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

by dwightk.elvey＠amd.com

Hi Joe You might let these folks know about these. They have a need for one of these: http://www.qsl.net/bb62/wishlist.html Later Dwight >From: Joe <rigdonj(a)cfl.rr.com> > > Does anyone have any info on this computer? I've found one at a scrap place and they're supposed to be getting a several more of them in. I pulled some of the cards from this one and they're marked Sperry-Rand. I checked the date codes on some of the ICs and they were all dated 1977. I pulled eight large core memory boards out of this one. Any body know what the memory capacity is on these? > > Joe > > >

23 years, 10 months

4
7
0 0

SCCS Interface vs. Interface age

by ekklein＠pacbell.net

I was just going through some of my old magazines (and filing some new acquisitions) in preparation for VCF5 and I noticed that I've got issues of SCCS Interface and Interface Age that overlap. I know that Interface Age broke from the Southern California Computer Society to publish "independently" but I had thought that they simply continued the volume/issue numbering from SCCS Interface. From the issues I've got that doesn't seem to be the case. Does anyone know the story of this split? Were the two magazines published in parallel for long? Thanks, Erik S. Klein www.vintage-computer.com <http://www.vintage-computer.com/> (In need of an update!)

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Les Solomon passed away this weekend

by geoff＠pkworks.com

>I noticed on the page he also wrote under the psuedonym of Lester Del Rey. >For some reason that tweaks my old sci-fi memory, but can't identify it. >As well as his impressive contribution to electronics did he also write sci-fi ? Not the same fellow. The science fiction author and editor and SFFWA Grand Master Lester Del Rey died in 1993: http://www.rosettabooks.com/pages/author_35.html

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

SCCS Interface vs. Interface age

by ekklein＠pacbell.net

I was just going through some of my old magazines (and filing some new acquisitions) in preparation for VCF5 and I noticed that I've got issues of SCCS Interface and Interface Age that overlap. I know that Interface Age broke from the Southern California Computer Society to publish "independently" but I had thought that they simply continued the volume/issue numbering from SCCS Interface. From the issues I've got that doesn't seem to be the case. Does anyone know the story of this split? Were the two magazines published in parallel for long? Thanks, Erik S. Klein www.vintage-computer.com <http://www.vintage-computer.com/> (In need of an update!)

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

IBM 5100

by sorcipit＠csportneuf.qc.ca

Skipped content of type multipart/alternative

23 years, 10 months

3
2
0 0

A Momentous Decision

by SecretaryBird＠SoftHome.net

After much pondering and debate, I have finally decided on a name for my Cromemco System Two. Once she is operational, she shall be christened as Mintaka. Okay, so that isn't really an earthshaking event or anything like that, but system naming is one of those little geeky activities that I get some strange enjoyment out of. Ironically, the first name that came to mind was Altair; then I instantly remembered that that name was already used as a brand name for an old S-100 girl, so I decided on Mintaka, to keep with the stellar theme. So, uhm, anyway...I guess there wasn't much point ot this post afterall. :p Later! -- Scarletdown

23 years, 10 months

8
8
0 0

cp/m favorite?

by gil＠vauxelectronics.com

Hi folks: I am curious what your favorite cp/m system might be. I am getting an itch for some late-70/early-80/pre-msdos kind of box. Of the transportables, I recall working with a kaypro years ago that seemed decent, but I've also been thinking about an osborne. I'm not sure whether there is anything in an s-100 design that I should look at. I'd like to get something that is reasonably priced, yet still collectible. With enough decent apps around, and a modest user base (nothing too obscure, that is). Any thoughts appreciated -- thanks, gil smith ;----------------------------------------------------------- ; vaux electronics, inc. 480-354-5556 ; http://www.vauxelectronics.com (fax: 480-354-5558) ;-----------------------------------------------------------

23 years, 10 months

7
6
0 0

Index hole on 5.25" disks

by dwightk.elvey＠amd.com

>From: "Fred Cisin (XenoSoft)" <cisin(a)xenosoft.com> > >> >Another minor gotcha: machines that used WDC179x disk controller chips >> >were capable of starting their first sector sooner after the index pulse >> >than those using NEC 765 series. Reading those with a 765 required >> >disabling ther index pulse. > >On Mon, 21 Oct 2002, Dwight K. Elvey wrote: >> Hi >> I always wondered why some PC's didn't care if the drive had a >> index hole or not to read the disk. It would care for formatting >> but not for read/write. >> Dwight > >Well, it's only part of the answer. > >Apple and Commodore (and Atari?) didn't use the index hole at all, so they >really don't care. They also didn't CARE when a track started. Since they >were single sided, an additional write-enable notch was all that was >needed to make them into "flippies". > > >PC, TRS-80, and most systems that used an FDC chip needed the index hole >to declare when to start a track when formatting. [slightly >over-simplified] >To make "flippies" for them required ALSO punching a hole in the jacket >for access to the index hole. ><ADVERTISEMENT> >The RARE/VALUABLE Berkeley Microcomputer Flip-Jig (available once more at >VCF!) was the best way to mark the position for punching that hole. ></ADVERTISEMENT> > > >Once the disk was formatted, most systems no longer needed the index hole. >EXCEPT,... >The NEC 765 chips did a RESET [over-simplified again] whenever they saw >the index pulse, and couldn't read or write for a short period of time >after that. But surely nobody would write sectors so close to the index >that they would fall into that reset period - yep. Some did. >and, >Some drives, such as the Teac 55 series used the index pulse to tell when >the drive was up to speed. No index pulse = no ready. > >When using a 765 to read disks that had a substandard index gap, with many >drives (Tandon TM100, etc.), you could cover the index hole on the >disk. A write protect tab would work, IF you could get the user to put it >on solidly, and not let it fall off in the drive. No index = no RESET, >and data could be read immediately after index, or even straddling it. > >With the Teac drives, that wouldn't work, but you could interrupt that >signal on the cable. Mike Gingel (TRS-cross) sold a floppy cable with a >SPST switch in it. I used a 34PST inline switch. >That way, the drive could see the index (READY), without the FDC seeing it >(no RESET). > >With the index signal interrupted, if a read was successful, fine. But if >anything went wrong, the BIOS would return the wrong error code. 128 (not >ready), instead of 4 (sector not found) > > > Hi Fred You should write a book on "The Realities of the Floppy Disk". I am always enlightened by the interesting tidbit you come up with. I've only fiddle with them enough to know that all isn't what it might seem. It seems that all the rules were broken at one time or the other. Take Care, See you at VCF Dwight

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

cp/m favorite?

by dwightk.elvey＠amd.com

>From: "gil smith" <gil(a)vauxelectronics.com> > >Hi folks: > >I am curious what your favorite cp/m system might be. I am getting an itch >for some late-70/early-80/pre-msdos kind of box. Of the transportables, I >recall working with a kaypro years ago that seemed decent, but I've also >been thinking about an osborne. I'm not sure whether there is anything in >an s-100 design that I should look at. > >I'd like to get something that is reasonably priced, yet still collectible. > With enough decent apps around, and a modest user base (nothing too >obscure, that is). > >Any thoughts appreciated -- thanks, > >gil smith > Hi I of course like my Olivetti M20 running CP/M-8000 but for CP/M-80, I like the simplicity of my IMSAI. I have a couple of Kaypro's but they tend to sit unused most of the time. For anyone else that has a Z8000 processor in a machine without an OS, I can now assemble ( or compile C ) a BIOS and link it with a working BDOS/CCP. This is quite a step >from where I was a few weeks ago. I haven't fiddle with the Kaypro's enough to get to liking them. I don't even know where the serial ports are in it. I move a lot of data around through serial. It seems to be the easiest way to move things when the disk systems them selves are not compatible. Kaypro II's often go for less than $50 on eBay. They just don't seem to command the same kind of price that others do. I don't know why. They really are nice machines. I guess they just don't have the same appeal as those with front panel lights. Dwight

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Another LA request

by jwest＠imail.kwcorp.com

I'm looking for a floppy drive for my 1631D LA... I thought I had one already but just realized I never got it. Soooo Anyone have a spare 9122S or 9122D available? Someday I hope to find a HP-IB interface for a PeeCee cheap, but from what I've seen those are still commanding (relatively) high dollars. Jay West --- [This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus]

23 years, 10 months

5
4
0 0

8272 FDC commands, release of dmklib (was Re: Reading old disks on Linux)

by dwightk.elvey＠amd.com

>From: "Fred Cisin (XenoSoft)" <cisin(a)xenosoft.com> > > >Another minor gotcha: machines that used WDC179x disk controller chips >were capable of starting their first sector sooner after the index pulse >than those using NEC 765 series. Reading those with a 765 required >disabling ther index pulse. Hi I always wondered why some PC's didn't care if the drive had a index hole or not to read the disk. It would care for formatting but not for read/write. Dwight

23 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

cp/m favorite?

by healyzh＠aracnet.com

> I am curious what your favorite cp/m system might be. I am getting an itch > for some late-70/early-80/pre-msdos kind of box. Of the transportables, I > recall working with a kaypro years ago that seemed decent, but I've also > been thinking about an osborne. I'm not sure whether there is anything in > an s-100 design that I should look at. My favorite would be the Kaypro 2, as it's the one CP/M system that I definitly remember seeing while I was in High School. I got lucky a few years ago, and bought a really nice Kaypro 2 in a carrying case from Paxton. My second most favorite would be the IMSAI-8080 due to it's killer front panel. However, I don't have my IMSAI anywhere near able to run CP/M (I don't even have disks for it). Zane

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Another LA request

by dwightk.elvey＠amd.com

>From: Tothwolf <tothwolf(a)concentric.net> >On Sun, 20 Oct 2002, Keven Miller wrote: >> Jay West wrote: >> >> > Anyone have a spare 9122S or 9122D available? Someday I hope to find a >> > HP-IB interface for a PeeCee cheap, but from what I've seen those are >> > still commanding (relatively) high dollars. >> >> A couple years ago I picked up an ISA-HPIB card from eBay for $101.00. >> It came with the manual and software "HP-IB Command Library for MS-DOS." > >Gosh, do these cards always command such a high price? I think I still >have one of those cards around here somewhere that I don't ever see myself >putting to use. If I can find it, I may go ahead and make it available as >a trade. What exactly are these things good for anyhow? I also have a >couple of HP systems, but I've never done much with them, since I didn't >have software for them when they were still working. > >-Toth > > Hi I don't know if I should say anything but there is a pile of 488 cards at HSC that come with manuals and software, new in the box. I paid $35 for it. I haven't looked to see if it is a ISA or what but it is for either PC's or AT's, I just wasn't paying attention. I need to get some cables before I can connect to my meter or power supplies. Dwight

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

ASR33 linefeed solved! So here is the next ASR problem.......

by ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk

A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text Size: 1213 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.classiccmp.org/pipermail/cctalk/attachments/20021021/c3e4b17d/at…

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

ASR33 linefeed solved! So here is the next ASR problem.......

by ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk

A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text Size: 1003 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.classiccmp.org/pipermail/cctalk/attachments/20021021/4335fdef/at…

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

help! rate classic basic games

by ajw＠best.com

Howdy! I while back I uploaded my collection of classic BASIC games and Win32 BASIC interpreter to download.com (over 50,000 downloads!). Unfortunately, some of the folks downloading the package were expecting a modern twitch game. So I have a mix of reviews. Generally good ones from those who were expecting classic games, and negative from those expecting Doom. Anyway, If you've got a moment, it would be great if you could try it and rate it with your honest option. The link is: http://download.com.com/3000-2115-10109180.html?tag=lst-0-1 Thanks! Anthony

23 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

X marks the deck (was Re: [OT] paper on Retro ?)

by smj＠crash.com

> Who remembers drawing a cross or a diagonal line on the top of the card > deck, so you had some chance of re-ordering the deck if someone dropped the > box? Not quite the same order of tragedy, but many may recall drawing X's across the top end of the labels of (boxes of) 3.5" floppies full of, say, Retrospect Remote backups of Mac Pluses. And in this case you _could_ use it for sorting the inevitable shuffled deck... Sigh. You can tell I never worked with cards - I sortof wish I could dig up a reader and punch... It seems like it might be fun (so long as I can go back to my nice X11 desktop the instant I get tired of it ;^) --Steve.

23 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

HP 2647A / F Terminal

by glenslick＠hotmail.com

Thanks for the info, but that's a bummer since I have no software media with the 2647F that I have, and it might not be too likely that I will ever find any. My guess is that the difference between the 2647A and 2647F is that the A model uses tapes while the F model uses floppies. I have two 5.25" drives for my F model and it does not have tape drives, and apparently tapes were not options on the F model. I have an HP '84 catalog which lists the 2647F (at around $9000) but not the 2647A. Does anyone have a service manual for 264x terminals? If they have full schematics and firmware info at least I could try writing 8085 code to run on my 2647F if I find a copy of one. From looking inside it looks like it has 128KB of DRAM (must be paged somehow) and 12 ROM chips of unknown size. Also it looks like the floppy controller has it's own Z80 and ROM and a WD 1791 controller. This might make a interesting project (aka timesink) trying to figure out how it works and how to do someting with it other than use it as a terminal. I have a 264x loader rom in my HP 2117F so maybe I can get it load code from a floppy on the 2647F (it appears that you can set a file on a floppy to respond to tape commands). That would be another project in itself since I don't have any documentation on the 264x loader rom nor do I know if I even have a serial interface card that it supports. -Glen >From: kevenm(a)reeltapetransfer.com (Keven Miller) >Reply-To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org >To: cctech(a)classiccmp.org >Subject: Re: HP 2647A / F Terminal >Date: Sun, 20 Oct 2002 00:46:28 -0600 > >I just happen to have a 2647A User's manual >and a 2647A Reference Manual [no terminal]. > >User manual, CH. 6, starts: >This section describes briefly how to load >the BASIC interpreter from your BASIC >Multiplot cartridge tape (part no. 02647-13301). > >Sounds like you need a tape. > >Keven Miller >kevenm(a)reeltapetransfer.com _________________________________________________________________ Get a speedy connection with MSN Broadband. Join now! http://resourcecenter.msn.com/access/plans/freeactivation.asp

23 years, 10 months

3
2
0 0

HP 2647A / F Terminal

by glenslick＠hotmail.com

The 'os' is in ROM on the 2647F and I can get to the command line to format floppies and create and copy files and such. It is just that BASIC is not in ROM so doing more interesting things other than using it as a terminal will take more work. I did find a little bit of information on the web and you can send it a sequence like this to enter and execute 8085 code: ESC & b (at this point the display says "LOADER") <address in octal> a <data in octal> d ... and so on <data in octal> d <address in octal> a E I wrote a loop to cycle reading every byte in the address space and I attached a logic analyzer to verify that the code was executing. Since I can do that I should be able to capture the ROM code and then unassemble it and then maybe figure out how to read the keyboard and write to the display and then do some more interesting things with it. Anyone on the list happen to have an HP 10304B 8085 processor probe? -Glen >From: "John Allain" <allain(a)panix.com> >Reply-To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org >To: <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> >Subject: Re: HP 2647A / F Terminal >Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 16:29:38 -0400 > >+AD4- ...since I have no software media >+ADw- with the 2647F that I have... > >Since the tape based terminals of that era did >not rely on the tape for an os (it was ROMmed), >perhaps the +ACo-F series also has control of the >drives using only ROMware. > >The way I remember it working is that a combination >of Top Key presses would result in commandlines like so: > COPY DISPLAY to PRINTER > COPY LTAPE to RTAPE > COPY DISPLAY to RTAPE >That sort of thing. >To try before you give up. > >John A. _________________________________________________________________ Choose an Internet access plan right for you -- try MSN! http://resourcecenter.msn.com/access/plans/default.asp

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Troll on imsai.net?

by jd＠sourcecode.co.za

Then why go at length to describe the W.O.P.R. lettering and the BASF disks. There is also mention to directly contact the authorities something a scammer would want to avoid at all costs. Even the handover of such a system if it's dontated to a boy would be caught out once there is no boy to receive it. Thieves are usually dumb, in South Africa we had thieves in the 80's that stole computers and tried to sell them as vcr's/type writers/all kinds of other creative names. They also might have thought the heavier the more worth.. While I'm writting I'd like to know this: Is there ANY chance that the ink from pens/markers can damage a CD over a long period of time? I'm marking my cds with a black marker that has Xylene in it. Aint these inks acidic? I dont want to recover all my paper tapes to CD only to find after 20 years that the ink markings ate away the surface.. -----Original Message----- From: Sellam Ismail [mailto:foo@siconic.com] Sent: 21 October 2002 04:02 To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org Subject: Troll on imsai.net? This is posted on the front page of imsai.net: "Mr. Fischer, Recently my home was burglarized. Surprisingly the thieves took my son's IMSAI computer. My son is 5 years old and is autistic. He refuses to use a regular computer. He is in love with his IMSAI though, switches and lights always fascinated him. This computer was his favorite possession and he asks about it all day long, even gets up at night and wakes me up asking for it. This computer means the world to him. On the side of the machine are the letters W.O.P.R. They look silk screened. Also taken with this unit was a very large disk drive and some extreme large computer disks. I think they were 12 inches across [8" floppy disk], and are marked BASF 8" Single Sided Double Density. Also stolen was a computer modem that you would set a phone on to [acoustic coupler]. Thank you in advance for any information you may have." It sounds plausible, but then I'm a cynic. I can imagine someone would make this up to try to get the sympathy of Todd Fischer thinking he might just send them an IMSAI. I mean, why would a cat burglar walk out of a house with 100 pounds of computer, unless they really knew what it was and could get $x000 for it on eBay? Wouldn't it have shown up on eBay? Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org * Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *

23 years, 10 months

5
4
0 0

Naming Computers [was: A Momentous Decision]

by Robert_Feldman＠jdedwards.com

Don't you mean network them all using a Tolken Ring? -----Original Message----- From: Brian Chase [mailto:vaxzilla@jarai.org] Sent: Monday, October 21, 2002 1:20 PM To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org Subject: Re: Naming Computers [was: A Momentous Decision] On Mon, 21 Oct 2002, David A. Woyciesjes wrote: > Well, my firewall/router is Dragon, my Sun Ultra 1 with Solaris 9 > is Gandalf, my VaxStation 3100 will be Hobgoblin, the two Cabletron hubs > will be MiddleEarth and RiverStyx. I have a x86 box (Solaris 8) that will > be Halfling, and Frodo (probably) for my DEC 3000/400... > Any other suggestions on this theme? For starters, you could network them all using a token ring. ^^^^^ Bilbo, Aragorn, Legolas, Samwise, Pippin, Gimli, Galadriel, Arwen, Eowyn, Saruman, Sauron, Faramir, Theoden, etc... -brian.

23 years, 10 months

3
2
0 0

ASR33 linefeed problems...

by gil＠vauxelectronics.com

Hi Jos: I forwarded your message to some folks that may know more about your problem, and I'll let you know when I hear back. The 33 does not have the longevity of other machines like the 35, 28, 15... It was designed as a "light-duty" machine, and has "bend-this-part" kind of adjustments in places instead of eccentic screws, etc. When they hit enough hours, they seem to crap out. But yours may just need some TLC. One word of warning for any mechanical device, especially a teletype -- never use WD-40. It is shellac-based and will turn to gunk in a couple of years. (just like it does on everyones door hinges). I use 3-in-one oil for light linkages, 20W or 30W motor oil for heavier needs, and lithium grease for cams, etc. gil At 01:01 PM 10/19/02 +0100, you wrote: > > >After a whole day of finetuning my ASR linefeed pawl stops, I still cannot >get it to produce a reliable linefeed. Most of the time I get nothing ,or a >half line, sometimes it feeds at each character. > >Is there any secret to this mechanism ? The ASR manual is not a great help, >as it does not mention anything besides the pawls'and their stops. > > Jos Dreesen > > ;----------------------------------------------------------- ; vaux electronics, inc. 480-354-5556 ; http://www.vauxelectronics.com (fax: 480-354-5558) ;-----------------------------------------------------------

23 years, 10 months

4
4
0 0

ASR33 linefeed solved! So here is the next ASR problem.......

by dwightk.elvey＠amd.com

>From: "jos.mar" <jos.mar(a)bluewin.ch> > > > >The problem with my ASR33's linefeed has been traced to a disintegrated piece >of plastic on the upstop bracket of the linefeed linkage. (item no. 18708) >Without this plastic piece the upstop vertical adjustment range is too small >for a reliable linefeed. A few windings of plastic tape did the trick. >My ASR now prints out a sourcecode papertape quite nicely. > >Thanks for all the tips. As to WD40 : I never use the stuff... > >The next, and hopefull last problem of my ASR : the keyboard. >It sometimes misses a bit ( B becomes A etc. ) This is more than likely >curable by adjusting or replacing the contact wires. >However the keyboard also quite often gives out 2 characters for each key >pressed. I am at a loss as to what could cause this behavior. Tips anyone ? Hi It is more likely that you just nees to clean the contact surfaces, rather than replacing the wires. They are plated and should last a lifetime. The double printing is most likely that the keyboard isn't getting reset after a key is hit. There is a bell crank that connects the printer to the keyboard that is to reset the keyboard and lock out a double key. It is most likely that the travel on this isn't enough. Check the manual, there is an adjustment someplace. Here is a trick that I used when I was in the service. Things happen so fast in a teletype ( I worked on the older Klienshmit type with the moving box ) that it is often hard to tell just what is causing problems. I has a switch on with some wire that I could use to shut the motor off, without turning off the rest of the power. The motor power is on a screw strip, someplace. I could then turn on the main power with the motor on and lock up all of the clutches. I could then turn the motor off and run things from the keyboard manually by turning the fan on the motor. One can't see everything this way because may things have an interial effect but it was a lot of help. Make sure that if a clutch is tripped that you get it fully locked again. When the motor is spinning fast this isn't a problem but manually, they won't lockup and will drag. It is hard to describe this in text but you squeeze the latch part that catches on the clutches. Some time the clutches don't latch up on a powerup. I always hit a key on each power up to make sure they are not dragging. If they are dragging, you'll burn up a clutch in just a few minutes. Manually, you should be able to stop things, while the keyboard wires are making contact. You can then check each one for voltage drop as the distributer selects each to the printer. You can find an open, quickly, this way. Dwight > >My ASR33 came with a reasonable number of original replacement parts. Should > anybody be in dire need of a part to get her/his ASR running again... > > > > > Jos Dreesen. > >

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

ASR33 linefeed solved! So here is the next ASR problem.......

by jos.mar＠bluewin.ch

The problem with my ASR33's linefeed has been traced to a disintegrated piece of plastic on the upstop bracket of the linefeed linkage. (item no. 18708) Without this plastic piece the upstop vertical adjustment range is too small for a reliable linefeed. A few windings of plastic tape did the trick. My ASR now prints out a sourcecode papertape quite nicely. Thanks for all the tips. As to WD40 : I never use the stuff... The next, and hopefull last problem of my ASR : the keyboard. It sometimes misses a bit ( B becomes A etc. ) This is more than likely curable by adjusting or replacing the contact wires. However the keyboard also quite often gives out 2 characters for each key pressed. I am at a loss as to what could cause this behavior. Tips anyone ? My ASR33 came with a reasonable number of original replacement parts. Should anybody be in dire need of a part to get her/his ASR running again... Jos Dreesen.

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Toshiba 3100/20's with schematics and service manual

by curt＠curtgowan.com

I have two Toshiba 3100/20 plasma display 286 systems. Both working except that one has a dead hard drive. Excellent condition. Have the schematics and service manual, user docs, software. Anybody want them? --cg

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

HP 2647A / F Terminal

by glenslick＠hotmail.com

I just received an HP 2647F terminal along with two 13272A 5.25" drives and cables plus a 02640-60043 modem cable and a 02640-60266 HPIB cable, but no manuals. Physically it all looks pretty good, no broken or missing keys and no screen burn or mold, and I figured out how to format floppies and create some files on them and the floppies seem to work ok. I figured out how to open the unit and looked at the boards inside and was slightly disappointed to find that the CPU is an 8085 instead of more cool 8080. This unit has a 1982 date. A couple of questions: I found some references on the web that the 2647A/F supports BASIC. Is that true? Is it in ROM, or does it need to be loaded from tape or disc? If it is in ROM I haven't been able to figure out how to get at it. Is the HPIB cable used just for connecting to printers, or can it be connected to other things? What's the difference between a 2647A and a 2647F? -Glen _________________________________________________________________ Broadband? Dial-up? Get reliable MSN Internet Access. http://resourcecenter.msn.com/access/plans/default.asp

23 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

Free : Manual for Barco CV33-2 SE

by stefan＠softhome.net

I have here a manual for a CV33-2 SE/HE made by Barco Industries. Free for anyone who wants it and is willing to pick it up or pay for postage. Manual is dated 19 nov 1984. The CV33-2 is a videotex terminal btw. yours, Stefan.

23 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

A Momentous Decision

by Robert_Feldman＠jdedwards.com

The only computer of mine that I named was/is my Otrona Attache 8:16, which I named "El Otorongo," (Quechua/Inkan for "The Jaguar"). Besides being alliterative, the name was appropriate, as this computer spent several years in Peru with archaeological projects I was involved with. Bob -----Original Message----- From: ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk [mailto:ard@p850ug1.demon.co.uk] Sent: Friday, October 18, 2002 5:42 PM To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org Subject: Re: A Momentous Decision > > After much pondering and debate, I have finally decided on a name for > my Cromemco System Two. Once she is operational, she shall be > christened as Mintaka. Just out of curiousity, how many other people here name their classic computers (for reasons other than giving them a network address) -tony

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

[OT] paper on Retro ?

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Oct 19, 8:33, Stan Barr wrote: > ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) said: > > > > Also, many of us remember filling in a coding form, then either punching > > a card deck or having one punched, then handing it to the operator, then > > coming back to collect the output (normally error messages :-)). I wonder > > if people will even rememebr that went on in, say, 50 years time. > > I used to have to fill out coding forms, put them in the internal mail > with a run request and get a printout in the mail a day or so later. > It made debugging somewhat slow :-) At school (secondary school, I suppose that's high school for Americans), we used to fill out FORTRAN (even though we were writing ALGOL) coding forms and hand them in, and get them back a week later. It taught the value of dry-running a program :-) When I worked at Edinburgh University in the mid-70's, our research unit had punch operators who'd punch the cards, and I'd take the boxes up the road about 3/4 mile and hand them in. Then they'd sit in a queue until the operator fed them in, and we'd get the printout back later that day (usually). I must have handled hundreds of thousands of punch cards, but now I all I have are three empty metal trays and one card (and I only have the card because someone sent it to me with a note on it a while ago). Can anyone remember how many IBM cards fit in a box? A card is nominally 8 thou thick, and a tray is about 16.5" long internally, so it must be something of the order of 2000. Who remembers drawing a cross or a diagonal line on the top of the card deck, so you had some chance of re-ordering the deck if someone dropped the box? Who remembers using a folded card (16 thou) to check the points on their engine (nominally 15 thou)? Folded in three to check the spark plug gap (nominally 25 thou)?? -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

23 years, 10 months

11
12
0 0

A Momentous Decision

by healyzh＠aracnet.com

> Just out of curiousity, how many other people here name their classic > computers (for reasons other than giving them a network address) > > -tony Personally the only computers I give names to are ones on my network (of course basically every system I have setup is networked). I've reached the point though where the name is likely to simply reflect what kind of hardware the host is. Other times the name might be what it was prior to my getting it. Zane

23 years, 10 months

4
3
0 0

VT52 repair [was: Favorite terminal]

by djg＠drs-esg.com

> Does anyone have the schematics for the VT52 ? > Yes, I send them to Eric Smith to be scanned along with VT78 and random other stuff. I can't easly do B size with my scanner. If all went well I should be getting the scans within a week to put online. I suspect they will show up on www.spies.com also. David Gesswein http://www.pdp8.net/ -- Run an old computer with blinkenlights.

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Ricochet wireless modem?

by rigdonj＠cfl.rr.com

I've picked up several of GS models in a bunch of surplus. Is anyone familar with them? I'm wondering if you HAVE to use Ricochet's network or if they can be set up to work peer to peer. Joe

23 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

[GreenKeys] Line feed on a 33ASR

by gil＠vauxelectronics.com

>From: "O. Warren" <ocwarren(a)burgoyne.com> >To: <greenkeys(a)mailman.qth.net> >Subject: [GreenKeys] Line feed on a 33ASR >Date: Sun, 20 Oct 2002 08:34:35 -0600 > >Hi... > >About line feed on a 33ASR.. > >I'm a retired Western Union Field Service Technician, and we used these >33ASR's with internal data sets (modems) as TWX machines. They also made a >good low speed pre Internet on-line terminal. > >>From what I remember, the line feed prowl was a concentric adjustment on the >left side of the platen. > >>From the message I read, the selector part is the problem. Typically first >check that the selection is working with a test of blanks and rub outs, or a >string of *'s and U's. This will test for machine reversals. Then check >the line feed selection. Look for lack of oil, then weak or missing >springs, misarranged levers, etc.. > >Then oil. Dirt on the distributor and keyboard contacts and lack of oil >will kill the machine. The proper oil is in between 30 weight motor oil and >3 in 1 oil. Sears Roebuck used to sell what they termed "air conditioner >oil", which was almost an exact replacement for "Teletype oil", and also in >a squeeze bottle. Be sure that someone didn't use grease instead of oil and >"gooey" the mechanism up!! > >Your machine is a good teaching tool. Watch the selector mechanism work in >reversals and then the lined feed mechanism operate. whatever the problem, >it will become apparent.. > >Best, > >Dick Warren >ocwarren(a)burgoyne.com > >_______________________________________________ >GreenKeys mailing list >GreenKeys(a)mailman.qth.net >http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/greenkeys > > ;----------------------------------------------------------- ; vaux electronics, inc. 480-354-5556 ; http://www.vauxelectronics.com (fax: 480-354-5558) ;-----------------------------------------------------------

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

[GreenKeys] Line feed on a 33ASR

by gil＠vauxelectronics.com

>From: "Jack" <wa2hwj(a)worldnet.att.net> >To: <greenkeys(a)mailman.qth.net> >Subject: Re: [GreenKeys] Line feed on a 33ASR >Date: Sun, 20 Oct 2002 10:50:20 -0400 > >Of all the aggravating adjustments on the 33, the line feed >gets the award! Later machines had a much more refined >mechanism, but the older and probably more plentiful models >required a lot of cussing, swearing and a little adjusting. >The line feed pawl that actually moves the platen sometimes wears. > >After making sure your machine is in good operating shape by >sending the reversals (U*U*U*U*) and making sure the >selector is working correctly, watch to see if the pawl >tries to advance the platen every time you send it a >LINE FEED character. If it seems to miss sometimes and only >feed halfway other times, then that's what you need to >fiddle with... > >Jack WA2HWJ > >NNNN > > > > >_______________________________________________ >GreenKeys mailing list >GreenKeys(a)mailman.qth.net >http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/greenkeys > > ;----------------------------------------------------------- ; vaux electronics, inc. 480-354-5556 ; http://www.vauxelectronics.com (fax: 480-354-5558) ;-----------------------------------------------------------

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

[OT] paper on Retro ?

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Oct 19, 11:36, Fred Cisin (XenoSoft) wrote: > > Who remembers drawing a cross or a diagonal line on the top of the card > > deck, so you had some chance of re-ordering the deck > Depended a lot on how often it would be changed. > On a deck that would be changed OFTEN, you put ONE diagonal. Next time > that it changed significantly, you'd put a second diagonal. By the time > that you had a dozen different colors and directions of diagonals, that > deck would be overdue to be recopied to have nice fresh crisp cards. We rarely did that. We did use diagonal line(s) to see if a deck needed sorted; if it wasn't too big then the line was usually enough. > At many locations, different colors of cards had special meanings. When I > was working at Goddard Space Flight Center, I did not have appropriate > clearance for handling some of the colors of cards that I was working > with. Yes, I can't remember all the colours except that blue was usually JCL. > > > Who remembers using a folded card (16 thou) to check the points on their > > > engine (nominally 15 thou)? Folded in three to check the spark plug gap > > > (nominally 25 thou)?? > > And what did you use for adjusting your valves? (~ .006) Zig-zags? No, anything more serious than a quick sanity check merited a real feeler gauge :-) -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Apple //e and Mac parts

by dan＠ekoan.com

I was quickly corrected regarding the cables I mentioned earlier. They are DB-19 to 20-pin header (keyed), apparently an interface cable to the UniDisk drive. I also have several ribbon cables for the older style floppy drives. Also, I just located three Apple IIe emulation cards for the Mac LC series. These are just the cards, part number 820-0444-A. They're in anti-static bags but not sealed. Cheers, Dan http://www.decodesystems.com/wanted.html

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Unibus on a VAX 6000 (was Re: New VAX 6000 toys.)

by IVIE＠cc.usu.edu

Ethan Dicks said: > If they can take it, you'd need a DWBUA on a VAXBI bus (there is no > Unibus adapter for XMI). ISTR when the 6000 was current that DEC > imposed a limit on how fast a machine could take a DWBUA, not to > screw the customer, but because some of the (then) newer machines > had so many layers between the Unibus peripherals and memory that > timings could not be maintained. I am aware of an application that used a Unibus on a VAX 6520. The system would occasionally spontaneously crash; it looked to me like the UNIBUS adapter was getting wedged. Rumor has it they fixed it with a microcode upgrade to the DWBUA, but I doubt that microcode was ever made generally available. -- Roger Ivie ivie(a)cc.usu.edu

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

ASR-33 Line Feed Problems

by cmcnabb＠4mcnabb.net

I had this half-linefeed problem on my ASR-33 when I first rescued it >from the Barn. After a few nights of careful study (watching the mechanism at work) I decided that the spring on the ratchet device was stretched to the point of not being springy any more. I replaced it with another (from a carburater rebuild kit, as I recall) and it has worked fine ever since.

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

ASR33 linefeed problems...

by ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk

A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text Size: 895 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.classiccmp.org/pipermail/cctalk/attachments/20021019/039e95d7/at…

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

VT52 repair [was: Favorite terminal]

by Antonio.Carlini＠riverstonenet.com

>Does anyone have the schematics for the VT52 ? >Or a hint where I should start looking for common errors ? You can start at http://www.vt100.net You'll find a maintenance guide and a pocket service guide at the very least. Antonio

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Looking for: Ai Cybernetic Systems Model 1000 Speech Synthesizer.

by Jack＠Coats.org

I think I still have one. You might check with Wirt Atmar at AI Cybernetics. He did the original AI Cybernetic synthesizer.

23 years, 10 months

6
7
0 0

uyk-20?

by xds_sigma7＠hotmail.com

HELL YEAH! AN/UYK-20 BABY! *consults my data files* Other than that its a Univac (obviously), and 16-bit, I don't know much about it... They were used in a few different cool things, for example the original AEGIS system.. I'd love to have one... and know at least one other person that'd probably want one.. how much? heh Will J _________________________________________________________________ Internet access plans that fit your lifestyle -- join MSN. http://resourcecenter.msn.com/access/plans/default.asp

23 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

http://www.classiccmp.org/pipermail/cctech/2002-June/000079.html

by roadlet_411＠hotmail.com

Hi, I happened to come across this post and noticed that you were advertising some items for sale. I was wondering if you could let me know what items from that page are still available. Thanks

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Reading HP series 80 ROMs

by vassilip＠dsl.cis.upenn.edu

gil smith <gil(a)vauxelectronics.com> wrote: >From: john_shadbolt(a)talk21.com > > [...]I have performed the following on my HP-85, I assume this > > will work on a 86/87/9915. > >1. Determine the ROM number for the ROM. You may have this anyway (as > >it is used for error messages). For example my guess for the HP 85 EMS > >ROM is that it is 317 octal / 207 decimal (the same as for the HP 87 > >EMS ROM which I do have). To check run the command: > > > > >MEM 60000:207,2 Actually, on the HP86 and HP87 the ROM-id is in *octal* so the correct command (for these machines) would be: MEM 60000:317,2 Also, since the HP-8[67] have larger screens, the MEM command dumps memory in multiples of 8 bytes. So the above command is equivalent to: MEM 60000:317,10 (the number of bytes is also in octal). So much for compatibility between the various Series 80 models. **vp

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Arithmometer simulator

by vcf＠siconic.com

You have GOT to check out the mechanical caclulator simulators this guy has developed: http://oldcalc.republika.pl Very, very cool! I believe the site is Polish, but there is an English link (the Union Jack in the upper left frame). -- Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org * Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Heathkit H-8 Help

by clamrock＠nmtdie.com

Hi, I have a Heathkit H-8 of which I know nothing about. I am curious to play with this machine a bit but really I don't know where to start. I believe all I have for the H-8 is the computer - the part with the keypad & led display & a bunch of cables. What can I do with this? How can I test to see if it even works? Any ideas where I could go to find more information about it? Thanks all! Chris Lamrock

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

OT: Shipping a large, heavy crate

by Robert_Feldman＠jdedwards.com

I know this has been discussed before, but I can't find the answer in the archives. I need to ship a large, heavy crate (about 30" x 12" x 72" and around 200-250 pounds) in the US. What company would you recommend? Please answer off-list, directly to my email. Thanks, Robert A. Feldman robert_feldman(a)jdedwards.com

23 years, 10 months

5
4
0 0

KayPro to donate (fwd)

by vcf＠siconic.com

Anyone in the Kensington, Maryland area interested in a Kaypro 64? If so, contact Robert directly. Respond-to: <Rflick(a)erols.com> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Robert Flickinger <Rflick(a)erols.com> Subject: Re: KayPro to donate I have a Kaypro 64 in excellent condition which I would love to get out of my house. It was my first computer and I just couldn't bear to throw it away. It has a carrying case and complete software, including Dbase II for CPM. -- Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org * Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Osbourne 1 problems

by Robert_Feldman＠jdedwards.com

I have an O1 Tech Ref manual, from which I can send you info that might be useful. I'm busy this week, so won't be until next, though. One thing to check is the video shunt on the front of the unit. It takes the video signals and power from the bottom of the board and passes them to the top, where they go to the monitor. If the contacts on the shunt are oxidized, you could have video problems. The pinout of the edge connector is (numbered right to left, odd on top, even on bottom): (19 ... 1) (20 ... 2) 2 Ground 4 Brightness High ---> 3 on top 6 Brightness Low ---> 5 on top 8 Brightness Arm ---> 7 on top 10 Ground 12 Horiz Sync 14 +12 volts 16 Video Out 18 Vert Sync 20 Ground 3 and 7 go to the outsides of a 100K brightness pot, 5 to the wiper of the pot. Video out and one of the grounds go to a 500 ohm contrast pot. Bob -----Original Message----- From: Sark [mailto:ian_primus@yahoo.com] Sent: Monday, October 14, 2002 2:08 PM To: cctech(a)classiccmp.org Subject: Osbourne 1 problems I recently accquired an Osbourne 1 computer. I turned it on and it seemed to work, I was able to boot BASIC off of a floppy and I wrote a couple little programs, (print hello world, count to ten, and count forever, stuff like that). The picture on the screen was kinda dark in spots, and while the computer was counting, it flickered to a very dark and barely readable, then it went black all together. I tried turning up the brightness and contrast controls, the only one that makes any change on the screen is the brightness control. I can see the rasters when the brightness is up all the way, but the contrast control has no effect. The computer seems to still work though, I can turn it on, then hit enter and it will boot from the floppy. Previously, when it was working, I noticed the screen flicker when the computer accessed the floppy drive. My guess is that there is something wrong with the power supply. Does anyone have any ideas? I would really like to get my Osbourne working again, it's a really cool little computer. Thanks! Ian Primus ian_primus(a)yahoo.com

23 years, 10 months

5
4
0 0

History Channel - The Internet: Behind the Web

by kees.stravers＠iae.nl

Hi, I guess it would be too much to hope that some one has recorded this program and can capture it to an avi file, so that us foreigners who don't have this channel can see it too? It seems very interesting! Kees. At 11:55 10-10-02 -0400, you wrote: >This show had the most footage of Imlac's I've ever seen. A really >great program! > >David A. Woyciesjes wrote: > >> Just curious... did anybody else watch the History Channel last >>night, 7:00PM Eastern Time. The Modern Marvels episode was about the >>creation of the internet. Rather fascinating to me (who learned some >>things), and kinda neat to put faces to names... >> Not to mention the pictures of the old, err, classic computers and >>terminals...

23 years, 10 months

4
4
0 0

apple - treasure or trash?

by jwest＠imail.kwcorp.com

I just got handed a huge binder, that was getting ready to be pitched during our datacenter move. Apple "Supportools Reference Guide", including product data sheets, system configuration, software, and support. Got sections on apples, macs, A/UX, etc. Offered for trade... Jay West --- [This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus]

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

HP 9915A (industrial version of HP 85A)

by vassilip＠dsl.cis.upenn.edu

Joe <rigdonj(a)cfl.rr.com> wrote: > The 85F were delivered as part of various HP test systems and AFIK > they were never listed separately in the HP catalogs. That's probably > why few people have heard of them and may be confusing their > capabilities with standard 85Bs. The 85F is a nice catch IMO, you > gain two ROMs and don't use up any of the ports on the back. Yes, the 85F was part of the 3056DL data acquisition system. You can find a brochure with a description of the 85F config at <http://library.hp41.org/LibView.cfm?Command=Document&ItemID=23075> On page 21 you find the 85F described as: Computer with CRT, keyboard, tape drive, graphics, 16K memory, HP-IB card, I/O ROM and ROM drawer (all that for just $3485). There is no Mass Storage ROM and the Adv Programming ROM was a $165 option. Also since they gave you the ROM drawer, the ROMs would not be inside the 85F, so you do use one port on the back. Even the 9915A which contains the ROMs inside the cabinet, has only three slots, so you appear to lose a slot anyway. Also, Joe, since you have the programmable-rom-module, can you check inside to see the type of the translator IC (the one closest to the the edge connector. I would guess that its either a 1MA5-0101 or a 1MB5-0101. Further down there should be a 8048 (Intel microcontroller) that does all the funny address decoding and stuff. At least with most HP85 I/O cards, the funny voltages on the I/O bus are hidden by the translator chip; on the other side you have industry standard TTL. Because of the "funny" voltages on the I/O bus, contructing a programmable-rom-module from scratch would be very difficult, but if we can use the 1MB5-0101 part (which is found in most adapters) we can convert some of the zillion 82937 HP-IB adaptors that appear constantly on eBay to programmable-rom-modules. Then we can all have the EMS ROM and get rid of the ancient (and huge) 9135A hard disks. BTW The most impressive of these beasts is probably the 9895A dual 8-inch floppy drive, that is so big that the HP85 sitting on top looks like a toy. I have a 20 page brochure on the 9915A. I'll try to make it available on-line soon. This is where I got the keyboard connector info I posted in my previous email. gil smith <gil(a)vauxelectronics.com> wrote: > There are still a few unknown keys in the main > matrix though. Pin 25 use is unknown (2.5V). Pin 1 is chassis ground. As I have mentioned in the previous posting, there is also a speaker signal on the keyboard connector. gil smith <gil(a)vauxelectronics.com> wrote: > Since > there are no lines to enable a specific rom socket, I think the 85 must > poll for roms using fixed address ranges or something -- this implies > that the roms contain address qualification circuitry of some sort. Have a look at page 5-3 of the HP-85 assembler manual (available on CDROM from the HP calculator museum - www.hpmuseum.org). It describes the system memory organization of the HP-85. On page 6-17 the manual explains how to access other ROMs via the bank-switching hooks. Best regards **vp

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

OT: Clean steel?

by foo＠siconic.com

There are two rooms in the ACCRC building that are filled with huge old (useless) refrigeration systems. Tons of steel. We'd like to get the rooms cleared out so we can use them. We've gotten quotes in the past but all of them will end up costing us to remove the equipment since the rooms are enclosed and one of them is down a ladder with a narrow door. Everything will need to be cut up and removed piece-meal. There is also some very large equipment on the roof that will need a crane to remove. A while back we had a brief discussion about "clean steel". "Clean steel" is supposedly steel that was smelted before the first atomic bomb tests, and therefore contains no radiation. Apparently, air since the first atomic bomb test is now filled with background radiation, and because so much air is used in the smelting process, a lot of the radiation gets into modern steel making it unsuitable for some applications (such as medical test equipment where radioactive isotopes are used as part of the operation). I was thinking that because this building is so old (from the 1930s) that a lot of the steel in those rooms is "clean". I called a scrapper yesterday who has been in the business for 30+ years and is a Harvard graduate, and he said he has never, ever heard of "clean steel". So what gives? Is there a government website somewhere that defines "clean steel"? I'm hoping that the steel is actually worth enough to make it a wash to have it removed. As it stands, the quote I have so far is that we have $25/ton worth of steel and $30/ton to salvage it. Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org * Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *

23 years, 10 months

4
3
0 0

Question about Sharp PC4500 and IBM basic

by kenziem＠sympatico.ca

Can anyone here shed some more light on the sharp PC4500, the IBM basic question? ---------- Forwarded Message ---------- Thank you for your reply. I have a Sharp laptop PC4500 that still works. I don't have a manual for it, and am curious about the unit. There are two expansion slots inside the unit. I was wondering if I can use a mouse with it, but there aren't any ports for a mouse. It has two parallel port connectors only on the outside of the unit. Also, I am looking for an IBM unit with the BASIC code in the ROM. I have a game written in BASIC dating from about 1984 that won't work with GWBASIC. I am curious whether it actually works on an actual IBM (i.e. not clone) unit.

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Naming of Systems

by jpl15＠panix.com

I was default sysop of a pair of Sydis voice-phone-data Unix systems back when I was a product manager at a Large Non-Bell California Phone Company. I called 'em Godzilla and Rodan. Not uncommon to get a phone call : "Hey, I think Godzilla just puked.." Earlier, (speaking of Molecular Computers) we sold two of them to a company who did insurance back-office processing. Their resident Geeks named them Pokey and Gumby, and when a user logged into the system, an ASCII-art graphic of the relevant character was displayed on the splash-screen. None of the above machines were made from Pre-Bomb Steel, BTW. Cheers John

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

EditWriters in New Zealand

by foo＠siconic.com

I deleted the original message that pointed me to this picture: http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~tractorb/editwriter.JPG ...but I would say that these are definitely worth saving. Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org * Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

OT: RE: Clean steel?

by Robert_Feldman＠jdedwards.com

Googling doesn't turn up many hits, but I found two (both related to ships): www.liddiard.demon.co.uk/photoix/brittany/kleber.htm and www.hazegray.org/faq/smn7.htm Given so few hits, maybe is is an urban legend. Then again, some applications might require steel without the slight radiation that blast-furnace smelting might add. The mixing in of contaminated scrap is a different (and very real) issue from air-blast introduced low-level radioactivity. Bob -----Original Message----- From: Kapteyn, Rob [mailto:kapteynr@cboe.com] Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2002 12:09 PM To: 'cctalk(a)classiccmp.org' Subject: RE: Clean steel? My understanding of this: "Unclean" steel is not radioactive because of the A-bomb tests (although we are all being exposed to roughly 3 times "natural" background radiation because of those tests. There have been several very expensive mistakes in which highly radioactive contaminants got mixed in with scrap metal going to smelters. Some of these were not detected until toys and table legs made from the scrap were being shipped to consumers. About 40% of our steel comes from recycled scrap. This scrap always seems to pick up some radioactive contamination. The 60% of steel made from virgin ore is "clean". Your 1930's scrap is still scrap -- not virgin ore. The EPA has a new program to address this problem: http://www.epa.gov/radiation/cleanmetals/ -Rob -----Original Message----- From: cctalk-admin(a)classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-admin@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Sellam Ismail Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2002 10:51 AM To: Classic Computers Mailing List Subject: OT: Clean steel? There are two rooms in the ACCRC building that are filled with huge old (useless) refrigeration systems. Tons of steel. We'd like to get the rooms cleared out so we can use them. We've gotten quotes in the past but all of them will end up costing us to remove the equipment since the rooms are enclosed and one of them is down a ladder with a narrow door. Everything will need to be cut up and removed piece-meal. There is also some very large equipment on the roof that will need a crane to remove. A while back we had a brief discussion about "clean steel". "Clean steel" is supposedly steel that was smelted before the first atomic bomb tests, and therefore contains no radiation. Apparently, air since the first atomic bomb test is now filled with background radiation, and because so much air is used in the smelting process, a lot of the radiation gets into modern steel making it unsuitable for some applications (such as medical test equipment where radioactive isotopes are used as part of the operation). I was thinking that because this building is so old (from the 1930s) that a lot of the steel in those rooms is "clean". I called a scrapper yesterday who has been in the business for 30+ years and is a Harvard graduate, and he said he has never, ever heard of "clean steel". So what gives? Is there a government website somewhere that defines "clean steel"? I'm hoping that the steel is actually worth enough to make it a wash to have it removed. As it stands, the quote I have so far is that we have $25/ton worth of steel and $30/ton to salvage it. Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org * Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *

23 years, 10 months

3
2
0 0

ASR33 linefeed problems...

by jos.mar＠bluewin.ch

After a whole day of finetuning my ASR linefeed pawl stops, I still cannot get it to produce a reliable linefeed. Most of the time I get nothing ,or a half line, sometimes it feeds at each character. Is there any secret to this mechanism ? The ASR manual is not a great help, as it does not mention anything besides the pawls'and their stops. Jos Dreesen

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

uyk-20?

by rigdonj＠cfl.rr.com

Does anyone have any info on this computer? I've found one at a scrap place and they're supposed to be getting a several more of them in. I pulled some of the cards from this one and they're marked Sperry-Rand. I checked the date codes on some of the ICs and they were all dated 1977. I pulled eight large core memory boards out of this one. Any body know what the memory capacity is on these? Joe

23 years, 10 months

6
10
0 0

What Is This Connector?

by mhscc＠canada.com

Priority Interrupt chain. Should go from 16FDC OUT to TU-ART IN. Note that the pins on the 4/16/64FDC are the opposite of all other cards, so the cable connects to the same side pin on both boards (away from the edge of the card). The extra wire is in case you have another board requiring connection to the interrupt chain, e.g. a PRI printer interface; if all you have is the TU-ART, just leave it dangling: __+ +_____________ 16FDC | | __+ +_____________TU-ART | | If you have a WDI type hard disk controller with a connector, do NOT connect to it; they have a separate interrupt chain. Good luck; nice to see someone actually bringing a Cromemco back to life. Which model System 2 BTW? Sounds like a CS-2, dual TM100 floppies, full width 21 slot backplane, no internal HD? So, what other cards were in there? Got any software/OS for it? mike -------------Original Message------------- Message: 42 From: "Scarletdown" <SecretaryBird(a)SoftHome.net> To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2002 22:32:12 -0700 Subject: What Is This Connector? Reply-To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org Earlier today, I had Mintaka (Cromemco System Two) opened up and had her cards pulled so I could write down an inventory of what all she has in her. I noticed that on the FDC16 floppy controller, there is a wire plugged into a 2 pin connector on the card. The other end of the wire is not connected to anything. Any idea what it is supposed to go to? <snip> ------------------------------------------- Introducing NetZero Long Distance Unlimited Long Distance only $29.95/ month! Sign Up Today! www.netzerolongdistance.com

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Exxon Qyx Typewriter thingy

by cb＠mythtech.net

So what is an Exxon Qyx good for? Other than as a typewriter? I just found one in my garage (I swear if I dig a bit further, I will find the Ark of the Covenant in there). I found the manuals and software, but I can't yet get to them (really REALLY big pile of gondola shelves are in the way, and I have to move a fridge to get the shelves out... <sigh>). I'm trying to decide if I should haul this out for my garage sale this weekend, or hang on to it. The fact that it is a typewriter with a floppy drive is interesting enough in its own right that I might keep it... but that pack rat mentality is what got everything so burried in the first place (something I am sure just about everyone here is familiar with). Is this just an old word processor, or can you do something more interesting with it? -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

23 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

What Is This Connector?

by SecretaryBird＠SoftHome.net

Earlier today, I had Mintaka (Cromemco System Two) opened up and had her cards pulled so I could write down an inventory of what all she has in her. I noticed that on the FDC16 floppy controller, there is a wire plugged into a 2 pin connector on the card. The other end of the wire is not connected to anything. Any idea what it is supposed to go to? Here is a picture of the wire and connector in question... http://www.oz.net/~otter/Geekware/What-is-This-Connector-0.JPG I also noticed that the TU-ART card has a similar 2 pin connector, with nothing attached to it. http://www.oz.net/~otter/Geekware/What-is-This-Connector-1.JPG Is that where the other end of the wire is supposed to go? And if so, what about that connector in the middle of the wire? Thanks -- Scarletdown

23 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

Heathkit H-8

by chris＠blackwidowguitars.com

Hi, I have a Heathkit H-8 of which I know nothing about. I am curious to play with this machine a bit but really I don't know where to start. I believe all I have for the H-8 is the computer - the part with the keypad & led display & a bunch of cables. What can I do with this? How can I test to see if it even works? Any ideas where I could go to find more information about it? Thanks all! Chris Lamrock

23 years, 10 months

2
2
0 0

[OT]: World's Most Dangerous Server Rooms Finally Revealed :-)

by philpem＠dsl.pipex.com

Hi all, Just found this on The Register - thought some of you might be interested. World's Most Dangerous Server Rooms - Finally Revealed! (my title, not theirs) http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/28/27684.html I like this one [quote] We shall not name the world-renowned North American educational institution in which the server room itself is now out of bounds:- [endquote] I'm not going to spoil the fun by telling you what the sign on the server room door says :-) Later. -- Phil. philpem(a)dsl.pipex.com http://www.philpem.dsl.pipex.com/

23 years, 10 months

1
1
0 0

OT: Clean steel? more info

by mmcfadden＠cmh.edu

More info for Sellam http://www.geocities.com/darrenmilford/scuttle.html Bayern as raised in 1933. She fetched a scrap value of ?110,000 nearly half of which was profit. The salvage operations on the various ships started in the early 1920's with most of the ships having been raised by the late 1930's. Since then fragments of ships have been raised and since Hiroshima they remain an important source of quality radioactive free metals necessary for certain types of sensitive scientific instruments http://users.accesscomm.ca/shipwreck/index7.htm Radioactivity in the atmosphere has increased over time with the continual testing of atomic bombs of all types. Steel makers need vast amounts of air to make steel so it would follow that steel made nowadays contains certain amounts of radioactivity. Prior to dropping the first A bomb in 1945, steel was radioactive free, and the only source of this 'clean' steel left lies in pre 1945 wrecks that lie on the seabed. Mike

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

OT: Clean steel? additional ramblings

by mmcfadden＠cmh.edu

Sellam Ismail was asking about "clean steel", here is some of what I know/remember from one of the applications that require it. The trace amounts of radioactive "stuff" in the new steel can swamp out the radioactive particle counters on some experiments. There was an experiment at the University of Missouri to look at the muscle/fat percentages in humans and in cows. There was an especially built building made from "old battleship steel" that enclosed the radioactive particle counter. The "experimental subject" was given trace amounts of radioactive potassium which would be incorporated into their muscle. The entire subject was then placed in a whole body detector to determine the percentage of the body mass that was muscle versus fat. I heard that they had gotten the steel from an old sunken ship. may be entirely myth Thanks Mike

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

RICM's ZS-1

by pat＠purdueriots.com

Just wandering around the web last night, and I was wondering 'what happened' to RICM's Astronautics ZS-1 ... has it yet been powered up, booted and put through its paces? While I was at Astronautics with Merle, (and everyone else), it looked like a fine machine that would be fun to play around with once it got up and running, and, well, I was just curious if it's been set up and successfully ran any software since it was moved. Pat -- "This fucking university has shown time and time again that it is completely fucking incompetent when it comes to employing technology" -- Anonymous http://dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/images/dilbert2040637020924.gif

23 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

Fw: Sign of the times :(

by Huw.Davies＠kerberos.davies.net.au

At 02:47 AM 16/10/2002 -0500, Tothwolf wrote: >If you notice the car on the left of the image, it gives two clues that >show the location is in the US somewhere. The license plate, even though >you can't see all of it, is US sized. The steering wheel is also on the >left side of the car. Another noticeable item in the photo is the DSS dish >on the roof of the red brick building. I'm inclined to agree that this photo is from the US, but of course the majority of cars in Europe have the steering wheel on the left hand side of the car. If the UK is anything to go by, there are lots of satellite dishes there too... Huw Davies | e-mail: Huw.Davies(a)kerberos.davies.net.au | "If God had wanted soccer played in the | air, the sky would be painted green"

23 years, 10 months

7
12
0 0

Need Help Identifying Mystery S-100 Card

by SecretaryBird＠SoftHome.net

If I provide pictures and a descriptions of the various chips, would anyone here be able to help me identify this S-100 card? First, the pictures: http://www.oz.net/~otter/Geekware/Mystery-Board-Front.JPG http://www.oz.net/~otter/Geekware/Mystery-Board-Back.JPG The largest chip is marked: AM9513PC 8148HP (c) 1980 AMD. To the right of the DIP switches are 4 socketed chips... The two smaller ones: F-74LS136PC 7935 Singapore The two larger ones: 74LS244 PC F 8226 Indonesia The other 9 chips, in no particular order... F-74LS368PC 7918 Indonesia SN74LS00n QQ8130 (has Motorola Logo) 74LS02 PC 8221 Singapore F-74LS32PC 8210 Indonesia 435 DM7476N 74LS14 F 8248 Singapore 2630 937 (has Hewlett Packard Logo) 4N26 240F Korea 4N26 231F Korea I'm assuming that this is a homebrew job. But before I make a decision on whether or not to stick it in Mintaka, or sell it, I really would like to know what this card is for. Anyone have any idea? Thanks -- Scarletdown

23 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

Wang 2200 web site and emulator announcement

by frustum＠pacbell.net

Hello one and all. For the past three or four years, I've actively been looking for a first generation Wang 2200 computer. I actually have two now, mostly working. Over the past couple of months I acquired/developed all the technical information I needed to write an emulator. The emulator is far from complete, but it is quite usable. Besides the emulator, I've overhauled my Wang web site and added a lot more content. Now that the ball is rolling, I hope to maintain it more actively. The web site: http://www.thebattles.net/wang/wang.html The emulator: http://www.thebattles.net/wang/emu.html The emulator runs on win32 platforms right now, but I wrote it using a GUI/system abstraction toolkit, wxWindows, so it should be pretty portable to unix/linux/mac at least. If you have no nostalgia for the 2200, why is it interesting anyway? The first generation came out in 1973. Because it was designed before microprocessors were available, it is a microcoded TTL box. In many ways, it can be compared pretty fairly to home computers that came five years later. Because it predates Microsoft, it has a rich and quirky BASIC dialect. Unfortunately, I don't have any Wang BASIC documents online yet, but I do have a quick comparison of Wang BASIC vs early Microsoft BASIC. ----- Jim Battle == frustum(a)pacbell.net

23 years, 10 months

2
6
0 0

Anyone have a Corvus Mirror?

by foo＠siconic.com

Does anyone have a Corvus Mirror? This was a VHS tape backup unit for the Corvus hard drive. Pictures and info here: http://209.122.187.156:8082/corvus.html If you have one, please contact me privately at <sellam(a)vintage.org>. Thanks! Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org * Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

What is this?

by dwightk.elvey＠amd.com

Hi I wish he'd shown a closeup of the left side. What he did closeup was just a static ram. The good stuff was on the left. I know little about Apple stuff though. Dwight >From: "Sellam Ismail" <foo(a)siconic.com> > >Can anyone identify the Apple ][ card in this eBay auction? > >http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2061361635 > >Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival >------------------------------------------------------------------------------ >International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org > > * Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com * > >

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Vintage Scopes

by mhscc＠canada.com

In the August 1968 issue of the "Tektronix Service Scope" there is an article comparing the 512 to the new 323 (the first 'scope manufactured by Sony/Tektronix), and although the article doesn't specifically say so, it does sound like the 512 was the first Tek scope, introduced in May 1949. In another issue an article on power supply troubleshooting does state (in bold print at that) that power transformers are warranted for the life of the instrument (mind you, I guess if the transformer goes, the instrument's pretty dead :). I'll gladly photocopy the relevant page if anybody wants to try to get a free replacement :). Also, further to Toth & Tony's discussion, according to Tek the most common problem when the fuse blows immediately is a shorted diode in the bridge. mike ------------Original Message------------ Message: 43 Date: Fri, 11 Oct 2002 16:39:23 -0700 (PDT) From: "Fred Cisin (XenoSoft)" <cisin(a)xenosoft.com> To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org Subject: Re: Vintage Scopes Reply-To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org On Fri, 11 Oct 2002, Philip Pemberton wrote: > Fred Cisin (XenoSoft) wrote: > > Did Tek have any models before the 512? > Not sure. I think my Tek 466 dates back to about 1980. > Later. In 1972? I got a military surplus Tektronix scope. I think that the model number was 512.

23 years, 10 months

14
20
0 0

What is this?

by cb＠mythtech.net

I thought the Transporter card was an Apple II NIC. But in looking at those pics, I don't see anyway to connect cables. I've never personally seen or used one, so I don't know what kind of cable was used, or where on the card you would look (or if it was even ON the card... might have been a 2nd card that contained the interface for all I know). There is a little bit of info in Google that seems to support my memory of it being a NIC... but nothing that helps explain how to connect it (does seem to indicate that it was a custom network of some sort) -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

23 years, 10 months

3
2
0 0

What is this?

by foo＠siconic.com

Can anyone identify the Apple ][ card in this eBay auction? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2061361635 Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org * Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *

23 years, 10 months

8
9
0 0

[OT] paper on Retro ?

by glenslick＠hotmail.com

While we're on the subject, did anyone see the article "Data Extinction" in the October 2002 issue of Technology Review? Doesn't look like the full article is available for free online. http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/tristram1002.asp -Glen _________________________________________________________________ Get a speedy connection with MSN Broadband. Join now! http://resourcecenter.msn.com/access/plans/freeactivation.asp

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

What is this?

by cb＠mythtech.net

>> But in looking at those pics, I don't see anyway to connect cables. > >Connector at top left, visible in the lower picture on the web page. Ahh... gotcha, I thought that was a boxy red LED. I didn't look close enough. -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

OT: Clean steel?

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Oct 17, 8:50, Sellam Ismail wrote: > A while back we had a brief discussion about "clean steel". "Clean steel" > is supposedly steel that was smelted before the first atomic bomb tests, > and therefore contains no radiation. Not "none", just "less". There's always been some background radiation >from natural sources, and some of that finds its way into smelted metals (all sorts, not just steel). > Apparently, air since the first > atomic bomb test is now filled with background radiation, and because so > much air is used in the smelting process, a lot of the radiation gets into > modern steel making it unsuitable for some applications (such as medical > test equipment where radioactive isotopes are used as part of the > operation). And other places where it's important to measure very small amounts of radiation accurately. > So what gives? Is there a government website somewhere that defines > "clean steel"? > > I'm hoping that the steel is actually worth enough to make it a wash to > have it removed. As it stands, the quote I have so far is that we have > $25/ton worth of steel and $30/ton to salvage it. I wouldn't get your hopes up. I know that some of the WW1 German Fleet scuttled in Scapa Flow has been cut up to obtain clean steel -- I've been there and seen the remains -- and I found a reference in the sci.military.naval FAQ to the salvage of German U-boats, but as far as I know, most of that sort of steel is/was wanted for large objects like some of the devices used in research labs like CERN. I found another reference about Fermilab seeking radiologically clean steel some time ago, but not much else. The FAQ points out that the U-boat salvage rights haven't been exercised (and Scapa Flow hasn't been emptied either) so perhaps the demand is too small. The steel can't be resmelted, and possibly not welded either, so if it's to be used, I guess it would have to be of suitable size/thickness to be mechanically cut and formed. Oh, and don't cut it with a torch if you want to sell it as "clean"! -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

OT: HP 1707B info needed (was: Vintage Scopes)

by Robert_Feldman＠jdedwards.com

Last time I was at my Toyota dealer, their parts lists were on microfiche, so there are other sources you can try besides libraries. -----Original Message----- From: ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk [mailto:ard@p850ug1.demon.co.uk] Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2002 12:32 PM To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org Subject: Re: OT: HP 1707B info needed (was: Vintage Scopes) <snip> > Also, while looking for the aforementioned info., I located microfiche > for a 1707A service manual (but have no microfiche reader yet), and Some public libraries still have microfiche readers, and it would probably be possible to get permission to look at your own fiche if you needed to. I'm lucky, I managed to get an old microfiche reader that was being thrown out.... -tony

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

OT: RE: Clean steel?

by dwightk.elvey＠amd.com

Hi I've not heard the term used with steel but it is used with lead. Pre-bomb lead is always needed. I doubt there is much need for pre-bomb steel. Dwight >From: "Feldman, Robert" <Robert_Feldman(a)jdedwards.com> > >Googling doesn't turn up many hits, but I found two (both related to ships): > >www.liddiard.demon.co.uk/photoix/brittany/kleber.htm and >www.hazegray.org/faq/smn7.htm > >Given so few hits, maybe is is an urban legend. Then again, some >applications might require steel without the slight radiation that >blast-furnace smelting might add. The mixing in of contaminated scrap is a >different (and very real) issue from air-blast introduced low-level >radioactivity. > >Bob > >-----Original Message----- >From: Kapteyn, Rob [mailto:kapteynr@cboe.com] >Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2002 12:09 PM >To: 'cctalk(a)classiccmp.org' >Subject: RE: Clean steel? > > >My understanding of this: > >"Unclean" steel is not radioactive because of the A-bomb tests (although we >are all being exposed to roughly 3 times "natural" background radiation >because of those tests. > >There have been several very expensive mistakes in which highly radioactive >contaminants got mixed in with scrap metal going to smelters. Some of >these were not detected until toys and table legs made from the scrap were >being shipped to consumers. > >About 40% of our steel comes from recycled scrap. >This scrap always seems to pick up some radioactive contamination. >The 60% of steel made from virgin ore is "clean". >Your 1930's scrap is still scrap -- not virgin ore. > >The EPA has a new program to address this problem: >http://www.epa.gov/radiation/cleanmetals/ > >-Rob > >-----Original Message----- >From: cctalk-admin(a)classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-admin@classiccmp.org]On >Behalf Of Sellam Ismail >Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2002 10:51 AM >To: Classic Computers Mailing List >Subject: OT: Clean steel? > > > >There are two rooms in the ACCRC building that are filled with huge old >(useless) refrigeration systems. Tons of steel. We'd like to get the >rooms cleared out so we can use them. > >We've gotten quotes in the past but all of them will end up costing us to >remove the equipment since the rooms are enclosed and one of them is down >a ladder with a narrow door. Everything will need to be cut up and >removed piece-meal. There is also some very large equipment on the roof >that will need a crane to remove. > >A while back we had a brief discussion about "clean steel". "Clean steel" >is supposedly steel that was smelted before the first atomic bomb tests, >and therefore contains no radiation. Apparently, air since the first >atomic bomb test is now filled with background radiation, and because so >much air is used in the smelting process, a lot of the radiation gets into >modern steel making it unsuitable for some applications (such as medical >test equipment where radioactive isotopes are used as part of the >operation). > >I was thinking that because this building is so old (from the 1930s) that >a lot of the steel in those rooms is "clean". > >I called a scrapper yesterday who has been in the business for 30+ years >and is a Harvard graduate, and he said he has never, ever heard of "clean >steel". > >So what gives? Is there a government website somewhere that defines >"clean steel"? > >I'm hoping that the steel is actually worth enough to make it a wash to >have it removed. As it stands, the quote I have so far is that we have >$25/ton worth of steel and $30/ton to salvage it. > >Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer >Festival >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- >-- >International Man of Intrigue and Danger >http://www.vintage.org > > * Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com >* >

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Clean steel?

by kapteynr＠cboe.com

My understanding of this: "Unclean" steel is not radioactive because of the A-bomb tests (although we are all being exposed to roughly 3 times "natural" background radiation because of those tests. There have been several very expensive mistakes in which highly radioactive contaminants got mixed in with scrap metal going to smelters. Some of these were not detected until toys and table legs made from the scrap were being shipped to consumers. About 40% of our steel comes from recycled scrap. This scrap always seems to pick up some radioactive contamination. The 60% of steel made from virgin ore is "clean". Your 1930's scrap is still scrap -- not virgin ore. The EPA has a new program to address this problem: http://www.epa.gov/radiation/cleanmetals/ -Rob -----Original Message----- From: cctalk-admin(a)classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-admin@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Sellam Ismail Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2002 10:51 AM To: Classic Computers Mailing List Subject: OT: Clean steel? There are two rooms in the ACCRC building that are filled with huge old (useless) refrigeration systems. Tons of steel. We'd like to get the rooms cleared out so we can use them. We've gotten quotes in the past but all of them will end up costing us to remove the equipment since the rooms are enclosed and one of them is down a ladder with a narrow door. Everything will need to be cut up and removed piece-meal. There is also some very large equipment on the roof that will need a crane to remove. A while back we had a brief discussion about "clean steel". "Clean steel" is supposedly steel that was smelted before the first atomic bomb tests, and therefore contains no radiation. Apparently, air since the first atomic bomb test is now filled with background radiation, and because so much air is used in the smelting process, a lot of the radiation gets into modern steel making it unsuitable for some applications (such as medical test equipment where radioactive isotopes are used as part of the operation). I was thinking that because this building is so old (from the 1930s) that a lot of the steel in those rooms is "clean". I called a scrapper yesterday who has been in the business for 30+ years and is a Harvard graduate, and he said he has never, ever heard of "clean steel". So what gives? Is there a government website somewhere that defines "clean steel"? I'm hoping that the steel is actually worth enough to make it a wash to have it removed. As it stands, the quote I have so far is that we have $25/ton worth of steel and $30/ton to salvage it. Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org * Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Avail: Bull Gamma 115 (1968); IBM 3803; IBM 4361-6; IBM 3705-80 .. in Hungary

by xds_sigma7＠hotmail.com

Well if you had a 3420 and no controller, you'd be quite happy to find it... Hell I'd drive to NJ for skins for my 4381, 3880, and 3380.. MOTHERF**KING Consolidated Freight! Sorry, rant has reached termination point, Abort, Retry, Fail? Will J _________________________________________________________________ Get faster connections -- switch to MSN Internet Access! http://resourcecenter.msn.com/access/plans/default.asp

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Avail: Bull Gamma 115 (1968); IBM 3803; IBM 4361-6; IBM 3705-80 .. in Hungary

by xds_sigma7＠hotmail.com

Umm isn't the 3705 just a communications front-end processor? If you want a 3725, one of the yards out here in CO has one... Have a Ramtek too, and an HSC-50, both of which are rusty as hell... The 3725 has probably only been there about a year or so. Will J _________________________________________________________________ Get a speedy connection with MSN Broadband. Join now! http://resourcecenter.msn.com/access/plans/freeactivation.asp

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

[OT] paper on Retro ?

by foxvideo＠wincom.net

At 05:08 PM 17/10/2002 +0200, you wrote: >All, > >Today I got a call from one of Holland's major daily newspapers (for >those >of you who are curious: its the NRC Handelsblad). They asked me if I >were >willing to write them a feature article on "Retro computing: strange >people, >or a necessity for the future?". This (working) title is mine; what >they >mean is: are we just being weird geeks, or is preserving the computing >past >something required for future generations to understand the world in >which >they live, and how things got to be that way? > >I have done books and various articles in papers before, but I do feel a >little uncomfortable writing about things I have been involved in for >only >about 5 years or so. > >Any suggestions here? > >[the answer, by the way, is: "yes, we're weird. so deal with it."] > >Cheers, > Fred Hi, Fred: The particular reason that I think old computers (hardware, software, and documentation,)should be preserved is that the field is changing so fast when compared with any other technology that one can think of. Railroading? Fifty year old locomotives are still in use. Automobiles? About the only recent changes are emission standards. Even electronics is not changing that fast, but if your computer is more than a year old, you are no longer"state of the art". On this basis, preserving a ten year old computer is about equivalent to restoring a 100 year old locomotive or a 75 year old car. (And cheaper too.) Cheers Charlie Fox Charles E. Fox Video Production 793 Argyle Rd. Windsor Ontario Canada N8Y 3J8 519-254-4991 foxvideo(a)wincom.net Check out the "Camcorder Kindergarten" at http://chasfoxvideo.com

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Reading HP series 80 ROMs

by gil＠vauxelectronics.com

Hi folks: I am forwarding this on behalf of John Shadbolt, a buddy of mine who is not on this list -- he describes below a technique for reading HP-85 roms, for burning into eproms, which can then run from the prog-rom card. gil >From: john_shadbolt(a)talk21.com >To: gil(a)vauxelectronics.com >Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2002 09:54:03 GMT+01:00 >Subject: Reading HP series 80 ROMs > >Gil, > >Here is the procedure I used, please post this 'as is' onto cctalk, including my spam proof e-mail & web site address: > > >Reading HP Series 80 ROMs >========================= >Here are the steps. > >You need: > >HP series 80 machine with Assembler ROM or EPROM :-), a serial adapter, a PC. I have performed the following on my HP-85, I assume this will work on a 86/87/9915. > >1. Determine the ROM number for the ROM. You may have this anyway (as it is used for error messages). For example my guess for the HP 85 EMS ROM is that it is 317 octal / 207 decimal (the same as for the HP 87 EMS ROM which I do have). To check run the command: > >MEM 60000:207,2 > >This should display >317 061 > >If not then you need to try other numbers in the MEM command from 1 to 254 (eg usng a FOR / NEXT loop) until you have found all the ROMs on the system (the Assembler ROM is 40 decimal). The first two bytes of the ROM are the ROM number followed by the complement of the ROM number. > >2. Connect up a PC to the serial port and capture the output from the HP 85. > >3. CRT IS 10 - to redirect output to PC. > >4. MEM 60000:207,20000 > >This dumps 8192 bytes + text to the PC. Then send me the file on e-mail (john_shadboltREMOVETHISBIT(a)talk21.com) and I will run a conversion program to make it into binary, I can then send you the binary + Intel hex file version to blow onto a 2764 EPROM. > >5. To use the EPROM the Programmable ROM module and also I assume the 9915 carrier has to have switches set to show the ROM number. > >I will publish all ROM listings on my website: > >http://www.vintagecomputers.freeserve.co.uk/hp80/ > >Regards, >John > ;----------------------------------------------------------- ; vaux electronics, inc. 480-354-5556 ; http://www.vauxelectronics.com (fax: 480-354-5558) ;-----------------------------------------------------------

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Selling old(er) computers in NJ

by cb＠mythtech.net

I'm having a garage sale this weekend in Northern NJ. I will be selling off most all of my 486 and earlier systems. Now I know this isn't of too much interest to people here... BUT, I will also have available the 4 IBM System 23's that I have yet to unload (not do to lack of interest, but due to lack of my ability right now to ship). As well I will probably have some other odds and ends of older machines and equipment. (ATs, and similar, dot matrix printers, a few laser printers,... I have to see what all I have). I may also have some older Macs (all 68k, most 030 or lower), I have to see what I have that I don't currently have a use for, and can bear to part with (I might have enough Mac Pluses and SEs to unload a few, if I can bring myself to doing so). I'm not expecting to get much for the PCs (if anything, really I am putting them on the lawn to see what I get before they are stripped down and thrown out), but I would like to get something for things like the IBM System 23's. There will also be some older A/V equipment, but the only stuff probably of interest here would be some 3/4" Umatic VCRs, the rest is just older amps, tape decks, and TVs, nothing fancy. And of course some of your normal garage sale fodder (I'm bringing some junk over from my house as well). If anyone is in my area and wants to stop by, let me know, I'll give you directions. Its in Ridgewood on Franklin Turnpike on the front lawn of my office (as well as some inside, we have odds and ends of office equipment to unload, and I don't feel like dragging it all outside) -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

23 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

Reading old disks on Linux

by cpg＠aladdin.de

On 10/16/2002 08:05:04 PM EST Patrick Finnegan wrote: > >Granted. I was just speaking of the type of 'automatic determination' >that Teledisk does - my primary goal would be to create a replacement for >Teledisk that runs on linux (and *BSD, eventually). Mentioning *BSD, I made a patch to NetBSD to support different disk formats (MFM only, similar to Linux fdutils). go to http://www.netbsd.org/cgi-bin/query-pr-single.pl?number=15199 if you're interested... regards, chris

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

HP 9915 keyboard (PN 98155)

by gil＠vauxelectronics.com

Hi Joe: Thanks for peeking in your keyboard again -- it seems you may have the only one out there. gil At 07:01 PM 10/14/02, you wrote: > I opened up my keyboard and traced out the circuits again today. I HOPE this is right, I haven't double checked it. Everything in caps is as it appears on the keyboard. Names that are too long are abbreviated and shown in lower case. A list of the abbreviations and their meanings is also shown below. > > >pin 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 >2 nu kl K1 K2 K3 K4 ^ da >3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >4 Q W E R T Y U I >5 A S D F G H J K >6 sb Z X C V B N M >13 nu nu -l da -CHAR REP -> <- >12 nu RESET bs nu = - 0 9 >11 nu nu nu sca ) ( P O >10 nu nu nu nu el ' ; L >9 nu nu nu RUN PAUSE ? > < > > > >Abbreviations: >nu = not used >da = down arrow (up and down arrow are used to recall previous commands and for editing)(I just noticed that I have this listed twice so there's probably an error there somewhere). >k1 = Key Label >el = End Line (this is what HP uses for carriage return/Enter) >sb = space bar >bs = Back Space >-l = -Line (erases the entire line) >sca = Scratch (erases all memory, just variables, etc depoending on what argument you give it) > >Notes: The K keys are programable function keys. K5 through K8 are K1 through K4 shifted. You can assign programs or functions to these keys and use the Control input lines to trigger the program or function. >The -Char key erases one character at a time. >the REP key toggles between the insert and replace modes. > > There are a few more keys that don't fit into a matrix. Here's a list of them and the two pins that they connect to: > > Both SHIFT keys are tied together in parallel and connct to pins 18 and 7. > There is a 8 Ohm .2Watt speaker inside. It connects to pins 25 and 7. > CNTL key connects to pins 23 and 7. > CAPS LOCK key connects to pins 24 and 7. > > I'll try to photograph the keyboard and post the picture tomorrow so that you can see what the layout and key legends and shifted legends are. > > > > > > ;----------------------------------------------------------- ; vaux electronics, inc. 480-354-5556 ; http://www.vauxelectronics.com (fax: 480-354-5558) ;-----------------------------------------------------------

23 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

FS or FT - Bare Cromemco System Three

by SecretaryBird＠SoftHome.net

I still have that stripped down Cromemco System Three taking up space here and serving as a shin-bruising hazard in my living room, if anyone in the Pacific Northwest is interested. All it has is a pair of 8 inch floppy drives. I'm open to reasonable offers on this (not sure what would be considered reasonable, truth to tell). Cash is always good, but a trade would be nice as well. I would especially be interested in getting a Commodore PET (the type with the full keyboard instead of the chicklet keyboard, and perhaps a disk drive). The only catch is you would have to come pick it up, as I still do not have a working vehicle to deliver it myself. Any takers? -- Scarletdown

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Location of Cromemco System One Revealed

by SecretaryBird＠SoftHome.net

I finally heard back from someone at my unit on the location of that Cromemco System One and Hard Drive. I was told that it went to Re-PC in Seattle (I'm assuming that they didn't mean the one in Tukwila). So hopefully, some collector in this area can find it and score it cheap. I had my shot at it earlier in the month and blew it. Live and learn, I guess. I simply didn't have enough information to go on when deciding what pieces to bring home. There should also be a System Two there as well, since there were two of them, and I only took one. Happy hunting! -- Scarletdown

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

HP ThinkJet 2225P

by BNELSON＠nwtel.ca

Tony: Its parrallel NOT (HP1B=GP-1B=IEEE488) Let me know if you find the info on the interface pinout. I have one with the same problem no printer cable for it? Please send info to wnelson(a)yt.sympatico.ca and bnelson(a)nwtel.ca Thanks Bill PS have infot for IBM & Centronics if you need it

23 years, 10 months

3
3
0 0

PERQ available in the UK

by ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk

A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text Size: 402 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.classiccmp.org/pipermail/cctalk/attachments/20021016/b0780102/at…

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Reading old disks on Linux

by dwightk.elvey＠amd.com

>From: "Fred Cisin (XenoSoft)" <cisin(a)xenosoft.com> > >> >It has some good information, some errors, and some good and bad guesses >> >(such as saying that it is probably possible to read hard sectored disks >> >with PC hardware) > >On Wed, 16 Oct 2002, Dwight K. Elvey wrote: >> Maybe he meant that if the computer he had, has an accessible >> DSP processor ( as some modem and sound cards have ). With >> this, one could use the controller to deal with track stepping >> and use the DSP to do the actual data reads. Of course, >> one needs to do some hard wiring to patch things together. >> >> ( Well, maybe he didn't mean that after all. ) > >If so, that would have to be a definition of "on standard FDCs" that I was >not previously aware of. Ok, I was stretching a little to give him the 'benefit of the doubt'. Dwight > >He DID properly state that reading Macintosh 400K/800K needed hardware >assistance, but incorrectly blamed it on the drive (its a disk CONTROLLER >issue), > >

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Reading old disks on Linux

by dwightk.elvey＠amd.com

>From: "Fred Cisin (XenoSoft)" <cisin(a)xenosoft.com> > > ---snip--- Great Stuff!! > >I estimate that there are about 2500 mutually incompatible floppy disk >formats. I've analyzed about a quarter of them, and implemented about 2/3 >of those. This doesn't include all of the copy protection stuff that has been done. Dwight > > >-- >Fred Cisin cisin(a)xenosoft.com >XenoSoft http://www.xenosoft.com > >

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Reading old disks on Linux

by dwightk.elvey＠amd.com

>From: "Fred Cisin (XenoSoft)" <cisin(a)xenosoft.com> > >Thanks >It has some good information, some errors, and some good and bad guesses >(such as saying that it is probably possible to read hard sectored disks >with PC hardware) Hi Fred Maybe he meant that if the computer he had, has an accessible DSP processor ( as some modem and sound cards have ). With this, one could use the controller to deal with track stepping and use the DSP to do the actual data reads. Of course, one needs to do some hard wiring to patch things together. ( Well, maybe he didn't mean that after all. ) Dwight

23 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

Osbourne 1 problems

by Antonio.Carlini＠riverstonenet.com

>Oh, also, does anyone have the schematics for the composite adapter, or >someplace where I can find one? I have heard rumors of an electronics >store on the 'net that still carries them. The Tech Ref has schematics for lost of Osborne stuff (including data sheets for the PSU and the Motorola (?) data sheet for the monitor). I don't recall whether that adapter is in there ... I have the tech ref scanned - I can ftp it to you if you have 67MB or so free. Or if someone is willing to host it, that would be even better (the user guide is only an additional 127MB ...) Antonio arcarlini(a)iee.org

23 years, 10 months

3
2
0 0

Reading old disks on Linux

by dwightk.elvey＠amd.com

Hi Patrick I think you might try looking at: http://www.moria.de/~michael/cpmtools/ This stuff is specific to doing cpm stuff but the basics are there. One should be able to modify this quickly to deal with any format that the hardware supports. I've not looked at it closely but suspect it has what you need. Dwight >From: "Patrick Finnegan" <pat(a)purdueriots.com> > >On Wed, 16 Oct 2002, Fred Cisin (XenoSoft) wrote: > >> Thanks >> It has some good information, some errors, and some good and bad guesses >> (such as saying that it is probably possible to read hard sectored disks >> with PC hardware) > >If you're refering to 'fixed format devices', they seem to be referring to >OS device nodes - such as "/dev/fd0h360", not physical (hard-sectored) >devices/disks. > >> Are you trying to transfer files, or just read raw sectors? > >For now, I just want to be able to copy disks without having to resort to >using teledisk on a machine running DOS. > >> Which "odd formats" are you trying to read? > >I was making a generalization... I've been able to successfully read >RX-50's created with teledisk using this method: > >root@dualie:~# setfdprm /dev/fd1 qd sect=10 cyl=80 head=1 >root@dualie:~# dd if=/dev/fd1 of=myfd.img >800+0 records in >800+0 records out >root@dualie:~# > >I've also been successful with an Osborne Executive disk written with >teledisk: > >root@dualie:~# setfdprm /dev/fd1 dd sect=5 cyl=40 head=1 ssize=1024 >root@dualie:~# dd if=/dev/fd1 of=myfd.img bs=1k >200+0 records in >200+0 records out >root@dualie:~# > >To me, it looks like the hardest part will be attempting to determine what >format the disk is in, automatically. Any ideas? My best guess is to do >a guess-and-check method, of course this would be tough to verify every >possibility, such as varied sector sizes (although it would be possible). >I'm guessing that I'll have to use a raw floppy ioctl to make that work. > >One last thing, I found a reference to a program that could decode >teledisk 'normal' compression images in past postings to classiccmp, but >it's gone away and I didn't grab a copy before it did. Anyone know where >I could find it? Here's the original URL: > >http://www.conknet.com/~w_kranz/WTELEDSK.HTM > >Pat > >> -- >> Fred Cisin cisin(a)xenosoft.com >> XenoSoft http://www.xenosoft.com >> >> >> >> On Wed, 16 Oct 2002, Patrick Finnegan wrote: >> >> > Quite a while ago (and maybe more than once) we had a thread on >> > reading/writing 'odd' disk formats. I thought about it again, typed a few >> > words into google, and found this: >> > >> > http://fdutils.linux.lu/Fdutils.html#SEC22 >> > >> > It looks like setfdprm and superformat will do much of what's necessary in >> > working with 'odd' format disks. I haven't played much with it yet, but >> > I've verified it works for setting the density, heads, cyls, and >> > sect/track of the disk to write to. However, it doesn't allow for >> > setting an initial sector number - something that's necessary for some >> > formats. Using the program "fdrawcmd" should overcome any obsticles, but >> > will require more work to be useful. >> > >> > I just thought I'd pass this along in case people would find it useful. > >-- >"This fucking university has shown time and time again that it is > completely fucking incompetent when it comes to employing technology" > -- Anonymous >http://dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/images/dilbert2040637020924.gif > > > >

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

RK05 Bad Blocks

by jhfinepw4z＠compsys.to

I need some help in reading some RK05 packs. I have 17 RK05 packs and I have been able to read 14 without a problem. Two others have 14 and 5 bad blocks, respectively. The last has 1231 bad blocks. Is there any reasonably easy and simple way to recover the bad blocks. These are all RT-11 distributions prior to V5.03 of RT-11. In particular, the one with 5 bad blocks is a copy of another pack, so I was able to verify that the other 4797 blocks were the same. One down! The ones with 14 blocks and 1231 blocks are for V3.0B of RT-11, but they do seem to be a bit different. The 14 bad blocks are all in 5 OBJ files (for FORTRAN IV) an I may be able to find a copy elsewhere. The 1231 bad blocks seem almost hopeless unless I can find the same distribution and verify that the rest are OK. Obviously there is no point in spending any money since eventually someone will find a set of files for V3.0B of RT-11. Any ideas. I have tried to read each bad block a number of times - one at a time, but no success. I only have until Friday when I will be giving the RK05 drive and the borrowed RKV11D controller to Ethan Dicks. Sincerely yours, Jerome Fine -- If you attempted to send a reply and the original e-mail address has been discontinued due a high volume of junk e-mail, then the semi-permanent e-mail address can be obtained by replacing the four characters preceding the 'at' with the four digits of the current year.

23 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

WANTED: DEC RRD40 or RRD42 CD-ROM

by jwillis＠arielusa.com

Looking to pay under $50 preferably, although I really have no idea what the market value is. I just need a drive that will be suitable For installing VMS on a MicroVAX 3100. -----Original Message----- From: Joe [mailto:rigdonj@cfl.rr.com] Sent: Wednesday, October 16, 2002 7:05 AM To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org Subject: Re: WANTED: DEC RRD40 or RRD42 CD-ROM What are you offering for them? Joe At 10:54 AM 10/16/02 -0600, you wrote: >Wanted: DEC RRD40 or RRD42 CD-ROM Drive > > >John P. Willis, MCP >Software Engineer/Database Architect >Ariel Technologies >(505) 524-6860 >jwillis(a)arielusa.com > > > > > >Attachment Converted: "C:\EUDORA\Attach\WANTEDDE.htm" >

23 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

Questions about a HP Apollo 735/125

by 520055239069-0001＠t-online.de

Hi folks, I just 'won' an old HP Apollo 700 Series, Model 735/125. Unfortunately, I don't have ANY information about it - searching HP's website took me to the service manual, so I know a little bit more about it now. By searching the web, I've learned that I can use a standard PC-VGA monitor with the apollo, by soldering (or buying, :-( ) a special cable. But, a few questions remain: - Anyone has a PIN-layout for the monitor cable? I know that I have to solder red to red VGA, red ground to red ground, and so on, but I don't know the pinout of the VGA connector... Maybe anyone did this before, and can tell me the correct PIN-to-PIN assignments?! - Can I use a standard PC keyboard with the Apollo? It just has a so-called "HPIL"-connector on the back, and I don't have such a keyboard... - What about a mouse? Unfortunately, I just got the machine, and nothing else... - My Apollo doesn't have a standard LAN-connector, just an AUI... But, I saw it has a EISA slot, and the manual told me that EISA is fully compliat to ISA (didn't know this before...). So, can I just equip the Apollo with one of my old ISA Novell/ Eagle-cards? There's an EISA card in the slot, but this seems to be a Token Ring (it's called a "Ring" card) Sorry if my questions are a little bit stupid, but I don't know anything about the machine - just got it from dumpster without any additional informatins, and thought it would be nice to use it. Thanks for your help, I'm glad that there is a mailing list dealing with this systems - thought I've just got > 10kg of old iron, when I start searching the web, :-) keep on hackin', Harald (bofh(a)dh9dat.de)

23 years, 10 months

7
8
0 0

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

test-drb