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

by cmcmanis＠mcmanis.com

I've heard its possible to "upgrade" a uVAX II to a uVAX III by replacing the KA-630 with the KA-650 CPU. Now I've looked at a KA-650 and it has a metal cover over its end and a small RJ-xx like plug in it. The KA-630 has two IDC connectors that go to the 630CNF console plug in the BA123 world box. Do I also need a conversion kit for the KA-650 or is the CPU with connectors hiding behind this metal facade? --Chuck

27 years, 1 month

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KA650 & uVAX

by emu＠ecubics.com

Hi, -----Original Message----- From: Chuck McManis <cmcmanis(a)mcmanis.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Tuesday, May 04, 1999 11:16 PM Subject: KA650 & uVAX >I've heard its possible to "upgrade" a uVAX II to a uVAX III by replacing >the KA-630 with the KA-650 CPU. Now I've looked at a KA-650 and it has a >metal cover over its end and a small RJ-xx like plug in it. The KA-630 has >two IDC connectors that go to the 630CNF console plug in the BA123 world >box. If you try to use the BA123 again, simply use the 630 cnf console. If you remove the metal cover from the ka650, you see the flat ribbon connectors for it. I use here some of my KA650 in BA23 & BA123 enclosures. > Do I also need a conversion kit for the KA-650 or is the CPU with >connectors hiding behind this metal facade? No. Have fun, emanuel

27 years, 1 month

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Emulex board question

by emu＠ecubics.com

Hi, -----Original Message----- From: Pete Turnbull <pete(a)dunnington.u-net.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Tuesday, May 04, 1999 9:16 PM Subject: Re: Emulex board question >The boards are identical. The difference is in the firmware. If Emanuel's >information about an SC02/L is correct, then there at least *four* >versions, because: > > SC02/A RP11 emulation, compatible with RP02/3 disks > SC02/B RH11 emulation, compatible with RM02/3 disks > SC02/C RK611 emulation, compatible with RK06/7 disks > >These are the only ones I've seen in Emulex docs. There are similar WOW ;-)) >However, the original enquiry was about a SCO210101-CXL, which is an >SC02/C. >Dan was correct. I can live with that ;-)) So i always had a SC02/C and thought it emulates Rl02/RL03, so i never put disks on it :-(( cheers, emanuel

27 years, 1 month

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Emulex board question

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On May 4, 8:34, emanuel stiebler wrote: > Correction, directly from the manual. RL01 or RL02 emulation ;-)) > > But serious, there are two version of the SC02 board. The SC02/L emulates > the Rl01/Rl02 disks, and the SC02/C emulates the RK06/RK07 disks. > > Looks to me, that the big difference is in software, because both of these > boards look very similar. The boards are identical. The difference is in the firmware. If Emanuel's information about an SC02/L is correct, then there at least *four* versions, because: SC02/A RP11 emulation, compatible with RP02/3 disks SC02/B RH11 emulation, compatible with RM02/3 disks SC02/C RK611 emulation, compatible with RK06/7 disks These are the only ones I've seen in Emulex docs. There are similar versions of the SC03, which also has a /MS variant, which supports MSCP. I assume there are similar variants of the SC12, which is the Unibus version. However, the original enquiry was about a SCO210101-CXL, which is an SC02/C. Dan was correct. -- Pete Peter Turnbull Dept. of Computer Science University of York

27 years, 1 month

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Can you identify these cards?

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

Hi all, I went scrounging today and found some interesting cards. A picture of the first one is at "http://www.intellistar.net/~rigdonj/card1.jpg" and a picture of the second is at "http://www.intellistar.net/~rigdonj/card2.jpg". The first one is interesting because it has a list on the right side that appears to be a list of memory locations and op codes. It's hard to see in the photo but the first column is labeled CNT. (count?). Most of the ICs are dated 1972. The only other markings on the card is "TERADYNE A 794" and "Made in USA". The second one is a core memory board that I *think* may be for a Data General computer. I picked up several of these and they're all made by Dataram Corporation and appear to date from 1972. Their part number is 3010290. I took the cover off of one. Man, the cores in these are tiny! Can anyone identify them? Joe

27 years, 1 month

10
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PDP11 Plessey disk drive info needed

by Jgzabol＠aol.com

In einer eMail vom 03.05.99 21:14:20, schreibt Tony: << > > I would like to connect a Plessey disk drive to a PDP11 RK11-D controller. > > The drive has a fixed platter and a removable platter, compatible to RK05 I > believe, and these numbers on it: > Plessey 3468-0231 > PMDD/11B > 700540-200217D I saw (and did minor repair on) one of these about 8 years ago. It wasn't mine, and I never saw a service manual :-( > > It has a 42 pin MRA 42 S mating connector, and same with a terminator. I > believe the 42 pin should be a Drive Bus, to be connected with standard > Unibus cable to controller slot 2A/2B. I seem to remember that the connector is similar (maybe identical) to the Diablo Model 30 connector, which I do have the pinout of. I can post that if it would help. One thing I certainly remember is that it used 1-of-n selects (like an RK02/Diablo model 30) and that it could only be linked directly to an RK11-C controller. There was a Plessey paddleboard that went into the drive connector slot on an RK11-D and had a decoder chip (at least, maybe some other simple logic) on it to sort this out. -tony >> I would certainly appreciate the Diablo pinout - if the pin layout is the same, I would expect the signals to be the same , at least something easier to check stan starting from nothing ! Thanks John

27 years, 1 month

2
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Inquiry

by edick＠idcomm.com

If I were in your position, I'd try to get mechanically good cassettes rather than worrying about acoustically good tape. What's most likely to happen is that, over time cassette tape will lose chunks of emulsion from its mylar backing, or the mechanical parts will break or jam causing damage to the tape. The audio demands for computer use are not very stringent. Dick -----Original Message----- From: Gene Ehrich <gene(a)ehrich.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Monday, May 03, 1999 6:03 PM Subject: Re: Inquiry >At 11:58 PM 4/29/99 -0500, you wrote: >> >> I have a lot of the kid's computers, (Atari, Commodore, CoCo, etc), which >> I am trying to keep alive. Does anyone know if I can substitute high >> quality music tapes in place of computer tapes? Or where I can still >> find computer cassette tapes for sale? >> >> Stephanie > > > >I would reply to Stephanie but she did not give her e-mail address. > >I have some for sale on my web site. > > > > > > gene@ehrich > http://www.voicenet.com/~generic >Computer & Video Game Garage Sale > >Gene Ehrich >PO Box 209 >Marlton NJ >08053-0209

27 years, 1 month

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HP-7900A Disc Drives

by lselinsk＠emh1.lead.army.mil

We have 7900's (about 20) in use on test systems still. We also have 7905's and 7906's. I maintain them. The platter package that goes in the 7900 is not the same as for the 7905/6 models. The outside casing looks the same, but the platter for the 7905/6 is about twice as thick as the one for the 7900 drive. Plus, the disk pack for the 7900 Drive has 24 hard sectors as indicated on the bottom of the platter. The 7905/6 disc pack has one notch on the center hub which is used for a soft sector configuration. Do not put the 7900 disc pack in the 7905/6 or vice versa. Michael Morar PS - I need some info on the A2 board of the HP-7900A disc drive. The A2 board has special solder terminals mounted on the board for connectors J1 and J4 thru J7. I need to find out who makes them. HP no longer has any info on the drive, and our service manual does not have a break down of these pins.

27 years, 1 month

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Saw at goodwill

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

In a message dated 99-05-04 10:59:32 EDT, you write: > I always thought that the black apples were the correct color. What > exactly is the significance of the black case??? it's just a Bell+Howell version of the apple with some minor changes to it. functionally identical.

27 years, 1 month

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Saw at goodwill

by jlwest＠tseinc.com

You wrote... >My old computer class was taught on two model 33's (to a HP2000) and a >black Apple II. And just where is that HP2000 today????? <grin> Jay West

27 years, 1 month

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Pictures of my damaged core

by ethan_dicks＠yahoo.com

I finally borrowed a digital camera to photograph the damage to my PDP-8/L parity core stack. The damage is more extensive than I remember. There are the two main areas, but in addition, there are single bits that are missing here and there over the entire area. I do not think it is possible to repair this board without rewiring at least the four core mats on this PCB in toto... that's 128x128 cores for the folks keeping score at home. The wire density is approx 32 per inch. Much work. I won't be doing this anytime soon. Here's some photos of that stack I got back in '82 with a partial PDP-8/L http://www.infinet.com/~erd/retrcomputing/pdp8/pix/coreassy.jpg - external view http://www.infinet.com/~erd/retrcomputing/pdp8/pix/coremat1.jpg - one bad mat http://www.infinet.com/~erd/retrcomputing/pdp8/pix/coremat2.jpg - another one Thanks for all the responses to my original questions. I'm somewhat gratified to see that the can of worms that this thread opened has been strangely on topic. I'm especially interested in hearing the results of the #2 nut core, if it's suitable for display purposes. -ethan _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

27 years, 1 month

2
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Emulex board question

by emu＠ecubics.com

Hi again, -----Original Message----- From: Daniel T. Burrows <danburrows(a)mindspring.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Tuesday, May 04, 1999 8:09 AM Subject: Re: Emulex board question > >>>60-pin and two 26-pin (not 36) connectors. There are several versions of >>>the firmware for SC02s, emulating different DEC drives. >> >>Emulates RL01 & RL02, or better said the RLV11/RLV12 controller. On bigger >>disks, the controller maps up to four logcal units per disk > > >Correction - directly from the manual. RK06 or RK07 emulation RK611 Correction, directly from the manual. RL01 or RL02 emulation ;-)) But serious, there are two version of the SC02 board. The SC02/L emulates the Rl01/Rl02 disks, and the SC02/C emulates the RK06/RK07 disks. Looks to me, that the big difference is in software, because both of these boards look very similar. cheers, emanuel

27 years, 1 month

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Emulex board question

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

>I have used 14" (RA-81-sized) disks like the Fujitsu Eagle Well, technically the Eagle is a 10.5" disk. Other Fujitsus, like the 2284, are really 14" (and they have a nice transparent cover over the HDA so you can see the disks spin and the heads seek...) > and have seen 5.25" >disks, but never used them. Most 5.25" SMD drives are rather modern and have data rates too high for the older Emulex (and other brand) SMD controllers. Newer Emulex SMD controllers, like the QD33 and QD34, don't have a problem with the high-data-rate SMD drives. Tim.

27 years, 1 month

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Emulex board question

by ethan_dicks＠yahoo.com

--- emanuel stiebler <emu(a)ecubics.com> wrote: > >On May 3, 20:49, John Lawson wrote: > > > >> Anyway.. this particular Emulex Unibus board has the model number > >> SCO210101-CXL sub number 4039 H. The abovementioned website lists > >> a part number of SCO2 as a "Unibus Disk Controller" > > Nope, it is a Q-Bus ... > > think you mean one > >60-pin and two 26-pin (not 36) connectors. There are several versions of > >the firmware for SC02s, emulating different DEC drives. > > Emulates RL01 & RL02, or better said the RLV11/RLV12 controller. On bigger > disks, the controller maps up to four logcal units per disk > > BTW, if anybody know where to get some of the disks, that fits to this > controller, i would be interested ... The disks you are looking for are SMD disks - 60 pin digital cable for all drives, 26-pin data cable for each drive. Yours must support two physical units. I have used 14" (RA-81-sized) disks like the Fujitsu Eagle and have seen 5.25" disks, but never used them. I know that SMD disks are available in the 600Mb range. I don't know how small they get. I can't imagine how you'd map hundreds of megabytes into several dozen RL02 images, but in the interest of compatibility, I guess they'd have to do it. On VAXen and PDP-11's, I've always used a Systems Industries 9900 controller to attach Fuji Eagles (and some other sizes) to the Massbus. I have an SI Q-bus controller that appears to talk to the 9900 (dual 40-pin connectors), but I've never used it. I have KDA-50's now (and wish I had docs for the CS-21 SCSI card). Bottom line - SMD disks are hard to find, but they are out there. -ethan _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

27 years, 1 month

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Emulex board question

by danburrows＠mindspring.com

>>60-pin and two 26-pin (not 36) connectors. There are several versions of >>the firmware for SC02s, emulating different DEC drives. > >Emulates RL01 & RL02, or better said the RLV11/RLV12 controller. On bigger >disks, the controller maps up to four logcal units per disk Correction - directly from the manual. RK06 or RK07 emulation RK611 >BTW, if anybody know where to get some of the disks, that fits to this >controller, I would be interested ... > I have some Ampex drives but they are not worth the shipping.. Look for one of the following males, models and they are directly supported with switch setting info in the manual. Amcodyne, 7110 Ampex, 165 , 165-210, 9160, DFR-932,964,996 Bal BD160 BASF 6173,6173 Century, T28,T302RM CDC 9412,9448-32,9448-64,9448-96,9445, 9457,9730-80,9762,9730-160,9766 Fujitsu 2294,2311,2312 Kennedy 5300-70,7300 Memorex 612-56,612-84 Mitsubishi 2860-25 NEC 2246,2257 Nissei NP30-120 Okidata 3305 Priam 3350,2050,3450,6650,7050,15450 SLI Sheyenne 3 & 4, MV116 Depending on the drive and configuration used determines if it will emulate an RK06 or an RK07. Dan

27 years, 1 month

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Emulex board question

by emu＠ecubics.com

Hi, -----Original Message----- From: Pete Turnbull <pete(a)dunnington.u-net.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Tuesday, May 04, 1999 1:21 AM Subject: Re: Emulex board question >On May 3, 20:49, John Lawson wrote: > >> Anyway.. this particular Emulex Unibus board has the model number >> SCO210101-CXL sub number 4039 H. The abovementioned website lists >> a part number of SCO2 as a "Unibus Disk Controller" Nope, it is a Q-Bus ... think you mean one >60-pin and two 26-pin (not 36) connectors. There are several versions of >the firmware for SC02s, emulating different DEC drives. Emulates RL01 & RL02, or better said the RLV11/RLV12 controller. On bigger disks, the controller maps up to four logcal units per disk I don't have my > > http:://rsxbbs.delconet.com/docs/emulex/ > >but the site doesn't seem to be up at the moment so I can't check :-( probably never again :-(( BTW, if anybody know where to get some of the disks, that fits to this controller, i would be interested ... cheers, emanuel

27 years, 1 month

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80s video game commercials

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

> <http://www.commercial-archive.com/> is a repository of video clips > of television commercials, including a category of "Classic videogames" > from the 80s, including Atari, Coleco, Mattel and other computers. "Biddy Biddy? Biddy Biddy?" IIRC, this is Martian for "Supper's Ready" during a game of Asteroids. Do I remember correctly? Tim.

27 years, 1 month

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Emulex board question

by danburrows＠mindspring.com

> Anyway.. this particular Emulex Unibus board has the model number >SCO210101-CXL sub number 4039 H. The abovementioned website lists >a part number of SCO2 as a "Unibus Disk Controller" and has a price >of $150, but that's all it says. > > The card has one 60 pin and two 36 pin connectors and has 12 >18-pin proms along the left edge. > > Anyone have any pointers to info on this card? Or even better, >manuals that I can bribe to have copied? > The SC02 is a Qbus SMD controller. The SC12 is the Unibus version. I glancing around I have a bunch of copies of the SC12 but only 1 on the SC02. Contact me off list and we can work something out for getting you a copy. Dan

27 years, 1 month

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Emulex board question

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On May 3, 20:49, John Lawson wrote: > Anyway.. this particular Emulex Unibus board has the model number > SCO210101-CXL sub number 4039 H. The abovementioned website lists > a part number of SCO2 as a "Unibus Disk Controller" and has a price > of $150, but that's all it says. > Anyone have any pointers to info on this card? Or even better, > manuals that I can bribe to have copied? This is an SMD drive controller. Is it a hex-height card or a quad? All my SC02s are quad-height Q-Bus controllers. An SC02 can handle two physical SMD drives. BTW, I think you mean one 60-pin and two 26-pin (not 36) connectors. There are several versions of the firmware for SC02s, emulating different DEC drives. I don't have my manuals to hand, but IIRC the -C version emulates RK06/7. Depending on the size of the attached physical drive(s), it will emulate several logical drives. You might find a manual at http:://rsxbbs.delconet.com/docs/emulex/ but the site doesn't seem to be up at the moment so I can't check :-( -- Pete Peter Turnbull Dept. of Computer Science University of York

27 years, 1 month

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PDP11 Plessey disk drive info needed

by Jgzabol＠aol.com

In einer eMail vom 03.05.99 21:26:58, schreiben Sie: << On Mon, 3 May 1999 Jgzabol(a)aol.com wrote: > Hi all, > > I would like to connect a Plessey disk drive to a PDP11 RK11-D controller. > > The drive has a fixed platter and a removable platter, compatible to RK05 I > believe, and these numbers on it: > Plessey 3468-0231 > PMDD/11B > 700540-200217D If this is the one I'm thinking you have, it is more like an RL02, RK05s are front-loading. This is the "take the bottom off the pack, put it on the spindle, and put the bottom over the top of the pack" type... no? No, it is not, this _IS_ the front loading type. But I would believe tat if Plessey made several versions, they all might be rather similar as far as the interface is concerned. If so, I belive I have the service docs on it... must wait to get home tonite to see for sure. I gave a PDP 11/04 system to a Listmember which had a pair of these attached. I have written him offering copies of these dosc but so far only silence has returned to me..... HINT HINT you know who you are. Anyway.. (snip) > > Question: Would anyone have a maintenance manual for the Plessey drive > available ? Short of that, maybe the pinout of the connector, so that I can > make the cable ? I can copy this as well for any others with the drive in question... let me know. I will post the exact model the docs are for this evening. Cheers John >> If there is any relationship between the model you talk about and the model I have, I would certainly appreciate a copy ! regards John

27 years, 1 month

1
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North Star Available

by lwalker＠mail.interlog.com

This just turned up on our T3C site's bulletin board. Contact the sender NOT ME. The DNS is unresolved. If that causes problems reply from the site. Also an Osbourne offering is there. ciao larry NorthStar CPM computer W/Wooden Case Sunday, 02-May-99 20:59:10 Message: 207.71.48.30 writes: Have NORTHSTAR CPM computer in PERFECT condition--been in storage for over 10 years. Purchased approximately 10/81-82 (I think). I am the original buyer and used it for small business accounting for about 4 years. Getting ready to chunk it (clearing out a bunch of old attic-type stuff). Thought I would see if there was any interest in purchasing it before I dump it in to the trash Pat lwalker(a)interlog.com Let us know of your upcoming computer events for our Events Page. t3c(a)xoommail.com Collectors List and info http://members.xoom.com/T3C

27 years, 1 month

1
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Emulex board question

by jpl15＠netcom.com

In taking inventory of my accumulated Unibus and Qbus cards, I have discovered an Emulex Unibus something. Researching it on the Web, I also discovered a place here in SoCal who advertise new, used and refurbed Emulex (and others) adadpters and devices: Fidelity Computing www.ficompinc.com and look under the 'Emulex' listings. There are Unibus SCSI cards for $400.. Anyway.. this particular Emulex Unibus board has the model number SCO210101-CXL sub number 4039 H. The abovementioned website lists a part number of SCO2 as a "Unibus Disk Controller" and has a price of $150, but that's all it says. The card has one 60 pin and two 36 pin connectors and has 12 18-pin proms along the left edge. Anyone have any pointers to info on this card? Or even better, manuals that I can bribe to have copied? I'd send this card in to Emulex, but it's warranty expired in September of 1985. :) Cheers John

27 years, 1 month

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80s video game commercials

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

Once upon a midnight dreary, Chuck McManis had spoken clearly: >>At 03:28 PM 5/3/99 -0400, Tim wrote: >>>"Biddy Biddy? Biddy Biddy?" IIRC, this is Martian for "Supper's >>>Ready" during a game of Asteroids. Do I remember correctly? >> >>I believe you are confusing it with the only "dialog" given to the midget >>in the robot suit in the ill fated series "Buck Rogers in the 25th >>Century", which I only watched religously so that I could stare at Darin >>Grey (sp?) in those form fitting jump suits. >Erm, not quite. Twiggy said "Diggy-Diggy," and IIRC, they actually gave him >other non-word tidbits occasionally, but by the time I finally got the >Sci-Fi channel, they've quit playing it. I think you're right. I distinctly remember (must've been 1982 or so) an Atari commercial with a family of aliens playing Asteroids on their 2600 when the mom comes in and tries to get them to eat by saying "Biddy Biddy? Biddy Biddy?". When was the Buck Rogers series originally on? Tim.

27 years, 1 month

1
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scanning in pages

by ethan_dicks＠yahoo.com

> Upon the date 01:45 AM 5/3/99 +0000, Lawrence LeMay said something like: > >I plan to scan in more of those CESI information sheets on boards that > >they made for use in the PDP8/e computer. Is this the best way to do this, > >or is there a better way? > > > > http://www-users.cs.umn.edu/~lemay/pdp8_cesi.html I have a hazy memory of CESI, but I never heard about replacement PDP-8 CPU boards before. Besides the obvious issue of cost, why were these made? I can see that with a 1.2uS cycle time, it's like a hex-high KK8E, leaving you lots of room for peripherals, but is that the only benefit? Did they integrate any I/O into the CPU module? What's the 40-pin connector at the top of the board for? As for scanning issues, I'm not one of those people to harp on bandwidth since I feed off of a cable modem. I'm personally fond of compressed TIFF files or PDF for B&W, and depending on if the document is for screen or printer 75dpi to 300dpi for regular scans. Thanks, -ethan _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

27 years, 1 month

3
2
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Inquiry

by sring＠uslink.net

I have a lot of the kid's computers, (Atari, Commodore, CoCo, etc), which I am trying to keep alive. Does anyone know if I can substitute high quality music tapes in place of computer tapes? Or where I can still find computer cassette tapes for sale? Stephanie

27 years, 1 month

7
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Cores, light bulb goes on ...

by mtapley＠swri.edu

>My experience of (attempting) to cut/drill magnets is that they are >_very_ hard, and almost nothing will even mark them. Mine too. It is possible, but horrendous, to reverse the drill bit, get some abrasive slurry, and *grind* a hole through a magnet. You gotta need it pretty bad, and I'll lay odds no-one will build a core memory board this way. - Mark

27 years, 1 month

1
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serial port multiplexer available

by max82＠surfree.com

I have available for a very short time (before it gets trashed by the school) a Gandalf MUX-2000 which allows a host system to control up to 15 serial ports via a single serial port. 1.2 * cost of shipping. --Max Eskin (max82(a)surfree.com) http://scivault.hypermart.net: Ignorance is Impotence - Knowledge is Power

27 years, 1 month

1
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80s video game commercials

by jfoust＠threedee.com

<http://www.commercial-archive.com/> is a repository of video clips of television commercials, including a category of "Classic videogames" >from the 80s, including Atari, Coleco, Mattel and other computers. Frames-capable browser and Real player required. - John

27 years, 1 month

2
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Nixdorf LK-3000

by fauradon＠mn.mediaone.net

The module I have is the notepad one and I've been trying to find a manual (or copy) for it as well as for the main unit. >Many modules were made for it. There are the general purpose modules, >like the Calulator, and I think there was a Computer module but I'm not >certain (if there was then I don't have one but I want one). Of course >its primary goal in life was to be a language translator, and I happen to >have English-Spanish, English-Italian, English-Polish, English-Arabic, and >probably a couple others that I forgot (I have one unit with the Arabic >alphabet above the keys :) Do you have any spare module? >I have one carthridge that was already popped open, so I looked inside and >found nothing extraordinary. Looks like a TI microcontroller of some sort >and a ROM or two. But yes, the smarts are definitely in the modules. The >actual handheld unit is really just a dumb terminal. Any actual info on the pinout of the cartridges? It seems like this unit has hacking potential... >I believe the Nixdorf LK-3000 is the first (uh-oh, there's that >word again) handheld computer device, first introduced in 1978 or 1979. The dates I found indicated 1975. >The NiCad batteries shouldn't need replacing. If you just stick it in a >charger for a day then they should come back alive. The one I played with >hadn't been on in probably a decade or two and it came up after I left it >charging for a while. I used a 6V, 200ma power supply, center positive. The NiCads in mine had started to run (whitish crysltals all over the bottom of the case) that's why I had to replace them. Francois

27 years, 1 month

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Great Find !

by ethan_dicks＠yahoo.com

--- Lawrence Walker <lwalker(a)mail.interlog.com> wrote: > Doing a casual dumpster dive this eve and found a box with > > Vic-1520 Colour Printer Plotter. NIB including manual and cables. Unopened > tube containing the 4 colour nibs. Dont know if they're dried out but > they're water-based. Huh? My 1520 uses ballpoint nibs. Does anyone have any software for this? Somewhere on a disk, I wrote a BASIC program to plot a function that resembles a black-hole on a spacetime grid (and the unknown mass coordinates for Starcross), but I have never run across any other programs for this device. Does anyone out there have any software for it? (I don't recall seeing any on ftp.funet.fi). > What looks to be a 1/2 ht. 5 1/4 Apple ll floppy in a 1541 case usual All > cable but with a different non-apple controller card inside ?? Please describe this more fully. The Spartan Mimic was "the" Apple ][ emulator for the C-64. One of its "features" was a board that sat between the drive cables and the 1541 PCB that used relays to cut over certain signals, and also provided for a 20-pin Apple disk connector. You could stick an Apple disk in the 1541, read it from the Apple side, then swap disks and read a C= disk from the C-64 side. AFAIK, the 1541 board was not required, except perhaps as a way to tap power (i.e., the Spartan board was essentially an Apple Disk ][ to bare-drive interface/analog board. I was a beta-tester for the Mimic in, ISTR, 1986 or 1987. It was too little, too late, for too much money. I did get to keep the unit. I still have the case (empty) and the PSU (recycled into powering external SCSI disks), but I can't seem to locate any of the innards (I think it died after a while). My "greatest" accomplishment with it was attaching a real Apple disk for D0 and playing Spellbreaker on the Apple at the same time as Enchanter on the C-64, using the same keyboard and monitor, switching between the two CPUs when one was loading the next part of the game. The documentation described being able to write programs on each CPU that could talk through a register window and do some multiprocessing, but I never wrote any nor saw any for it. Cool hardware. Dunno what you found, but it _might_ be a former part of one of those. -ethan _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

27 years, 1 month

4
5
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Fun with degaussers

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

>> >This sounds like voodoo to me. There must be some point when you are >> >lifting the demagnetizer away that the effects from the device are >> >beneficial. >> >> The "lift it slowly away and then turn off" is an important point. >> This makes sure that the media really is demagnetized. If you turn >> it off while near the media, you can leave the media in a highly >> magnetized state. >So then is that all that's really required? The "rotate around at many different orientations" is also important for a thorough degaussing. Unlike electric charge, which doesn't have a direction, magnetization *does* have a direction. The really professional degaussers will automatically rotate and diminish the magnetic field in a pre-programmed sequence. These are very large, however, and cost lots more dollars than the ones you buy at Radio Shack. With many modern high-coercivity media, you can't do a really thorough job of degaussing with a small degausser in any event. They just don't make a large enough field. -- 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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Australian collectors - any takers for 1 or more HP1000A?

by guerney＠uq.net.au

STRICTLY IF there are enough definite takers for HP1000A units being sold off by tender by the QLD DMR (see http://www.qits.net.au/hp1000/ ), then I am prepared to act as a Brisbane staging post. According to Frank McConnell (see thread "16 x HP1000 A-series systems") these machines are 1983-1988 vintage. And they will be heavy. I have communicated off-list already with Geoff Roberts - anyone else? Although the closing date for a bid is 14 May, I am leaving town for two weeks holiday on 8 May, so any bid from me will have to go in by fax this Friday at the latest. I certainly can not hang on to more than one of these myself, so I will only go ahead with a bid if I am sure that I will not be holding them for long or our of pocket for long. Really, I am offering just in case I can be of help here to people who want something less than the full lot, when they would otherwise go to the recyclers. The cost each will be 1/16th of the total bid plus freight from DMR to me, then freight from me to you. I would expect a successful bid to be in the range $100-$500 but suggestions welcome (such as what is the Australian scrap value of them?). Please reply ASAP. Phil Brisbane.

27 years, 1 month

1
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Fwd: Re: Possible equipment for NADCOMM (IBM 029 punch)

by cfandt＠netsync.net

Okay, here's a msg for you folks who want an IBM 029 card punch. It's available in Indianapolis. Please contact Joe Montano <jmontano(a)iquest.net> to obtain it. Act on it ASAP as his boss may get rid of it soon. And no, I didn't simply forward the msg to the list without first recalling exactly what the machine in question was (in ref. to that DECMATE embarassment to me a few days ago . . . :-\ ) I've USED this type machine so know there *may* be belts inside of it ;) I have asked Joe, thru NADCOMM, to give a bit more info. He sent a little trying to compare it to a Teletype model 28 which only a few of us on ClassicCmp know. NADCOMM is the North American Data Communications Museum located in Fallbrook, CA. >Date: Sun, 2 May 1999 07:12:55 -0700 >To: North American Data Communications Museum Staff:;, > Christian Fandt <cfandt(a)netsync.net> >From: Don Robert House <drhouse(a)abac.com> >Subject: Fwd: Possible equipment for NADCOMM > >I asked Joe about size and weight. He is going to get back to me. >Any comments regarding this equipment? > >Thanks, >Don > >>From: "Joe Montano" <jmontano(a)iquest.net> >>To: <drhouse(a)abac.com> >>Subject: Possible equipment for you. >>Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 15:08:10 -0500 >>MIME-Version: 1.0 >>X-Priority: 3 >> >>Don, >> >> I know that isn't exactly Teletype equipment but... >> >> I have come across an IBM model 29 card punch and was wondering if you >>might like it for the museum, otherwise it is dumpster bait. >> >> It came out of the Indianapolis Ameritech office and has sat in our >>company's warehouse ever since. >> >>Let me know. >> >>Joe >>N9VMO >> <<<<<< Follow-up msg from later in the day 2 May: >>>>>>>> >Date: Sun, 2 May 1999 17:01:48 -0700 >To: Christian Fandt <cfandt(a)netsync.net> >From: Don Robert House <drhouse(a)abac.com> >Subject: Fwd: Re: Possible equipment for NADCOMM >Cc: "Joe Montano" <jmontano(a)iquest.net>, > North American Data Communications Museum Staff:; > >Chris, > >Would you help us find a home for this card punch. None of us want this >item going to the dumpster. > >Thanks, > >Don > >>From: "Joe Montano" <jmontano(a)iquest.net> >>To: "Don Robert House" <drhouse(a)abac.com> >>Subject: Re: Possible equipment for NADCOMM >>Date: Sun, 2 May 1999 14:09:57 -0500 >>MIME-Version: 1.0 >>X-Priority: 3 >> >>Don, >> >>This unit is definitely NOT as heavy as a 28 as I had no problem lifting up >>the HEAVY end. I would est. the weight as closer to 100 lbs. and maybe a >>little more but not much more. >> >>It is about the size of a small child's desk with it being deeper than a 28 >>but not quite as long. >> >>I feel that it most definitely should go to some sort of museum or >>collection but I do not have any connections and I figured that you would, >>and I was right. >> >>Yes, the unit is still in the Indy area and I have told the boss that there >>is someone interested in it for their museum/collection so he is holding on >>to it for a little while longer but I can't guarantee(sp?) how long his good >>nature will hold out. >> >> >>If you could please fwd. this on to whoever you think might be interested in >>it, we would all be grateful. >> >> >>TTFN >>Joe >> -- -- Christian Fandt, Electronic/Electrical Historian Jamestown, NY USA cfandt(a)netsync.net Member of Antique Wireless Association URL: http://www.ggw.org/awa

27 years, 1 month

1
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Fortran conquered but whither C?

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

>Ok, we're cooking now. I've got Fortran IV running on my HT-11 system (with >FIS support no less!) and compiled the DEMO.FOR program into DEMO.SAV. That >was pretty neat, but now I'd like to get DECUS C running on this thing. >I found DECUS C on Tim's web site (cool) but I suspect it won't run on V2. >Is there anyway to check (except for ?ILL-EMT? :-)) According to CC.DOC, part of the DECUS C documentation, about the minimum RT-11 systems it might run on: ** This compiler has been built and used under RT-11 V3B and V4. ** It has run on a PDP-11/34, a PDP-11/05 and on PDT150 systems. So it might not work under your V2-ish system. Then again, it might work! -- 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
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scanning in pages

by lemay＠cs.umn.edu

I've started trying to scan in some pdp8/e data sheets. Before I scan in more pages, i'd appreciate any comments on what little i've already scanned in (one scan of a pdp8/e that is obviously too big, and two pages of data on a CESI pdp-8 processor replacement board). I plan to scan in more of those CESI information sheets on boards that they made for use in the PDP8/e computer. Is this the best way to do this, or is there a better way? http://www-users.cs.umn.edu/~lemay/pdp8_cesi.html -Lawrence LeMay

27 years, 1 month

2
1
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Fortran conquered but whither C?

by cmcmanis＠mcmanis.com

Ok, we're cooking now. I've got Fortran IV running on my HT-11 system (with FIS support no less!) and compiled the DEMO.FOR program into DEMO.SAV. That was pretty neat, but now I'd like to get DECUS C running on this thing. I found DECUS C on Tim's web site (cool) but I suspect it won't run on V2. Is there anyway to check (except for ?ILL-EMT? :-)) --Chuck

27 years, 1 month

1
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antiques-trs80,microbee+apple2e(nsw australia) (fwd)

by dastar＠ncal.verio.com

Found on the net. Heads up for the funny sounding folks in Australia. Please reply to original sender. Reply-to: cruffels(a)ozemail.com.au ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Newsgroups: aus.ads.forsale.computers.used,comp.sys.tandy,comp.os.cpm,comp.sys.apple2,comp.sys.apple2.marketplace Subject: antiques-trs80,microbee+apple2e(nsw australia) From: cmcconne(a)ozemail.com.au (Chris McConnell) Reply-To: cruffels(a)ozemail.com.au (erina hs) hello erina high school on the central coast is in the process of clearing out several storerooms and in the process has quite a number of old computers it would be happy to see go to good homes. if you interested see below and make an offer - any unreasonable offer will be considered and quickly accepted though obviously we reserve the right to wait a few days in case a better offer comes in. the only limitation we have is you must collect them yourself. most are in working condition but no guarentees can be made and there is little or no software or manuals included. TRS - 80's 2 - TRS-80's probably model 1: separate keyboard/cpu, monitor and power supply (no tapedecks) 2 - TRS-80's definitely model 111: single units with various configurations (one with and one without floppy drive but no tapedecks) MICROBEE 16 - 32k MICROBEE's from a network: keyboard/cpu, monitor and associated cabling (but no tapedecks) 1 - 128k MICROBEE: with floppy drive, monitor, 20meg hardrive, network connection box, dp80 printer, graphics tablet, 20 meg tape/hardrive backup and sundry connections/cabling APPLE 2 - APPLE 2e's: with floppy drive, 128k memory/80 columns, super serial card and green screen monitors 2 - APPLE 2e's: with double floppy drives, 128k memory/80 columns, super serial card and color monitors regards erina hs -- end of forwarded message -- -- 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: 04/03/99]

27 years, 1 month

1
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16 x HP1000 A-series systems

by fmc＠reanimators.org

"Phil Guerney" <guerney(a)uq.net.au> wrote: > The state (Qld, Australia) main roads department are selling a job lot of 16 > x HP1000 A-series systems. > > http://www.qits.net.au/hp1000/ > > Are these the same HP 1000's that are listed in the Comprehensive Computer > Catalog as being introduced in 1976? No. Those are probably the 1000 M, E, and F-series and are basically 21MX processors with the "HP1000" name applied. The A-series are later models. A600s were introduced in 1983, A400s in 1987 or 1988. I think they're largely compatible (e.g. they share a lot of the same peripheral I/O cards with the older 2100-family machines, and I think the processor has largely the same instruction set) but they're mostly smaller and faster. > - just a few km from that stash of HP1000's, but they are way out of my > league. Get some friends to help? -Frank McConnell

27 years, 1 month

3
2
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RSX to RT-11 OBJ file format

by jhfine＠idirect.com

I would like some help. I have a very old version of ODT.OBJ from an RSX-11 system. I MUST use this same old version to reproduce an old executable file, but I want to LINK under RT-11. The other file is in a source MAC file which does not use any system calls, so I can use RT-11 to run MACRO.SAV and produce a FOO.OBJ >from the source file. BUT, the ODT.OBJ file has the RSX-11 file format for RSX-11 and I can't do the LINK under RT-11. Can anyone suggest a way to convert it to an RT-11 file format? NOTE: I am not asking about the file structure of the directory, but the actual file format of ODT.OBJ itself. I can attach ODT.OBJ as a file for anyone who might be able to send me back the other version? It is already on a floppy with an MS-DOS file structure and I just used PUTR to copy it the the RT-11 system, but can't do the LINK under RT-11 and I don't want to switch to RSX-11. Sincerely yours, Jerome Fine

27 years, 1 month

1
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Fun with degaussers

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

>> Take a stack of 1 or more but not more than 5 disks and >> place them on a flat surface. >> >> Run a demagnetizer horizontally and vertically over the disks >> starting beyond the edge of the disk, crossing the disk, and then >> passing over the opposite edge. >> >> Hold the Demagnetizer about 1/4" above the disks and move it >> around clockwise and anti-clockwise several times, then while >> moving it in circles, slowly lift it up until it is about 12" >> above the disks and turn it off. >> >> The whole operation should take about 20 - 30 seconds. >This sounds like voodoo to me. There must be some point when you are >lifting the demagnetizer away that the effects from the device are >beneficial. The "lift it slowly away and then turn off" is an important point. This makes sure that the media really is demagnetized. If you turn it off while near the media, you can leave the media in a highly magnetized state. That said, 12 (or even 6) is way too many errors for a floppy disk. Cleaning the heads, re-aligning, or buying new media (there are lots of places that still sell 8" floppies) may be the real solution. >while swirling? Are you sure its not just one of those, or a combination >of two that really make the disk better? Is this truly making the disk >better or did the disk drive become amused watching you do all this and >then just decide to work because you made it laugh? You can have fun with large degaussers. For those with analog watches that aren't prized too highly, you can do some really neat tricks, such as making the run 60 times too fast (i.e. an hour every 60 seconds) or even making them run backwards! Tim.

27 years, 1 month

6
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Fun with degaussers

by allisonp＠world.std.com

My experience as I still use them is BAD BLOCKS are bad news (media dying) or just a crunch from powering down with the disk in the drive. If the disk does not erase and format without bad blocks it's trash here. I use my CPM system to format 8" SD disks and failure is not common but in all cases where I've seen that the media was shedding and gumming the head so it's trash media and a head cleaning. IF your trying to salvage data from a dying disk then you apply different rules. Allison

27 years, 1 month

1
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FA: Amdek Color Monitor.

by roblwill＠usaor.net

I have an old Amdek color composite monitor with a built-in speaker/amp. I no longer have any use for it, and it's currently just taking up space. I will take ANY offer + shipping for it. -- -Jason Willgruber (roblwill(a)usaor.net) ICQ#: 1730318 <http://members.tripod.com/general_1> PS>> It works good, it's just a bit dusty.

27 years, 1 month

2
1
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RT-11 SJ vs FB

by mbg＠world.std.com

> FB is the forground background monitor > (spooling to printer is a good background task! Actually, the print queue manager would be running as a foreground task... >Lator versions will have: > > BM batch monitor (for a batch based system) Batch support is a conditional assembly of any of the monitors. There is no one specific batch monitor. (And the handler name is BA). Megan Gentry Former RT-11 Developer +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ | Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com | | Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com | | Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' | | 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ | | Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler | | (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg | +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

27 years, 1 month

1
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Fun with degaussers

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

>> >Problem is that getting known-good 8" disks is non-trivial now. Computer >> >shops just don't stock them... > >> 8" Floppies are available from many mail- >> order sources in the US, most notably direct from Imation (used to >You're lucky. I've not seen them in UK catalogues for at least 5 years :-(. And even more unfortunately for you, http://store.imation.com/ doesn't sell outside the US. When I was in Canada I got around this by having a US shipping and billing address, but it's a bit further of a drive for those in the UK :-(. Have you had any luck >from the sources listed in the comp.os.cpm FAQ? -- 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
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Fun with degaussers

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

>> Then maybe it's the heads, or maybe it's dirt, or maybe it's just bad- >> quality media. In my experience, one >> or two bad blocks on a 8" floppy is acceptable. 6 or 12 is way too many, >> and indicates a more serious problem. >I would start investigating if there are _any_ bad blocks... One or two are OK, if they get mapped out. The I/O Exerciser (IOX) under RSX is very good at finding flaky blocks, as is FORMAT/VERIFY:ONLY/PATTERN: under RT-11. >> Maybe I'm just paranoid, but >> I don't like taking chances with data, and testing with new media and >Agreed. My data is a lot more valuable than the price of a floppy >Problem is that getting known-good 8" disks is non-trivial now. Computer >shops just don't stock them... 8" Floppies are available from many mail- order sources in the US, most notably direct from Imation (used to be 3M), and I've lived in neighborhoods that had retailers still stocking them. >> trashing questionable media is cheap and easy compared to replacing >> lost data. This is much more true with removable platter drives than >> with floppies! >Eh? Floppies are a lot cheaper than hard disk packs in my experience... But a dirty platter can wreck a lot more than your data (such as your heads) when they *do* crash. -- 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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Fun with degaussers

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

Chuck said: >At 09:50 PM 5/1/99 -0400, Tim wrote: >>That said, 12 (or even 6) is way too many errors for a floppy disk. >>Cleaning the heads, re-aligning, or buying new media (there are lots >>of places that still sell 8" floppies) may be the real solution. >The issue isn't with the disk I don't believe (I don't have an alignment >disk to prove it so I can't be sure). Then maybe it's the heads, or maybe it's dirt, or maybe it's just bad- quality media. In my experience, one or two bad blocks on a 8" floppy is acceptable. 6 or 12 is way too many, and indicates a more serious problem. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I don't like taking chances with data, and testing with new media and trashing questionable media is cheap and easy compared to replacing lost data. This is much more true with removable platter drives than with floppies! -- 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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Nixdorf LK-3000

by fauradon＠mn.mediaone.net

Hi all, I have an LK-3000 and am in need of information. When I took the thingy appart to replace the NiCads I noticed that there was absolutly nothing in terms of CPU, RAM or ROM inside, only logic for the display and keypad. From this I deducted that the smarts must be inside of the module wich I didn't take apart since the label is placed on top of the screws. Does anyone has information as to what modules were availabe, any hardware architecture information, any general information. Thank you Francois --------------------------------- Note: New e-address: fauradon(a)mn.mediaone.net Visit the oh so neglected (but recently moved) sanctuary at: people.mn.mediaone.net/fauradon

27 years, 1 month

2
1
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HELP

by post＠netcity.ru

Dear Colleagues, As you know, now Russia has a deep financial and economical crisis. We are already several months have not receiving salary and our parents-pensioners have not receiving pensions. In consequence our children constantly are hungry and to be illing. Therefore we decided apply to you with request to help us a little money in order that we could to buy the things of first necessity and food-stuffs for our children. We are very hope on any your help and looking forward to your reply. GOD will notice your true generosity. Your Russian friends, Mr. A. Petrosian. Kaluga. Russia.

27 years, 1 month

1
0
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Fun with degaussers

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<"can't read track 0" on both A and B drives. I formatted the disks <successfully on a Compaq clone and a Commodore PC10, and now the XT will <read them. Any ideas? You didn't demag them sufficiently well. Most double sided media really needs to be done from both sides. Allison

27 years, 1 month

2
1
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RT-11 SJ vs FB

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<Ok, so on my distribution disk if I boot it up it comes up as RT-11 V20B S <but if I boot DXMNTFB.SYS it comes up RT-11 V20B FB. What's the difference <Floating point? Not floating point. SJ is the single job monitor FB is the forground background monitor (spooling to printer is a good background task! Lator versions will have: BM batch monitor (for a batch based system) XM extended memory monitor Other possibilities are also possible via a build. Allison

27 years, 1 month

1
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Fun with degaussers

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<disks did the trick. Other empirical evidence was accumulated when the <demagnetizer shut itself off while I was using it near the disk, (thermal <shutdown to prevent meltdown I guess). That disk was unusable until the <demagnetizer reset and I could use it more carefully. When the thermal cutout opened there was a momentary spike. At that point rather than radom magnitisation you nailed the disk with a fixed field and really magnetized it. The powered demaggers whould be moved in a circular patter from surface contact to about arms length befor powering off to avoid that. FYI when wiping disks I use a ceramic magnet and move it uniformly over the surface in a circular pattern ten move it away while continuing to move it. works just as well as a line powered demagnetizer. Allison

27 years, 1 month

1
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Fun with degaussers

by edick＠idcomm.com

Another pass through the bulk-erase procedure should do it. I've had lots of diskettes and tapes which were rejuvenated by a serious bulk-erase. Dick -----Original Message----- From: Charles E. Fox <foxvideo(a)wincom.net> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Sunday, May 02, 1999 5:30 AM Subject: Re: Fun with degaussers >At 07:18 PM 5/1/1999 -0700, you wrote: >>At 09:50 PM 5/1/99 -0400, Tim wrote: >>>That said, 12 (or even 6) is way too many errors for a floppy disk. >>>Cleaning the heads, re-aligning, or buying new media (there are lots >>>of places that still sell 8" floppies) may be the real solution. >> >>The issue isn't with the disk I don't believe (I don't have an alignment >>disk to prove it so I can't be sure). The goal of demagnetizing is to >>recreate a uniform state of non-magnetism on the media. >> > Yesterday one of our local industries was selling off some equipment to >benefit Jr Acheivment, so I went down, found a 5 1/4" disk file with a >bunch of disks, and was told I could have it for $ 2.00. The lady on the >desk, however was determined no data could leave. I came home, returned >with a bulk tape eraser and demagnitized them on the spot. > However when I tried to format them with my trusty XT it spit them out as >"can't read track 0" on both A and B drives. I formatted the disks >successfully on a Compaq clone and a Commodore PC10, and now the XT will >read them. Any ideas? > > Regards > > Charlie Fox > > > Charles E. Fox > Chas E. Fox Video Productions > 793 Argyle Rd. Windsor N8Y 3J8 Ont. Canada > email foxvideo(a)wincom.net Homepage http://www.wincom.net/foxvideo >

27 years, 1 month

1
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Sony CD Rom Drive

by jolminkh＠nsw.bigpond.net.au

I have found a Sony CDU 6100 external CDRom drove with interface card and cable. Circa 1988. Does anyone know where I could find a driver for this? Thanks, Hans

27 years, 1 month

2
1
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16 x HP1000 A-series systems

by guerney＠uq.net.au

The state (Qld, Australia) main roads department are selling a job lot of 16 x HP1000 A-series systems. http://www.qits.net.au/hp1000/ Are these the same HP 1000's that are listed in the Comprehensive Computer Catalog as being introduced in 1976? The pictures on the Main Roads Web page do not look that old. Phil in Brisbane, Australia - just a few km from that stash of HP1000's, but they are way out of my league.

27 years, 1 month

1
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VAX 8600 added to the VCF Archives

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<Bah, it's a VAX, it should be running VMS. I totally fail to understand <why, especially now that licenses are free for hobbyist use, anyone would <want to run UNIX on a VAX! A system like that should be part of a nice VM <cluster! Here, here! The OS (VMS) is a classic too! Allison

27 years, 1 month

1
0
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RT-11 SJ vs FB

by mbg＠world.std.com

>Ok, so on my distribution disk if I boot it up it comes up as RT-11 V20B >SJ but if I boot DXMNTFB.SYS it comes up RT-11 V20B FB. What's the >difference? Floating point? SJ is the single-job monitor. One job is all you have, period. FB is the foreground-background monitor. You have two jobs. The foreground job is the higher-priority job. When it blocks, the background job gets a chance to run (actually, completion routines for the jobs are slightly higher than the jobs themselves). So, you can run a data collection program in the foreground, and the data reduction or storage program in the background. If you need to direct terminal input to the foreground, you type <Control-F> first, then type... To then have terminal input go to the background job, type <Control-B>. Later versions of RT-11 had foreground/background and up to 6 system jobs (with priorities in between background the foreground). Megan Gentry Former RT-11 Developer +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ | Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com | | Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com | | Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' | | 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ | | Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler | | (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg | +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

27 years, 1 month

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RT-11 SJ vs FB

by cmcmanis＠mcmanis.com

Ok, so on my distribution disk if I boot it up it comes up as RT-11 V20B SJ but if I boot DXMNTFB.SYS it comes up RT-11 V20B FB. What's the difference? Floating point? --Chuck

27 years, 1 month

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VAX 8600 added to the VCF Archives

by jimw＠agora.rdrop.com

At 06:39 PM 4/30/99 -0700, you wrote: > >This one will NOT be converted into a bar: > >http://www.vintage.org/crap/vax1.jpg >http://www.vintage.org/crap/vax2.jpg >http://www.vintage.org/crap/vax3.jpg Most cool! Congrats! >Look at the size of that power connector!!! Yeah, and your point would be??? So... what do you plan to be the first thing to boot up on it? B^} -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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Getting RT-11 source to disk

by cmcmanis＠freegate.com

Ok, it looks like the only way I have of getting source code from the 'net on to the disks is to use EDIT and the "stuff text down the serial line" hack in hyperterm. Assuming that I set hyperterm to send text slowly. What are the minimum commands in EDIT to: 1) Open a new file. 2) Go into Insert Mode 3) Exit insert mode and save the file. --Chuck

27 years, 1 month

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RQDX3 break out board?

by cmcmanis＠freegate.com

Ok, does anyone have an extra RQDX3 breakout board? This is the board that connects to the controller and then it has connectors for an RX50 and MFM hard drive(s). --Chuck

27 years, 1 month

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RT/HT-11 results

by cmcmanis＠mcmanis.com

Executive Summary: Very Cool. Ok, the adventure is nearly complete, the solutions are found, all that is left is to collect the crystals at the back of the cave. Recapping the RT/HT-11 saga ... Overview, I've been recussitating an H-11 with dual H27 8" floppy drives into working condition. This constitutes the first complete working example of a PDP-11 in my collection. The system consists of a M7270 w/FIS, M8044-Dx, H-11-5 serial, H-11-2 parallel, and H-11-Z floppy card. This system was picked up at a local auction in two lots (one the H11 the other the H27), the cable to the H27 had been cut off. After taking apart the system, verifying the operation of the PSU, I put together the minimum system (CPU, memory, and serial card) and powered it up. I got the ODT prompt and that was cool. But I had no software for the machine. I then saw an advertisement for an H-11 with software that was near by and asked if I could copy his disks. He said ok, and off I went box of disks in hand. Only to find they were the wrong type. I scrounged a couple of mangy disks and managed to get the HT-11B distribution disk and a disk called "DCOPY" copied. The disk labelled DCOPY also included FORMAT so this was the disk to have. Next I got hold of the correct format disks from a fellow list member, and formatted them on my system. After formatting I tried to Dcopy them and sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. I suspected my drives. Round 2 with the H-11 software owner and I format 10 disks at his place and dcopy 10 volumes of software. One of which is the HT-11 distribution (RT-11V10A). Encountering problems I tried the PIP command "/K" which Megan's note described as a bad block scan. When I did this I found _lots_ of bad blocks on the disks. Very weird! The disk surfaces looked fine but I doubted Control Data Corp was going to honor their 5-year warranty :-) So I came home again late. At home I took the worst disk and used a tape/video demagnetizer on it and then tried to reformat it. Half the bad blocks went away! (now down to 12). A few more rounds of this and I finally got the technique perfectly. Disk Demagnetization: Take a stack of 1 or more but not more than 5 disks and place them on a flat surface. Run a demagnetizer horizontally and vertically over the disks starting beyond the edge of the disk, crossing the disk, and then passing over the opposite edge. Hold the Demagnetizer about 1/4" above the disks and move it around clockwise and anti-clockwise several times, then while moving it in circles, slowly lift it up until it is about 12" above the disks and turn it off. The whole operation should take about 20 - 30 seconds. Once I did this, the disks would format and scan with zero bad blocks and zero retrys (no marginal blocks either). To initialize a disk in RT/HT-11 (ver A or B) the following steps are used: 1) Format the disk. 2) Run PIP and type "DX1:/Z" (this will ask for confirmation) 3) From PIP type "DX1:/K" (this will scan for bad blocks) If you get through step 3 with no bad blocks and no retries you have a solidly formatted disk and it is ready for use. Another mystery was some of the programs on the disk, in particular: MACRO.SAV ASEMBL.SAV EXPAND.SAV Because on my disk MACRO quit into ODT and ASEMBL failed to interpret the macros correctly. In the DOC file for DCOPY that the author wrote, he gave the steps to reassemble DCOPY.MAC and they were: .R EXPAND *DCOPY=DCOPY .R ASEMBLE *DCOPY=DCOPY .R LINK *DCOPY=DCOPY It turns out that EXPAND is the "macro" part of the macro assembler, and MACRO is the RT-11 MACRO-11 assembler from V02 (it crashed on the V01 disk) Now with good media in hand, I make one more pilgrammage and I should have everything I need to really enjoy this system. Thank you everyone for your help, it has been invaluable! --Chuck

27 years, 1 month

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Fwd: decmate II

by cfandt＠netsync.net

Hey DEC DECMATE folks! The fellow whose msg is copied below is looking for some advice on re-belting a DECMATE II. As I have neither experience nor manual on the machine, I feel some of you may help instead as you're the types who really could. Email directly to Bill. The machine is somewhere in Minnesota. Thanks muchly! Regards, Chris -- -- >Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 21:42:58 -0500 >From: wdoherty <wdoherty(a)uswest.net> >To: cfandt(a)netsync.net >Subject: decmateII > >My mother-in-law (you can see why this is important to me!) has a >DECMATEII Cira 1983. The belt on the printer broke. DEC will sell her >the belt but nobody knows how to put it on. can you recommend sites, >collectors, or hobbyiests who may have this knowledge? She is also >willing to sell to a collector. > >Thank you, >Bill Doherty > > -- -- Christian Fandt, Electronic/Electrical Historian Jamestown, NY USA cfandt(a)netsync.net Member of Antique Wireless Association URL: http://www.ggw.org/awa

27 years, 1 month

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Indy keyboard?

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On May 1, 5:07, R. Stricklin (kjaeros) wrote: > Oops, you're right of course. The Indigos use keyboards that only pretend > to be PS/2 compatible. My R4400 Indigo does not use an actual PS/2 > keyboard. I thought it did, but double-checking reveals my mistake. > > Sorry for the mis-information. Easy mistake to make :-) I had to think for a few minutes to be sure that an R4400 Indigo wasn't PS/2, because Indigo^2 keyboards etc are, and the keyboard connector is on the same board as the R4400. -- Pete Peter Turnbull Dept. of Computer Science University of York

27 years, 1 month

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Great find

by jrkeys＠concentric.net

I picked up a Rockwell Aim65 today for zero cost and seems to be in great shape. It looks like a large calculator and the housing is in very good condition. Also picked up a few HP cables for no charge.

27 years, 1 month

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Apollo Guidance Computer manual details

by jlewczyk＠his.com

Someone posted a few pages from the Lunar Module software (called "Luminary") on a web page at: http://www.pacifier.com/~garyn. If interested, grab it soon, as it won't be there for long. Its about 1800 pages long! Its written in assembler and dated 12/19/1969 Neat!

27 years, 1 month

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Fwd: decmate II

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<It would help rather more to know what kind of printer it is. The fact <that it's a DECmate narrows down the range of possible printers somewhat, <but really isn't enough. there were three common ones used with it. LQP02 (daisy wheel), LA50 and the LA75. Are we sure the failed belt is not the RX50? <Although I'd strongly recommend that anyone still using a DECmate for real <work give some serious consideration to moving to something a bit more DECmate II/IIIs are common enough a spare could be found. More likely the RX50 fails and they can be found. An DMIII is a more modern substitute and they tend to have long lives. What is missed is that a DM with all the other packages also has far more than word processing capability. Those are not easily duplicated on a PC running wordstar. Allison

27 years, 1 month

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Help! Univac punch card machines ....

by kstumpf＠unusual.on.ca

>Just taking the keyboard and nametag is not preservation, but trophying. >But while I discourage the wanton disregard for the actual hardware, which >is really the part that's worth preserving, I realize not everyone has the >facilities to store such a large artifact. I suggest you try to find >someone in your area who is capable of and willing to store the beasts. > Two things please: 1..Alex posted this message since he doesn't want to canabalilize so we need not give him that advice and more importantly, 2..Alex found it, he is a collector not a preservationist, so he can do what he wants. We should appreciate the notice without, what I read as, criticism. p.s. sorry for the original half-done post. Yours in good faith. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------- Kevin Stumpf * Unusual systems * www.unusual.on.ca +1.519.744.2900 * EST/EDT GMT - 5 Collector - Commercial Mainframes & Minicomputers from the 50s, 60s, & 70s and control panels and consoles. Author & Publisher - A Guide to Collecting Computers & Computer Collectibles * ISBN 0-9684244-0-6 .

27 years, 1 month

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Help! Univac punch card machines ....

by kstumpf＠unusual.on.ca

>Just taking the keyboard and nametag is not preservation, but trophying. >But while I discourage the wanton disregard for the actual hardware, which >is really the part that's worth preserving, I realize not everyone has the >facilities to store such a large artifact. I suggest you try to find >someone in your area who is capable of and willing to store the beasts. > Two things please: 1..Alex posted this message since he wan ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------- Kevin Stumpf * Unusual systems * www.unusual.on.ca +1.519.744.2900 * EST/EDT GMT - 5 Collector - Commercial Mainframes & Minicomputers from the 50s, 60s, & 70s and control panels and consoles. Author & Publisher - A Guide to Collecting Computers & Computer Collectibles * ISBN 0-9684244-0-6 .

27 years, 1 month

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Indy keyboard?

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Apr 30, 15:49, Mike Ford wrote: > One of my friends picked up a SGI Indigo (he calls it a purple), and he > doesn't have a keyboard for it (or mouse I suspect), what will work? He > tried a PC keyboard I think, and got "keyboard error". The keyboards used on Indigos and Personal IRIS machines are custom keyboards -- you need the right one. They use custom 3-button mice as well, which plug into the keyboard. The Indigo versions use a 6-pin miniDIN connector which looks like a PS/2 connector, but the pinout, voltages, and protocols are completely different. Indys and later machines use a standard PS/2 keyboard and PS/2 mouse. A good source is Greg Douglas at Reputable Systems: http://www.reputable.com/ A useful source of information is the "This Old SGI" document, at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Pines/2258/4dfaq.html -- Pete Peter Turnbull Dept. of Computer Science University of York

27 years, 1 month

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Cosmac ELF article in Popular Electronics

by fauradon＠mn.mediaone.net

It's all your fault, plus I had the July 1977 issue of PE on my desk: I scanned the graphic interface article for the Elf it's under the schematics section at: http://people.mn.mediaone.net/fauradon/schematics.htm By the way this is supposed to be part IV what was part III? Francois > >I scanned the two-part Cosmac "ELF" article from the August and September >1976 issues of Popular Electronics for someone and stuck them on the VCF >website. Although they aren't the best scans (72dpi, greyscale) they are >legible. However there are some parts that may not be readable. Anyway, >they are avaialble at the following URLs: > >http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf1.jpg >http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf2.jpg >http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf3.jpg >http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf4.jpg >http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf5.jpg >http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf6.jpg >http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf7.jpg >http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf8.jpg >http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf9.jpg >http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf10.jpg >http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf11.jpg > >These are fairly big files (~350K - 500K each). > >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: 04/03/99] > >

27 years, 1 month

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VAX 8600 added to the VCF Archives

by dastar＠ncal.verio.com

This one will NOT be converted into a bar: http://www.vintage.org/crap/vax1.jpg (the gap on the right is caused by an uneven floor in the warehouse) http://www.vintage.org/crap/vax2.jpg http://www.vintage.org/crap/vax3.jpg Look at the size of that power connector!!! 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: 04/03/99]

27 years, 1 month

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Cosmac ELF article in Popular Electronics

by dastar＠ncal.verio.com

I scanned the two-part Cosmac "ELF" article from the August and September 1976 issues of Popular Electronics for someone and stuck them on the VCF website. Although they aren't the best scans (72dpi, greyscale) they are legible. However there are some parts that may not be readable. Anyway, they are avaialble at the following URLs: http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf1.jpg http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf2.jpg http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf3.jpg http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf4.jpg http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf5.jpg http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf6.jpg http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf7.jpg http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf8.jpg http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf9.jpg http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf10.jpg http://www.vintage.org/crap/elf11.jpg These are fairly big files (~350K - 500K each). 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: 04/03/99]

27 years, 1 month

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Apollo Guidance Computer manual details

by dpeschel＠u.washington.edu

I've dug out my copy of the manual for the Apollo Guidance Computer. The files total about 165K; I don't think it's appropriate to mail them to the list. But if you want a copy: * Ask me and I'll send you one. * Maybe DejaNews has the posts. * Rich Drushel (who typed in the whole manual!) has a home page at: http://junior.apk.net/~drushel I didn't see the manual there but maybe I missed it. If anyone e-mails Rich and finds he has a later version, please tell me. I also have a separate 24K file (by Rich) with a giant picture of some of the keypads and a bit of extra detail about the AGC. I'm not sure the picture wasn't copied from the manual. The message below was Rich's "foreword" to his posting of the manual. It's fascinating, it's not too long, and Rich can explain the subject better than I can. BTW, I had forgotten the fact that the computer changed over time, each Apollo spacecraft had a few slightly-different "terminals", and the LEM had its own version(s) of the computer. If you want to write a simulator, your work is cut out for you. -- Derek Article 131741 of alt.folklore.computers: Path: news.u.washington.edu!uw-beaver!cornellcs!rochester!udel!delmarva.com!news.internetMCI.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!howland.reston.ans.net!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!wariat.org!junior.wariat.org!drushel From: drushel(a)junior.wariat.org (Richard Drushel) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Apollo Guidance Computer (Block I) [0/4] Date: 14 Jan 1996 14:48:02 GMT Organization: Akademia Pana Kleksa, Public Access Uni* Site Lines: 69 Message-ID: <4db532$if8(a)wariat.wariat.org> NNTP-Posting-Host: junior.wariat.org X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] The Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) revised 9601.14 by Richard F. Drushel (drushel(a)apk.net) Periodically there are questions on alt.folklore.computers about what kind of computers were used on board the spacecraft in the Apollo moon program. Here are the definitive answers, reproduced directly from the Apollo Operations Handbook for spacecraft SC 012--better known as Apollo 1. After the fire on 27 January 1967 which killed astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee, NASA began a massive investigation into the accident. Its 3-volume report, "Investigation into the Apollo 204 Accident", published 10 April 1967, contains not only the accident report, but also a wealth of supplementary data documenting the Apollo Command and Service Modules. Included is the complete Apollo Operations Handbook, which gives blueprints, block diagrams, schematics, theory of operations, how-to-fly-it instructions, you name it--including the computer system. I have broken Section 2, Subsection 2 (Guidance and Navigation System (G&N)) into 4 parts for ease of posting. This is pages 2.2-1 to 2.2-48 of the Apollo Operations Handbook SM2A-03-SC012, or pages 443-488 of Volume II, Part 1 of the Apollo 204 Accident Report. Two of the four figures in this section I reproduce as ASCII art; I've tried to keep it to 80 columns, but in a couple places it spills over, so don't read this with your word wrap on. Of the other two figures, one is a beautiful line drawing, and the other is a 4-page foldout block diagram. If I get around to it, I'll put the text up on my WWW home page and make .GIFs of the artwork. This description of the Apollo Guidance Computer is only absolutely correct for SC 012. A sister ship, SC 014, was completely dismantled during the accident investigation, and some changes were made in the ship design. Also, since SC 012 was a Block I spacecraft, it was never intended to dock with a lunar module--it had no docking probe and tunnel--so any computer programs dealing with translunar injection and lunar orbit rendezvous are absent. As for hardware changes, I don't know if it was due to the fire, but at some point before the manned lunar missions, the Bus A and B voltages were increased from +28 VDC to +65 VDC. This had grave implications for Apollo 13: the thermostatic switch for the heater in the oxygen tanks was never upgraded >from +28 VDC, it shorted out during a manufacturing test using +65 VDC, causing the heater to fail on for 8 hours, baking the inside at 1000 degrees F and exposing the bare wires which shorted out so explosively in space. Other changes from the state of SC 012 include the main hatch (changed after Apollo 1) and the plumbing for the oxygen tanks (changed after Apollo 13). The museum-quality sets in the 1995 Ron Howard film "Apollo 13" show that the Block II computer keyboard was different from that of Block I. I hope to add some ASCII art pictures of this sometime soon. The Lunar Module computer was evidently similar to the AGC. At least it shared the 1201 and 1202 error codes (which occurred during the lunar descent on Apollo 11, nearly causing the landing to be aborted). I have not found documentation similar to the Apollo Operations Handbook for the LM. I've tried to catch all the typos, but some may remain. If you find any, please let me know. Enjoy! I did when I read it; that's why I was motivated to type it all in :-) *Rich* -- Richard F. Drushel, B.A., Ph.D.| ColecoVision AA DDDDD AA M M ===============================| Family A A D D A A MM MM Come to ADAMcon VIII | Computer AAAAAA D D AAAAAA M M M M Cleveland, Ohio U.S.A. | System A A DDDDD A A M M M 5-8 September 1996 |============================================== See the ADAMcon VIII Home Page | http://junior.apk.net/~drushel/adamcon8.html

27 years, 1 month

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New stuff posted

by rcini＠email.msn.com

Hello, all: Last night, I finished uploading the final AIM65 book; the AIM65 User's Guide. The next projects: First Book of KIM, and PC/AT Tech Ref. [ Rich Cini/WUGNET [ ClubWin!/CW7 [ MCP Windows 95/Windows Networking [ Collector of "classic" computers [ http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/classiccmp/ [ http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/pdp11/ <---------------------------- reply separator

27 years, 1 month

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More RT-11 questions

by mbg＠world.std.com

>Wow! That is a lot of functionality packed into the PIP command! And here >I thought it was only for copying files :-) RT utilities are deceptively simple and yet powerful. I have a copy of the RT-11 System reference card here in front of me, so if you need anything else, just ask... >Now I'm dying to go home and try these out. Thanks Megan. Any time... Megan Gentry Former RT-11 Developer +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ | Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com | | Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com | | Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' | | 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ | | Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler | | (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg | +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

27 years, 1 month

1
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PC question

by roblwill＠usaor.net

To tell the truth, I can't think of ANY IBM that had a factory reset switch. My L40sx laptop has a place on the mother board for one, but no actual external switch. -- -Jason Willgruber (roblwill(a)usaor.net) ICQ#: 1730318 <http://members.tripod.com/general_1> -----Original Message----- From: Max Eskin <max82(a)surfree.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Monday, April 26, 1999 5:07 PM Subject: Re: PC question >On Mon, 26 Apr 1999, Fred Cisin (XenoSoft) wrote: >>NO!!!!! >>Any responsible computer manufacturer of the time included a reset switch. >>But we are talking about IBM. >>THERE WAS NO RESET SWITCH ON A REAL UNMODIFIED IBM AT. > >Well, the C-64 had no reset switch...or are we talking only about business >systems? My DECMate III has no reset switch. > >--Max Eskin (max82(a)surfree.com) > http://scivault.hypermart.net: Ignorance is Impotence - Knowledge is Power > >

27 years, 1 month

5
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More RT-11 questions

by mbg＠world.std.com

>MY first guess (assuming the physical format is identical, which isn't >absolutely certain) is that there are extra words at the end of each >directory entry. An RT11 directory entry consists of the filename, date, >status and number of blocks that it corresponds to (note that the >starting block is _not_ stored - you have to count the blocks used by all >previous entries to figure that out). But it's possible at format-time to >specify that each entry contains a number of extra words for the user to >make use of. The PERQ interchange disk, while nominally an RT11 format, >has 1 extra word in each directory entry that stores the number of bits >used in the last block of the file, for example. >Maybe early versions of RT11 choke if given disks which contain extra >words in the directory entries... But V2C definitely has the support for extra directory entry words. The number of extra words for an entry is part of the directory header (at the beginning of each directory segment). >Most likely the result of someone PIPing to TT rather than TT: Yep... Remember, TT and TT: are different... the first is a file called TT, the second is a device called TT... The device block used for file operations is 4 words long, with the first word being the device name (in rad50), the next two words being the 6 character file name (in rad50), and the last word is the file typ (extension, in rad50). If you type TT, the CSI (the Command String Interpreter) will build the following dblk (as it is called): .rad50 /DK/ .rad50 /TT / .rad50 / / whereas if you type TT:, the CSI creates the following dblk: .rad50 /TT / .rad50 / / .rad50 / / Megan Gentry Former RT-11 Developer +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ | Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com | | Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com | | Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' | | 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ | | Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler | | (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg | +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

27 years, 1 month

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Getting RT-11 source to disk

by mbg＠world.std.com

>The EDIT.SAV executable you have is probably a rather vanilla version >of TECO. Just to verify, try this (I use the convention that $ is >ESCAPE or ALTMODE): As far as I know, EDIT was never a vanilla version of TECO... EDIT was EDIT, TECO was TECO. EDIT did, however, look sort of like TECO in that it had single-character and double-character commands with arguments, ending with <ESCAPE>. But where, in TECO, you would do 'LT', in EDIT you do 'AL'. They are NOT the same program. >Later versions of RT-11 have an EDIT.SAV that is *not* TECO. (For >a long time, TECO.SAV didn't come with the distribution media - at >least as an immediately obvious file - but as of 5.7 it's back.)

27 years, 1 month

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Other RT-11 boots

by mbg＠world.std.com

>Ok, and putting what I believe are 2 and 2 together, >In a previous message I listed the contents of a two disk set that claims >to be RT-11V2C. On those disks were files of the form: > xxMNTFB.sys >So to create a bootable volume, you find the one for your device, then >copy it using PIP onto freshly formatted media as MONITR.SYS and then >write the boot block using /U. Am I close? "By George, I think he's got it..." I seem to remember that you don't even have to rename the file to MONITR.SYS, but that's typically what we did. Megan Gentry Former RT-11 Developer +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ | Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com | | Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com | | Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' | | 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ | | Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler | | (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg | +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

27 years, 1 month

1
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Getting RT-11 source to disk

by mbg＠world.std.com

>Ok, it looks like the only way I have of getting source code from the >'net on to the disks is to use EDIT and the "stuff text down the serial >line" hack in hyperterm. Assuming that I set hyperterm to send text >slowly. What are the minimum commands in EDIT to: > > 1) Open a new file. > 2) Go into Insert Mode > 3) Exit insert mode and save the file. There is another way... .R PIP *file.typ=TT: <- at this point you stuff the characters down the line... when done, type ^Z <CTRL-Z> Megan Gentry Former RT-11 Developer +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ | Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com | | Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com | | Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' | | 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ | | Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler | | (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg | +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

27 years, 1 month

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RQDX3 break out board?

by mbg＠world.std.com

>Ok, does anyone have an extra RQDX3 breakout board? This is the board >that connects to the controller and then it has connectors for an RX50 >and MFM hard drive(s). The one which goes into the BA123? Megan Gentry Former RT-11 Developer +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ | Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com | | Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com | | Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' | | 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ | | Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler | | (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg | +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

27 years, 1 month

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Leaky nicad battery

by clintw＠colorado.cirrus.com

> > > > > Cleaning the board didn't solve the problem that this PC has. On power on, it > > says (something like) 2A Keyboard failure. I can boot the machine and get into > > the setup menu by pressing Alt-Esc. However, the cursor keys and space bar do > > not work. At the DOS prompt, typing letter keys causes them to print twice > > (ddiirr, and so on). This is using a known good keyboard to test with. > > > > Does anyone have an idea as to what the problem might be? If it's in some > > custom-programmed keyboard controller or other custom chip, obviously the > A "standard" PC keyboard outputs two messages for each key. One for the key-down, and a second for the key-up. The key-up code is the same as the key-down code with 0xF0 in front of it. This could be the cause of the double letters. clint

27 years, 1 month

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More RT-11 questions

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

>Maybe early versions of RT11 choke if given disks which contain extra >words in the directory entries... No, *shouldn't* happen. This is said about PIP in the first version of RT-11: "The /Z switch clears and initializes the directory... the form of the command is: /Z:n where n is an octal number specifying the number of extra words per directory entry." All the RT-11 utilities have always gone to great pains to be compliant with directory entries that have extra words. On the other hand, some third party software hasn't been so kind, and my experience with HT-11 has been that there are some intentional and some unintentional incompatibilities. -- 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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Getting RT-11 source to disk

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

>Ok, it looks like the only way I have of getting source code from the 'net >on to the disks is to use EDIT and the "stuff text down the serial line" >hack in hyperterm. Well, that's not the only way. There are a number of ways to get a PDP-11 directly on the net, and there's a wide variety of network- connectible machines that can read and write 8" floppies. > 1) Open a new file. > 2) Go into Insert Mode > 3) Exit insert mode and save the file. Seeing as how you'll be "stuffing text down the serial line", the easier way is probably to use PIP to make the source file. For example: .R PIP *MYSORC.MAC=TT: (at this point you stuff the text down the serial line, probably with a delay between characters and lines) <Control-Z> *<Control-C> You now have the text you want in MYSORC.MAC. The EDIT.SAV executable you have is probably a rather vanilla version of TECO. Just to verify, try this (I use the convention that $ is ESCAPE or ALTMODE): .R EDIT *EWTEST.MAC$$ (this opens TEST.MAC for output) *I This is some text.$$ *V$$ This is some text.* EX$$ .R PIP *TT:=TEST.MAC This is some text. *^C Later versions of RT-11 have an EDIT.SAV that is *not* TECO. (For a long time, TECO.SAV didn't come with the distribution media - at least as an immediately obvious file - but as of 5.7 it's back.) -- 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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More RT-11 questions

by mbg＠world.std.com

>Using a DEC RX01/02? if not RT-11 format will NOT owrk on the H11 disk. >You must use the heath H11 formatter (or I think the switch must be in >RX01 mode). In either case the H11 disk system is very different from >the DEC save for RX01 media compatability. Good point... >Alsi did you "init" the disks? the didks need to be init'd to establish >the RT-11 directory. The command in .INIT DXn: As we've been mentioning, V2C was too early in RTs life to have either CCL or DCL, so there is no init command (which would run DUP, but there is no DUP). Running PIP and issuing 'ddn:/Z[/N:n]' is the correct way to lay down an RT file structure on a volume which has been formatted. Aha... found the problem with the boot command I gave earlier... it should have been .R PIP *DX1:A=DX1:MONITR.SYS/U *This* writes the bootstrap... /O actually does a boot. Just for completeness, the options for V2C PIP (and I would suspect V2B as well) are: /A Ascii file transfer /B Formatted binary /C Only include files with current date /D delete specified file /E list directory, include empty space /F list directory, short form (filenames only) /G Ignore input errors during file transfer /I Image mode (default) /K For bad block scan, list absolute block numbers /L list directory /M:n File position for magtape or cassette tape /N:n Number of segments (used with /Z) /O Bootstrap the specified device /R Rename file (new=old) /S Compress (squeeze) device - not the same as a file compress, which encodes the file, this simply moves the files to the beginning of a volume, and all the empty space toward the end (remember, RT-11 file structure uses contiguous files) /T Extend number of blocks allocated for a file /U Write bootstrap to volume /V Print version number of PIP /W Include absolute starting block number for directory listings /X copy files individually without combining... /Y Must be used to perform operations on .SYS and .BAD files /Z[:n] Zero directory (with 'n' extra words per directory entry) Megan Gentry Former RT-11 Developer +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ | Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com | | Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com | | Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' | | 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ | | Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler | | (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg | +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

27 years, 1 month

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Inquiry

by Philip.Belben＠pgen.com

Hi Stephanie! > I have a lot of the kid's computers, (Atari, Commodore, CoCo, etc), which > I am trying to keep alive. Does anyone know if I can substitute high > quality music tapes in place of computer tapes? Or where I can still > find computer cassette tapes for sale? My recollections are that the tape decks used for home computers were all fairly cheap. Even the Commodore ones, which you had to buy specially at vast cost, were quite cheap decks inside. (For commercial software production a friend and I used the deck from my hi-fi, but that's another story). The important thing is that very few of these decks could handle chromium dioxide or metal tapes properly. Ferric oxide tapes will give you the best results. Other than that, use any half-way decent brand. The really top brands will give the best results, but like many other contributors to this list, I never had any problems with cheap tapes (I couldn't afford decent ones when I was using home computers regularly). I have since tried the compact-cassette-sized "digital tapes" that were popular for backups and things a few years ago, but ordinary audio tapes work better. After all, the home computer market had to get quite big before "computer tapes" became readily available in small-town electronics shops and places. As far as I can tell, the only distinguishing feature of these tapes was the short length. Philip. PS Do I also have to say "Welcome to the list"? This is your first post isn't it?

27 years, 1 month

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Tandy Color Computer available in UK

by mark_k＠iname.com

Hi, I have a working Tandy Color Computer (PAL version, as sold in the UK) to dispose of. From memory it comes with a user manual and little else. The previous owner seems to have added a DIN plug to the rear. Perhaps this provides composite video & audio output which the unmodified machine does not (RF output only). I'd like to swap it for an old PC base unit (386SX or better) which has at least three ISA slots. These are virtually worthless nowadays, right? Regards, -- Mark

27 years, 1 month

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Leaky nicad battery

by mark_k＠iname.com

Hi, A few days ago I posted about an old PC board which had a leaky battery. I followed Allison's advice and neutralised the stuff with lemon juice. The fizzing/bubbling that happened when I did this suggests that cleaning with alcohol alone (say) is not really adequate. Anyway, after cleaning it up I checked all affected PCB traces with a multimeter. It turns out that none of them were corroded all the way through, so repairs weren't necessary. Cleaning the board didn't solve the problem that this PC has. On power on, it says (something like) 2A Keyboard failure. I can boot the machine and get into the setup menu by pressing Alt-Esc. However, the cursor keys and space bar do not work. At the DOS prompt, typing letter keys causes them to print twice (ddiirr, and so on). This is using a known good keyboard to test with. Does anyone have an idea as to what the problem might be? If it's in some custom-programmed keyboard controller or other custom chip, obviously the prospect of repair is slim. But the majority of chips on the PCB look fairly standard (PC is made in 1989 or 1990). -- Mark

27 years, 1 month

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Chicago warehouse sale

by ware＠interaccess.com

Michael Soloma of Sol's Computer Works (from whom I have acquired quite a bit of classic gear) will be having a warehouse sale tomorrow (Saturday, May 1) here in Chicago. More information and a general list of items for sale or free (including data books, IBM XT/AT/PS2 systems, 286-486 clones, terminals, Apple IIs, Macs, drives, and boards) is available from his web site at http://www.chicweb.com/scw/ and http://www.chicweb.com/scw/4sale-details.htm The warehouse is located at 2650 W. Belden in Chicago, and his e-mail address is msoloma(a)megsinet.net. -- Scott Ware ware(a)interaccess.com

27 years, 1 month

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HT-11 bit bi bit

by cmcmanis＠mcmanis.com

Ok, so another clue discovered: 1) Typing DX1:/Z "zeros" the directory on a floppy. 2) Trying this on drive 1 leaves the floppy scrambled, doing it on drive 0 seems to work. Trying DX0:A=DX1:MONITR.SYS/O does not write the boot block A disk formatted and zeroed is not mbootable. Since the source to FORMAT was included I thought I'd take a peek. It tells the controller that is embedded in the drive "format that disk." and it does. There is a slim changce I've got a "spare" 8" drive that I can use to check the alignment on my drive 1. Are all 8" drives the same on their connector? (actually there are the NEC drives in the Chrislin box that aren't being used at the moment. What the heck is used for "delete" on RT-11? backspace doesn't work nor does DEL apparently. If anyone remembers how to actually assemble something I'd appreciate it. WHen I run assembl it gives a '*' prompt, to which I can type DX0:SAMPLE.MAC and it will assemble it except that it doesn't recognize any of the macro definitions because it apparently hasn't included "SYSTEM.MLM" or whatever it is. --Chuck

27 years, 1 month

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GRiD disks

by mark_k＠iname.com

Hi, Ages ago I picked up some disks that would have come with GRiD computers. The labels are as follows: ---- MS-DOS Version 3.21 11/87 103856-00 Copyright ? 1987 GRID Systems Corporation Mountain View, California 94043 ---- GRiDMaster (MS-DOS Format) Version 3.1.7 10/86 103816-00 Copyright ? 1986 GRiD Systems Corporation Mountain View, California 94043 ---- InteGRiD GRiDCase Family Version 3.2 11/86 103814-00 Copyright ? 1986 GRiD Systems Corporation Mountain View, California 94043 ---- INTEGRiD MS-DOS Format Version 3.3.0 11/87 103857-00 Copyright ? 1987 GRiD Systems Corporation Fremont, California 94538 ---- Does anyone need copies of these? And what exactly are InteGRiD and GRiDMaster? -- Mark

27 years, 1 month

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More RT-11 questions

by mbg＠world.std.com

>Ok, so when I boot the disk labelled RT-11V02C on my H-11 it seems to >work except if I try to use PIP to copy a file to a disk I formatted with >HT-11 it doesn't work (gives me DIR-RD-ERR). It's possible that HT11 had some slight variation in the directory structure which causes real RT-11 to throw up its hands in disgust. >I realize DEC was "famous" for not providing formatting software but is >there a FORMAT program for this version? Interestingly PIP on the HT-11 >DISK can read the disks just not the "official" RT11 Not so much that there is no software for it, some devices had no capability to format... You cannot format an 8" floppy on an RX01. Even on the RX02, all you can do (with true DEC hardware) is change a single-density RX01 to a double-density RX02 or vice versa. If the disk has no formatting to begin with, RX02s can't help it. The only machine, strangely enough, which could truly format RX01s was the PDT-11/150... It writes the low-level format whenever it writes a block... I had a RX01 attached to one of my file cabinets at work, using a magnet ring from an RK05... but I regularly used it on the PDT just to show people it could be done... BTW - a side effect of this is that only those sectors actually written by the PDT-11/150 will have single-density formatting... if the disk is otherwise a double-density disk, the unwritten sectors remain double-density... strange, eh? >Contents of Disk 1: Contents of Disk 2: >MONITR.SYS 46 5-JAN-78 RKMNSJ.SYS 46 5-JAN-78 typically, MONITR.SYS was RT-11 SJ monitor for RK05 what the bootable monitor was called. >DXMNFB.SYS 58 5-JAN-78 RKMNFB.SYS 58 5-JAN-78 RT-11 FB monitor for RX01 RT-11 FB monitor for RK05 >DP .SYS 2 5-JAN-78 RFMNSJ.SYS 46 5-JAN-78 SJ/FB RP02/03 disk handler RT-11 SJ monitor for RF11 (fixed head disk) >RK .SYS 2 5-JAN-78 RFMNFB.SYS 58 5-JAN-78 SJ/FB RK05 disk handler RT-11 FB Monitor for RF11 >RF .SYS 2 5-JAN-78 DPMNSJ.SYS 46 5-JAN-78 SJ/FB RF11 disk handler RT-11 SJ monitor for RP02/03 >TT .SYS 2 5-JAN-78 DPMNFB.SYS 58 5-JAN-78 SJ/FB TT handler RT-11 FB monitor for RP02/03 >LP .SYS 2 5-JAN-78 DT .SYS 2 5-JAN-78 SJ/FB Parallel Line printer SJ/FB Dectape (TU56) handler handler >BA .SYS 7 5-JAN-78 DX .SYS 2 5-JAN-78 SJ/FB Batch handler SJ/FB RX01 disk handler >SYSMAC.SML 18 5-JAN-78 CR .SYS 3 5-JAN-78 System Macro Library SJ/FB Card reader handler >SYSMAC.8K 25 5-JAN-78 MT .SYS 6 5-JAN-78 System Macro Library SJ/FB Magtape handler >BATCH .SAV 25 5-JAN-78 MM .SYS 6 5-JAN-78 Batch processor SJ/FB Magtape handler >EDIT .SAV 19 5-JAN-78 PR .SYS 2 5-JAN-78 Text editor, uses commands SJ/FB Paper tape reader handler kind of like TECO, but different >MACRO .SAV 31 5-JAN-78 PP .SYS 2 5-JAN-78 Assembler SJ/FB paper tape punch handler >ASEMBL.SAV 21 5-JAN-78 CT .SYS 5 5-JAN-78 Assembler (?) I never used SJ/FB TU60 cassette handler this one... >EXPAND.SAV 12 5-JAN-78 DS .SYS 2 5-JAN-78 I've forgotten... SJ/FB RJS04 disk handler >CREF .SAV 5 5-JAN-78 FILEX .SAV 11 5-JAN-78 Cross-referencer File Exchange utility (knows about RSTS file structure as well as interchange floppies and TOPS-10 volumes. >LINK .SAV 25 5-JAN-78 SRCCOM.SAV 11 5-JAN-78 Linker Source file comparison utility >PIP .SAV 14 5-JAN-78 DUMP .SAV 5 5-JAN-78 Peripheral Interchange Program DUMP utility >PATCH .SAV 5 5-JAN-78 PATCHO.SAV 33 5-JAN-78 Utility for patching image Utility for patching object files files >ODT .OBJ 9 5-JAN-78 VTMAC .MAC 7 5-JAN-78 'Octal Debugging Technique' VT11 macro definition file I always had a problem with the name. I always thought it should have been 'Octal Debugging Tool'. >VTHDLR.OBJ 8 5-JAN-78 SYSF4 .OBJ 33 5-JAN-78 VT11 display handler object I don't know... library >DEMOFG.MAC 5 5-JAN-78 KB .MAC 33 5-JAN-78 Demo foreground program, SJ/FB keyboard handler, allowed communicates with... input from keyboard (the way TT handled device output) >DEMOBG.MAC 4 5-JAN-78 Demo background program >LIBR .SAV 15 5-JAN-78 Librarian utility, used to build object libraries >TT 1 5-JAN-78 This is not a standard RT file... >LOAD .SAV 7 5-JAN-78 This is not a standard RT file, it may be part of what is executed at boot time...? Thanks for the walk down memory lane... Megan Gentry Former RT-11 Developer +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ | Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com | | Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com | | Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' | | 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ | | Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler | | (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg | +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

27 years, 1 month

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Leaky nicad battery

by edick＠idcomm.com

did you try out this PC with a KNOWN working keyboard? I've had a few experiences with keyboards which would work with some systems and not others. I've got one, for example, which works fine, except . . . it is not recognized on power-up. I don't know why this is, but since it's the only problem I've encountered with it, it's on the server, which doesn't go through power cycles that often. Dick -----Original Message----- From: Mark <mark_k(a)iname.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Friday, April 30, 1999 11:35 AM Subject: Re: Leaky nicad battery >Hi, > >A few days ago I posted about an old PC board which had a leaky battery. I >followed Allison's advice and neutralised the stuff with lemon juice. The >fizzing/bubbling that happened when I did this suggests that cleaning with >alcohol alone (say) is not really adequate. > >Anyway, after cleaning it up I checked all affected PCB traces with a >multimeter. It turns out that none of them were corroded all the way through, >so repairs weren't necessary. > >Cleaning the board didn't solve the problem that this PC has. On power on, it >says (something like) 2A Keyboard failure. I can boot the machine and get into >the setup menu by pressing Alt-Esc. However, the cursor keys and space bar do >not work. At the DOS prompt, typing letter keys causes them to print twice >(ddiirr, and so on). This is using a known good keyboard to test with. > >Does anyone have an idea as to what the problem might be? If it's in some >custom-programmed keyboard controller or other custom chip, obviously the >prospect of repair is slim. But the majority of chips on the PCB look fairly >standard (PC is made in 1989 or 1990). > > >-- Mark >

27 years, 1 month

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HP 9845 and space schuttle program

by steverob＠hotoffice.com

> >I actually used the 9845B (Model T) for Space Shuttle flight support > >(STS-2 through STS-24). I worked at Rockwell International Space Systems > >Division in Downey, California (now owned by Boeing). I started out in > >1979 doing bean-counting work. I wrote BASIC programs that create bar > >charts, plots, and tabulated data for the Flight Systems Design and > >Performance department. My manager, Bill Schleich, was the one who > >developed the shuttle's roll maneuver shortly after lift-off. <CLIP> Fascinating! Thanks Joe. Steve Robertson - <steverob(a)hotoffice.com>

27 years, 1 month

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Seeking: EDUSystem software...

by jimw＠agora.rdrop.com

Ok, someone has this stuff filed in the closet somewhere... B^} I'd (and some others around) like to find copies of one or more the various versions of the EDUSystem (timeshared BASIC) series of software for the PDP-8. (does anyone besides me see a VCF III demo coming on?) B^} The one source (pun intended) that I've located on the 'net for EDUSystem-25 is partially corrupted (in the math/init section), and so is of marginal use... Does someone have archives of this stuff hiding on some disk/tape/paper/etc. somewhere? Thanks! -jim --- jimw(a)computergarage.org The Computer Garage - http://www.computergarage.org Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174 >>> Coming soon to www.computergarage.org - the CBBS/NW on-line archives >>> Coming to VCF III (2-3 October 1999) - CBBS/NW live!

27 years, 1 month

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A collection of odd questions about a i386 machine...

by arfonrg＠texas.net

I have finally gotten my GRiD 1530 laptop going!!! WHOO HOO!!! But, I have several questions... The processor problem... It's a i386... I'd like to get one of those 386 to 486 upgrade processors but, they seem to not be available. Can anyone tell me what I have to do to rig a 486 in there? The Hard drive oddity... Part I The laptop came with a Conner 3104 (100Mb) hard drive... I put this drive into my pentium desk top and used the segate software to verify the disk, then I formatted & did a scandisk, and loaded DOS. When it went to write COMMAND.COM and a few final files, it gave me a bunch of write errors... I took the same drive and put it in my old 486 desk top (with a NON-EIDE) controller and everything loaded fine!!!! Why did this happen??? Part II I have a 420Mb Conner drive that mates to the laptop's interface card. I loaded DOS and what not on it and then used the GRiD setup program to set the bios to the correct parameters and it still gives me a disc boot error! Why won't this drive work? ---------------------------------------- Tired of Micro$oft??? Move up to a REAL OS... ######__ __ ____ __ __ _ __ # #####/ / / / / __ | / / / / | |/ /## ####/ / / / / / / / / / / / | /### ###/ /__ / / / / / / / /_/ / / |#### ##/____/ /_/ /_/ /_/ /_____/ /_/|_|#### # ###### ("LINUX" for those of you without fixed-width fonts) ---------------------------------------- Be a Slacker! http://www.slackware.com Slackware Mailing List: http://www.digitalslackers.net/linux/list.html

27 years, 1 month

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SYM-1

by edick＠idcomm.com

Synertek, by the way, was the earliest of several companies to produce really high-speed 650x family members. Their 4 MHz parts, which I routinely used at nearly 5 MHz in order to support async serial comm's, were the cat's pajamas back in 1980-81. Dick -----Original Message----- From: Sellam Ismail <dastar(a)ncal.verio.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Thursday, April 29, 1999 3:20 PM Subject: SYM-1 >On Thu, 29 Apr 1999, Dwight Elvey wrote: > >> I can't understand why anyone would expect too high >> a price for these, though. Although not common, many >> were just tossed out. > >Such is the incomprehensible ebay market for vintage computer items these >days. It indeed makes no sense. > >Anyway, Ray Holt, the same guy that designed the F14 CADC, also designed >the SYM-1. Synertek was his company before it was bought out by >Honeywell. He'll probably be at VCF 3.0 if you'd like to speak with him. > >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: 04/03/99] >

27 years, 1 month

4
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pip help

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

>Hi Tim, > >At 10:58 PM 4/29/99 -0400, you wrote: >>.R PIP >>*DY1:FILE.OUT=DY0:FILE.IN >> >>wildcarding works, too. > >would wildcarding be *.* ? or some other characters? and is it >DX1:*.*=DX0:*.* > >My pip just responds ?OUT FIL? >and DX1:=DX0:*.* responds with : ?ILL DEV? Stretching my brain here, but I think you want: DX1:*.*=DX0:*.*/X/Y The "/X" means to copy the files individually, without concatenation The "/Y" means to copy the *.SYS files (without this, you'd get some ?NO SYS ACTION? messages). >>You also have to put a bootblock on the resulting disk to make it >>bootable, but I don't know how to do this (off the top of my head) >>in HT-11 (or RT-11 V2B). > >I'm guessing that the version of FORMAT does this because if I FORMAT a >disk and then DCOPY the HT-11B Distribution to it, it boots. DCOPY almost certainly does a block-by-block copy ("image mode"), not a file-by-file copy. So you'd naturally get the boot block. -- 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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Can you identify these cards?

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.COM

> I went scrounging today and found some interesting cards. A picture of >the first one is at "http://www.intellistar.net/~rigdonj/card1.jpg" and a >picture of the second is at "http://www.intellistar.net/~rigdonj/card2.jpg". > The first one is interesting because it has a list on the right side that >appears to be a list of memory locations and op codes. It's hard to see in >the photo but the first column is labeled CNT. (count?). Most of the ICs >are dated 1972. The only other markings on the card is "TERADYNE A 794" and >"Made in USA". Looks like a ROM built out of a diode array. I'd make a WAG that it's a bootstrap for some computer, but I don't know what. Judging by the content list, I'd say it's a 18-bit computer of some sort, but I don't recognize the board form factor or the opcodes. > The second one is a core memory board that I *think* may be for a Data >General computer. I picked up several of these and they're all made by >Dataram Corporation and appear to date from 1972. Their part number is >3010290. I took the cover off of one. Man, the cores in these are tiny! They don't plug directly into a Nova's bus, at least. It's very likely that these core cards plugged into a dedicated array backplane - note the lack of bus interface circuitry near the edge connector, but obvious core drivers. The array backplane would've contained other card(s) forming the bus interface to the actual computer that used these core planes. If you can give us the X by Y count of the cores, and tell us if the cores are obviously divided into sections (12? 16? 18?), maybe we can make more WAG's about where it plugs into :-). -- 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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FREE: RS232 card for Data Printer

by jott＠mastif.ee.nd.edu

Hello - This is free for the shipping. RS232 I/O adapter p/n 42086G4 for a Data Printer Corp. band printer. This is a complete kit and has never been used. john -- *********************************************************************** * John Ott * Email: jott(a)saturn.ee.nd.edu * * Dept. Electrical Engineering * * * 275 Fitzpatrick Hall * * * University of Notre Dame * Phone: (219) 631-7752 * * Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA * * ***********************************************************************

27 years, 1 month

1
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2026

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2024

2023

2022

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2020

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2016

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2014

2013

2012

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2010

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test-drb