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

Differentiating chips (Was: Newbie member saying

by Philip.Belben＠pgen.com

> Sean 'Captain Napalm' Conner wrote: > >> I don't think so. The reset vector is hardcoded (it's part of the BIOS) >> and the code in the BIOS checks a certain memory location (40:something, >> don't recall of the top of my head) and if the contents are $1234, then it's >> a software reset and not a powerup reset. I don't recall all the details of >> what happens when a soft reset happens but the PC was the first computer >> where a user program couldn't grab the reset vector. I didn't catch this one the first time round. What exactly did you mean by "the first computer where a user program couldn't grab the reset vector"? If you mean that the vector is not in alterable memory, the PET springs to mind - 6502 has the vector in locations $FFFC and $FFFD. On the PET this is ROM, and the routine it sends you to does not look in RAM... If you mean the reset vector was not in the computer's address space, and so incapable of alteration even if you put RAM there, does the Z80 not count? The reset vector is always zero, and the machine (afaik) always starts executing code at that address. Most Z80 machines allow this to be made RAM, but plenty don't - Sinclair springs to mind. In my day it was (among 8-bit home computer people) considered quite a luxury if you could redirect the reset vector... Or did you mean the first Intel 88/86 machine? I am puzzled. Philip. This E-mail message is private and confidential and should only be read by those to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, copying, reproduction, modification or publication of this communication is strictly prohibited. Please delete the message from your computer and destroy any copies. This message is not intended to be relied upon by any person without subsequent written confirmation of its contents. This company therefore disclaims all responsibility and accepts no liability of any kind which may arise from any person acting, or refraining from acting, upon the contents of the message without having had subsequent written confirmation. If you have received this communication in error, or if any problems occur in transmission please notify us immediately by telephone on +44 (0)2476 425474

27 years, 1 month

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GOOD hamfest!

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<>I'll go along with that. It was/is a very well-desinged interface. At a <>high level it looks remarkably like HPIB/IEEE488 (to the extent that <>there's an HP interface -- the 82169 IIRC -- that transparently links <>HPIB devices to an HPIL controller or HPIL devices to an HPIB <>controller). The low level (I have the specs somewhere) is pretty simple <>as well... < < <Why does a multimeter need a data bus? Remote measurement, data logging. Where I work we use K2001 DMM, GPIB, and a PC to test and log the values of resistive elements in production. Allison

27 years, 1 month

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GOOD hamfest!

by max82＠surfree.com

>I'll go along with that. It was/is a very well-desinged interface. At a >high level it looks remarkably like HPIB/IEEE488 (to the extent that >there's an HP interface -- the 82169 IIRC -- that transparently links >HPIB devices to an HPIL controller or HPIL devices to an HPIB >controller). The low level (I have the specs somewhere) is pretty simple >as well... Why does a multimeter need a data bus?

27 years, 1 month

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LK501 Question (Was Re: Vaxstation video)

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<Someone, who is not a subscriber, sent me a message asking if a LK501 <would work on a DECstation. Not having seen a LK501, I don't know. <Does the LK501 also use the same connector and therefore will work <on a DECstation? Yep, LK501 too, same connector same hole. DEC was very big on having one keyboard deign that any group could use in the company. The only oddball in the post LS200 era is the LK250 (for PC use) which has a different connector(s). Allison

27 years, 1 month

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LK501 Question (Was Re: Vaxstation video)

by danburrows＠mindspring.com

The LK501 will not work. It has a different connector - I checked some I have last night just to make sure my memory served correctly. It has a modular plug with the locking tabs on both sides. Totally different from the RJ11 style on the LK201 and LK401. It also has a plug on the keyboard for a hockey puck mouse that has the same king of plug. Not the normal PS2 style VSxxx-AA connector again. The plugs remind me of the HP keyboard connectors from the Apollo days. Dan ><Someone, who is not a subscriber, sent me a message asking if a LK501 ><would work on a DECstation. Not having seen a LK501, I don't know. ><Does the LK501 also use the same connector and therefore will work ><on a DECstation? > >Yep, LK501 too, same connector same hole. DEC was very big on having one >keyboard deign that any group could use in the company. The only oddball >in the post LS200 era is the LK250 (for PC use) which has a different >connector(s). > >Allison

27 years, 1 month

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1970 computer auction

by hansp＠digiweb.com

I am doing some research for an exhibition we are putting oon in October and came across this nugget which I thought you all might enjoy: In 1970, the first Parke-Bernet auction of computers is a flop. The prestigious New York auctioneer is unable to sell used mainfrmaes: an IBM 7070 (a million dollar machine) sells for 2$2,250; a UNIVAC Solid State 80 computer (a $300,000 machine) sells for $485. No one will pay %15,000 for an IBM 7094 computer which in its heyday was a $3 million machine. Things are a little different now.... _---_--__-_-_----__-_----_-__-__-_-___--_-__--___-__----__--_--__-___- Hans B Pufal Comprehensive Computer Catalogue <mailto:hansp@digiweb.com> <http://digiweb.com/~hansp/ccc>

27 years, 1 month

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Apple II gs problem

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

Hi all, I just picked up a nice Apple II gs system but I can't make it work. It keeps saying "check starttup device". I've tried several disk drives and five different disks that should be bootable. Can anyone tell me more about what it's looking for or what I might be doing wrong? I've never used one of these so I'm not familar with it. Joe

27 years, 1 month

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Need Dave Dameron's e-mail address

by dastar＠ncal.verio.com

Dave Dameron, Please e-mail me. I need your e-mail address. Thanks. Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Don't rub the lamp if you don't want the genie to come out. Coming this October 2-3: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0! See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details! [Last web site update: 08/17/99]

27 years, 1 month

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HP2114 on ebay

by jlwest＠tseinc.com

In case no one who would be interested noticed it, there's a pretty nice looking HP2114 system for sale on ebay. The 2114 is the first computer HP ever sold. It was an "acquired" design >from a company they purchased, and HP thought they could do a better design so they came out with the 2100 series (followed by 21MX and 21MXE series). But, not before adding the 2115 and 2116 to the mix which are "kissing cousins" of the 2114. The one on ebay looks to be in great condition, and includes software, manuals, a bunch of I/O cards, an ASR33, a 2748A paper tape reader, Junk ASR33 for parts, and junk 2748B for parts. They want $450.00 for it (pretty high I think, but maybe not that much considering it's advertised as working and includes spares). No bidders last time I checked. I'm spending every ounce of spare cash I have getting my current HP systems running, so I can't buy the thing at the moment. But - I wanted to point it out for anyone interested in starting an early HP collection. It'd be a great start. Jay West

27 years, 1 month

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was Spectravideo 318 now Exidy Hunt

by dogas＠leading.net

The string attaching it to my big toe would surely wake me up when you grab it and then *there would be trouble* :) Mike: dogas(a)leading.net -----Original Message----- From: David Williams <dlw(a)trailingedge.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Friday, September 10, 1999 6:32 PM Subject: Re: was Spectravideo 318 now Exidy Hunt But if you'll give me your address I'll make sure you aren't bothered by that expansion box one night. :-)

27 years, 1 month

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LK501 Question (Was Re: Vaxstation video)

by Mzthompson＠aol.com

allisonp(a)world.std.com wrote: >All the DEC systems that use MMJ connector take any of the DEC keyboards >(LK201,LK301,LK401), those are used on ALL VTxxx terminals, Pro3xx, >Rainbow to name just a few. it should be easy to find. Someone, who is not a subscriber, sent me a message asking if a LK501 would work on a DECstation. Not having seen a LK501, I don't know. Does the LK501 also use the same connector and therefore will work on a DECstation? TIA Mike

27 years, 1 month

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evolution of misinformation (was: Computer Museum opens in San Diego

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<table top. (They must've come from KL10s or KA10s or KI10s, though. <I've never seen anything that large on minis...) Never saw anything that large on DEC hardware. Did see a 4 footer on a Teradyne board test system at hazeltine back in '75. <Don't know how the iron oxide does though. Perhaps they were painted <when used. Can't rust. ;) Allison

27 years, 1 month

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PDP - 8

by allisonp＠world.std.com

< <well, ok but how can i get software from my mac (or pc) to the pdp8??? Did you see the software on highgate to push files? You could use a terminal program to "push" files as if it were a TTY reading a tape. Allison

27 years, 1 month

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evolution of misinformation (was: Computer Museum opens in San Diego

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

>Actually, the disks I used to see that size (5 or 6 foot diameter) were >used by a couple of my fellow DEC Field Engineers as picnic table tops >when the drives were decommissioned. Aluminum makes a nice weatherproof >table top. (They must've come from KL10s or KA10s or KI10s, though. >I've never seen anything that large on minis...) > >Don't know how the iron oxide does though. Perhaps they were painted >when used. Iron oxide is *already* rust :-). The binder used to stick the oxide particles to the surface, though, might not deal well with exposure to sunlight or high temperatures. Tim.

27 years, 1 month

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Computer Museum opens in San Diego

by kyrrin＠bluefeathertech.com

The Seattle Times ran this in the Aug. 30th edition. http://www.seattletimes.com/news/technology/html98/muse_19990830.html I noted, with some amusement, that the author of the article doesn't seem to understand the difference between drum and disk storage. His use of the term "drum memory disk" was a bit of an eyeball-roller. Other than that, it's a decent article. Enjoy. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Bruce Lane, Owner and head honcho, Blue Feather Technologies http://www.bluefeathertech.com // E-mail: kyrrin(a)bluefeathertech.com Amateur Radio: WD6EOS since Dec. '77 "Our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our own human terms. It cannot, in any way, define any of them..."

27 years, 1 month

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new computers... Finally!

by ethan_dicks＠yahoo.com

--- Lance Lyon <black(a)gco.apana.org.au> wrote: > > any ideas as to what might be wrong? any > > common failures in A500 PS's?). > > Happened often, there were third party p/s's available that replaced the > 500's brick.... I know, I had to buy one of 'em after my original died & an > attempted repair didn't work :-( The "Bigfoot" PSU for the A500 is just a 200-240W PC supply with an A500 cable coming out of it instead of the "standard" P8/P9 cables. If you aren't afraid to solder, it's easy to make - get a cheap AT PSU, open it up, remove the PCB, unsolder the old P8/P9 connectors, noting which colors of wires go to which holes in the PCB, match the voltages for the A500 cable and solder them in the correct holes. Some PSU PCBs have the output voltage pads labeled. You can also cut the old wires and splice on the A500 power cable on the inside or the outside of the PSU enclosure, but I prefer a sturdier construction. -ethan === Infinet has been sold. The domain is going away in February. Please send all replies to erd(a)iname.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com

27 years, 1 month

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new computers... Finally!

by CharlesII＠nwonline.net

Could you tell me what voltages come from what pins on that A500. The one I have doesn't have a power supply. John Rollins wrote: >Been a little while since I got a "new" computer. One of the neighbors was >getting rid of some stuff from their basement, which included two >computers. Luckily they now I'm a computer freak and told me I could have >whatever I wanted. So, now I have an Amiga 500 with p/s, A520 video adaptor >and what looks like a printer cable. No disks :-(, but it did have the >original box(wow! a 7MHz 68000 and 512K RAM!!!). Also got a C64 with 1541 >drive, two joysticks and probably 50-70 disks(haven't gotten around to >counting. But hey, Pac-Man is in there!). The C64 seems to be working just >fine(not sure about the drive yet), but the Amiga isn't. When I finally >figured out how the A520 worked, all I could get on my Apple composite >monitor was a green screen with a blank area at the top(looked kinfa like >the video is off a bit inside the monitor, which is partially true but it's >not THAT bad... just some hidden text on the edge usually) which blinks >maybe every 10-15 seconds or so. No sounds, no text, not really any video >at all. The power light is kinda flashing, maybe once every second or >two(haven't timed it yet). Any ideas on what's wrong? I'll hold off on the >how do I use it questions until after I finish raiding the local library of >the computer books, but feel free to send me any tips and tricks for these >systems... > >-------------------------------------------------------------- >| http://members.tripod.com/~jrollins/index.html | >| orham(a)qth.net list admin KD7BCY | >| ham-mac(a)qth.net Portland, OR | >-------------------------------------------------------------- > >

27 years, 1 month

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Never Mind: MicroVAX 3

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

>ALSO, I am about to try out (if I can get a degausser) some TK50 tapes >in a TK70. But I want to be able to have both the TK50 and a TK70 >tape drive on line. You certainly can! > I have done a SYSGEN and the MUX.SYS device driver >allows two devices, (MU0: and MU1:), but I don't have the dip switch >settings for alternate CSR values. Can anyone help? PLEASE? On both the TQK50 and TQK70, the CSR is set by jumpers, not by DIPswitches. (the DIPswitches on a TK50 actually set the rev level reported by TMSCP inquiry commands, which changed more often than the CSR's at one point!) The default CSR is 774500. The CSR must be a multiple of 4, so the low two bits are always zero, and the CSR must be in the I/O page, so the high 5 bits are always on. The in-between bits are set with the jumpers near the edge connectors. Seen with the edge connectors to the bottom, the default looks like: XXXXXX (jumper in for CSR's starting with 77, jumper out for 76) XXXXXX \ | . . |- a "4" | . . / XXXXXX \ | . . |- a "5" | XXXXXX / . . \ | . . |- a "0" | . . / . . jumper in if last digit is "4", out if a "0". The "autoconfigure" CSR selection for a second TK50 in a system is 760404, though of course this moves around if you've got other second controllers in the systems, or a serial multiplexer, and of course RT-11 doesn't care a damn bit about autoconfigure rules as you've got to manually configure it anyway :-) -- Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/ 7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917 Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927

27 years, 1 month

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Differentiating chips (Was: Newbie member saying something!!!

by cmcmanis＠mcmanis.com

On Fri, 10 Sep 1999, Hans Franke wrote: >> Well, check at startup the DX register - if DH is 3 it is a DX, >> if 23 it's a SX (DL is the stepping). At 12:54 PM 9/10/99 -0700, Fred wrote: >And then the POST (Power On Self Test) IMMEDIATELY wipes it. It's easy to >bypass some parts of the POST, but how do you suggest checking the value >in that register before the computer has booted enough to even have video? Could you jump into protected mode and out again (which forces a reset) and pull the value out of DH then? --Chuck

27 years, 1 month

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Stuff in Richardson, Texas

by dastar＠ncal.verio.com

I'm no longer subscribed to ClassicCmp so if anyone has been trying to contact me please do so directly at sellam(a)siconic.com. If anyone was still interested in the misc. computer stuff in Richardson, Texas, please contact me directly and I'll give you the contact information. Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Don't rub the lamp if you don't want the genie to come out. Coming this October 2-3: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0! See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details! [Last web site update: 08/17/99]

27 years, 1 month

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PDP - 8

by macierno＠hotmail.com

well, ok but how can i get software from my mac (or pc) to the pdp8??? thanx mark >From: Kevin McQuiggin <mcquiggi(a)sfu.ca> >Reply-To: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu >To: "Discussion re-collecting of classic computers" ><classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> >Subject: Re: PDP - 8 >Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1999 20:07:12 -0700 (PDT) > >Hi: > >Software and systems documentation are at >http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/pdp8. > >There's more, check out metalab.unc.edu under >computer-science/history/pdp8 or >thereabouts, I may not have this URL exactly correct. > >Good luck, > >Kevin > > > > > Just got myself a pdp-8e and i was wondering if anyone out there had or >knew > > where to get software for it ??? It came with 8" drives and no dec tapes >or > > a papertape reader....... so i'm limited to floppy media. The system >seems > > to work fine and cannot wait to get it set up! > > > > > > > > mark > > > > ______________________________________________________ > > Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com > > > > >-- >Kevin McQuiggin VE7ZD >mcquiggi(a)sfu.ca ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

27 years, 1 month

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s-100

by wgriff＠micrord.com

I still have my Seattle Computer Products Gazelle. 128 kb mem 2 8 inch floppies 1 5 1/4 floppy. 8086 (full 16 bit) at 8 mz Also have all the manuals for the boards. Runs as good as the day I bought it. One problem. Had to replace the disk control the first month I had it in 1983. Walt Griffith

27 years, 1 month

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HP2114 on ebay

by jlwest＠tseinc.com

Yes, it's core based, and the cpu is entirely hardwired. I don't have my old HP catalog around at the moment, but off the top of my head an approximate year of introduction would be 1967. Somewhere I saw a list saying the 2116 was the first, followed by the 2115, then the 2114. I don't have any firm evidence to contradict that, but from what I know about the machine architectures and features and such I would be inclined to suspect that the order was 2114, 2115, 2116 instead. Don't know for sure. Jay West -----Original Message----- From: Dave McGuire <mcguire(a)neurotica.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Friday, September 10, 1999 9:13 PM Subject: Re: HP2114 on ebay > > Wow...that is a *lot* of hardware. A lot of very fun-looking hardware. > > I assume the machine is core-based? When were these systems sold? > > -Dave McGuire

27 years, 1 month

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was Spectravideo 318 now Exidy Hunt

by dogas＠leading.net

Damn... I've been sitting on a real s-100 exidy expansion box for the sorcerer for a long time now (no, its not for sale) and I can't find an sorcerer to go with it eiither... alas Hmm... I'd be willing to trade a Heathkit H8 or maybe a TRS6000HD, or.... if that would pry one from somebody's hands... ;) - Mike: dogas(a)leading.net -----Original Message----- From: Tony Duell <ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Friday, September 10, 1999 5:51 PM Subject: Re: Spectravideo 318 >> Well, I have an Apple ][ here, but I'm also looking for an >> Exidy Sorceror. Anybody know of one in the UK that's >> looking for a good home (or a swap)? >> >> Is it true that the Exidy's ROM cartridge is housed in an >> 8-track tape case? > >My sorceror is not looking for a good home because it already has one :-).... > >But yes, the ROM cartridges _are_ 8-track tape cases with the tape and >mechancial bits removed and the end cut open (not very well IMHO) to >allow the edge of the PCB to fit into the edge connector in the machine. >The ROM PCB contains 4 ROM chips and a couple of TTL ones (address >decoder I think). > >Hence the question on a University of Bristol computer society quiz >'Where did 8 tracks become 8 bits' ;-) > >-tony > >

27 years, 1 month

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apple II+ request?

by jlwest＠tseinc.com

I've been toying with the idea of adding an Apple ][ Plus to my collection. Twas the first computer I ever owned. Anyone have one they're looking/willing to trade or sell? Thanks! Jay West

27 years, 1 month

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Apple II gs problem

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

In a message dated 9/10/99 6:16:16 PM Eastern Daylight Time, owad(a)applefritter.com writes: > > I just picked up a nice Apple II gs system but I can't make it work. It > >keeps saying "check starttup device". I've tried several disk drives and > >five different disks that should be bootable. Can anyone tell me more about > >what it's looking for or what I might be doing wrong? I've never used one > >of these so I'm not familar with it. > > Is the system attempting to read the disk? If not, you probably need to > make some changes in the control panel. Access it by pressing > Option-Control-Reset immediately after turning on the system. IIRC, the > changes you want to make will be in the "Slots" menu, and involve which > slots are used for boot-up. > > Tom Owad > you can access the control panel at any time. if you are using a disk ][ controller card, you have to set slot 6 for 'your card' i believe. otherwise, you will have to change it for the onboard controller in case you are using that to run your disk drives. d

27 years, 1 month

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Apple II gs problem

by owad＠applefritter.com

> I just picked up a nice Apple II gs system but I can't make it work. It >keeps saying "check starttup device". I've tried several disk drives and >five different disks that should be bootable. Can anyone tell me more about >what it's looking for or what I might be doing wrong? I've never used one >of these so I'm not familar with it. Is the system attempting to read the disk? If not, you probably need to make some changes in the control panel. Access it by pressing Option-Control-Reset immediately after turning on the system. IIRC, the changes you want to make will be in the "Slots" menu, and involve which slots are used for boot-up. Tom Owad ---------------------------Applefritter--------------------------- Apple prototypes, Apple II & early Mac clones, and the Compubrick. ------------------<http://www.applefritter.com/>------------------

27 years, 1 month

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Spectravideo 318

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Sep 10, 16:44, John Honniball wrote: > Is it true that the Exidy's ROM cartridge is housed in an > 8-track tape case? Yes, it is. With some crude hackery to remove internal pillars to make room for a small board holding 4 ROMs or EPROMS (2716 or equivalent) and a 74LS chip (74LS138, from memory). -- Pete Peter Turnbull Dept. of Computer Science University of York

27 years, 1 month

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interesting new addition

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

whilst browsing thousands of LPs at a thrift store I came across an interesting computer related item. Its made by radio shack and it's called a microcomputer trainer. basically ,its a rudimentary computer with one cpu chip, a hex keypad, some LEDs and one hex LED display and speaker. the included book shows how to load and run simple programs as well as how to do math functions in binary and hex. It's complete and works and is probably >from around 1982 time period. Also found an apple monitor /// so my profile-equipped apple /// is now complete and correct. d

27 years, 1 month

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Spectravideo 318

by black＠gco.apana.org.au

Well, I finally managed to pick up one of the machines I'm after - a Spectravideo SV318, came with tape & RF converter, but I really want to connect this to a monitor - is it possible to wire it up to a CGA monitor ? If anyone has the pinouts, I'd be happy, also, where can I find a disk drive for this beastie ? (BTW: I'm still looking in Oz for anyone who may have a spare Exidy Sorceror laying around.... and an Apple II) // Lance Lyon black(a)gco.apana.org.au llyon(a)primus.com.au lance999(a)hotmail.com Ph: +61-3-6254-7376 //

27 years, 1 month

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CRT replacements for NS Advantage???

by dogas＠leading.net

Help! I just had a Northstar Advantage shipped to me and because of the shoddy packaging job, the CRT is history. The back of the tube is broken. I'm sad and I'm pissed. I hate seeing equipment so mishandled. Are there any compatible organ doners out there or suggestions for a possible revival? Thanks - Mike: dogas(a)leading.net

27 years, 1 month

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Gem Desktop

by jolminkh＠nsw.bigpond.net.au

>desktop. Despite the claims of Apple and the Palo Alto connection >and the suit that wound up GEM on PCs and resulted in Windblows, >I am unclear as to what the DI relationship was, why Atari was >allowed to continue with it's GEM desktop, altho they stopped at I'm confused. I had assumed that GEM was simply renamed to Viewmax which was bundled with DR Dos. If there's differences I didn't spot them. Hans Olminkhof

27 years, 1 month

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vaxstation graphics

by allisonp＠world.std.com

< < I've got a factory-badged M38 SPX here... Figures... they are about the same age with the m38 being a bit older (comming out sooner) than the M76. there are a lot of differences between the two. either way both nice boxes. I have 3 VAXserver M10Es and the one lonely M76/spx. I don't have a tube on the m76 as I use a terminal or the vt1200 on the network. My MVII has a GPX board set (all three planes) but I dont use it. The room would never tolerate a VRmumble 19" color tube, they are huge. Never found out why SPX or GPX terms were used. Allison

27 years, 1 month

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vaxstation graphics

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<I didn't know that some grpahics options were unique to specific models. I <had realised, though, that a fair number of other things were. (: < <It's an m76. Well when you consider the line of the 3100 is some 10+ years long... I'd have guessed it was a M76, it was the only SPX I knew of. FYI: that machine only runs VMS and a crippled NetBSD. Crippled in the sense that there is minimal graphics support for vaxen and the SCSI driver is PIO(SLOW!) as the DMA code is inop. Ultrix was never ported to it as it was a mid life kicker and just sort of popped out. VMS runs nicely on it as its a 7.8VUP machine and decwindows supports the SPX option. Versions 5.4 through 7.2 run on it and 7.2 is avaiable under the hobbiest license (DECUS) for free. Montagar.com has the CDrom with VMS and a small raft of supporting software that is a must have for the $30 they charge. I've found older sony 1x SCSI cdroms with trays work well in the 3100s(at least in my M76 and m10E and using the CMD SCSI board in the MVII). Allison Allison

27 years, 1 month

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therac-25

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

> I found myself in the mood for revisiting the macabre side of >classic computing and decided to search for Therac stuff. See: > >http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/~adamd/essays/rts3.html > > Now it seems to me that the fellow who wrote this article was >pretty full of it. If you can get past his overuse of passive voice and >continual nominalization, you may note that many of his points are far too >theoretical and not supported by direct observation, knowledge, etc. It's clear (to me, at least) that he's never directly worked with any of the Therac machines, nor did he even bother talking to the folks at AECL before writing his article. It's entirely a bunch of opinions of his after he read Nancy Leveson's article on Therac. > For >example, he claims that this [perhaps] regenned rt11 monitor supports >multi-threaded execution to the degree of its enabling things like race >conditions, etc. Heck, he also believes that PDP-11 assembly is *difficult*! >just throwing it out there as discussion bait... Again, don't take what he writes too seriously (after all, the author didn't - look at all the "I believes" and "I feels" in there). I've worked with several of the Therac machines, and any of the AECL engineers involved knows a lot more about the methodology involved than the third-hand opinions on someone's web site. -- Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/ 7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917 Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927

27 years, 1 month

2
2
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Sun3 Archive

by healyzh＠aracnet.com

I found this earlier today, and figure there are people around here that might be interested in it. http://sun3arc.krupp.net/ If you've got a Sun3 system you're trying to get up and running this looks like the place for you! It seems to have a very slow network connection, but looks to have a lot of good info, including Y2K patches and software. After finding this resource I won't run away so fast when I see a Sun3 :^) Zane | Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator | | healyzh(a)aracnet.com (primary) | Linux Enthusiast | | healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector | +----------------------------------+----------------------------+ | Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, | | and Zane's Computer Museum. | | http://www.aracnet.com/~healyzh/ |

27 years, 1 month

1
0
0 0

PDP - 8

by macierno＠hotmail.com

Just got myself a pdp-8e and i was wondering if anyone out there had or knew where to get software for it ??? It came with 8" drives and no dec tapes or a papertape reader....... so i'm limited to floppy media. The system seems to work fine and cannot wait to get it set up! mark ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

27 years, 1 month

2
1
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Intel 4004 processor

by morrison＠t-iii.com

I came across a letter from someone who needs one of these to fix a valuable piece of equipment. Are there any still in existence? Neil Morrison email:morrison@t-iii.com

27 years, 1 month

2
2
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PDP - 8

by allisonp＠world.std.com

Try looking on the net under PDP-8 sites of note: DBIT.com update.uu.se Hightegate.com oak.oakland.edu There is plenty of software out there including at least three versions of os/8 (both source and binaries). There are also copies of SRT/RTS-8 and images of many papertapes as well. Allison

27 years, 1 month

1
0
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Fwd: UNIVAC 1610 Print Element

by wvh＠gethip.com

I recently received this mail and thought someone on the list might be able to help this guy. The topic of his request predates most of my collection (and knowledge, for that matter). Thanks to anyone who can help him - please reply to him directly. Bill >From: Curt Repka <curtr(a)dbsgmachines.com> >To: "'wvh(a)gethip.com'" <wvh(a)gethip.com> >Subject: UNIVAC 1610 Print Element >Date: Tue, 7 Sep 1999 14:48:16 -0500 >X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.1960.3) > >I have a couple of old UNIVAC keypunch work stations - Model 1610. They >work fine, but they will not print the data on the card. Do you have any >leads on a possible source for technical support, parts, etc.? I have >tried the Tech Support Dept of UNISYS @ 1-800-328-0440, but they >couldn't help. I need the print element and the ink roller. Any help >would be appreciated!!!! >

27 years, 1 month

1
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vaxstation graphics

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<Just the other day I happened to notice that 'show version' or some <similar 'show' command in UCX indicated I had a 3100 with GPX graphics. <Now I'm no longer sure what's what. < <Could somebody set me straight? First off you have to identify the 3100 variation they started with the 3100m10 through the current 3100m90 or it is 95... in all about 15-25 different systems with different graphic capabilites. Some graphic systems were unique to specific models. So saying you have a 3100 is sorta like saying "I have a car"... ;) We do need to know more. Allison

27 years, 1 month

2
1
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therac-25

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

>> For >>example, he claims that this [perhaps] regenned rt11 monitor supports >>multi-threaded execution to the degree of its enabling things like race >>conditions, etc. >Heck, he also believes that PDP-11 assembly is *difficult*! A few folks asked me in private E-mail how *I* feel about the issues involved. I've worked with AECL folks in the past, and I continue to support some RT-11 based medical systems using some AECL hardware and firmware in components. Leveson's article is, I think, much more on target - it doesn't blame the failure and resultant casualties on any technical decisions made wrong, but on much higher-level decisions - the organizational components that failed. It's like answering "What was the cause of the Challenger Disaster?" Yes, the easy answer is to point at the technical decisions made which caused the explosion. But the real causes - and what we have to pay attention to in order to prevent disasters in the future - are the organizational and institutional systems that prevented, on multiple occasions, the problem from from receiving its due attention (and solution). -- Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/ 7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917 Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927

27 years, 1 month

1
0
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vaxstation graphics

by red＠bears.org

Hullo. Could somebody give me a quick rundown of the differences in capabilities between GPX and SPX graphics on a VAXstation 3100, and how I might tell which I've actually got? According to the emblem on the front of the machine, I have an SPX-equipped unit. As I understand it this is what passes for 'top-of-the-line' graphics on the 3100. After the initial mix-up when I received the machine without any add-on graphics card, I was sent what was supposed to be the proper SPX card for the unit. Just the other day I happened to notice that 'show version' or some similar 'show' command in UCX indicated I had a 3100 with GPX graphics. Now I'm no longer sure what's what. Could somebody set me straight? ok r.

27 years, 1 month

1
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CRT replacements for NS Advantage???

by dogas＠leading.net

Anyone have any technical detail (schematics) for the Northstar Advantage that you're wiilling to copy for me? i.e. everything or at least tube driver circutry... Thanks - Mike: dogas(a)leading.net

27 years, 1 month

1
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CRT replacements for NS Advantage???

by dogas＠leading.net

Thanks Tondy. I was hoping to hear from you on this matter. I'll see if I can find a suitable replacement - Mike: dogas(a)leading.net -----Original Message----- From: Tony Duell <ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Friday, September 10, 1999 5:50 PM Subject: Re: CRT replacements for NS Advantage??? >> >> Help! >> >> I just had a Northstar Advantage shipped to me and because of the shoddy >> packaging job, the CRT is history. The back of the tube is broken. I'm sad >> and I'm pissed. I hate seeing equipment so mishandled. > >Ouch!!! > > >> >> Are there any compatible organ doners out there or suggestions for a >> possible revival? > >There is no way you'll repair the original CRT if the glass is broken (or >even cracked). > >Fortunately, there appear to be only 2 common flavours of monochrome CRT >used in terminals/monitors. One type has a 8 pin B8H base (like an >International Octal with thin pins and a large spigot), a thick neck, and >a 6.3V heater. The other has a 'modified B7G base' (like a 7 pin >miniature tube/valve, but with a hole in the middle of the socket to take >the seal-off tube of the CRT), a thin neck and a 11-12V heater. Most such >CRTs (of both flavours) have a 90 degree deflection angle. > >If you can get a suitable tube of the same class (perhaps raid it from an >old terminal, like a VT3xx that's blown its flyback, or raid it from a >cheap portable B/W TV), it's likely to work. You may have to fiddle the >electrode voltages slightly, but in my experience, putting the CRT in, >fitting the original yoke (these are _not_ generic), and pluging in the >base and EHT cap will produce a useable image. > >-tony >

27 years, 1 month

1
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7900A drive: 1 , Me - 1/2

by jlwest＠tseinc.com

The score narrows, but I can't claim a complete victory.... Tony wrote... >Well, if the servo can lock the heads in both directions, then the power >rails are probably OK (although it can't hurt to check them). Your next >job (and I can't help here as I don't have the schematics) is to figure >out how it unloads the heads (where does it apply the unload signal, what >causes it, etc) and then to check through the electronics. It's not that >complex. I went through the schematics, concentrating on the PMR board (Power regulator) and Drive control board. Not in great detail, but just enough to get a general gist of the sequence of events and "who does what". I then went down and checked the disc power supply (it's a separate rackmount unit). Then before starting to follow traces and wires I decided to pull all the connections from the rest of the system to the PMR board. I was specifically looking for wires that had come loose, or pins that weren't pushed all the way in the connector, etc. Double checked that my hand written labels on the connectors (done before removing them) showed that all the connectors were back in the right place. Powered the drive up - heads seeked and drive ready came on. Hit the unload switch, and the heads immediately retracted and the brake engaged. Did this about 10 times in a row, every time the heads retracted nicely just like they're supposed to. Hummm... this leads me to one of two possible conclusions: A) there was just a loose connector, or B) this is a total co-incidence that it started working and the problem might very easily happen again. Now that it's working, further troubleshooting to be sure of the exact cause is not easy. I Know I had all the connectors pushed down firm and in the correct place before, but, it does work now (at least 10 times anyway, my luck the 11th time would have been the failure). Followup questions: 1) The drive innards are dusty again, must be the environment (or running with the covers removed didn't help I guess). What is the best way to get all the dust out? Canned air doesn't begin to get the dust off the plastic surfaces, neither does a DP-style vacuum. Any tips/tricks anyone would care to pass on? 2) From the previous spin-down with the heads on the platter, the bottom heads are mint but the top heads now have oxide streaks on them. Cleaning with foam qtips and IPA doesn't budge any of it. I am loath to take out the top heads (removable platter) and send them out for recontouring and test-fly because then the drive will need to be re-aligned and I don't have an alignment cartridge (and probably the know-how) to realign them. This is only important because I have a diagnostic cartridge that I need to be able to read for additional cpu/disk/tape diagnostics on down the road. Is it the general consensus that heads in this condition are ok to use or am I setting myself up for a major problem. What I'm hoping is on down the road to get the diagnostics copied from cartridge to 1/2 tape. Then I can send the heads off and not bother with re-alignment (other than having to reformat my cartridges and lay data from tape back down. Bad idea? Thanks! Jay West

27 years, 1 month

3
2
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therac-25

by morrison＠t-iii.com

Or look at http://www.calpoly.edu/~darkjedi/300/00.htm for a twisted view of the incident. Or, to quote my Mother, the people responsible for this disaster "should be flogged with a maggoty cat"! My 2 cents: relying on S/W for safety is like relying on timing for birth control. I've known of beatifully made Swiss molding machines with all sorts of hydraulic and electrical interlocks still closing at 100 tons force an inch >from someone's fingers. Give me a 2 inch steel bar anyday. Neil Morrison Implementation GTE Enterprise Solutions ph: (604) 293-5710 email:morrison@t-iii.com > -----Original Message----- > From: CLASSICCMP(a)trailing-edge.com [SMTP:CLASSICCMP@trailing-edge.com] > Sent: Thursday, September 09, 1999 1:59 PM > To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers > Subject: RE: therac-25 > > > I found myself in the mood for revisiting the macabre side of > >classic computing and decided to search for Therac stuff. See: > > > >http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/~adamd/essays/rts3.html > > > > Now it seems to me that the fellow who wrote this article was > >pretty full of it. If you can get past his overuse of passive voice and > >continual nominalization, you may note that many of his points are far > too > >theoretical and not supported by direct observation, knowledge, etc. > > It's clear (to me, at least) that he's never directly worked with > any of the Therac machines, nor did he even bother talking to the > folks at AECL before writing his article. It's entirely a bunch of > opinions of his after he read Nancy Leveson's article on Therac. > .... clipped

27 years, 1 month

1
0
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7900A drive: 1 , Me - 0

by jlwest＠tseinc.com

Thanks Tony and Joe! Just before dinner I powered up the drive again. After the 30second spinup, the heads move out to cylinder 0 and the drive ready light comes on. I tried very gently moving the head assembly both forward and back. The thing wouldn't even think about moving. I applied more pressure (a pretty fair amount IMHO), and the head assembly still won't budge at all. I hit the unload switch and the drive starts to brake, but the heads don't retract. I immediately move the heads back manually and all is well (at least no further HDI). After dinner I'll start double checking the power supply voltages. Thanks for any and all input! Jay West

27 years, 1 month

3
2
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VCF Exhibitor List (current as of 9/8/99)

by max82＠surfree.com

Wasn't somebody going to network a bunch of C-64s? What happened to this? Didn't it work out?

27 years, 1 month

1
0
0 0

therac-25

by jritorto＠nut.net

I found myself in the mood for revisiting the macabre side of classic computing and decided to search for Therac stuff. See: http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/~adamd/essays/rts3.html Now it seems to me that the fellow who wrote this article was pretty full of it. If you can get past his overuse of passive voice and continual nominalization, you may note that many of his points are far too theoretical and not supported by direct observation, knowledge, etc. For example, he claims that this [perhaps] regenned rt11 monitor supports multi-threaded execution to the degree of its enabling things like race conditions, etc. Hindsight is 20/20, I guess... just throwing it out there as discussion bait... jake

27 years, 1 month

1
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Xerox 8010 Floppies Available

by jeff.kaneko＠juno.com

Guys: I just got a stack of software for the Xerox 8010. It is the Viewpoint O/S (v.2.0), office productivity tools, fonts, converters, etc. Six boxes of 8" floppies. This includes what appears to be the install disk set for the VP O/S itself. If interested, please send offers via private E-Mail. Thanks. Jeff ___________________________________________________________________ Get the Internet just the way you want it. Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj.

27 years, 1 month

2
1
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Kaypro 10

by Glenatacme＠aol.com

In a message dated 09/08/1999 10:16:10 PM Eastern Daylight Time, allisonp(a)world.std.com writes: > Oh, I forgot one. There's a program called "checks" that can be found on > the WC CDrom and the OAK.oakland.edu archives. Runs nicely on the kaypro. > Theres a lot of messydos and CPM software out there in the archives waiting > to be used. Thanks for pointing me to this site! This is going to keep me off the streets and out of trouble for a *long* time! Glen Goodwin 0/0

27 years, 1 month

1
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VCF Exhibitor List (current as of 9/8/99)

by dastar＠ncal.verio.com

Here are the current exhibitors at VCF 3.0: Charles Notley Shift Reset - Heathkit H89 Doug Salot Early Toy Computers david dameron Conway's Game of Life Wayne M. IBM 5100 Model B2 and Peripherals Dwight Elvey 4004 Developement System Dwight Elvey Single Plywood Board Computer Tom Belpasso First CMOS uP with homebrew FORTH Jim Willing PDP-8/e - EDUSystem 25 TimeShared BASIC Jim Willing Altair 8800 - MITS TimeShared BASIC Jim Willing Heathkit Educational RObots Mike McManus Osborne Shelly John G. MUNIAC Hans Franke Der Sozialismus ist unaufhaltsamm Michael Kan Real-Time Software Bench Testing environment Liza Loop The First Apple I and Other Highlights of Early Microcomuputers in Learning Environments Jordan Ruderman Exhibit - Sol Jordan Ruderman Sorcerer Jordan Ruderman Osborne III Derek Peschel Marchant model ACR8M calculator Larry Commodore PET 2001 What will YOU be bringing to exhibit? http://www.vintage.org/vcf/exhibit.htm Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Don't rub the lamp if you don't want the genie to come out. Coming this October 2-3: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0! See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details! [Last web site update: 08/17/99]

27 years, 1 month

1
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Kaypro 10

by Glenatacme＠aol.com

I wrote: << > I even have a couple of business apps (Tony Duell, don't gag ;>) which I run > on my Sinclair machines . . . just crank up the old imagination, Jim, and Tony Duell replied: > Hmmm... Sinclair microdrives were known for being WORN (write once, read > never) units, so I do have problems trying to run a business from one of > those machines. Oh well... >> Not a _business_, but a couple of non-critical business apps. And, yes, the microdrives are horribly unreliable. I'm using a third-party drive i/f and a DSDD 5.25" drive for storage. The i/f was developed (and is still supported!) by a fellow here in the States. I get 450 KB out of each diskette, which suits my needs ;>) Glen Goodwin 0/0

27 years, 1 month

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PDP-11/23 on ebay

by a2k＠one.net

Working PDP-11 with MSV11-PL, DLV11-J4, and DZV114. Currently $310.00 At least it's not entitled "L@@K! UBER-BUSTER L33T PUT3R". Hopefully somebody will save this thing. Kevin ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "It's you isn't it? THE BASTARD OPERATOR FROM HELL!" "In the flesh, on the phone and in your account..." -- BOFH #3

27 years, 1 month

1
0
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Kaypro 10

by Glenatacme＠aol.com

Jim wrote: << > What are you going to use the KayPro-10 for anyway in the 1999's ? Allison Parent replied: > Runs most of my Xasms, a few engineering models I use and makes a dandy > terminal. > I presume you really wanted that from the original author. As mentioned when I started this thread, I have no direct experience with CP/M based machines and am interested in checking out the territory, so to speak ;>) Jim wrote: > I still have a Pakard Hell XT in my storage to figure out what to do with. Allison replied: > Sheesh, it's a computer, compute with it! REally use it for text > processing where a gui is not the not setup. Install Minix and learn > about OSs. >> Right on, Allison! Seems to me you can learn _something_ potentially useful >from just about any type of computer. It's also not hard to find some useful function for a given piece of hardware. Someone dumped a 286 & 12" green mono monitor at our store a few years back. Instead of throwing it out, I spent a couple of afternoons patching together some C code, a few batch files, and some other odds & ends and it's served us well as our cash register ever since. It also cranks out our monthly state sales tax report, and maintains our customer database. 52 MB hard drive, 24 MB free -- I imagine we'll be using it every day for years to come. Cost: $0. I even have a couple of business apps (Tony Duell, don't gag ;>) which I run on my Sinclair machines . . . just crank up the old imagination, Jim, and surely you'll come up with some good use for that old "clunker." Glen Goodwin 0/0

27 years, 1 month

2
1
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7900A drive: 1 , Me - 0

by jlwest＠tseinc.com

You wrote... ----->Almost all drives have an 'emergency retract' which is activated if the >power fails while the heads are loaded. Typically, this consists of a >relay that drops out when the power fails that then connects a large >capacitor, or more often a NiCd battery, to the voice coil. The head is >rammed against the outer end stop, where it opens a microswitch, >disconnecting the battery. Yes, the power board does have a set of 3 nicads on it, and they are definitely for retracting the heads in the event of a loss of AC power. >Since this involves somewhat violent head movements, which are not good >for the heads (or, indeed, for the positioner), many drives _don't_ use >this to retract the heads on a normal unload. Instead they use the normal >servo system. Certainly the DEC RK05 does this (I have just looked in the >manual). I haven't checked the schematics myself definitively, but, I heard from one repair guy that it does not use the nicads for a normal unload, just for a power fail unload. >If it uses the servo system, first check the power supply voltages. Loss >of one rail to the servo amplifier may mean the heads can move in one >direction but not in the other. Then, insert a pack, spin up, with the >covers removed. When the heads load, try to (gently) move them. They >should appear to be locked over track 0 -- if the heads move slightly >off-track, the servo system should pass a current through the voice coil >to try to move them back. If there's a problem with the servo, you might >find that the servo can move the heads towards the spindle (i.e. >attmepting to force them away from the spindle has no effect) but that it >can't move them away from the spindle (and thus if _you_ try to move them >towards the spindle, it doesn't resist). Now THAT's handy info. Thanks! I'll give that a shot tonight or tomorrow. THANKS! Jay West

27 years, 1 month

3
3
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Kaypro 10

by DD950＠prodigy.net

-----Original Message----- From: allisonp(a)world.std.com <allisonp(a)world.std.com> >These seemed to be the most common. However when ever asked my KayproII >is an oddball. Apparently there lots of mods as mine has 2mb ramdisk, >handyman roms and advent turborom plus the fron pannel from everyone I"ve >spoken to is two HH drives vertical and acoording to some they should be >horizontal. Yes, I remember some aftermarket companies selling their own version of the KayPro. I think I do remember one with vertical drives installed and whatever else they did under the hood. There were a few that managed to get four 1/2 height drives in there somehow. I remember you either bought a KayPro and sent it to them or bought one they had already modified. I think most of the mods eventually became model changes by KayPro such as the 1/2 height 360 K drives and a nifty little fold out rack on the bottom to hold the machine at the proper angle. At first you were supposed to sit the box on the back edge of the keyboard, but if it fell off while you were reading or writing a disk, big problems. What are you going to use the KayPro-10 for anyway in the 1999's ? I still have a Pakard Hell XT in my storage to figure out what to do with. Regards, Jim It's never wise to base a major buying decision on price alone--just ask a Yugo owner

27 years, 1 month

2
1
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Kaypro 10

by DD950＠prodigy.net

-----Original Message----- From: Don Maslin <donm(a)cts.com> >As you say, things were changing fast. The 2X that I have came with both >modem and Real Time Clock. IIRC, the RTC was a feature of the 10/84 also. > > - don Yes, your 2X was (probably) originally a KayPro 4! The KayPro 4, now I remember, originally added a modem and clock and more software (dBaseII I think) to my cheaper original 2X. There was also a big thing being made about the "inverse video" in 1984, which made it easier to read the WordStar menus. I think the -84's all came with the new 360K double sided disc drives. The -83 mostly had the 180K single sided drives. Also, the 1984's were the first to come with WordStar and the other MicroPro software bundled. In 1983, they shipped with PerfectWriter or something like that. In July of 1984 I think I remember KayPro offered a KayPro 2, with 2 double sided 360K disc drives and PerfectWriter software at about $1200. Then the 2x, which added the Micropro software bundle (WordStar, DataStar, CalcStar, the graphics or inverse video display capabilities all for a song at about $1500. ( The IBM PC was about $2500 then and you needed a display and even had to purchase PC-Dos to go with it! KayPro was the first to bundle operating systems and software with any machines I think. Well, the Macintosh was out but it seemed to have severe memory shortage to me in 1984.) After the KayPro 2x in the line came the Kaypro 4-84 with the 300 Bd modem and dBaseII and something called a real time clock. That cost you close to $2000 and I decided to leave it. For $500 I would type in my own dates until I upgraded in 1993. I feel asleep once reading CompuServe at 300 Bd and decided to let the modem go also. (I had to buy a Hayes 300 a year later for $250 though.) Next came the KayPro 10 with a 10 Mb hard drive that I couldn't fathom anybody needing in 1984. Besides, a Kaypro 10 set you back almost $2800, most of that increase was for that hard drive. That line quickly was changed as the 4 became the 2x, and the 2x became the 2 again and they added a Kaypro 1 which only had one disk drive and a small amount of software. They all were really the same machine as far as I could tell. The differences only being the number of disk drives and the hard drive in the -10. I think the KayPro's were attractive to people like me as they came with all the operating software you needed. It was all in one box that was real easy to set up, and it worked. The price seemed cheap compared to what you got with the IBM's and Apples. At the time, if you bought an IBM or compatable, your second purchase was the operating system, MS or PC DOS, and then WordStar for about $200. I think KayPro's next machine was the 16, which was an IBM PC clone, in about the middle of 1985. I moved to Prescott, Arizona in 1988 and was surprised to see that there were still KayPro dealers selling the cp/m KayPro's in small town America. They had dissapeared off the shelves in Los Angeles long before then. It is interesting to see how much you can remember about these things. I might be wrong on some of it and would be interested in your corrections. Regards, Jim, Any so-called material thing that you want is merely a symbol: you want it not for itself, but because it will content your spirit for the moment. --Mark Twain

27 years, 1 month

3
3
0 0

HP-71B manuals

by hansp＠digiweb.com

If anyone is interested in copies of the following manuals please contact me off list before the end of this week. HP-71 Hardware IDS HP-IL IDS volumes 1 and 2 Forth/Assembler IDS Regards _---_--__-_-_----__-_----_-__-__-_-___--_-__--___-__----__--_--__-___- Hans B Pufal Comprehensive Computer Catalogue <mailto:hansp@digiweb.com> <http://digiweb.com/~hansp/ccc>

27 years, 1 month

3
2
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Suggestions needed! I screwed up bigtime.

by DSEAGRAV＠toad.xkl.com

Okay, remember that PBX? I may lose it today. I dragged the thing in to work. But I forgot one minor thing: They don't want it there. So now, I have to move the thing out, and before I go home for the day. Trying to convince my boss to let me keep it here is a lost cause. My only two options are to get creative and find a way to save it fast, or to pull the cards out (Those have mercury in them), save the doco, and push it out by the dumpster & forgot I ever saw it. Obviously I'd hate having to do that. But I can't take it home with me (My parents already said no) and I can't get it back to SSI (The van I used before is no longer available) and I'm asking for suggestions. I'd really hate having to know that a perfectly good piece of gear is gonna have to be destroyed because of a stupid mistake on my part. Alternately: Anyone withing driving range of Peoria, IL want a PBX? -------

27 years, 1 month

1
0
0 0

JTS hard drives

by Jan133＠aol.com

Dear classic Do you have any ideas about how I can find a replacement hard drive for a JTS 1.4 gig 3" hard drive for my EPS Technologies Apex 166 laptop. Both EPS and JTS seem to be out of business. David Searles Jan133(a)aol.com

27 years, 1 month

4
3
0 0

Kaypro 10

by Glenatacme＠aol.com

In a message dated 09/07/1999 1:20:18 AM Eastern Daylight Time, donm(a)cts.com writes: > Given the choice, take the 10/84. It has somewhat improved graphics > capability over the 10/83. Try to avoid the so-called U-ROM version, > though. They were not the answer to a maiden's dreams as Kaypro hoped. How can I identify the "U-ROM version?" What are it's problems? Glen Goodwin 0/0

27 years, 1 month

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Kaypro 10

by DD950＠prodigy.net

From: Wayne Smith <wsmith(a)gj.com> >>> Do you need a K10-83 or a K10-84? > >>What is the difference in these two models? (83, 84 -- year of mfg., maybe??) > >I didn't see a direct answer to this. Does anyone know? > > Truth is, as I remember buying a Kaypro in the Summer of 1984 in Los Angeles, nobody did really know what the difference was :-) Yes, that is 1983 or 1984. The year of manufacture. Things were changing fast. The Kaypro 84 added more graphics, (but you still had basically none) a 25 line screen, which there was scant use for, a double sided drive in the -10 and two of them in the 2, and more software, DbII was added to the list, and the newer version of cp/m. 2.2G or something. I think a 300 Bd modem was added to the -10 that year, but that won't help you now :] Something about another serial port added around that time I think also. The true techies here know more than I. There was something about a better ROM whatever, but that was mostly for the "graphics" as I remember and maybe the double sided 360 k disk drives. Somebody was selling one aftermarket anyway. I think you would want to stay with the -84 model if you want to get some work out of it. If your interested, I bought the "Business Pack" in July of 1984 Which included a remarked Brother daisy wheel printer and a KayPro 2X (2 double sided 360k drives) no modem, (couldn't imagine what I would do with that) all for only $1750. I thought it was the biggest bargain in the world watching WordStar spell check and print out my reports. Saved me days of work. I wore ear plugs while I printed out my work. Hope that helps, Jim, ??? ~ <---- KayPro graphics "You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat." -- Albert Einstein (When asked to describe radio)

27 years, 1 month

2
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End of Prodigy Classic

by owad＠applefritter.com

Prodig be discontinuing thier Prodigy Classic service on October 1. Article at < http://www.pathfinder.com/time/digital/feature/0,2955,30429-1,00.html>

27 years, 1 month

3
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Differentiating chips (Was: Newbie member saying something!!!

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<But does anyone have a good way to differentiate between 386SX and 386DX? < <Possibilities that come to mind include brute force speed comparison? <Compare speed of moving data that is word v doubleword aligned? <SX has 24 bit address bus, DX has 32 bits. Any easy way to test? Isn't there a processor ID register in the 386 and up class? Allison

27 years, 1 month

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Speaking of CP/M... (Re: Best CP/M machine?)

by mtapley＠swri.edu

All, Mix software still has a web site at http://www.mixsoftware.com/. I don't know whether they would support CP/M or not. One might ask, and one might also suggest the possibility of classic-comp group buy for the CP/M edition if they could temporarily resurrect it. - Mark

27 years, 1 month

1
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Kaypro 10

by wsmith＠gj.com

>> Do you need a K10-83 or a K10-84? >What is the difference in these two models? (83, 84 -- year of mfg., maybe??) I didn't see a direct answer to this. Does anyone know?

27 years, 1 month

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End of Prodigy Classic

by owad＠applefritter.com

>Any idea what they are? I seem to recall that the original Compu$erve ran >on Pr1mes of >some kind, but no idea what Prodigy used. Vaxen? IBM 370's? I sure don't know. To tell you the truth, I never even used Prodigy. Being a Mac user, the service didn't appeal to me - I signed up with AOL around 1990/91. And then I also ran a local BBS of my own for a little over two years. I recall talking to a somewhat distant relative a few years back who was involved with Prodigy. Even then he said how pitifully old systems were. Is the Apple II forum on AOL still around? When I quit the service (I think two years ago - just after the change over to AOL 3.0 and unlimited access) the forum was still around, but the message boards and chat were gone, and the software libraries were decaying. With AOL 3.0, the keyword "Apple II" (or was it "Apple II Forum"?) no longer worked, but instead a very long line of "http://" garbage was required. I was told that the Apple II forum was no longer being "supported" and that when the systems or hard drives died, they were simply thrown out, with no attempts to recover being made, and nothing backed up. This is why Tom Turley and company were making such an effort to back up the file libraries. Of course, this last bit is all according to Mr. Turley. Take it with however much salt you deem appropriate. >I'd have to agree, hopefully they will find an honourable retirement with >someone, >a museum should be interested, given the significance of the service they >ran. I wish I had the space for them. New York's not all that far, for me. :-) Tom Owad ---------------------------Applefritter--------------------------- Apple prototypes, Apple II & early Mac clones, and the Compubrick. ------------------<http://www.applefritter.com/>------------------

27 years, 1 month

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End of Prodigy Classic

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

In a message dated 9/7/99 4:41:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time, owad(a)applefritter.com writes: > Is the Apple II forum on AOL still around? When I quit the service (I > think two years ago - just after the change over to AOL 3.0 and unlimited > access) the forum was still around, but the message boards and chat were > gone, and the software libraries were decaying. With AOL 3.0, the > keyword "Apple II" (or was it "Apple II Forum"?) no longer worked, but > instead a very long line of "http://" garbage was required. I was told > that the Apple II forum was no longer being "supported" and that when the > systems or hard drives died, they were simply thrown out, with no > attempts to recover being made, and nothing backed up. This is why Tom > Turley and company were making such an effort to back up the file > libraries. Of course, this last bit is all according to Mr. Turley. > Take it with however much salt you deem appropriate. supposedly the apple forums on aol are still accessable via http://something-or-other. you might want to check in comp.sys.apple2 as the address has been posted several times there. d

27 years, 1 month

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End of Prodigy Classic

by morrison＠t-iii.com

Compu$erve, now owned by AOL, is making it harder & harder for older owners to find what remains of the forums. You have to know which one you want, search won't find them now. Soon, no more ...... ???? Neil Morrison email:morrison@t-iii.com > -----Original Message----- > From: Tom Owad [SMTP:owad@applefritter.com] > Sent: Tuesday, September 07, 1999 2:38 PM > To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers > Subject: Re: End of Prodigy Classic > > >Any idea what they are? I seem to recall that the original Compu$erve > ran > >on Pr1mes of > >some kind, but no idea what Prodigy used. Vaxen? IBM 370's? > > I sure don't know. To tell you the truth, I never even used Prodigy. > Being a Mac user, the service didn't appeal to me - I signed up with AOL > around 1990/91. And then I also ran a local BBS of my own for a little > over two years. I recall talking to a somewhat distant relative a few > years back who was involved with Prodigy. Even then he said how > pitifully old systems were. > > Is the Apple II forum on AOL still around? When I quit the service (I > think two years ago - just after the change over to AOL 3.0 and unlimited > access) the forum was still around, but the message boards and chat were > gone, and the software libraries were decaying. With AOL 3.0, the > keyword "Apple II" (or was it "Apple II Forum"?) no longer worked, but > instead a very long line of "http://" garbage was required. I was told > that the Apple II forum was no longer being "supported" and that when the > systems or hard drives died, they were simply thrown out, with no > attempts to recover being made, and nothing backed up. This is why Tom > Turley and company were making such an effort to back up the file > libraries. Of course, this last bit is all according to Mr. Turley. > Take it with however much salt you deem appropriate. > >

27 years, 1 month

1
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Gem Desktop

by lwalker＠mail.interlog.com

I was lucky enough to finally find a PCjr. today at the local thrift and picked up also a book of the type I usually disdain, "Introduction to Personal Computers" by Katherine Murray from Que/1990. In looking thru the book which is an excellent primer to newby collectors (it covers basics for DOS, Mac, AppleGS) I was struck again by the similarities of most of the GUIs. It had figs. from Mac, GS, and PCs. I'd never seen before the GS desktop. What struck me is the basic similarity. Having develloped my eye-teeth with Atari STs, altho I had a Pet and PCs before that, I am well acquainted with the GEM desktop. Despite the claims of Apple and the Palo Alto connection and the suit that wound up GEM on PCs and resulted in Windblows, I am unclear as to what the DI relationship was, why Atari was allowed to continue with it's GEM desktop, altho they stopped at GEM II, why GEOS on the C64 (C64 users compare before flaming me) and a multitude of systems and programs such as Ventura Publisher and PC Tools were allowed to continue with this supposed violation of supposed Apple copyright. DI of course continued for years issuing GEM-like GUIs and they are still available. ciao larry BTW Tim Olmsteads Unofficial CP/M home page has a lot of material. lwalker(a)interlog.com Let us know of your upcoming computer events for our Events Page. t3c(a)xoommail.com Vintage Computer Collectors List and info http://members.xoom.com/T3C

27 years, 1 month

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VCF Vendor Booths Still Available

by dastar＠ncal.verio.com

There are still vendor booths available at the Vintage Computer Festival. If you'd like more information, please visit: http://www.vintage.org/vcf/vendor.htm Only 3 more weeks until VCF 3.0! Got your travel plans in order? Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Don't rub the lamp if you don't want the genie to come out. Coming this October 2-3: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0! See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details! [Last web site update: 08/17/99]

27 years, 1 month

1
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Kaypro 10

by Glenatacme＠aol.com

Hello all: I inquired: > How can I transfer CP/M files from my PC to a Kaypro? Fred Cisin replied: > There is software for the [DOUBLE SIDED] Kaypro to read PC 360K diskettes. Cool -- I'm in the process of obtaining a K-10 and I assume it has double-sided drives. > There is software for PC to write Kaypro diskettes. There are many such > programs, some shareware, some commercial. Would you be so kind as to point a Kaypro novice in the direction of these programs? Thanks, Glen Goodwin 0/0

27 years, 1 month

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Need help to unsubscribe......

by roblwill＠usaor.net

Hi! I know this was probably mentioned before, but I must have deleted the message. How do I unsubscribe? I'm going to be switching ISP's, and I'll be resubscribing within a week or so after I get all my email software set up with the new ISP. ThAnX! ///--->>> -Jason Willgruber (roblwill(a)usaor.net) ICQ#: 1730318 <http://members.tripod.com/general_1>

27 years, 1 month

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Aw, Gort... (Antique Roadshow)

by jeff.kaneko＠juno.com

On Mon, 06 Sep 1999 20:30:26 -0700 James Willing <jimw(a)agora.rdrop.com> writes: >Just what we needed... > >On tonights episode of 'Antique Roadshow' they did a brief insert on >things >that they consider will likely become collectable in the new century. > >Specifically they made reference to "examples of early computers and >technology..." > >Just swell... B^{ A national jump into the mainstream! (sigh) > >And off we go! It's the end of the world as we know it, (And I feel fine). ___________________________________________________________________ Get the Internet just the way you want it. Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj.

27 years, 1 month

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Aw, Gort... (Antique Roadshow)

by jimw＠agora.rdrop.com

Just what we needed... On tonights episode of 'Antique Roadshow' they did a brief insert on things that they consider will likely become collectable in the new century. Specifically they made reference to "examples of early computers and technology..." Just swell... B^{ A national jump into the mainstream! (sigh) And off we go! -jim --- jimw(a)computergarage.org The Computer Garage - http://www.computergarage.org Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174

27 years, 1 month

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Compaq Portable III Floppy Drive

by Mzthompson＠aol.com

I picked up a Compaq Portable III in a salvage lot. I had no problems with the machine until the 5 1/4" 1.2mb floppy apparently failed. If you attempt to read a disk, the disk is rendered entirely unusable, in fact you can not even reformat it in another machine. Knowing that it was unlikely that I would find another 5 1/4 drive, I decided to replace it with a 3 1/2" 1.44mb drive. I had to modify a pair of mounting rails to get the drive mounted correctly and fashion a piece of plastic to fill in the empty space around the drive, and it ended up looking pretty good physically. I booted the machine, it reported the difference in the drive, I ran the setup program and that all went well. Then it came time to read a disk the machine would not access the drive. When I grabbed a spare drive I happen to grab a Sony MFD-17W-50L. Believing that I might have grabbed a bad drive, I tried several other drives. I tried another Sony MFD-17W-50L, a Sony MFD-17W-5GD, a Newtronics/Mitsumi D359T3, and a TEAC FD-235HF. The results were that none of the Sony drives would work and the others worked fine. I checked the 5 1/4 drive and it was set for an ID of drive 1 as expected since there was the usual twist in part of the ribbon cable. The drives that worked were set to an ID of 1. One of the Sony's was set to an ID of 0, but I tried all ID's on the Sony's to no avail. I finally installed the TEAC drive and everythng is fine. I am curious as to why the Sony's would not work. Anybody got any insights, or had problems with Sony drives in other machines. TIA Mike Thompson

27 years, 1 month

2
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Kaypro 10

by Glenatacme＠aol.com

Rich wrote: > I've got several Kaypro 10s over in Port Richey, Florida. Thanks for the reply, Rich. I'm sure we can work out a deal off-list, but since the answers to some my questions may be of help to others on the list, I'm posting those questions here. > Do you need a K10-83 or a K10-84? What is the difference in these two models? (83, 84 -- year of mfg., maybe??) > If your using it for anything/data your very fond of, I'd recommend finding a machine >that now has a replacement Seagate ST225 hard drive installed. Why? Is the original hard drive unreliable? What type of drive originally shipped with this system? MFM, like the 225? I have a hoard of 225s (pulled from old pc clones) so replacing the original drive shouldn't be too much of a hassle -- _if_ it's MFM and has a compatible controller. Also, I've seen a number of archive sites where CP/M software is available, as well as the "CP/M Disk," which claims to have over 18,000 files. How can I transfer CP/M files from my PC to a Kaypro? Thanks, Glen Goodwin 0/0

27 years, 1 month

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VCF Announcement: Change of Speakers

by dastar＠ncal.verio.com

I'm sorry to report that Stan Veit and Curt Vendel will no longer be able to speak at VCF 3.0. I'm working on filling their spots with two new speakers, and will announce them as soon as they are located. It's not too late to save money by pre-registering for the VCF. For details, see http://www.vintage.org/vcf/register.htm. You can also still exhibit your computer and perhaps win the Best of Show ribbon at the VCF Exhibition. See http://www.vintage.org/vcf/exhibit.htm for details. Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Don't rub the lamp if you don't want the genie to come out. Coming this October 2-3: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0! See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details! [Last web site update: 08/17/99]

27 years, 1 month

1
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TK50 and stuck tape

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

> There is plenty of tape around the reel in the drive, so I tried to apply >power to see if it would rewind. The drive would wind for perhaps a second >three times, then stop completely and flash the red light. Looks to me as if >the motor isn't spinning properly...suggestions? I suspect that one of the optical sensors is obscured by dust. If you've got a source of (clean!) compressed air, or a nitrogen cylinder around, try blowing out around: 1. The LED and photodiode that are on the "far" side of the head (the side towards the rear of the TK50). These detect "stripes" that are in the leader. 2. The LED and photodiode that are around the spindle on the far side of the head. This is a bit more complicated - you have to remove several screws, and it's probably best if you pull whatever tape remains before trying this. When you get the cover off you'll see the little rotational encoder wheel that the LED's shine through - make sure this is clean, too, but don't bend it! To pull the tape, pull back on the solenoid (right side of the drive, near the front), move the lever, and pull the cartridge out. Now pull all the tape out - preferably right into the garbage can! -- Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/ 7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917 Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927

27 years, 1 month

3
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MicroVAX 3

by healyzh＠aracnet.com

I've got a KA650 and RAM boards thanks to my last haul, I believe it's the kind they sold to upgrade a MicroVAX II to a MicroVAX III. Anyway I'm wondering if they needed their own Cab Kit, or can use the MV2 Cab Kit. I pulled the board set out of the BA123, and swapped it with a MV2 board set in a Sigma Rack mount chassis, unfortunatly the system seems to be having problems. Another thought would be the RQDX3 revision as I didn't swap them. Also is there a writeup anywhere on what the various tests are as it counts down? Zane | Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator | | healyzh(a)aracnet.com (primary) | Linux Enthusiast | | healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector | +----------------------------------+----------------------------+ | Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, | | and Zane's Computer Museum. | | http://www.aracnet.com/~healyzh/ |

27 years, 1 month

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TK50 and stuck tape

by cureau＠centuryinter.net

Hi everyone... I was given a MicroVax II over the weekend...looks like it'll be something really interesting to work with once I get it running. :-) It's got a TK50 drive in it with a tape in the drive that won't come out. From what I remember of the TK50s, you push the red button in, wait for the green light to come on, and then pull the lever under the tape upwards to eject it. Unfortunately, I don't hear any tape noises at all from the unit, and the red light flashes very quickly. Green light never comes on. Any ideas on getting the tape out of the drive? Did I remember correctly how to eject the thing? Cheers, Chris

27 years, 1 month

2
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evolution of misinformation (was: Computer Museum opens in SanDiego

by Glenatacme＠aol.com

In a message dated 09/05/1999 3:45:57 PM Eastern Daylight Time, cisin(a)xenosoft.com writes: > > Of course the implication is that the disk was sandblasted in normal use, > > which appears to be absurd. > > THAT is the "particular bit of silliness" to which I referred. Hmmm. on > the head carriage there would be an extra nozzle assembly to sand blast? > And maybe a vacuum sand recovery system for reuse? You have to have the recovery system in order to meet EPA standards --- you can't just blow all that sand out the back door, you know. After all, sand might pollute the environment ;>) Glen Goodwin 0/0

27 years, 1 month

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Felt & Tarrant/Burroughs Adding Machine (fwd)

by dastar＠ncal.verio.com

Someone in the UK wants to give away a F&T adding machine. Please reply to the original sender. Reply-to: AH3WH(a)ah3wh.freeserve.co.uk ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 6 Sep 1999 11:01:12 -080 From: Alan Hardman <AH3WH(a)ah3wh.freeserve.co.uk> Subject: Re: enquiry Dear reader, I have a Felt & Tarrant/Burrows adding machine. I am going to despose of it. Are you interested in taking it of my hands? If you are please inform me and to arrange a carrier to collect it. Yours sincerely, Alan Hardman. Ah3wh(a)ah3wh.freeserve.co.uk Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Don't rub the lamp if you don't want the genie to come out. Coming this October 2-3: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0! See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details! [Last web site update: 08/17/99]

27 years, 1 month

1
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WTB: Kaypro 10

by Glenatacme＠aol.com

Hello all: Thanks to everyone who offered up their opinions about the "best" CP/M machine. After digesting the replies and doing a bit of homework, I've decided a Kaypro 10 would very well suit my needs. Anybody have one for sale? TIA, Glen Goodwin 0/0

27 years, 1 month

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vaxstation cdrom questions

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

> i have a vaxstation3100, not sure of the model, but it's rather >large, with exposed drive bays and scsi cables leading to both. i have >two sun cdroms that i'd like to install in it. my question stems from >that, how the hell do i mount them in there? or, if you know they >won't work, warn me now before i waste time with lots of duct tape >installing them. ;> > > this is a little offtopic, but the cdroms and the vaxstation are all >ancient. any help would be appreciated. (Assuming you've got a 3100 Model 40 - i.e. with the "double decker" drive trays and a 5.25" cutout): For testing purposes, just remove the escutcheon covering up an unused bay and set the drive in there. I'll have to poke around my model 40 and see if I can get you a part number for any mounting hardware you'll need to install it. -- Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/ 7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917 Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927

27 years, 1 month

2
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vaxstation cdrom questions

by paul＠jthm.org

hello, i have a vaxstation3100, not sure of the model, but it's rather large, with exposed drive bays and scsi cables leading to both. i have two sun cdroms that i'd like to install in it. my question stems from that, how the hell do i mount them in there? or, if you know they won't work, warn me now before i waste time with lots of duct tape installing them. ;> this is a little offtopic, but the cdroms and the vaxstation are all ancient. any help would be appreciated. -- "you is my elf-ho!!!" -- happy noodle boy

27 years, 1 month

1
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TK50 and stuck tape

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

> I was given a MicroVax II over the weekend...looks like it'll be >something really interesting to work with once I get it running. :-) > It's got a TK50 drive in it with a tape in the drive that won't come >out. From what I remember of the TK50s, you push the red button in, >wait for the green light to come on, and then pull the lever under the >tape upwards to eject it. Unfortunately, I don't hear any tape noises >at all from the unit, and the red light flashes very quickly. Green >light never comes on. Any ideas on getting the tape out of the drive? >Did I remember correctly how to eject the thing? A blinking red light means that something is very wrong with the tape drive. There are several possibilities, including electronic failure and power supply failure, but the most likely case is that the take-up leader has come unhooked. You'll have to remove the drive from the enclosure and look inside the drive to figure out where to go from here. Some questions whose answers will determine what you'll have to do to fix this: 1. Is there much tape wound around the take-up reel? (You can remove the metal cover over the takeup reel by taking off three screws.) 2. If the answer to "1" is "No", trace out the plastic leader from the take-up hub and figure out where it's going (or not going!) Replacement leaders are only a buck from DECDirect. 3. If the answer to "1" is "Yes", apply power to the drive and see if any tape motion takes place. If you're lucky, it'll rewind the tape back into the cartridge. If you're not lucky, you'll have manually wind the tape back in (or just pull it out and trash the tape.) -- Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/ 7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917 Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927

27 years, 1 month

2
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Never Mind: MicroVAX 3

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

>Oops, thought I'd mentioned that originally, this is the Sigma chassis for >two reasons, it fits nicely in the bottom of a rack, and I'm saving the >BA123 for a spare for my /73. > >Here is the original config, didn't work: > >KA650 ----- >MS650 ----- >MS650 ----- >RQDX3 TQK50 >-rest empty- I *suspect* that the whole right-hand-side of the Sigma box is CD-only. The only way to tell for sure is to pull the backplane and trace it out. >This worked: >KA650 ----- >MS650 ----- >MS650 ----- >RQDX3 GRANT >-rest empty- > >and this: >KA650 ----- >MS650 ----- >MS650 ----- >RQDX3 empty >GRANT empty >-rest empty- > >Final solution: >KA650 ----- >MS650 ----- >MS650 ----- >RQDX3 empty >TQK50 empty >-rest empty- This confirms my suspicion that the Sigma backplane you have has CD slots all the way down the right side (though it's not conclusive; it might only be CD for the first four slots.) If, indeed, it is CD all the way down, then putting a TQK50 in next to a memory card there can heavily confuse the memory mapping and testing. >IIRC, the Diagnostic it stopped on was 34 (but might be off a few). Yes, the early tests are memory bus testing and sizing. > Seem >to work great this way, but it sounds like I should swap the RQDX3 and >TQK50 from what Allison says. Well, if you're playing fully by the DEC rules you should swap the cards, but both the RQDX3 and TQK50 are smart heavily buffered devices, and in such a tiny configuration as you have I doubt there'd be any differences seen at all. OTOH, if you have 3 Q-bus backplanes with dozens of "stupid" (unbuffered) cards in each, it does eliminate a lot of heartache to play by the rules! >Do you happen to know the configuration of a Sigma Backplane? Somehow I >suspect that would answer my questions.

27 years, 1 month

2
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Never Mind: MicroVAX 3

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

>I solved my problem. Moved the TQK50 to the next row after the RQDX3, >instead of beside it and it works fine. Don't quite understand that, since >I'm positive I had the RQDX3 and TQK50 in the exact same spot with the >KA650 board set as they'd been with the KA630 board set, and I saw it >working in that config. > >Does a system care if you've got a grant continuity board in a spot that >you shouldn't have a board? It seems to me that it should. Again, you aren't really giving us enough details (What backplane slots? Which backplane? Your previous message mentioned both a BA123 and a Sigma box, but I couldn't figure out which one you were trying to use the boards in. What else is in the system? What exactly was the problem? In your previous message you said "the problem was the TK50 controller", but I still haven't a clue what the symptoms were!) to answer your question, but if you draw out the arrangement of cards both "before" and "after" I'll take a shot! -- Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/ 7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917 Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927

27 years, 1 month

2
1
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Never Mind: MicroVAX 3

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<I solved my problem. Moved the TQK50 to the next row after the RQDX3, <instead of beside it and it works fine. Don't quite understand that, sinc <I'm positive I had the RQDX3 and TQK50 in the exact same spot with the <KA650 board set as they'd been with the KA630 board set, and I saw it <working in that config. There is a priority and TK50 should be higher than RQDXn. Higher prioity means closer to the cpu. In most of the BA23/123/213 boxes the bus is serpetine so it may not always be obvious whos first. <Does a system care if you've got a grant continuity board in a spot that <you shouldn't have a board? It seems to me that it should. If it's the AB wired bus YES! Without it there would be no interrupt or dma grant down the line to what ever cards are next.

27 years, 1 month

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ID this power supply ?

by black＠gco.apana.org.au

One for the Commodore people - In my latest haul from the tip shop I got an unusual power supply that I don't recognise; it's made of metal, black, a little larger than the CBM "brick" type power supply for the original VIC's & C64's, oblong in shape has a 7 pin round plug, 9VDC at 1amp output, no ID except for "Commodore Personal Computer Power Supply" on it, serial # 100659, so can't tell (at least from the no.) where it was made. Anyone know what thisa belongs to ? // Lance Lyon black(a)gco.apana.org.au llyon(a)primus.com.au lance999(a)hotmail.com Ph: +61-3-6254-7376 //

27 years, 1 month

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It's Alive! ^_^

by dseagrav＠bony.umtec.com

Here we go again with RSTS... ^_^ The incriminating evidence follows. (Windows users select a monospaced font to read this, or it won't make sense.) Now I just gotta write UUCP for RSTS/E, and find a place to network this sucker... (Hehe, 1,2!usagi-circus(a)umtec.com - This much fun is probably illegal! ^_^) ----- USAGI-CIRCUS-BOOT.TXT ----- =20 Testing in progress - Please wait=20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9=20 Starting system=20 Device DP30: does not interrupt - device disabled. RSTS V7.0-07 -USAGI CIRCUS- (DL0) Option: START You currently have: JOB MAX =3D 24, SWAP MAX =3D 31K. JOB MAX or SWAP MAX changes? NO Any memory allocation changes? NO You currently have crash dump enabled. Crash dump?=20 DD-MMM-YY? 05-SEP-99 12:00 PM? 11:16 PM INIT V7.0-07A RSTS V7.0-07 -USAGI CIRCUS- Command File Name?=20 DETACHING... ^C HELLO 1/2 Password: Job 1 is detached under this account Job number to attach to?=20 1 other user is logged in under this account Ready RUN $UTILTY UTILTY V7.0-07E RSTS V7.0-07 -USAGI CIRCUS- #ADD SWAPFILE 0 DL0:SWAP0 #ADD RT11 #ADD RSX ?Can't find file or account - in ADD=20 #ADD RMS11 ?Can't find file or account - in ADD=20 #ADD BP2COM ?Can't find file or account - in ADD=20 #ADD BASIC2 ?Can't find file or account - in ADD=20 #ADD BASIC ?Name or account now exists - in ADD=20 #ADD BAS4F ?Can't find file or account - in ADD=20 #ADD TECO #EXIT Ready BYE/F ATTACHING TO JOB 1=20 DETACHING... ^C HELLO 1/2 Password: Job 1 is detached under this account Job number to attach to?=20 1 other user is logged in under this account Ready RUN $TTYSET TTYSET V7.0-07B RSTS V7.0-07 -USAGI CIRCUS- Terminal characteristics program ? KB0:; VT100 For KB0:? KB17:; SPEED 9600; VT100 For KB17:? KB18:; SPEED 9600; VT100 For KB18:? KB19:; SPEED 9600; VT100 For KB19:? KB20:; SPEED 9600; VT100 For KB20:? KB21:; SPEED 9600; VT100 For KB21:? KB22:; SPEED 9600; VT100 For KB22:? KB23:; SPEED 9600; VT100 For KB23:? KB24:; SPEED 9600; VT100 For KB24:? EXIT Ready BYE/F ATTACHING TO JOB 1=20 DETACHING... =91^C HELLO 1/2 Password: Job 1 is detached under this account Job number to attach to?=20 1 other user is logged in under this account Ready RUN SY:(1,2)OPSER OPSER=09V7.0-07=09RSTS V7.0-07 -USAGI CIRCUS- #DETACH DETACHING . . . =91^C HELLO 1/2 Password: Jobs 1 2 are detached under this account Job number to attach to?=20 2 other users are logged in under this account Ready RUN SY:(1,2)QUEMAN QUEMAN=09V7.0-07A=09RSTS V7.0-07 -USAGI CIRCUS- STARTED AT: 11:16 PM ON 05-Sep-99 QUEUE FILE DATA CHECKED FOR CONSISTENCY # SPOOLERS ONLINE =3D 0; WILL CLEAR TABLE #DETACH/PRIORITY:0 JOB #3 'QUEMAN' PUT ONLINE DETACHING . . . =91^C HELLO 1/2 Password: Jobs 1 2 3 are detached under this account Job number to attach to?=20 3 other users are logged in under this account Ready RUN SY:(1,2)BATCH BATCH=09V7.0-07B=09RSTS V7.0-07 -USAGI CIRCUS- #BA0:/ERROR:FATAL/NOQUEUE/NODELETE DETACHING... ATTACHING TO JOB 1=20 DETACHING... =91^C HELLO 1/2 Password: Jobs 1 2 3 4 are detached under this account Job number to attach to?=20 4 other users are logged in under this account Ready RUN $UTILTY UTILTY=09V7.0-07E=09RSTS V7.0-07 -USAGI CIRCUS- #CCL ATT-ACH=3D$LOGIN.*;PRIV 30000 #CCL ATP-K=3D$ATPK.*;PRIV 30000 JOB #4 'BA0SPL' PUT ONLINE #CCL BCK-=3D$RMSBCK.TSK;0 #CCL BPC-REF=3D$BPCREF.*;30000 #CCL BYE-=3D$LOGOUT.*;PRIV 0 #CCL CNV-=3D$RMSCNV.TSK;0 MESSAGE=09=09 1 : 05-Sep-99 11:17 PM JOB:3 DET QUMRUN[1,2]=20 =09BA0SPL (4) PUT ONLINE #CCL CRE-ATE=3D$EDIT.*;30000 #CCL DEF-=3D$RMSDEF.TSK;0 #CCL DFN-=3D$RMSDFN.TSK;0 #CCL DES-=3D$RMSDES.TSK;0 #CCL DIS-MOUNT=3D$UMOUNT.*;PRIV 30000 #CCL DI-RECTORY=3D$DIRECT.*;PRIV 30000 #CCL DSP-=3D$RMSDSP.TSK;0 #CCL EDT-=3D$EDT.TSK;0 #CCL ED-IT=3D$EDIT.*;30000 #CCL FIT-=3D$FIT.*;PRIV 30000 #CCL HELLO-=3D$LOGIN.*;PRIV 0 #CCL HELP-=3D$HELP.*;PRIV 30000 #CCL IFL-=3D$RMSIFL.TSK;0 #CCL LBR-=3D$LBR.TSK;0 #CCL LIBR-=3D$LIBR.SAV;8208 #CCL LIN-K=3D$LINK.SAV;8208 #CCL LOG-IN=3D$LOGIN.*;PRIV 0 #CCL MACR-O=3D$MACRO.SAV;8216 #CCL MAC-=3D$MAC.TSK;0 #CCL MAK-E=3D$TECO.TEC;0 #CCL MOU-NT=3D$UMOUNT.*;PRIV 30000 #CCL MU-NG=3D$TECO.TEC;0 #CCL PAT-=3D$PAT.TSK;0 #CCL PIP-=3D$PIP.SAV;8208 #CCL PL-EASE=3D$PLEASE.*;PRIV 30000 #CCL QU-EUE=3D$QUE.*;PRIV 30000 #CCL RST-=3D$RMSRST.TSK;PRIV 0 #CCL SE-T=3D$TTYSET.*;PRIV 30000 #CCL SRT-=3D$SORT.TSK;0 #CCL SU-BMIT=3D$QUE.*;PRIV 30000 #CCL SW-ITCH=3D$SWITCH.*;PRIV 30000 #CCL SY-STAT=3D$SYSTAT.*;PRIV 30000 #CCL TE-CO=3D$TECO.TEC;0 #CCL TKB-=3D$TKB.TSK;0 #CCL TY-PE=3D$TYPE.TEC;8 #CCL UT-ILTY=3D$UTILTY.*;30000 #EXIT Ready BYE/F ATTACHING TO JOB 1=20 RUN $ERRINT 100 NO Ready ERRINT=09V7.0-07=09RSTS V7.0-07 -USAGI CIRCUS- ERRLOG File is 5% Full Change Size to < 100 >?=20 Utilize Crash File Output (Yes/No) <No>?=20 Detaching . . . HELLO =FF RSTS V7.0-07 -USAGI CIRCUS- Job 5 KB0 05-Sep-99 11:17 PM #1,2 Password: Jobs 1 2 3 4 are detached under this account Job number to attach to?=20 4 other users are logged in under this account -USAGI CIRCUS- RSTS/E V7.0-07 B I S H O U J O - S E N S H I _ ______ __ /--\ /--\ __| |____ /_____/ _ /__/ /= --/ | | | | |_ ___ | ______ / / / = / | ^ | | ^ | | | /_/ ** |____ | ** / / __ ** | = | | | | | | | | |____ ** __/ / ** / /__\ \ ** ___/ = / | | | | | | \_____| |___/ /________\ |____/ | || | | || | >>>> S A I L O R M O O N <<<< | || | | || | / || \________/ || \ / \ /-------------------------\ / __ __ \ | ^_^ You don't wanna | | / \ / \ | | know how much time I | | | | wasted on this banner! | | /\ | +-------------------------+ \ ___ / | PDP-11/83, 2M ECC RAM | \ \_/ / | 1 RL02, AND NO BACKUPS. | \__________________/ +-------------------------+ \ \_/ / | WIENERS DON'T DO DRUGS! | /____/ \____\ \-------------------------/ Ready SYSTAT RSTS V7.0-07 -USAGI CIRCUS- status at 05-Sep-99, 11:18 PM Up: 2:20 Job Who Where What Size State Run-Time Pri/RB RTS 1 [SELF] Det ERRCPY 5/31K SR 44.9 0/6 BASIC=20 2 [SELF] Det OPSRUN 16/31K SL 3.1 -8/6 BASIC=20 3 [SELF] Det QUMRUN 16/31K SL 3.2 0/6 BASIC=20 4 [SELF] Det BATIDL 13/31K SL 2.1 -8/6 BASIC=20 5 [SELF] KB0 SYSTAT 11/31K RN Lck 1.7 -8/6 BASIC=20 Busy Devices: None Disk Structure: Disk Open Free Cluster Errors Name Comments DL0 11 10986 2 0 BUNNY Pub, DLW Small=09Large=09Jobs=09Hung TTY's=09Errors 235=09 0=09 5/10=09 0=09=09 0 Run-Time Systems: Name=09Ext=09 Size=09Users=09Comments BASIC =09BAC=0914(16)K=09 5=09Perm, Addr:26, KBM, CSZ RT11 =09SAV=09 4(28)K=09 0=09Non-Res, KBM, CSZ, EMT:255 TECO =09TEC=09 8(24)K=09 0=09Non-Res Resident Libraries: None Message Receivers: Name=09Job=09Msgs=09Max=09Senders ERRLOG=09 1=09 0=0940=09Priv OPSER =09 2=09 0=0930=09Local QUEMAN=09 3=09 0=0960=09Local BA0SPL=09 4=09 0=09 5=09Priv Ready BYE Confirm: Y Saved all disk files; 6488 blocks in use Job 5 User 1,2 logged off KB0 at 05-Sep-99 11:18 PM 4 other users still logged in under this account System RSTS V7.0-07 -USAGI CIRCUS- Run time was 2.8 seconds Elapsed time was 1 minute Good evening ----- Daniel Seagraves | I'm an International Clandestine Arms Dealer! "In the name of the moon, will you punish me?" - Crayon Shin-Chan(?),SMS #1= 04 "There is nothing more dangerous than a resourceful idiot." - Dilbert "Who hired you guys, anyway?" -- 8-year-old Sailor Venus to the DiC SM VAs. SailorMoon Into Eternity! | Usagi's Stormtroopers Local #42 | 36 BITS 4EVER= !

27 years, 1 month

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non-binary computers?

by owad＠applefritter.com

I recall reading an article a while back about the possibility of building computers based on a number system other than two (octal, IIRC). If memory serves me right, it was found possible to do, but not practical and less efficient than binary. I now have need for some basic information on the possibility of non-binary computers, but am unable to find anything. Can anybody point me in the direction of some info? Thanks. Tom Owad ---------------------------Applefritter--------------------------- Apple prototypes, Apple II & early Mac clones, and the Compubrick. ------------------<http://www.applefritter.com/>------------------

27 years, 1 month

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no rom basic

by Glenatacme＠aol.com

royston hill wrote: > > > > Hi ,can you assist .we have a old 386 with a conner 80 meg HD .We > needed > > to clean same and used the zero fill from disk manager on boot up. we > > got message NO ROM BASIC >SYSTEM HALTED we cannot find anything on > this > > error message.or what we did wrong ?????? regards from africa ROY > HILL Umm, perhaps I missed part of this thread, but the procedure is fairly simple . . . NO ROM BASIC means "no bootable operating system found." 1) Boot from a floppy which also has fdisk.exe and format.com on it. 2) After boot, run fdisk and DELETE any existing partitions. 3) Create a new, single partition which utilizes the entire drive and answer YES when asked if you want to make the partition active. 4) Exit fdisk. 5) Reboot from the floppy drive. 6) Execute the command FORMAT C: /S 7) Remove the disk from the floppy drive. 8) Reboot, and you should get a C: prompt. If not, check for viruses and try again. 9) If still no success, make sure the drive is properly configured (as "master" or "single drive" depending on your configuration). Also make sure that the CHS values have been properly entered into your system BIOS. 10) If still no success, try a different drive. Regards, Glen Goodwin 0/0

27 years, 1 month

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no rom basic

by edick＠idcomm.com

One common cause for this message is the lack of an active partition on the boot drive. If you can attach this drive to another (preferably diskless) system and read it then perhaps the problem will be solved if you use FDISK to "make the partition active" before attempting to boot from it. Normally when you FDISK the drive, it automatically makes the partition active. If you have more than one partition, it could, depending on what the DOS version was, decide to let you tell it specifically, without asking whether you want the partition made active (which you can only do on the "boot" drive) after telling it how large to make a primary partition. Even the latest version leaves the partition inactive if you've specified you want to use less than the whole disk. It does prompt you to make the partition active or not, though. Dick -----Original Message----- From: Gene V. McNeil <cushite(a)earthlink.net> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Sunday, September 05, 1999 2:01 PM Subject: Re: no rom basic >I found this software that can fix the problem, it's called Hard Drive >Mechanic 3.0 & Bootable Rescue Disk. > >Made by Higher Ground Diagnostics, Inc. > >I think this will help, if its not to late. > >Gene >cushite(a)earthlink.net > > > >royston hill wrote: >> >> Hi ,can you assist .we have a old 386 with a conner 80 meg HD .We >needed >> to clean same and used the zero fill from disk manager on boot up. we >> got message NO ROM BASIC >SYSTEM HALTED we cannot find anything on >this >> error message.or what we did wrong ?????? regards from africa ROY >HILL > > >

27 years, 1 month

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no rom basic

by cushite＠earthlink.net

I found this software that can fix the problem, it's called Hard Drive Mechanic 3.0 & Bootable Rescue Disk. Made by Higher Ground Diagnostics, Inc. I think this will help, if its not to late. Gene cushite(a)earthlink.net royston hill wrote: > > Hi ,can you assist .we have a old 386 with a conner 80 meg HD .We needed > to clean same and used the zero fill from disk manager on boot up. we > got message NO ROM BASIC >SYSTEM HALTED we cannot find anything on this > error message.or what we did wrong ?????? regards from africa ROY HILL

27 years, 1 month

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evolution of misinformation (was: Computer Museum opens in San Diego

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<> > A display case shows the progression of storage disks, starting wit <> > one from 1965 that's the size of a tractor-trailer tire. It held 2. <> > megabytes of data and had to be sandblasted to be erased. <> > Had to be sandblasted to be erased? Huh?? < <> We've seen that particular bit of silliness before. Once an authoritativ <> statement of wrong information is made, others will follow, and if/when <> challenged merely refer to the authority. < <I assumed that by "particular bit of silliness" you meant "the 'erased by <sandblasting' idea" but after a little thought, I realized that maybe you <just meant "the spreading of a patently false statement". Let us assume this was likely a military system where media destruction is commonplace. In that case sandblasting would certainly render it unreadable, permanently! Then again it may just be shear sillyness passed along. Allison

27 years, 1 month

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esdi hard drive identification

by allisonp＠world.std.com

Jay, First the RQDXn series are NOT ESDI. They are vanilla MFM. So the common drives that work are: ST225 RD31 20mb C/H 615/4 St251 RD32 40mb 777/6 Quantum D540 RD52 30mb 512/8 Micropolus 1325 RD53 70mb 1024/8 Maxtor 2190 RD54 159mb 1224/15 NOTES: *ST251 are generally terrible for reliablity, The D540 is a better drive and much faster. *M1325 (the 1300 series!) are prone to problems with heat and age. The Cylinder and heads were given as a guide to picking other drives that may match. With the right cables and all a RQDX2 addresses 1 RX50 and two RDxx drives or 1 Teac fd55F(or GFR) plus 3 RDxx. In this case the TEAC drive is jumped to run as a single RX50 (slow spindle and single sided). Others may be possible but you will need the X11 formatter to make it work. Allison <One of the surplus stores in my area just got in a load of 5-1/4 form facto <hard drives. They look just like the ones my PDP-11/73's use (RD51 or 52, <can't recall). I believe my controller is a RQDX2, not a RQDX3. My drives <are 30mb. < <I was wondering, is there an easy way (short of looking up the model <numbers) to visually determine if any of the drives are ESDI and might wor <with my 11/73? < <Thanks! < <Jay West <

27 years, 1 month

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