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

by kandres＠epssecurity.com

A reference was made to MicroNova. Like Data General MicroNova? Like the MicroNova that?s in my lock up, that I haven?t run in 15 years? Like the MicroNova with the 16 or 32 serial ports, I don?t remember, for terminals? Like the MicroNova I lost the 10M washing machine platter drive from? Then threw the removable platter out because I couldn?t find the washing machine? That MicroNova????????? Kevin J Andres Senior Technician Engineered Protection Systems Inc. HYPERLINK "mailto:kandres at epssecurity.com"mailto:kandres at epssecurity.com No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.11.0/927 - Release Date: 7/30/2007 5:02 PM

19 years, 1 month

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(no subject)

by devonstopps＠gmail.com

I believe you're thinking of the book "The Art of Digital Electronics"...I don't remember who wrote it. I too have been considering building an 8/i compatible, and wouldn't mind some insight. Devon Ethan Dicks <ethan.dicks at gmail.com> wrote.............. Subject: Re: newbie building a scratch-built computer ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There is _lots_ of software for that platform, of course. The PDP-8 has a rich history. I've been re-reading a book on processor design I picked up a few years ago, based on a recommendation on this list. I am blanking on the title, but it describes a 74183/74181-based F20 and a 2910-based microprogrammed F30 PDP-8/i-compatible CPU. I've been mulling over what it would take to build one of those (besides lots of time ;-)

19 years, 1 month

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From-scratch PDP-8 (was Re: (no subject))

by ethan.dicks＠gmail.com

On 7/31/07, Chuck Guzis <cclist at sydex.com> wrote: > On 31 Jul 2007 at 1:11, woodelf wrote: > > > All of it (8K+) with serial I/O to boot is my guess. > > That was my thought. Why fool with IM6120s when you fit the durned > thing in a teacup? How about a handheld 8/i? Maybe a few MB of CF > for storage and an LCD display for a terminal... Hmm... that does sound interesting. A 320x200 LCD panel isn't expensive (I have several raw ones on hand w/touch sensors), and could be driven to 80 cols w/a 3x5 font (as was once used to give the C-64 "80 columns"). A "really cheap" terminal could be an older Palm Pilot running one of the extant terminal emulators, sharing a new enclosure with the PDP-8 board, attached internally via TTL serial. > Might make an interesting coversation piece. I think a 12-bit hand-held would be pretty cool. -ethan

19 years, 1 month

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Test, ignore

by evan＠snarc.net

19 years, 1 month

1
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Source code cross referencing tools?

by rcini＠optonline.net

All: Does anyone know of a tool that will take an arbitrary list of source files (say C) and cross reference the variables and routines among the source files? Here?s the problem. I?m trying to adapt and extract a small portion of a large project for a smaller project. The header files spider all over the place and the code calls functions in several modules. In all, there?s several hundred of source files in the large project and I think I?ll probably need fragments of about 15 of them. Does this make sense to anyone? I want to take the source file I?m interested in and find out where the variables and functions are declared in other modules. Rich -- Rich Cini Collector of Classic Computers Build Master and lead engineer, Altair32 Emulator http://www.altair32.com http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/classiccmp

19 years, 1 month

5
5
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ASCII (Apple //e, specifically) to USB HID keyboard?

by feedle＠feedle.net

Has anybody come up with a easy to implement solution for connecting an ASCII keyboard (or, specifically, an Apple //e keyboard) to a modern computer system? I'm just beginning to try to wrap my head around this problem, and it seems... non-trivial... The goal would be a USB-compliant HID device that would allow a //e keyboard to be used on a modern computer.

19 years, 1 month

14
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Reading NorthStar Horizon hard sector disks on PC

by lynchaj＠yahoo.com

Hi, Is it possible to read, but not necessarily write, a NorthStar Horizon hard sector disk using a standard PC NEC 765 type FDC? If not, why? The NorthStar controller uses FM and/or MFM encoding but I do not understand the reason why. Based on what I have read, it appears the NorthStar disks are unreadable on the PC without special hardware such as the MatchPoint PC and/or Catweasel cards. Thanks in advance for your enlightenment on the subject. Andrew Lynch

19 years, 1 month

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USB for the PDP-8 !

by jos.mar＠bluewin.ch

Just something i found while surfing : http://ce.et.tudelft.nl/publicationfiles/924_507_thesis-1.pdf Jos Dreesen

19 years, 1 month

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newbie building a scratch-built computer

by wbblair3＠yahoo.com

Joe, If your goal is primarily to build a classic, "retro" computer, the Micro-KIM or Replica 1 kits (Apple 1 clone) would be a good choices. However, I see your mention of a desire to learn some machine language coding. In that case, it might be wise to learn something that has modern applications, like coding for microcontrollers. There are a huge number of trainers, kits and development boards for those and, because they are current technology, a large number of books and other information about them. As a big plus, any coding experience you'd get would have value on a resume. The 8051 has always been a very popular and much-used microcontroller, but I'm not sure if it's still the most popular. The Atmel AVR series, especially their Mega devices, seem to be getting a lot of attention. Among the large number of board choices for that series, there's a little $20 demo board (not a kit) based upon a Mega device called the AVR Butterfly. It has an LCD display, light sensor and thermistor. You could build things around it since it isn't a kit: http://www.avrfreaks.net/index.php?module=FreaksTools&func=viewItem&item_id… There are a whole series of other AVR-based boards to choose from and the total number of microcontroller trainers, evaluation and development boards available based upon other microcontroller series is huge. Bill ____________________________________________________________________________________ Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's economy) at Yahoo! Games. http://get.games.yahoo.com/proddesc?gamekey=monopolyherenow

19 years, 1 month

1
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Who wants some press in south florida?

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

a media organization in south florida (palm beach, broward, miami-dade counties, cities such as West palm beach, delray, boca, fort lauderdale, hollywood, miami, etc.) is looking for people who collect vintage/classic/old computers regarding an article on that topic they are working on. If anyone is interested in this, please contact me off-list as soon as possible for details. Best regards, Jay West

19 years, 1 month

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Reading NorthStar Horizon hard sector disks on PC

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

> >Subject: Reading NorthStar Horizon hard sector disks on PC > From: "Andrew Lynch" <lynchaj at yahoo.com> > Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 23:14:17 -0400 > To: <cctech at classiccmp.org> > >Hi, > >Is it possible to read, but not necessarily write, a NorthStar Horizon hard >sector disk using a standard PC NEC 765 type FDC? > >If not, why? The NorthStar controller uses FM and/or MFM encoding but I do >not understand the reason why. The disks do not have any of the needed marks recorded to sychronize to. Also the check byte is not a CRC of the type that any FDC uses. As to FM/MFM yes thats the same but that only defines what the bits sent by the serial stream are represented by on the magnetic media bot the next level up in the formatting of the data. To simplify, the NS* controller uses the holes to signify where data is rather than laying down a complex series of recorded marks to signal where the contrller where the disk is at. The result is that the controller hardware is simplified and the CPU can do some of the work. >Based on what I have read, it appears the NorthStar disks are unreadable on >the PC without special hardware such as the MatchPoint PC and/or Catweasel >cards. Correct. Allison

19 years, 1 month

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Near-Topic? For your amusement

by doc＠mdrconsult.com

I just don't have words to describe this. If you have a soldering iron on your bench, you should read it. http://tinyurl.com/37n6eh Doc Shipley

19 years, 1 month

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Source code cross referencing tools?

by melamy＠earthlink.net

take a look at this... http://www.swbs.com/ -----Original Message----- >From: "Richard A. Cini" <rcini at optonline.net> >Sent: Jul 30, 2007 4:21 PM >To: "Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> >Subject: Source code cross referencing tools?

19 years, 1 month

1
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Name that calc

by silent700＠gmail.com

I was reviewing my small calculator collection tonight and unboxed this old thing: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chiclassiccomp/946510637/ I've had it for at least ten years and had nearly forgotten about it. It's a Dietzgen with Nixies, it's got "scientific" functions, and takes a standard power cord. That's about the extent of my knowledge. Anyone know the model number on it, or other interesting details? TIA... -j

19 years, 1 month

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Tektonix 4632 Video printer on Ebay

by jwstephens＠msm.umr.edu

Anyone looking for Tek terminal stuff? This specimen looks pretty clean, and might be something of interest to the Tek Terminal collectors here. Jim 260133525847

19 years, 1 month

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CTX Panoview 630 power supply pinout?

by samteck＠gmail.com

Hi. I also have one of those LCD's, but with the elo Touch reference (ELT121C-7SWA-1) By means have you figure out the Pin-Out for the power Brick ?? Best regards and thanks in advance. Samuel Antunes

19 years, 1 month

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Imagedisk 1.17

by dave06a＠dunfield.com

Hi Guys, A few days back I posted ImageDisk 1.17 to the site, and it's just been reported (and confirmed) that it had a bug which causes it to write images incorrectly (fortunately it appears to read them correctly). I've corrected the problem and updated the package - if you have downloaded 1.17 before today, please download it again. I've also restored Imagedisk 1.16 to the site, listing it as the last known stable release, so that people won't be left hanging if (when) something like this happens again. <rant> I apologize for the inconvienence - I've been sitting on 1.17 for a few months - there were substantial changes made to the read/write disk functions accomodate the ability to record the data from bad sectors, and I knew there was a strong possibility of problems. I made these changes at the request of a member of this list who just "had to have them" right away. Took me a fair bit time to make the changes, which also involved research, pestering Chuck, Allison and others and lots of trial and error to figure out what I could and could not do with the 765FDC and bad sectors. This also required additions to the image file format, and therefore update to all of the utilities which manipulate them - During this time I had several correspondances with the individual who had requested the changes, and he promised me that if I made them, he would test it thoroughly, make extensive use of it (iirc several hundred disks to process) and give me a full report of any problems etc. that were encountered before I released the software for mass consumption. So I delivered the new software to him (early may), and he immediately fell silent. Contacted him a week later, and was told that he hadn't had time to look at it, but would let me know when he got around to it.... Now several months have gone by and not a peep from him. So... I posted it anyway (my bad), and of course there was a problem. I've corrected it, but due to the number of changes required for this update, it could still benefit from some outside testing (any volenteers?) It's annoying to invest time to do someone a favor (that they asked for) only to find out that they consider their own time too valuable to follow up their part - I'm sure Chuck will tell me that this is one of the reasons he finally told people to shove Teledisk beyond the reach of solar illumination... </rant> If anyone can help check out 1.17, that would be much appreciated. Regards, Dave -- dave06a (at) Dave Dunfield dunfield (dot) Firmware development services & tools: www.dunfield.com com Collector of vintage computing equipment: http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/index.html

19 years, 1 month

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stuff available, KY

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

Email me offlist if interested.... -------------------- Please reply. Hi I was wondering if you could help. I don't really want to throw this stuff away, but I need to get rid of it. My next step is to dispose of it on our "free dump day". I don't want any money, just my room back. If you know of anyone that would be willing to help me find a home for these I would greatly appreciate it. I am in the Frankfort, KY area and am willing to travel up to 2 hours. I only have 1 truck, but I can make several trips. I have a room full of computers, monitors, dot matrix printers, keyboards, mice, etc. It is more than a pickup load. I have no clue about what they are or if they are worth anything to anybody. If it's junk, please let me know that also. Here is a partial list. I haven't made it to the other end of the room or the attic yet. I haven't tested any of these. IBM Personal Computer XT - I have about 18 of these - some are 5150 and some are 5160. Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 4 - I have 4 of these 1 each of the following: Cathode Ray Oscillograph IBM PS-1 IBM PS/2 Heathkit H9 Dell 333 s/L AT&T 6386 SX/EL20 W6S Aptiva 510 Zenith Data System Z-Server EX 433DE Gateway P5-120 Macintosh Centris 660 AV Zenith Data Systems Z-433D+ AXCEL by Packard Bell Radio Shack TRS-80 Model III A couple of No Names I have about 30 more that I will need time to get info from. Printers: IBM ProPrinter Panasonic Quiet KX-P2135 24 Pin Color IBM Quietwriter III 5202 Panasonic KX-P1624 24 Pin MultiMode - I have 2 of these Epson LQ-1000 IBM 2381-001 IBM Quickwriter I have more printers, but haven't gotten to them yet. Maybe 10 or so. I do have a strange looking monitor. It says CIT-101e. I also have a lot of monitors, keyboards, and mice. There should be some complete systems in there somewhere, but I don't know what goes together. I do know that some of the monitors are monochrome. It just piled up faster than I could keep up with it. I am just putting in numbers and info that is on the machines. I don't know what is inside. Thanks, Karen

19 years, 1 month

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VCF Midwest 3.0 thoughts

by ISC277＠CLCILLINOIS.EDU

I had an excellent time this year as usual, even though we initially had some unforseen problems getting rolling toward Purdue. Lots to see, and I had a fun time socializing(and on occasion brainstorming) with those I don't see nearly often enough. The speakers were great and very entertaining, and Rick did a great job coordinating dinner for Saturday night. As an exhibitor, I have to say that the turnout was way better than I thought, especially on Sunday. Thanks to everyone involved for making this not only a success but an entertaining endevour as well. Looking forward to 4.0! Julian

19 years, 1 month

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Two IBM Display Station 4978 terminals avail in Connecticut.

by tosteve＠yahoo.com

Do not contact me, please contact owner below. Here are the pics: http://members.cox.net/oldcomputerads/pics/IMGA0198.JPG http://members.cox.net/oldcomputerads/pics/IMGA0199.JPG http://members.cox.net/oldcomputerads/pics/IMGA0200.JPG http://members.cox.net/oldcomputerads/pics/IMGA0201.JPG http://members.cox.net/oldcomputerads/pics/IMGA0202.JPG Stephen Rescsanski <srescs at yahoo.com> wrote: Have to dispose of two IBM's that are in IBM boxes from the 60's that have been in my basement for years. Wife says get rid of them. If interested, you would need to pick them up or pay shipping from Conn. Need answer this week as they go. They are model 4978 with their keyboards. No idea if they are operational as I never fired them up. Steve Rescsanski --------------------------------- Yahoo! oneSearch: Finally, mobile search that gives answers, not web links.

19 years, 1 month

1
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Floppy imaging -- edumacate me?

by drb＠msu.edu

Dear all, You may be familiar with the phenomenon of a project list years long, and with the way it often gets ordered: "project #345 sounds interesting today." Well, this weekend, I finally managed to combine motivation, interest and parts, and assemble a working 5.25" + catweasel floppy imaging setup. This moved up the priority list because the machine I usually use to image floppies can't do SD, and these old Osborne 1 floppies have been on my desk staring at me since someone on IRC asked about Oz-ware weeks ago... I'm want to have backups of my piles of floppies, as well as to be at least a somewhat responsible preserver (in the unlikely event I actually managed to hang onto something not already widely saved), and to be able to share bits and pieces as seems appropriate. I'd like to be able to both re-create floppies as well as use the data in emulation. I understand the latter is going to require format conversions in a lot of cases, and that the necessary converters may or may not exist yet. I've used both ImageDisk and cw2dmk in the past. What I'm wondering is this: what about the DMK or IMD formats is going to cause me problems later? I prefer data images to flux images because the latter are clearly not directly usable in any emulator. I understand how a flux image enables more accurate re-creation of a real floppy, but the scope and implications of that are a bit fuzzy. I'd like to have some feel for how many things I'm going to be unable to reproduce later, how they'll go wrong, why images won't be useful to others, etc. Obviously no single solution is suitable for all applications, my mileage will vary, &c. Both of the above-mentioned are excellent pieces of work with many valid applications. I suppose I'm basically looking for war stories which illustrate particular technical issues here -- the criteria for making the choices, not the mythical "best answers". I've spent some time googling through the cctalk archives without finding the kinds of discussion I was hoping for, but I'll cheerfully accept hints about how to approach the problem that way. De

19 years, 1 month

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dec stuff available in Lindsay, Ontario, Canada

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

See http://www.ezwind.net/jwest/canada for a few pictures Contact me offlist if interested. Jay West

19 years, 1 month

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pdp11 and rsx11 available

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

See http://www.ezwind.net/jwest/dayton for two pics. These items are located in Dayton OH. If interested, please contact me offlist. Jay West

19 years, 1 month

1
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DEC BA353 Replacement fan?

by healyzh＠aracnet.com

Does anyone have any advice on finding a replacement fan for a BA353-AE enclosure? I finally managed to crack open the case, and it looks to be a Nidec a33475-57 fan. Zane -- | Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Administrator | | healyzh at aracnet.com (primary) | OpenVMS Enthusiast | | MONK::HEALYZH (DECnet) | Classic Computer Collector | +----------------------------------+----------------------------+ | Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, | | PDP-10 Emulation and Zane's Computer Museum. | | http://www.aracnet.com/~healyzh/ |

19 years, 1 month

1
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1966 Mag: Build NE-2 Neon Bulb Computer - scan available

by technobug＠comcast.net

On Thu, 26 Jul 2007 21:50:07 -0700, "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com> wrote: > On 26 Jul 2007 at 21:39, dwight elvey wrote: > >> Hi >> I have soem tubes made in the 1920's that still have a >> good vacuum. How much longer should I wait. >> Dwight > > Isn't that the whole idea behind a getter? Activated getter works on active gasses (and some of the heavier inert ones also) up to the point where the activated surface becomes saturated. In a well sealed tube, that can be a substantial time. However, it does not work with helium. Helium abhors a vacuum and will attempt to equilibrate its partial pressure inside the tube with that outside - glass and getter be damned. Same goes for HeNe lasers - the helium inside makes for the outside world and the laser goes south. I've been keeping a pair of HP Interferometers going for years by occasionally putting them in pure He for several weeks, all the time measuring the output and waiting for it to come back to spec. If you have an old, well-sealed tube that has gone gassy due to helium, you can rescue it by putting it in a high vacuum for a couple of months... CRC

19 years, 1 month

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1966 Mag: Build NE-2 Neon Bulb Computer - scan available

by jfoust＠threedee.com

At 12:23 PM 7/28/2007, William Donzelli wrote: >> Surgistors were very popular in the 50's as either an add-on for TV >> receivers or as part of the original chassis. > >Filled with the finest snake oil available... An old commercial for the Wuerth Tube Saver : http://www.archive.org/details/The_Big_Idea - John

19 years, 1 month

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Info requested about ebay seller newbegin-antiques

by aek＠bitsavers.org

> I am looking for background to assist me evaluating this seller. arrogant greedy asshole see previous classiccmp msgs about this scumbag

19 years, 1 month

1
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1966 Mag: Build NE-2 Neon Bulb Computer - scan available

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

> >Subject: Re: 1966 Mag: Build NE-2 Neon Bulb Computer - scan available > From: ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) > Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 23:54:18 +0100 (BST) > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > >> <rant> >> I'll make this vintage computer-oriented. How many people still own >> a working dishwasher/clothes washer with an integral computer that >> was manufactured over 10 years ago? When I first saw a dishwasher Maytag washer dryer pair, still in use and working fine. >> with computerized control, my reaction was "What a damned fool thing >> to do--put a computer in the absolutely worst (hot water, caustics, >> steam) environment possible. Now you can't buy them any other way. Automotive is considerably worse. Hot, humid, large temperature changes, power system that runs from 6V worst case to 18V with transients higher and it must work for 5years to be considered passably reliable. >You can see the manufacturer's point. A custom chip is a lot cheaper to >make than a cam-and-contacts timer. They can put the magic words cam and contacts have a well known failure mech, wear. Solution build it more robust, the counter to that is cost. >'computer', 'microprocessor',. 'digital', etc on the panel. And it's >harder to repair if it fails (if a mechanical timer fails, you can fix >it, if the microprocessor fails, you have to buy a new PCB from the >manufacturers, if they don't want to sell you one, you're stuffed). Most vendors want their product to work because if it doesn't there are plenty of competitors with something to offer. Allison

19 years, 1 month

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1966 Mag: Build NE-2 Neon Bulb Computer - scan available

by jfoust＠threedee.com

At 07:50 AM 7/27/2007, William Donzelli wrote: >The idea behind the getter is to clean up and gas that might be >trapped in the metal elements during pumpdown. A getter is really not >to clean up gases that sneak in thru the glass metal seals - the >getters just are not that effective, and as any plumber will tell you, >leaks only get bigger. Hmm, that reminds me of a lingering question in my mind. As a kid, I remember harvesting tubes from dead TVs behind the repair shop. Breaking the tube, there was often a ring at the top, U-shaped in cross-section. I seem to remember that they were filled with a powder that reacted with water, fizzing. Am I mixing up this smell-memory with playing with calcium carbide? What were common getter chemicals? - John

19 years, 1 month

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Cool Find at Goodwill

by jrkeys＠concentric.net

Yesterday at while at Goodwill looking in the bins I found what looked like a strange calculator. It turns out to be the keyboard (UC-2100) for a Seiko Data 2000 computer watch. Had I knew at the time I would have been on the lookout for the watch, anyway I got the keyboard for 50 cent. Also found a lot of stuff the looks like it came form a Computerland store in FL. I ended up spending close to $40 two large boxes and five very large bags full of stuff to play with. John K.

19 years, 1 month

1
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Apple III Power Supply: Success (I think...)

by derschjo＠msu.edu

Thanks again to everyone offering suggestions for fixing my Apple III's power supply. I opted to do a wholesale replacement of the electrolytics in the power supply, since I was likely going to be removing all of them to test them anyway and there's only a handful to take care of. $9 worth of parts later, the issue seems to be resolved -- the system powers up and runs diagnostics. (Though it keeps cycling, so I don't know yet if that's another problem or normal behavior :)). The only thing I have noticed is that there's a very noticeable "hiss" noise coming from the power supply -- not sure where, exactly. Any ideas if this is normal? At the moment I have only the motherboard & 256k RAM expansion running (no keyboard or floppy drive.) Thanks again! Josh

19 years, 1 month

6
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Reinventing the paper terminal

by silent700＠gmail.com

Well, sort-of: http://blog.scifi.com/tech/archives/2007/07/27/email_typewrite.html

19 years, 1 month

3
2
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Imagedisk 1.17

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

> >Subject: Re: Imagedisk 1.17 > From: "dwight elvey" <dkelvey at hotmail.com> > Date: Sat, 28 Jul 2007 07:28:48 -0700 > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > > > > >>From: "Dave Dunfield" <dave06a at dunfield.com> >> >> > Ah, the step gremlin. It's an old 765(all!!!) problem. The problem is >>when >> > the step pulse is set to minimum acceptable for the drive it's possible >>that >> > due to internal timing of the 765 it can shorten the step timing of the >> > first pulse by 1 count. If that occurs many drives seek badly and you >>get >> > read or write errors because your not where you thought you were. >> > Note: some old drives due to the lubricants turning to goo will also >>exhibit >> > this type of error. There is one solution, step slower (SRT+1). >> >>A possibility - Christial, try using SR= to set the step rate slower. >> >Hi >One other thing. Ususally one doesn't see this one but on a machine I >put together, using a different processor, on one command I was >able to beet the busy response of the controller chip. It was on only >one command but I don't recall which command. >If the PC is running the bus faster than the 765 is clocking, one can >be too quick. >I recall putting a short delay to make sure the status read was coorrect. >I know it was this because I did an experiment that I'd read it twice. >The second read was OK but not the first. >Dwight Yes, this can be the case as the 765 has a micro inside and it has a finite timing delay and that's driven off the main clock which is usually either 4 or 8mhz. Allison > >_________________________________________________________________ >http://imagine-windowslive.com/hotmail/?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGHM_migrati…

19 years, 1 month

1
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Sad Story from Denver

by bmachacek＠pcisys.net

Just thought I'd pass on what happened to me this week. Early in the week I got a call from my son who said they had some kind of device that his manager was going to get rid of but thought I might be interested in getting it. He sent me a follow up email that included a couple of pictures of it. It turns out it was a Data General Eclipse computer and looked like an S-140. I called him back and told him I was interested in getting it because it was an old Data General mini computer. His manager wanted it out of the warehouse which they had dropped their lease on right away. They couldn't wait for me to come up on the week end. (I live in Colo. Springs, the unit was in a warehouse in north Denver) I told my son I could get up there as early as Thursday but Friday would be better. I needed to make arrangements at work since this would be about a 3 hour round trip just to pick it up. When I called my son on Thursday to make final arrangements, he said it was too late. The night shift maintenance crew who were cleaning up the warehouse had not been told to leave the computer there for another day. During the night they took it and a couple of old 286s and threw them in the dumpster. Then, being the efficient crew that they were and since they had filled the dumpster, they called for it to be removed. Well by the time my son's manager got to the warehouse that day, sometime after noon, everything was gone. I think this has taught me a valuable lesson which I guess most of us in the "rescue" business learn at one or another, "Don't Wait". I just wanted to share this with the board and say I won't make this mistake again. The next time I hear of an old computer that is available, I'm going to head out that same day and worry about my work getting done later. Bill Machacek Colo. Springs, CO

19 years, 1 month

2
1
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MMI 6701 bit slice?

by dkelvey＠hotmail.com

>From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com> > >On 26 Jul 2007 at 21:59, dwight elvey wrote: > > > I'm only familiar with the 2901 and 3000. I've looked at the > > signetics 8X300 but that is more of a halfway between uController > > and bit slice. > > Dwight > >MMI's 6701 was *very* close to the 2901. There was also Moto's 10800 >ECL series and some early Fairchild (3800?) parts, as well as Intel's >3000 series (you can find that on the old MDS-800 8" floppy >controllers). > Hi When I worked at Intel, I was responsible for test of the analog board that went with the 3000 series controller board. It seemed that even at the time, most of the engineers were only digital and something like a PLL or balanced mixer were beyond them. I did find a bug on the controller cards. It seems that there was a race. It was on one of the lines from the ROMs that controlled one of the states. The problem was that the newer ROMs were getting too fast and the outputs were changing too quickly. I don't recall what was done to fix that but I thought it was interesting. I believe they added a little more delay to one of the clocks. Dwight _________________________________________________________________ http://newlivehotmail.com

19 years, 1 month

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HP 1615 user/svc manual

by aek＠bitsavers.org

someone was looking for this a few weeks ago http://bitsavers.org/pdf/hp/te/01615-90904_1615A_User_Service_Man_Oct79.pdf not the greatest scans, but all I have right now.

19 years, 1 month

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Mountain A/D Card?

by steve＠craftsathome.net

Hello. I found one of these (bare) cards for my Apple II, and have looked around on the web for documentation and software. I saw an old post you made about the same hardware, and was wondering if you had anything to share. Thanks.

19 years, 1 month

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MMI 6701 bit slice?

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

> >Subject: RE: MMI 6701 bit slice? > From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com> > Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 08:32:44 -0700 > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > >On 27 Jul 2007 at 6:51, dwight elvey wrote: > >> When I worked at Intel, I was responsible for test of the analog board >> that went with the 3000 series controller board. >> It seemed that even at the time, most of the engineers were >> only digital and something like a PLL or balanced mixer were >> beyond them. > >One thing I recall about the MDS floppy controller boards is that >they ran hot as a two-buck pistol. That was probably true of most of >the bit-slice stuff of the time. That and straight 74 (not LS or AS) TTL. >Around that time, I'd heard something concerning the Intel 8272 (the >8271 was apparently a horrible botch) FDC that I've long wondered was >true or not. The 8271 was single density only and at the time the market wanted DD. Worked ok but wrong part too late. > >I'd heard that Intel started development on the 8272, but couldn't >quite pull it off, and traded the basic design to NEC in exchange for >NEC's graphics controller. NEC completed the design as the uPD 765 >and licensed it back to Intel. Is there the slightest grain of truth >to this? No. 765 was a NEC design and licensed to Intel. There were some IP trading done between NEC and intel but involved other parts like 7201 (AKA 8274) and others (micros). Back then the chip makers very incestuous. From 79 to mid 80 was a very crazy time. >The 765/8272 in any case was too late for our own development. Like >a lot of other outfits, we went with the gang on Red Hill Road for >FDCs. By then WD had been making functional (usually) 1791/1793 parts for two maybe three years. However, along the way they often would have receipe problems and were known to deliver bad parts that would not work at all. The 1793 was a complex part for it's time and for WD the only thing they did that was more complex was WD16 (microprogrammed CPU also known as LSI-11). FYI: SMC created a varient that didn't have the three voltage needs of the WD part that was also socket compatable. Allison

19 years, 1 month

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cctech Digest, Vol 47, Issue 34

by Watzman＠neo.rr.com

I'm not sure if this is sad or funny. I was in contact with the original owner and was possibly going to take it, but I gave up my claim because she found someone local who wanted it (you apparently). The issue is the shipping cost .... which I fear could be $50 (Ohio, 44720), these were heavy. Very heavy. My real purpose, frankly, is as possible spare parts for a (probably non-working) 1620 (the KSR keyboard version of the same basic printer). I have typewheels, ribbons (may or may not be any good) and full documentation (including the service manuals)(although I'm not sure that I know where they are). Any idea on the shipping cost to Ohio, 44720? By the way, the 1610/1620 does have software handshaking (ETX/ACK), and if you short a jumper on the CPU board, it's serial interface runs at 1,200 baud. In that case, you MUST use ETX/ACK handshaking, but it will print at 45 cps instead of 30 cps (and I seem to recall that it does bidirectional printing in that mode also, if the next line has been fully received). The difference is quite significant. Thanks, Barry Watzman Watzman at neo.rr.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:22:04 -0700 From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com> Subject: AVAILABLE: Diable 1610 Hytype DW printer I went ahead and picked up the Diablo 1610 printer from the local party here who was trying to find a home for it. Now I want to give it a home... I checked it out--it works just fine and includes several typewheels (all various flavors of Courier) and ribbons as well as the operator's manual. Includes forms tractor. In pretty good condition for a 30 year old printer. This is an RO (no keyboard) model in charcoal color skins. Serial interface 110-300 baud w no handshake; 1200 using ETX/ACK. Free for shipping from Eugene, OR. Cheers, Chuck

19 years, 1 month

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Manual needed ... Dual Systems Control Corp memory board

by Watzman＠neo.rr.com

Anyone have documentation for a Dual Systems Control Corp (later acquired by NorthStar) DMEM-256k memory board?

19 years, 1 month

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Magazines taken!

by nerdware＠ctgonline.org

Thank you. -- Paul Braun Valparaiso, IN "There's a fine line between stupid, and clever." - David St. Hubbins "Enjoy every sandwich." - Warren Zevon "The Fountain of Youth is a state of mind." - The Ides of March

19 years, 1 month

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info wanted on CompuPro 10 series

by jack.rubin＠ameritech.net

I've been offered a couple "late model" CompuPro Systems - a 10+ and an MP310 - but I don't know anything about these "new" systems; all my experience was with the pure S100 stuff, from early Econoram through the 816 systems. Can anyone provide details on anything in the 10 series? Were these still based on S100 cards (though with switching power supplies?) or were they some sort of single-board attempt at survival? Thanks - Jack No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.10.22/922 - Release Date: 7/27/2007 6:08 AM

19 years, 1 month

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5 boxes of magazines available - Pickup NW Indiana/Chicago only

by nerdware＠ctgonline.org

Hello. I'm finally down to the end of my collection - all of the hardware has gone to good homes (except my 128k Mac and my Amigas. Love my Amigas.) I have 5-50lb boxes of Byte, going back to the '70's, as well as Information Age and probably a few Dr. Dobbs' thrown in somewhere. There are also a couple of boxes of miscellaneous books and documentation. I don't want to just pitch this stuff, but I also really don't want to go through the hassle of packing and shipping 300lbs of paper. I live in NW Indiana, about 45 minutes East of Chicago. First person to email me off-list (has to be off-list, since I unsubbed a while ago) who can come down in a fairly short amount of time and pick this stuff up gets it. I ask for nothing, except maybe to buy me lunch. If I don't hear from anyone by the end of next week, it's going in the trash. I hate to do that, but I need the space. Thanks! -- Paul Braun Valparaiso, IN "There's a fine line between stupid, and clever." - David St. Hubbins "Enjoy every sandwich." - Warren Zevon "The Fountain of Youth is a state of mind." - The Ides of March

19 years, 1 month

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Read error correction in software

by cclist＠sydex.com

A little background on the subject... I'm working with a number of old 100 TPI 5.25" HS diskettes and a catweasel to read them. The data encoding is plain MFM and thus far, the whole project involving some 27-year old media is going pretty well, considering the age and condition of the media. Occasionally, I'll pick up a data error (no big surprise). According to what I've been able to determine from the CW output, most of the errors involve extraneous noise in the read output. In other words, if the normal pulse timings for MFM are 0.5 1.0 and 1.5 cell-time units, a pulse will sometimes be seen that occurs less than 0.25 time unit from the previous one. The CW output is essentially a bunch of 7 bit numbers that express the number of clocks seen since the last pulse was read. My original thought was to ignore each noise pulse by adding its clock-count value to that of the next pulse that comes along. In other words, if I get a stream of pulses with clock counts of, say, 10 20 30 20 5 15 10..., I'd skip the 5 pulse and convert the 15 to a 20. This doesn't work well. While it's better than acually counting the extraneous pulse as a data pulse, much better results are obtained if the pulse is simply ignored and the next pulse clock-count is used as- is without "correction". Does anyone know why this would be? I can't rationalize it. Cheers, Chuck

19 years, 1 month

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Wange PC in Windsor, Ontario

by chrism3667＠yahoo.com

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-1984-WANG-COMPLETE-PC-XC3-2 -SYSTEM-WORKING_W0QQitemZ220133233591QQihZ012QQ categoryZ1247QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem I do not recommend exercising the b-i-n option though, despite the promise of free shipping. oi ____________________________________________________________________________________ Get the free Yahoo! toolbar and rest assured with the added security of spyware protection. http://new.toolbar.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/norton/index.php

19 years, 1 month

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AVAILABLE: Diable 1610 Hytype DW printer

by cclist＠sydex.com

I went ahead and picked up the Diablo 1610 printer from the local party here who was trying to find a home for it. Now I want to give it a home... I checked it out--it works just fine and includes several typewheels (all various flavors of Courier) and ribbons as well as the operator's manual. Includes forms tractor. In pretty good condition for a 30 year old printer. This is an RO (no keyboard) model in charcoal color skins. Serial interface 110-300 baud w no handshake; 1200 using ETX/ACK. Free for shipping from Eugene, OR. Cheers, Chuck

19 years, 1 month

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Read error correction in software

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

> >Subject: RE: Read error correction in software > From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com> > Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 12:50:27 -0700 > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > >On 26 Jul 2007 at 6:40, dwight elvey wrote: > >> Your right, not too good on multiple errors. > >Actually, on MFM, not even that good for single errors. Recall that >the CRC on a 256-byte sector is the 257th and 258th byte of the >sector. So, if an MFM error throws the data stream off, you don't >even get a valid CRC to work with. And MFM data errors can result in >data shifting and clock data "swapping". It might have been a whole >'nother story had the convention been that the CRC precedes the data. > >I've got some ideas about simulating a PLL-type clock in my routines >developing bit cell "windows" instead of relying on the pulse-to- >pulse spacing. The latter, while being very adaptable to ISV-type >errors, is lousy for recovery of regular data errors. If you implement a software PLL the key function is in the face of a missing pulse you keep the current clock rate and clock in a zero or or one as needed to fill the stream. The usual analog PLL tend to have an idle rate and lacking a error signal it will either retain the current rate or hunt back to the center rate. Since in a corrstly set PLL the error rate and the centered rate are not widely seperated drift is rarely a factor short term. Allison

19 years, 1 month

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MMI 6701 bit slice?

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

> >Subject: MMI 6701 bit slice? > From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com> > Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 10:47:31 -0700 > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > >There's been a lot of chatter about the AMD 2901 series bit-slice. >Does anyone recall any system that employed the MMI 6701 series? > >Cheers, >Chuck CM2000, 2100 and CM2100 CM stands for Cininatti Millichron a 16bit Mini, used one around 73-74. There were others but cant recall which. Allison

19 years, 1 month

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Imagedisk 1.17

by oldcpu＠rogerwilco.org

Dave Dunfield said: > A few days back I posted ImageDisk 1.17 to the site, and it's just > been reported (and confirmed) that it had a bug which causes it to > write images incorrectly (fortunately it appears to read them > correctly). > > I've corrected the problem and updated the package - if you have > downloaded 1.17 before today, please download it again. > > I've also restored Imagedisk 1.16 to the site, listing it as the > last known stable release, so that people won't be left hanging if > (when) something like this happens again. > > ...snip... > > It's annoying to invest time to do someone a favor (that they asked for) only > to find out that they consider their own time too valuable to follow up their > part - I'm sure Chuck will tell me that this is one of the reasons he finally > told people to shove Teledisk beyond the reach of solar illumination... > </rant> > > If anyone can help check out 1.17, that would be much appreciated. I for one am mighty grateful for the actual usefulness of IMageDisk and want to just through my .02 cents into the hat. It's a shame that your recent 'extra' efforts weren't/aren't properly acknowledged, and that the follow-through from the other side hasn't +happened. Still, please regard me as an appreciative user of IMageDisk. In recent months, I have processed nearly 450 floppies from my old MS-DOS days, as well as a set of CP/M and other development tools for my quite obscure, but not particularly noteworthy, Novell Data Systems 2010, a Z80A-based machine. I was becoming very, very nervous about the stability of those old NDS 2010 diskettes (not used since c.1982), and breathed a huge sigh of relief when I got all of those floppies imaged and burned to CD-ROM. Unfortunately, I've just finished my 'imaging project' using IMD 1.16, so I don't have much to test with 1.17. Still, my hand is extended to you for producing, *and maintaining*, such a useful tool for vintage collectors. Many thanks! - Jared

19 years, 1 month

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broadcast automation yahoo group

by n8uhn＠yahoo.com

Hi, i finally got around to starting a yahoo group called "broadcast automation" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BroadcastAutomation a place to share memories, photo's, repair tip's and general knowledge about vintage and not so vintage broadcast automation and other broadcast radio/tv gear. the group is geared toward collectors but all are welcome to join. like i said, i just created the group so the page/remailer is rough but as people join and post it can only grow ;-) please let anyone else who may be interested know about the new group Bill ____________________________________________________________________________________ Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's economy) at Yahoo! Games. http://get.games.yahoo.com/proddesc?gamekey=monopolyherenow

19 years, 1 month

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Classic phone repair (was Re: 1966 Mag: Build NE-2....)

by classiccmp＠memory-alpha.org.uk

Hi, > Are you sure it's DTMF? Most GPO 'phones were pulse-dialing, even if they >had a keypad. GPO exchanges didn't eespond ot DTMF signals AFAIK. Yes, it's definitely DTMF....it even has "*" and "#" buttons either side of the "0", unlike any other Trimphones I've seen in the wild. According to the label on the bottom of the broken one, it was supplied by BT rather than the GPO. There's nothing indicating any date of supply or manufacture though. A friend got these phones for me around about 1989/90. He was on an industrial placement at Kidsgrove I think (working for either ICL or STC) and came across an entire skip full of the things next to an office block which was being refurbished. I guess they were used on an internal exchange? BTW Any idea when BT started "DTMF enabling" exchanges (presumably that came in with "System X")? I've got a vague recollection of requesting tone dialling around 1988 give or take a year, and having to have my number changed since only one of the five exchanges covering this area at the time was a System X exchange. > There may have neen an N-diagram for it (there's an archive of >these on the web -- do a google search for 'N-diagram').... Thanks, I'll go take a look. > I didn't think the ringer was that complicatated. Can't you trace >out the schematic? Well, I'm not sure it's just the ringer....when the phone was plugged into the line and someone called the (trim)phone on my extension would completely fail to ring. Also, the exchange would send them a single ring tone, then a few seconds of silence (as if the call had been answered), then another single ring....etc.... I suppose I should sit down and trace out the circuits. Most of the "complicated" stuff seems to be on the keypad (the DTMF encoder), the rest looks fairly straightforward. Just a matter of getting up the enthusiasm, not easy at the moment as I'm still fighting off the effects of coming off anti-depressants.... :-( TTFN - Pete.

19 years, 1 month

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tek dos/50 floppy file system format?

by brad＠heeltoe.com

Does anyone have any information on the directory structure of a Tektronix DOS/50 floppy? I'll figure it out by hand, but I thought I'd ask in case someone else has already done it. -brad

19 years, 1 month

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Apple Image Writer

by tpeters＠mixcom.com

Hi all, seems I might be getting fired this week. Interviewed for another position at the same place, but I'm up against someone with more experience. So, things to sell. I've got an Apple Image Writer dot-matrix printer to start with. It's the older version, I think based on a C.Itoh design, or maybe the NEC P8023? It's serial interface only, and there's life left in the ribbon. I didn't connect it to a computer but powered up holding the Form Feed button, it prints a barber-pole test. It's model A9M0303, which is not the more widely available ImageWriter II. It's the original. This dude (not me) has pictures of his. Mine looks just like it, except for the serial number: http://www.myoldcomputers.com/museum/perif/print303.htm I can take and send photos of mine in action, if anyone has interest in the printer. I have and will include the original box and packing materials, and the reference manual, but no serial cable (it's standard DB-25.) Is anyone interested in this item? Thanks, Tom ----- 544. [Love] Many a girl has gotten into trouble by obeying that boyological urge. --Katharine Brush (born 1893) --... ...-- -.. . -. ----. --.- --.- -... tpeters at nospam.mixcom.com (remove "nospam") N9QQB (amateur radio) "HEY YOU" (loud shouting) WEB: http://www.mixweb.com/tpeters 43? 7' 17.2" N by 88? 6' 28.9" W, Elevation 815', Grid Square EN53wc WAN/LAN/Telcom Analyst, Tech Writer, MCP, CCNA, Registered Linux User 385531

19 years, 1 month

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Classic phone repair (was Re: 1966 Mag: Build NE-2....)

by classiccmp＠memory-alpha.org.uk

Hi, >....no internal schematics for the dialer (keypad/DTMF econder) >or ringer. Actually, I just spotted what you mean about the ringer....I'd forgotten it was a complete circuit board on it's own. It looks pretty simple though, only a handful of components (a transformer, four or six diodes, two BC108Bs and a few resistors/caps). Might have a bash at debugging it tomorrow afternoon. That diagram is still darn useful though, it lets me make sense of the rats nest of wires on the main board. TTFN - Pete.

19 years, 1 month

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Classic phone repair (was Re: 1966 Mag: Build NE-2....)

by classiccmp＠memory-alpha.org.uk

Hi, > As expected, while you get an overall schematics of the phone, >there are no internal schematics for the dialer (keypad/DTMF >econder) or ringer. May be some help, though. On the contrary, that looks like exactly what I was looking for (unless the fault is in the keypad unit, LOL). Many thanks. TTFN - Pete.

19 years, 1 month

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Three "classic" printers (and a PC) available for free (UK)

by classiccmp＠memory-alpha.org.uk

More stuff to get rid of.... I've got an HP "Laserjet+", a DEC "LA324 MultiPrinter" and an Epson "FX-1170" available for the cost of coming and picking them up from Birmingham. The Epson printer also comes with a free Tandon "Pac 286" AT clone, c/w keyboard and mono monitor (Hercules?) and there might even be a manual or two. It's one of the models with no internal FD and contains two "data pac" receptacles, there's one data pac included (10Mb I think). Never powered any of this stuff up, but it was all working when I received it. Drop me a line off list in interested, thanks. TTFN - Pete.

19 years, 1 month

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Advice/Suggestions for repairing Apple III power supply

by derschjo＠msu.edu

Hi all -- Picked up an Apple III this weekend in non-working condition, and I suspect the power supply is at fault. Symptoms are: On power up, a rapid clicking noise is emitted from the power supply (maybe 4Hz or so), and the power LED on the system's motherboard pulses at the same rate. Obviously I haven't run it for more than a few seconds like this :). There are no obviously bad parts (burned parts, swelled/leaking capacitors, etc...) that I can see. I'm mostly a software guy but I'm trying to get more into hardware so that I can better maintain my collection as more stuff starts to break down :). I'd like to make an attempt to fix this but I'm unsure where to start. I have found schematics at: http://www.1000bit.net/SUPPORT/SCHEMA/a3/050-0057-a.jpg. If anyone has any advice, I'd be most appreciative. Thanks in advance! - Josh

19 years, 1 month

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Interesting document listing characteristics of pre-1971 spaceborne computer systems

by wbblair3＠yahoo.com

Spaceborne digital computer systems, NASA SPACE VEHICLE DESIGN CRITERIA (Guidance), NASA (Washington, DC, United States), March, 1971, pp. 82, Format(s): PDF 10187k http://trs.nis.nasa.gov/archive/00000106/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Looking for a deal? Find great prices on flights and hotels with Yahoo! FareChase. http://farechase.yahoo.com/

19 years, 1 month

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Classiccmpers near Dusseldorf?

by cheri-post＠web.de

Hello Ethan, I am from Bonn, which is an hour away from D?sseldorf. Tell me when you're going to be there. Although I don't have much time at the moment, it maybe it's possible to meet in D?sseldorf. Regards, Pierre > Are there any list members in or around Dusseldorf or Wuppertal? It > looks like the University is sending me there for a few days in > August. I've spent plenty of time in Munich, but don't know much > about other parts of Germany. > > Cheers, > > -ethan > _______________________________________________________________________ Jetzt neu! Sch?tzen Sie Ihren PC mit McAfee und WEB.DE. 3 Monate kostenlos testen. http://www.pc-sicherheit.web.de/startseite/?mc=022220

19 years, 1 month

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AIX 3.2 Installation Media - anyone got a spare set?

by glen.slick＠gmail.com

I rescued some 1990 vintage RS/6000 7012 & 7013 boxes which I don't know much about yet. It appears that AIX v3 is what originally would have been installed on these. Anyone got a spare set of AIX 3.2 installation media that I could use to get an OS loaded on these again, or know where I would have any luck finding this? A quick check of eBay turns up some V5 installation media for sale, but that would most likely choke on these old boxes and I don't see anyone currently listing old AIX versions. -Glen

19 years, 1 month

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Classiccmpers near Dusseldorf?

by ethan.dicks＠gmail.com

Are there any list members in or around Dusseldorf or Wuppertal? It looks like the University is sending me there for a few days in August. I've spent plenty of time in Munich, but don't know much about other parts of Germany. Cheers, -ethan

19 years, 1 month

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Interesting hardware and computer intellect

by jbmcb1＠gmail.com

The recent discussion on interesting system architectures triggered a memory I have of a documentary on TV somewhere (Discovery? TechTV? PBS?) on evolvable hardware. There was some intrigue in the episode, on investors accusing researchers of bad faith, or lying, or a scam. Hardware was built, I'm pretty sure it was the CAM-Brain, and it was used quite a bit before the company that built it went under (It may have been Genobyte along with ATR, but I remember the company being based out of England) Anyways, this definitely counts as "interesting" hardware. An FPGA based computer that optimizes it's own logic based on a given problem. The CAM-Brain was built, as was an FPGA engine built by HP, and another in Japan somewhere. Here are some links if anyone is interested: The CAM-Brain: http://trappist.elis.ugent.be/~heeckhau/CBM/ Hugo de Garis has an interesting website discussing weather we should build super-brains (Artliects) or not: http://www.iss.whu.edu.cn/degaris/ Adrian Thompson, one of the bigwigs in evolvable hardware design: http://www.cogs.susx.ac.uk/users/adrianth/ade.html

19 years, 1 month

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Advice/Suggestions for repairing Apple III power supply

by ethan.dicks＠gmail.com

On 7/23/07, Richard Smith <richard.smith at mewgull.com> wrote: > >Hi all -- > > > >Picked up an Apple III this weekend in non-working condition, and I > >suspect the power supply is at fault. > > > >Symptoms are: On power up, a rapid clicking noise is emitted from > >the power supply (maybe 4Hz or so), and the power LED on the > >system's motherboard pulses at the same rate. > > It's an early switch-mode power supply and the ticking is the device > trying to start up, the control circuit says something is wrong, so > it shuts down. And cycles all over again. I concur. > Disconnect the PSU from the rest of the computer before you try anything else. Indeed, though you might get different behavior with no load whatsoever. This is where those 6V headlamps come in handy. > I would trouble-shoot by looking first at Q1 since that is the > switching transistor, and then maybe all the electrolytics on the +5V > and -5V rails since they are used to provide the reference signal for > the feedback circuit. It's all very simple (compared to modern > switchers). Agreed. One other thing to consider - I've seen this behavior in other machines when there was no problem whatsoever with the PSU - the problem was with the motherboard - a dead short, typically. If you test the PSU with no load or a dummy load, you might get the PSU to start up. If that happens, check the resistance of each voltage input of the motherboard to ground - resistances near 0 or 1 ohm would suggest a problem on that rail. I last saw this behavior when I attempted to use a modern ATX supply on a Blue&White Mac G3 - the PSU ticked and wouldn't start. Turns out that Apple recycled the pin for -5V as an additional ground. Clipping that pin solved the problem (the Mac doesn't need -5V) - it all started normally and runs fine. Stock ATX supply and stock G3 mobo results in ticking. Without further investigation, you can't easily tell, but it could be either the PSU not starting or it could be the protective circuit kicking in. You can do a lot with a VOM and some resistive loads. -ethan

19 years, 1 month

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1966 Mag: Build NE-2 Neon Bulb Computer - scan available

by jam＠magic.com

> On Sunday 22 July 2007 19:40, davis wrote: > > I just read an recent article in eetimes that the target life of new > > ICs is 10 years. This is due to metal migration and other (i can't > > remember ) effects that sub-micron processes exhibit. I guess you > > should hang on to all the old gear you can get, because everything > > built today will be land-fill in 10 years. I too have that microwave, > > stainless on the outside for no apparent reason and a painted > > interior. The coating failed after a few years. > > "Target life-time" doesn't mean that every one of the chips will be dead > in 10 years. Realistically, at worst, 1/2 will be dead in 10 years, > and more likely than not it'll be somewhere more favorable on the bell > curve than that [an insignificant amount of dead chips until 10 years > out]. There's plenty of products that were produced 20+ years ago > which had worse "target life" (though not all of it had anything to do > with design). Yes, it's much further out on the normal curve. Chip makers have a strong incentive to make chips have long lifetimes. Nobody is going to buy huge volumes of chips that will all die soon. Complicated chips in modern geometries often take many $1M's and often $10M's to develop when you consider the NRE (a few $M's), the tools, and the number of person-years that go into them. If you build chips that die soon, you won't have any customers and that makes it kind of hard to recoup all of those $M's. You really want the product to become obsolete for some other reason than because the chips start dying. If you were creating a mass-market product, would you want to take a $1B write-off on earnings when the world discovered your stuff dies before it's "natural" obsolescence cycle? The general practice is to take the desired lifetime (often 10 years for the server type of chips that I usually build), worst case average temperature, worst case voltage, maximum frequency, pessimistic estimate of how often each signal inside the chip switches, and worst case process variation. A program then applies a formula to each of the structures in the chip design to see if each meets the lifetime expectation with some probability, well over 99%. The models used by these programs take more and more effects into account with each generation. Foundry's work very hard to have good models and work very hard to understand what structures will age poorly and provide design rules to avoid those. Sometimes they mess up and they spend $100M's or more to fix it because their reputation is valuable. For server type applications, the design teams work very hard to be sure that all of the estimates are *not* optimistic. More often, the estimates are fairly pessimistic. The reason is that the probability needs to be really high if you are putting a lot of chips into a box and want the box itself to have a lifetime of 10 years; if a box has 100 chips with only 99% probability of 10 year lifetime, then the contribution >from the chips alone would mean that only 37% of the boxes last for 10 years. Bringing this somewhat back on topic ... one of the worst factors in the equation is the average operating temperature. The lifetime falls exponentially with the temperature. If you can get your chips 10 degrees cooler, you will greatly extend their life; make sure boxes have good fans and that the fans are working well. I don't know what fudge factors and design life were used for commercial chips from the '70s, but no matter what the target was, keep it cool! James Markevitch

19 years, 1 month

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Fwd: [alt.sys.pdp8] Re: Spare cards for 8/L

by legalize＠xmission.com

This message has been forwarded from Usenet. To reply to the original author, use the email address from the forwarded message. Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 17:23:01 -0500 Groups: alt.sys.pdp8 From: "Gordon S. Hlavenka" <nospam at crashelex.com> Reply: nospam at crashelex.com Org: Crash Electronics Subject: Re: Spare cards for 8/L Re: <caSdndv8Zf4_zT7bnZ2dnUVZ_hisnZ2d at rcn.net> Id: <aNQoi.3559$Dx2.1358 at newssvr17.news.prodigy.net> ======== Chuck Harris wrote: > Try and order up a 74181 of any flavor, or a 74182. Or a 7438. I used to own an electronics store, and most of the inventory is still stacked around the garage, crawlspace, attic, etc... Anyway, I have about 90 of the 74182, and a dozen 7438. (I don't have any 6100s, sorry :-) I also have a lot of other older ICs; 74xx, 74F, 74S, and so on. Even a few 5400 family. The store is gone; I just couldn't bear to dump all the STUFF, ya know? But if anybody's looking for ICs or discretes to resurrect an old machine, let me know and I might be able to help out for the cost of a SASE and some change. -- Gordon S. Hlavenka http://www.crashelectronics.com It's bad luck to be superstitious

19 years, 1 month

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CDC-wren fault

by compoobah＠valleyimplants.com

I have the Seagate version of the CDC Wren-4 (ST4376N) and I was wondering if anyone knew of an easy fix for the following fault: Disk spins up (jumpered to spin up automatically) head lock clicks up, two "burbles" that I think mean head seeks and then the drive shuts off and the heads lock again. I don't see any lights flash on the front, but I'm not sure if it has an activity LED.

19 years, 1 month

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1966 Mag: Build NE-2 Neon Bulb Computer

by n8uhn＠yahoo.com

Can Someone repost the link to the scans? it sounds like an interesting project. 1966 Mag: Build NE-2 Neon Bulb Computer > - scan available Bill ____________________________________________________________________________________ Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's economy) at Yahoo! Games. http://get.games.yahoo.com/proddesc?gamekey=monopolyherenow

19 years, 1 month

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VMS Empire Source tapes

by dave＠mitton.com

I have two 7" reel mag tapes upon which I recorded the Fortran sources to VMS Empire. I would like to pass them on to someone that can read and play it. Both are dated 3-Oct-80 version V3.B7 One says "DOS Format" on it. I'm not sure if the other is DOS or something else. Each tapes is in a plastic two piece container, and the write rings have been removed. These would have likely been code that I submitted to one of the DECUS releases. Yes, I had something to do with the VMS Empire, but it was mostly debugging and getting it to run on VMS. It was also probably one of the first cases of code pilfering over the DEC network, as my eventual partner in VMS made a copy the code out of my development directory in the Mill. The original code was written by Walter Bright on a DECsystem 10. Depending on the responses, I'll figure out whom to send this to. Given that it was released to DECUS, are the DECUS distributions accessible somewhere? Dave.

19 years, 1 month

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AIX 2.1 root passwords (IBM RT)

by julesrichardsonuk＠yahoo.co.uk

Well our IBM RT / 5085 / CATIA setup all checks out and the hard disks seem good - it'll boot to a login prompt on the MDA console (and issue a message about the 5085 interconnect being happy) Unfortunately we have no idea what the root password is :-( Tried the obvious guesses. Are there any kind of tricks in order to reset / break the root password under AIX 2.1? We seem to have a reasonable complement of AIX floppies - perhaps there's a way in there? Or maybe an insecure account which can be used to snarf the passwd file (did AIX use shadow passwords)? Or maybe a way of dropping to single user on the console without a login password? etc. etc. Sadly the hard disks are ESDI - if they were SCSI it'd be trivial to stick them in a different machine and start hacking at the disk block level. Last resort I suppose is to install a copy of the OS on another drive, then attach the current OS drive as a secondary, mount the relevant partition, and edit the 'current' password file. That's a lot of effort though, and I'm not sure what we have in the way of spare ESDI drives anyway. (I don't think we have full install media for additional things like CATIA, so reinstalling the OS over the top of the current data is something we'd like to avoid) cheers Jules

19 years, 1 month

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2901 OT

by wbblair3＠yahoo.com

> > William Blair wrote: > > > > Just as an off-topic diversion from a subject that I don't think is actually off-topic, here > > are a number of die photos including some from the AMD 29xx and 29xxx series and others: > > > > http://diephotos.blogspot.com/ > > Brent Hilpert wrote: > > ..no need to consider it off-topic, a lot of the photos in there are of old > chips, including an 8080 and 1802. > > One of the links on that page, > http://www.cacs.louisiana.edu/~mgr/404/burks/pcinfo/hardware/cpu.htm, presents > an interesting overview of microprocs from 70/80/90's, both well-known and > lesser-known ones, far more than just a timeline. Thanks. I guess I should have mentioned that it's my web page. ;-) Best regards, Bill ____________________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! oneSearch: Finally, mobile search that gives answers, not web links. http://mobile.yahoo.com/mobileweb/onesearch?refer=1ONXIC

19 years, 1 month

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Recovering Memorex tapes

by aek＠bitsavers.org

> He mentioned that they were having problems with a particular Memorex > tape. My sympathies. I have hundreds of reels of the crap I have to deal with. > Apparently they've tried > heating it, but this hasn't improved things You have to supply a LOT of air for it to have any effect. The humidity needs to be low, though that is generally a side-effect of getting a chamber up to 55deg C. > can anyone > suggest companies or organisations in Britain which could deal with > this? Not that I have any personal experience with. The brands pointed to by the spectrumdata page are the WORST of the worst (ie. silver label memorex circa. mid-80's) The only person I know who claims to have 'solved' the recovery problem uses custom transports and industrial-sized tape ovens. He is completely unreliable, though, and has personally ripped me off for several thousand dollars worth of tape transports and heads. The two failure modes I've seen on binder is layer-layer adhesion, which can be reduced through baking, and binder deposit if the tape EVER stops moving during reads. The tape should be baked, cooled, then retensioned on a transport with no read-write head, then read using the best transducer you can find WITHOUT STOPPING. There is a high probablity with Memorex tape that even after all that the head will still drop out from binder clog. Analog data recovery and DSP techniques have been used successfully to recover 7 track tapes that were unreadable using the data separators on the drive. Magnetorestrictive transducers like the IBM 3480/3490 heads are more sensitive than conventional inductive heads, but don't map exactly to the track layout of 7 and 9 track drives.

19 years, 1 month

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Recovering Memorex tapes

by ljw-cctech＠ljw.me.uk

At the recent BCS at 50 event, I spoke to Dr Jeremy John from the British Library. He is their "Curator of Digital Manuscripts" and as everyone here will know he has his work cut out trying to preserve and access the documents they have. He mentioned that they were having problems with a particular Memorex tape. I think this is 9-track tape. It sounds like the binder has failed, and the oxide is lifting off the tape. Apparently they've tried heating it, but this hasn't improved things (I'm not sure how many tapes they're dealing with). I think the following is what they are dealing with: http://www.spectrumdata.com.au/content.aspx?cid=155 Rather than ask for specific remedial suggestions here, can anyone suggest companies or organisations in Britain which could deal with this? I'll pass suggestions on, or if you think you can help directly then I will put you in touch. Thanks, -- Lawrence Wilkinson lawrence at ljw.me.uk The IBM 360/30 page http://www.ljw.me.uk/ibm360

19 years, 1 month

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14.3xxx MHz signal on the ISA bus (was Re: Help identifying a capacitor)

by ethan.dicks＠gmail.com

On 7/20/07, Tony Duell <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote: > The OSC signal was the 14.3xxx MHz master clcok signal in the PC and XT... > > It was used, of course, by the CGA card as the master clock for the video > and colour cubcarrier timing. Some other cards used it, often divided > down, as a master clock. Is there a list anywhere of what cards tended to use that signal? I ask because I manufacture the GG2 Bus+ bus adapter for the Amiga, and, because that signal is on the ISA bus, the designer of the card slapped a $3 oscillator on it to provide it. I have a number of unassembled cards and, honestly, would like to leave that signal off if there's no expectation of folks needing it. These days, the most common use for an ISA bus on an Amiga are either for Ethernet (NE2000 or SMC 80x3) or serial (8250/16550). There are other drivers, but nobody really cares about those anymore. Certainly, nobody I am aware of is hanging a CGA card off of an Amiga, but there's no reason why it wouldn't work from a technical standpoint (and the holes are on the board for the oscillator anyway). So... after the AT faded away and folks were running EGA and VGA on 386s and up, was the 14.3xxx MHz signal still relevant, or just an artifact? -ethan

19 years, 1 month

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Telephony switches - is there anyone out there collecting these?

by classiccmp＠memory-alpha.org.uk

Hi, >> Brings back memories....the 2B was my first modem back >>in '85. > > Did you get it from 'Display Electronics'? They were advertising >them at the time.... As a matter of fact I did, though indirectly. One of my friends drove to their shop in London to buy one of those SMD(?) hard drives they were selling at the time and picked up the modem while he was there. I got it about a month later when he got bored of it.... :-) >> I may still have some documentation somewhere if it's any use to you? > > I'd be interested in knowing what you've got, certainly... I do recall getting hold of a technical manual for the unit from a vendor at a rally, since the documentation supplied by Display Electronics was little more than a double sided sheet of A4. I've had a quick look around for it, but it hasn't turned up yet. If I can find it you're more than welcome to have it, but in those days I had a habit of not holding onto documentation when I disposed of stuff.... :-( I'll keep you posted. TTFN - Pete.

19 years, 1 month

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EIA connectors

by rcini＠optonline.net

All: I came across a video monitor for one of my machines that has an 8-pin rectangular connector with locking tabs. I remember from my days as an audio-video geek in high school that this is sometimes called an ?EIA connector?. I remember we used these cables to connect JVC and Sony VTR equipment. I?ve done some searching in my usual catalogs and I can?t seem to locate this connector. Does anyone happen to have a manufacturer name/part number for this so I can narrow my search a bit? Thanks. Rich -- Rich Cini Collector of Classic Computers Build Master and lead engineer, Altair32 Emulator http://www.altair32.com http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/classiccmp

19 years, 1 month

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Need docs for Burroughs term

by silent700＠gmail.com

I've just picked up an old Burroughs terminal, model# appears to be MT-985, and I'm having trouble finding documentation for it. It came with a manual for the ET-1100 model which provides some clues, but the key sequences to get into the setup for baud rate, etc appear to be different. Anyone have any experience with these? It's a cute little terminal and the keyboard has a key lock on it - never seen that before.

19 years, 1 month

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Help identifying a capacitor

by mbbrutman-cctalk＠brutman.com

I'm trying to reverse engineer a board that I have and I've bumped into a component that I don't understand the markings on. If you would like to help, a picture can be found here: http://brutman.com/2007_0717_124331.JPG I suspect it is a capacitor, but the markings are strange to me. The capacitor behind it has '104' written on it, so I understand that to be a 0.1uF capacitor. But the one in the foreground marked '35+' is strange to me .. (My apologies in advance - I'm a software person, but I'm trainable.) The identified capacitor and the suspect capacitor tie together two ground plane, so I suspect it is for power smoothing. Thanks in advance, Mike

19 years, 1 month

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Teletype Model 40 tape unit

by legalize＠xmission.com

Ebay # 190133198900 -- "The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline" -- DirectX 9 draft available for download <http://www.xmission.com/~legalize/book/download/index.html> Legalize Adulthood! <http://blogs.xmission.com/legalize/>

19 years, 1 month

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2901 OT

by wbblair3＠yahoo.com

Just as an off-topic diversion from a subject that I don't think is actually off-topic, here are a number of die photos including some from the AMD 29xx and 29xxx series and others: http://diephotos.blogspot.com/ ------------------------ "The war is not meant to be won, it is meant to be continuous. -- Eric Blair (aka George Orwell), "1984" ____________________________________________________________________________________ Sick sense of humor? Visit Yahoo! TV's Comedy with an Edge to see what's on, when. http://tv.yahoo.com/collections/222

19 years, 1 month

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2901 OT

by wbblair3＠yahoo.com

> Does anyone have the datasheets on the AMD 2901 bit slice? > I have the data sheet on the 2901A/2901B/, but it would be nice to have > some timings from the 2901. Although I haven't looked, I suspect that its would be in the 33MB PDF 1979-AMD2900.pdf found here: http://www.electronballet.com/Databooks/ It's the AM2900 Family Databook. Best, Bill ------------------------ ?Shoot THE DUCK! Shoot THE DUCK!? - Bugs Bunny ____________________________________________________________________________________ Fussy? Opinionated? Impossible to please? Perfect. Join Yahoo!'s user panel and lay it on us. http://surveylink.yahoo.com/gmrs/yahoo_panel_invite.asp?a=7

19 years, 1 month

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Classic Operating Systems Book

by technobug＠comcast.net

If you have $20 to spare, Edward Hamilton Booksellers <http:// www.hamiltonbook.com> has an interesting volume: item 612139X, Classic Operating Sytems: From Batch Processing to Distribute Systems. You can read a more complete description at <http:// www.springer.com/west/home/generic/search/results? SGWID=4-40109-22-2182421-0> (listed at $74.95). CRC

19 years, 1 month

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cctalk Digest, Vol 47, Issue 32, Message 1, LEO (1950) NGTE

by mike＠brickfieldspark.org

> From: Jules Richardson <julesrichardsonuk at yahoo.co.uk> > Subject: Re: [personal] cctalk Digest, Vol 47, Issue 29, Message 9 > Subject: LEO (1950) > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts > Long-gone presumably? Sites seem to often get cleared of fixtures and > fittings > really quickly in the UK compared to other countries for some reason. > Plus, > even if there was anything left, the kids seem to trash everything they > can > and of course the petty thieves move in for metals like copper. > NGTE as a site is sitll there in its entirity, Google for it and you will find lots of Urban Exploration groups listing NGTE. The site is still partially used, the computer suite is one of the buildings you cannot get into so some of the mainframes - might - just still be there, but who to contact ? to find out. >> Tesco wants to build a 1,000,000 sq ft distribution depot, >> apparently it will be one of the biggest buildings in the Uk,.with 1600 >> 38 ton lorry (non motorway) movements a day, nothing good will come of >> it. > > The government won't need a national ID database and ID cards, they'll > just > borrow Tesco's ;) >

19 years, 1 month

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Unknown Acorn Scematic

by mike.hatch＠mclennan.co.uk

Whilst going through some old schematics I found one for an Acorn, although it does not say which type, beleive it my be a BBC Model B, could be wrong. Its here if needed - http://www.brickfieldspark.org/temp/acorninfo.htm Mike (Aka TerrapinDundee)

19 years, 1 month

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Looking for old Computer Shoppers . . .

by dgreelish＠mac.com

Hello, I'm looking for copies of Computer Shopper from the year 1992 (late '91 - early '93). Anybody have some copies laying around the house? You know, when they were really thick and big? Since I'm requesting, I'm also looking for some missing issues of INFO=64 magazine . . . anyone? Thanks for your help. Best, David David Greelish classiccomputing.com The Classic Computing Podcast Home of Computer History Nostalgia Stan Veit's History of the Personal Computer Audio Book Podcast

19 years, 1 month

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1966 Mag: Build NE-2 Neon Bulb Computer - scan available

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

> >Subject: Re: 1966 Mag: Build NE-2 Neon Bulb Computer - scan available > From: woodelf <bfranchuk at jetnet.ab.ca> > Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 00:04:29 -0600 > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > >Allison wrote: > >> A dial comes from an old phone, check a thrift. > >> The NE-2s are still very available from most decent electronic >> parts suppliers. > >Both are figments of your imgination - none around - thrift stores >or decent electronic parts suppliers . >But I did download the PDF so some day in the far future... I keep forgetting you live in the heart of unobtainium. Out on the fringes things can be found. Allison

19 years, 1 month

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Ebuyer.com runs on a Commodore 64!

by dgreelish＠mac.com

Has anyone else read this short tech news piece? Wow, how do they do that? http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07/07/ebuyer_runs_site_on_commodore64/ Best, David David Greelish classiccomputing.com The Classic Computing Podcast Home of Computer History Nostalgia Stan Veit's History of the Personal Computer Audio Book Podcast

19 years, 1 month

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LEO (1950)

by RodSmallwood＠mail.ediconsulting.co.uk

Amongst other references I found this In 1951 the LEO I computer was operational and ran the world's first regular routine office computer job. About the "Lyons Electronic Office" (LEO I) The LEO I used 5,936 valves, plus another 300-400 in auxiliary equipment. The LEO used 64 mercury tubes for storage (twice the memory capacity of the EDSAC machine built in Cambridge). Each memory tube was 5 feet, four inches in length and weighed half a ton. The computer was controlled from a control panel, with several oscilloscopes set up to monitor contents of the storage area. The machine also had a speaker installed and programmers could hear the sounds generated as LEO performed certain calculations. The programmers became so accustomed to certain frequency variations, that they could detect something was wrong with a program by the sounds produced through the speaker. The programmers also used this speaker arrangement to generate some of the first "computer music." Rod -----Original Message----- From: cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Roger Holmes Sent: 18 July 2007 14:24 To: cctalk at classiccmp.org Subject: Re: LEO (1950) > Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 20:43:50 +0100 > From: "Rod Smallwood" <RodSmallwood at mail.ediconsulting.co.uk> > > I happened on the program by chance. It might have been called > Disappearing Britain. A lot of it was contemporaneous and could have > been a Lyons publicity film. (or at least bits of one). I suspect our > friends at the National Film Archive might know. I suspect it is a contemporary promotional film on the Leo II dated 1957 and mentions that it has been working since 1953 - referring to Leo 1 I think, it is black and white and if that's it, I have it on a DVD published by Buzz KnowledgeWorks which I bought on eBay. > > I inadvertently made an ambiguous statement. By commercial I meant its > use, not its availability for sale. I knew what you meant. Most early designs were one or two off scientific machines, price no object. > Where would you start to design such a thing? Valves yes.. 12AT7 > Bistables as binary counters. Neon devices such as dekatrons as > decimal counters. RVL (Resistor Valve Logic). Storage = Ferrite Cores, > Tape, Drum possibly. I'm not sure many commercial machines were made with valves logic and a main memory of core. Transistors and core main memory often came in together. The ICT1200 series (AKA Hollerrith Electronic Computer) was drum main memory and valves but its replacement the ICT1300 series used "high speed switching transistors" and core memory with backing store of drum and optionally tape. > I once saw a Univac FAST RAN Drum memory. What a lump!!!

19 years, 1 month

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CRTs, LCDs and image capture [was 1966 Mag: Build NE-2 Neon Bulb Computer - scan available]

by jfoust＠threedee.com

At 10:59 AM 7/18/2007, Ethan Dicks wrote: >I have had that specific problem with RCA 1861 "Pixie" graphics - I >can get viewable images on 1970s-era CRTs and TVs with no problem, but >I could not, for example, get a stable picture with an Apple 5" CRT >(used with the Apple IIc line), or a DEC VR201 (+12VDC/RS170 mono >monitor for Rainbow, DECmate, Professional, etc.) nor any sort of >recently-manufactured TV or LCD. Depending on the exact output device >in question, either I see pixels but can't get a frame to properly >lock, or I don't see anything at all. Mono video isn't too hard to decipher on a 'scope. I would guess there's a half dozen ways to mis-conform, as well as a half-dozen ways that older TVs did not reject out-of-spec signals. - John

19 years, 1 month

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1966 Mag: Build NE-2 Neon Bulb Computer - scan available

by wbblair3＠yahoo.com

I can't find the beginning of this thread and I see no links to a scanned magazine article in any reply to the original post. Can someone please give me the link to this scan if one was offered? Best, Bill ------------------------ ?Shoot THE DUCK! Shoot THE DUCK!? - Bugs Bunny ____________________________________________________________________________________ Got a little couch potato? Check out fun summer activities for kids. http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=oni_on_mail&p=summer+activities+for+kids&…

19 years, 1 month

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LEO (1950)

by roger.holmes＠microspot.co.uk

> Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 20:43:50 +0100 > From: "Rod Smallwood" <RodSmallwood at mail.ediconsulting.co.uk> > > I happened on the program by chance. It might have been called > Disappearing Britain. A lot of it was contemporaneous and could have > been a Lyons publicity film. (or at least bits of one). I suspect our > friends at the National Film Archive might know. I suspect it is a contemporary promotional film on the Leo II dated 1957 and mentions that it has been working since 1953 - referring to Leo 1 I think, it is black and white and if that's it, I have it on a DVD published by Buzz KnowledgeWorks which I bought on eBay. > > I inadvertently made an ambiguous statement. By commercial I meant its > use, not its availability for sale. I knew what you meant. Most early designs were one or two off scientific machines, price no object. > Where would you start to design such a thing? Valves yes.. 12AT7 > Bistables as binary counters. Neon devices such as dekatrons as > decimal > counters. RVL (Resistor Valve Logic). Storage = Ferrite Cores, Tape, > Drum possibly. I'm not sure many commercial machines were made with valves logic and a main memory of core. Transistors and core main memory often came in together. The ICT1200 series (AKA Hollerrith Electronic Computer) was drum main memory and valves but its replacement the ICT1300 series used "high speed switching transistors" and core memory with backing store of drum and optionally tape. > I once saw a Univac FAST RAN Drum memory. What a lump!!!

19 years, 1 month

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Looking for RX211 and/or RXV21

by pat＠computer-refuge.org

I'm looking for an RX211 (M8256) and/or RXV21 (M8029) to go with the RX02 I just picked up (don't know if it works yet)... less than "eBay Store" prices would be nice. :) Pat -- Purdue University ITAP/RCAC --- http://www.rcac.purdue.edu/ The Computer Refuge --- http://computer-refuge.org

19 years, 1 month

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Magazines available

by rcini＠optonline.net

All: A chap in the Beantown region emailed me with a list of magazines he has that he needs to find a home for. If anyone is interested, let me know and I?ll pass on his information. Here?s what?s available: > Apple II Computers > 1" APDAlog (Apple Developers) 1987-89 > 5" Apple Orchard 1980-84 > 1" applesauce 1981 > 11" Call-A.P.P.L.E. 1981-89 > 5" (Hardcore) Computist 1987 > 2" Peelings II 1982-84 > > Computers, esp. Microcomputers > 3" one each: MACazine, etc 1980-87 > > Technical Specialized Computers/Electronics > 2" C Users Journal 1989 > 4" Dr. Dobb's Journal of Software Tools 1983-89 > 5" Embedded Systems Programming 1989-92 > 5" MicroSystems Journal 1984-88 > 1" Computer Smyth 1985-86 - Vol.1 No.1+ Rich -- Rich Cini Collector of Classic Computers Build Master and lead engineer, Altair32 Emulator http://www.altair32.com http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/classiccmp

19 years, 1 month

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[personal] cctalk Digest, Vol 47, Issue 29, Message 9 Subject: LEO (1950)

by Billy.Pettit＠wdc.com

Mike Hatch wrote: > Tescos are killing our computer history - ? to qualify - The National Gas Turbine Establishment (NGTE, Farnborough) has been partially derilict for the last 10 years or so, on that site were an Elliott 803B, SDS9300, DEC PDP-7 and 11-05, and more, I helped maintain them. Tesco wants to build a 1,000,000 sq ft distribution depot, apparently it will be one of the biggest buildings in the Uk,.with 1600 38 ton lorry (non motorway) movements a day, nothing good will come of it. I'd love to get hold of the PDP7. ------------------------- Billy wrote: Not certain if anyone on the list is aware, but the UK is now exporting this fine establishment. One of the very first Tesco stores in the US is being built less than a mile from my house in Laguna Woods. (The huge distribution centers are already completed.) Turnabout seems fair play after what we gave the UK - MacDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, etc. Billy

19 years, 1 month

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cctalk Digest, Vol 47, Issue 29

by wbblair3＠yahoo.com

> cclist at sydex.com wrote: > Here's a Wikipedia article about one of the early pioneers in ferrite > logic, Hewitt Crane: > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hewitt_Crane And here's a ground-breaking computer that contributed tremendously to the development of core memory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whirlwind_Computer and the excellent book about it: >From Whirlwind to MITRE: The R&D Story of The SAGE Air Defense Computer http://tinyurl.com/2987kc Best, Bill ------------------------ ?Shoot THE DUCK! Shoot THE DUCK!? - Bugs Bunny ____________________________________________________________________________________Ready for the edge of your seat? Check out tonight's top picks on Yahoo! TV. http://tv.yahoo.com/

19 years, 1 month

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Replacement NorthStar Horizon Wooden Case Covers

by lynchaj＠yahoo.com

Hi, If you are interested in purchasing a replacement wooden case cover for a NorthStar Horizon computer, please contact me. Thank you. Andrew Lynch

19 years, 1 month

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cctalk Digest, Vol 47, Issue 30, message 30, identify a capacitor

by mike＠brickfieldspark.org

> Message: 30 > Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:16:16 -0600 > From: "Michael B. Brutman" <mbbrutman-cctalk at brutman.com> > Subject: Re: Help identifying a capacitor > Some of what I'm reading says put the capacitor near the power supply, > and other things are saying get it as close to the chip as possible. > > The board I posted about is not optimal in this regard. It's an ISA bus > to PCjr bus adapter, so there is no TTL logic anywhere on the board - > the individual ISA cards have the TTL (and hopefully bypass capacitors). > In this application was the designer just trying to 'clean up' the > voltage sources for the TTL on the cards a little bit? > >From some years in pcb design shop. Bulk decoupling where the power enters the board 10-100uF + 0.1uF. Then a 0.01-0.1uF per Ic (for TTL that is). Keep the traces from the power pins to caps as short and fat as possible. Powers should ideally be planes or gridded traces. Newer logic families / packaging (TQFP, PLCC Etc), usually have very specific decoupling requirements set my the manufacturer

19 years, 1 month

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[personal] cctalk Digest, Vol 47, Issue 29, Message 9 Subject: LEO (1950)

by mike＠brickfieldspark.org

> Message: 9 > Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 10:29:07 +0100 > From: Rob <robert at irrelevant.com> > Subject: Re: Vol 47, Issue 28, message 10, Subject: LEO (1950) > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > > .. except i had a sudden thought, and checked, and in the couple of > years since I last drove past the site, a Tesco supermarket has > apparently sprung up... Neither multimap.com or google earth > satellite photos have yet caught up... > > Sigh.. > Tescos are killing our computer history - ? to qualify - The National Gas Turbine Establishment (NGTE, Farnborough) has been partially derilict for the last 10 years or so, on that site were an Elliott 803B, SDS9300, DEC PDP-7 and 11-05, and more, I helped maintain them. Tesco wants to build a 1,000,000 sq ft distribution depot, apparently it will be one of the biggest buildings in the Uk,.with 1600 38 ton lorry (non motorway) movements a day, nothing good will come of it. I'd love to get hold of the PDP7.

19 years, 1 month

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[personal] cctalk Digest, Vol 47, Issue 30 Capacitor ident

by mike＠brickfieldspark.org

> I'm trying to reverse engineer a board that I have and I've bumped into > a component that I don't understand the markings on. If you would like > to help, a picture can be found here: > > http://brutman.com/2007_0717_124331.JPG > That is a Tanatalum bead capacitor, 1uF 35V Dc rating, the + is for the +ve lead, which is a different length to the -ve lead when the component is new before soldering. 104 is 10 +0000 pf, 100,000 pf, 0.1uF, voltage rating unknown but probably in the 50Vdc-63Vac range. A common pairing for bulk decoupling on power lines or planes.

19 years, 1 month

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TTL homebrew CPUs

by julesrichardsonuk＠yahoo.co.uk

I've been thinking more and more this last week about designing a CPU to be built from TTL logic ICs, purely as an interesting exercise. I'm thinking of a microprogrammed design with a pretty minimal register count - but as speed is never going to be a defining aspect anyway using commodity TTL, I'm thinking of going for a bit-serial ALU to keep the parts count down. Keeping the raw components pretty basic is another desired goal - no custom off-the-shelf ALU chips, gate arrays etc. Questions: have any others on here done stuff like this, or have any pointers to good resources? I'm learning as I go along here, flicking through technical manuals for 8-bit CPUs etc. and gleaning what I can from the web. MAGIC-1 is about the most comprehensive online resource I've found so far, but I believe it's a pure parallel core, and plus it's *way* more feature-rich that what I'm aiming for. I'm not interested in running UNIX-a-like software, or giving it hard drive interfaces or network stacks - I just think it'd perhaps be fun to design and later build something from scratch to do basic computation. cheers Jules

19 years, 1 month

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1966 Mag: Build NE-2 Neon Bulb Computer - scan available

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

> >Subject: Re: 1966 Mag: Build NE-2 Neon Bulb Computer - scan available > From: woodelf <bfranchuk at jetnet.ab.ca> > Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 12:22:41 -0600 > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > >Bob Bradlee wrote: > >> And never dialing Zero! >> otherwise an operator error will occure :) >Drat... I can't get all the parts. :) >Where do you get a telephone dial now days ... If I got the >phone with a dial it would work better than the $10 one I have. >The neon bulbs may be hard to find , the ones now days have >a built in resistor. A dial comes from an old phone, check a thrift. The NE-2s are still very available from most decent electronic parts suppliers. The trick to age NE-2s is run them at 50% over rated for a week (at lest 40 hours) and they will stabilize nicely. If you need to grade/match the aged NE-2s a 500hz relaxation osc and a scope will allow viewing the upper (fire voltage) and lower (extinguish) voltage as well as sensitivity to light very quickly. Hint, light should be incandecsent or the osc will try to sync on the flourescent flicker. Allison

19 years, 1 month

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