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

by vintagecomputer＠bettercomputing.net

-------- Original message -------- From: "Ian S. King" <isking at uw.edu> Date: 2016-10-09 2:30 PM (GMT-08:00) To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: Twiggys [was: Re: ka... ching!] On Sun, Oct 9, 2016 at 2:37 AM, Dave G4UGM <dave.g4ugm at gmail.com> wrote: > > -----Original Message----- > > From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Brad H > > Sent: 09 October 2016 07:41 > > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts > > <cctalk at classiccmp.org>; jwsmail at jwsss.com > > Subject: Re: Twiggys [was: Re: ka... ching!] > > > > > > > > I'd like to learn more about programming, esp for my 6800.? It'd be fun > to test > > its limits and see what uses I can find for the graphics board I got. I > just don't > > understand how they programmed the thing. All the hex stuff throws me > > off.? :) > > Does it have a serial interface and memory. In which case it was probably > programmed in Assembler. > When I started with 6800 board and 256 bytes of memory, and toggle > switches to load it I used to hand assemble the programs to get the > hex/binary. > I soon got bored of the toggle switches and built a little box with an old > calculator keyboard and display and some TTL so I could enter data quickly. > > > Dave > > I recently acquired a SWTPC 6800, a machine I remember from when it was new.? :-)? There are many programming environments available for it - I'm working to get Forth running on mine, then I'll branch out. It's been said that the 6800 inherited a lot of ideas from the PDP-8, and I agree with that to some extent.? The ISA is actually very clean and neat, once you wrap your head around it - I used to program 6800 assembler professionally, my first paid job as a programmer!? Unlike the PDP-8, I/O is memory-mapped.? Depending on what monitor ROM you have (if any), you may have different system services available.? One very useful system is the one that can read S-records from the serial input, allowing you to easily transfer programs onto the machine. If you want to grok the 6800 in fullness, there are online scans of Motorola's programming manual for the device.? Another great resource is the swtpc.com site, even if you don't have a SWTPC machine (what do you have?). Have fun with it!? Cheers -- Ian -- Ian S. King, MSIS, MSCS, Ph.D. Candidate The Information School <http://ischool.uw.edu> Dissertation: "Why the Conversation Mattered: Constructing a Sociotechnical Narrative Through a Design Lens Archivist, Voices From the Rwanda Tribunal <http://tribunalvoices.org> Value Sensitive Design Research Lab <http://vsdesign.org> University of Washington >There is an old Vulcan saying: "Only Nixon >could go to China." I've an original SWTPC 6800. ?Also have an ASCI System X and a Tektronix 6800 board bucket. ?Right now I'm enjoying working with the SWTPC. ?I'm trying to deck it out as completely as one could have. I don't quite understand assembly.. I assume to program in that, as with BASIC you need to load an 'assembler' language first? ?I tried this with my Digital Group system with 5 different tapes marked 'assembler' but never got them to load. ?Not sure if I understand the concept.

10 years

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Twiggys [was: Re: ka... ching!]

by vintagecomputer＠bettercomputing.net

I'd like to learn more about programming, esp for my 6800. ?It'd be fun to test its limits and see what uses I can find for the graphics board I got. I just don't understand how they programmed the thing. All the hex stuff throws me off. ?:) Sent from my Samsung device -------- Original message -------- From: william degnan <billdegnan at gmail.com> Date: 2016-10-08 8:54 PM (GMT-08:00) To: jwsmail at jwsss.com, "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: Twiggys [was: Re: ka... ching!] To me, getting old computers up and running, or programming on them *is* the game as far as I am concerned.? More fun than most packaged software games.? I have made my own games, and I certainly play computer games, but that's not why I am interested in vintage computing. I just spent a few hours tonight attempting to network my NeXTstation color computer and get to the post of accessing the vcfed.org forum so I could post a message on there.? Just for fun, using ancient dawn of the WWW technology.??? Feels like a game to me, there is no practical purpose to doing this other than enjoyment. My point is for those of us who pooh pooh vintage gamers not to take themselves too seriously.? We're all just playing games if you ask me.

10 years

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cctech Digest, Vol 28, Issue 4

by trayres＠gmail.com

I'm interested! I'm down in California and I also have no idea what it's worth, I'm new to the PDP scene. On Oct 9, 2016 10:00 AM, <cctech-request at classiccmp.org> wrote: > Send cctech mailing list submissions to > cctech at classiccmp.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://www.classiccmp.org/mailman/listinfo/cctech > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > cctech-request at classiccmp.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > cctech-owner at classiccmp.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of cctech digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. PDP-11/23 system for sale in Portland Oregon (Scott Baker) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Sat, 8 Oct 2016 11:31:29 -0700 > From: Scott Baker <scott.l.baker at gmail.com> > To: cctech at classiccmp.org > Subject: PDP-11/23 system for sale in Portland Oregon > Message-ID: > <CABW5Ymky8tCrsTKL4ehEUDt4vtkDxO1hYTDAUS2ANnxxux8Ykg at mail. > gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 > > Hi, > > Pictures can be found here: http://sierracircuitdesign. > ddns.net/temp/pdp11/ > > The system is located in Portland, Oregon. Local pick-up is preferred. > Not sure if it still works. I have not tried to turn it on in years. > I do not have any software of floppies for it. > I'm not sure what it's worth. If you are interested in it, make me an > offer. > > Regards, > Scott > > > End of cctech Digest, Vol 28, Issue 4 > ************************************* >

10 years

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TPC-I back in one piece (was Re: TeleVideo progress)

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Ian S. King > What I want to record here for posterity is how to open one of these > things. I archived this to the Computer History wiki: http://gunkies.org/wiki/TeleVideo_TPC-1 Hope that was OK! Noel

10 years

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Twiggys [was: Re: ka... ching!]

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

no real interest in playing games though the curiously of seeing star trek game on friends Digital Group Computer ( had little screen in the front of it... I want one for SMECC display working or not) group and getting a baudot teletype model 14 lead to me starting a computer company in 1979... The big and best game for me was THE HARDWARE and running timeshare systems ) hp-2000 then later hp-3000 later also became full line Independent HP PC products dealer.... but that was just selling stuff not the feel of thrill and adventure the other phases had! Ed# _www.smecc.org_ (http://www.smecc.org) In a message dated 10/9/2016 9:07:45 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time, ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk writes: > > Find better games :) > > Nope, not even. Has as much appeal as base jumping. I'd rather be I think I'm with you on this one. The only computer games I find even mildly interesting are ones that involve thought and/or hackery to complete. I found the HP67 Games Pac (A set of programs for a handheld calculator with a numeric display) to be much more entertaining than anything on a modern console. But even so, I even enjoy those games that much. Relaxation for me is reading the service manual for something I don't own, figuring out what the schematics really mean, etc. Or mindlessly stuffing a PCB. -tony =

10 years

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Twiggys [was: Re: ka... ching!]

by vintagecomputer＠bettercomputing.net

Flipping is just treasure hunting by another name. ?Estate and storage locker sales are the modern equivalent of digging for pirate gold. ?I think people worldwide love that stuff but particularly Americans because they have that brash adventurer spirit embedded in the national character. Sent from my Samsung device -------- Original message -------- From: ethan at 757.org Date: 2016-10-09 8:46 AM (GMT-08:00) To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Cc: General at classiccmp.org Subject: Re: Twiggys [was: Re: ka... ching!] >>>? Just like the car collecting, comic book collection and just about >>> most other hobbies when they mature.? The same type of people who The comic book market crashed due to the flipping side of it as far as I know. When it changes from a hobby to a speculative mania, I suppose that is when things eventually explode? They can go on a lot longer if backed by the government and low interest rates, see speculation in housing. Plus weak returns in other markets. Unlike basic needs like the housing market bubble (which has yet to crash, but probably will which isn't a bad thing) hobbies like Classic Computers probably have interest waves. Certain people who grew up with such and such hold it dear. Eventually interest in it will probably fade as the people with memories of the subject fufill reliving the experience, or die. And there is a lot of money to be made, then vendors might swoop in to make cash (see Roland and Yamaha with their recent Botique recreations of vintage analog synthesizers.) Also for much of the younger generation housing costs are so high (and perhaps job opportunities weak) that collecting things becomes more of a burden. It costs a lot of time to move stuff from apartment to apartment, and money to store it. Buying a house with low prospects of job stability is also a risk and can damage chances of relocating for jobs after layoffs. The damage of the years of offshoring and outsourcing is hidden behind the national debt, student loan debt and housing debt. Also there is some sort of American obsession with flipping stuff. A lot less shows about building new things versus shows about flipping stuff (be it Pawn shops, Storage Units, American Pickers type stuff, and of course -- housing flip shows.)

10 years

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ka... ching!

by aek＠bitsavers.org

http://www.ebay.com/itm/291894250804

10 years

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Twiggys [was: Re: ka... ching!]

by vintagecomputer＠bettercomputing.net

-------- Original message -------- From: Chuck Guzis <cclist at sydex.com> Date: 2016-10-08 2:17 PM (GMT-08:00) To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: Twiggys [was: Re: ka... ching!] On 10/08/2016 09:46 AM, js at cimmeri.com wrote: > I think the people who complain about "Altairs just sitting on > desks" might be doing so for at least one reason being because a > particular purpose seems to violate the original spirit, intent, and > purpose behind the creation.? I hear that a lot eg. "it's a shame > it's just sitting there, not being used." > > It's when other purposes come in, and begin to make this hobby > purpose more difficult to engage in and "unobtainium", that the > hobbyists lament.? If there were enough for everyone, then there'd be > no complaining. I have to confess to a certain amount of bemusement when I witness the phenomenon of game-obsession with early PCs.? With the exception of "home" systems, such as Commodore and perhaps Apple and the like, I knew very few people who *purchased* a PC for game playing.? Did people play games on PCs?? Sure--but that was rarely the reason that anyone ponied up for a 1970s or 80s multiple-kilobuck system.? Mind you, this was around the time that one could purchase a Porsche 914 for little more than $3000. Most of the people I knew purchased a PC to do business applications (AR, AP, GL, inventory, payroll or word processing) or worked with spreadsheets.?? Yet, very little of this is ever discussed on fora such as the Vintage Computer Federation site. Indeed, I think it's safe to speculate that the bulk of Intel Inboard cards were sold to those running Lotus 1-2-3. After we're all gone, what will future generations think of us? That we developed new hardware and software solely to play games? Wow. --Chuck > When I was a kid we had the IBM PCjr through PS/2. ?Concurrently I had my own Commodore 64. ?Up until we got our AT, the Commodore was the game machine. ?There were lots of PC versions of games out there but they *sucked* in terms of graphics and sound (we also lacked a joystick for the PCs) compared to the Commodore. ?King's Quest was the earliest game I played on PC.. but I don't recall it being available on Commodore at the time. ?One of my best memories was of the computer lab at our school. ?We had 30 64s up there chained to a 4040 (I think) via C64 Link expanders. ?We had a game day every so many weeks and had all kinds of fun trying to get games to load via that setup. I remember thinking of gaming on 'Dad's computer' as an odd idea. ?But then Test Drive came out. ?Then our school dumped the Commodores and went to PCs. ?People started showing up at school for game day with PC games like Empire. ?And then the PC finally started to catch up and surpass the Commodore in quality and the games reached a level the Commodore couldn't do. ?Between that and the ease of loading things quickly from hard drive.. the C64 ended up going into hibernation. ?After that it was all about upgrading the PC to run Falcon or some such acceptably.

10 years

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Executive desk phones anyone?

by witchy＠binarydinosaurs.co.uk

Hi folks, I happened upon a rare beast last weekend and it finally dropped into my hands yesterday. Most folk know about the ICL One-Per-Desk which was essentially a Sinclair QL with re-engineered microdrives and sold massively well here in the UK (British Telecom rebranded it as the BT Merlin) and Australia (Computerphone) and I think it made it to the US too? People don't seem to know about its predecessor, me included. STC (Standard Telephone & Cable) had this designed in the late 70s but it didn't make it to market until 1984 - the STC Executel 3010. It's an AMD8085A powered desk phone with 5" monitor that could store your phone entries, diary appointments, autodial and connect to Viewdata services - PRESTEL in the UK. It was expensive and didn't sell, some googling seems to show that there are only maybe half a dozen in existence with 4 of them in the Cambridge area, apt since it was designed by PA Consulting who amongst other things redesigned the Tandy Coco for the UK and marketed it as the Dragon32. What's interesting from a US standpoint is that it apparently DID make it over the pond and was sold as the 'Buckingham' so the question is, anyone heard of it? http://www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk/STCExecutel01.jpg -- Adrian/Witchy Binary Dinosaurs creator/curator Www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk - the UK's biggest private home computer collection?

10 years

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PDP-11/23 system for sale in Portland Oregon

by scott.l.baker＠gmail.com

Hi, Pictures can be found here: http://sierracircuitdesign.ddns.net/temp/pdp11/ The system is located in Portland, Oregon. Local pick-up is preferred. Not sure if it still works. I have not tried to turn it on in years. I do not have any software of floppies for it. I'm not sure what it's worth. If you are interested in it, make me an offer. Regards, Scott

10 years

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TPC-I back in one piece (was Re: TeleVideo progress)

by isking＠uw.edu

On Sun, Oct 2, 2016 at 8:20 PM, jim stephens <jwsmail at jwsss.com> wrote: > > > On 10/2/2016 6:23 PM, Ian S. King wrote: > >> Hi all, >> >> I've posted looking for help with a TeleVideo TPC-1, and I've heard a lot >> of crickets <snip> >> > I saw your FB posting, good job, and chirp chirp. > >> I've ordered an exact, tested/guaranteed >> working replacement from ePay, >> > Those were common drives, but be sure to do a careful inspection, as some > of the drives had variants that were subtle. > > good job, great you got it working. > thanks > JIm > >> and I'm going to have everything working to >> spec before I snap this thing back together. >> >> Yes, I'm having fun. :-) >> >> OK, my 'new' Teac drive arrived and passed inspection. I carefully jumpered it to match the original, reassembled just enough that I could plug it in, and... success! So to recap (pun intended), the machine had bad caps in the power supply (leaking goo) and a bad drive 0. What I want to record here for posterity is how to open one of these things. It was a real pain, which I've heard was intentional. Reassembly was challenging, too, but at least I could see what was happening. So here goes: To disassemble, you need to remove four screws. Facing the unit as it sits on the bench (i.e. operating position), there are two screws on the top of the machine at the front corners and two others on the rear, vertically centered and near each vertical edge (one of them is in the recess where you can store the power and keyboard cables). Now it gets fun. The unit disassembles into a top cover that wraps over side-to-side, and a rear piece that holds the majority of the electronics. The bottom piece of the main case holds the power supply, floppy cage and some of the video electronics. There are plastic 'teeth' that fit into indents at various point along those pieces. For the top cover, the 'teeth' are part of the cover, one per corner. For the back panel, the teeth snap into the top and bottom of the main part of the case. The teeth are also accompanied by a very thin indent in the case piece. It's sort of a muscle job to get these things separated. I got the back piece free before removing the top piece, with a little help from a putty knife in those indents. There are screws in the bottom of the case that hold in the power supply and the floppy cage One of the floppy case screws is located underneath the tilt 'foot'. Putting it back together: be sure you have the logic board *inside* the screw points for the back panel, but don't put in the screws yet. Seat the top cover with its teeth in place, and insert the two front screws (don't screw down tightly yet). Then, lever the back panel's teeth into their slots, watching the top cover to be sure it doesn't try to pop off. Insert the two rear screws and tighten. Now tighten the front two screws, and it's back together. It may take a little jostling to get everything to reseat completely. Now to go through the metric butt-ton of software I got with this thing - over a hundred floppies. Looking at the labels, some are duplicates, some are 'working' disks, and some are original TeleVideo floppies with system software. Fortunately, one of them is Kermit, which will make the archiving job a lot easier! OK, that was fun. Next! Probably the Kenwood TH-77A I bought that won't transmit. Cheers -- Ian -- Ian S. King, MSIS, MSCS, Ph.D. Candidate The Information School <http://ischool.uw.edu> Dissertation: "Why the Conversation Mattered: Constructing a Sociotechnical Narrative Through a Design Lens Archivist, Voices From the Rwanda Tribunal <http://tribunalvoices.org> Value Sensitive Design Research Lab <http://vsdesign.org> University of Washington There is an old Vulcan saying: "Only Nixon could go to China."

10 years

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Twiggys [was: Re: ka... ching!]

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

Right on... The most important thing is.... IS THE OBJECT BEING SAVED? Even if you restore something today it will be crap in another 50 years If you do not restore it now it will run like crap too. SO... in 50 years both are equal.. they will both run like crap no matter if restored now or not. The only caveat to the above examples is in ANY and EVERY case make sure the old batteries are out of it! And lastly... usually the people that raise the most protest 'about something not being used' are those that do not have one. Draw your own conclusions... Ed# In a message dated 10/8/2016 9:46:04 A.M. US Mountain ....................... > Just like the car collecting, comic book collection and just about most other hobbies when they mature. The same type of people who complained about the price of an Xmen#1 because people would just buy and display them and not read them, complain when someone buys an ALTAIR to sit on their desk and doesn't turn it on. Better that than the garbage heap, without money coming into our hobby it would eventually die out and many artifacts would be lost to the dump.

10 years

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Blown Tantalum Capacitor Advice

by robert.jarratt＠ntlworld.com

I have an RD53 disk drive. When I plugged it in the other day something blew up, smoke etc. I found that it was a tantalum capacitor on the motor control board that had gone. I suppose I am wondering if just replacing it is a good idea, could the failure be a symptom of another problem, could it have damaged something else? I realise that without a schematic it may be difficult to comment, but I suppose it is more a question about what can cause these caps to fail? If anyone has a schematic, or a drive they can examine, it is C1 on the motor control board, quite close to the molex socket for power. Regards Rob

10 years

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Picked up Commodore Amiga 2000

by lyokoboy0＠gmail.com

A buddy located this just in time, it was out at a scrapyard and we are about to get hit with a hurricane over here in florida. Picked up a commodore amiga 2000 with the keyboard, no mouse or monitor. I hooked it up to a tv via composite and get to the boot screen. It appears to have a scsi hard drive controller in it. I figured this would be the place to ask... It looks as if PC compatibility boards can be added to the machine, boards with a 286, 386, or 486 and some memory on a board, capable of running MS DOS. IF i were to install such a board, what kind of graphics capability would the dos side of things have? I just got started with the machine, im still trying to get it to boot up, but if it would be pretty capable with dos then i will keep an eye out for one of the cards. any suggestions to get started would be appreciated. --Devin

10 years

10
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Twiggys [was: Re: ka... ching!]

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Fred Cisin >> Did you tell the dumpsterers that they'd thrown out stuff worth >> thousands of dollars? (I would have made to sure to let them know >> that, with great spite.) > "So? Boss said throw out everything in the closets. ..." Clearly, the Indians weren't to blame. But I sure hope someone told the chief... > From: Corey Cohen > As for stuff in vintage computer that is going up, it's not just Apple. > It has to do with how mainstream and how rare something is. ... I do > agree the rare Apple stuff is growing faster, but that's because it can > pull from the business community as buyers who love the comeback story > of Apple and what it represents. Oh, I don't have any issue with Altairs going for $1-2K; I think one can make a rational case for that; they were a key machine the growth of personal computers, etc, etc. But I do think that when it comes to Apples, there is a certain level of irrationality in some/many buyers. ($20K for a pair of floppies?) There is definitely an Apple cult, which I think is a factor. Let me make another analogy with cars (which I also used to collect). I think early Ferraris are really, really cool - and the 330 P4 is, in my eyes, one of the most beautiful race cars ever built (maybe _the_ most beautiful). But if I had $10M, I sure as hell wouldn't spend the whole lot on an original P4; I think better value would be to buy a down-to-the-last-bolt-exact replica, for say $500K, and have $9.5M left over to buy other cool stuff with. This goes quintuply for an original GTO, at $50M. One could do all sorts of amazing things with that much money. Is having an original _really_ worth as much (or more) than all those other things? Like I said, a certain level of irrationality. Noel

10 years

2
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Twiggys [was: Re: ka... ching!]

by vintagecomputer＠bettercomputing.net

-------- Original message -------- From: Brent Hilpert <hilpert at cs.ubc.ca> Date: 2016-10-07 8:46 PM (GMT-08:00) To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: Twiggys [was: Re: ka... ching!] On 2016-Oct-07, at 5:17 PM, Noel Chiappa wrote: >> On 10/7/2016 5:21 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote: > >> That simply defies logic. I *really* don't get this collecting business. > > It's Apple-related. Some Apple devotees seem to have an, ah, excessive > attachment to things Apple. (Q.v. $1M Apple I's.) I'm suprised that some of > them didn't commit suttee when Steve died. I agree this valuation is primarily "Apple"-driven rather than say "vintage-computer" driven, but here's an interesting non-Apple sale, just completed: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cromemco-Dazzler-JP-1-Joysticks-D-7A-S-100-Card-Doc…>IMSAI-/291888851989 And yet the untouched original Mark-8 boards I bought only went for $1500. ?I don't get it.

10 years

1
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Twiggys [was: Re: ka... ching!]

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

90 mm f 2 summacron was a great lens! wish I had one back for our M2. In a message dated 10/7/2016 7:15:36 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, cisin at xenosoft.com writes: On Fri, 7 Oct 2016, COURYHOUSE at aol.com wrote: > Leicas dumpstered? OMG !? > oh.... the humanity!!!!!!! Indeed! M2 AND M3, with marvelous lenses. CHead had promised me the Summicrons, which I have always dreamed of having. I found 2 cases that the dumpsterers missed, containing a mint 2-1/4x3-1/4 Graflex and lenses, and a Visoflex Tele-Elmarit with serious cosmetic damage due to the foam deteriorating. When it became clear that the rest were gone, I did a quick sale of the Tele-Elmarit for $1000, kept a 47mm Super-Angulon (almost fills 4x5!), and gave the Graflex with the rest of its lenses to another of CHead's friends who wanted to learn what HE considered "large format". I'm currently playing with swings and tilts with the Super Angulon on a Hama/Kenlock/Spiratone bellows as a miniature technical camera.

10 years

1
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Twiggys [was: Re: ka... ching!]

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Fred Cisin > I found 2 cases that the dumpsterers missed ... I did a quick sale of > the Tele-Elmarit for $1000 Did you tell the dumpsterers that they'd thrown out stuff worth thousands of dollars? (I would have made to sure to let them know that, with great spite.) And if so, what did they say? Noel

10 years

2
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Twiggys [was: Re: ka... ching!]

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

Leicas dumpstered? OMG !? oh.... the humanity!!!!!!! In a message dated 10/7/2016 5:18:44 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, cisin at xenosoft.com writes: On Fri, 7 Oct 2016, COURYHOUSE at aol.com wrote: > but.... if you were a hardcore mustang collector you would not sleep > until you had every part that went with it... Having been around when they came out, and still around when I did not buy non-running rolling rebuildables for a few hundred dollars, I'm not likely to ever become that hardcore Mustang collector! I will sell my Leicas to the hardcore! (So that they won't get dumpstered after I die, like CHead's did!)

10 years

2
1
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ka... ching!

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> Maybe not astronomical, but most of the systems I'm interested in, > anyways, are almost always outside my price range. > ... > it's not 'astronomical' just out of reach. Look at old cars. There's a whole range, from $15M Ferraris on down. The existence of cars are higher prices doesn't stop lots of people from enjoying lower-priced ones. I completely fail to see why old computers should be any different. Can everyone afford a Ferrari? No. Has this seriously damaged old car collecting? Doesn't see to have. Noel

10 years

4
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Twiggys [was: Re: ka... ching!]

by vintagecomputer＠bettercomputing.net

I'd like to see a dig like they did for the Atari ET carts where the Lisas are buried. ?Although, I think they were all Lisa 2s? Sent from my Samsung device -------- Original message -------- From: Chuck Guzis <cclist at sydex.com> Date: 2016-10-07 4:58 PM (GMT-08:00) To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: Twiggys [was: Re: ka... ching!] On 10/07/2016 04:41 PM, Al Kossow wrote: > > > On 10/7/16 4:32 PM, js at cimmeri.com wrote: >> >> >> how astonishingly retarded that they sold for that much. > > nah.. maybe Alan in Soquel will list the ones he's been hoarding. In non-computer-related sales that initially commanded an outrageous price, I've seen the prices of subsequent sales decline precipitously. So Alan may not be in such a deliriously happy place. Sort of like a stamp collector selling a specimen thought to be the only one in existence and then discovering that there were 10 more out there. In particular, I have to wonder how much of this stuff is buried in overseas e-waste piles. --Chuck

10 years

1
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Twiggys [was: Re: ka... ching!]

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

but.... if you were a hardcore mustang collector you would not sleep until you had every part that went with it... Ed# In a message dated 10/7/2016 5:07:12 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, cisin at xenosoft.com writes: If I had a 65 Mustang, missing the ashtray, the only reason that I would pay anything significant for NOS replacement would be if I had immediate plans to sell it to somebody for whom that stuff matters. Yes, I can see the differences between the original headlight assembly on the Honda, and the Chinese imitation replacement. But, I don't care.

10 years

4
4
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'Revolutionary Force' Bombs IBM Offices

by billdegnan＠gmail.com

'Revolutionary Force' Bombs IBM Offices Computer Word, March 18, 1970.. http://vintagecomputer.net/browse_thread.cfm?id=654 Does anyone have a stash of these old Computer World's? I have found very few online. I assume there is a complete set somewhere...? Bill

10 years

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TI memory board

by aek＠bitsavers.org

wonder why all the interest. gold bugs, or do people realize there are i1103s on there? http://www.ebay.com/itm/262652558004

10 years

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Data on a Platter!

by silent700＠gmail.com

Here's a scan - and special bonus audio tracks - of a brochure and 7" record I found on ebay recently: http://chiclassiccomp.org/docs/index.php?dir=%2Fcomputing/EG%26G "Data on a Platter" from a company called EG&G (anyone heard of them?) describes their vinyl (as in analog audio record) data storage scheme and how it will fit into your business. There's no date anywhere but the brochure is a great example of 60s typefaces, not to mention language. The recording includes examples of how the data sounds if played on a regular phonograph. Who's up for decoding it? -j

10 years

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Picked up Commodore Amiga 2000

by barythrin＠gmail.com

I don't get the lack of love here. Every good hacker knows the answer is because it can. I think it adds to the charm and shows the power of the Amiga quite well. Also it shows off the technology of a computer on a card technology.? For the architecture wars fans it also reflects that they don't need a dreaded "pee see". In any event I'm a fan of emulation and hardware emulation I think is pretty solid technology vs the software counterparts. In a demo story an Amiga employee in town said he did a demo of his Amiga 3000 tower on a tech TV show. While he was playing some music on the Amiga he started up his bridge board app and loaded Windows 3.x. Then while waiting for Windows to load switched windows to show a restore off an internal SCSI tape drive. Pretty amazing technology. Plus you could even run a dos game then see the difference in the Amiga version ?(that'd be a great VCF demo). -------- Original message --------From: Chris Hanson <cmhanson at eschatologist.net> Date: 10/5/16 12:50 PM (GMT-06:00) To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: Picked up Commodore Amiga 2000 On Oct 4, 2016, at 7:13 PM, devin davison <lyokoboy0 at gmail.com> wrote: > > It looks as if PC compatibility Frankly, um, who cares?

10 years

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DEC 3000 model 400 memory

by lists＠sysop.ca

A generous list member gifted me a DEC 3000 model 400 early alpha system. This is my first alpha and I'm excited to play around with VMS and Tru64 however he warned me that it was having some memory issues when he retired it several years ago. It does indeed appear to have some bad ram. I'm wondering if anyone on the list has memory modules they'd be willing to part with.

10 years

3
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late-night insane request

by linimon＠lonesome.com

Is there anyone on this list who has a VNEbus Ethernet adapter? I figure not, but I've been using a fair amount of alcohol to troll ePay tonight, just out of morbid curiosity, and might as well ask. mcl

10 years

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equipment in NH

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

I forgot to post. the PDP/VAX/Altos stuff in NH has been claimed... J

10 years

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Any updates on the 3b2 emulator?

by other＠oryx.us

Hello Seth, Its been a few months, and I am wondering if the 3b2 emulator project is still moving forward, or put on the back burner for now? Thanks for any updates, Jerry

10 years

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Anyone in the UK wan 40 x PC Game CDROMS Win95/98 era for postage?

by mark＠wickensonline.co.uk

Does anyone want a collection of 40 CDROMs with PC games on from around the Windows 95 and 98 era? All I want is to cover postage and save these from the bin. A paypal gift of $4.99 will cover Collect+ shipping. Please email me direct - first come first served! Regards, Mark.

10 years

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Unexpected Apple Lisa display - what is it?

by barythrin＠gmail.com

Lol well crap. I was trying to remember which member here owned that site but figured it out. So where'd you find the picture Steven? -------- Original message -------- > From: steven stengel <tosteve at yahoo.com> > > What is this unusual Apple Lisa display - some sort of diagnostics? > > http://oldcomputers.net/temp/lisa.jpg

10 years

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mc68010+mc68451 Unix source?

by seefriek＠gmail.com

I've got a half dozen different source trees for mc680x0 Unixen, but nothing for an mc68010 CPU + mc68451 MMU. I know Unisoft did some. I don't know if the Motorola ports (like for the VME/10) were Unisoft or done internally. Did any '010+'451 source trees survive to escape into the wild? KJ

10 years

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Vintage Computer Festival West 2016 Gaming Panel 1080p with perfect audio

by applecorey＠optonline.net

https://youtu.be/bS_qGy3Ei3s <https://youtu.be/bS_qGy3Ei3s> Finally got around to converting this down from 4k 100mbps to 1080p and uploaded it to youtube. Enjoy, Erik Kline did a great job moderating the panel. Cheers, Corey

10 years

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Picked up Commodore Amiga 2000

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

have a unit with toaster but we need a keyboard. it sets flat not a tower. Ed# _www.smecc.org_ (http://www.smecc.org) fills history in 2 areas we cover - computers and video production In a message dated 10/4/2016 9:58:46 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, nf6x at nf6x.net writes: Congratulations on rescuing the 2000! I wanted one pretty badly when I was working in an Amiga dealership in the late 1980s, but had a 1000. I still don't have a 2000, but I've scratched that itch with a 3000 that I got a couple years ago. I still have my old 1000, but haven't powered it up for a very long time. It's overdue for a cleaning-up and resurrection. > On Oct 4, 2016, at 21:32, TeoZ <teoz at neo.rr.com> wrote: > > Anyway the XT and 286 Bridgeboards are not that expensive but anything faster sure is. The Bridgeboards were indeed an odd kludge. I don't remember if we actually sold any in the store I worked in, but I think we had at least one installed in an Amiga 2000 for demo purposes. I quit looking for Bridgeboards over a year ago when eBay and I started seeing other people, but at the time I had little luck finding any. I wouldn't mind having any working Bridgeboard to try out in my Amiga 3000 just for kicks, but I wouldn't expect it to be of much practical use. So if there's a hidden source of cheap XT and 286 Bridgeboards out there, I might like to acquire one. Devin would get first dibs on any that turn up, of course. I do have something vaguely Bridgeboard-esque: I have one of the SunPCi cards in my Sun Ultra 60. I think I set up DOS and NT virtual disks for it, but I haven't found any practical use for it. It's just a neat example of the wacky things that were kludged together for folks such as engineers who needed a UNIX workstation for their main job, but also needed access to a PC for things like Word. Now that I think of it, I haven't exactly found a practical use for the Sun it's installed in, either. :) -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <nf6x at nf6x.net> http://www.nf6x.net/

10 years

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To infinity and beyond: Re: uVAX system (mostly) that Ian King was interested in

by seefriek＠gmail.com

From: "Ian S. King" <isking at uw.edu> > Sorry for the delay in responding, Jon - I'm launching a spaceship this > week. :-) May I once in my life be able to say this and not be engaged in metaphor. :-) pssst...If Blue Origin is looking for a CSO/CISO, I'm in. KJ

10 years

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Wanted: IBM 5324 Monitor

by cctalk＠ibm51xx.net

Hello Everyone, I was wondering if anyone out on the list has (or knows of someone who has) an IBM 5324 monitor? This would be the monitor that goes with the IBM 5324 system (the tower version of the 5322/System 23/DataMaster). I have spare parts from a 5322 including a working display unit which I can transplant into a nonworking external monitor case. However, my preference would be for a clean/working monitor > non-working but clean monitor > working beat up monitor > beggars can't be choosers! Thanks. -Ali

10 years

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mc68010+mc68451 Unix source?

by seefriek＠gmail.com

From: Phil Budne <phil at ultimate.com> > >A quick google search found: > No source trees. But...thanks? KJ

10 years

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mc68010+mc68451 Unix source?

by seefriek＠gmail.com

From: "Mike Stein" <mhs.stein at gmail.com> > >Did Unisoft distribution tapes normally include sources? > Good question. I don't recall that they did, but it's been a frighteningly lot of years since I've culled through a Unisoft distro tape. KJ

10 years

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cut some updates and BS-windows-10-without-the-cruft-windows-10-ltsb-explained/

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

Due to the gnashing and wailing on windows 10 updates recently - wondering if this offers some relief! Ed# http://www.howtogeek.com/273824/windows-10-without-the-cruft-windows-10-ltsb -explained/

10 years

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Getting Ready to the NeXT Adventure at SMECC

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

Getting Ready to the NeXT Adventure at SMECC Found some of the boxes of cables, the mouse, trays for the laser printer. Another crate had these slipcases with lots of 8x11 NeXT Manuals in them... In addition there are CDs Located the CUBE, the Monitor and Keyboard need to find where the printer is. I know it is there! A couple weeks back I was given a copy of "Steve Jobs & the Next Big Thing" and started reading it. Very Interesting although it was done before apple got jobs back and from what I see in other sources adapted the NeXT software to be OS-X. I would interested in hearing from the group to how accurate they consider this book. I am also interested an any suggestions how I handle the initial power up... this whole machine is a new thing to me as Macs and NeXT are systems I never used back in the 'the day' Any advice on or off list appreciated! After I get it running, assuming it will I will set it in the display area and will need to look for some colorful advertising stuff to help decorate the display. If is totally roached and will not fire up then I guess it becomes a static display ( until some other parts units show up?) Thanks Ed# _www.smecc,org_ (http://www.smecc,org)

10 years

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Datapoint

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

So I just bought, and have been avidly reading: Lamont Wood, "Datapoint: The Lost Story of the Texans Who Invented the Personal Computer Revolution" and I was wondering what other people thought of it. (For those who aren't familiar with it, his thesis is in the sub-title. He reckons the first Datapoint machine, the 2200 - announced 1970, shipped 1971 - was the first personal computer, and a direct ancestor of all the PC's out there today. The Intel 8008 - base of the later 8080 and 8086 - was not actually related to the 4004, but instead was done persuant to a contract with Datapoint to provide a CPU for the 2200, to replace its inital CPU, which was built out of discrete chips.) It seems to be a reasonably scholarly work - he did a lot of interviewing of the principals, has made extensive use of archives of contempory written material, and it has some source footnotes (although not as many as would be optimal). So I think he might have a good case.... Any collectors of early Datapoint machines out there on the list? If his thesis is correct (and I think it is) these are very historic machines - up there with Altairs, etc. Noel

10 years

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pinouts for LH Research Super-Mite and Mighty-Mite-A sense connectors

by michael.99.thompson＠gmail.com

> > Date: Sun, 2 Oct 2016 20:53:27 -0700 > From: Al Kossow <aek at bitsavers.org> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: pinouts for LH Research Super-Mite and Mighty-Mite-A sense > connectors > Message-ID: <7cf54132-fe8b-abde-0fe0-d4dcfeb17f04 at bitsavers.org> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 > > I'm working on documenting these supplies, since there seems to be almost > nothing on them on > the web of use. There is a list of what is on the 9 pin molex on the SM, > but no actual pinout. > Same for the 15 pin D on the MMA, but at least there are enough pictures > around to be able to > assume the sense lines are on 1 and 2. > > The general form of the part numbers for them starts with 2 or 3 letters > (TM,MM,MMA,SM) a rough > power rating code (1-7) and the number of outputs (1-5) a dash, then model > number probably encoding > supply outputs/amps. This is based on looking at a bunch of eBay pictures. > Al, I have a MM65-E0506/115 that needs repair. This is also known as a DEC H7130C from a KS10. 5V at 30A 5V at 60A 12V at 10A 15V at 3A 5V at 5A I see lots of companies that advertise repair services for these supplies, so the documentation must exist. It would be great if you could find some documentation for these power supplies. -- Michael Thompson

10 years

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VCFed is restructuring

by evan＠snarc.net

Vintage Computer Federation has big dreams. We?re restructuring our organization to help make them come true. Our mission is to empower collectors, grow the community, and teach everyone about computer history. We especially want to raise interest in computer history among young people. To do so, we are planning many changes. For example, we want to expand the Vintage Computer Festival event series, offer new resources on the vcfed.org site, foster regional chapters, and improve our museum space. There are still other ideas that we hope to share in 2017 and beyond. We firmly believe these goals are attainable and imperative. However, as an all-volunteer unit, there simply isn?t enough time to devote to our cause without overly sacrificing time spent at our regular jobs, being with family, collecting vintage computers, and so on. As such, effective today, Vintage Computer Federation co-founder Evan Koblentz is stepping down as president and accepts the new position of part-time director. Evan is the Federation?s first employee. He reports to the board. Evan will continue day-to-day administration of the Federation and will embark on new fundraising initiatives. Erik Klein, formerly vice president, is now board chairman. Jeffrey Brace, also formerly a vice president, is now vice-chairman. Corey Cohen retains his role as business manager. We feel this new structure will help us gain resources, meet our goals, and continue to save and teach computer history for many years to come. Vintage Computer Federation Inc. is a 501(c) non-profit organization.

10 years

1
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11/35 on eBait

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Al Kossow > Stack Limit That's there - that's the KJ11. > From: Tony Duell > KW11-L line time clock? I don't really consider the LTC as a CPU option. It's on the actual UNIBUS, it's just in a specially wired UNIBUS slot that's only one slot wide, and only has BR/G6 and D6/7 wired to it. Yes, in this case that slot is in the CPU, so one can make an argument... Noel

10 years

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ka... ching!

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Alexandre Souza > the outsider comes and says "if he is selling for 1000, I'll sell mine > for 1100 and see what happens" and the price goes to actual unpayable > levels. Except it usually doesn't work. Look at that PDP-8 that was listed for ever at $25K. No takers. And this PDP-11/04: http://www.ebay.com/itm/172192522620 which does, after all, have the programmer's console, and has been listed for months at $2K. Noel

10 years

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11/35 on eBait

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: William Degnan > Some of the CPU options not present. Huh? The KT11-D is there, as is the KE11-E and KE11-E, and even a KJ11-A of sorts (might be an after-market one, doesn't have the standard DEC handle). What other 11/40 CPU options are there? Noel

10 years

3
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My H316 environment

by hachti＠hachti.de

Hi folks, if you're interested... I have made available my Honeywell H316 environment. Consists of all you need to run the machine and more. Contains software to split and rearrange libraries. The Fortran IV compiler SOURCE. The assembler. Scripts that run compiler and assembler transparently on files (with help of SIMH). Plotter library. Mandelbrot program. Much more. Only SIMH is needed. The rest should be done by the Makefile. It's just all I have. http://gitweb.hachti.de/git/h316.git :-) -- Dipl.-Inf. (FH) Philipp Hachtmann Buchdruck, Bleisatz, Spezialit?ten Alemannstr. 21, D-30165 Hannover Tel. 0511/3522222, Mobil 0171/2632239 Fax. 0511/3500439 philipp at hachtmann.com www.tiegeldruck.de facebook.com/buchdruck UStdID DE 202668329

10 years

3
3
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pinouts for LH Research Super-Mite and Mighty-Mite-A sense connectors

by aek＠bitsavers.org

I'm working on documenting these supplies, since there seems to be almost nothing on them on the web of use. There is a list of what is on the 9 pin molex on the SM, but no actual pinout. Same for the 15 pin D on the MMA, but at least there are enough pictures around to be able to assume the sense lines are on 1 and 2. The general form of the part numbers for them starts with 2 or 3 letters (TM,MM,MMA,SM) a rough power rating code (1-7) and the number of outputs (1-5) a dash, then model number probably encoding supply outputs/amps. This is based on looking at a bunch of eBay pictures. They want waaaay too much money for them on there. This all started because I need to fix the MM72s for the Alto. I got the four I took a look at fixed by replacing all of the 19000uF/7.5v caps. All of them were dried out. Not a huge surprise since they were from around 1978. Measured the rest of the caps in them with an in circuit capacitance/ESR meter and they were all reasonable, even the 1400uf/200v ones, which I had some spares for, but are much harder to find in the right size than the 19mF ones. Switching supplies from the mid 70's are NOISY (10-20mV on all four supplies)

10 years

1
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HP 9000 Model 550 sold on eBay

by glen.slick＠gmail.com

I was wondering if this item would attract much attention. http://www.ebay.com/itm/262642624725 Sold for $787 this evening. I don't know anything about these systems. Looks interesting, but this bit of text didn't sound too encouraging: "The 550s have not held up particularly well over time. As of 2013, the museum had two units. Both units have non-functioning power supplies. The system control boards are also subject to damage from battery corrosion." http://www.hpmuseum.net/display_item.php?hw=581 Also this bit of text about the HP-UX 5.0 Operating System: "The downloadable file is an image of the system software tape for HP-UX on 500 Series computers. It was made from a 150ft tape. We obtained 47 read errors while imaging the tape, so it's probably not entirely intact, and we don't have a working 500 Series machine to check. However, the file contents of the tape are readable by issuing the BASIC CAT command from a 300 Series computer." http://hpmuseum.net/display_item.php?sw=534 Just curious if anyone knows much about these systems and if anyone has one in working condition. What might the chances be for whoever bought this system to get it into any sort of working setup? Does anyone else have software for these squirreled away in their collections?

10 years

2
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ka... ching!

by vintagecomputer＠bettercomputing.net

I have been keeping a registry of key machines.. Apple IIs and Altairs and such.. whenever a serial number is available I try to record it. ?Ive only seen one or two come up twice.. and I think one was the vintagecomputermuseum guy. ?I'll keep keeping tabs and see just for fun if stuff is in fac recycling. :) Sent from my Samsung device -------- Original message -------- From: william degnan <billdegnan at gmail.com> Date: 2016-10-02 1:37 PM (GMT-08:00) To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: ka... ching! On Sun, Oct 2, 2016 at 4:29 PM, TeoZ <teoz at neo.rr.com> wrote: > There are also the type of people who get into a hobby and buy all kinds > of gear then get bored and ditch it a few years later. > > -----Original Message----- From: Jon Elson > Sent: Sunday, October 02, 2016 3:32 PM > To: General at classiccmp.org ; Discussion at classiccmp.org:On-Topic and > Off-Topic Posts > Subject: Re: ka... ching! > > > On 10/02/2016 12:50 PM, Al Kossow wrote: > >> >> On 10/2/16 10:15 AM, Jay West wrote: >> >>> I have a new theory. No new machines are ever >>> found, we all just keep trading ownership of them amongst ourselves, >>> sometimes with the same machine coming back years later! >>> >>> Thats been a joke at hamfests for decades :-) >> >> >> >> It is NOT a joke, it really happens.? The old gear outlasts > the owners, and people use it for a while, upgrade, move to > a retirement home or whatever, and it goes to someone else. > Then, the cycle repeats. > > Jon > I have noticed a lot of "new" items coming into availability. People have been horders of computers since companies first started letting employees to take them home after depreciation.? Plenty is still out there. I still want to got to Cuba to find a Univac there.? I have this feeling that some thought-lost vintage machines are to be found there. b

10 years

2
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11/35 on eBait

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

So there's another 11/35 up on eBait: http://www.ebay.com/itm/142135416325 10-1/2 'desktop' cabinet. It does have the semi-mythical KE11-F, from what I can see. Not sure what the group of 4 quad cards is (none of the pictures show the numbers clearly) - maybe an RK11-D, if we can believe the tape along the edge? Does have a couple of DL11's, and one 16KB core memory group. Noel

10 years

2
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ka... ching!

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

thanks for the info.... I will now have to find where I put it! It was not like the mac mouse and I do not or I did not think I had one for our Lisa but I guess I do now! our SMECC Lisa has a floppy and a hard drive. hard to say what is wrong with it... just a screen full of letters (any info on this is good to hear from you-) Ed# www.smecc.org In a message dated 10/1/2016 7:13:55 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, cisin at xenosoft.com writes: On Sat, 1 Oct 2016, COURYHOUSE at aol.com wrote: > In reality, what do you feel the mouse is worth? As a mouse, $5 - $20 as a historic artifact, $10 - $1000, depending on prevenance (Engelbart's mouse is worth more than mine)

10 years

1
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ka... ching!

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

In reality, what do you feel the mouse is worth? Ed# In a message dated 10/1/2016 4:47:10 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, js at cimmeri.com writes: On 10/1/2016 6:38 PM, Adrian Graham wrote: > On 01/10/2016 23:52, "Santo Nucifora"<santo.nucifora at gmail.com> wrote: > >> For those who are bidding on the twiggy drives, you can have a Lisa 1 >> faceplate here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/222262204758 and a matching >> Lisa 1 mouse here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/172360487433 >> > Hells, he's still trying to flog that mouse for $3K. We've picked that one > apart a few times here :) And the incredible gall of him to have a shipping charge on top of that. Uneffingblinkenbelievable. - J.

10 years

4
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ka... ching!

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

Come on! there are still treasures to be found! ( probaby not the 57 chevy though) In a message dated 10/1/2016 4:06:55 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, cisin at xenosoft.com writes: Yes, it is easy to remember times when IBM 5150, '57 Chevy, Altair, Isetta, functioning TTYs, could be had for the effort of carrying them home. Well before our time, Van Gogh paintings could be had for a bottle of wine.

10 years

2
1
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ka... ching!

by cctalk＠ibm51xx.net

>Can >everyone afford a Ferrari? No. Has this >seriously damaged old car collecting? But it has seriously damaged my ability to enjoy and collect Ferraris. :D -Ali

10 years

1
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ka... ching!

by vintagecomputer＠bettercomputing.net

I second what Mike says, Chuck. I don't enjoy fighting with these deep pocketed 'collectors', especiallu knowing a lot of this stuff is destined for a trophy case never to be used. ?But.. that's the free market. ?Plus high prices ensure I'm not able to immediately fill my basement. :) I actually find myself more excited by reproduction.. I think as cool as it would have been to own an original TVT building one myself has really made it special. ?Along the way I keep finding new potential projects. ? ? Sent from my Samsung device -------- Original message -------- From: Mike Stein <mhs.stein at gmail.com> Date: 2016-10-01 1:47 PM (GMT-08:00) To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: ka... ching! ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Sent: Saturday, October 01, 2016 2:12 PM Subject: Re: ka... ching! > On 10/01/2016 08:27 AM, js at cimmeri.com wrote: > >> Ohhhh, I see.??? Now that makes sense -- Thanks, Al.??? But, like >> airplanes and boats, this looks like only a rich person's game. > > Sigh.? There was a time when I was in this old computer stuff to help > out people who were trying to do something or retrieve otherwise lost > information. > > The game has changed, obviously.? We are in an era now when folks with > too much money and spare time and narcissism want to buy and sell and > display toys rather than play with them. > > Looks like it's time to get out of this racket. > > --Chuck > ===================== Please don't, Chuck! You're one of the most prolific sources of information and helpful advice in this hobby, across almost all platforms, and you would be sorely missed indeed. Obviously I don't have anything close to what you have to contribute, but my reasons for spending time on these lists & forums are more or less the same (as well as the hope of regaining some space in my house ;-). For various reasons I've also from time to time reflected on why I waste so much time on what is just old junk to most people; someone here (Al? Fred?) once asked rhetorically how much money or lost income we spend just storing this crap, and that in particular hit home. I did get rid of a fair bit of stuff after the unpleasantness on the Vintage Forum and have cut back a lot on the time I spend on the various lists, but when I consider 'getting out of the racket' completely the friends I've made and the occasional opportunity to actually help someone with a hard-to-find item or even a piece of advice have kept me 'in it' after all. Please don't go! m

10 years

1
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equipment available - NH

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

I have no idea how many people this person emailed, but I did get emailed directly about it so passing it on.. "Stuff" available (as of today for sure) in central NH. See a few pictures at www.ezwind.net/nh <http://www.ezwind.net/nh> The person said it includes 2 or 3 systems (altos? PDP? Vax?), and a lot of documentation and media. Some other documentation is present for other systems (Honeywell, etc.). They also said some Prime manuals but not sure I buy that. Snippets in email I received: You would not want to see what I have go into the dump. My Dad was a programmer from day until . His life's work is in my basement. Includes a VAX and a Dec PC and an Altos. Also have numerous PDP and PDP material. Many VAX/VMS manuals, multitude of software and manuals. And. We have some PDP=10 and somePDP11 books and manuals. Prime. And. Still available. Location Central NH. Come get it or call me via telephone. Where do you want it shipped and can you pay for freight charge? Want it gone now as soon as possible. Thank you. And. Here are pics of the DEC machines and an Altos. All of the documentation goes with the computers and some is from other mid-range platforms. Some text books as well. I need to sell all of this stuff to an interested buyer. Moving and can't take it with me. If you are serious (and able) to get this equipment within a week or two, then contact me off-list and I'll send an introduction email. Whoever takes this on should be in the NorthEastern US at least.. Best, J

10 years

1
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Looking for professional packaging in Stanford

by iamcamiel＠gmail.com

I'm working on getting a shipment of some 1980's computer equipment >from Stanford, CA to the Netherlands arranged. I've sorted out the pickup, shipping, and delivery part of it, but the systems will need to be palletized prior to pickup. So, I'm looking for someone, or a business, in the area that can go to the location where the systems are with 5 40"x48" pallets and other packaging materials, and then load the cabinets (up to 500 lbs each) onto the pallets, cover them with which corrugated cardboard, secure them to the pallets with straps, and put shrink-wrap all around it. Recommendations for this kind of service are most welcome. Suggestions for alternate packaging options are also welcome. Kind regards, Camiel Vanderhoeven

10 years

2
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Does anyone actually have a KT11-B?

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

So, does anyone out there actually have a KT11-B? I ask because I have just realized that the "KT11-B" sold on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/201624309371 was not, in fact, a KT11-B! If you look closely at the pictures of the unit in the back of the cabinet: http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/7sYAAOSwGtNXiUAM/s-l1600.jpg https://i.sli.mg/zvOSH1.jpg https://i.sli.mg/6fWvkw.jpg although it has the quad-high backplane of the general type used by the KT11-B, the Flip Chips plugged in are completely not those given in the Flip Chip chart for the KT11-B: http://gunkies.org/wiki/KT11-B_Technical_Manual#Module_Locations Rather, the ones shown in the images show it to be (mostly) an RK11-C. Cool, but nowhere near as cool as a KT11-B. (On a cool scale of 10, I rank the RK11-C as a 6, a TC11 as an 8, and a KT11-B as a 23.) I say "mostly" because there appear to be extra cards on the right hand end; whether those are some sort of upgrade to the RK11-C, or whether someone just stored spare Flip Chips out there, I have no idea. Noel

10 years

1
0
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Is anyone making replacement clear labels for DEC gear?

by Arno_1983＠gmx.de

On Thu, 29 Sep 2016 12:29:06 -0400, Paul Koning <paulkoning at comcast.net> wrote: > There are inkjet printers that support white ink (or pigment). Those are probably professional type machines, so they are likely to cost over $1000. Possibly you can find a service bureau that will do the job. I think I've > seem them described as machines for making labels (to put onto bottles and boxes etc.). Epson makes them if I remember right, and there are likely to be others. We have a couple @work to put datecodes, tracability numbers etc. on PCB assemblies, but they're probably more commonly used to print e.g. freshness dates directly onto cans, bottles etc. Ours are made by Markem Imaje in France, they can also do logos, 1D and 2D codes, and I _think_ there are white inks for them as well. They are also intended for integration into some machine or process as they depend on the material moving by and sensing its speed by an encoder. Ink droplets are continuously produced from a single nozzle and electrostatically deflected in 2 axes, either into a gutter inside the print head or out through the aperture and onto the medium. Using such to print onto clear adhesive label stock might be a start, but the resolution is hmmm...limited. So long, Arno

10 years

1
0
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Looking for Bruce from Future Dimensions, Compuware

by microtechdart＠gmail.com

Interesting story (well maybe for some). For any of you who have followed my projects, here is some context: It is one and the same company who used both the Point 4 IRIS systems and the Convergent Technologies MightyFrame systems that I have spent the last 3 years reconstructing and restoring. Some of the guys from that company distinctly remember one single programmer, who was responsible for programming (and possibly sourcing the hardware) for both of these systems for them. The programmer's name was Bruce, who's initials were BAM, and who worked for a company in the Los Angeles California area called Future Dimensions, back in the 1982-1985 area. It is also possible that he later had some connection with Compuware around the same timeframe.. Anyway, I thought I would just put this "out there", to see if anyone reading this might be this very Bruce, or someone who might know who he is. He once wrote this program to run on login of their Point 4 IRIS system. He also often commented his programs as the author as BAM. #BASIC 2/CALLME LIST 10 DIM A$[10],B$[50] 20 IF ERR 0 GOTO 40 30 INPUT ""A$ 40 PRINT "\207\\233\*\215\\215\\215\\215\\215\\215\\215\\21 5\\215"; 41 PRINT "CHUCK, THE LOCATION REPORT IS READY." 42 PRINT "ALSO, THE MODEL REPORT IS READY" 50 PRINT "\215\PLEASE CALL ME. BRUCE. TYPE '0' TO GET OUT OF THIS "; 60 INPUT A$ 70 IF A$="0" CHAIN "VM." 80 GOTO 40 RUN \?* It's my hope that someone finds this at least humorous, maybe even silly, if nothing else. Thanks always, -AJ http://point4iris.com http://MightyFrame.com http://QICreader.com

10 years

2
2
0 0

Atari 1400XL for sale...

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

We have several Atari in the museum's collection is this really rare? I will have to go check which we have... we were given a bath of as new in box cpu, monitors, etc etc... What is a good reference site for us to come up to speed on this gear? Thanks Ed# _www.smecc.org_ (http://www.smecc.org) In a message dated 9/28/2016 7:00:47 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, ethan at 757.org writes: OMG RARE On Wed, 28 Sep 2016, Curt Vendel wrote: > Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2016 19:55:39 -0400 > From: Curt Vendel <curt at atarimuseum.com> > Reply-To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Atari 1400XL for sale... > > I saw one of these go on Ebay recently and I'm considering sell my 1400XL. > Looking for a respectable amount, so if you are interested, please don't > offer low ball offers. Please contact me off list to discuss, thank you. > > http://www.atarimuseum.com/computers/8bits/xl/1400xl/1400.html > > > Curt > > > > -- Ethan O'Toole

10 years

4
3
0 0

BA23 BA11-M power up after long time

by dj.taylor4＠comcast.net

I have a couple of BA23 based boxes and one BA11-M box that I haven't powered on in a couple of years and would like to resurrect them into working PDP11's. How should I go about powering them up without doing any damage? What is an appropriate load for the power supply?

10 years

1
0
0 0

Labels white on clear

by rodsmallwood52＠btinternet.com

Hi White on clear labels- yes. Size, Content and expected price to me please. Rod (Panelman) Smallwood -- *PDP-8/e PDP-8/f PDP-8/m PDP-8/i Front Panels ex Stock - Order Now*

10 years

2
1
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Is anyone making replacement clear labels for DEC gear?

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Ethan Dicks > One aspect of it is that some of the labels are damaged > ... > Before embarking on spinning up a process, I thought I'd ask if anyone > has already done so. This definitely sounds like a place where it would be good to have one person specialize in this, rather than everyone rolling their own. I, for instance, could use a number of these labels (starting with the one that lists the boards in the 11/45 CPU - although that one's black on white). Anyone up for becoming label-meister? Noel

10 years

6
6
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Is anyone making replacement clear labels for DEC gear?

by ethan.dicks＠gmail.com

Hi, All, I'm restoring some stuff from the mid 1970s and a recent acquisition was previously cleaned of mouse damage but needs to be sanded and repainted by me. One aspect of it is that some of the labels are damaged (but some can probably be masked and painted around). The level of damage I'm talking about looks a bit like this... http://fritzm.github.io/images/pdp11/h742-corrosion.jpg Most of the item intact, but rust and scale to be cleaned, sanded, primed and painted. The damage to the label in that pic is representative. I have access to all the modern tools, so it's easy to print black on clear adhesive sheet, but not so much with white. Before embarking on spinning up a process, I thought I'd ask if anyone has already done so. In particular interest to me is the era from about 1965-1980, >from PDP-8s through PDP-11s and VAX-11 machines, both CPUs and peripherals. I would like to get close matches and I already know in some cases, there just aren't close matches with modern TrueType font files. I can, of course, just take photos of the label areas now, restore the damage, and put on stickers some time in the future, but doing it all at once has its own appeal -ethan

10 years

5
8
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Unexpected Apple Lisa display - what is it?

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

then I head ho some lisa cases later had mc boards shoved in them!? Ed# In a message dated 9/28/2016 9:54:55 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, santo.nucifora at gmail.com writes: I have this one one of my Lisa's as well. It's like a start up menu that allows you to launch the Finder. That's all I ever do with it. I don't know what the name is but it may be a part of specific version of MacWorks Plus. Sorry, I don't have any more info. Santo On Wed, Sep 28, 2016 at 3:02 PM, Paul McJones <paul at mcjones.org> wrote: > > Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2016 09:15:42 +0000 (UTC) > > From: steven stengel <tosteve at yahoo.com> > > Message-ID: <916931269.6067118.1475054142110 at mail.yahoo.com> > > > > > > What is this unusual Apple Lisa display - some sort of diagnostics? > > > > http://oldcomputers.net/temp/lisa.jpg > > I suspect it is a Macintosh utility (Disk Copy?) Lisas could run Macintosh > software using something called MacWorks. > >

10 years

1
0
0 0

DEC ALL-IN-1

by curt＠atarimuseum.com

Hi, I had heard many years back that the DOS version of WPS could read and open DEC AI1 files. I was able to get a copy of WPSDOS and tried to no avail. Anyone have any luck opening AI1 files on a PC computer in DOS or Windows to get a file to open with all of the proper formatting and settings? I can open raw with notepad but much of it is buried is formatting code, I'd like to be able to properly open up a file with its formatting in tacked. Thanks, Curt

10 years

1
0
0 0

Atari 1400XL for sale...

by curt＠atarimuseum.com

I saw one of these go on Ebay recently and I'm considering sell my 1400XL. Looking for a respectable amount, so if you are interested, please don't offer low ball offers. Please contact me off list to discuss, thank you. http://www.atarimuseum.com/computers/8bits/xl/1400xl/1400.html Curt

10 years

2
1
0 0

Unexpected Apple Lisa display - what is it?

by paul＠mcjones.org

> Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2016 09:15:42 +0000 (UTC) > From: steven stengel <tosteve at yahoo.com> > Message-ID: <916931269.6067118.1475054142110 at mail.yahoo.com> > > > What is this unusual Apple Lisa display - some sort of diagnostics? > > http://oldcomputers.net/temp/lisa.jpg I suspect it is a Macintosh utility (Disk Copy?) Lisas could run Macintosh software using something called MacWorks.

10 years

4
3
0 0

cctalk Digest, Vol 27, Issue 27

by Wayne.Smith＠warnerbros.com

> Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2016 09:15:42 +0000 (UTC) > From: steven stengel <tosteve at yahoo.com> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic Posts" <cctech at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Unexpected Apple Lisa display - what is it? > Message-ID: <916931269.6067118.1475054142110 at mail.yahoo.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 > > What is this unusual Apple Lisa display - some sort of diagnostics? > > http://oldcomputers.net/temp/lisa.jpg It's the MiniFinder - part of Macintosh System release 2, I believe. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CZan7K4UkAUvZak.jpg

10 years

1
0
0 0

KT11-B Paging Option engineering drawings and 'Technical Manual' online

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

So, the KT11-B Paging Option engineering drawings recently made their appearance online: http://bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp11/1120/KT11-B_EngrDrws_Feb72.pdf After a good bit of study of them, I have prepared a 'Technical Manual' for the KT11-B, somewhat in the flavour of the old DEC technical manuals: http://gunkies.org/wiki/KT11-B_Technical_Manual since the prints, by themselves, are fairly inscrutable: an incredibly large mass of gates (almost no MSI, other than a couple of Flip Chips included in the drawings as modules). The article basically attempts to describe how the thing works internally; it includes sections which describe the function (i.e. point) and operation of the circuitry on each page of the prints, and there's also a signal dictionary which describes what all the major signals mean/do. It's not quite absolutely complete, but it's 96% there at this point; I am still working on it. One thing I do intend to add (when I can work it out :-) is to annotate the table of states with info one what each states _means_. If anyone is particularly interested in this device, and reads the article, I would be very grateful for feedback on what's still missing that I could add, suggestions for better organization, etc, etc. Noel

10 years

1
0
0 0

Unexpected Apple Lisa display - what is it?

by tosteve＠yahoo.com

What is this unusual Apple Lisa display - some sort of diagnostics? http://oldcomputers.net/temp/lisa.jpg

10 years

1
0
0 0

Sanyo VM-4509 service manual

by aek＠bitsavers.org

As common as this monitor is, I don't see a scanned copy of a manual on any real site. Anyone know of a copy? I went ahead and bought a VM-4512 manual from Tucker to scan. At least that will be around..

10 years

2
1
0 0

Availability of PDP-8i Front Panel

by rayneal382＠gmail.com

Sir; I working on a project to build a PDP-8i for a combined Compute Science/Electronic Engineering course on design. The purpose of this course is to teach the basic of computer design, build and Programing a computer they must build. This course is still a year down the road. I volunteer to accomplish the building of the prototype system using only the parts available at the time the orginal computer were built. The point of the build is, if a 70+ can sit down with the course material, and design and build a working model of the PDP-8i, the there is no excuse that each student attending the course, should not be able to accomplish the same task. 1. I would like to know if you still have your PDP-8i Front Panel still available? 2. What is the cost for the panel plus shipping to Tucson, Arizona? 3. I understands that you are attempting to re-manufacture the Switch Rocker Assembly? And possibly the PCB board for mounting the switches? a. If so, I would like to know status, and an estimated cost for a complete set? B. Would these items be compatible to with c&k 7000 u-frame series switches assembly? One other question I have is do you have any drawings that give both the dimensions and profile of the mounting frame? If so are they available? I want to Thank You for taking the time ahead of time in answering this E-mail. Respectfully; Ray Neal

10 years

3
2
0 0

Availability of PDP-8i Front Panel

by anders.k.nelson＠gmail.com

Hi Ray (and everyone), I'm also very interested in knowing the mechanical dimensions of the front panel PCB and positions of the lamps/switches/mounts/etc., but for the PDP-8/e. Does anyone have front panel PCB dimensions and positions for all the UI components I could use? I can make a simple PCB design for each of the main areas (lamps, switch register, other switch groups) that will arrive at a few smaller PCBs, saving a ton of cost. I also have experience in LED display and switch matrix design so we won't need a thousand wires going everywhere when used with an emulator. For example, one USB cable for the entire front panel. There exists the amazing PiDP-8 ( http://obsolescence.wixsite.com/obsolescence/pidp-8) that has all of these items taken care of. But there does /not/ exist one for the PDP-8/e. I await your wisdom, -- Anders Nelson +1 (517) 775-6129 www.erogear.com ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ray Neal <rayneal382 at gmail.com> To: cctalk at classiccmp.org Cc: Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2016 11:59:24 -0700 Subject: Availability of PDP-8i Front Panel Sir; I working on a project to build a PDP-8i for a combined Compute Science/Electronic Engineering course on design. The purpose of this course is to teach the basic of computer design, build and Programing a computer they must build. This course is still a year down the road. I volunteer to accomplish the building of the prototype system using only the parts available at the time the orginal computer were built. The point of the build is, if a 70+ can sit down with the course material, and design and build a working model of the PDP-8i, the there is no excuse that each student attending the course, should not be able to accomplish the same task. 1. I would like to know if you still have your PDP-8i Front Panel still available? 2. What is the cost for the panel plus shipping to Tucson, Arizona? 3. I understands that you are attempting to re-manufacture the Switch Rocker Assembly? And possibly the PCB board for mounting the switches? a. If so, I would like to know status, and an estimated cost for a complete set? B. Would these items be compatible to with c&k 7000 u-frame series switches assembly? One other question I have is do you have any drawings that give both the dimensions and profile of the mounting frame? If so are they available? I want to Thank You for taking the time ahead of time in answering this E-mail. Respectfully; Ray Neal

10 years

2
1
0 0

Replacing HP 700 terminal CRTs

by aek＠bitsavers.org

I picked up a 700/60, the ANSI version of the HP 700-series terminal and when I took it apart to clean, it had a VDC 1401DP31BE inside. I swapped the CRT into a 700/92 which has a slightly different board, and a burned in amber tube, and it worked fine. Also I noticed the 700/96 PCB is almost identical to the 700/60, so I'll try a rom swap to see what happens. Too bad there aren't generally available cross reference list for terminal CRTs. FWIW, the 700/96 has a Philips M32ECD3G CRT. VDC is having a "sale" on the 1401DP4 and P31. The tube price is pretty cheap but the shipping is about double when you price it against their normal $55 price. The shipping goes down with quantity, so if you buy 5 or so it ends up being about $25 a tube and significantly cheaper than all of the ones listed on eBay.

10 years

2
3
0 0

FYI- Department of Defense Debuts Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship, Research Gra

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

Department of Defense Debuts Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship, Research Grant Now Accepting Proposals The Department of Defense (DoD) has announced a new competition for the "Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship" in a recent Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) (N00014-16-R-FO12) on www.grants.gov. This program is formerly known as the National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellowship (NSSEFF), and both program names will be used for this round of competition during the transition phase. The Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship program is sponsored by the Basic Research Office, Office of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (ASD(R&E)). The Office of Naval Research (ONR) executes the program for ASD(R&E) and is soliciting proposals. This program seeks outstanding researchers to propose basic research that is potentially transformative in topics areas of interest to the DoD. ?I strongly believe DoD faces some of the most exciting and difficult problems to be found in research and technology,? said Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. ?Vannevar Bush fellows will lead the way in transforming and defining new fields of science and in helping the Department look to the future. ? This new program name commemorates Dr. Vannevar Bush (1890-1974). He was the Director of Scientific Research and Development during World War II and the author of "Science, The Endless Frontier.? Bush was also a professor and Dean of Engineering at MIT and later founded a large defense and electronics company. As a devoted teacher, administrator and entrepreneur, Bush made creative and innovative contributions to science, engineering and the nation. During World War II, Bush mobilized America?s scientific resources to achieve advances in defense technologies that were decisive in winning the war. After the war, he was instrumental in formulating sound policies for the advancement of science, engineering and education. Bush, in his famous 1945 report, "Science: The Endless Frontier,? wrote that ?the pioneer spirit is still vigorous within this nation. Science offers a largely unexplored hinterland for the pioneer who has the tools for his task. The rewards of such exploration both for the nation and the individual are great. Scientific progress is one essential key to our security as a nation, to our better health, to more jobs, to a higher standard of living, and to our cultural progress." For more information on how to apply, please visit _http://www.acq.osd.mil/rd/basic_research/program_info/vbff.html_ (http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type =click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTYwOTI2LjY0MjI4NDExJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE2MDkyNi42NDIyODQxMSZkY XRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3MzUwOTI3JmVtYWlsaWQ9Y291cnlob3VzZUBhb2wuY29tJ nVzZXJpZD1jb3VyeWhvdXNlQGFvbC5jb20mZmw9JmV4dHJhPU11bHRpdmFyaWF0ZUlkPSYmJg==& &&101&&&http://www.acq.osd.mil/rd/basic_research/program_info/vbff.html?sour ce=GovDelivery) .

10 years

1
0
0 0

68K Macs with MacOS 7.5 still in production use...

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Chuck Guzis > Call it anything you want, but we know what Motorola called it. The _first implementation_ may have been 16-bit, but I am in no doubt whatsover (having written a lot of assembler code for the 68K family) that the _architecture_ was 32-bit: - 32-bit registers - many operations (arithmetical, logical, etc) defined for that length - 32-bit addresses Etc, etc, etc, etc. Noel

10 years

21
38
0 0

UMR computer photos

by jwsmail＠jwsss.com

I was looking thru one of the yearbooks from my time at University of Missouri, Rolla. I found what I think is a photo of a GE-200. I "liberated" this system or one of them to a lab I had, when they were mothballed, and I could swear that is what the systems were. If anyone recognizes them, let me know. This is the first hint of any sort as to what I had. And my memory could be wrong. The square indicator and switch style is very much like what I recall for this particular system. I had gotten handed a couple of very heavy trays of Lambda power supplies which clearly were for some purpose due to how they were mounted. I later found the system I think was a GE-200 neglected in a stockroom in the EE building and recognized that the interconnnect would fit the power supply trays I had. The system was transistorized, not IC I might add. That was why it took 4 or 5 large Lambda supplies. Luckily we had not broken the supply tray up and i was able to play with it. The other thing i think might be of interest are several photos of an analog computer that the EE dept had. I know there was another much larger system in the Physics department as well, and maybe I'll luck out and find a photo of it later. Oh, and the blond at the keypunch. I might add that she is probably retired now. thanks Jim http://s1101.photobucket.com/user/jws1971/library/UMR%20computer%20photos

10 years

3
3
0 0

No subject

by lproven＠gmail.com

"Fan belts only exist, briefly, in the intervals between stars Reviewing the informative Turing?s Cathedral Programming the ENIAC, the world's first digital computer (US Army photo) Book review It's a full four years since it was published, but Reg contributor Geoffrey G Rochat has finally gotten around to reading George Dyson's worthy tome Turing?s Cathedral. He finds it's not just a Best Book list lurker, but something actually worth reading." http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/01/10/turing_cathedral_fan_belts_exist_br… Contains some discussion of level-based versus pulse-based logic in early valve computers which is frankly way over my head but might be of interest to some here. -- Liam Proven ? Profile: http://lproven.livejournal.com/profile Email: lproven at cix.co.uk ? GMail/G+/Twitter/Flickr/Facebook: lproven MSN: lproven at hotmail.com ? Skype/AIM/Yahoo/LinkedIn: liamproven Cell/Mobiles: +44 7939-087884 (UK) ? +420 702 829 053 (?R)

10 years

2
1
0 0

Fixing HP 3000 model 37 PSU

by hp-fix＠xs4all.nl

Some time ago I acquired a HP 3000/37 micro, it has a faulty psu. One of the mosfet controlling the power transistor BUX48 was shorted an blew up the whole power stage. Getting new fet's and power transistor wasn't the problem, but the regulator IC also has blown. The regulator IC is marked CC3896F made by SB and also has this number '3713045', the only info I can find on the net is provided by the known IC brokers from China. I'd like to get this box running again, so I'm looking for the IC or a replacement PSU which is an ITT PEC 3945 P/N 6064265. Any other info about it like diagrams and datasheets about the CC3896F are also welcome. Thanks, -Rik

10 years

2
2
0 0

UMR computer photos

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

Not the GE 200 I am used to! what did it have for a console? Ed# _www.smecc.org_ (http://www.smecc.org) In a message dated 9/26/2016 3:21:41 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time, jwsmail at jwsss.com writes: I was looking thru one of the yearbooks from my time at University of Missouri, Rolla. I found what I think is a photo of a GE-200. I "liberated" this system or one of them to a lab I had, when they were mothballed, and I could swear that is what the systems were. If anyone recognizes them, let me know. This is the first hint of any sort as to what I had. And my memory could be wrong. The square indicator and switch style is very much like what I recall for this particular system. I had gotten handed a couple of very heavy trays of Lambda power supplies which clearly were for some purpose due to how they were mounted. I later found the system I think was a GE-200 neglected in a stockroom in the EE building and recognized that the interconnnect would fit the power supply trays I had. The system was transistorized, not IC I might add. That was why it took 4 or 5 large Lambda supplies. Luckily we had not broken the supply tray up and i was able to play with it. The other thing i think might be of interest are several photos of an analog computer that the EE dept had. I know there was another much larger system in the Physics department as well, and maybe I'll luck out and find a photo of it later. Oh, and the blond at the keypunch. I might add that she is probably retired now. thanks Jim http://s1101.photobucket.com/user/jws1971/library/UMR%20computer%20photos

10 years

2
1
0 0

Short test programs for pdp 11/34

by paulp1＠gmail.com

You might try looking at the M9312 proms that Don North has made available here: http://www.ak6dn.com/PDP-11/M9312/ If you have an M9312 in your system it will have the basic console prom in it. There are listings of the prom contents on that web page. There is also a simple diagnostic prom that loops forever near the bottom of the page. If you don't have an M9312 then you could probably key in a program from the rom listings provided. I'd bet Don will be along shortly to provide a better explanation.

10 years

4
3
0 0

Replacing HP 700 terminal CRTs

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

the only difference might be the keycaps and ROMs! let me know! Ed# In a message dated 9/25/2016 9:35:27 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, davidkcollins2 at gmail.com writes: Apart from the different colors I'd be surprised if all the tubes weren't interchangable between the 700 series. I think the only difference between models is the logic PCA and ROMs etc. The 700 series service manual would confirm one way or the other. David Collins (Sent from out of office) > On 26 Sep. 2016, at 3:08 am, Al Kossow <aek at bitsavers.org> wrote: > > I picked up a 700/60, the ANSI version of the HP 700-series terminal and when I took it > apart to clean, it had a VDC 1401DP31BE inside. I swapped the CRT into a 700/92 which > has a slightly different board, and a burned in amber tube, and it worked fine. > Also I noticed the 700/96 PCB is almost identical to the 700/60, so I'll try a > rom swap to see what happens. > > Too bad there aren't generally available cross reference list for terminal CRTs. > FWIW, the 700/96 has a Philips M32ECD3G CRT. > > VDC is having a "sale" on the 1401DP4 and P31. The tube price is pretty cheap but the > shipping is about double when you price it against their normal $55 price. The shipping > goes down with quantity, so if you buy 5 or so it ends up being about $25 a tube and > significantly cheaper than all of the ones listed on eBay. > > >

10 years

1
0
0 0

ISO: schematics for Bunker Ramo BR2412

by derschjo＠gmail.com

Hi all -- I have myself a Bunker Ramo BR2412 12-bit minicomputer. This is similar (but not identical) to the Nuclear Data ND812. There are schematics / maintenance manuals for the ND812 on Bitsavers which have been immensely helpful. The main difference between the BR2412 and the ND812 is that the BR2412 uses Intel 1103 RAMs (backed up by a big lead-acid battery) rather than core memory. (There are other more subtle differences, the ND812 used incandescent bulbs on the front panel, the BR2412 has LEDs). I've been working on restoring this thing (which has been an interesting challenge -- there are 325 wire-wrap sockets with dodgy connections with the ICs to deal with) and I've been making steady progress, but I've finally reached a point in my debugging where the schematics differ from reality, as I get closer to the memory interface. I can likely work things out by hand, but having a real set of documents would obviously be helpful. I realize this is a long shot since it's a pretty obscure machine, but I thought I'd ask before I dive in too deep here. Oh, and while I'm asking for impossible things, if anyone has any *parts* for one of these, let me know -- I'm missing the TTY interface... Thanks! Josh

10 years

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Replacing HP 700 terminal CRTs

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

sounds like a good reason to have a rom cloning party too! Ed# _www.smecc.org_ (http://www.smecc.org) In a message dated 9/25/2016 6:08:39 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, aek at bitsavers.org writes: I picked up a 700/60, the ANSI version of the HP 700-series terminal and when I took it apart to clean, it had a VDC 1401DP31BE inside. I swapped the CRT into a 700/92 which has a slightly different board, and a burned in amber tube, and it worked fine. Also I noticed the 700/96 PCB is almost identical to the 700/60, so I'll try a rom swap to see what happens. Too bad there aren't generally available cross reference list for terminal CRTs. FWIW, the 700/96 has a Philips M32ECD3G CRT. VDC is having a "sale" on the 1401DP4 and P31. The tube price is pretty cheap but the shipping is about double when you price it against their normal $55 price. The shipping goes down with quantity, so if you buy 5 or so it ends up being about $25 a tube and significantly cheaper than all of the ones listed on eBay.

10 years

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Q-Bus Memory Diagnostics and Repair

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> If your CPU is an 11/73 (which can directly 'access' [hate that verbism > :-] all of memory from ODT, unlike the 11/23 which is restricted to the > bottom 256KB), try playing around with a failing location, and its > alternative, directly, and see if a store of random data into one can be > read back directly from the other Note: The 11/'73' CPU powers up with the cache enabled, even for ODT! So if you write xxx into some location, if you then read it back, you will get the correct data even if the memory location is busted - the CPU is getting the (correct) data from the cache. To have your 'memory' reads and writes actually go to the memory, you need to turn off the cache: 17777746/ 02000 Note that starting the machine does an INIT, which will again enable the cache. > I'll start the Computer History wiki page for this board with that info. Started: http://gunkies.org/w/index.php?title=CMV-4000 Currently has only the memory chip info, I'll add the config stuff as I get it doped out. Noel

10 years

2
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Decoding kryoflux stream for HP9895A

by denise.devries＠flinders.edu.au

Does anyone know of documentation for the HP9895A format with its own M2FM encoding? I have a kryoflux preservation stream but so far can make no sense of it. Denise ________________________________

10 years

5
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DOS laptops up for grabs

by mark＠markesystems.com

I've got quite a stack (more than a dozen) first-generation DOS laptops that are headed for the recycler unless someone wants them. They re mostly Toshiba T-1000 or T1000SE units, but there's a Tandy in there also, and probably a another outlier or two. There are also a few Portege's running Win-95, and a few fabric laptop cases. At one time all of these worked (obviously), but I'm sure that most don't now, for various reasons. A few may have been cannibalized a bit, but for the most part all the parts are there. I'm not looking for any cash for these, but I don't want to pay anything (like shipping) either, especially since the electronics recycler is less than three miles from my house. If anyone wants to pick these up (I'm in San Carlos, near Redwood City, CA), or wants to pay me to ship them (at cost only), let me know. At the end of this week (01-Oct-2016), they'll be gone... ~~ Mark Moulding -----Original Message----- From: cctalk-request at classiccmp.org Sent: Sunday, September 25, 2016 10:00 AM To: cctalk at classiccmp.org Subject: cctalk Digest, Vol 27, Issue 24 Send cctalk mailing list submissions to cctalk at classiccmp.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://www.classiccmp.org/mailman/listinfo/cctalk or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to cctalk-request at classiccmp.org You can reach the person managing the list at cctalk-owner at classiccmp.org When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of cctalk digest..." Today's Topics: 1. MSI Texscan SpectraGen SG4B (Jim Brain) 2. Re: DEC TC11 maindec listings? (Al Kossow) 3. Re: DEC TC11 maindec listings? (Don North) 4. Re: DEC TC11 maindec listings? (Mattis Lind) 5. Electronic surplus in the southwest (William Maddox) 6. Re: Decoding kryoflux stream for HP9895A (Eric Smith) 7. AC Filter Cap Brand Recommendations (Craig Ruff) 8. Re: AC Filter Cap Brand Recommendations (Peter Cetinski) 9. Re: AC Filter Cap Brand Recommendations (Chuck Guzis) 10. Digital Storage Architecture - Media Format (Rob Jarratt) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2016 19:50:56 -0500 From: Jim Brain <brain at jbrain.com> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: MSI Texscan SpectraGen SG4B Message-ID: <b689fdda-69db-57fd-9874-67476dd62c26 at jbrain.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed I know it's a long shot, but does anyone have a manual for a SpectraGen 4B Video Title Generator? I am trying to resurrect one, and it seems to be a Z80-based unit. Jim -- Jim Brain brain at jbrain.com www.jbrain.com ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2016 20:32:57 -0700 From: Al Kossow <aek at bitsavers.org> To: cctalk at classiccmp.org Subject: Re: DEC TC11 maindec listings? Message-ID: <1fe8bb6e-28bd-c997-c52c-f6ddb9e26b98 at bitsavers.org> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 I had it on fiche, which I scanned this afternoon. It should be up on the bitsavers mirrors by morning PDT under pdp11/xxdp along with rev E of the XXDP+ users guide. I'll probably also do the RX02 diags if I can find them for Don, though he may have them on fiche. The step and repeat fiche scanner isn't on line yet so I used the Canon manual positioning one. It's tedious, and it gets out of focus easily, but they are better than nothing. On 9/21/16 12:38 PM, Mattis Lind wrote: > I have been looking for TC11 maindec listings in the usual places, but > didn't find any. I think they should be named ZTCA, ZTCB, ZTCC, ZTCD and > ZTCE. > > Does anyone know of an online location or happen to have an offline paper > original? > > /Mattis > ------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2016 21:08:19 -0700 From: Don North <north at alum.mit.edu> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: DEC TC11 maindec listings? Message-ID: <90d93153-2109-0f5f-6b1e-c1d4daa7a83b at alum.mit.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed On 9/24/2016 8:32 PM, Al Kossow wrote: > I had it on fiche, which I scanned this afternoon. > It should be up on the bitsavers mirrors by morning PDT under pdp11/xxdp > along with rev E of the XXDP+ users guide. > > I'll probably also do the RX02 diags if I can find them for Don, though > he may have them on fiche. I was able to get ZRXDC0, ZRZEA0, and ZRXFB0 listings from the fiche images on http://www.retrocmp.com/tools/pdp-11-diagnostic-database so I am fine for RX02 diagnostics listings. Don > The step and repeat fiche scanner isn't on line yet so I used the Canon > manual positioning one. It's tedious, and it gets out of focus easily, but > they are better than nothing. > > > On 9/21/16 12:38 PM, Mattis Lind wrote: >> I have been looking for TC11 maindec listings in the usual places, but >> didn't find any. I think they should be named ZTCA, ZTCB, ZTCC, ZTCD and >> ZTCE. >> >> Does anyone know of an online location or happen to have an offline paper >> original? >> >> /Mattis >> > ------------------------------ Message: 4 Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2016 07:53:58 +0200 From: Mattis Lind <mattislind at gmail.com> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: DEC TC11 maindec listings? Message-ID: <CABr82SJWUVc7HURrEhaLoL7A7CEo4kPyAp+Hhfk3Z87MhaZjvA at mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 2016-09-25 5:32 GMT+02:00 Al Kossow <aek at bitsavers.org>: > I had it on fiche, which I scanned this afternoon. > It should be up on the bitsavers mirrors by morning PDT under pdp11/xxdp > along with rev E of the XXDP+ users guide. > Exactly what I needed! Thanks a lot Al! /Mattis > > I'll probably also do the RX02 diags if I can find them for Don, though > he may have them on fiche. > > The step and repeat fiche scanner isn't on line yet so I used the Canon > manual positioning one. It's tedious, and it gets out of focus easily, but > they are better than nothing. > > > On 9/21/16 12:38 PM, Mattis Lind wrote: > > I have been looking for TC11 maindec listings in the usual places, but > > didn't find any. I think they should be named ZTCA, ZTCB, ZTCC, ZTCD and > > ZTCE. > > > > Does anyone know of an online location or happen to have an offline > > paper > > original? > > > > /Mattis > > > > ------------------------------ Message: 5 Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2016 06:41:16 +0000 (UTC) From: William Maddox <wmaddox at pacbell.net> To: "cctalk at classiccmp.org" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: Electronic surplus in the southwest Message-ID: <166539568.4256917.1474785676417 at mail.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 I will be visiting Albuquerque, Phoenix, Tucson, and various points nearby and in-between shortly.Any recommendations on electronics surplus and junk shops to check out? ?Some of the most famous, like the Black Hole in Los Alamos are long gone. ?Any other must-see attractions for the classic computer geek? --Bill ------------------------------ Message: 6 Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2016 02:32:34 -0600 From: Eric Smith <spacewar at gmail.com> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: Decoding kryoflux stream for HP9895A Message-ID: <CAFrGgTT31V-4HPpJU1_9TXVyMMebOd3A9mW3oSEtKZWoQxxExw at mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 On Tue, Sep 20, 2016 at 7:42 AM, Denise de Vries <denise.devries at flinders.edu.au> wrote: > Does anyone know of documentation for the HP9895A format with its own M2FM > encoding? > I have a kryoflux preservation stream but so far can make no sense of it. On Wed, Sep 21, 2016 at 12:59 AM, Christian Corti <cc at informatik.uni-stuttgart.de> wrote: > I've already written a decoder for the HP 9885/9895 format. Denise already > sent me his image, but I haven't had the time to try decoding it yet... Denise sent me the image as well. dfitoimd has now been renamed to fluxtoimd, as it now supports both DiscFerret and KryoFlux image input. I've partially added HP M2FM format; it now correctly decodes the address fields, but I have a bit more work to do on the data fields. I expect to have it completed tomorrow. > - 0xD0: ECC data address mark Any idea how they use that? Aside from that being included in the list of address marks in the service manuals, it's not described at all. Since the 7902/9885/9895 don't do ECC, perhaps it was reserved for future use. ------------------------------ Message: 7 Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2016 21:31:23 -0600 From: Craig Ruff <cruff at ruffspot.net> To: cctech at classiccmp.org Subject: AC Filter Cap Brand Recommendations Message-ID: <AE56D6F8-11C3-457E-A464-5709245849D8 at ruffspot.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Wouldn?t you know it, the same day I decide to order a ribbon and some paper for my HP 82905B (aka Epson MX80) printer, the AC line filter cap (C1 on the MFIL board), expelled its magic smoke rather impressively. After some cleanup, the printer has been banished to the garage until the smell diminishes. It appears to be a 250 V, 0.1 ?F X type. What manufacturers have good reliability for this application, in your opinion? ------------------------------ Message: 8 Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2016 23:38:08 -0400 From: Peter Cetinski <pete at pski.net> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic Posts" <cctech at classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: AC Filter Cap Brand Recommendations Message-ID: <35029F98-7F90-405F-85E9-3611BE2DF2BC at pski.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 On Sep 24, 2016, at 11:31 PM, Craig Ruff <cruff at ruffspot.net> wrote: > > Wouldn?t you know it, the same day I decide to order a ribbon and some > paper for my HP 82905B (aka Epson MX80) printer, the AC line filter cap > (C1 on the MFIL board), expelled its magic smoke rather impressively. > After some cleanup, the printer has been banished to the garage until the > smell diminishes. It appears to be a 250 V, 0.1 ?F X type. What > manufacturers have good reliability for this application, in your opinion? That?s a common item on Tandy power supplies so I?ve replaced a lot of these. I?ve used this replacement numerous times with great success. https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/kemet/PMR209MC6100M047R30/399-751… <https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/kemet/PMR209MC6100M047R30/399-751…> ------------------------------ Message: 9 Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2016 22:58:53 -0700 From: Chuck Guzis <cclist at sydex.com> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic Posts" <cctech at classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: AC Filter Cap Brand Recommendations Message-ID: <e7b74d80-ceab-4a41-2b31-4a367667b52b at sydex.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 On 09/24/2016 08:31 PM, Craig Ruff wrote: > Wouldn?t you know it, the same day I decide to order a ribbon and > some paper for my HP 82905B (aka Epson MX80) printer, the AC line > filter cap (C1 on the MFIL board), expelled its magic smoke rather > impressively. After some cleanup, the printer has been banished to > the garage until the smell diminishes. It appears to be a 250 V, 0.1 > ?F X type. What manufacturers have good reliability for this > application, in your opinion? > Any of the major brands should be good--Kemet, Panasonic,.. --Chuck ------------------------------ Message: 10 Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2016 13:30:36 +0100 From: "Rob Jarratt" <robert.jarratt at ntlworld.com> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: Digital Storage Architecture - Media Format Message-ID: <00b601d21728$9f1eeb20$dd5cc160$(a)ntlworld.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" The VMS documentation mentions specification for the Digital Storage Architecture that cover media formats. I have looked at the DSA folder on bitsavers and cannot see any document that covers media formats. Is this documentation available anywhere? Thanks Rob End of cctalk Digest, Vol 27, Issue 24 **************************************

10 years

1
0
0 0

DEC TC11 maindec listings?

by mattislind＠gmail.com

I have been looking for TC11 maindec listings in the usual places, but didn't find any. I think they should be named ZTCA, ZTCB, ZTCC, ZTCD and ZTCE. Does anyone know of an online location or happen to have an offline paper original? /Mattis

10 years

3
7
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Digital Storage Architecture - Media Format

by robert.jarratt＠ntlworld.com

The VMS documentation mentions specification for the Digital Storage Architecture that cover media formats. I have looked at the DSA folder on bitsavers and cannot see any document that covers media formats. Is this documentation available anywhere? Thanks Rob

10 years

2
1
0 0

Electronic surplus in the southwest

by wmaddox＠pacbell.net

I will be visiting Albuquerque, Phoenix, Tucson, and various points nearby and in-between shortly.Any recommendations on electronics surplus and junk shops to check out? ?Some of the most famous, like the Black Hole in Los Alamos are long gone. ?Any other must-see attractions for the classic computer geek? --Bill

10 years

1
0
0 0

AC Filter Cap Brand Recommendations

by cruff＠ruffspot.net

Wouldn?t you know it, the same day I decide to order a ribbon and some paper for my HP 82905B (aka Epson MX80) printer, the AC line filter cap (C1 on the MFIL board), expelled its magic smoke rather impressively. After some cleanup, the printer has been banished to the garage until the smell diminishes. It appears to be a 250 V, 0.1 ?F X type. What manufacturers have good reliability for this application, in your opinion?

10 years

3
2
0 0

MSI Texscan SpectraGen SG4B

by brain＠jbrain.com

I know it's a long shot, but does anyone have a manual for a SpectraGen 4B Video Title Generator? I am trying to resurrect one, and it seems to be a Z80-based unit. Jim -- Jim Brain brain at jbrain.com www.jbrain.com

10 years

1
0
0 0

HP 7970B/E Tape Unit manual available

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

Hi, all, I have a HP 7970B/E Tape Unit Diagrams and Parts Manual available; I got it with a group of other manuals, and I don't have any use for it. I'd prefer to get something in return for it (some PDP-11 manual/print I don't have, or something), but mostly I want to get this into the hands of someone who can actually use it (it's already on Bitsavers, so it doesn't fill a lacuna). Noel

10 years

3
3
0 0

Short test programs for pdp 11/34

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: J?rg Hoppe > I'm talking of that data path check up after power-on. Huh, I never knew about that. (The manuals don't mention it.) I was just last night looking at the microccode for the 11/04 (a very similar machine - they share the front consoles, etc), and it doesn't have anything like that (see the /04 power on ucode at pg. 130 of EK-KD11D-TM-PRE). Looking through that /34 ucode flow diagram, I discovered that the /34 supported the M[FT]PS instuctions - I thought that was only the QBUS CPU's, etc. Live and learn! :-) Noel

10 years

2
1
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Short test programs for pdp 11/34

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Devin Davison >> If the machine HALTs on power-up, some micro coded diagnostic failed There are no microcoded diagnostics in the 11/34. The boot ROMs do contain minimal CPU and memory diagnostics. > using pdp11gui to load the dec diagnostics sounds like the way to go. The CPU and UNIBUS have to be basically working for the boot ROMs (and the console emulator they provide via the console serial line) to work; ditto for PDP11GUI. Note that the console emulator will work without working memory, provided the correct boot option (console emulator without diagnostics) is configured on the card that holds the boot ROMs. You won't, of course, be able to load anything without working memory. And the Programmer's Console doesn't require working memory either, and a lot less of the CPU working - the CPU only has to respond to HALT requests from the console. (I had one /04 - very similar to the /34, uses the same front console - which didn't run because there was a bit stuck on in all the registers - but the console still worked.) It does require the UNIBUS not to be wedged, though. Noel

10 years

3
3
0 0

Seeking docs and schematic for Novation CAT modem

by ethan.dicks＠gmail.com

Hi, All, Good seeing many of you at VCF-midwest. One of my scores was an Atari-badged Novation CAT modem. Digging around for any docs, what I'm mostly finding is lots of info about Novations Apple II products, and scant mention with thumbnail pictures of the original CAT acoustic coupler, that and dozens of sites copying the Wikipedia article. Anyone have any CAT info? I can reverse-engineer the schematic, but if that's already been done, no reason for me to redocument the wheel. I know it wants a 20VAC 400mA PSU, but I want to check how strict that is (i.e., 18VAC @ 500mA or 24 VAC @ 350 mA, for example, which may be easier to find than an unregulated 20VAC PSU). I would love to play with a CBM 8010 (since I have so many PETs) but I do happen to have a couple of IEEE-488 to RS-232 devices, which will work fine with this Atari 830/Novation CAT. -ethan

10 years

2
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