I just purchased an Apple /// and noted some interesting differences
between the new Apple /// and one I've had for a while.
Upon turning on the new ///, it displays some garbage, then beeps and
shows "Diagnostic RAM" on the screen, along with a square pattern of
'.'s. Not until I press "Reset", does the comptuer dead the floppy drive
My old Apple /// (which, BTW, I beleive to have some bad RAM) immediately
starts reading the the floppy drive with no "Diagnostic RAM" or need to
hit "Reset".
Also noted:
The new Apple /// has darker keycaps
The older Apple /// has a shielded "Color Video" Port
On the tags on the bottom of the units:
The older has a place to check off either 64k 96k or 128k (128k is
checked)
The new has a place to check off either 128k or 256k (128k is checked)
I understand there was an upgrade to the Apple /// dubbed the "Apple
///+". I was under the impression the '+' was actually written on the
case. Is this the case, or is it possible my newer unit is a ///+? If
its not, what causes the discrepancy in startup procedure? Just minutely
different versions of the Apple ///, or does the older units bad RAM have
something to do with it?
Thanks!
Tom Owad
--
Sysop of Caesarville Online
Client software at: <http://home.earthlink.net/~tomowad/>
--- Tony Duell wrote:
>
> --- Tony Duell wrote:
> [Re: copying Lisa disks w/o a working Lisa]
> I think the only way is to find some other Lisa 'up and running'.=20
> --- end of quote ---
>
> There is another way, I think, using Mac utilities. Mr. Craig sent =
I would guess that the Mac disk controller would be able to read the
later 3.5" Lisa disks. Of course this doesn't help with the 'twiggy' disks.
--- end of quote ---
Right, but in this case it was specified "Lisa II" which means no Twiggies. (Unless there's some _really_ weird modification happening here...)
;)
-- MB
> The problem is that these requires (obviously) that the disk controller
> can read the data off the disk, at least at the bit/byte level. And Apple
> have always used GCR (Group Code Recording) which is incompatible with
> the FM (single density) or MFM (double density) recording systems used by
> most other manufacturers. I don't know if the Lisa uses GCR encoding, but
> since the Apple ][ and Macs do, it's a reasonable bet that the Lisa does
> likewise.
>
> So, alas, the PC's disk controller can't read bytes off Lisa disks. So
> there's no way to make a copy using a PC.
Aren't there programs that allow PC's to read Apple disks?
--
-Jason
(roblwill(a)usaor.net)
ICQ#-1730318
Wow! It's amazing how different a CRT looks after three weeks' break.
I don't even feel like sitting at a computer that much anymore.
Sorry to start off again on a bad foot, but does anyone know why a
certain hard drive of mine won't spin up unless whacked firmly
against a table? Is there anything I can do? This is a laptop drive.
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
I'm looking for some info on old Panasonic plasma displays. For those
of you who have computers that use them for sale, I might be interested
in paying a reasonable price for one just to get a working display so I
can measure the voltages and get all of them working. I have the
controllers for the touchscreen and would especially like to get that
working.
(Forward of message I also sent to Panasonic and ELO:)
Shawn T. Rutledge wrote:
>
> I have a couple of old Matsushita/Panasonic plasma displays (about 10
> years old I think). One of them has an Elo touch screen. I was
> wondering if you happen to have the power supply voltages for the plasma
> displays? The power connector on one has 3 pins, and on the other has 4
> pins but only 3 of them are hooked up to wires on the cable. The
> polarity is marked, but not the voltages themselves, only "high voltage"
> vs. "low voltage" and I'm wondering how high is high?
>
> One display has the numbers
> MD400F640PD5
> 9.5.3 C:153536
>
> The other:
> MD400F640PD4
> 8.1.2 T-7050
>
> Or, if all else fails, can you tell me what kind of computer these would
> have been used in? maybe I can find some archives on that or find one
> of the computers for sale somewhere. (I'm suspecting a Compaq
> lunchbox?)
>On 21 Aug 1998, Marion Bates wrote:
>
>**** snip ****
>
>> Incidentally, there is a way to de-serialize LOS diskettes using FEdit --
>> I don't know where your set of disks came from, or whether they've been
>> used. (The LOS install disks have to be un-write-protected because the
>> first time you install the software, the installer reads the Lisa's
>> unique hardware serial number and writes it to the disk for piracy
>> prevention. If you ever try to install the software on another machine,
>> it won't let you.) >
>
>I, for one, would be interested in learning the details.
>
> - don
>
>
Okay -- it's several pages of text and diagrams (screen shots, I think). If I
can scan and OCR it without losing too much, I'll email it. Maybe save as
low-res pics otherwise. Will do that later today...
-- MB
At 09:18 PM 8/18/98 -0500, you wrote:
>At 09:26 PM 8/19/98 -0400, you wrote:
>>Almost sounds like something from the government - even the name.
>
> Very likely. Harris does a LOT of government work. Their satellite
>division (and others) are literally right around the corner from this place.
>
> How
>>much are they asking for it?
>
> "Make an offer". They bought it (probably dirt cheap) by mistake and
>know NOTHING about it.
>
> If it's not that much, it may be worth it
>>just to get it and see just what the heck it actually was for...
>
> Maybe. It's kinda big though. About a 30" cube. Ugly too, it looks
>kind of like a car that's been crushed.
>
> Joe
>>--
You sure it's not a working model of a BORG scout ship?
Nobody mentioned *who's* govenrment Harris contracted for!
(Sorry for raising the noise floor, guys. Couldn't resist).
:-))
Jeff
--- Don Maslin wrote:
A chap that has gotten some Osborne 1 disks from me has a Lisa II.
Apparently, he has some bootable application software for it, so he is
able to bring it up.
He mentioned that he is looking for a copy of the 'seven disk set' that
was bundled with it. Can anyone help me help him? He is willing to pay
reasonable costs.
- don
--- end of quote ---
I posted a message with exactly that information last night. If you didn't get it, email me, <raoulduke(a)dartmouth.edu> and I will re-send it to you.
-- MB
I'm in the process on restroing one of these now, so I've had the same
problems.
I think that you can substitute a PB100/140 adapter for the stock MP
adapter and have it work. The MP adapter is 7.5v at 1.5a. I think that the
minimum for startup is north of 2a.
I also just got a replacement CP3045 hard drive, and brand new
batteries. Now I need to bring it up...
Rich Cini/WUGNET <nospam_rcini(a)msn.com>
- ClubWin/CW7
- MCP Windows 95/Windows Networking
- Preserver of "classic" computers
<<<< ========== reply separator ========== >>>>>
Update:
< Can anyone help me I was just given a parallel port syquest 270
< external cartridge disk.
<
< I don't have the install disk... well I do but it's hopelessly munged.
< I need that so I can do transfer media to PC from...
This part is solved, Syquest has a webpage (www.syquest.com).
< More importantly I want to try and hang it on one of the CP/M systems
< that happens (by my design) to have a EPP compatable port. So, I need
< the gory details of how to talk to such a critter so I can write a CP/M
< bios.
I can pull the drive out of the parallel port case and use it with out the
parallel port adaptor as it's IDE. I'd rather figure out how to talk to
it using the parallel port adaptor as it seems to elude everyone.
Allison
This'll seem insignificant to most Californians. :)
I've hauled all this stuff home this week, even though I wasn't
really looking for stuff (just lucky!):
IBM PCjr (no power supply)
Timex/Sinclair 1000
TS-1016 RAM cartridge
TS-2040 Printer (no power supply)
Dynalogic Hyperion
VIC-1906 'Alien' game cartridge for VIC-20
'Tennis' cart for CoCo, with box and docs
Carts for the Atari 2600 (yes, I know it's not a computer):
Grand Prix, Gyruss, Jungle Hunt, Keystone Kapers, Mega Force, Skiing,
Sky Jinks, Sorcerer, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: The
Empire Strikes Back, Vanguard, Zaxxon.
All from the same Salvation Army store I cursed a few weeks back for
tossing out all their computer junk.
Well, they keep doing it, but I'll take back my curses because I
understand why they'd do such heinous things. With the way stuff has been
pouring in in the past couple of months, they must get innundated with
this stuff!
I have a feeling that if I visited every day or two, instead of every week
or two, I'd be hauling away a lot more stuff.
I'm still pissed off about the potential Wang monitor tossing, but these
folks are clueless about what's worth keeping.
Anyway, some notes about the stuff mentioned above...
The Dynalogic Hyperion isn't in nearly as good shape as the last one I
hauled out of the very same store. This one is _very_ yellowed, like it's
been sitting directly in the sun for a few years. Which is probably why
someone installed a wire mesh in front of the display. I figure it
must've been an anti-glare measure, though it's still quite shiny so maybe
it was just to ease the fears of a radiation-scared employee.
Anyway, whoever installed the mesh cracked chunks of the case off here and
there. They also neglected to replace several screws. The internal
screws they left out would've been hard to put back, though, with that
mesh in front of the display. Anyway, the front panel is kind of loose.
At least the ports are all labeled on this Hyperion, so I'll have
to revise the poor guesses (ahem) on my web page. :) Also, there aren't
any knock-out panels on this one.
I did notice that there are two EPROMs in the machine. I'm definitely
going to have to get an EPROMmer of some sort. One of the EPROMs in
this Hyperion is soldered directly to the PCB, though, which makes things
difficult. (I haven't checked the other Hyperion.)
This 'new' Hyperion has some 'display issues'. :) The display on the
monitor isn't square, and it jumps inward and back out frequently.
Something I found interesting about the Hyperion is that the cover comes
off identically to that of an old Macintosh. Undo the screws under the
handle, pop the rest of the case from the front face, and pull the case
off. I was scared to try popping the case on the other Hyperion, but this
busted up one just begged to be looked into.
On to the TS-1000. Or at least, what I assume to be a TS-1000. The label
is missing, as are three of its four rubber feet, and some gummy tape had
been affixed to its top. Anyway, it's got "Timex Computer Corporation"
printed on its underside, and it has 2K of RAM (verified with a PRINT PEEK
16389). The motherboard says "ZX81" on it.
The Sinclair ZX81 was the first computer I really wanted to buy. (Note
that this is VERY different from wanting to OWN - I could actually almost
afford a ZX81, I definitely could NOT afford the Northstar Advantage in
one of the local shopping centres ;) ). So finally getting my hands on
one is pretty special. And I was even introduced to its innards right
away, because the damn thing had dead keys on the keyboard. :)
It just turned out to be cracked plastic contact strip thingies. I just
trimmed the contacts with scissors and shoved them back into the sockets.
Hopefully I won't have to do that again or I'll run out of slack. :) It's
kind of neat that I can actually SEE how the keyboard is wired, without
opening the keyboard. :)
The big metal ground thingy on the bottom of the board also broke off at
one end. Bad solder job, I guess. :)
I'm just using my Atari 2600 power supply at the moment, because the ZX81
supply wasn't there.
Man is this thing slow! :) Up until now the (unexpanded) TI-99/4A was my
slowest, crappiest system, but the Sinclair thing beats it for that title
so easily it's not funny! But it's got nostalgic value the TI will never
have for me. And besides, TIs are like earwigs around here. The
Salvation Army has put at least 50 in the landfill that I know about. But
this is the first Sinclair machine to turn up.
The RAM cartridge has a broken, wobbly connector, and bent pins, and I
can't get it to work reliably.
The printer doesn't have a power supply (anyone know the specs?) or the
roll of toiled paper, so I don't know if it works yet.
I also don't know if the PCjr works. The external transformer was
missing. I got the better keyboard with the thing, too, instead of the
original button keyboard. I actually have the Tech Ref for the PCjr
sitting around in a box somewhere, so it'll be cool to go poking around in
it as soon as I know how.
I haven't tested the VIC or CoCo carts yet, but the 2600 carts all work
with the exception of Jungle Hunt, which I think just has dirty contacts.
It's an Atari cartridge, though, so the contacts are 'protected' and I
haven't bothered to find something to stick in those slots yet.
Other recent acquisitions include an IBM-PC (5150) with 64-256K
motherboard (damn!), an Atari 400 with several books, magazines, and
cartridges, and some cool toys for my Amigas.
The collecting has been pretty good this summer.
Doug Spence
ds_spenc(a)alcor.concordia.ca
http://alcor.concordia.ca/~ds_spenc/
At 12:47 PM 8/21/98 -0700, you wrote:
>At 09:46 PM 8/20/98 -0500, you wrote:
>>30 7100/66or80 PPC macs; most with 16-32 mb ram, additional vid cards,
>>token ring. IIci's, about 15? with 20mb ram each. 6 Quadra 950 servers
>>with typically 2 300mb scsi drives and between 25-50 mb ram. ummm...
Screwed up the reply-to of course. Sorry folks!
--------------------------------------------------------------------- O-
Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad
roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know."
Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates
San Francisco, California http://www.sinasohn.com/
>Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 11:45:52 -0400 (EDT)
>From: Bill/Carolyn Pechter <pechter(a)shell.monmouth.com>
>>
>> < Was DEC's EDT text editor ever `ported to any non-DEC platforms, such a
>> < PCs or unixes? It is still my favorite text and program editor, and I'
>> < love to have on on some of my "everyday" machines.
>>
>
>I've got some hardcopy of an EDT clone for the Rainbow called
>Small-EDT which isn't too bad, however -- the sources have been
>hacked by me in an aborted attempt to squeeze them on to a DEC VT180.
>
Also try in
ftp://ftp.update.uu.se/pub/rainbow/msdos/latrobe/mn/medt03.zip
description is
MEDT03.ZIP 93 Mini EDT screen mode editor written in C (with sources)
haven't used it, so I can't comment other than it's there.
- Mark
--- Uncle Roger wrote:
At 08:41 PM 8/20/98 EDT, you wrote:
>--- Tony Duell wrote:
>Do you have a working battery in the machine? IIRC, the PSU can't supply
>enough current on it's own to get the machine and hard disk started up.
>When the hard disk tries to spin up, the PSU shuts down, etc. Giving you
>exactly what you're seeing
That is true. Took me a while to figure that out.
>Really? I'm charging a pair of batteries overnight. Tomorrow I'll see if
>anything works with a charged battery. I thought that with the 9-volt
>backup and the power adapter, that was enough juice -- Uncle Roger, is
>that what you were saying earlier?
Yes, that seems to work, provided you take the cover for the main battery
off. Also, the 9v has to be pretty new.
--- end of quote ---
Yeah, I pulled the main battery cover and it was definitely drawing on the backup 9V, but maybe it's too low. That dual-battery thing scared the bejesus out of me the first time I tinkered with a Portable -- I'm staring at the power adapter, unplugged, with the main battery in my hand, and the bloody machine's still humming and chiming, seemingly getting power from _nowhere_. I thought there was a ghost. ;)
Thanks to everyone for the advice.
-- MB
How much for the monitors?
--
-Jason
(roblwill(a)usaor.net)
ICQ#-1730318
----------
> From: Poesie <poesie(a)geocities.com>
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
> Subject: more info on systems....
> Date: Thursday, August 20, 1998 10:46 PM
>
> well, I found out none of the NEC versa laptops are for sale;
> apparently some VP is holding onto them for some reason. We have maybe
> 30 7100/66or80 PPC macs; most with 16-32 mb ram, additional vid cards,
> token ring. IIci's, about 15? with 20mb ram each. 6 Quadra 950 servers
> with typically 2 300mb scsi drives and between 25-50 mb ram. ummm...
> maybe 50? or more DuoDocks, both the Duo 230 or 280, and the Dock. don't
> know the possibility status of selling these. several sony video
> monitors that are touch screens, accept various inputs, came with weird
> computerized videodisc systems.
>
Can anyone help me I was just given a parallel port syquest 270
external cartridge disk.
I don't have the install disk... well I do but it's hopelessly munged.
I need that so I can do transfer media to PC from...
More importantly I want to try and hang it on one of the CP/M systems
that happens (by my design) to have a EPP compatable port. So, I need
the gory details of how to talk to such a critter so I can write a CP/M
bios.
And you thought it's all non classic! Graft new technology to old
and keep it crankin.
Allison
At 08:41 PM 8/20/98 EDT, you wrote:
>--- Tony Duell wrote:
>Do you have a working battery in the machine? IIRC, the PSU can't supply
>enough current on it's own to get the machine and hard disk started up.
>When the hard disk tries to spin up, the PSU shuts down, etc. Giving you
>exactly what you're seeing
That is true. Took me a while to figure that out.
>Really? I'm charging a pair of batteries overnight. Tomorrow I'll see if
>anything works with a charged battery. I thought that with the 9-volt
>backup and the power adapter, that was enough juice -- Uncle Roger, is
>that what you were saying earlier?
Yes, that seems to work, provided you take the cover for the main battery
off. Also, the 9v has to be pretty new.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- O-
Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad
roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know."
Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates
San Francisco, California http://www.sinasohn.com/
>>Could someone please enlighten me... What, pray, is FLEX?
>
> For years, it was *THE* disk operating system if you had a 6800/6802
> based system. Originally written in the late 70's, it powered the
> majority of the SS-50 computers until the 6809 came out. Then came
> FLEX/09, StarDOS, UniFLEX, OS/9. . . .
Thanks. I wonder why I'd never heard of it.
> It was a bit limited, but it was small enough to fit within the 6800's 64K
> address space, with *plenty* of room to spare!
The 4052 has a 128K address space - separate 64k spaces for code and
data. That said, there are ways of running code in the data space and
accessing data in the code space.
> Well, yeah, but still faster then 1Mc (or 800kc if you didn't modify
> the cpu board).
Yes, much.
>>I must do some more research into the relationship between 4052 and 6800
>>instruction sets.
>
> Yes. How the implemented the microcode would be of particular interest.
The service manuals tell you a lot about how the microcode is executed,
but little about what's in there. Similarly there is a list of
instruction mnemonics and addressing modes against opcodes, and even an
explanation of how the addressing modes work, but nothing to tell you
what the instructions do, let alone anything in the way of ROM listings.
One day I might get around to decompiling the microcode...
Philip.
At 09:46 PM 8/20/98 -0500, you wrote:
>30 7100/66or80 PPC macs; most with 16-32 mb ram, additional vid cards,
>token ring. IIci's, about 15? with 20mb ram each. 6 Quadra 950 servers
>with typically 2 300mb scsi drives and between 25-50 mb ram. ummm...
I'd like to offer, on behalf of Garden Village Elementary School, $750 for
the 30 PPC 7100's as one lot. In addition, I'll offer an addition $150 for
the Quadra's. This is a serious offer. I can forward the funds via check,
money order, cash, or I can just add it to my next mortgage payment. (Just
kidding!) Feel free to call me at 1-415-469-7924 or page me at either
1-415-201-0273 or <4152010273(a)alphapage.airtouch.com> (just the message
body gets sent; about the first 256 chars.)
>maybe 50? or more DuoDocks, both the Duo 230 or 280, and the Dock. don't
>know the possibility status of selling these. several sony video
If you want to sell these, I would be interested in quite a few as well.
(Probably one for each teacher.)
>-Eric
Thanks, Eric for all your effort in this!
--------------------------------------------------------------------- O-
Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad
roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know."
Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates
San Francisco, California http://www.sinasohn.com/
It plays death chimes??
--
-Jason
(roblwill(a)usaor.net)
ICQ#-1730318
PS>> do you maybe want to sell one of those?
----------
> From: Marion Bates <Marion.Bates(a)Dartmouth.EDU>
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Mac Portable problems (was Re: Mac Portable batt charger)
> Date: Thursday, August 20, 1998 2:56 PM
>
I've got three semi-functional Portables, and am hoping to wind up with at
least one that works. But they all seem to have bad hard disks (Apple 40SC
internal) -- if the drive is connected at power-up, it makes a
tick-tick-tick noise, the screen flashes, and it repeatedly plays
interrupted Death Chimes until I turn it off. The drive never actually
spins up.
Ok, after a few more days of scoping things out, here's the deal: I
started working for GE Capital, at Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota.
They are disposing of alot of the mac systems, and I figured that I
would be able to pull the ROM's out of the old ones that I knew were
never going to be used again, ever. (Just so you know, I would probably
lose my job due to that but it's a shame to let such things go to waste.
If someone reading this is from my new employers, I haven't done
anything!!!!!)
Anyway, one of my bosses, the asset manager, is actively trying to
dispose of pallets of stuff. So if someone out there can actually buy
quite a bit, that might be nice... apparently last year he made 300
bucks selling all systems to scrap dealers that melted it all for the
metal content. bummer.)
We have lots of old IBM mainframe systems, Quads, CRTs, etc etc. also,
a good lot of those macs were all used by the Graphic Design dept; so
they are chock full of cool stuff (tons of ram, souped up video cards,
yadda yadda.) lots of hard drives, all have token ring cards. (I
reiterate: LOTS of token ring cards. I'm swimming in them.) I currently
have a large pallet of mac 14/15 inch monitors; a pallet of IIsi, IIci,
IIcx's; Quadra 700s, Quadra 950 servers(awesome machines), PowerPC
7100/66, 7100/80's. also other random ones. also, *several* pallets of
Duo Dock 230's and 280's. tons of NEC versa V/50's and 4000c's. quite a
few 21 inch mac color monitors (definitely not for sale, unless you made
an attractive offer to my boss!)
alot of this stuff is earmarked for employee sales, but alot of it is
also headed for disposal. If anyone is truly interested, I will print
out and give serious inquiries to my boss. emailing the head of a large
national corporation won't do much, but I can give your requests to the
right person.
in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
-Eric
(PS. - I only offered to grab roms or small chip components because
they wouldn't be used where the machines were headed, and they wouldn't
be missed. I cannot personally recover systems or anything of that
nature. I am sure however that my boss would be very reasonable if you
made an offer!)
PPS- we also have several sony trinitron touch screens. anyone know of
a use for these?
At 05:41 PM 8/19/98 -0500, you wrote:
>
>> Another "crossover" machine that I have a little info
>> (mainly pictures) of is the HP 9830, called a calculator
>> but in fact a computer with BASIC.
>
>The 9830 doesn't get discussed much, but it's one of my favorites.
>There's a lot of noise on this list about the Altair, a "PC" from 1975
>that was just a big box with lights and toggles. In 1972, the HP 9830 was
>an elegant light-weight
Light-weight!!!!!!!!!! I have both an Altair and a 9830 and the 9830 is
at least three times as heavy as the Altair! It's also probably 5 times
stronger. I have used my 9830 as a step stool (after it died of other
causes). I wouldn't even think of doing that with the Altair.
desktop computer with full alphanumeric keyboard,
>built-in secondary storage, built-in display,
One line LED. Whoppee!
built-in BASIC,
Yes, and ONLY BASIC! The Altair was a general purpose machine.
and it just
>plain works. There was nothing else remotely like it at the time, and it
>was even reasonably priced (around $5000, I think).
That's what, 12 times the price of the Altair? The two machines aren't
comparable. They're completely different. Have you ever tried to generate
music or word process on a 9830? You can't do it. You could on an
Altair. The 9830 is a sophisticated programmable calcualtor. The Altair is
a striped down general purpose computer.
Joe
>
>-- Doug
>
>
>
They're in a warehouse and the way they're shelved I couldn't see any
model #s. The guy told me they were hooked up to a 32, and they look
like 32/34 gear.
I could probably get some part#s tomorrow, but I think they'd be happier
if someone just took the whole mess.
-----Original Message-----
From: William Donzelli [mailto:william@ans.net]
Sent: Friday, August 21, 1998 12:51 PM
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
Subject: RE: IBM System 32 stuff...
> Oh yeah... my profuse apologies... I'm in Maryland,
> the marina is in Virginia near DC.
Cool. Any chance you could get some of the type numbers from the things
(they may follow the x32x format, like 5230 for the CPU)?
William Donzelli
william(a)ans.net
Oh yeah... my profuse apologies... I'm in Maryland,
the marina is in Virginia near DC.
-----Original Message-----
From: William Donzelli [mailto:william@ans.net]
Sent: Friday, August 21, 1998 12:38 PM
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
Subject: Re: IBM System 32 stuff...
> There are some system 32 terminals, keyboards, and printers available
at
> a marina out here. They haven't been used as boat anchors, yet. I'll
> be going
> back to the marina to pickup a boat tomorrow, so if you're interested
> let me know.
Where is "here"?
William Donzelli
william(a)ans.net
Hey folks,
There are some system 32 terminals, keyboards, and printers available at
a marina out here. They haven't been used as boat anchors, yet. I'll
be going
back to the marina to pickup a boat tomorrow, so if you're interested
let me know.
-Joel
Okay, I finally figgered I could use two Duo 280s with docks.
Tony
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Poesie [mailto:poesie@geocities.com]
> Sent: Thursday, August 20, 1998 10:46 PM
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
> Subject: more info on systems....
>
>
> well, I found out none of the NEC versa laptops are for sale;
> apparently some VP is holding onto them for some reason. We have maybe
> 30 7100/66or80 PPC macs; most with 16-32 mb ram, additional vid cards,
> token ring. IIci's, about 15? with 20mb ram each. 6 Quadra 950 servers
> with typically 2 300mb scsi drives and between 25-50 mb ram. ummm...
> maybe 50? or more DuoDocks, both the Duo 230 or 280, and the
> Dock. don't
> know the possibility status of selling these. several sony video
> monitors that are touch screens, accept various inputs, came
> with weird
> computerized videodisc systems.
>
> we used to sell these things as scrap, and paid! them
> to take them, and
> then got rebates for 10cents a pound, or sometimes we ended up owing
> them. He is actively looking for vendors to buy, so we could probably
> make an offer for pallet(s) since I'm the only one doing any work with
> them. I will also do the legwork in my spare time, for this.
>
> However, someone else should be the point man, so to
> speak... I can't
> really get involved. I've tried, believe me. I'll try to do some more
> inventory type stuff... But there's alot. Also a whole room
> full of an
> IBM 3480? mainframeish type of thing, with disk boxes etc.
> looks like a
> room full of washing machines...
>
> -Eric
>
Eric wrote:
> However, someone else should be the point man, so to speak... I can't
> really get involved. I've tried, believe me. I'll try to do some more
> inventory type stuff... But there's alot. Also a whole room full of an
> IBM 3480? mainframeish type of thing, with disk boxes etc. looks like
> a room full of washing machines...
Sounds like a complete IBM 4381 installation (the 4381 was known as the
Chest Freezer when I was there in '86)
If I (a) had space and (b) was on the same side of the Atlantic, I'd
grab it. Definitely not to be missed.
Philip.
Kevan Heydon wrote:
> On Thu, 20 Aug 1998, Alex Knight wrote:
>>
>> So far, I haven't either. The Anita and Friden EC-130 electronic
>> calculators both came out in 1963, they're generally regarded as
>> the first two electronic desktop calculators but neither are
>
> I reckon that the original Anita was 1962. The reason I say this is
> because my mother used to be a comptometer operator for the national
What date was the Casio AL 1000, anyone? Tony?
Philip.
Thanks to everyone that responded. I have more than I needed as I found
them for $10 each at Computer Recyclers and a few others from private
parties. I no longer need any more, unless of course you just have to
give them away ;-)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Russ Blakeman
RB Custom Services / Rt. 1 Box 62E / Harned, KY USA 40144
Phone: (502) 756-1749 Data/Fax:(502) 756-6991
Email: rhblake(a)bbtel.com or rhblake(a)bigfoot.com
Website: http://members.tripod.com/~RHBLAKE/
ICQ UIN #1714857
AOL Instant Messenger "RHBLAKEMAN"
* Parts/Service/Upgrades and more for MOST Computers*
--------------------------------------------------------------------
At 02:07 AM 8/17/98 -0400, you wrote:
>
>
>On Sun, 16 Aug 1998, Joe wrote:
>
>> sing. You should hear two of those on a 426 Hemi at WOT!
>>
>Big old engines, big old computers...the appeal is pretty similar...What's
>the Hemi in?
A 1970 Superbird what else! Big engine, big car, NO computers!
I also have a '70 Dodge Challenger RT convertible with a 440 6 pak. :-)
These are the remains of my car collecting days.
>
>> And if you tweak the engine for more efficiency,
>> >many of them automatically compensate -- no need to swap out jets and
>> >other mechanical parts by trial end error.
>>
>> Yes but I can still swap a jet faster than I can burn an EPROM! The big
>> advantage of the EFI is that it's more precise than a carburator, can
>> monitor and adjust for more conditions and employs feed back sensors for
>> even more precise control.
>>
>Don't forget the most important thing, you can REALLY control the spark
>curve :)
Yes and the transmission shift points in some cars.
>
>> Another motor-head!
>> >
>And one more.
They're everywhere!
Joe
>
>rob
>
>
Hi,
I'm combining several responses here on early programmable
calcs ...
At Wed, 19 Aug 1998 17:41:17 Doug Yowza wrote:
>Hi, Alex. I really think this is the coolest find yet. I have a desktop
>programmable computer from 1959, but mine is analog. I haven't heard of
>any desktop programmable solid-state digital machine that predates your
>Mathatron.
So far, I haven't either. The Anita and Friden EC-130 electronic
calculators both came out in 1963, they're generally regarded as
the first two electronic desktop calculators but neither are
programmable. I'm not aware of any other programmable calculator
coming onto the market until the Wang units.
>
>> Another "crossover" machine that I have a little info
>> (mainly pictures) of is the HP 9830, called a calculator
>> but in fact a computer with BASIC.
>
>The 9830 doesn't get discussed much, but it's one of my favorites.
>There's a lot of noise on this list about the Altair, a "PC" from 1975
>that was just a big box with lights and toggles. In 1972, the HP 9830 was
>an elegant light-weight desktop computer with full alphanumeric keyboard,
>built-in secondary storage, built-in display, built-in BASIC, and it just
>plain works. There was nothing else remotely like it at the time, and it
>was even reasonably priced (around $5000, I think).
In addition to the pictures I have on my Web site, David Hicks' Museum
of HP Calculators has a bunch more info on the 9830 and the
available peripherals (including things like printer, plotter, paper
tape reader, digitizer, etc.). I was surprised when I got my
9830A and it had aftermarket ROM and memory cards in it. The ROM
is a "Fast Basic" card and it and the memory were made by Infotek.
The 9830 has a bus architecture for it's main ROM and memory
cards, and it has an I/O bus on the rear. I don't know if HP
ever published the specs for these buses, perhaps Infotek reverse-
engineered the timing/functionality to make their cards. Also
curious about the Infotek cards was that the markings on all
the ICs on their cards had been intentionally rubbed off. I
wonder if that was to make it harder for others to clone their
design. At any rate, it predated the Apple II by about 5 years,
it has built-in BASIC and storage, and you could add stuff to
it. What more could you ask ;-)
The darned things are built like a tank, too. Extremely heavy
and rugged. There is also a 9830B version, but from what I can
tell by comparing the guts they are the same except for the
memory cards (the 9830B supports more RAM). It looks like the
Infotek memory card in my 9830A was used to upgrade it to the
same amount as would be in a maxed-out 9830B (16K, I'm not sure
if this is words or bytes).
>
>-- Doug
At Wed, 19 Aug 1998 19:12:22 dave dameron wrote:
>At 05:41 PM 8/19/98 -0500, Doug wrote:
>I found a book I would recommend if anyone finds a copy, although I am still
>getting used to it. It is "Computer Structures: Readings and Examples" by
>Bell and Newell. It uses strange notation (for me) and even the table of
>contents is "virtual".
>
>Anyway, it includes descriptions of 2 desktop calculators, both about 1968:
>an Olivetti 101 (USD$3500) and a HP 9100A. The HP uses core memory, its
>program ROM uses 16 layer PC board technology. The HP article is a reprint
>from the HP Journal. Does anyone have either of these?
Text (and some/most of the photos) from the HP Journal articles about the
9100A (and a lot of other HP calcs) can be found on the Museum
of HP Calculators in the "HP Journal Articles" section. These make
for very interesting reading about the machine's architecture and
how it works. I have a copy of the original patent on the 9100
(unfortunately the quality isn't good enough to scan and I haven't
found an on-line source yet), this gives some real insight into
how the machine operates.
The Olivetti Programma 101 was apparently targeted more for the business
market than the scientific market, the pictures of it that I've
seen show that it's basically a programmable, four-function calculator
with several memory registers. Like the 9100, it used a magnetic
card to store programs.
>-Dave
>
At 12:38 AM 8/20/98 -0500, Doug Yowza wrote:
>
>Somebody with a better sense of calc history should chime in here, but I
>think Monroe, Olivetti, HP, and Wang all had programmables in the 60s.
As far as I know, the Mathatron, HP9100, and Wang calculators were
the only scientific-oriented programmable machines available during
the 1960s. I don't know if the Wang LOCI series was programmable
or not. The 300-series (300, 310, 320, 360) Wang machines used
a separate keyboard/nixie display unit and an electronics box
with the actual calculator (on some of the models four keyboard/
display units could be attached to "time-share" the calculator
electronics). The electronics box itself wasn't programmable,
but one of the keyboard/display models (I think it was the 370)
could be programmed to execute a series of key sequences, which
were then sent down to the electronics box to do the math.
In the early 70s (late 1970 or early 1971), CompuCorp developed
a pair of programmable calculators (one printing, one Nixie) that
were marketed by Monroe (the Model 1655 is the Nixie one) and Dietzgen.
Rick Bensene's Web page has a lot more info about the Wang
300 series calculators.
In the 60s, there were business-type programmable
machines from Monroe (EPIC 3000), Olivetti (Programma 101),
Smith Corona Marchant (Cogito 516 PR), and Canon (Canola 164P).
There is also the Burroughs C3660 business programmable, but
I don't know if it's a 60s machine or not, and Sony made
a programmable Sobax but I'm not sure when. All of these
machines were very large and were probably either transistorized
or used early Small-Scale integrated circuits.
>
>I have an HP9100A manual and the first HP _Keyboard_ that describes it. I
>think I recall at least four people on the list having a 9100. It was not
>the first programmable, but it was the first HP, and it is pretty cool
>with its built-in CRT and expansion bus.
Apparently there were also aftermarket accessories made for the 9100
by other companies. I recall seeing something on the net from
one company that took a 9100 and modified it to become an instrument
controller.
>-- Doug
At Thu, 20 Aug 1998 07:33:46 dave dameron wrote:
>Yes, that's it. My copy was published in 1971, so the HP9100A is one of the
>later computers in it. Yes it is neat with the custom CRT and all the boards
>stuffed into its case. I guess it sold for about $6000.
The 9100A initially sold for $4995. Its price was dropped to $4495
when the 9100B (with 2x the memory) was introduced (at $4995) a little
while later.
Hope this info. has been of some interest.
REFERENCED LINKS:
http://www.hpmuseum.org -- David Hicks' Museum of HP Calculators
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/7510 -- Rick Bensene's Web Page
Regards,
Alex
Calculator History & Technology Archive Web Page
http://aknight.home.mindspring.com/calc.htm
At 12:38 AM 8/20/98 -0500, you wrote:
>On Wed, 19 Aug 1998, dave dameron wrote:
>
>> I found a book I would recommend if anyone finds a copy, although I am
still
>> getting used to it. It is "Computer Structures: Readings and Examples" by
>> Bell and Newell. It uses strange notation (for me) and even the table of
>> contents is "virtual".
>
>That wouldn't be Gordon Bell, would it? The book sounds familiar, but
>it's not on my shelf.
>
>> Anyway, it includes descriptions of 2 desktop calculators, both about 1968:
>> an Olivetti 101 (USD$3500) and a HP 9100A. The HP uses core memory, its
>> program ROM uses 16 layer PC board technology. The HP article is a reprint
>> from the HP Journal. Does anyone have either of these?
>
>Somebody with a better sense of calc history should chime in here, but I
>think Monroe, Olivetti, HP, and Wang all had programmables in the 60s.
>
>I have an HP9100A manual and the first HP _Keyboard_ that describes it. I
>think I recall at least four people on the list having a 9100. It was not
>the first programmable, but it was the first HP, and it is pretty cool
>with its built-in CRT and expansion bus.
>
I have a HP 9100 and the original HP Journal. You can order reprints
(color, I think) of the HP Journals through HP's website.
Joe
well, if people are putting in requests for various mac models that are
getting ready to be scrapped, i wouldnt mind having an se/30 or colour
classic. a IIfx wouldnt be bad except for the fact that it can only use
special simms.
>She said that they were invented by Hollerith
at the end of the last century for use with the census. Was I drunk or
did
we just go through a whole discussion about the cards being invented for
the Jacquard loom?
Different types of punched cards. Hollerith invented the modern
computer punch card. The Jacquard loom used punched cards in a linked
belt type arrangement, similar to a player piano, to control the shuttle
of his loom. Jacquard had more in common with pianos than computers.
Jack Peacock
FWIW Dept: Found this in comp.os.vms.... You Southwest folks may be
interested. If they were close I sure would consider them as I'd like to
find a Qbus SCSI controller (or simply use the machine as is instead of
upgrading my MVII.)
From: mesprime(a)aol.com (MES PRIME)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Old VAX hardware for sale
Lines: 24
Message-ID: <1998081415580800.LAA06833(a)ladder01.news.aol.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: ladder01.news.aol.com
X-Admin: news(a)aol.com
Date: 14 Aug 1998 15:58:08 GMT
Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com
Xref: post.servtech.com comp.os.vms:190118
We have just retired our old VAXs and are looking for a nice home for them.
We have two systems:
System 1is a Micro Vax 4 with 128M ram, expansion bus, Q-Bus, CMD and UC08
SCSI
Controllers, Emulex communication multiplexor boards and CP34 Panels, Drive
bay
and 19' Rack and DR11-C interface.
System 2 is a Micro Vax 3 with 64M ram, exapnsion bus, Q-Bus, Emulex UCO8 SCSI
Controllers, Emulex communication muliplexor board and CP34 Panels.
Also available ( serious ) a couple of working Deckwriter's
If intersted, e-mail me for more information:
mslaughter(a)basstickets.net
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Slaughter
IS Manager
BASS Tickets
1855 Gateway Blvd. Suite 630
Concord, CA 94520
Anyway, contact Mr. Slaughter directly!
-- --
Christian Fandt, Electronic/Electrical Historian
Jamestown, NY USA
Member of Antique Wireless Association
URL: http://www.ggw.org/freenet/a/awa/
Is this iron old enough that someone here could help Vicki?
To: silent-tristero(a)world.std.com
From: Vicki Rosenzweig <vr(a)zebra.acm.org>
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 17:01:18 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: help--trailing edge equipment
Sender: silent-tristero-approval(a)world.std.com
Precedence: list
Reply-To: Vicki Rosenzweig <vr(a)zebra.acm.org>
Status: U
I'm not sure this is relevant to tristero, but I can't
think of who else to ask. I have a network of three
Sun Sparc IPXs, plus an Annex II terminal server and
a bunch of dumb terminals hanging off the Annex.
Xylogics, the company that made the Annex, is no longer
supporting that model, at all--the last time I tried
calling them about something, the only suggestion they
were willing to make was "we could sell you something
more modern." It may come to that, but I hope not.
Here's the situation: for Reasons Too Complicated To
Explain (in other words, I'd start frothing at the mouth),
the cables that connect the Annex to its dumb terminals
and to the Ethernet are in the open, under a desk. Thus,
they get kicked semi-regularly.
Someone kicked the cable connecting the Annex to the
Ethernet transceiver loose this afternoon. The first I
knew of it was when someone came to find me, and asked
why all the terminals were dead. When I tried to plug
it back in, I found I couldn't--a couple of the pins on
the transceiver had been bent out of shape. I replaced
the transceiver (with one of a different model, but which
I know is good--it worked elsewhere in this network).
Nothing. I rebooted the Annex: it gets as far as a set
of lights that translate to "trying to reach the Ethernet
to download software." I got desperate, pulled the only
other cable of the same kind off the network (which involved
undoing about eight NFS cross-mounts), and plugged it in
instead.
Nothing.
So, basically: I tried replacing the transceiver, I tried
replacing the cable, and the Annex box insists that it's fine,
it just needs to download software. Does anyone have any
idea of what might be going on here, or of how I can fix it?
(I do know where to buy a live chicken, but I suspect
management would look askance if I brought it into the office.)
Signed,
Desperate in New York
Vicki Rosenzweig
vr(a)cr.acm.org | vr(a)interport.net
http://www.users.interport.net/~vr/
--
Warbaby
The WebSite. The Domain. The Empire.
http://www.warbaby.com
The MonkeyPool
WebSite Content Development
http://www.monkeypool.com
Dreadlocks on white boys give me the willies.
I need a couple Seagate ST351A/X hard drives in working condition. If
you have some for sale, trade or otherwise let me know soon. Any other
IDE drive that will definitely work with a Seagate ST05X controller also
wanted in 40 or more megabyte capacity.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Russ Blakeman
RB Custom Services / Rt. 1 Box 62E / Harned, KY USA 40144
Phone: (502) 756-1749 Data/Fax:(502) 756-6991
Email: rhblake(a)bbtel.com or rhblake(a)bigfoot.com
Website: http://members.tripod.com/~RHBLAKE/
ICQ UIN #1714857
AOL Instant Messenger "RHBLAKEMAN"
* Parts/Service/Upgrades and more for MOST Computers*
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--- Markus Blumrich wrote:
My portable powers up without the battery inside it as well. I'm assuming
by your email address "dartmouth.edu" that you are in Nova Scotia? (If not
- pardon my ignorance). If so these machines have probably been subjected
to some cold weather. I have lost 2 Mac Portable hard drives to cold
weather - I'd put them in the trunk of my car, travel to location X and
then fire up the Mac only to learn that the drive didn't work anymore.
This was most likely due to condensation inside the drives.
----
Actually, it's Dartmouth College (NH) but I'm telnetting in from Miami, FL because I'm home for the summer. As far as I know, these drives haven't seen cold weather, but it's certainly possible.
----
If I read your post correctly the drives aren't spinning up at all, but
they emit noises which make it sound as if they are trying to - in this
case they are most likely stuck. I have convinced old hard drives to
become 'unstuck' by whacking them on the side. I know it sounds cruel but
if the drive isn't working there is nothing to loose.
----
Yeah, I tried that -- it's worked many times before, but not now. (The technician I worked for six years ago used to fix Mac SE's with sticky hard drives by picking up the whole computer and giving it a quick half-spin with a sudden stop -- the torque loosens the lubricant.)
----
Also, when the death chimes sound, is there a picture of a sad mac on the
screen with an error number? The error number (if I remember correctly)
may be a key indication as to what is happening. If your mac is repeatedly
sounding the death chimes it is in some kind of endless loop and you are
most likely not getting to the error #.
----
When I let it go long enough, I get a sad mac with error codes which I haven't looked up in the TIL yet. They all translate to some hardware (occasionally software) problem diagnosis.
----
I have also opened the drives and lubricated the 'spindle' or whatever
it's called - however doing so allowed dust particles inside the drive.
The end result though was a reliable, non sticking drive that works to
this day. Perhaps I was lucky...
--- end of quote ---
Huh, I always thought that opening up a drive would wreck it -- maybe I'll try that with one of them. Thanks.
But wait, there's more! New problem. I have an external hard drive attached to the least messed-up Portable, which boots nicely, but anytime I insert a floppy disk, the machine restarts over and over. What triggers it is pushing the tiny white button just inside the floppy (it gets pressed by the disk usually, but I was trying to see what exactly was setting the restart loop in motion, and when I pushed down on that button alone that did it). It WAS working fine with floppies before. Guess the logic board is having problems handling both at once. Aaargh! Three bad drives and now *two* fouled-up motherboards.
-- MB
So far I have heard from 12 people wanting a total 35 cpu's and 4 monitors.
I would have liked to make them a offer this Friday but this is not enough
units to purchase it all. This what I will do now, I will connact a scrape
dealer I know and offer to buy it all with him only if he allows me to pull
the units you guys want first and he gets what's left. This way we all can
get our units at a low price with a bulk purchase by the pound. I have not
heard back from Eric if his boss is willing sell and the date of the
employee sale. I will until Monday to see how many more people want in
otherwise the 12 of you will get your items if the sale is a go.
I was watching a local show called New Media News
(http://www.newmedianews.com/) last night and they had a bit with Gwen Bell
talking about punch cards. She said that they were invented by Hollerith
at the end of the last century for use with the census. Was I drunk or did
we just go through a whole discussion about the cards being invented for
the Jacquard loom?
--------------------------------------------------------------------- O-
Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad
roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know."
Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates
San Francisco, California http://www.sinasohn.com/
I'm posting some info I already sent to someone privately. I wanted to get permission from Mr. Craig first, in case he was trying to keep the volume of requests down or something. My apologies for wasted bandwidth if y'all already knew about him -- just trying to help. - MB
--- awhile ago, Sam Ismail wrote:
Ok, so I'd like to make use of the recent discussion we had concerning
hard drive repair and attack the "widget" drive in my Lisa 2/10 to see if
I can bring it back to life. Does anybody know where I can find technical
info on this drive? A web resource that I don't know about perhaps?
--- end of quote ---
David T. Craig, email 71533.606(a)compuserve.com, has just about EVERYTHING ever written about/for the Lisa. (Even the Product Introduction Plan!) There's a list of his stuff at http://www.atomicnet.com.au/simon/lisa/LisaLegacy/References.html. While you're there, check out his Lisa Legacy paper. He sent me copies of Lisa repair stuff from Apple, Sun Remarketing, and Larry Pina's "Mac Repair Secrets" book, as well as some historical info and a set of Lisa Office System 3.0 diskettes and LisaTest diagnostic diskettes w/ instructions. He copied the written stuff for ten cents a page and the diskettes for a buck apiece, plus shipping.
He also has some stuff for the Apple ///, but I don't know what. Email him for info.
If anyone wants Lisa help right away, I can look up error codes and other stuff in the manuals he sent me, and email an answer usually within a day. My 2/10 displayed error 84, which means the boot blocks had been erased, but luckily LisaTest reported no damaged blocks, so all it needs is a low-level format. Sun Remarketing will reformat Widget drives and send them back (which is, according to the manuals, your only hope if LOS installer refuses to do it, as was the case with mine). It costs $75 to have them do it, which includes return shipping. They will install the OS of your choice (LOS or MacWorks, maybe Pascal Workshop but I don't know for sure).
Sun Remarketing's phone number is 1-800-821-3221. If you get someone who's never heard of the Lisa or some such nonsense (which happened to me the first time) ask for Brian, ext. 340. He seems to know what's up.
-- MB
--- Tony Duell wrote:
Do you have a working battery in the machine? IIRC, the PSU can't supply
enough current on it's own to get the machine and hard disk started up.
When the hard disk tries to spin up, the PSU shuts down, etc. Giving you
exactly what you're seeing
-tony
--- end of quote ---
Really? I'm charging a pair of batteries overnight. Tomorrow I'll see if anything works with a charged battery. I thought that with the 9-volt backup and the power adapter, that was enough juice -- Uncle Roger, is that what you were saying earlier?
Thank you very much!
-- MB
--- George Currie wrote:
Actually it should power up with the 9v and the power supply. If
you have a fresh 9v battery and have the unit plugged in and it still
won't come up, then the problem could still be with the drive. Have
you tried removing it and seeing if the unit boots? Also, have you
tried pressing both the reset and nmi buttons on the side to reset
it?
--- end of quote ---
Yes, it's been powering up with just the AC adapter and 9-volt battery, and it boots fine with the hard drive cable disconnected (it's happy booting from a floppy).
I'm pretty sure I tried pressing the side buttons in all sorts of combinations -- what specifically are you describing? Just press them and let go, or hold them down while powering on, etc. ?
Thanks for the suggestions.
-- MB
Jeff wrote:
> Yow!!! That means maybe it will run FLEX! [insert Homer Simpson
> impersonation]
Could someone please enlighten me... What, pray, is FLEX?
> Woo Hoo!. Dang! I can just imagine running FLEX at 25Mc! Its performance
> over a 1Mc 6800 must have been blistering!
Warning. Clock speeds may not be comparable. 6800 and friends
(including 6502) often do more per cycle than 2901s.
That said, the 4052 is a 16 bit system, despite its 8-bit instruction
set. The data path is 16 bit throughout, it fetches two byte
instructions in a single memory cycle, etc.
And Tek do claim some quite impressive performance boosts upgrading from
4051 to 4052 (average gain they claimed was ten times, I think)
> Yikes!! I think I may have seen some boards from a system like that one
> in a junk heap last week! It used four 2901's eh? Hm, I'm gonna haveto
> revisit that particular junque pile . . .
Bear in mind Tony Duell's comments - 16 bit systems based around 4 2901s
used to be common, but may now be worth grabbing anyway.
I must do some more research into the relationship between 4052 and 6800
instruction sets.
P.
Hi John,
I would love to join you in that effort. I am also interested in acquiring
on of each unit. Maybe we can poll our resources and make a few people happy
in the process.
Anyway, Eric if you can find out the actual cost per palette that would be a
great indicator of the fund needed.
Thank you for flagging this one.
Francois
-------------------------------------------------------------
Visit the desperately in need of update
Sanctuary at: http://www.pclink.com/fauradon
-----Original Message-----
From: John R. Keys Jr. <jrkeys(a)concentric.net>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Wednesday, August 19, 1998 10:13 PM
Subject: Re: Macs, IBM systems, roms, etc etc...
>I'm right here in the Twincities also and would like to purchase some of
>the machines. Here's my offer to those on the list that want some of these
>items in one's and two's e-mail your list and the price you want to pay for
>each item and I will make them a offer for all of it. You have only pay me
>the shipping cost plus the item cost. If I get it all cheap enough them I
>will divide the number of units into the price I pay and charge the lower
>price per unit. Say I get 100 items at $300 that means the cost per item
>would be $3. I do not need it all I also just want one of each type of unit
>for my collection that I do not already have. Let me know as soon as
>possible before it's all gone. Thanks Eric for the tip and I will get back
>to my Friday with some type of offer based me being able maybe see some of
>these units.
>At 09:09 PM 8/19/98 -0500, you wrote:
>>Ok, after a few more days of scoping things out, here's the deal: I
>>started working for GE Capital, at Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota.
>>They are disposing of alot of the mac systems, and I figured that I
>>would be able to pull the ROM's out of the old ones that I knew were
>>never going to be used again, ever. (Just so you know, I would probably
>>lose my job due to that but it's a shame to let such things go to waste.
>>If someone reading this is from my new employers, I haven't done
>>anything!!!!!)
>>
>> Anyway, one of my bosses, the asset manager, is actively trying to
>>dispose of pallets of stuff. So if someone out there can actually buy
>>quite a bit, that might be nice... apparently last year he made 300
>>bucks selling all systems to scrap dealers that melted it all for the
>>metal content. bummer.)
>>
>> We have lots of old IBM mainframe systems, Quads, CRTs, etc etc. also,
>>a good lot of those macs were all used by the Graphic Design dept; so
>>they are chock full of cool stuff (tons of ram, souped up video cards,
>>yadda yadda.) lots of hard drives, all have token ring cards. (I
>>reiterate: LOTS of token ring cards. I'm swimming in them.) I currently
>>have a large pallet of mac 14/15 inch monitors; a pallet of IIsi, IIci,
>>IIcx's; Quadra 700s, Quadra 950 servers(awesome machines), PowerPC
>>7100/66, 7100/80's. also other random ones. also, *several* pallets of
>>Duo Dock 230's and 280's. tons of NEC versa V/50's and 4000c's. quite a
>>few 21 inch mac color monitors (definitely not for sale, unless you made
>>an attractive offer to my boss!)
>>
>> alot of this stuff is earmarked for employee sales, but alot of it is
>>also headed for disposal. If anyone is truly interested, I will print
>>out and give serious inquiries to my boss. emailing the head of a large
>>national corporation won't do much, but I can give your requests to the
>>right person.
>>
>> in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
>>
>>-Eric
>>
>> (PS. - I only offered to grab roms or small chip components because
>>they wouldn't be used where the machines were headed, and they wouldn't
>>be missed. I cannot personally recover systems or anything of that
>>nature. I am sure however that my boss would be very reasonable if you
>>made an offer!)
>>
>> PPS- we also have several sony trinitron touch screens. anyone know of
>>a use for these?
>>
>>
>
At 09:42 PM 8/20/98 -0500, you wrote:
>Jeff Kaneko wrote:
>
>> Not that I know of. TSC went under some years ago; we all assumed
>> that it took the source to its grave. Rumour has it that some former
>> employees of TSC *may* possess some sources, but they have not stepped
>> foreward.
>>
>> FWIW: A co-worker of mine was approached some years ago with an offer
>> to sell the FLEX sources. My co-worker wasn't interested, and the
>> guy went away. Don't know who he was. For all we know, it ended up in
>> the dumpster. :-/
>
>Some of this can be found at <http://www.rtmx.com/UniFLEX/>. Also
>further FLEX stuff at <http://www.blackbelt.com/flexem.html>.
>
>Regards,
>
>_---_--__-_-_----__-_----_-__-__-_-___--_-__--___-__----__--_--__-___-
>Hans B Pufal Comprehensive Computer Catalogue
><mailto:hansp@plato.digiweb.com> <http://plato.digiweb.com/~hansp/ccc>
>
But all of this is for the 6809. None of this references the 6800/6802. I
contend that the original FLEX/2 sources will remain lost to the world.
It's a shame, too, as it was the first commercially successful OS for *any*
Motorola processor. It was to Moto what CP/M was to Intel.
Jeff
Doug Yowza <yowza(a)yowza.com> wrote:
> Of course, you know that Woz worked at HP before doing the Apple thing.
> The resemblance of the Apple ][ to the HP desktops (esp. the 9825) is
> pretty striking.
Look inside a Lisa someday -- it's got color-coded card lifters.
That's what convinced me that Apple of the late 1970s was just an HP
wannabe.
-Frank McConnell
--- Tom Owad wrote:
>Can someone tell me what the output of the Mac Portable battery charger
>should
>be? (What I should read across the charger contacts?) When I plug it in
>using a
>known-good AC adapter, then place the battery on it, there's no LED glow.
It's most likely the same as the Mac Portable's power adapter, which is
7.5vdc, 1.5A.
--- end of quote ---
Thanks for the info. Actually, according to Apple Service Source docs (found 'em after I posted the question) the charger puts out about a volt less. The power adapter itself is fine, but the external charger seems to be fried.
I have a more pressing problem now. Basically, the computer has a grand mal seizure whenever the internal hard drive is connected.
I've got three semi-functional Portables, and am hoping to wind up with at least one that works. But they all seem to have bad hard disks (Apple 40SC internal) -- if the drive is connected at power-up, it makes a tick-tick-tick noise, the screen flashes, and it repeatedly plays interrupted Death Chimes until I turn it off. The drive never actually spins up.
I'm not familiar with that hard drive model. Since there's no separate power cable, I assume it's some sort of funky low-power-combined-with-SCSI thing. So, anyone got any ideas about what to do with them (besides drop-kick 'em into a swimming pool)? Is there some goofy reset I can do, or a bad fuse somewhere to replace?
If there's no repair possible, then is there any other kind of hard drive that will work in a Portable? Or does someone have a spare they'd sell/trade?
-- MB
Where can I get a replacement battery?
Kai
-----Original Message-----
From: Marion.Bates(a)Dartmouth.EDU [mailto:Marion.Bates@Dartmouth.EDU]
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 1998 1:48 PM
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
Subject: RE: Mac Portable problems (was Re: Mac Portable batt charger)
--- "Dellett, Anthony" wrote:
Hmmm... Check out this URL... You can replace the internal HD40SC with
any 3.5" drive ya want.
Tony
http://www.micromac.com/products/portable_scsi.html
--- end of quote ---
Wow! After I tinker with these old ones a little more, I might just go with
that. Thanks!
-- MB
At 12:08 PM 8/20/98 -0700, you wrote:
>I have the same problem with my Mac Portable but
>I havent had much time to tinker with it.
>
>Have you replaced the 9 volt battery? I'm wondering
>if that might have something to do with it in some
>strange, phases-of-the-moon way.
First off, check the MacPort FAQ at
<http://www.bford.demon.co.uk/mac/portablefaq.txt>. The hard drive is a
proprietary connector, but you can build an adapter or purchase one
ready-made (see the FAQ).
The Mac Port needs power to boot. That power has to come from either the
6v LA battery or the 9v. The 9v needs to be in good shape though. To use
the 9v, remove the cover to the big battery compartment (the cover trips a
switch when it's in place).
--------------------------------------------------------------------- O-
Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad
roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know."
Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates
San Francisco, California http://www.sinasohn.com/
--- "Dellett, Anthony" wrote:
Hmmm... Check out this URL... You can replace the internal HD40SC with
any 3.5" drive ya want.
Tony
http://www.micromac.com/products/portable_scsi.html
--- end of quote ---
Wow! After I tinker with these old ones a little more, I might just go with that. Thanks!
-- MB
Is the mail Lead-Acid battery any good? If the battery is discharged or
shot, the computer won't power up at all. This may be your problem. I
believe it is a 6V battery. If I'm correct, then one out of a power wheels
thing should work to find out if it's a battery, or a bad computer.
--
-Jason
(roblwill(a)usaor.net)
ICQ#-1730318
----------
> From: Marion Bates <Marion.Bates(a)Dartmouth.EDU>
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Re: Mac Portable problems (was Re: Mac Portable batt charger)
> Date: Thursday, August 20, 1998 3:19 PM
>
> I checked the backup battery and it read 8.7 volts or something, which I
> figured was adequate...maybe not?
>
>
> -- MB
>If there's no repair possible, then is there any other kind of hard drive
>that will work in a Portable? Or does someone have a spare they'd sell/trade?
Well, the Paul Kelbaugh <kelbaugh(a)aol.com> I mentioned earliear has
adapters to make your Portable work with ordinairy SCSI hard drives.
$30, IIRC.
Tom Owad
--
Sysop of Caesarville Online
Client software at: <http://home.earthlink.net/~tomowad/>
Hmmm... Check out this URL... You can replace the internal HD40SC with
any 3.5" drive ya want.
Tony
http://www.micromac.com/products/portable_scsi.html
-----Original Message-----
From: Marion.Bates(a)Dartmouth.EDU [mailto:Marion.Bates@Dartmouth.EDU]
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 1998 3:19 PM
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
Subject: Re: Mac Portable problems (was Re: Mac Portable batt charger)
--- "Tony Dellett" wrote:
I have the same problem with my Mac Portable but I havent had much time
to tinker with it.
Have you replaced the 9 volt battery? I'm wondering if that might have
something to do with it in some strange, phases-of-the-moon way.
--- end of quote ---
I checked the backup battery and it read 8.7 volts or something, which I
figured was adequate...maybe not?
-- MB
Not that I know of. TSC went under some years ago; we all assumed
that it took the source to its grave. Rumour has it that some former
employees of TSC *may* possess some sources, but they have not stepped
foreward.
FWIW: A co-worker of mine was approached some years ago with an offer
to sell the FLEX sources. My co-worker wasn't interested, and the
guy went away. Don't know who he was. For all we know, it ended up in
the dumpster. :-/
Jeff
At 02:33 PM 8/20/98 -0500, you wrote:
>
>< For years, it was *THE* disk operating system if you had a 6800/6802 bas
>< system. Originally written in the late 70's, it powered the majority o
>< the SS-50 computers until the 6809 came out. Then came FLEX/09, StarDOS
>< UniFLEX, OS/9. . . .
>
>Are sources available?
>
Hmmm... Seems that if a Mac Portable battery is dead, you cant power the
machine even with the AC adaptor. I'm certain this has something to do
with my problem.
It also seems that if the Mac Portable battery ever gets discharged
below 5.4v it becomes a doorstop.
Tony
I have no idea if it makes any difference or not. My guess is that the
9V powers some parameter ram or something. It just makes me wonder that
all three Mac portables you have all contain dead HDs
?
Tony
-----Original Message-----
From: Marion.Bates(a)Dartmouth.EDU [mailto:Marion.Bates@Dartmouth.EDU]
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 1998 3:19 PM
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
Subject: Re: Mac Portable problems (was Re: Mac Portable batt charger)
--- "Tony Dellett" wrote:
I have the same problem with my Mac Portable but I havent had much time
to tinker with it.
Have you replaced the 9 volt battery? I'm wondering if that might have
something to do with it in some strange, phases-of-the-moon way.
--- end of quote ---
I checked the backup battery and it read 8.7 volts or something, which I
figured was adequate...maybe not?
-- MB
I have the same problem with my Mac Portable but I havent had much time to tinker with it.
Have you replaced the 9 volt battery? I'm wondering if that might have something to do with it in some strange, phases-of-the-moon way.
Tony
(this is my hit the home email from work route, dont reply to this email address)
--
On 20 Aug 98 14:56:48 EDT Marion Bates wrote:
>--- Tom Owad wrote:
>>Can someone tell me what the output of the Mac Portable battery charger
>>should
>>be? (What I should read across the charger contacts?) When I plug it in
>>using a
>>known-good AC adapter, then place the battery on it, there's no LED glow.
>
>It's most likely the same as the Mac Portable's power adapter, which is
>7.5vdc, 1.5A.
>--- end of quote ---
>
>Thanks for the info. Actually, according to Apple Service Source docs (found 'em after I posted the question) the charger puts out about a volt less. The power adapter itself is fine, but the external charger seems to be fried.
>
>I have a more pressing problem now. Basically, the computer has a grand mal seizure whenever the internal hard drive is connected.
>
>I've got three semi-functional Portables, and am hoping to wind up with at least one that works. But they all seem to have bad hard disks (Apple 40SC internal) -- if the drive is connected at power-up, it makes a tick-tick-tick noise, the screen flashes, and it repeatedly plays interrupted Death Chimes until I turn it off. The drive never actually spins up.
>
>I'm not familiar with that hard drive model. Since there's no separate power cable, I assume it's some sort of funky low-power-combined-with-SCSI thing. So, anyone got any ideas about what to do with them (besides drop-kick 'em into a swimming pool)? Is there some goofy reset I can do, or a bad fuse somewhere to replace?
>
>If there's no repair possible, then is there any other kind of hard drive that will work in a Portable? Or does someone have a spare they'd sell/trade?
>
>-- MB
>
>
-----== Sent via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==-----
http://www.dejanews.com/ Easy access to 50,000+ discussion forums
At 04:52 PM 8/20/98 -0500, you wrote:
>Jeff wrote:
>
>> Yow!!! That means maybe it will run FLEX! [insert Homer Simpson
>> impersonation]
>
>Could someone please enlighten me... What, pray, is FLEX?
For years, it was *THE* disk operating system if you had a 6800/6802 based
system. Originally written in the late 70's, it powered the majority of
the SS-50 computers until the 6809 came out. Then came FLEX/09, StarDOS,
UniFLEX, OS/9. . . .
There were other (some better) DOS's that were available at the time from
Smoke Signal, Moto, and a couple of others, but FLEX gained alot of support
>from developers, and had alot of applications. I'm trying to get one of my
s-50's working again so I can play with FLEX (I won't settle for emulation
when I can have the *real* thing).
It was a bit limited, but it was small enough to fit within the 6800's 64K
address space, with *plenty* of room to spare!
>> Woo Hoo!. Dang! I can just imagine running FLEX at 25Mc! Its
performance
>> over a 1Mc 6800 must have been blistering!
>
>Warning. Clock speeds may not be comparable. 6800 and friends
>(including 6502) often do more per cycle than 2901s.
Well, yeah, but still faster then 1Mc (or 800kc if you didn't modify the
cpu board).
>That said, the 4052 is a 16 bit system, despite its 8-bit instruction
>set. The data path is 16 bit throughout, it fetches two byte
>instructions in a single memory cycle, etc.
OIC
>And Tek do claim some quite impressive performance boosts upgrading from
>4051 to 4052 (average gain they claimed was ten times, I think)
Yeah, still pretty hot s---.
>> Yikes!! I think I may have seen some boards from a system like that one
>> in a junk heap last week! It used four 2901's eh? Hm, I'm gonna haveto
>> revisit that particular junque pile . . .
>
>Bear in mind Tony Duell's comments - 16 bit systems based around 4 2901s
>used to be common, but may now be worth grabbing anyway.
Umm, yeah, but being a 6800 enthusiast, this carries with it some
especially interesting possibilities!
>I must do some more research into the relationship between 4052 and 6800
>instruction sets.
Yes. How the implemented the microcode would be of particular interest.
Jeff
< For years, it was *THE* disk operating system if you had a 6800/6802 bas
< system. Originally written in the late 70's, it powered the majority o
< the SS-50 computers until the 6809 came out. Then came FLEX/09, StarDOS
< UniFLEX, OS/9. . . .
Are sources available?
>Can someone tell me what the output of the Mac Portable battery charger
>should
>be? (What I should read across the charger contacts?) When I plug it in
>using a
>known-good AC adapter, then place the battery on it, there's no LED glow.
It's most likely the same as the Mac Portable's power adapter, which is
7.5vdc, 1.5A.
Paul Kelbaugh <kelbaugh(a)aol.com> has Mac Portable power adapters for sale
for around $25, I believe.
Tom Owad
--
Sysop of Caesarville Online
Client software at: <http://home.earthlink.net/~tomowad/>
At 07:23 PM 8/19/98 +0100, you wrote:
>> We had quite a few when I was growing up (ds21's, mostly, including a
>> wagon) and they were maintained by a Citroen-only shop, but still, I'd
>
>Having seen the sort of work put out by Citroen Main Dealers in the UK,
>I'd sooner let a PC repairman fix one of my computers than let some of
Nah, these were frenchmen, (independents) known throughout the state as the
best in Citroens. That's all they did. They had no problem working on the
citroens and keeping them running.
I, on the other hand, couldn't understand the inner or outer workings of
those vehicles. I still think that whoever designed 'em must have been
jealous of swiss watchmakers, but with all the design skills of the
samsonite gorilla.
>> And to relate it to classic computers, it was about 10 years ago that I
>> drove through downtown SF in a Citroen with a flat tyre and Jerry Pournelle
>
>Oh, but Citroens are easy to change wheels on. That's what the highest
>position on the height controller is for....
Yeah, but you have to remove the (rear) fender to get the wheel off, (I'm
not kidding!) and who wants to do that when you've got (what I at the time
considered) a major celebrity in the car? I limped along back to Moscone
and dropped everyone off before skulking off to a nearby parking lot...
P.S., I still have scars on my right hand from another time working on
those #$&*@( things... Give me a Land Rover any day! 8^)
--------------------------------------------------------------------- O-
Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad
roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know."
Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates
San Francisco, California http://www.sinasohn.com/
Still in need of a few microchannel (for PS/2) ethernet adapters with
the BNC 10base2 setup. Doesn't matter if they have AUI or RJ45 with it
as well, as long as it has the BNC/10base2 setup. I don't need 3270
cards so check any cards you think you have with the BNC connector to
see what they are.
Looking for donations, trades or reasonable priced cards for a parochial
school network project that's overdue. I've gotten a few good reponses
and have a couple on the way but I'm going to be about 4 or so short
yet. I've also gotten one or two ridiculously high quotes for used
cards. This is a project on a shoestring budget so no $30 or $40 cards
please.
Russ Blakeman
Harned, KY USA
At 06:12 PM 8/19/98 GMT, you wrote:
>Most power adapters are constant voltage, and quote a maximum current.
>So the requirement is for 22V, capable of at least 0.82A. A power
>supply that can put out 1.2A (not Ah) would be ideal.
Here's a question... I get a lot of laptops minus their PS's. The ones
that are 12vdc or 9vdc with a standard plug are no problem, but the ones
like the outbound (I'm lucky enough to have a PS) or the GRiD's (17.5vdc?)
or whatnot aren't even covered by the select-a-warts from Radio Shack.
So, does anyone make a box where you can set it for whatever voltage you
want from, say, 1vdc to 50vdc or something, with some way of hooking up
different plugs? Does anyone know where to get such a beast *cheaply*?
Thanks...
--------------------------------------------------------------------- O-
Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad
roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know."
Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates
San Francisco, California http://www.sinasohn.com/
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
Subject: Re: Altair - A different perspective
Author: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu at internet
Date: 8/20/98 12:59 PM
At 07:23 PM 8/19/98 +0100, you wrote:
>> We had quite a few when I was growing up (ds21's, mostly, including a
>> wagon) and they were maintained by a Citroen-only shop, but still, I'd
>
>Having seen the sort of work put out by Citroen Main Dealers in the UK,
>I'd sooner let a PC repairman fix one of my computers than let some of
Nah, these were frenchmen, (independents) known throughout the state as the
best in Citroens. That's all they did. They had no problem working on the
citroens and keeping them running.
I, on the other hand, couldn't understand the inner or outer workings of
those vehicles. I still think that whoever designed 'em must have been
jealous of swiss watchmakers, but with all the design skills of the
samsonite gorilla.
>> And to relate it to classic computers, it was about 10 years ago that I
>> drove through downtown SF in a Citroen with a flat tyre and Jerry Pournelle
>
>Oh, but Citroens are easy to change wheels on. That's what the highest
>position on the height controller is for....
Yeah, but you have to remove the (rear) fender to get the wheel off, (I'm
not kidding!) and who wants to do that when you've got (what I at the time
considered) a major celebrity in the car? I limped along back to Moscone
and dropped everyone off before skulking off to a nearby parking lot...
P.S., I still have scars on my right hand from another time working on
those #$&*@( things... Give me a Land Rover any day! 8^)
--------------------------------------------------------------------- O-
Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad
roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know."
Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates
San Francisco, California http://www.sinasohn.com/
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Thu, 20 Aug 1998 09:46:16 -0700
Message-Id: <3.0.16.19980819192810.52370f22(a)ricochet.net>
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 09:41:05 -0700 (PDT)
Reply-To: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu
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From: Uncle Roger <sinasohn(a)ricochet.net>
To: "Discussion re-collecting of classic computers"
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: Altair - A different perspective
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
X-Sender: sinasohn(a)ricochet.net
X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN
Hi,
If any of ya'll out there are interested in a Kaypro 4
"suitcase" computer, I have one on the ol' "trading block".
The machine itself is complete and working but I do not
have any diskettes for it. On power up it displays a
"please insert system diskette in drive" type of message.
Per my previous postings I'm mainly interested in
calculator stuff (and have a detailed "want" list on my
Web site). Please write me directly if you have any
interest in this machine.
Regards,
Alex
aknight(a)mindspring.com
Calculator History & Technology Archive Web Page
http://aknight.home.mindspring.com/calc.htm
At 12:40 AM 8/16/98 +0100, you wrote:
>engine, transmission, hydraulics (it's a Citroen with hydraulic
Omigawd... You poor soul you... Here, let me send you an Altair to make
up for your suffering! 8^) (The french should make love, not cars.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------- O-
Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad
roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know."
Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates
San Francisco, California http://www.sinasohn.com/
You could use a camcorder or camcorder charger to charge the battery. It
would be a lot safer. You could overload the supply if it's not the right
volt/amperage, worse yet, you could blow something in the computer.
--
-Jason
(roblwill(a)usaor.net)
ICQ#-1730318
----------
> From: Tom Owad <tomowad(a)earthlink.net>
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Charging batteries
> Date: Wednesday, August 19, 1998 10:16 AM
>
> I have an Outbound Notebook which takes a camcorder-style 12v 2 Ah
> battery. The Outbound's power adapter, which is used to both run the
> unit and charge the battery is 22v, 0.82A. Unfortunately, I don't have
> the adapter or anything similiar.
> What I would like to know is how forgiving the Outbound and its
> battery would be if I used an innapropriate adapter. I have an adapter
> that puts out 14v and 1.2 amps. Am I correct in assuming the 14v would
> suffice for charging the batter (not running the unit)? What about the
> 1.2Ah, though? Will the extra amperage do any harm?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Tom Owad
>
> P.S. Anybody have a 22v, 0.82A adapter for sale?
>
> --
> Sysop of Caesarville Online
> Client software at: <http://home.earthlink.net/~tomowad/>
>
At 12:38 AM 8/20/98 -0500, Doug wrote:
>On Wed, 19 Aug 1998, dave dameron wrote:
>
>> I found a book I would recommend if anyone finds a copy, although I am still
>> getting used to it. It is "Computer Structures: Readings and Examples" by
>> Bell and Newell. It uses strange notation (for me) and even the table of
>> contents is "virtual".
>
>That wouldn't be Gordon Bell, would it? The book sounds familiar, but
>it's not on my shelf.
>
Yes, that's it. My copy was published in 1971, so the HP9100A is one of the
later computers in it. Yes it is neat with the custom CRT and all the boards
stuffed into its case. I guess it sold for about $6000.
-Dave
< I buy the weirdest stuff sometimes. It's a hex keypad that obviously
< belongs to a single-board computer, but not for a CPU I'm familiar with
< CPU-specific labels are AC0, AC1, AC2, AC3, PC, NI, FLAG, and STK0. Wha
< does this keypad belong to? (And does anybody need one?)
My guess would be a DG NOVA/Microflame series. It's the only one I know
of with four accumulators.
Allison
< >Dig up a PDP-11 Qbus book, most had a good description of the bus and
< >bus protocals.
<
< Any suggestions as I'll have to go beg/borrow/steal/buy one. All the boo
< I have either predate Q-Bus or talk about "real" VAX systems (like Massb
< Unibus etc).
Look around they are fairly common. DEC Published them every year from
late '70s through the 80s. Also check with your local DEC down under
as they may have a copy in the office.
On the other hand the ones you have are scarce!
Allison
On Aug 19, 21:26, Sam Ismail wrote:
> Subject: Re: My Web Site
> On Wed, 19 Aug 1998, Richard A. Cini, Jr. wrote:
>
> > Well, this is my first attempt at a Web site. Actually, there's two, at
> > these URLs:
> >
> > http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/pdp11/index.html
> >
> > and
> >
> > http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/classiccmp/index.html
>
> PS. These links did not work for some reason. I believe your index.html
> is missing. I think your pdp11 directory is also MIA.
The directory's there, but the pages are called "index.htm" not
"index.html"... looks like they were created with that nasty FrontPage
stuff.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Dept. of Computer Science
University of York
At 05:41 PM 8/19/98 -0500, Doug wrote:
>On Wed, 19 Aug 1998, Alex Knight wrote:
>
>> One of the more interesting machines that I have written
>> an article about for my Web site is called a Mathatron, which
>> was advertised as a desktop calculator/computer and sold as
>> early as 1964.
>
>Hi, Alex. I really think this is the coolest find yet. I have a desktop
>programmable computer from 1959, but mine is analog. I haven't heard of
>any desktop programmable solid-state digital machine that predates your
>Mathatron.
>
>> Another "crossover" machine that I have a little info
>> (mainly pictures) of is the HP 9830, called a calculator
>> but in fact a computer with BASIC.
>
I found a book I would recommend if anyone finds a copy, although I am still
getting used to it. It is "Computer Structures: Readings and Examples" by
Bell and Newell. It uses strange notation (for me) and even the table of
contents is "virtual".
Anyway, it includes descriptions of 2 desktop calculators, both about 1968:
an Olivetti 101 (USD$3500) and a HP 9100A. The HP uses core memory, its
program ROM uses 16 layer PC board technology. The HP article is a reprint
>from the HP Journal. Does anyone have either of these?
There are many other computers described, both common and uncommon. Some are
valved, such as the UK Pegasus, which was only 3 "bays" large.
-Dave
At 03:29 AM 8/19/98 -0500, Doug wrote:
>ObCC: Supposedly, MITS came out with a hobbyist machine a couple of years
>before the Altair called the MITS 816. I haven't found much info about
>it. Is it real?
>
>-- Doug
>
Have you found any more? I looked for MITS ads in Popular Electronics
>from about 1971 to 1974. They had many calculators, sometimes the last 2 digits
in the model number = calsulator digits. I think the nmost digits I saw was
14, though. Also clocks, etc.
In late 1974 their ads were for a 416 which was a 4 channel x 16 led "logic
scope" Built in one of those black bakelite boxes. It sounds like one of
those oscilloscope "multi-channel" adapters that were popular when CMOS
multiplexers came out, like the 4051, but this one used led's instead of am
external scope.
-Dave
Hello, all:
Well, this is my first attempt at a Web site. Actually, there's two, at
these URLs:
http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/pdp11/index.html
and
http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/classiccmp/index.html
I found out today looking at the site "live" that certain FrontPage
elements did not translate (such as the hit counter). I'm opening up these
URLs for criticism. Let me know what y'all think.
I also need good links recommendations. I have a few, but I need more.
Rich Cini/WUGNET <nospam_rcini(a)msn.com>
- ClubWin/CW7
- MCP Windows 95/Windows Networking
- Preserver of "classic" computers
<<<< ========== reply separator ========== >>>>>
Actually they do both, unfortunately sometimes simultaneaously:)
>At 12:40 AM 8/16/98 +0100, you wrote:
>>engine, transmission, hydraulics (it's a Citroen with hydraulic
>
>Omigawd... You poor soul you... Here, let me send you an Altair to make
>up for your suffering! 8^) (The french should make love, not cars.)
>
Francois
-------------------------------------------------------------
Visit the desperately in need of update
Sanctuary at: http://www.pclink.com/fauradon
< As far as I know, all DEC versions of the VT103 came
< with an 18 bit backplane for the QBus. If an LSI-11/03
Correct.
< is used, I understand it may be ill advised to make any
< changes in the backplane, as well as fruitless, since this
< CPU can use only a maximum of 56 KBytes of memory
< in any case.
Also correct.
< for the PDP-11. However, I have also heard that the
< use of a quad CPU with a 22 bit backplane may also
< risk damage to the CPU in the VT103 environment.
I've done it. The bigest things is the power supply
is somewhat limited.
< BUT, I have seen both the dual 11/23 (M8186) and
< the dual 11/73 (M8192) used with an upgraded 22
< bit backplane within the VT103 along with a full
< 4 MBytes of memory. In addition, there was a
Very doable. The biggest thing is for most DEC OSs
256k (18bit) is plenty.
A good package is a 11/23, 256kram, DLV11j, RQDX3, BDV11.
That gives you 4 serial ports, full memory without backplane mods,
RX50/RX33 floppy and MSCP hard disk (RDxx) and the BDV terminates
the bus plus supplies some of the desireable boots (no mscp).
using a 11/23b or 11/73 you can remove the BDV11 and they have
mscp boots. however the PS is right on the edge.
< tube. The disk drive happened to be a Micropolis
< 1325 of 70 MBytes. And while I would strongly
< recommend against running with a DHV11 for any
< extended period of time due to the lack of a proper
That would overstress the PS and seriously need a bigger fan.
< with the 11/23, and shortly thereafter with the 11/73,
< a far better PC than the MS-DOS/Intel combination
< could produce until the 486 was released in 1989.
you bet!
< If anyone has a VT103 and needs some help with
< how to set it up as well to convert to a 22 bit backplane,
< likely both Megan Gentry and I are able to supply the
< necessary technical information.
I've built a few and have data as well.
Allison
Question of the day, how do you go about cleaning an RL02 pack. I'm not
talking about the "Customer" cleaning that the user manual talks about.
I'm talking about the "Dec Certified Tech" six month cleaning or however it
was they put it (read it last night). The six month cleaning sounds like
it includes cleaning inside the pack, which is what I"m interested in. I
know someone, Tony I think, mentioned taking apart and cleaning RK05 packs.
Well that's what I'm wanting to do with this RL02.
It's called the pack is visably dirty inside, with a thin film of grim.
Any suggestions, recommendations, crys of "are you out of your freaking mind"?
Zane
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator |
| healyzh(a)ix.netcom.com (primary) | Linux Enthusiast |
| healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, |
| and Zane's Computer Museum. |
| http://www.dragonfire.net/~healyzh/ |
At 10:44 AM 19-08-98 -0400, Wayne Cox wrote:
>With all the DEC enthusiasts here, maybe someone can help:
>
>Was DEC's EDT text editor ever `ported to any non-DEC platforms, such as
>PCs or unixes? It is still my favorite text and program editor, and I'd
>love to have on on some of my "everyday" machines.
Well from (rusty) memory Boston Business Computing (Computers?) had a
version of EDT that ran on PCs. In addition, Digital had a version of eve
that ran under Ultrix and it had EDT emulation. I used the latter approach
for a while but then just got assimilated by the vi cube :-)
Huw Davies | e-mail: Huw.Davies(a)latrobe.edu.au
Information Technology Services | Phone: +61 3 9479 1550 Fax: +61 3 9479
1999
La Trobe University | "If God had wanted soccer played in the
Melbourne Australia 3083 | air, the sky would be painted green"
< >CPU + memory + I/O cards in there. You need a serial port on the Q-bus,
< >which you then link to the VT100 logic board that's also in there.
<
< I also believe a uVAX-II will also work in a VT103....
Save for your limited to the 1meg of ram (no CD) and the power is
limited. the vt103 was designed as a small system and if you smoke
the PS you may have a time finding another.
Allison
Hello out there in classic computer land,
I'm new to the list and wanted to introduce myself and
my Web pages to the rest of ya'll. My name is Alex
Knight and my Web page, the Calculator History and
Technology Archive, is located at:
http://aknight.home.mindspring.com/calc.htm
My interest is primarily in early-model electronic
calculators, but there are some crossover machines that
seem to fit the bill as classic computers, and
in my searching for old calculators I sometimes turn
up some interesting old computer stuff.
One of the more interesting machines that I have written
an article about for my Web site is called a Mathatron, which
was advertised as a desktop calculator/computer and sold as
early as 1964. The Mathatron is a very large and heavy
(24" x 24", 80 lbs) machine, but it will fit on top of
a sturdy desk. I believe it to be the first programmable
calculator, and some other people I've talked to consider
it to be the first desktop computer (because of it's
programmability, available peripherals, etc.). So ya'll
take a look and let me know if you have any additional
info. on this unit that I may be able to add to my article.
Another "crossover" machine that I have a little info
(mainly pictures) of is the HP 9830, called a calculator
but in fact a computer with BASIC.
Also on my Web site is a list of things that I'm looking
for and things I have for trading, as I find classic
computer items that I put on the trading block I'll
send a message to the list to let ya'll know.
Have fun,
Alex Knight
Hillsborough, NC
At 09:51 PM 18-08-98 +0100, Pete Joules wrote:
>Don't know if this is classic but I just got an entire VMS 5.2 'grey
>wall'free. Allison - can I reliably use this as a reference for my 5.5
>system?
I would have thought so. I don't think there were any features "retired" in
going form 5.2 to 5.5. Of course, there were lots of new things added
although sitting here I can't think of what - it's been a while since 5.5
was released!
Huw Davies | e-mail: Huw.Davies(a)latrobe.edu.au
Information Technology Services | Phone: +61 3 9479 1550 Fax: +61 3 9479
1999
La Trobe University | "If God had wanted soccer played in the
Melbourne Australia 3083 | air, the sky would be painted green"
Yow!!! That means maybe it will run FLEX! [insert Homer Simpson
impersonation]
Woo Hoo!. Dang! I can just imagine running FLEX at 25Mc! Its performance
over a 1Mc 6800 must have been blistering!
Yikes!! I think I may have seen some boards from a system like that one
in a junk heap last week! It used four 2901's eh? Hm, I'm gonna haveto
revisit that particular junque pile . . .
Jeff
At 06:05 PM 8/19/98 -0500, you wrote:
>>> I just picked up a Tektronix 4041 computer. I think it's a general
>>> purpose HP-IB instrument controller similar to a HP 9915. How close is
it
>>> to your 4052? I HAD a Tektronix 4046 disk drive unit for the 4041 a few
>>> months ago but I traded it off (A_ S___!) Does anyone know anything
>
>Not at all similar, I'm afraid.
>
>The 4051 was a 6800 machine, and the 4052 used four 2901 chips and a
>homebrew sequencer to give you a 25MHz 6800 with some extra
^^^^^^^^^^
>instructions. More about this - and the disgusting piece of
>pessimisation they included - at my talk at VCF...
>
>Philip.
>
>To charge a 12V battery with a 22V power supply suggests some internal
>regulation, in which case 14V probably wouldn't work. On the other
>hand, it probably would do no harm.
What if I hooked the charger directly to the batter? Would the extra 2v
be a problem?
>You don't say whether the 22V is dc or ac - if it's ac, dc might work,
>but if it's supposed to be dc, ac could damage your machine.
Both the intended adapter and the one I have are DC.
>> P.S. Anybody have a 22v, 0.82A adapter for sale?
>
>I could build you one, but shipping it to the US might be expensive :-)
I'll probably end up with an explanation that's way over my head, but -
How do you build one?
Thanks.
Tom Owad
--
Sysop of Caesarville Online
Client software at: <http://home.earthlink.net/~tomowad/>
> i started a new job last week; one of my duties is going thru a
> warehouse load (no joke) of older mac systems. everything from se30's to
> older powerPC machines. question is this: since they all are being
> scrapped and i cannot save them, anyone want me to pull some roms for
> them? or any other useful components? let me know WHAT they are, and
> WHERE they are, as I am not a mac tech. more than happy to see what i
> can do for you people out there who want these.
Would you be able to save any complete systems?
> Maybe. It's kinda big though. About a 30" cube. Ugly too, it looks
> kind of like a car that's been crushed.
>
> Joe
Well, then it's probably from the government. There's not too much pretty
stuff from the government (going in and coming out). It would be
interesting to see what's on those HD's. If it doesn't' have a monitor, it
could have been some type of mainframe.
--
-Jason
(roblwill(a)usaor.net)
ICQ#-1730318
I'm heading down to this guy's place sunday to take a look around. He
offered to let me make multiple trips so I'll prolly go down, make a
list, nab what I want, and let y'all know what's there for the taking
and maybe I can go get some of it for you and ship it out (within reason
of course).
Tony
> -----Original Message-----
> From: allisonp(a)world.std.com [mailto:allisonp@world.std.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 1998 8:56 AM
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
> Subject: Re: Parts is parts (not scanjet stuff)
>
>
> < http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=25437342
> <
> < When I last looked (an hour ago?) no-one had bid, the minimum bid is
> < $1.00 (though there's work involved getting the stuff),
> there's a bit
> < under two days to go, and here's the description:
> <
> < >Hundreds of tubes of brand-new 7400 & 74LS TTL DIPs and resistor
> < >networks. 8 MHz 68000's and 16K DRAMs. Boxes and boxes of
> brand-new 3M
>
> snip...
>
> Sounds interesting but I'm cubed out here.
>
> Allison
>
I have an Outbound Notebook which takes a camcorder-style 12v 2 Ah
battery. The Outbound's power adapter, which is used to both run the
unit and charge the battery is 22v, 0.82A. Unfortunately, I don't have
the adapter or anything similiar.
What I would like to know is how forgiving the Outbound and its
battery would be if I used an innapropriate adapter. I have an adapter
that puts out 14v and 1.2 amps. Am I correct in assuming the 14v would
suffice for charging the batter (not running the unit)? What about the
1.2Ah, though? Will the extra amperage do any harm?
Thanks.
Tom Owad
P.S. Anybody have a 22v, 0.82A adapter for sale?
--
Sysop of Caesarville Online
Client software at: <http://home.earthlink.net/~tomowad/>
At 02:44 AM 8/18/98 +0100, you wrote:
>Oh, actually I love it. It's unconventional, like all the classic
Oooh, you are sick. 8^)
>People who don't like Citroen hydraulics have either never owned such a
>car, or have owned one, but let someone with no knowledge of how it
>should work (aka 'a garage' :-)) look after it. Properly maintained
We had quite a few when I was growing up (ds21's, mostly, including a
wagon) and they were maintained by a Citroen-only shop, but still, I'd
rather walk. (Citroen is pretty darn close to Citron, which of course
means Lemon. 8^)
And to relate it to classic computers, it was about 10 years ago that I
drove through downtown SF in a Citroen with a flat tyre and Jerry Pournelle
and several other muckity-mucks from McGraw-Hill(?) in the car with me.
Very embarassing...
--------------------------------------------------------------------- O-
Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad
roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know."
Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates
San Francisco, California http://www.sinasohn.com/
I got a VMS ver. 5.4 "Grey Wall" myself with the 'Great Haul' a while back.
I took an inventory of all the manuals based on the first several pages of
the Introduction to the Master Index (found in General User vol. 1)
I discovered at least four binders are missing. Not too bad considering
there seems to be a total of at least 29 grey binders in the whole of the
three manual subkits. They probably were left on somebody's desk at the
southern college from where the previous owner obtained my VAX 11/750 back
in '90 or '91.
Would anybody have just odd parts and pieces of the VMS 5.4 manual
collection? If so, would any of you be willing to part with several to
help complete mine?
Here's the manuals/binders I'm missing:
General User Subkit Volume 4, "VMS DCL Dictionary" (may consist of vol.
4A and 4B in one _or_ two binders as hinted by a footnote.)
System Management Subkit Volume 3, consisting of : "VMS Access Control
List Editor Manual", "VMS Audit Analysis Utility Manual", "VMS Authorize
Utility Manual", "Guide to VMS System Security" all in one binder.
Programming Subkit Volume 7A, consisting of: "VMS I/O User's Reference
Manual: Part I" and "VMS I/O User's Reference Manual: Part II" both in one
binder.
Programming Subkit Volume 7B, consisting of: "VMS Delta/XDelta Utility
Manual" and "VMS System Dump Analyzer Utility Manual" both in one binder.
Later, I may ask for help in completing my RSX-11M ver. 4.1 'Orange Wall"
when I get around to doing a precise inventory. Seems to be several of
those binders missing. (At least my RT-11 ver. 4.1 manual set seems quite
complete :-) )
Thanks loads for the help!
Regards, Chris
-- --
=======================================================
Christian R. Fandt, Electronic/Electrical Historian
31 Houston Avenue Phone: +716-488-1722 -Home
Jamestown, New York email: cfandt(a)servtech.com
14701-2627 USA
Member of Antique Wireless Association
URL: http://www.ggw.org/freenet/a/awa/
< I've got some hardcopy of an EDT clone for the Rainbow called
< Small-EDT which isn't too bad, however -- the sources have been
< hacked by me in an aborted attempt to squeeze them on to a DEC VT180.
<
< I ended up with a 68k binary and a 52k (or so) TPA.
Sedt? it was PC huge. To get that functionality it didn't need to be
60+k of code. Even VAX EDT is smaller! Most of the EDT clones FYI are
about 12-15k of 8080/z80 asm code and about 22k if written in a C
compiler.
Allison
> I have an Outbound Notebook which takes a camcorder-style 12v 2 Ah
> battery. The Outbound's power adapter, which is used to both run the
> unit and charge the battery is 22v, 0.82A. Unfortunately, I don't
> have the adapter or anything similiar.
> What I would like to know is how forgiving the Outbound and its
> battery would be if I used an innapropriate adapter. I have an adapter
> that puts out 14v and 1.2 amps. Am I correct in assuming the 14v would
> suffice for charging the batter (not running the unit)? What about the
> 1.2Ah, though? Will the extra amperage do any harm?
I don't know the outbound, but I can offer the following thoughts:
To charge a 12V battery with a 22V power supply suggests some internal
regulation, in which case 14V probably wouldn't work. On the other
hand, it probably would do no harm.
You don't say whether the 22V is dc or ac - if it's ac, dc might work,
but if it's supposed to be dc, ac could damage your machine.
Most power adapters are constant voltage, and quote a maximum current.
So the requirement is for 22V, capable of at least 0.82A. A power
supply that can put out 1.2A (not Ah) would be ideal.
> P.S. Anybody have a 22v, 0.82A adapter for sale?
I could build you one, but shipping it to the US might be expensive :-)
Philip.