lproven MSN: lproven at hotmail.com ? Skype/AIM/Yahoo/LinkedIn: liamproven Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 ? Cell: +44 7939-087884 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Elliott <jce at seasip.demon.co.uk> Date: 18 August 2012 00:01 Subject: [GEM Development] LongGEM is looooooong To: gem-dev at simpits.org One of the drivers in GEM that I've never been able to test is for an 'MDSI Genius' card. Tonight I tried patching support for this card into a PC emulator, and running GEM (and Windows 1) with the results. <http://www.seasip.info/Gem/History/longgem.png> - GEM/2 desktop <http://www.seasip.info/Gem/History/longwin1.png> - Windows 1.04 According to reviews, the card could also do other tricks; it could superimpose MDA-style text on the graphics output, and do a dual-head sort of display with MDA text in the top half of the monitor and CGA graphics in the bottom. But without any documentation or its DOS driver (VHRBIOS.SYS), how it did those will remain a mystery. Such information as I have managed to glean is at <http://www.seasip.info/VintagePC/mdsi_genius.html>. -- John Elliott _______________________________________________ gem-dev mailing list gem-dev at simpits.org http://www.simpits.org/mailman/listinfo/gem-dev

14 years

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Wanted: video board for AlphaStation 200 4/233

by tothwolf＠concentric.net

I have an AlphaStation 200 4/233 which was given to me without a video board or floppy drive. I stuck an old Teac FD-235HF in the floppy bay to fill the hole (no data cable), but have no idea what I really need for a video board. I'm planning to use this machine as a low end testbed machine for Debian Linux since the Alpha port needs to be brought back up, so I know I probably need a board that can handle more than 256 colors. I think this eliminates the ZLXp-E1 (TGA 8-plane), but at the same time it may be a good idea to be able to test with a TGA board as well since there are going to be quite a few of these machines out there which have a TGA board. I will probably also want to run ULTRIX or OSF/1 on the machine at some point, assuming I can find installation media. Based on the datasheet I found online, these appear to have been (some?) of the video boards offered as options for this system: ZLXp-E1 8-plane PBXGA-AA PBXGA-AN [NT] ZLXp-E2 24-plane PBXGA-BA PBXGA-BN [NT] ZLXp-E3 24-plane PBXGA-CA PBXGA-CN [NT] ZLXp-L1 24-plane PBXGC-AA ZLXp-L2 24-plane PBXGC-BA Does anyone have an extra video board laying around that they would be willing to part with for postage costs? This machine has been sitting unused for far too long and I'd really like to put it to work.

14 years

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To all with interest in IBM 7090

by peter＠vanpeborgh.eu

Guys, I am sending this to all who have registered an interest in the IBM 7090 and museums. Sorry if I got some people wrong! This computer started life at AWRE in the UK (nuclear weapons design?!) and finished in the Medical Computing department at Manchester Uni in 1970, where it ran for 10-20 years. It had 4 channels, 32K memory, card reader, card punch, 300 LPM barrel printer and ?20 mag tapes. It also had an IBM 1401 for printer I/O. I have now surveyed the stuff available. There is no hardware. It is a lot of (probably complete) hardware documentation, cicuit diagrams, s/w documentation (IBSYS, etc) also. Also a lot of mag tapes of mixed content and some card trays of mixed content. Are any of you out there interested? It is all quite heavy so transport will be a challenge, but surmountable! The stuff will be available in the first week of September. Any sensible offers will be considered. It might go on eBay but I will wait until you guys respond first. Kind regards, peter vp || | | | | | | | | Peter Van Peborgh 62 St Mary's Rise Writhlington Radstock Somerset BA3 3PD UK 01761 439 234 || | | | | | | | |

14 years

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IBM disk

by BHuntsman＠mail2.cu-portland.edu

Anyone have about 3 or 4 or so IBM 00K4151, FRU 10L6081 9.1GB disk drives in PC Server hot swap trays (76H7287)'s (preferably with non-broken locking levers) that they'd like to part with for ~$5-$10 each? I need a few more to get my P/390 fully stocked... :) Thanks in advance!

14 years

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Can a Selectric from 1961 converted in one Terminal Typewriter

by spedraja＠ono.com

Hi. One friend told me yesterday that he has one Selectric in working state available for me. Can this machine be converted in one Terminal Typewriter ? Thanks. Regads Serhio

14 years

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Hans Camenzind, Inventor of the 555, dies.

by charlesmorris800＠centurytel.net

On Aug 17, 2012 at 12:47, David Riley wrote: > On Aug 17, 2012, at 12:40 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote: > > > On 17 Aug 2012 at 9:15, Fred Cisin wrote: > > > >> It shouldn't be so hard, with XP and a Winmodem, but it'll be a few > >> days before I can get back to a decent connectin. > > > > I could download and write the article to a 9-track tape and mail it > > to you.... > > I'd really prefer a stack of 80-column cards, please. My tape drive > is on the fritz. Could you please provide me a copy on ASR-33 paper tape? :) -Charles

14 years

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X Window server for NEC 7220

by LYNCHAJ＠yahoo.com

Hi Does anyone know of an X Window server implementation for the NEC 7220 GDC? The chip has several names including the Intel 82720, NEC 7220A, NEC 7220D, uPD7220, uPD72020, etc. Essentially this graphics chip was the main rival to the MC6845 prior to the domination of the IBM PC architecture for microcomputers. The NEC 7220A is most notably known for the NEC APC and Epson QX-10 however was used in a number of other systems. Typically it was used for CAD type graphics and/or business graphics as its main strength was drawing primitives like lines, circles, rectangles, etc rather than BITBLT operations. I would imagine an X Window server for the NEC 7220 would suffer in comparison to today's graphics boards. However I think it would be comparable to non-accelerated VGA and/or VESA modes which both have X Window server implementations. Thanks and have a nice day! Andrew Lynch, 73 de N8VEM

14 years

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PXG/PXG+/PXG Turbo/PXG Turbo+ boards for DECstation 5000

by legalize＠xmission.com

Does anyone have one of these boards? They are derived from research at UNC on Pixel Planes. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decstation#Graphics_3> -- "The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline" free book <http://tinyurl.com/d3d-pipeline> The Computer Graphics Museum <http://computergraphicsmuseum.org> The Terminals Wiki <http://terminals.classiccmp.org> Legalize Adulthood! (my blog) <http://legalizeadulthood.wordpress.com>

14 years

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PPS 4/1

by orgwood＠iaxs.net

Did you ever get your info on this series? I was a Rockwell rep and have it plus I bought a few Mattel games for my kids too! Original Woodworks 4631 Lake Ave., White Bear Lake, MN 55110 By appointment only! (651) 429-2222 www.originalwoodworks.com orgwood at iaxs.net

14 years

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32-bit code in 16 bits

by dgriffi＠cs.csubak.edu

Is there anyone here who understands 16-bit DOS coding well enough to help me make some 32-bit code work in 16-bit DOS? -- David Griffith dgriffi at cs.csubak.edu A: Because it fouls the order in which people normally read text. Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing? A: Top-posting. Q: What is the most annoying thing in e-mail?

14 years

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3483

by BHuntsman＠mail2.cu-portland.edu

Sorry for the noise, but just curious, anyone have an IBM 3483 terminal they'd be willing to part with for reasonable consideration?? Thanks! -Ben

14 years

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PDPs in the garage

by earl＠retrobits.com

Hi folks, I'm a little concerned about the load that my PDP-11 cabinet (rack mount, dual RL02 drives) is putting on the floor in my daylight basement. Also, I'm thinking that recovering the space might be nice, so I was considering moving the PDP-11 system back to the garage. If any of you have a PDP or other big-iron systems in the garage, how do you deal with temperature extremes (hot in summer, cold in winter)? Do you simply not operate the computer when it's too hot or cold? Do you think it's a risk to even store the system in the garage? My location is Portland, Oregon, so it doesn't really get super cold in the winter. I think the coldest I've measured in the garage is 50F. But summer can get pretty warm. It's scheduled to get 85F today, and we had 100F a week or two ago. Of course the garage doesn't get as hot as outside temps, but it can get up there. I realize heat can be a big enemy of computers/electronics. Also, since the RL02 drives are mechanical and precision devices, they might not take well to temperature shifts. Thoughts? - Earl

14 years

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need docs for Canon AS-100

by rampaginggreenhulk＠yahoo.com

And other lesser known lesser known intel boxes/pseudo compatibles

14 years

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Remaining S-100 board PCBs

by LYNCHAJ＠YAHOO.COM

Hi The last couple weeks have been pretty good. I can see the bottom of the stack of S-100 board PCBs and will be ordering some more new boards and additional reorders soon. There are two S-100 Serial IO board and five S-100 8088 CPU board PCBs left. They are $20 each plus $3 shipping in the US and $6 elsewhere. Please send a PayPal to LYNCHAJ at YAHOO.COM and I will send your boards right away! Thanks to John Monahan for all his dedication in making these PCBs possible for the S-100 hobbyist community. Both the S-100 Serial IO and S-100 8088 CPU board PCBs have been built and tested repeatedly and are known working units. Thanks and have a nice day! Andrew Lynch

14 years

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OT: Re: Hearing (was Re: HP3000 Marketing Collateral)

by feldman.r＠comcast.net

<Message: 6 <Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2012 17:47:43 -0700 <From: "Chuck Guzis" < cclist at sydex.com > < <snip> <So, does anyone know of any publicly-owned hearing aid manufacturers? <Looks like a growth industry... < <--Chuck <(with some ringing in his ears) The best manufacturers are German or Swiss: Phonak, ReSound and Siemens. I recently got hearing aids and find them both amazing and annoying. Amazing in how small they are (less than a cm^3 in volume, including the battery). The best now have digital equalizers that can adjust the amplification across a dozen or more frequency ranges and can automatically adjust to filter out background noise. They can also be controlled wirelessly -- mine even have an "airplane" mode the shuts off the wireless when you are flying in an airplane and electronic devices are banned. Annoying in that they are far from perfect and require a new set of batteries after every 75 hours or so of use. For any of you who live in the US, the least expensive place to get good hearing aids is Costco. Most insurance plans do not cover them, so my cost was $2600 for the pair, which is 30%-50% less than anywhere else charges for a similar model. Bob

14 years

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To all with interest in preservation

by cctech＠beyondthepale.ie

> >Every time I'be both seem an emulator of a chassic machine (runinng on a >friend's machine, obvious) and also run the rela hardware myself, I feel >the emultor doens't come close to the experinece of actually running the >classic computer. > Before I came across Hercules, I tended to dismiss emulators in the same terms. However, I find the experience of using Hercules or Simh remarkably close to the experience of using the actual machine in question. Many users of certain classic computers never saw or heard the actual machine they used and only interacted with it through a terminal (or even a terminal emulator). There are also other factors which prevent both emulators and real preserved hardware from recreating the original experience. Factors such as not having a real world workload to process and not having a realistic number of users working the machine hard (as opposed to a few museum visitors at a time trying to figure out valid commands). (I don't know why I am adding to this thread which looks destined to go on and on and achieve little except to demonstrate that different people have different ideas on how things should be preserved and that most are not going to change their minds.) Regards, Peter Coghlan.

14 years

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DEC Server 300

by holm＠freibergnet.de

Hi, a friend of mine sent me an DEC Server 300 which he saved from the dumpster. There is a triangle in the bottom that some sharp metall edge must have made. This hit broke a 300mil 24pin DIL chip in the inside that must be related to the BNC network. The Chip is located next to the 20MHz Crystalnext to the poushbutton Switch, it is broken in two halves and the ceramic top plate of the chip is missing. It seems that the pcb survivied, so here comes the question: What was this for an (Network-)chip? Can please someone help? Kind Regards, Holm -- Technik Service u. Handel Tiffe, www.tsht.de, Holm Tiffe, Freiberger Stra?e 42, 09600 Obersch?na, USt-Id: DE253710583 www.tsht.de, info at tsht.de, Fax +49 3731 74200, Mobil: 0172 8790 741

14 years

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PDPs in the garage

by saquinn624＠aol.com

I used to worry about things like racks and half racks and floor load limits, but consider the following: Think about how heavy a rack is. Probably about 500lbs or so for most of our stuff (I'm not talking maxed-out S/390s or VAX 9000 installations), and there's probably one or two in a room. For the area of the rack, the load/sqft is similar to a 250lb person, which the floor is hopefully specced for. A small piece of 3/4" plywood underneath to keep the carpet happy is nice, bigger one if you're going to be pulling the rack in and out for connections to the rear. n.b. I do put my heavy stuff near the bearing walls so things are more straightforward.

14 years

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PDPs in the garage (Earl Evans)

by pechter＠gmail.com

> Message: 2 > Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2012 11:20:58 -0700 > From: Earl Evans <earl at retrobits.com> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic Posts Only" <cctech at classiccmp.org> > Subject: PDPs in the garage > Message-ID: > <CAMDAk4d3sfqET1Rj3Yw45ctgg+2BLHr=aSvyVqBxnGurveNhHA at mail.gmail.com> > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > Hi folks, > > I'm a little concerned about the load that my PDP-11 cabinet (rack mount, > dual RL02 drives) is putting on the floor in my daylight basement. Also, > I'm thinking that recovering the space might be nice, so I was considering > moving the PDP-11 system back to the garage. > > If any of you have a PDP or other big-iron systems in the garage, how do > you deal with temperature extremes (hot in summer, cold in winter)? Do you > simply not operate the computer when it's too hot or cold? Do you think > it's a risk to even store the system in the garage? > > My location is Portland, Oregon, so it doesn't really get super cold in the > winter. I think the coldest I've measured in the garage is 50F. But > summer can get pretty warm. It's scheduled to get 85F today, and we had > 100F a week or two ago. Of course the garage doesn't get as hot as outside > temps, but it can get up there. > > I realize heat can be a big enemy of computers/electronics. Also, since > the RL02 drives are mechanical and precision devices, they might not take > well to temperature shifts. > > Thoughts? > > - Earl I could tell you a story about an 11/780 at Fort Monmouth that ran without air conditioning and with the windows upen for 3 months. Serious intermittant problems sprung up. The humidity had rust on the TU45 tape drive motors. The problem isn't heat -- it's the rate of change. You get serious expansion cracks in the boards when the etches expand and contract. The faster the rate of change in temporature when running (both up and down) the worse the issue. The machine was flaky as hell. The thing would crash VAX/VMS about 5 times daily. I actually would boot the machine and hit each one with my little brass hammer. If it crashed... the board was replaced. Swapped about 6 boards in the data path and cache sections and the box was then stable for over three years. The 11/34's a lot lower in power draw and slower. It's probably less sensitive with some larger etches. I'd worry more about the peripherals. Disk drives with rusty parts in them are probably a bad thing. I know the tape drives would have a problem. The RL02's might even have a different flying height depending upon the temperature which could end in head crashes. If you kept the internal temp under 100 degrees you're probably ok... but if the outside temp's above 100... The real trick is to keep the temp as steady as possible. Perhaps strategic fan placement to keep it from getting too hot in certain places. Bill -- d|i|g|i|t|a|l had it THEN. Don't you wish you could still buy it now! pechter-at-gmail.com

14 years

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different types of monitor strain

by rampaginggreenhulk＠yahoo.com

I got a call from a man who has been in the development business since the 70s. We got to talking about a whole lot of stuff (actually it was more listening on my part then anything else). On the topic of eyestrain (?) he said that different colors (primary?) have different focal depths, so at least for some people strain is caused when looking at a color monitor w/fine dot pitch. I have to at least take him at his word on that, but when I mentioned that staring at green phosphors for an extended length of time (>30 minutes say) caused white to appear pink. For instance the numbers on a cars speedometer. He said he never experienced that. Can anyone explain the reasons for that? It stands to reason that causing your eyes to focus on something small? and multichromatic would cause strain (you're forcing your eyes to focus on a single point that in essence appears to be at varying distances. I don't understand the pink eye effect though.

14 years

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2
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To all with interest in preservation (more)

by wdonzelli＠gmail.com

And I will add... > That is why simulators are so important. You can get most of the feel > of the machine from the comfort of your own home. ...and no vintage machines are harmed. -- Will

14 years

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Graphics programming on DOMAIN/OS (was: NeWS)

by legalize＠xmission.com

On Thu, 09 Aug 2012 13:33:41 MDT, Richard <legalize at xmission.com> wrote: > In article <50240091.9060108 at bitsavers.org>, > Al Kossow <aek at bitsavers.org> writes: > > > On 8/9/12 10:21 AM, Richard wrote: > > > > > I have been attempting to find details on the Apollo DOMAIN/OS > > > windowing environment before they started running X11, but so far > > > haven't been able to find much of anything. > > > > > > > There wasn't anything in the Apollo documents on bitsavers? > > Looks like it was pre-2009 that I last looked, when you added a bunch > of stuff. I will have to dig into that pile! "Programming with Domain Graphics Primitives" (005808-01)[1] makes reference to "Programming with General System Calls" (005506) which explains pad calls that allow you to create pads and frames. If this manual could be made available, that would be a helpful addition. [1] <http://bitsavers.org/pdf/apollo/005808-01_Programming_With_Domain_Graphics_…> -- "The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline" free book <http://tinyurl.com/d3d-pipeline> The Computer Graphics Museum <http://computergraphicsmuseum.org> The Terminals Wiki <http://terminals.classiccmp.org> Legalize Adulthood! (my blog) <http://legalizeadulthood.wordpress.com>

14 years

4
4
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HtG differential SCSI [was RE: To all with interest in IBM 7090]

by RichA＠vulcan.com

From: Dave McGuire Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2012 1:33 AM On 08/14/2012 04:06 AM, TeoZ wrote: >> There was a brief hop to just differential SCSI (higher voltage then >> LVD which is how LVD got its name). HVD and SE/LVD don't like each >> other while the other SCSI standards did with some tweeking. > This overlapped entirely with SE SCSI to the end, though. HVD was > used in very high-end machines (Tandem and Cray come to mind) for the > better noise immunity for longer cable runs. It really wasn't a hop > from SE to HVD then to LVD. Also the XKL Toad-1 System (4 x differential FASTWIDE SCSI-2 ports). An absolute bear to find drives for. Rich Alderson Vintage Computing Sr. Systems Engineer Vulcan, Inc. 505 5th Avenue S, Suite 900 Seattle, WA 98104 mailto:RichA at vulcan.com mailto:RichA at LivingComputerMuseum.org http://www.LivingComputerMuseum.org/

14 years

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HP3000 Marketing Collateral

by michael.99.thompson＠gmail.com

> Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2012 22:33:52 -0500 > Subject: Re: HP3000 Marketing Collateral > On Sun, Aug 12, 2012 at 2:13 PM, Lee Courtney > <charlesleecourtney at yahoo.com> wrote: >> I posted some 1980's vintage HP3000 marketing shots at Flicker: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjBmrAyC >> >> Enjoy! The Rhode Island Computer Museum has an HP3000 Series 70, just like in one of your pictures. Too bad we don't have that many disk drives to go with it. https://sites.google.com/a/ricomputermuseum.org/home/Home/equipment/hp3000-… -- Michael Thompson

14 years

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Fwd: [DatapointComputers] Datapoint 1560

by axelsson＠acc.umu.se

I thought this could be interesting for members on the list. Too bad it's too far away for me. /G?ran -------- Ursprungligt meddelande -------- ?mne: [DatapointComputers] Datapoint 1560 Datum: Tue, 14 Aug 2012 18:21:24 -0000 Fr?n: techiegabe <gabehabib at rogers.com> Svar till: DatapointComputers at yahoogroups.com Till: DatapointComputers at yahoogroups.com I finally got around to unpacking a Datapoint 1560 system that has been lying around in my basement crawl space since the late 80's gathering dust. After a good cleaning and resetting of boards and connectors it looks in great shape, BUT the Monitor "Sparked and Smoked" when I turned it on. I haven't turned on the disk subsubsystem yet. Anyways, I am able to take it with me when we head down to Wickenburg AZ, for the winter, and wondering if that Computer Museum (or anyone else) may want to give it a new home? I'm still looking for the Diskettes and Manuals. I also have a MINX Monitor. Gabe x-Datapoint Canada Inc.

14 years

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Slight-OT: DynaText readers?

by wulfcub＠gmail.com

I'm trying to retrieve some old printer manuals from a 1999 CD-ROM, and they are supposedly DynaText. The problem I'm running into is that DynaText 4.1 doesn't recognize a valid collection. The installer on the CD looks for dynatext.ini and books.ini (which doesn't seem to exist anywhere, including on the CD). It wants these files to come >from Xerox\ODOC\ .The installer fails without both of those files present. If I point it to a valid dynatext.ini, and fake a books.ini or give it an empty file, the installer completes "successfully" having done nothing. The 'books' directory contains a subdirectory with the book name (41354635 in this case). This directory then contains four more directories, EBT, INDEX, STYLES, and FIGURES, as well as a Setup.ini file with a few lines of information on the collection. 'Figures' is a collection of TIFF's. 'Index' contains index.dat and vocab.dat. The EBT directory contains 5 files: 41354635, 41354635.edr, 41354635.tag, search.tdr, toc.tdr. Google turns up almost nothing on these file extensions. The 'Styles' directory has several .v and .rev files, carrying copyright information bearing the name Electronic Book Technologies (thus EBT). EBT as a company is long gone. Most of the various book files are encoded (that is, not plain text), though each has an ASCII header. 'EDIR DATA' 'EDIR EDIR' 'EDIR TDIR' and 'EDIR TAGS' (this file is plain text). Anyone have any clues on how to read these files? So far, I've tried so far: Adobe FrameMaker (trial), Adobe Acrobat Pro 9, Altova StyleVision (trial), DynaText 4.1. Thanks! --Shaun

14 years

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free book Voice Technology 1983

by rampaginggreenhulk＠yahoo.com

For shipping. Ill need a check.

14 years

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To all with interest in IBM 7090

by jonas＠otter.se

On Mon, 13 Aug 2012 20:01:41 +0100 (BST), ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) wrote: > I am going to define 'London' as the area I can get to with a London bus > Pas (I do not mean the 'City of London', I mean an area about 30 miles by > 30 miles. In 'London' I know of preceisely_one_ shop tht sells a > reasoanble range of electronic components [1]. I know of no shops that > will sell me small-ish qunatiites of common engineering metals (say 1m of > 1/2" diamaeter CZ121 bras rodd, or similar free-machining mild steel). I > know of no shop that sells 'engineering' tools (lathe and mil lcutting > tools, individual sockets, spanenrs, etc). That sucks. I can get all of that in a town less than 1/10 the size of London (admittedly it is the second largest town in this country). The largest distributor in Sweden has a shop where you can get the most frequently ordered items from their catalogue over the counter, and the rest of what they have in stock next day. Not far from there, there is a shop that sells any machine tool or part you may want. None of them are cheap, but you can get what you need. Jonas

14 years

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rough Microvax II in NJ

by rampaginggreenhulk＠yahoo.com

I never plugged it in. Really don't want to (but I could be coaxed, no pun intended though it would be a poor, spurious one). Judging by the prices I've seen these things go for on ePay, I would think anything is worth 100$, but I *may* decide to cut someone a break, especially if they picked it up. This unit is in rough shape, don't even know if it works. Some of the metal side and rear paneling has accumulated rust, one piece a lot of, but nothing a proper restoration couldn't remedy I don't think. The front bezel is all funky, a noticeable crack, though not too large, very brown. I have pictures somewhere. There appears to be a baby opossum living in mom's garage, so I was apprehensive about dragging the unit out for yet more pictures today. ?If I have to ship it, I'm going to tack something on (many thousands of dollars likely). ?Your thoughts are welcome :)

14 years

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TO-263 footprint?

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

Hey folks! Would anyone happen to have a PCB footprint for a TO-263 package? I'm designing a circuit that will use an LM2577 switching regulator. I've checked on gedasymbols.org to no avail. I'm kinda surprised it's not in the standard library. Thanks, -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

14 years

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Sunday-night repair for Wangtek 5000 series tape drive

by cclist＠sydex.com

Last night I pulled out an old Wangtek 5000 series QIC tape drive (uses DC300XL carts) and discovered that the rubber capstan had totally degraded and fell to pieces. After looking at bits of rubber and vinyl hose as possible replacements, I hit on using a plain old vinyl grommet that fit snugly on the bare shaft and, for good measure, added a nitrile O- ring to fill the "slot" in the grommet. Worked like a champ. Maybe this will be useful to others. --Chuck

14 years

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Panasonic HHC technical information

by rrr_lopes＠yahoo.com.br

Hello Tony, That would be great! If somebody don't may you scan it and send by e-mail, please? Thank You! Ricardo > > > > Hello,=0A= > > =0A= > > I'm trying to understand the intriguing Panasonic HHC.=0A= > > Does somebody have additional technical information beside the contents of = > > the User's Manual?=0A= > > I'm particularlly searching for the SnapFORTH ROM image and manual, any har= > > dware schematics, and the expansion connector pinout.=0A= > I haev my own had-drawn schematics for the machine and the > printer/cassette interface. Of course they don't give any information for > the interals of the ASICs, but they might be a start. > > I can't remember if I have already sent them to somebody (Eric?) who > might have scanned them. If not, I can make a photocopy and post them out. > > -tony >

14 years

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To all with interest in IBM 7090

by blstuart＠bellsouth.net

> If the compatability goes far enough that either kind of > device works > with either kind of interface, then I agree, but then I don't know quite how far it goes, but the controller cards we use in our products all speak both SATA and SAS.? So the drives border on interchangable.? There are differences in the command messaging and in the drive characteristics, but it's pretty easy to support both. As to the question of SATA vs IDE, I agree with your concerns over forced obsolescence.? But as far as classic machines go, I'm more concerned by the dearth of 50-pin SCSI I drives, and I haven't had very good luck with using adapters to put newer drives on older machines. As to FC, I will have to admit to a bit of bias. Competing with FC pays the bills.? But even with that bias, for communicating between a host and a storage shelf, I have a hard time imagining a good reason to do anything other than a light weight storage protocol directly over Ethernet. (And to avoid any confusion, my definition of light weight does not include FCoE or iSCSI.) BLS

14 years

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IBM 5324? - was Items free for pickup; Iowa

by nigel.d.williams＠gmail.com

On Fri, Aug 10, 2012 at 11:56 PM, JP Hindin <jplist2008 at kiwigeek.com> wrote: > IBM 5324 w/keyboard and monitor > I've never powered this on and the drive knobs were snapped off prior to > my receiving it. My understanding is this is a binary compatible System/34 > in baby shoes, but I might be full of it. > my search-fu is weak or that is a tough machine to find much about, anyone have any further details? is it part of the IBM Datamaster family? I found pictures here: http://www.retrocomputing.net/parts/ibm/5324/ and JP's video pans past the console terminal here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgECJPIU1AI#t=5m40s and an overall view here (lower right under the bench): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgECJPIU1AI#t=9m47s

14 years

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Found a rs6000 43p

by john＠yoyodyne-propulsion.net

...in a closet here. They used to have a bunch of these were I used to work, as a CAD system. This one has AIX on it... it fails bootup and drops you to some sort of prompt right after it plays it's tune (with the little speaker icon). You can type ls at the prompt and gets what looks like a list of devices. Should I bit it, or is it worth trying to fix? Anyone point me in the right direction? I only dug it out because of the CDE thread, so it's "all your fault!" -- Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems: "The Future Begins Tomorrow" Visit us at: http://www.yoyodyne-propulsion.net -------- "I'd like to hold off judgement on a thing like that, sir, until all the facts are in. " General "Buck" Turgidson

14 years

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IBM terminals (shame on Richard)

by wdonzelli＠gmail.com

> Actually I have been learning more about HDLC, X.25, 3270 chitchat, > etc., in order to try and get these Westinghouse airline terminals to > talk. You will probably need a fair amount of beer, too. > However, as we discussed during your last visit when we were at the > Hole, I need to focus on graphics and not become exclusively a > terminal museum. Get some twinax/bisync *graphics* terminals my way > and I'll get a lot more interested. However, I just haven't found > them. The 5080 family of terminals is probably up your alley. But, they seem to be rare. I used one many years ago, at an open house at EMD. Fun stuff. And then their is the 7361 FastDraft system - it is an IBM S/1 controlling some sort of third party graphics engine. RCS has one, and we can not figure the thing out. If you watch a bad Cameron Diaz movie >from a few years back, you can see it on the big screen (stuffed and mounted, anyway. No, not Ms. Diaz.). -- Will

14 years

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PXG/PXG+/PXG Turbo/PXG Turbo+ boards for DECstation 5000

by markwgreen＠rogers.com

> Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2012 09:39:31 -0600 > From: Richard <legalize at xmission.com> > To: cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: PXG/PXG+/PXG Turbo/PXG Turbo+ boards for DECstation 5000 > Message-ID: <E1T0aGJ-0000zS-R7 at shell.xmission.com> > > > In article <20120812105727.2a3ad798.jkunz at unixag-kl.fh-kl.de>, > Jochen Kunz <jkunz at unixag-kl.fh-kl.de> writes: > > > On Sat, 11 Aug 2012 14:53:46 -0600 > > Richard <legalize at xmission.com> wrote: > > > > > Does anyone have one of these boards? > > Yes, at least one PXG+ and IIRC a PXG that's the RAM modules missing. > > I'd like to see some high resolution close-up pictures if possible! > -- > "The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline" free book <http://tinyurl.com/d3d-pipeline> > The Computer Graphics Museum <http://computergraphicsmuseum.org> > The Terminals Wiki <http://terminals.classiccmp.org> > Legalize Adulthood! (my blog) <http://legalizeadulthood.wordpress.com> I have one of the PXG models in a Decstation 5000/200 up at the cottage, I can try to get a picture of the next time I'm at the cottage. The PXG uses an i860 for 3D geometry and a pixel planes chip for 2D raster fill. A pixel planes chip is relatively easy to design, even with primitive VLSI tools. I built one in the mid 1980s using a gate array technology that we had free access to. Once you have the cell for a single pixel it's just a matter of duplication and adding some interface logic around the edge of the chip.

14 years

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Anyone have printouts for KKTA/KKTB 11/44 MEM MGMT tests?

by brad＠heeltoe.com

Just curious if anyone has printouts (or scans) of the PDP-11/44 memory management diagnostics KKTA/KKTB KKTA 11/44 MEM MGMT PRT A KKTB 11/44 MEM MGMT PRT B KKTAB1.BIC xx-xxx-xx 3369 27 3395 0 KKTBD0.BIC xx-xxx-xx 3396 30 3425 0 I have the binaries from xxdp images but no listing... -brad

14 years

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C64 PSU specs

by jules.richardson99＠gmail.com

I finally got hold of that PSU-less C64 that I mentioned on the list a few weeks ago, followed by a 9VAC PSU to test it with. Other than needing the VIC-II and associated ICs re-seating I've not encountered any problems (I've not tested the 1541 yet though due to lack of a cable). Anyway, I'd like to sort out a better PSU for the machine itself until I can get a genuine one from somewhere - does anyone know what a reasonable max current draw on the 9VAC lines might be? (This is an original 'breadbox' machine) The wall-wart 9VAC PSU that I found for testing is only rated for 400mA, which I suspect might be on the low side; I've seen claims of needing 1A or more, and http://www.hardwarebook.info/C64/128_User_Port only states 100mA max for the user port, suggesting that the machine itself might require quite a lot under certain conditions. cheers Jules

14 years

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X Window server for NEC 7220

by rampaginggreenhulk＠yahoo.com

not sure the 2nd 7220 in the APC is for more colors or not. They are on separate boards. My rather uneducated guess was a 2nd was needed to implement the virtual screen.

14 years

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Identify two cards (Unibus and Q-Bus)

by iamcamiel＠gmail.com

I picked up the last of Fred's stuff yesterday, and I have a couple of cards I can't find much information on: 1. UNIBUS card made by ComDesign Picture at http://flic.kr/p/cQ6PYd. Marked "Epsilon US 2000 Board" and "Assy no. 010231". It's got a 80186, 1 2910, 2 2901's and an 82586 (IEEE802.3 coprocessor). I therefore figure this is a UNIBUS Ethernet NIC (like a DELUA). Is anything known about these cards? DIP switch configuration would be good to know, as would the function of the 5 on/off toggle switches on top. 2. Q-BUS card, probably made by Plessey Picture at http://flic.kr/p/cQ6Rtf. Marked "P/N 703365-100D". Has a COM8017 UART. Nothing else known... Thanks, Camiel

14 years

2
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Looking for a DEC MXV11-B

by derschjo＠gmail.com

Anyone have an MXV11-B (M7195) going spare? I'd like to be able to use TU58 emulation to get my "tiny" (SB-11) 11/23 system bootstrapped, plus right now the only dual-height memory board I have is a mere 32K; the MXV11-B seems like a perfect fit for this system (128K, dual SLU, LTC, etc) if I can just find one... Thanks as always, Josh

14 years

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OT: Old radio and tv tubes in Omaha, NE

by rampaginggreenhulk＠yahoo.com

http://omaha.craigslist.org/gms/3188782630.html noticed in my travels. Doesn't hurt to alert :)

14 years

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Apollo DN590 workstation

by legalize＠xmission.com

Anyone got one? It's supposedly the first Apollo workstation to support 24-bit truecolor.[1] [1] <http://bitsavers.org/pdf/apollo/005808-01_Programming_With_Domain_Graphics_…>, pg. 6-17 -- "The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline" free book <http://tinyurl.com/d3d-pipeline> The Computer Graphics Museum <http://computergraphicsmuseum.org> The Terminals Wiki <http://terminals.classiccmp.org> Legalize Adulthood! (my blog) <http://legalizeadulthood.wordpress.com>

14 years

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Bits and Bytes (a classic computer show from 1983) now on YouTube

by prd＠decarchive.org

Hello all, I'm afraid I'm more of a long-time appreciator than a regular poster here, but I wanted to share a link to an archive of episodes and clips from the TVOntario show, 'Bits and Bytes' ? partly because there probably are a few people who saw this show when it originally aired and might enjoy a trip down memory lane, partly because it features many of the microcomputers that were popular in North America back then, and partly because its explanation of many of the key concepts are still relevant today. (Plus, for those who haven't seen it, it's also quite entertaining.) The channel is over at http://www.youtube.com/user/bitsandbytestvo, and I've included a modified blurb from that page below for people's information. Hope this brings back a few memories, and even educates a few of the people who are too young to have caught it first time 'round. This is the show that got me into computing and programming (my first computer was the Commodore 64), and I know that the episode on computer music, and the clip about compilers and interpreters have both been used to explain concepts in current computer science and computer music classes (as in, since the show became available again on YouTube). Cheers and (hopefully) enjoy! Peter P.S. And for those who are concerned about such things, from what I've been able to ascertain, this show is no longer available for purchase from TVO and, for that matter, they no longer have the full set of episodes in their own archives. ----- Bits and Bytes is a classic, and still foundational, Canadian television series about microcomputers and the key concepts behind them. It was produced by TVOntario in 1983, and stars Luba Goy as the instructor, and Billy Van as the student. The show consisted of 12 episodes and featured many of the classic 80s microcomputers including the Apple ][, Commodore PET, VIC 20 and 64, Atari 800, TRS-80, TI 99 and the IBM PC. The subjects were: Program 1: Getting Started Program 2: Ready-Made Programs Program 3: How Programs Work? Program 4: File & Data Management Program 5: Communication Between Computers Program 6: Computer Languages Program 7: Computer-Assisted Instruction Program 8: Games & Simulations Program 9: Computer Graphics Program 10: Computer Music Program 11: Computers at Work Program 12: What Next?

14 years

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Domain OS (was: NeWS)

by bqt＠update.uu.se

On 2012-08-09 22:10, Al Kossow <aek at bitsavers.org> wrote: > On 8/9/12 10:21 AM, Richard wrote: >> >I have been attempting to find details on the Apollo DOMAIN/OS >> >windowing environment before they started running X11, but so far >> >haven't been able to find much of anything. >> > > There wasn't anything in the Apollo documents on bitsavers? > > In the queue are about 100 ESDI Apollo disks with what HP had left of Apollo's > development environment. I'm hoping they're still readable. Gah! It's over 20 years now since I used the window system on Domain OS, but I still shudder at the memory. It was not fun. From what small details I can still remember it made no difference between the mouse pointer and the text cursor. Move one, and you moved both. Input for a window was normally done in a special sub-window one line high, at the bottom of the window. In general it was weird and somewhat unintuitive, and we *longed* for a switch to X11, but since X11 took much more resources, it took a few years before we actually switched. There were some cool concepts in Domain/OS, but for the most part, it was just weird and horrible. Johnny

14 years

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X Window server for NEC 7220

by dm561＠torfree.net

Original Message: Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2012 13:53:41 -0400 From: "Andrew Lynch" <LYNCHAJ at yahoo.com> .... The NEC uPD7220 readily adapts itself to the S-100 bus and provides a nice VGA monitor compatible bitmap. However it is completely non-VGA compatible and really is as different from the MC6845 derivative as can possibly exist. It uses a totally different approach down to the philosophical theory of design! If you or anyone else has some insight on how to implement a register compatible SVGA on the S-100 bus I am very willing to listen! Thanks and have a nice day! Andrew Lynch -------Reply:------- Isn't it always the way... a couple of weeks ago I finally threw out about 4" worth of detailed OEM documentation about designing for and implementing PCChips VGA chips, among others... The NCR Decision Mate (for one) used the 7220 and I even still have some of the guts of one including the video board if it's any use to anyone. IIRC there were some drivers etc. to make them semi-compatible with the PC; maybe you can find something useful among the NCR crowd?

14 years

2
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Found a rs6000 43p

by michael.99.thompson＠gmail.com

> From: Jochen Kunz <jkunz at unixag-kl.fh-kl.de> > Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:42:31 +0200 > Subject: Re: Found a rs6000 43p > John Many Jars <john at yoyodyne-propulsion.net> wrote: > >> This one has AIX on it... it fails bootup and drops you to some sort >> of prompt right after it plays it's tune (with the little speaker >> icon). >> >> You can type ls at the prompt and gets what looks like a list of devices. >> >> Should I bit it, or is it worth trying to fix? Anyone point me in the >> right direction? > There are several different variants of 43P. This one seems to be a > 43P-150 because you can type "ls" and get a divice tree. This sounds > like the OpenFirmWare of a CHRP machine. The enclosure of the machine > should be black? > > You have a quite capable PPC machine there. You could reinstall AIX. > Instalation media should be obtainable. An other option is to install > NetBSD. Maybe it drops to OFW just because autoboot is disabled. Try to > type "boot" at the OFW prompt and see.. > > \end{Jochen} It should also run Solaris 2.5.1. I think I have the install CD. -- Michael Thompson

14 years

1
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Tractor Feed Teletype?

by robert.jarratt＠ntlworld.com

Someone I know on this list has an ASR33 Teletype which has a tractor feed. I am sure that all the ones I used at the time were friction feed. Was tractor feed a common thing on these terminals? Regards Rob

14 years

3
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Odd PDP-11/84 Unibus behaviour

by bqt＠update.uu.se

On 2012-08-08 23:17, ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) wrote: >> > >> >From: "Tony Duell"<ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk> >> >Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2012 9:16 PM >> >To:<cctalk at classiccmp.org> >> >Subject: Re: Odd PDP-11/84 Unibus behaviour >> > >>>> > >> >>>> > >>I'm noticing something on my PDP-11/84 that I can't explain. I've >>> > > >>> > >I';ll try a one-word explamation : 'Grants'. >>> > > >>> > >[... snip excellent explanation from Tony ...] >> > >> >I remember working on grants in the 11/84. >> >The 11/84 is very user-friendly, because there is a board next to >> >the CPU that has several DIP switches. Each DIP switch opens >> >or closes the NPR of one slot. So there is no need to count pins >> >on the backplane to find CA1-CB1. Just open/close the switch >> >for the appropriate slot. > Right. That I did not know. TO be honest, the J11-based machiens are too > mdoern for my taste:-) It is rather convenient. But it should be pointed out that DIP switches for the NPG signal only exists for the first eight Unibus slots, which are in the first backplane. If you put in any more Unibus backplanes, it's the same standard story of the jumpers on the pins as always. (I *think* it is eight slots on the first backplane in the 11/84, but I might remember that detail wrong, but I hope people understand the idea even if I happened to get the actual number wrong.) > However, I would adcvise against flipping said switches unless you know > what you are doing (for example you'bve got a switch open correspodning > to an empty slot). It is better, IMHO, to actuall trace the fault and be > sure it is an NPG problem before changing anything. Otherwise you will > get in a muddle very quickly. Right. Random flipping of switches is no way to troubleshooting. Johnny

14 years

2
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DEC SB11 info

by derschjo＠mail.msu.edu

Hi all -- Anyone know anything about the DEC SB-11 enclosure? It's a small (13"x12"x3.5" or so) chassis containing a power supply and a 4-slot dual-height q-bus backplane. Very cute, and I want to put together a small 11/23 system in it. Anyone know the original intended usage for these little things? In particular, a power supply schematic would be helpful as the one in mine is giving me trouble at the moment. (Just blows fuses when powered up.) I can't find anything useful about it on the 'net. The full model designation on this one is "OSB11-EA." Thanks as always, Josh

14 years

6
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What tools do you use/recommend for content dumping of, PALs/PLAs/GALs/EPROMs

by fjkraan＠xs4all.nl

On 2012-08-10 00:17, p.gebhardt at ymail.com wrote: > > I'd like to ask the list, what kind of tools/porgrams do you use in order to dump especially older device types as we can find it in older computer equipment? > A couple of years back, I was lucky to use an old system at University in order to dump PAL and EPROM contents of my Onyx C8000 and from a DEC DELUA board. > But since then, I've never had accessibility to such tools and I'l like to obtain/purchase one in order to go on with programmable device content saving. > > Any suggestions? Hints? Experiences? A while ago I started deveoping something around an Arduino like platform to read PALs and EPROMs. See http://fjkraan.home.xs4all.nl/comp/divcomp/ppread/. So far I developed sketches (programs in Arduino lingo) to read out devices. I still have to make something to analyse the output. This is trival for (EP)ROMs and PALs without registers and tristate pins, tricky for those with... This assuming the security fuses are blown. > > Kind regards, > Pierre Greetings, Fred Jan

14 years

2
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Current license holder of DEC PDP-11 operating systems

by earl＠retrobits.com

Hi there, I'm looking for contact information for the company that is the current license holder for the DEC-developed PDP-11 operating systems (e.g., RT-11, RSX, RSTS). If you have that info and could send it to me off-list, it would be much appreciated! Thanks, - Earl

14 years

22
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DEC, VAX, items in quantity

by useddec＠gmail.com

I have two 25 foot lockers of mostly DEC items I would like to sell within the next few months. I can ship by the box, pallet, gaylord,or truckload. I do not have a complete inventory listing, but feel free to inquire off list. The following is a limited sample: LA36's, and parts LA120's and parts Vav3100's- a dozen or so 3000's 5000's 11/780, 785 boards 6000 boards 8000 unibus options and several thousand boards 8A, E, F, M boxes and about 1000 boards Various table top LAxx printers and parts VT's, monitors and parts tons (literally) more I am not selling any H960's (still need a few) , Unibus systems,RK05's, RL's, RX's (except a few replacement drives) or any media for the listed drives. I might be looking for a VT05, LA180, and a TU10. Please feel free to contact me off list with any questions. Thanks, Paul

14 years

4
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CDE article in The Register [was RE: [rescue] "bloated pig X11"]

by RichA＠vulcan.com

From: feldman.r at comcast.net Sent: Thursday, August 09, 2012 1:38 PM >>Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:12:38 -0400 >>From: Dave McGuire <mcguire at neurotica.com>> > <snip> >> I heard about CDE the other day too. That could be interesting. Many >>people hated CDE, but I thought it was ok. (not great, but ok) I will >>probably try to build it soon. > http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/09/cde_goes_opensource/ Like Dave, I came to like it (as VUE) on HP-UX, and will probably put it on a Linux box at some point. But I mostly wanted to point out that the Register article was written by our own Liam Proven! Thanks, Rich Rich Alderson Vintage Computing Sr. Systems Engineer Vulcan, Inc. 505 5th Avenue S, Suite 900 Seattle, WA 98104 mailto:RichA at vulcan.com mailto:RichA at LivingComputerMuseum.org http://www.LivingComputerMuseum.org/

14 years

3
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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