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

FTGH for pickup in So Cal v2: Macs, Atari ST, various hardware

by spectre＠floodgap.com

The PDP-11, VT100, Flyer/Video Toaster and some of the Macs have found homes, but there are still some items left and a couple more I added. These will be going to the recycler soon unless they are spoken for (all free to good homes). I may be adding some others, too. As before items are at various locations in Riverside-San Bernardino, CA. Please contact me OFFLIST to arrange PICKUP. POSSIBLY WORKING: Mega ST4 with Megafile 60 and SC1224 and SM125 monitors. These are a bit yellowed and the keyboard is thrashed. Also, the TOS is on a separate card with two leads that got loose and I don't know where they go (probably to +Vcc and a select pin). Thus, can't test the monitors or the hard disk, but the system does power on, and the hard disk does power up and makes happy hard disk noises. No idea what's on it. The SM125 puts on a power light and does appear to try to make a picture, though its previous owner separated it from its stand for some reason. The SC1224 sounds like the flyback is bad but may be serviceable. Includes ST mouse and hard disk cable. No manuals or software. If you want this unit, you need to take everything including the monitors. PARTIALLY WORKING: 500MHz iBook G3 laptop (snow, not colour) M6497 with tray loader optical drive and power supply. Does boot OS X, but needs a new LCD backlight (mini VGA port works and you can see the display in bright light) and battery is of course toast. Otherwise physically intact except that ex-bro-in-law put grotty stickers on it. PARTIALLY WORKING: Quad G5 2.5GHz x2x2, 8GB RAM, Nvidia 6600. Got whacked in shipping and one side of the case is damaged. No hard disk. Does power on but you will need to service the processors and the liquid cooling system. Aftermarket optical drive needs "help" when you eject it. Add your own USB keyboard and mouse. PARTIALLY WORKING: Sawtooth Power Mac G4 450MHz. No RAM, no video card, no hard disk. Used to be my file server but had issues with one of the PCI slots. Has optical drive and ZIP with matching Apple bezels. Does power on, but obviously without RAM or a video card (AGP) will not pass POST. Add your own USB keyboard and mouse. NOT WORKING: Single G5 1.8GHz, 2GB RAM, GeForce 5200. The previous owner seemed to have had a disagreement with the front panel connector and the front panel connector lost. I received it stripped to the chassis except for the processor and the logic board, but it does have the fans, video card, wireless (with T-antenna), power supply and panel cable. Because the front panel connector is busted I can't test it. You get to replace the front panel assembly and put it back together. This unit is air-cooled, but probably could benefit from reapplying thermal compound while you're at it. Has optical drive (disconnected), no hard disk, add your own USB keyboard and mouse. Various other items: Apple II Super Serial card with DB-25 670-0020-? (uses 6551 ACIA) and Apple IIe 80 column 64K memory expansion 607-0103-K. Can't test them but both look intact. Kurta Penmouse. Serial and PS/2 connectors. Seems to have a power supply jack (9V) but I don't have the power supply and I don't know if it needs it. Can't test it, no drivers, physically intact. Sun model 411 SCSI CD-ROM. Requires caddy. Won't mount discs, might need a recap. Samsung 17" SyncMaster CRT. Works fine, great shape, just too big to keep around anymore. UMAX Astra 2100U flatbed USB scanner with power supply. Powers on. Works with classic Mac OS but probably most systems. No driver disc. Pair of Telular SX5 GSM terminals. These were the server room's backup communication system. They work, but no GSM network to connect to anymore. Might be fun if you set one up. Real serial ports! Real GSM modem! Full kits with power supply. Visual UpTime Select T1 CSU/DSU. Has a Cisco V.35 cable connected and jacks for Ethernet, serial, DSX-1 and T1. Powers on, obviously goes right into Red Alarm since there's no network. You telco nerds will love it. Adaptec AHA-1542CF ISA SCSI card. I don't have a system to put this in. Looks fine, might work. No software or drivers. ATI PCI Rage XL card, VGA DE-15 port. Likely for PC, doesn't seem to have a Mac ROM. Good condition. No drivers. Diamond ATI Radeon HD 6450 PCIe card with DVI, VGA, HDMI. Has manual, no drivers. Good condition. Various complete external modem packages ranging from 14.4 to 33.6K. -- ------------------------------------ personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ -- Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at floodgap.com -- Man fears Time, yet Time fears the Pyramids. -- Arab proverb ---------------

4 years, 10 months

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Multi-Micro-Channel bus systems, and thoughts on the Computer Society Digital Library.

by cz＠alembic.crystel.com

Read that Personal Systems magazine from 1992 that was recently posted and enjoyed the article on the PS/2 295 system. I never heard about that one, the biggest PS/2's I worked on were the 95 systems with 486 processors back at Covington. One thing that popped out: The 295 was a multi-processor-ish system with two MCA busses. Granted they were decoupled with each processor having its own MCA bus but it got me to thinking: Were there other systems of that time that could use two MicroChannel busses? I know of one: Back when I first started working at the IEEE Computer Society in 1993 they had a donated NCR 3550 system. Big box, mainframe sized with 4 486/50 CPUs in it and an MCA backplane. As I recall AT&T donated it to the CS but no one had a clue what to do with it. It ran NCR Unix which wasn't interesting but when we started putting together the first E-Commerce systems in 1994 I decided to use it with Windows NT. Oddly enough it could run NT 3.51 (and later NT 4 with a HAL) and we put it online with Netscape Commerce server. Ran great and just like that we were doing E-Commerce for SuperComputing/95 registrations. :-) Later we started building the Digital E-Library on it. We needed a system that could do a lot of SGML-HTML conversions quickly as well as render TEK Math to .gif in real time. So we upgraded the 3550 with 8 (later a total of 16) Pentium Pro CPUs and a second Microchannel bus. We split the disks up with 2 4 port SCSI adapters on each bus along with a network port each and balanced RAID1 and RAID5 disks across the channels on both busses. Worked surprisingly well and allowed us to load all of the CS periodicals on the system along with a big Lotus Notes server implementation to run the commerce software and store the E-Accounts (still in use today!). The E-commerce system allowed people to renew their memberships with credit cards, and of course add subscriptions both in paper and on-line with instant access once the credit card was charged. For mid-1990's timeframes this was pretty advanced stuff. Later when we composted PDFs we put those on there as well with the Article shopping cart so people could buy articles individually. Boy, people liked that a LOT. We did experiment with a digital credit system so people could buy points and use those to buy articles but I could never figure out how to make it tamper proof. Satoshi figured that one out a decade later, I wish I had thought of the checksum chain idea.... Oh well. But the big point: Running two MCA busses on a SMP based multiprocessor system was quite possible and do-able at scale, however did any other company make a dual MCA bus system? I always found it impressive that Windows supported even that stretch of a configuration (seeing 16 Pentium Pro CPUs running together as people hit the digital library en masse was *neat*) but I don't recall any other systems that did it. Thoughts?

4 years, 10 months

2
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LCM Accounts?

by healyzh＠avanthar.com

Is it still possible to get accounts on the LCM systems? I wanted to get a login on the VAX 7000, but can?t figure out where to request an account. Zane

4 years, 10 months

6
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Sourcing Capacitors for my H7140 PSU

by robert.jarratt＠ntlworld.com

I gave up trying to repair this PSU myself and I have got someone to do it professionally. It seems they have it working well but think that two capacitors should still be replaced. I think these are the two big "Coke Can" sized filter capacitors. The trouble is they seem to be unable to find any. The spec for them is 4500uf 200v DxH 76mm x 145mm Qty. 2. Anyone know where to find such monsters? In the UK ideally. I have looked on Farnell, Digikey and Mouser. It all seems to be special order, minimum quantity, long lead time etc. Thanks Rob

4 years, 10 months

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Pro-Log M980 Programmer

by gerhard.kreuzer＠liftoff.at

Hi, I own a Pro-Log M980 Prom Programmer and want to program a 2732 EProm. I have everything needed, but how can I get the data in? There is a serial interface, did anybody have some program for a standard PC to handle that daa transfer? Cabling istn't an issue, can do it. Thanks for helping. With best regards Gerhard

4 years, 10 months

4
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Anyone have any hardware docs on a Hyundai Super LT-3 80286 laptop?

by jncordoba＠gmail.com

Hi there guys!! I modded the battery with an external 2032 and now is booting fine. The HDD on my machine is an ALPS DRPO 20MB there is not info available about this HDD. Did you find or have any luck with this machine ?

4 years, 10 months

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What's left of the Houston Museum stuff

by lee.gleason＠comcast.net

"Nice selection of dirty and yellowed computers in unknown condition." I just took a run out to the warehouse in question, figuring the owner would be there today cleaning up. The quote above sums up the state of things. There were some miscellaneous DEC terminals, a few MicroVAXes, and some other assorted DEC stuff - but it was all a trifle ...funky. That alone might not have been a sales stopper for me (all of my collection is not pristine), but the prices were a bit higher than I was prepared to pay for that condition and these circumstances. EG $125.00 for a VT220 w/o keyboard, and $90.00 for VT240 base units. I left empty handed. -- Lee K. Gleason N5ZMR Control-G Consultants lee.gleason at comcast.net

4 years, 10 months

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What's left of the Houston Museum stuff

by aek＠bitsavers.org

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2103793056560583/permalink/3118441161762429/

4 years, 10 months

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VA Vista

by bill.gunshannon＠hotmail.com

Only semi Classic as the subject has been around for a long time. I saw recently that the VA is moving to a new EHR System (not very successfully, so far). Does this mean that VA Vista and MUMPS are finally going to be scrapped? Anybody else hear anything? bill

4 years, 10 months

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core matt repair

by pspan＠amerytel.net

I worked at a company called DMA located in Amery Wisconsin during the 80's and 90's that did do core mat repair. Yes, the gal that did the work used a scope. She replaced cores and wires. Good luck finding someone to do that work now. If I remember the process, first the mat was removed from the driver assembly, then the varnish was removed. Then the mat was repaired and revarnished and then reassembled and final test before returned to the customer. On 2021-07-20 12:00, cctech-request at classiccmp.org wrote: > Send cctech mailing list submissions to > cctech at classiccmp.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://www.classiccmp.org/mailman/listinfo/cctech > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > cctech-request at classiccmp.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > cctech-owner at classiccmp.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of cctech digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair (steven at malikoff.com) > 2. Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair (Joshua Rice) > 3. Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair (Joshua Rice) > 4. Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair (Tom Hunter) > 5. Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair (Jules Richardson) > 6. Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair (Rod Smallwood) > 7. Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software (Jules Richardson) > 8. Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software (Zane Healy) > 9. Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software (Al Kossow) > 10. Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software (Al Kossow) > 11. Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software (Al Kossow) > 12. Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software (Jules Richardson) > 13. Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software (Jules Richardson) > 14. Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software (Zane Healy) > 15. Re: Items Wanted (Jay Jaeger) > 16. Re: Items Wanted (Zane Healy) > 17. Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair (Toby Thain) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 17:59:59 +1000 > From: steven at malikoff.com > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair > Message-ID: > <84f709701f774aebb1a07a8bbb6eb091.squirrel at webmail04.register.com> > Content-Type: text/plain;charset=utf-8 > > Tom said >> I am curious if anyone has attempted to repair (replace) a broken wire >> in a >> PDP-8/e H212 (MM8EJ) core mat (8 k word). The cores are not visible >> without >> a microscope. I cannot imagine how these were even manufactured and >> wonder >> if DEC service centers repaired core mat faults or if faulty boards >> were >> simply discarded. >> >> CDC 6600 cores were huge in comparison and I would not hesitate to >> replace >> a broken core wire on those. > > I have no idea how DEC made theirs but for IBM's System 360, one of > their engineers > came up with the clever idea of stretching the core wire so it necked > and broke, leaving > a work-hardened tapered point to thread the cores with. > They patented it https://patents.google.com/patent/US3314131A > (Source: page 187 of 'IBM's 360 and early 370 Systems' by Pugh et al) > On a Youtube film about the 360 they show cores being vibrated into the > correct > orientation on a jig board. > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 09:40:44 +0100 (BST) > From: Joshua Rice <rice43 at btinternet.com> > To: CCtalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair > Message-ID: <55e9b1e8.2735f.17abdecb557.Webtop.91 at btinternet.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed > > > > > ------ Original Message ------ > From: "Tom Hunter via cctalk" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Sent: Monday, 19 Jul, 2021 At 06:33 > Subject: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair > I am curious if anyone has attempted to repair (replace) a broken wire > in a > PDP-8/e H212 (MM8EJ) core mat (8 k word). The cores are not visible > without > a microscope. I cannot imagine how these were even manufactured and > wonder > if DEC service centers repaired core mat faults or if faulty boards > were > simply discarded. > CDC 6600 cores were huge in comparison and I would not hesitate to > replace > a broken core wire on those. > Best regards > Tom Hunter > > > I believe much of the core manufacturing for DEC minicomputers was > outsourced, but a lot of it had become much more automated by the late > 60's and early 70's. I believe it was done by machine, with a tray to > hold the toroids in place, and a very fine needle-like "bobbin" that > threaded the wires through the toroids. I believe threading the cores > by > hand had become largely obsolete by the time the PDP-8 came onto the > market. > Though i can't confirm it, i highly doubt that DEC engineers would > repair core planes. These would more likely be sent back to the > manufacturer for "recycling", with the cores being recovered and > reused. > It's worth noting that most computer manufacturers appreciated the > fragility of core memory planes at the time, with most of them being > protected with either PCB's or perspex/plastic shields on top of the > core planes. In this way, it was rather difficult for a clumsy ol' > technician to put his thumb through the planes as he was servicing > machines. > Josh > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 09:52:13 +0100 (BST) > From: Joshua Rice <rice43 at btinternet.com> > To: CCtalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair > Message-ID: <5d5f0788.273f3.17abdf7399b.Webtop.91 at btinternet.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed > > > > > ------ Original Message ------ > From: "Tom Hunter via cctalk" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Sent: Monday, 19 Jul, 2021 At 06:33 > Subject: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair > I am curious if anyone has attempted to repair (replace) a broken wire > in a > PDP-8/e H212 (MM8EJ) core mat (8 k word). The cores are not visible > without > a microscope. I cannot imagine how these were even manufactured and > wonder > if DEC service centers repaired core mat faults or if faulty boards > were > simply discarded. > CDC 6600 cores were huge in comparison and I would not hesitate to > replace > a broken core wire on those. > Best regards > Tom Hunter > > > These patents might be enlightening. I'm sure there's others, but these > are some i've found on a quick search. > https://patents.google.com/patent/US4161037A > <https://patents.google.com/patent/US4161037A> > https://patents.google.com/patent/US3668664 > <https://patents.google.com/patent/US3668664> > Josh > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 19:02:25 +0800 > From: Tom Hunter <ccth6600 at gmail.com> > To: Joshua Rice <rice43 at btinternet.com>, "General Discussion: > On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair > Message-ID: > <CAALEduCP_GLHuuMG2UO3CU329-_3E=RPqzVZ+RUGC6gTVQNFow at mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > > Thanks Josh, > > I read through both patents but struggled to fully understand what they > described. > Unfortunately patents are written in broad terms to cover as much as > possible. > > It was very interesting nevertheless. > > Best regards > Tom Hunter > > On Mon, Jul 19, 2021 at 4:52 PM Joshua Rice via cctalk < > cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote: > >> >> >> >> ------ Original Message ------ >> From: "Tom Hunter via cctalk" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> >> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" >> <cctalk at classiccmp.org> >> Sent: Monday, 19 Jul, 2021 At 06:33 >> Subject: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair >> I am curious if anyone has attempted to repair (replace) a broken wire >> in a >> PDP-8/e H212 (MM8EJ) core mat (8 k word). The cores are not visible >> without >> a microscope. I cannot imagine how these were even manufactured and >> wonder >> if DEC service centers repaired core mat faults or if faulty boards >> were >> simply discarded. >> CDC 6600 cores were huge in comparison and I would not hesitate to >> replace >> a broken core wire on those. >> Best regards >> Tom Hunter >> >> >> These patents might be enlightening. I'm sure there's others, but >> these >> are some i've found on a quick search. >> https://patents.google.com/patent/US4161037A >> <https://patents.google.com/patent/US4161037A> >> https://patents.google.com/patent/US3668664 >> <https://patents.google.com/patent/US3668664> >> Josh >> > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 5 > Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 16:50:10 -0500 > From: Jules Richardson <jules.richardson99 at gmail.com> > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Subject: Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair > Message-ID: <769e6168-9024-fa20-5b9c-ed1cb91ec641 at gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15; format=flowed > > On 7/19/21 3:40 AM, Joshua Rice via cctalk wrote: >> I believe much of the core manufacturing for DEC minicomputers was >> outsourced, but a lot of it had become much more automated by the late >> 60's >> and early 70's. > > I've got a trio of planes here, two of which are from a Lockheed > MAC-16, > but the other one is made by Keronix out of Santa Monica for an unknown > machine (dated 1973, model number "P4" and p/n 816335 if that means > anything to anyone, approx 16"x16" with two 100-pin, double-sided > finger > edge connectors on 0.1" spacing). > > Anyhoo, the Keronix one has a sticker on it saying it was repaired by > DMA, > inc. in Amery, WI in 1980 - which might suggest that there were third > parties around working on boards, rather than them having to go back to > the > manufacturer for repair. (I have no idea what the nature of the repair > was, > of course; maybe it was to surrounding logic rather than the mat > itself). > >> It's worth noting that most computer manufacturers appreciated the >> fragility of core memory planes at the time, with most of them being >> protected with either PCB's or perspex/plastic shields on top of the >> core >> planes. > > Yes, that's how all the ones I've ever seen have been. The Keronix one > has > an additional shield over the top of the entire PCB, on top of the one > protecting the cores. > > Jules > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 6 > Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 23:06:26 +0100 > From: Rod Smallwood <rodsmallwood52 at btinternet.com> > To: Jules Richardson via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair > Message-ID: <d5251315-3f4c-3a46-e36e-71949a90c26e at btinternet.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15; format=flowed > > > Yes most core stringing was outsourced. > > By hand under magnification was used. > > I cant recall any references to automation. > > That would br down to the supplier. > > The story I heard was at least some were done by embroidery girls in > Hong Kong > > Rod Smallwood ? -- Digital Equipment Corporation? 1975 to 1985 > > > On 19/07/2021 22:50, Jules Richardson via cctalk wrote: >> On 7/19/21 3:40 AM, Joshua Rice via cctalk wrote: >>> I believe much of the core manufacturing for DEC minicomputers was >>> outsourced, but a lot of it had become much more automated by the >>> late 60's and early 70's. >> >> I've got a trio of planes here, two of which are from a Lockheed >> MAC-16, but the other one is made by Keronix out of Santa Monica for >> an unknown machine (dated 1973, model number "P4" and p/n 816335 if >> that means anything to anyone, approx 16"x16" with two 100-pin, >> double-sided finger edge connectors on 0.1" spacing). >> >> Anyhoo, the Keronix one has a sticker on it saying it was repaired by >> DMA, inc. in Amery, WI in 1980 - which might suggest that there were >> third parties around working on boards, rather than them having to go >> back to the manufacturer for repair. (I have no idea what the nature >> of the repair was, of course; maybe it was to surrounding logic rather >> than the mat itself). >> >>> It's worth noting that most computer manufacturers appreciated the >>> fragility of core memory planes at the time, with most of them being >>> protected with either PCB's or perspex/plastic shields on top of the >>> core planes. >> >> Yes, that's how all the ones I've ever seen have been. The Keronix one >> has an additional shield over the top of the entire PCB, on top of the >> one protecting the cores. >> >> Jules > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 7 > Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 18:03:46 -0500 > From: Jules Richardson <jules.richardson99 at gmail.com> > To: CCtalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software > Message-ID: <5b8f634d-93c9-22c2-fd05-6e1937767883 at gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15; format=flowed > > > Just out of interest, is the software for the Tektronix 8002 > microprocessor > lab archived out there anywhere? > > What I believe is one popped up on one of my Facebook groups, and it'd > be a > trek to get it even if I can arrange a good price with the current > owner - > but it sounds like the software at the site, if it still exists, is > unlikely to surface from a huge pile of detritus, so that automatically > puts things right in boat anchor territory. > > There may or may not be a terminal, too; I get the impression those > were > optional (I've been told that there are two Tek terminals, I just don't > know if they're the right models for this system). > > > cheers > > Jules > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 8 > Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 16:11:32 -0700 > From: Zane Healy <healyzh at avanthar.com> > To: Jules Richardson <jules.richardson99 at gmail.com>, "General > Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software > Message-ID: <ED3B17DB-6591-493A-B470-D940A5E18A91 at avanthar.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 > > You might check with the Tektronix museum, and see what they know. As > far as I know, they aren?t actually part of Tektronix. > > Zane > > > >> On Jul 19, 2021, at 4:03 PM, Jules Richardson via cctalk >> <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote: >> >> >> Just out of interest, is the software for the Tektronix 8002 >> microprocessor lab archived out there anywhere? >> >> What I believe is one popped up on one of my Facebook groups, and it'd >> be a trek to get it even if I can arrange a good price with the >> current owner - but it sounds like the software at the site, if it >> still exists, is unlikely to surface from a huge pile of detritus, so >> that automatically puts things right in boat anchor territory. >> >> There may or may not be a terminal, too; I get the impression those >> were optional (I've been told that there are two Tek terminals, I just >> don't know if they're the right models for this system). >> >> >> cheers >> >> Jules > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 9 > Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 16:15:11 -0700 > From: Al Kossow <aek at bitsavers.org> > To: Jules Richardson via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software > Message-ID: <395e3439-3632-33ea-9579-883ad602b8e5 at bitsavers.org> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15; format=flowed > > On 7/19/21 4:03 PM, Jules Richardson via cctalk wrote: >> >> Just out of interest, is the software for the Tektronix 8002 >> microprocessor lab archived out there anywhere? > > I have some but it is hard-sectored so I've never tried to read it. > > It's pretty unlikely anyone at the tek museum would have tried to > recover > the floppies even if they had them. > > One of my 'really like to try to recover' things at CHM is we have a > bunch of floppies from > the company that designed it for Tek, but someone put a center punch > through every disk, so > I'm going to have to take them out of the jacket and try to flatten > the dent out as best as > I can. > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 10 > Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 16:20:19 -0700 > From: Al Kossow <aek at bitsavers.org> > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Subject: Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software > Message-ID: <a0c2c3a7-4c74-81da-1f40-a581d3f29fda at bitsavers.org> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15; format=flowed > > On 7/19/21 4:03 PM, Jules Richardson via cctalk wrote: >> >> Just out of interest, is the software for the Tektronix 8002 >> microprocessor lab archived out there anywhere? >> > > It would be nice to save a complete system though, since most have > been tossed out since there is little > practical use for them now. I never had a whole one, just board sets > for various processors that I collected > over the years. > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 11 > Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 16:25:21 -0700 > From: Al Kossow <aek at bitsavers.org> > To: Al Kossow via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software > Message-ID: <f4bafaa8-f4d9-95aa-016e-68d36d7c8b8a at bitsavers.org> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15; format=flowed > > On 7/19/21 4:20 PM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote: >> On 7/19/21 4:03 PM, Jules Richardson via cctalk wrote: > >> It would be nice to save a complete system though, since most have >> been tossed out since there is little >> practical use for them now. > > I've collected a LOT of in-circuit emulators and microprocessor > development systems over the decades, and > I'm trying to decide right now what I'm going to do with them. > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 12 > Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 19:53:25 -0500 > From: Jules Richardson <jules.richardson99 at gmail.com> > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Subject: Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software > Message-ID: <8d864579-a8be-c8b1-9734-d208d0c10bcf at gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15; format=flowed > > On 7/19/21 6:20 PM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote: >> On 7/19/21 4:03 PM, Jules Richardson via cctalk wrote: >>> >>> Just out of interest, is the software for the Tektronix 8002 >>> microprocessor lab archived out there anywhere? >>> >> >> It would be nice to save a complete system though, since most have >> been >> tossed out since there is little >> practical use for them now. > > Well sadly it's looking like game over. By the sounds of it there's a > basement full of old equipment and boards, and a scrapper out in OH has > offered $6k for the lot, sight unseen, just on the hope that they can > make > a buck on the gold and palladium content. > > The next offer seems to be from someone who's planning on just dumping > it > on ebay - so if the scrapper deal falls through maybe it'll resurface > on > That Auction Site for lolprice... > > This is starting to feel like one of those situations where it's a huge > shame that the original owner of this stuff didn't have a will > expressing > what should be done with it all. > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 13 > Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 20:17:27 -0500 > From: Jules Richardson <jules.richardson99 at gmail.com> > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Subject: Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software > Message-ID: <a734724d-b7f5-deb8-6e1f-10e429e8f43f at gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15; format=flowed > > On 7/19/21 7:53 PM, Jules Richardson via cctalk wrote: >> Well sadly it's looking like game over. By the sounds of it there's a >> basement full of old equipment and boards, and a scrapper out in OH >> has >> offered $6k for the lot, sight unseen, just on the hope that they can >> make >> a buck on the gold and palladium content. > > annnnd... right after I hit send on that, things start looking up > again. > The guy responsible for this stuff doesn't seem to want it to get > scrapped > any more than I do, and he got in touch with folks down at Cape > Canaveral > (there are various ex-NASA things in the pile), then talked to the > family > of the estate; it sounds like some of it at least might get donated to > the > collection down there. > > I'm not sure about non-NASA things at this point, we'll see - but it > sounds > like there's interest now in not junking it, at least! > > Jules > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 14 > Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 19:56:29 -0700 > From: Zane Healy <healyzh at avanthar.com> > To: Jules Richardson <jules.richardson99 at gmail.com>, "General > Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software > Message-ID: <DE9B0230-1D5D-4416-992D-6B60A7886F17 at avanthar.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 > > On Jul 19, 2021, at 6:17 PM, Jules Richardson via cctalk > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote: >> >> On 7/19/21 7:53 PM, Jules Richardson via cctalk wrote: >>> Well sadly it's looking like game over. By the sounds of it there's a >>> basement full of old equipment and boards, and a scrapper out in OH >>> has offered $6k for the lot, sight unseen, just on the hope that they >>> can make a buck on the gold and palladium content. >> >> annnnd... right after I hit send on that, things start looking up >> again. The guy responsible for this stuff doesn't seem to want it to >> get scrapped any more than I do, and he got in touch with folks down >> at Cape Canaveral (there are various ex-NASA things in the pile), then >> talked to the family of the estate; it sounds like some of it at least >> might get donated to the collection down there. >> >> I'm not sure about non-NASA things at this point, we'll see - but it >> sounds like there's interest now in not junking it, at least! >> >> Jules > > That?s a bit of good news! > > Zane > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 15 > Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 22:03:49 -0500 > From: Jay Jaeger <cube1 at charter.net> > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Cc: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Items Wanted > Message-ID: <9ac110f9-2407-c9ba-6ec5-d70e9fd10d26 at charter.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed > > On 7/11/2021 9:33 AM, Eric Moore via cctalk wrote: >> Hello, I am looking for any of the following items. I have terminals >> and >> assorted qbus and S100 cards for trade, or am happy to discuss payment >> :). >> >> 1) Qbus scsi card > > You and me both. ;) I have one - and I intend to keep it. > >> 2) Emulex TC01 >> 3) QBUS bus probe >> 4) SD2SCSI > > Do you mean a device that emulates a SCSI drive with an SD card? Why > not just go out and purchase a SCSI2SD V5.1 - a little slower than the > newer ones, but works fine in my Sun, SGI and Intergraph Boxen. > > I also just bought one of the less expensive Androda SCSI emulators - > designed for Macs, really, but it might work and it is relatively > inexpensive. > >> 5) Teletype DRPE or ARPE (already have a BRPE) paper tape punches >> 6) AED/tektronix/SGI/etc... graphics terminal > > FYI, if you have "Pizza Boxes" then I have found that the cable > commonly > available (VGA one end, 13W3 on the other - the one with switches on > it) > works well on both Sun and SGI Boxen. Google Sun VGA 13W3 on eBay. > You probably want the one with the switches.) > >> 7) Unfomatted pertec controller (any bus) > > I have some old Pertec formatters that have no bus interface. Free to > good homes. Some were mouse houses for a while, but were subsequently > cleaned up reasonably well. Models F649-72 (2 of those) and F649-40. > Heavy to ship. > > In addition, I think I have a TC031, Pertec/QBus (I think) that I > really > am not using. I tried it out once - I think the issue was that I had a > Pertec interface speed mismatch between it and the HP drive I have with > a Pertec interface (which also has issues with loading tape.) I > suspect it is formatted, however. > >> 8) S100 jade bus probe, system monitor board, or similar >> 9) Anything fabri-tek, Gould, or SEL > > I have a Fabritek memory box. I think it was on a PDP-12, but am not > 100% certain without going back and looking at old paperwork. I am not > sure of its condition, electrically speaking - whether it had slots for > cables, or cables coming out of it, and if the latter, whether they are > intact. It has been stored in my basement for decades, low and dray. > That would take some work to pry out of my hands. > >> 10) blinkenlights and flippenpaddles computers, any interesting front >> panels, etc... >> 11) ESDI disk emulator > > I am not aware of any such beasties in the wild. MFM, yes, but I > haven't seen ESDI. I would love for such a thing to exist, thinking > of > my Apollo, 3B2 and IBM RT/PC workstations. > >> >> Thank you! >> >> -Eric >> > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 16 > Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 21:00:27 -0700 > From: Zane Healy <healyzh at avanthar.com> > To: Jay Jaeger <cube1 at charter.net>, "General Discussion: On-Topic and > Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Items Wanted > Message-ID: <3EFC578F-97F0-468A-B3F1-8E4C17094843 at avanthar.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 > > On Jul 19, 2021, at 8:03 PM, Jay Jaeger via cctalk > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote: >> >> On 7/11/2021 9:33 AM, Eric Moore via cctalk wrote: >>> Hello, I am looking for any of the following items. I have terminals >>> and >>> assorted qbus and S100 cards for trade, or am happy to discuss >>> payment :). >>> 1) Qbus scsi card >> >> You and me both. ;) I have one - and I intend to keep it. > > Yeah, they are sort of a necessity. > >>> 4) SD2SCSI >> >> Do you mean a device that emulates a SCSI drive with an SD card? Why >> not just go out and purchase a SCSI2SD V5.1 - a little slower than the >> newer ones, but works fine in my Sun, SGI and Intergraph Boxen. > > The SCSI2SD v5.1 should be faster than the Q-Bus. I bought several > recently, and plan to put one in my PDP-11/73. I even opted for these > for my VAXstation 4000?s. I figure I?ll use the newer ones in an > AlphaStation. > >>> 11) ESDI disk emulator >> >> I am not aware of any such beasties in the wild. MFM, yes, but I >> haven't seen ESDI. I would love for such a thing to exist, thinking >> of my Apollo, 3B2 and IBM RT/PC workstations. > > I?d also love to have one of these, preferably using SD or CF cards. > The Webster WQESD/04 card is a fantastic card, it?s only downfall is > that it works with ESDI drives, rather than SCSI, and they?re big and > loud. :-) > > Zane > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 17 > Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 18:16:28 -0400 > From: Toby Thain <toby at telegraphics.com.au> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair > Message-ID: <820d43ed-e32d-4394-4038-bb662f5e6798 at telegraphics.com.au> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15 > > On 2021-07-19 6:06 p.m., Rod Smallwood via cctalk wrote: >> >> Yes most core stringing was outsourced. >> > > There's more detail on early core production in the book "IBM's Early > Computers", iirc. (And possibly "A Few Good Men From Univac".) > > >> ... >> Rod Smallwood ? -- Digital Equipment Corporation? 1975 to 1985 >> >> >> On 19/07/2021 22:50, Jules Richardson via cctalk wrote: >>> On 7/19/21 3:40 AM, Joshua Rice via cctalk wrote: >>>> I believe much of the core manufacturing for DEC minicomputers was >>>> outsourced, but a lot of it had become much more automated by the >>>> late 60's and early 70's. >>> >>> I've got a trio of planes here, two of which are from a Lockheed >>> MAC-16, but the other one is made by Keronix out of Santa Monica for >>> an unknown machine (dated 1973, model number "P4" and p/n 816335 if >>> that means anything to anyone, approx 16"x16" with two 100-pin, >>> double-sided finger edge connectors on 0.1" spacing). >>> >>> Anyhoo, the Keronix one has a sticker on it saying it was repaired by >>> DMA, inc. in Amery, WI in 1980 - which might suggest that there were >>> third parties around working on boards, rather than them having to go >>> back to the manufacturer for repair. (I have no idea what the nature >>> of the repair was, of course; maybe it was to surrounding logic >>> rather >>> than the mat itself). >>> >>>> It's worth noting that most computer manufacturers appreciated the >>>> fragility of core memory planes at the time, with most of them being >>>> protected with either PCB's or perspex/plastic shields on top of the >>>> core planes. >>> >>> Yes, that's how all the ones I've ever seen have been. The Keronix >>> one >>> has an additional shield over the top of the entire PCB, on top of >>> the >>> one protecting the cores. >>> >>> Jules > > > > End of cctech Digest, Vol 82, Issue 15 > **************************************

4 years, 10 months

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Items Wanted

by mooreericnyc＠gmail.com

Hello, I am looking for any of the following items. I have terminals and assorted qbus and S100 cards for trade, or am happy to discuss payment :). 1) Qbus scsi card 2) Emulex TC01 3) QBUS bus probe 4) SD2SCSI 5) Teletype DRPE or ARPE (already have a BRPE) paper tape punches 6) AED/tektronix/SGI/etc... graphics terminal 7) Unfomatted pertec controller (any bus) 8) S100 jade bus probe, system monitor board, or similar 9) Anything fabri-tek, Gould, or SEL 10) blinkenlights and flippenpaddles computers, any interesting front panels, etc... 11) ESDI disk emulator Thank you! -Eric

4 years, 10 months

4
8
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WANTED: IBM 360 operators panel

by hills.barry＠gmail.com

I am looking for an IBM 360 operator panel. Model 55 would be wonderful but I would consider any 360/370. To be used for demo so condition of switches & lights is important.

4 years, 10 months

2
1
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DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair

by rsmilward＠frontier.com

Going by the size, I'd say the Keronix board is for a Data General Nova or one of its ilk. Keronix did make core boards with p/n starting 816 for Novas. **Richard Message: 1 Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 16:50:10 -0500 From: Jules Richardson<jules.richardson99 at gmail.com> To:cctalk at classiccmp.org Subject: Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair Message-ID:<769e6168-9024-fa20-5b9c-ed1cb91ec641 at gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15; format=flowed On 7/19/21 3:40 AM, Joshua Rice via cctalk wrote: > I believe much of the core manufacturing for DEC minicomputers was > outsourced, but a lot of it had become much more automated by the late 60's > and early 70's. I've got a trio of planes here, two of which are from a Lockheed MAC-16, but the other one is made by Keronix out of Santa Monica for an unknown machine (dated 1973, model number "P4" and p/n 816335 if that means anything to anyone, approx 16"x16" with two 100-pin, double-sided finger edge connectors on 0.1" spacing). Anyhoo, the Keronix one has a sticker on it saying it was repaired by DMA, inc. in Amery, WI in 1980 - which might suggest that there were third parties around working on boards, rather than them having to go back to the manufacturer for repair. (I have no idea what the nature of the repair was, of course; maybe it was to surrounding logic rather than the mat itself). > It's worth noting that most computer manufacturers appreciated the > fragility of core memory planes at the time, with most of them being > protected with either PCB's or perspex/plastic shields on top of the core > planes. Yes, that's how all the ones I've ever seen have been. The Keronix one has an additional shield over the top of the entire PCB, on top of the one protecting the cores. Jules

4 years, 10 months

1
0
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VT101 parts available, found on Reddit

by rice43＠btinternet.com

Someone on Reddit has found much of a VT101 and would like to rehome it. Not sure where he's located, but somewhere in US Thread is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/vintagecomputing/comments/ogy6im/so_i_found_a_vt10…

4 years, 10 months

1
0
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Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software

by jules.richardson99＠gmail.com

Just out of interest, is the software for the Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab archived out there anywhere? What I believe is one popped up on one of my Facebook groups, and it'd be a trek to get it even if I can arrange a good price with the current owner - but it sounds like the software at the site, if it still exists, is unlikely to surface from a huge pile of detritus, so that automatically puts things right in boat anchor territory. There may or may not be a terminal, too; I get the impression those were optional (I've been told that there are two Tek terminals, I just don't know if they're the right models for this system). cheers Jules

4 years, 10 months

4
8
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DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair

by ccth6600＠gmail.com

I am curious if anyone has attempted to repair (replace) a broken wire in a PDP-8/e H212 (MM8EJ) core mat (8 k word). The cores are not visible without a microscope. I cannot imagine how these were even manufactured and wonder if DEC service centers repaired core mat faults or if faulty boards were simply discarded. CDC 6600 cores were huge in comparison and I would not hesitate to replace a broken core wire on those. Best regards Tom Hunter

4 years, 10 months

6
5
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DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair

by rice43＠btinternet.com

------ Original Message ------ From: "Tom Hunter via cctalk" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Sent: Monday, 19 Jul, 2021 At 06:33 Subject: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair I am curious if anyone has attempted to repair (replace) a broken wire in a PDP-8/e H212 (MM8EJ) core mat (8 k word). The cores are not visible without a microscope. I cannot imagine how these were even manufactured and wonder if DEC service centers repaired core mat faults or if faulty boards were simply discarded. CDC 6600 cores were huge in comparison and I would not hesitate to replace a broken core wire on those. Best regards Tom Hunter These patents might be enlightening. I'm sure there's others, but these are some i've found on a quick search. https://patents.google.com/patent/US4161037A <https://patents.google.com/patent/US4161037A> https://patents.google.com/patent/US3668664 <https://patents.google.com/patent/US3668664> Josh

4 years, 10 months

2
1
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HP 2100A Restoration

by johnr＠grebnesor.com

Hello, I came across a web article in which you discussed restoring an HP2100A. I spent many years working on this computer and have the front panel. I am doing some work on it to produce a display for fun. I am replacing the incandescent globes with LEDs and using a Raspberry Pi to control them. The question I have is, do you know an easy way to remove and insert globes in the front panel switches please? I am based in Melbourne, Australia. Many thanks John _____________________________________________________ Professor John Rosenberg E: johnr at grebnesor.com M: +61 418 253001

4 years, 10 months

3
2
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VaxBrick (vax 4000-50, KA600 ) Owners manual/technical manual

by kiwi_jonathan＠yahoo.com

Doe anyone have an "owners manual" or technical manual for the KA600 aka VaxBrick aka Vax 4000-50? I have most of a Vaxbrick, but I'd sooner run Unix on it that VMS. But I know of no open-source OS which supports the KA600. I'd guess most of the internal devices are similar to SCSI or DSSI on high-end Microvaxes/vaxstations; but that's a guess. There's a listing on eBay for a lot which includes vaxbricks. I've made an offer on it, but let the offer expire after finding no open-source drivers. I'm willing to front purchase of the lot, if others are interested in buying a VaxBrick in a BA213 or BA 215. -Jonathan Stone

4 years, 10 months

2
1
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RP/M2 by Micro Methods Inc

by cctalk＠ibm51xx.net

>I found a copy of RP/M2 for the IBM PC by Micro >Methods Inc. with manual >and some floppies, 8" and 5.25".? According to the >manual, this was a >CP/M compatible operating system.??David,Did you see the article on page 94:http://www.bitsavers.org/magazines/Micro_Cornucopia/Micro_Cornucopia_%23…

4 years, 10 months

2
1
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Writings on AI from 17 years ago....

by cz＠alembic.crystel.com

I was looking through some old journal entries and found this: AI is lonely... She has been sitting quietly in my house for the past 8 years. She runs, but is old now and tired. Most of the time she sits in her room and waits patiently. Waits for the users who ran jobs in the middle of the night. Waits for PFTMG to run the daily feed. Waits for someone to Alt-U in and begin to hack... Waits for the TU77 MASSBUS interfact to be repaired Waits for RP07 drives that will never be repaired Waits to once again run the ITS tapes that sit quietly nearby. She's lonely. And although I have been looking after her for a long time, she needs help. Is anyone still interested? No, she will not be trashed. But perhaps the knight that guards her is getting old and needs someone else to share the load. Someone who won't just sell her on Ebay or break her apart or dump her off a loading dock. I worked too hard to save her from that. Twice. I owe her a lot; she rescued me way back when, yaknow. In a way she contributed greatly in making me the hacker I am today. But in the day and age where one can run a full ITS on a palm pilot is there any room for MIT-AI? And so the knight returns to quietly guard the last remaining ITS... CZ The funny part is someone replied "Donate it to a museum" and I wrote: "*nod* Unfortunately, after the Boston Computer Museum debacle, I'm a bit wary of museums. Other problem is it would just get stuck in a back room and eventually tossed like it almost did at Digex." Sometimes I wonder if I did fail. Anyone know if the LCM will be open this summer? I'm going to be in Seattle for a day in August, wouldn't mind stopping by and seeing how it was doing.... CZ

4 years, 11 months

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Looking for VAX6000 items (Paul Koning)

by michael.99.thompson＠gmail.com

> > From: Paul Koning <paulkoning at comcast.net> > To: Chris Zach <cz at alembic.crystel.com>, "cctalk at classiccmp.org" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Looking for VAX6000 items > > A number of the large disk drives use 3 phase motors; RP04/5/6 are > examples as well. > > Three phase motors won't run on single phase power without help from run > capacitors. (There is no such thing as "two phase power" -- 220 volts is > single phase, balanced.) > > paul > The RP06 uses 220VAC single phase motors for the spindle and blower. I converted an RP06 from three-phase to single-phase to use with PDP-10 KS10 at home. Instructions are here: https://sites.google.com/site/mthompsonorg/Home/pdp-10/rm03-and-rp06-inform… -- Michael Thompson

4 years, 11 months

2
4
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Koning TECO

by athornton＠gmail.com

Paul Koning may be pleased to know that his implementation of TECO has supplanted Blake McBride's TECOC as the standard TECO in the Rubin Observatory's Science Platform Interactive Notebook Aspect. https://github.com/lsst-sqre/nublado/blob/f6b186081c0a3c9e12a1935db304ee2b3… Of course if there is sufficient outcry from the user community I could be convinced to include both in the image, at least until my boss catches me doing it. Adam

4 years, 11 months

3
3
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Looking for VAX6000 items

by abacos_98＠yahoo.com

Started work on putting together a couple of VAX6000. 4x0 and 5x0. Looking for spare XMI, VAXBI, Cab kits DSSI,Ethernet,CI, Storage arrays, spare regulators etc. Will travel the Northeast for larger items.Also Engineering drawings as the ones on Bitsavers are really hard to read. Thanks,Brian.

4 years, 11 months

8
16
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DEC use of switching supplies (Was: Looking for VAX6000 items)

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Chris Zach > The older Vaxes had linear power supplies if I recall up to the time > of the Decsystem/2020 (when they went switching at last) Really? The H742 power supply: https://gunkies.org/wiki/H742_Power_Supply (well, technically, the associated 'bricks', such as the H744, etc) from about 1972 were switching supplies, so I'm suprised that the much later VAXen (any of them) used linear supplies. Of course, the H744/etc switching supplies didn't use a lot of the techniques used in modern switching supplies to make them small and light (e.g. stepping up the frequency to allow use of a small transformer); the H742 still has a whacking great transformer in it. But they were switching supplies (as we discussed here a while back at some length), not linear. Noel

4 years, 11 months

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KI10/KL10 I/O bus terminator

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

Hey, anyone need a KI10/KL10 I/O Bus terminator: https://gunkies.org/wiki/File:KIKLIOBusTerm.jpg (H867)? Since I don't have either a KI10 or a KL10, I'm unlikely to ever have a need/use for this one! :-) Noel

4 years, 11 months

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Looking for Maxtor LXT/MXT series firmware updates / docs

by classiccmp＠philpem.me.uk

Hi folks, Has anyone happened to squirrel away a copy of the Maxtor/Sequel LXT or MXT series documentation or firmware updates? I've got an LXT200A sat on the bench which seems to have corrupted on-disk firmware -- the firmware version is shown as "1.02BROM" I've got an identical second drive which works but has bad sectors, which identifies as "1.02BHAT". I'm hoping to dump the on-disk firmware on the working one and load it onto the dead one -- either onto disk or temporarily into RAM... high hopes I know. This is all an experimental thing - the local data recovery firms aren't interested in a drive this old or this small... If anyone has a mirror of Maxtor's old FTP site or support BBS, these are some of the files I'm after... MXTA_53.EXE MAIN 41K 03/94 MXT540A/AL Frimware Rev 5.3 firmware 540 MXTA_54.EXE MAIN 40K 03/94 MXT540A/AL Firmware Rev 5.4 Firmware Upgrade for MXT-540AT. MXTA_55.EXE MAIN 40K 03/94 MXT540A/AL Firmware Rev 5.5 Firmware Upgrade for MXT-540AT. MXTA_60.EXE MAIN 41K 03/94 MXT540A/AL Firmware Rev 6.0 Firmware Upgrade for MXT-540AT. Alternatively the same covering the LXT series. Or this (or similar) documents covering the LXT series: MAXTOR LXT-200A TECHNICAL MANUAL 1019707 Cheers Phil.

4 years, 11 months

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IBM 534 data entry (Keypunch) machine for sale near Spokane, WA

by spam＠hell.org

Just saw this on CraigsList - not my ad. It might be worth someone grabbing before it goes to a scraper. https://spokane.craigslist.org/sop/d/spokane-ibm-card-punch-machine/7331662… -mike

4 years, 11 months

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Items Wanted

by mmcgraw74＠gmail.com

> > Date: Sun, 11 Jul 2021 19:57:06 -0500 > From: Eric Moore <mooreericnyc at gmail.com> > To: Classic Computers <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Items Wanted > Message-ID: > < > CAE1er56kMOyVeQ4eorgS8fUjHRrCKy_T7DAwTUpebFJAWSO2gA at mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > > Also, I am in central texas :) > > Thanks! > > On Sun, Jul 11, 2021, 9:33 AM Eric Moore <mooreericnyc at gmail.com> wrote: > > > Hello, I am looking for any of the following items. I have terminals and > > assorted qbus and S100 cards for trade, or am happy to discuss payment > :). > > > > 1) Qbus scsi card > > 2) Emulex TC01 > > 3) QBUS bus probe > > 4) SD2SCSI > > 5) Teletype DRPE or ARPE (already have a BRPE) paper tape punches > > 6) AED/tektronix/SGI/etc... graphics terminal > > 7) Unfomatted pertec controller (any bus) > > 8) S100 jade bus probe, system monitor board, or similar > > 9) Anything fabri-tek, Gould, or SEL > > 10) blinkenlights and flippenpaddles computers, any interesting front > > panels, etc... > > 11) ESDI disk emulator > > > > Thank you! > > > > -Eric > > > > > > > > Eric, I'm on NW side of Houston and have a Siemens T100 teleprinter with stand in my garage that needs a new home :) It is untested, but too heavy to ship. Monty

4 years, 11 months

3
3
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TECO

by paulkoning＠comcast.net

For the TECO fans out there this might be of interest: https://github.com/pkoning2/pyteco paul

4 years, 11 months

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Help Identifying Mystery SBUS Cards

by rshepprd＠gmail.com

The only thing I got from the FCCID (GWV 76CG3) on the ?SVideo with Composite? was ?Color Frame Buffer I/O Card? Richard Sent from Mail for Windows 10

4 years, 11 months

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Help Identifying Mystery SBUS Cards

by classiccmp＠jouhe.org

Hello all, I was hoping to tap into the considerable Sun Microsystems experience within this group. I picked up a significant quantity of Sun SPARC equipment back in the early 00?s and due to life/children/etc. have only recently been able to start cataloguing it. In particular, I had a somewhat tatty box full of assorted SBUS cards. Amongst the usual GX / TGX frame buffers, ethernet and narrow SCSI cards were some more unusual ones I?ve struggled to identify. I have photographed (poorly, I only have my mobile phone camera) the items, and they can be viewed here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kv42ig8nucikt0p/AAAKMZkqn9r19Ti0yKllQ2g8a?dl=0 <https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kv42ig8nucikt0p/AAAKMZkqn9r19Ti0yKllQ2g8a?dl=0> Here is a text description of the cards, in case it can be useful: (1) A dual-width SBUS card with no internal or external interfaces or backplate. Other features include 2x LSI chips 'LIA7321 EK7B7483' and 'LIA6371 EK7B7484? and a sticker displaying '7B7488 011 0110-014 0643 1700556 9651? a barcode ?J0BAW?. I wondered if it might be a DSP of some kind? (2) A dual width SBUS framebuffer, with space for a piggyback daughter SBUS card in the middle. It features 3 x Bt457 RAMDACs and an Actel A1020A chip. (3) A 3M fibre card, looks like a prototype based on the number of bodge wires. FDDI? Marked '3M ASSY 78-8095-5382-5', ROM marked FOSSIL BD. 1AS8. (4) Possible Serial card with a DB9 connector, although there?s WAY too much logic for a simple serial card. Has a jumper for 4Mhz / 16Mhz which hints at maybe something Token-ring? (5) A SBUS card with S-Video and what I assume to be composite. Looks like a 501-3019 on first inspection but there?s less logic and no heatsink on board. (6) A rather beautiful (to look at) SBUS card by Performance Technologies Inc. This one strikes me as a multi-port serial card although I don?t have the breakout HD80 lead for it. Has a chip marked 820P010201 HG62S038R02F 9120, a sticker ?120P010001' and on the back of the board '#595801-01 DC 9116 NT2V0 94V0' and '124-010000?. Any insight would be gratefully received! Thanks, Austin.

4 years, 11 months

2
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OT: SiC Radio for Venus lander

by rdbrown0au＠gmail.com

Alan Mantooth, Carl-Mikael Zetterling and Ana Rusu (28 April 2021) "The Radio We Could Send to Hell: Silicon carbide radio circuits can take the volcanic heat of Venus" IEEE Spectrum https://spectrum.ieee.org/semiconductors/materials/the-radio-we-could-send-… "The average surface temperature on Venus is 464 ?C, the atmosphere is dense with highly corrosive droplets of sulfuric acid, and the atmospheric pressure at the surface is about 90 times that of Earth." (Teflon melts at 327 ?C) The following thesis describes the Vulcan II chip mentioned a bit more Benavides Herrera, Maria Raquel, "An RS-485 Transceiver in a Silicon Carbide CMOS Process" (2018).Theses and Dissertations 3067 "The RS?485 was designed in a 1.2 ?m SiC CMOS process technology developed by Raytheon Systems Limited (UK) called High Temperature Silicon Carbide (HiTSiC?). The components available in this process include: NMOS and PMOS devices, on-chip resistors, diodes, and capacitors. The process key features are given below: ? 4H-SiC process ? N-type substrate ? Supply voltage of 15 V 5? Single metal layer, two layers of polysilicon (one being high sheet resistance poly) ? Operating temperatures greater than 300?C" ... --- In 1988's 1.2?m CMOS process the MIPS R3010 floating-point coprocessor was about 75,000 transistors on an ~8mm x 8mm die. Are there markets for SiC CMOS devices with large transistor counts? Watching Curious Marc's video mentioning Triton missile/Saturn V bit-serial computer implementations, reminded me of: Olof Kindgren (2019) Bit by bit - How to fit 8 RISC-V cores in a $38 FPGA board https://riscv.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/12.15-SERV-Zurich-Copy.pdf https://github.com/olofk/serv "SERV is an award-winning bit-serial RISC-V core" (RV32I) (Not an engineer - guessing) If process limits mean large SiC memories are unlikely, what other technologies would work in the 400?500?C temperature range? Magnetic bubble memory? Twistors if threading cores automatically remains infeasible? For cameras could you build vacuum tube sensors containing SiC devices if useful?

4 years, 11 months

2
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DEC HP sgi ibm and misc for sale

by lyokoboy0＠gmail.com

I am making room to work on my pdp 11 and mainframe computers. The following things are for sale : 3 Dec decmate computers with kb and monitor. Partway loads into the WP os but the floppy is bad, and i dont have more Sgi tezro Hp 9000 desktop for hp -ux with cables Working microvax 3100 with install of vms. Vt terminal availible for sale too to go with it. Hp 9000 for basic. Was used with test insturments like volt meters, relay controllers hpib etc for process control. Many hp keyboards with chicklet keys availible for this system Tandy vgm 300 monitor Enough crt monitors to sink a boat. Nec, viewsonic, ibm, etc. S100 bus computer chassis with backplane, power supply and proto boards. A single S100 backplane Isa /pci single board computer backplanes Isa 486 and pentium single board computers. Works standalone or with previously mentioned backplane Rackmount 68k vme bus motorolla computer with floppy, hard drive and proto boards. (Must be sold together will not seperate) books for like every version of irix apple early windows maya, power animator, discreet, etc. Sgi install cd sets. Sgi power animator cd. Studio paint. Misc hotmix cd's. Trs 80 model 3. No keyboard. Posts, bad floppy drive hangs up boot. Unplug it and it works. Big / heavy. Dec alphastation 255 computers x3 I had vms on them at some point. Wyse dumb terminal in original box Many televideo dumb terminals Ibm bladecenter h chassis with misc blades and spare fans etc. Shipping will be expensive. Hp 50mhz dual trace scope 54200a. Working apple mac plus with kb and external 20 mb hard drive. No battery damage. Clean. Boots. Runs. Im sure to find more to list. Send some offers my way and ill ship it out. Located in melbourne fl. https://mastodon.technology/@mrbill0/media? Most of my stuff is on my mastadon gallery, welcome to scroll through. I can provide pictures of said machines upon request, too much to take pictures of right now though. --Devin D.

4 years, 11 months

5
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In search of RLX blade software

by camiel.vanderhoeven＠vmssoftware.com

I?ve been given a couple of RLX blade server chassis loaded with blades (one with Transmeta Crusoe cpu?s, and one with Pentium III cpu?s). I hope you?ll allow me to count these as ?vintage? because of their interesting origin: the Pentium III loaded chassis was part of a 768 node computer cluster at the Sanger Institute in the UK, and was used in the last stretch of the DNA sequencing computations for the Human Genome Project. I?d like to build a compute cluster out of these, but I don?t have the rpm?s they supplied to customize Linux for their blades. Ideally, I?d hope to find a copy of their ?Control Tower? blade management software, and their customized Linux installation images, but just the bare rpm?s would do for now. From the RLX platform guide, I?d hope to find: kernel-*rlx*.i386.rpm kernel-headers-*rlx*.i386.rpm devfsd-*rlx*.i386.rpm ucd-snmp-*rlx*.i386.rpm net-snmp-*rlx*.i386.rpm ucd-snmp-utils-*rlx*.i386.rpm net-snmp-utils-*rlx*.i386.rpm bootctl-*rlx*.i386.rpm atftp-*rlx*.i386.rpm lm_sensors-*-*rlx*.i386.rpm lm_sensors-drivers-*-*rlx*.i386.rpm lm_sensors-devel-*-*rlx*.i386.rpm base-utils-*rlx*.i386.rpm runctl-*rlx*.noarch.rpm networkcfg-*rlx*.noarch.rpm mgmtmode-*rlx*.noarch.rpm namedcfg-*rlx*.noarch.rpm dhcpdcfg-*rlx*.noarch.rpm lilo-*rlx*.i386.rpm grub-*rlx*.i386.rpm rlx-clientpm-*rlx*.i386.rpm This e-mail (including any attachments) may contain privileged, confidential, proprietary, private, copyrighted, or other legally protected information. The information is intended to be for the use of the individual or entity designated above. If you are not the intended recipient (even if the e-mail address above is yours), please notify us by return e-mail immediately, and delete the message and any attachments. Any disclosure, reproduction, distribution or other use of this message or any attachments by an individual or entity other than the intended recipient is prohibited.

4 years, 11 months

3
2
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TeleCompaq Disks

by tyl3rhay3s＠gmail.com

Hello there! Has anyone here had the TeleCompaq setup disks imaged? I see that there are a few in the CHM's possession, but besides that, no images. If so can you please send me the image files? Thanks, Tyler Hayes

4 years, 11 months

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Lecture: How I ported Space Invaders to a video game console from 1978, 2021-07-10, 19:00

by stueberahoo＠yahoo.de

Hi all, you're invited to the Update computer club[0] public lecture series "Updateringar"[1]! Update is a Swedish computer club founded in 1983 whose members tinker with all kinds of computers, from Raspberry Pi to PDP-12. The club has a big collection of historic computers. In this lecture series we'll talk about everything related to computers: Historic and modern computers, operating systems, programming, hardware projects, creating art with computers, building a computer museum, and more. When: 2021-07-10, 19:00 CEST Where: https://bbb.cryptoparty.se/b/upd-0mo-m2u-aq8 How I ported Space Invaders to a video game console from 1978 Bjarni walks us through his recent port of the arcade classic to the Philips Videopac, a second-generation video game console. He explains the hardware limitations and shows tricks used to get around them ? unlike in the arcade machine there is no frame buffer, and the functionality of the hardware sprites is severely constrained on the Videopac. The development of the port was done on real hardware with a home-made USB-connected game cartridge. Bjarni Juliusson (Update) The lecture is free and open to everyone. Upcoming: 2021-08-14, 19:00: The Whirlwind I. Angelo Papenhoff (Humboldt University of Berlin) Hope to see you there, Anke [0] http://www.update.uu.se/index_eng.html [1] https://www.update.uu.se/wiki/doku.php/projekt:updateringar

4 years, 11 months

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FTGH for pickup in So Cal: PDP-11/44, Macs, Atari ST, RiscPC, ...

by spectre＠floodgap.com

Well, the pandemic turns everything upside down and we're looking at new employment, a new place and probably having to slash a few things. First on the chopping block is to consolidate and downsize storage. These systems and peripherals are all free to a good home; all you have to do is pick them up. Pick up any and all, with priority given to those who are interested in multiple units. I've tried to describe them as completely as possible. A few items have "on your honour" conditions. I'm also giving priority to classiccmp readers before I post public elsewhere. The items are in various places over the Riverside-San Bernardino area in Southern California depending on where and when I acquired them, so send me an off-list E-mail and we'll figure it out based on their location. THESE ITEMS NEED TO BE GONE IN THE NEXT MONTH. If you need a little extra time, we can work something out; I'd rather not scrap what someone has an interest in, but obviously with a likely move approaching, the sooner the better. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= POSSIBLY WORKING: PDP-11/44 with at least four disk packs and lots of paper tape and 8" floppies, sitting on top of what I think is a TU58. I never got the chance to fire it on. You will need a truck, probably a cart and definitely a hernia belt. There is also a big Kennedy disk next to it but I don't know if they originally went together. POSSIBLY WORKING: DEC VT100. This got bashed around a little and the case is a little loose, and I don't know if it works, but it's an honest to Ford VT100. NOT WORKING: Alpha Micro S-100 system. I got this when I had more money with the intention of rehabilitating it when I had more time, and now I have less of both. It will work for other S-100 cards. Whatever cards and devices are in there are all yours. They are heavy steel drawers and it can take big cards. There are two boxes; please take both. NOT WORKING: Acorn RiscPC 700 and Castle Iyonix PC. Like the AM S-100 system, I got this when I had more money but not enough time, and now I have neither. They need specialist restoration as neither system powers on, and it doesn't appear to be (just) the PSU. In particular, the RiscPC came to me with a leaky board battery which may have something to do with it. Both systems appear heavily upgraded but I don't have any inventory. If you are interested, it is expected you will be restoring the systems and not just turning around to part them out; there aren't that many of these machines on this side of the Atlantic (on your honour). Please take both units; you will get a big box of software and RiscPC artifacts from the previous owner as well. WORKING: Snow iMac G3 (600MHz, 512MB RAM). Works fine, comes up in stock 10.3.9. Needs a new PRAM battery but in good shape otherwise. Add your own USB keyboard and mouse. This was a gift from a good buddy, so it goes to you with the understanding you will try to find it a home if you don't want it instead of trying to sell it (on your honour). Everyone should have the joy of an original iMac. NOT WORKING: Atari STacy, disassembled. I was working on the system to replace the hard disk and one of the power headers got shifted which put 12V on a 5V line. Guaranteed this liberated some magic smoke from the motherboard or a yet-to-be-detected fuse somewhere, but the keyboard, RAM card, screen and such were all functional at the time I effed up and probably still are. You will get it in a fabulous Office Depot box with "STacy" written on it using a half-dead Sharpie. POSSIBLY WORKING: Mega ST4 with Megafile 60 and SC1224 and SM125 monitors. These are a bit yellowed and the keyboard is thrashed. Also, the TOS is on a separate card with two leads that got loose and I don't know where they go (probably to +Vcc and a select pin). Thus, can't test the monitors or the hard disk, but the system does power on, and the hard disk does power up and makes happy hard disk noises. No idea what's on it. The SM125 puts on a power light and does appear to try to make a picture, though its previous owner separated it from its stand for some reason. The SC1224 sounds like the flyback is bad but may be serviceable. Includes ST mouse and hard disk cable. No manuals or software. If you want this unit, you need to take everything including the monitors. NOT WORKING: Breadbox NTSC Commodore 64, in original box with power supply. Last time I powered it up, it generated a garbled display that suggested either bad RAM or PLA. You get to find out. PROBABLY WORKING: Tandy Color Computer 2, in original box. Was working when stored. PARTIALLY WORKING: Quad G5 2.5GHz x2x2, 8GB RAM, Nvidia 6600. Got whacked in shipping and one side of the case is damaged. No hard disk. Does power on and starts Apple Service Diagnostics fine, but the fans roar like the MGM lion and while there is no obvious leak you will need to service the liquid cooling system -- you're not thermal calibrating your way out of this one. Has the wireless card. Aftermarket optical drive needs "help" when you eject it. Add your own USB keyboard and mouse. NOT WORKING: Macintosh SE/30 (marked "Lake Washington"). 8MB RAM. Powers on and bright display on the monitor but Simasimacs immediately. Probably fine with a recap. Case yellowed as hell. I think I removed the hard disk, but if not, hey, free hard disk. Add your own ADB keyboard and mouse. NOT WORKING: Macintosh SE/30 (marked "Clover Park"). Also used to be my file server but then Simasimaced and now doesn't put a picture on the screen at all. Undoubtedly needs a recap and may need other repairs based on the funny pulsing of the system fan when connected to power. I think it had 4MB of RAM, don't recall exactly. I think I removed the hard disk, but if not, hey, free hard disk. Add your own ADB keyboard and mouse. PARTIALLY WORKING: Sawtooth Power Mac G4 450MHz. No RAM, no video card, no hard disk. Used to be my file server but had issues with one of the PCI slots. Has optical drive and ZIP with matching Apple bezels. Does power on, but obviously without RAM or a video card (AGP) will not pass POST. Add your own USB keyboard and mouse. NOT WORKING: Quad G5 2.5GHz x2x2, 16GB RAM, Nvidia 6600. This is in better physical condition and does power on and bong but shortly afterwards puts on OVERTEMP and CHECKSTOP lights, so you definitely will have to service the LCS and possibly the processors (no obvious leaks but I haven't checked thoroughly). No wireless card, no hard disk, OEM optical drive, add your own USB keyboard and mouse. NOT WORKING: Single G5 1.8GHz, 2GB RAM, GeForce 5200. The previous owner seemed to have had a disagreement with the front panel connector and the front panel connector lost. I received it stripped to the chassis except for the processor and the logic board, but it does have the fans, video card, wireless (with T-antenna), power supply and panel cable. Because the front panel connector is busted I can't test it. You get to replace the front panel assembly and put it back together. This unit is air-cooled, but probably could benefit from reapplying thermal compound while you're at it. Has optical drive (disconnected), no hard disk, add your own USB keyboard and mouse. Various other items: Newtek Video Toaster 4000 and Video Toaster Flyer boards with a whole mess of cables (looks like SCSI and some other internal pin header-type). Don't know if these are complete and no way to test. No software. Apple II Super Serial card with DB-25 670-0020-? (uses 6551 ACIA) and Apple IIe 80 column 64K memory expansion 607-0103-K. Can't test them but both look intact. Kurta Penmouse. Serial and PS/2 connectors. Seems to have a power supply jack (9V) but I don't have the power supply and I don't know if it needs it. Can't test it, no drivers, physically intact. Sun model 411 SCSI CD-ROM. Requires caddy. Won't mount discs, might need a recap. UMAX Astra 2100U flatbed USB scanner with power supply. Powers on. Works with classic Mac OS but probably most systems. No driver disc. Pair of Telular SX5 GSM terminals. These were the server room's backup communication system. They work, but no GSM network to connect to anymore. Might be fun if you set one up. Real serial ports! Real GSM modem! Full kits with power supply. Visual UpTime Select T1 CSU/DSU. Has a Cisco V.35 cable connected and jacks for Ethernet, serial, DSX-1 and T1. Powers on, obviously goes right into Red Alarm since there's no network. You telco nerds will love it. Various complete external modem packages ranging from 14.4 to 33.6K. -- ------------------------------------ personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ -- Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at floodgap.com -- The cost of living has not adversely affected its popularity. --------------

4 years, 11 months

5
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Atari ST & MegaFile with Minix?

by bear＠typewritten.org

I was playing with ST Minix (v1.1, based on PC Minix v1.3). I didn?t have any luck with Minix (neither the boot program nor the kernel) detecting the MegaFile (60 or 30, both the same outcome) on the Mega 4. Both MegaFiles worked fine with Minix on the 1040ST. So there must be some difference (timing?) between the ST and Mega. There are some usenet posts speculating on the cause of this, as well as contradictory user reports on whether it is known to work or not. So I?m not sure what to make of this. But Minix is pretty tight in 1 MB RAM, so I would like to understand why it shouldn?t work on the Mega 4. Any Atari ST experts on the list who can shed any light on why this might be the case? ok bear.

4 years, 11 months

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First new vax in ...30 years? :-)

by abs＠absd.org

In case anyone was interested in an FPGA VAX implementation http://mail-index.netbsd.org/port-vax/2021/07/03/msg003899.html And/or thoughts on 64bit/FP & multiprocessor enhancements :-p http://mail-index.netbsd.org/port-vax/2021/07/03/msg003903.html David

4 years, 11 months

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Free punched card deck machine, suitable to make reader and punch

by carlclaunch51＠gmail.com

I bought this years ago for a planned project to create a card reader and card punch for a mainframe replica, using this machine that was designed to reproduce decks of punched cards. It is very heavy and sturdy. It has two input hoppers and two stackers, one for the source cards and one for the punched copies. The punched head is cooled by ammonia gas, indicating that it was designed to operate at a healthy rate of cards per minute if it needed that kind of cooling. A keypunch, by comparison can punch cards at about 20 cpm with no need for cooling, so I estimate this could run at hundreds of CPM. This is ideal for a hobbyist would would convert it so that it reads cards into some kind of mini, mainframe or other computer device, with the other side able to punch contents from the same computer onto blank cards. This works with the standard IBM '5081' style 80 column punched cards. I am moving in 12 days and would need to send this to the scrap yard if someone isn't interested. I can hold it here until July 12th or 13th latest. You will need to bring help to move it as it weighs a few hundred pounds. Pictures at - https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/sys/d/los-altos-free-punched-card-reader-p…

4 years, 11 months

2
2
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VT340 Emulation

by dj.taylor4＠comcast.net

Does anyone have experience with the Reflection software that will emulate a DEC VT340 color graphics terminal?

4 years, 11 months

23
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PDP-11/05 microcode dump?

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Mattis Lind > Thanks Noel for sorting this out. Eh, de nada. But thank you. >> I wonder if the ucode in the two versions is identical? The uROM chip >> numbers should give it, (if they are the same on both versions, albeit >> in different locations on the board), but I have yet to check. Does >> anyone happen to know? OK, so the situation here is pretty complicated. To start with / make things worse, that CPU uses lots of PROMs. Lots and lots and lots and lots of PROMs. For the data paths board (M7260), both major versions appear to contain the same PROMs (going by the DEC part numbers), but the chip location (Exx) numbers are all different. For the control board (M7261), the C, E ('early' version) and F ('late' version) etch revisions each contain mostly the same PROMs, but apparently with slight differences between the sets of PROMs in each (as reflected in different DEC part numbers). For details see: http://gunkies.org/wiki/PDP-11/05#Control_PROMs to which I have just added all the gory details. As to getting the contents of all of them dumped in machine-readable form - oi vey! >> on the earlier version (prints for that version are in the GT40 prints >> online It turns out that I have hard-copy prints for the "C" etch revision of the M7261, which do not yet appear to be online; the GT40 prints have the "E" etch revision. I will scan the pages for that revision of the board, and put them up 'soon'. (I'm not doing the whole print set, it's about 1" thick, and most of them are for other things anyway, like MM11-L memory, etc.) Noel

4 years, 11 months

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cctech Digest, Vol 81, Issue 26

by aek＠bitsavers.org

On 6/29/21 10:00 AM, cctech-request at classiccmp.org wrote: > I miss that machine. I'd love to sim it but the code and schematics are > gone forever. Actually I think CHM has a box of stuff but I can't find a > link to it anymore. > another case where I watch cctalk, and this showed up only in cctech so I only saw it today since I only get digests of cctech https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/search/?s=adage some has been scanned http://bitsavers.org/pdf/adage

4 years, 11 months

1
1
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Konan The DJ 210 SASI Controller Manual

by billdegnan＠gmail.com

I noticed that there is no copy on bitsavers of the Konan Corp "The DJ 210" SASI Controller OEM Reference Manual so I posted one on my web site: https://www.vintagecomputer.net/cisc367/Konan_The_DJ_210_SASI.pdf I am not 100% sure, but if I was to guess this info could be applied to repairs for Tandy's and other 5MB hard drives of the era that used the ST506/412 and maybe the Tandon 603S (?) You be the judge, I am not an expert. Bill kennettclassic.com

4 years, 11 months

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Interesting photos of a computer graphics lab from 1968

by spam＠hell.org

A friend of mine collects old photos, and sent me a link to this set he just recovered from film. He doesn't know much about the provenance, but it might be interesting to figure out what we can about them. The link is here: https://www.espressobuzz.net/Found/GeorgeClark/GraphicsLab/ The film roll was dated June 1968, which was a month before I was born. The most interesting (to me) is the photo of the Adage Graphics Terminal. I'd never heard of the company before, but it looks like they were one of the many tech companies that sprang up in the MIT & Harvard orbit in the 60s and 70s. There's a small amount of info about the company on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adage,_Inc. Also in the same photo, to the right of the terminal is a silver box that might be an early joystick. It's hard to say. The pictures of the graphics terminal output is pretty cool, given that it's probably really pushing state of the art at the time. Also, they're in color, which was still not terribly common at the time. The only few photos I was able to find of Adage terminals are all black and white. Other recognizable hardware are a couple of ASR33 teletypes (one of which was rebadged as Adage), and some tape drives, the manufacture I don't recognize. Everything else, I pretty much can't make out what any of it is, but perhaps someone recognizes the particular layout of the blinkinlights? He was told that the pictures were taken "somewhere in the northeast". I suspect Boston, and therefore probably MIT or maybe Harvard. On the same roll were some pictures of "a colonial ship with lots of cannons", which I suspect was the USS Constitution in Boston Harbor, but I haven't seen those pics yet. I wonder if the tile pattern on the floor is distinct enough or recognizable? Anyway, it's an interesting set of archival photos, and I figured someone here might find them interesting or might recognize more than I do. -mike

4 years, 11 months

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Fwd: Lawrence Moser Breed 1940-2021, A Personal Recollection

by lee_courtney＠acm.org

Sad computer history note - Larry Breed, one of the original implementors of Iverson Notation AKA A Programming Language AKA APL passed away last month. Larry went to work at IBM on the first APL implementation on an IBM 7090 in 1965 as his first job out of Stanford. My path crossed Larry's not thru APL, but when I was working my first retirement job at Hassett Hardware in downtown Palo Alto. Larry would come in to buy parts for his latest Burning Man or community project. He was a delightful person to talk with, learn something from, and just be around. I'm sorry I did not take the time to talk to him more about APL when I had the chance. There's a Wikipedia entry on Larry here (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_M._Breed) and remembrances of him on the apl.comp.lang mailing list. God speed Larry and RIP. Lee Courtney

4 years, 11 months

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Serial Multisession

by cctalk＠gtaylor.tnetconsulting.net

Does anyone know anything about the "Serial Multisession" that the VT LAN 40, and presumably other terminals, supports? I've not heard about it before and intend to do some research. But I figured that it was an interesting enough topic, that is multiplexing terminal sessions over a single serial link, to warrant further discussion. -- Grant. . . . unix || die

4 years, 11 months

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INFAPLUG LAN

by binarydinosaurs＠gmail.com

Hello folks, A random conversation on twitter yesterday lead me to discovering an old 1980s LAN technology called INFAPLUG. This was a serial LAN hooked up via a PC serial port at 9600 baud to a ?smart plug? the size of a wall wart. This plug contained all the smarts and hooked into the coax backbone. There were boards available for VAX amongst other things so I?m amazed I?d never heard of it. Has anyone else? A small writeup is here: https://archive.org/details/lansexplainedgui00curr/page/64/mode/2up?q=infap… <https://archive.org/details/lansexplainedgui00curr/page/64/mode/2up?q=infap…> Cheers! -- Adrian Graham Owner of Binary Dinosaurs, the UK's biggest private home computer collection? t: @binarydinosaurs f: facebook.com/binarydinosaurs w: www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk

4 years, 11 months

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On compiling. (Was a way off topic subject)

by sieler＠allegro.com

Paul K got it right: "Any language can be interpreted or compiled. For some languages, like LISP and TECO, interpreting is a rather natural implementation techniques, while for others (C, ALGOL) compilation is the obvious answer. But either is possible." A few quick notes... Back around 1973, I wrote a compiler for InterLISP on the Burroughs B6700, with the target code being a new P-code invented just for LISP (by, I think, Bill Gord, based on Peter Deutsch and Ken Bowles P-code work). Yeah, some parts of the P-code machine had to invoke the interpreter, but that's philosophically no different than the next note... Around 1977/1978, Hewlett-Packard released the source code for their COBOL compiler for the HP 3000. My friend looked at the source and said: every statement compiles into a bunch of subroutine calls! So, technically....it was a compiler. But, essentially no machine code was emitted :) In 1984, HP announced their PA-RISC systems (HP 3000 and HP 9000), and that their ALGOL-like language, SPL, used by them and customers on the HP 3000, would not be ported to PA-RISC (because "it wasn't possible"). We looked at it and said: we can. And, we did (without the "subroutine call" mechanism :) In some cases, we emulate a 16-bit wide CISC architecture (e.g., if you use the SPL construct "ASSEMBLE (...)", we compile it...into PA-RISC code emulating the old architecture). It's still in use today, and can now emit either PA-RISC code or C source code (for a form of cross-compiling). What HP missed, and many people miss, is that any language can be compiled. The main question one might ask is the degree of closeness to machine code that's emitted :) Stan

4 years, 11 months

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Sovier/Russian 132-pin PGA Ceramic IC Packaging

by pbirkel＠gmail.com

In item https://www.ebay.com/itm/265045229011 I am curious as to whether the gold islands on the top-side are functional test-points giving electrical access to the underside pins? Was there a clip designed to attach to the top-side of these chips for use in circuit analysis? Was this design unique to Russian manufacture (I don't recall ever seeing this design previously)? paul

4 years, 11 months

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VT340 Emulation

by mark＠matlockfamily.com

One VT340 emulator that works quite well is the VT Lan 40. This was one of the last terminals made by DEC. It ran Windows 3.1 from ROM and used the LK411-AA keyboard (with the round PC keyboard connector) displaying on a Super VGA LCD display (1024 x 768 x 16 colors) It could connect to several (unto 8) systems simultaneously using a DB25 serial, a MMJ serial, then over its ethernet connector: multiple LAT, CTERM (DECnet) and Telnet (TCP/IP) sessions. The session windows allow cut and paste between Windows. The VT340 emulation seems to be perfect displaying Regis and pixels correctly and handling mouse movements correctly in the VT340 mode. Output from Saturn Graph for VMS works great! It also displays APL overstrike characters correctly with VAX APL using the ^D prefix described in the APL documentation. It also handles some escape sequence quirks that RSX KED does that mess up other VT100 emulators. Being able to use a Super VGA display allows a small footprint compared to a real VT340 (for VCF events) and the fact that it uses a real LK411 keyboard is great. The only minor issue is that they are not cheap, but you can buy new-in-thebox old inventory at: http://keyways.com/vtlan40.html You?ll also need a VT411-AA keyboard sold separately and find a Super VGA LCD display. Fortunately the last item can be cheap. I got a good NEC one at a second hand store for $20. One final comment, the two VT Lan 40s I got eventually had a connector between the front power switch and the actual switch break due to a bad choice of plastic by DEC. However, this can easily be repaired with a 1? piece of 1/8? I.D. PVC tubing from the hardware store. Mark Matlock

4 years, 11 months

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On compiling. (Was a way off topic subject)

by cclist＠sydex.com

On 6/23/21 1:14 PM, Paul Koning wrote: > I don't remember the details at this point, but I assume the "execute TECO macro" operation in the Stevens PDP-10 TECO compiler is done in that way. And of course these could keep the compiled code around to reuse if the source string hasn't changed. A modern example of this technique is the regex library in Python, which lets you compile a regex string into a compiled regex object for later use, or lets you perform operations using the regex string directly. The latter form caches a string -> compiled regex cache so doing this in a loop still performs reasonably well. Could be the case of "what does "compile" mean?" If the meaning is "reduce to machine language" maybe not. Otherwise, if the meaning is "interpret", then maybe so. Consider this paragraph of the tutorial at http://www.snobol4.org/docs/burks/tutorial/ch7.htm" -------------------------------------------------------- 7.7 RUN-TIME COMPILATION The two functions described below are among the most esoteric features, not just of SNOBOL4, but of all programming languages in existence. While your program is executing, the entire SNOBOL4 compiler is just a function call away. ----------------------------------------------------------- So maybe not rendering into machine code, but something else. --Chuck

4 years, 11 months

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Rockwell 65001EAB3

by brain＠jbrain.com

I know it's a long shot, but wondering if anyone might have a Rockwell 65001 EAB3 type IC lying around in a discard pile or otherwise willing to go to a new home.? Here's a pic of one in the Commodore C900 keyboard: https://i.ibb.co/tZ2m68x/IMG-1538.jpg I see one online for sale, but the both the pricing is untenable for a device I don't need to use but just wanted to research and I also don't want to prohibit a known good device from being available if needed. Jim -- Jim Brain brain at jbrain.com www.jbrain.com

4 years, 11 months

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ISO: Docs for Mostek MK8009-CA omnibus memory

by derschjo＠gmail.com

Hey all -- Picked up a memory board for my PDP-8/A, it's a Mostek MK8009-CA, currently outfitted with 32KW of memory but with empty pads for another 32KW. Not a ton of documentation on this -- anyone have anything? At minimum, configuration information would be nice, I'd also like to know what it takes to upgrade it to 64KW (apart from 24 more 4116's), so schematics would be excellent. I have this weird idea about extending TSS/8 to use more memory and the advanced features of the KT8-A... - Josh

4 years, 11 months

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Early Programming Books

by pbirkel＠gmail.com

I know of two early computer (in the stored program sense) programming books. 1951: Preparation of Programs for an Electronic Digital Computer (Wilkes, Wheeler, & Gill) 1957: Digital Computer Programming (McCracken) What others were published prior to the McCracken text? Excluded are lecture compendia and symposia proceedings, such as: 1946: Moore School Lectures 1947: Proceedings of a Symposium on Large-Scale Digital Calculating Machinery 1951: Proceedings of a Second Symposium on Large-Scale Digital Calculating Machinery 1953: Faster Than Thought, A Symposium On Digital Computing Machines These were principally about designs for, and experience with, new hardware. I'm curious about texts specifically focused on the act of programming. Were there others prior to McCracken? paul

4 years, 11 months

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VT340 Emulation

by cctalk＠gtaylor.tnetconsulting.net

On 6/18/21 5:50 PM, Wayne S via cctech wrote: > We didn't really need Regis graphics so we never tested that out. I'm not sure what the OP's use case is, but if they / you are wanting ReGIS (or Sixel) graphics, XTerm supports (both of) them. Incidentally, I have my XTerm configured to set it's decTerminalID to vt340. -- Grant. . . . unix || die

4 years, 11 months

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VT100 colors

by lars＠nocrew.org

Hello, Does anyone know what colors a VT100 is? Most photos online has it looking yellowish, but I expect that's from aging. Some people I have asked claim it was a light cream color. This bitsavers picture has it looking neutral grey: http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/terminal/vt100/vt100_wps-8.jpg And the black parts are claimed to be dark brown. I haven't found any color codes in the manuals.

4 years, 11 months

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Water Cooling and Hot Climates was RE: IBM 1620; was: Early Programming Books

by dave.g4ugm＠gmail.com

> -----Original Message----- > From: cctalk <cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org> On Behalf Of Van Snyder via > cctalk > Sent: 22 June 2021 00:00 > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Subject: Re: IBM 1620; was: Early Programming Books > > On Mon, 2021-06-21 at 17:26 -0400, William Donzelli via cctalk wrote: > > > Of course, nowadays, the old R22 systems are being refilled with > > > purified propane, called R290. Cheap, with better thermal > > > properties than R22, but probably not legal when LCM picked up the > 6500. > > > > When cleaning out a 3rd party CDC dealer quite a few years back, he > > remarked that the CDC machines going way back all the way to the 800s > > were fantastically unpicky about how they were cooled. He just used a > > garden hose connected to the building potable water, and if the > > machine under test needed more coolant because it was running warm, it > > just pumped more supply. Heated waste water went down the drain. > > > > This unlike the IBM water machines. > > I was once told that the most valuable guy in a Honeywell 6080 Multics shop > was the plumber. > I don't ever remember the 6080 being water cooled? I Thought Honeywell/GEC was all air cooled. All the L66s (which were from what the Multics machine was developed) were air cooled. I was told the following tale by one of my Honeywell contacts.... ... Apparently the last Shah of Iran owned a Level 66 for the use of his secret police. Apart from the fact that the OS had been modified by Honeywell Italy, and the documentation for this was in Italian which no one on the job understood, and when the OS crashed it was usually in a section of the code with Italian comments, there was also a problem with the power. As the temperature rose the power invariable failed. This was because it was run from a diesel generator that was out in the sun, it over heated and cut out..... ... any way after many complaints the military man in charge came to the Honeywell staff and told them the problem was solved. They of course asked how and were taken to the generator and shown the latest modification. They had fitted a new cap to the radiator with a thermometer in it, as often found on vintage cars. They had painted a read line on the gauge and assigned a soldier to watch it. When the needle got to the line, he blew his whistle and several other soldiers appeared and threw buckets of water over the engine until it cooled down.... I just wonder what they did while waiting for it to overheat...... > > > > -- > > Will Dave G4UGM

4 years, 11 months

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VT100 colors

by lars＠nocrew.org

Many replies. Thank you all! I have 3D printed Michael Gardi's VT100 model, and I'll try to find some pleasing colors for painting it. https://hackaday.io/project/177596-23-scale-vt100-terminal-reproduction

4 years, 11 months

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Early Programming Books

by paul＠mcjones.org

1955: An Introduction to Automatic Computers (Ned Chapin <https://www.csueastbay.edu/oaa/files/docs/memorial/memorialchapin.pdf>) I have the second edition ? copyright 1963. Chapter 8 is ?Elements of Programming? with a fully-worked out assembly language example for a hypothetical machine. > Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2021 04:43:58 -0400 > From: "Paul Birkel" <pbirkel at gmail.com <mailto:pbirkel at gmail.com>> > > I know of two early computer (in the stored program sense) programming > books. > > 1951: Preparation of Programs for an Electronic Digital Computer > (Wilkes, Wheeler, & Gill) > > 1957: Digital Computer Programming (McCracken) > > What others were published prior to the McCracken text?

4 years, 11 months

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Who has a working Terak?

by jfoust＠threedee.com

One of the original UCSD Pascal team contacted me, asking if any of my Teraks are still working. Sadly, they don't. I seem to remember hearing on the list that someone had re-capped and re-socketed their Terak, and that it's working. He wants to get video of an original, working Terak to demonstrate the UCSD Pascal menu system. He wants to show how the UCSD Pascal menu system could've influenced Apple's menus on the Lisa. Yes, I pointed out that you can run it under emulation. - John

4 years, 11 months

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Wanted: IBM 2671 docs and IBM stuff

by alsilisk＠icloud.com

Dear All, Recently I received an IBM 2671 paper tape reader and have been slowly restoring it. However I've hit a bit of a brick wall because no service docs are known. If you are sitting on some please do let me know. I am also looking for other bits of IBM mainframe/midrange stuff to restore so if anybody is looking to sell some, please PM me as well. I am in south England. Thanks, Al

4 years, 11 months

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Wanted: Hp Display Tube 5083-1551

by holm＠freibergnet.de

hi all, a friend of mine (Hartmut) is restoring desktop- and pocketcaluculators as a hobby. Lately he got an HP9100B on his desk with a bad display tube (the getters are white) but is otherwise in a good shape. Is here possibly someone that has such an display Tube to sell? Kind Regards from Germany, Holm -- Technik Service u. Handel Tiffe, www.tsht.de, Holm Tiffe, Goethestrasse 15, 09569 Oederan, USt-Id: DE253710583 info at tsht.de Fax +49 37292 709779 Tel +49 37292 709778 Mobil: 0172 8790 741

4 years, 11 months

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MITS 300/55 Business System

by jfoust＠threedee.com

Fellow wants to unload it, located in Lansing, MI USA. 80 meg HD. https://www.reddit.com/r/vintagecomputing/comments/o2qggk/altair_8800a_with… - John

4 years, 11 months

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VT340 Emulation

by dave.g4ugm＠gmail.com

Its been a while but Attachate software generally only needed special hardware for stuff like 5250 twinax, 3270 co-ax, and various SDLC connections. This page might help check which versions support regis but they perhaps don't go back to the really old versions... https://support.microfocus.com/kb/doc.php?id=7021488 Dave G4UGM > -----Original Message----- > From: cctech <cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org> On Behalf Of Wayne S via > cctech > Sent: 19 June 2021 00:50 > To: Douglas Taylor <dj.taylor4 at comcast.net>; General Discussion: On-Topic > Posts <cctech at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: VT340 Emulation > > We tried to use Reflection 240 on IBM PS/2 machines circa 1990. IIRC, it > installed easily w/o needing special drivers. > For the most part it worked as advertised. We didn't really need Regis > graphics so we never tested that out. It's problem was that it was really slow > on PCs, much slower than a real VT240 terminal. We were trying to use Dec's > "all in one" office automation to do word processing and spreadsheets. It's > slowness caused us to abandon it and just use word perfect and lotus 123 > instead. FYI, There are reflection manuals on the wayback machine for > reference. > > > Wayne > > > > On Jun 18, 2021, at 12:51 PM, Douglas Taylor via cctech > <cctech at classiccmp.org> wrote: > > > > Right, according to the few notes I've seen on the packages currently for > sale on ebay. > > > > I hesitate to buy because I picked up a similar piece of software, Smarterm > 240, which seemed to do the desired emulation. It was old software for DOS, > but I have an old DOS machine I use for PUTR I thought I could install it on and > be up and running. It didn't turn out that way because Smarterm wanted a > particular video card and driver (which I didn't have, of course). I didn't find > that out until I got the package open and tried installing it. > > > > I don't know if the Reflection software has any restrictions like that. The > versions I see for sale are for Win3.1 and such, not exactly the heyday of plug > and play. I was hoping to get some guidance from someone who has used > the Reflection software on what the actual hardware/software requirements > are. > > > > On a side note, emulating a Tektronix 4010 is apparently free and high > quality (see github). It is the DEC graphics terminals that no one has > produced an open source emulation software for, so that's why I am asking > this question. > > Doug > > > >> On 6/18/2021 1:16 PM, Bill Degnan wrote: > >> Reflection 4 should do that, right? > >> Bill > >> > >> On Fri, Jun 18, 2021 at 1:15 PM Douglas Taylor via cctech > <cctech at classiccmp.org <mailto:cctech at classiccmp.org>> wrote: > >> > >> Does anyone have experience with the Reflection software that will > >> emulate a DEC VT340 color graphics terminal? > >

4 years, 11 months

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Vintage Computer Museum eBay Sales

by organlists1＠sonic.net

It seems at least on the first page of their listings, $899.99 is a favorite asking price? https://www.ebay.com/str/vintagecomputermuseumservices?_trksid=p2047675.l256 3 Don Resor

4 years, 11 months

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IBM Logic IC equivalency information needed

by santo.nucifora＠gmail.com

I am currently working on an IBM 5100 that has some issues. I know for certain that the 5100 has a bad graphics controller card so I need to dig into component level replacements for those ICs I can replace. I have a list of logic chip equivalents to the IBM part numbers that are written on the chips but I don't think it's 100% accurate because IBM part number 1582601 comes back as 74151 "DATA SEL/MUX" but when I use one of those cheap logic chip testers (that is surprisingly accurate), it comes back as a 74157. For the record, if I test a 74151, it comes back as a 74151 so the tester is correct. I just want to make sure the table I have is accurate and that the tester is not 100% accurate or if that chip has failed and tests like a 74157 in it's state. This is the current list I am using that I got from somewhere but I don't recall where: https://vintagecomputer.ca/ibm-vintage-logic-chip-equivalency-list/ Does anyone have an IBM logic chip equivalency table for 74 series logic chips? Any help is much appreciated. Santo

4 years, 12 months

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PDP-11/05 (was: PDP-11/05 microcode dump?)

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Tom Uban > it has the early version M7261E Control Logic & Microprogram board and > the later version M7260 Data Paths board Ah, I'm glad someone found all that stuff I wrote up there useful. As always, I _think_ I got it all transcribed correctly, but do be on the lookout for errors! > it seems like an older/newer combination, but maybe that was common. I > would not have guessed that the four possible combinations would all > work together, but maybe they do? I honestly don't know. As far as I can tell, the DEC documentation doesn't even _mention_ the two different board generations; perhaps a sign that they are functionally interchangeable? (Although even the section on baud rate, in both DEC-11-HKDBB-A-D and EK-KD11B-MM-001, 4.11, doesn't even mention the early board. So maybe the manual just ignores the earlier version completely?) I don't have an /05 up and running at the moment, or I'd check all 4 and see if they all work. > Presently, the machine sometimes runs relatively well and other times > it does not. What are the failure symptoms? (It's almost certainly going to take a 'scope to fix it; I expect you have one?) I'd start by monitoring the CPU clock, and make sure it's running when the failure happens. (Note that the front console is handled by the microcode, so if the microcode isn't running, the machine will be totally dead. EK-KD11B-MM-001 has a good description of how that works.) > my initial messing with KM11 boards, reveals that I can step the > microcode with a KM11 in either the #1 or #2 position, but when two > KM11s are installed at the same time, they do not function properly > together. Is this expected or do I have an issue there too? Not sure. EK-KD11B-MM-001 (available at: http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp11/1105/EK-KD11B-MM-001_Jan75.pdf and definitely something you need) says, at pg. 5-6 "KM11 switches have the same function in slots KM-1 and KM-2", and on 5-7 "permits the user who has only one KM11 to plug into either KM-1 or KM-2". So that _sounds_ like you should be able to plug two in together. The first indicates that the switches, the only input to the KD11-B from the KM11, are wired in parallel, and the only other thing on the KM11 are the lights, outputs. And why mention "user who has only one KM11", if having two is no use because one can't use two at once? Noel

4 years, 12 months

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Sun 3/60 Up for Grabs

by john＠ziaspace.com

> I'm moving and I need to clean out a few things. > > I have a Sun 3/60 with no keyboard/mount/monitor/hard drive - just the > pizza box. It net booted NetBSD, but that was many years ago so YRMV. > > Free for pick-up only in Queen Creek, AZ. Is this still available? This is the kind of hardware I'd like to help preserve. Thanks, John Klos

4 years, 12 months

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Sun 3/60 Up for Grabs

by david＠thecoolbears.org

I'm moving and I need to clean out a few things. I have a Sun 3/60 with no keyboard/mount/monitor/hard drive - just the pizza box. It net booted NetBSD, but that was many years ago so YRMV. Free for pick-up only in Queen Creek, AZ.

4 years, 12 months

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Large Scale Systems Museum

by mloewen＠cpumagic.scol.pa.us

https://www.mact.io/ Hi folks! We've been away from Facebook for awhile, but we've been staying busy here. Now that things are starting to get back to normal from the disruption of Covid19, we're doing tours again, and we're getting our volunteer work days rolling again, restoring more and more vintage systems for you to enjoy. However, we're in a bit of a pickle, and we need your help. Our main floor air conditioning system has died, and is beyond repair. It's a 40-year-old power hungry system anyway, so it really just needs to be replaced. We have a quote in-hand from a local, reputable A/C contractor for a brand new, ultra-efficient system, and we're trying to raise funds for it, about $8500. We're already about halfway there from recent private donations. If we're unable to get the rest of the way there, we'll have no choice but to close for the summer. As an all-volunteer, donation-funded nonprofit educational organization, we depend on your support to keep doing what we do. Please help us if you can. We accept donations via PayPal to donations at mact.io, or via check/money order made out to Museum of Applied Computer Technology, mailed to the museum at 924 4th Avenue, New Kensington, PA 15068. Any overage will be put toward our utility bills and other operating expenses. LSSM/MACT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Thank you, -Dave McGuire President/Curator, LSSM/MACT

4 years, 12 months

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Memorex Telex IDE 711186669587 ISA controller

by w9gb＠icloud.com

The recently acquired a Memorex Telex IDE ISA controller (early 1990s), number 711186669587 , that has an unpopulated floppy / tape controller area on the board. The board has 34-pin internal header and DC-37 for external drive. I would like to populate those missing components on the PC board. I could reverse engineer the design, and ?fill in blanks? of the likely floppy/tape controller. The PLCC package (44-pin) is likely a late model chipset (tape/floppy). A schematic, parts list, or manual would shorten the effort for this board. Greg chicago

4 years, 12 months

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Disk drives, keypunch offered in SF bay area:

by cclist＠sydex.com

This fellow-s been posting on VCF; thus far, he's offered a pair of Perkin-Elmer disk drives and a USB-modified 029 keypunch. Stuff is pickup-ony by July 8. The drives: https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/sop/d/los-altos-perkin-elmer-interdata-vt2… --Chuck

4 years, 12 months

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Anyone need a 10 tape Compaq DLT drive with changer cart?

by cz＠alembic.crystel.com

Hi! Dragged out my old Compaq DAT tape drive and although it powers up some of the rubber wheels have turned to goo. Since I don't have any reason to fix it I thought I'd offer it here for shipping. Compaq 3000 series, this is a 199527-003, rebadged HP tape changer. It got a 10 tape capacity changer cartridge, powers up, moves the tape cart, however throws an error 40 because the rubber is gone. One of the wheels is liquid but intact so you can probably measure the OD to install a spare. Anyone want it? Or it goes in the recycling. CZ

5 years

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Lecture: The Oldenburg Computer Museum – Rearing and Care, 2021-06-12, 19:00

by stueberahoo＠yahoo.de

Hi all, you're invited to the Update computer club[0] public lecture series "Updateringar"[1]! Update is a Swedish computer club founded in 1983 whose members tinker with all kinds of computers, from Raspberry Pi to PDP-12. The club has a big collection of historic computers. In this lecture series we'll talk about everything related to computers: Historic and modern computers, operating systems, programming, hardware projects, creating art with computers, building a computer museum, and more. When: 2021-06-12, 19:00 CEST Where: https://bbb.cryptoparty.se/b/upd-0mo-m2u-aq8 The Oldenburg Computer Museum ? Rearing and Care The Oldenburg Computer Museum (OCM) is a German computer museum founded in 2008 and run by volunteers. This talk presents a historical outline of the founding of the OCM. From building up the collection to opening the first exhibition to founding the supporting association and moving to the current premises ? and the professionalisation that goes with it. Thiemo Eddiks presents the didactic concept, explains the museum work in the team and gives insights into and outlooks on current projects. In addition, he talks about problems associated with running a museum as a hobby. Thiemo Eddiks (Oldenburg Computer Museum) The lecture is free and open to everyone. Upcoming: 2021-07-10, 19:00: How I ported Space Invaders to a video game console from 1978. Bjarni Juliusson (Update) Hope to see you there, Anke [0] http://www.update.uu.se/index_eng.html [1] https://www.update.uu.se/wiki/doku.php/projekt:updateringar

5 years

1
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DEC Computer Lab for sale

by wdonzelli＠gmail.com

Over on the Discord, I have posted a DEC Computer Lab H-500 for sale. Needs cosmetic help, but will be priced accordingly. Offers? Off list... -- Will

5 years

16
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Epson QX-10 Q10CMS board

by jules.richardson99＠gmail.com

Hi all, There was a post in one of the Facebook vintage groups from someone who has Epson QX-10 Q10CMS and Q10GMS boards. The GMS is what I have in my own QX-10, but does anyone know what the CMS board is? Both boards have a NEC 7220 graphics controller, but the CMS appears to have more on-board memory (384KB vs. 256KB). On the other hand, I'm not seeing any on-board ROM in the photo of the CMS, unlike on my GMS. cheers, Jules

5 years

1
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Compaq C V6.5-303 for Tru64?

by me＠larbob.org

Does anyone have a copy of Compaq C V6.5-303 for Tru64? It used to be available from https://h20392.www2.hp.com/portal/swdepot/try.do?productNumber=T64_DTK, but this link has been dead for a while and hasn't been archived.

5 years

2
1
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ISO: DW8E parts

by derschjo＠gmail.com

Hi all -- I picked up a DW8E backplane from a friendly listmember this week and now I just need to find parts to populate it (a simple task, right?); I'm hoping to use it with my negibus PDP-8/I for my ongoing TSS/8 project(*) (in order to provide numerous serial lines and if I get really ambitious/lucky, an RK05). It looks like I need an M7101 and four M7103's. I intend to build the cabling myself unless anyone has a set of single-to-Y (BC08D) I/O cabling. Also on the hunt for a chassis to put these in; this is identical to the one used for the PDP-8f/m (but sans blinkenlights). Thanks! - Josh (*) RF08 restoration is underway and emulation of multiple RS08s is in progress...

5 years

1
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BA11 power filter

by steve＠cosam.org

After a few years in storage I'm finally getting to play with my PDP-11 stuff again. Figured I'd start small so rolled out the 11/23. PSU looks fine, pulled all the cards and checked voltages, no problem. Shortly after however, some magic smoke was released from the block in the back where AC comes in and the power switch is mounted. The only other thing in there is a big old line filter. Judging by the smell, I suspect a filter capacitor has given up the ghost. I'd check, but the whole thing is soldered shut so not exactly easily serviceable. Would I be correct in thinking such filters aren't entirely necessary and could just be bypassed? It looks like the manufacturer (JMK) is still going so a new replacement might not be out of the question. Whether I could find one with the same mounting holes etc. is another question I've not looked into yet. Cheers, Steve

5 years

4
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VAXstation 4000/vlc mouse issue

by healyzh＠avanthar.com

I now have my VAXstation 4000/vlc up and running OpenVMS 7.3, DECnet Phase IV, and part of my cluster. It?s using a SCSI2SD v5.2 board for the hard drive. While have plenty of DEC Hard Drives, I like the lower noise, power, and heat of the SCSI2SD?s, plus I can really cram the disk space in there, this has a whopping 32GB. :-) I?m using a VSXXX-AA mouse (Hocky Puck), and when I use the middle-button on the mouse, it messes up DECwindows, and I?m no longer able to use the other buttons, which means I can?t change to another window, or access menus. It remains like this until I either logout, or reboot. Does this sound familiar to anyone? This is actually the first time I?ve used a VAXstation as a VAXstation, so I don?t know if this is normal (though I can?t imagine it is). Zane

5 years

5
7
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H960 documentation

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

So, I have images of two different pieces of DEC documentation for the H960 series of racks/cabinets (the H950 is the bare rack; the H960 is the rack complete with various appurtenances such as side panel, stabilizer feet, etc). I had a request for them, so I've put them online. They are: http://ana-3.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/tech/H960/DEC_cabinets1.jpg http://ana-3.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/tech/H960/DEC_cabinets2.jpg The entry in the Direct Sales Catalog which covers them; includes illustrated breakdowns, and the DEC part numbers for everything. http://ana-3.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/tech/H960/DECRackManual1.jpg http://ana-3.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/tech/H960/DECRackManual2.jpg http://ana-3.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/tech/H960/DECRackManual3.jpg http://ana-3.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/tech/H960/DECRackManual4.jpg http://ana-3.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/tech/H960/DECRackManual5.jpg The Assembly Guide; it shows in detail how all the bits go together (includes all the captive nuts, bolts, etc). Noel

5 years

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MA8807A ic datasheet wanted

by ard.p850ug1＠gmail.com

OK, this is mildly off-topic... I am working on a piece of telecom-related test gear and there's one IC I can't find data on. It's a 40 pin DIL package made by GEC (the UK company), marked MA8807A. I thought at first it was a ULA, but I can find refeences to a 8bit * 8bit -> 16 bit multiplier with that number, so I guess that's it. But I can't find a datasheet or even a pinout. It may have appeared under the Plessey brand too, but I am not certain of that I've been along my bookshelves, looked in the obvious books on bitsavers etc and found nothing. Does anyone have any data on this chip? -tony

5 years

1
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Cypher 68000/Z80 SBC, Motel Computers

by peter＠oneillassociates.com.au

While going through some boxes which have been unopened since my last move 15 years ago I found a Cypher 68000/Z80 single board computer by Motel Computers Ltd, Ontario Canada that I bought back in 1986. In another box I found some of the documentation. I'm hopeful of finding the manual and disks but they haven't turned up yet. Does anyone have the manual and disks for this board? Regards, Peter O'Neill

5 years

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Fabritek logic trainers anyone have manuals for these? Anyone have one of these trainers besides us??

by couryhouse＠aol.com

Fabritek logic trainers? anyone have manuals for these? Anyone? have one of these trainers besides us??Ed at SMECC MUSEUM PROJECT? Sent from the all new AOL app for Android

5 years

1
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how to make use of daisy wheel printer

by chris＠groessler.org

Hi all, what are the word processing options for a daisy wheel printer? I would like to be able to write "bold face" (double stroke) and underline some parts. I guess there aren't any other capabilities to exploit on a daisy wheel printer. Operating system is unixish (Linux/NetBSD/FreeBSD). MS-DOS would work, too. Maybe something like (g|t)roff? Is there something you'd recommend? regards, chris

5 years

7
11
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COMPAQ ISA PC to ethernent

by rdawson16＠hotmail.com

If anyone has ideas about boards or software to connect this original Compaq to the net let me know! Browsing the ebay, I do not find a PC 8 bit ethernet board but still looking. Then, the rest, a net set of tools in source would be great.

5 years

9
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MicroVAX 3300/3400

by healyzh＠avanthar.com

I?m still not 100% sure if this is a 3300 or a 3400. It?s in a BA400X chassis, and after looking at the manuals last night, it seems like it?s closer to the 3400. My familarity with Q-Bus MicroVAXen is limited to MicroVAX/VAXstation II?s, and a MicroVAX 3. After getting a power cable (the only one at PCH Cables was a 3? one, and I didn?t want to wait for more to come in), it powered right up, but is failing 4 tests. I quickly learned last night that ?TEST 9E? prints all the tests out to screen. This effort is making me wish I had a DEC LA50 plugged into the terminal. :-) It starts counting down diagnostics at ?41?. 27.. ?57 2 17 FF 00 0000 22.. ?C2 2 01 FF 00 0001 07.. ?5C 2 01 FF 00 0002 06.. ?5D 2 0B FF 00 0003 57 = SI_memory incr test_matter ***** C2 = SSC RAM ALL * 5C = SII_initiator ****** 5D = SII target ******* I think this is indicating issues with the DSSI interface. The system has two RF73 DSSI drives, which sound like they spin up. It also has a TK70 tape drive. It says it has 4MB and 16MB RAM, all good. One odd thing is that the KA640-A seems to plug into another board, before the DSSI drives. I?m getting ready to dig into that, and find out what that board is. Zane

5 years

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How to read Osborne 1 Floppies?

by marvin＠west.net

Depending on when you need them, VCFMW is coming up in a few months. I have a number of Osborne 1's as well as a couple of 386 machines set up with Teledisk (I bought it *years* ago when it became available to listmembers), imagedisk, and *maybe* Dave Dunfields IMD(?). As VCFMW gets closer and you still need these floppies read, let me know and I'll put the machines in with the stash of "junque" to unload :). I *think* you are on the East coast, and it would surprise me if the RICM doesn't have working Osbornes. Marvin > Message: 3 > Date: Tue, 25 May 2021 10:37:03 -0700 > From: Zane Healy <healyzh at avanthar.com> > To: Fred Cisin <cisin at xenosoft.com>, "General Discussion: On-Topic and > Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: How to read Osborne 1 Floppies? > Message-ID: <13B8E14A-BCAD-4A5B-B81A-7E6E6F373B6B at avanthar.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 > > Yes, we need to be able to access the files. > > I?m going to see if my old 486 will still boot up, I know I used to use it with imaging RX50 floppies. I?m not an x86 collector, so have a pretty limited selection of PC Hardware. I?m on my Sabbatical right now, so this request came in at a good time. Though first I have to finish up on some VAX and Alpha systems I?m working on, so as to free up space. That or finish a cleaning project in my office. :-) The cleaning project is needed to finish the VAX/Alpha projects? > > Is there any chances of reading these with Commodore 128 running CP/M, or a Kaypro 2? The Kaypro is definitely on my ?project list?, it worked last time I played with it. I *might* have a DEC Rainbow, or I might have given it away. If I do, I have no idea of its condition. An Apple //e would be another old system with 5.25? drives, but seems more unlikely. I might still have an old Kaypro PC, though it hasn?t been used since ?94 (and there is a good chance it went to LCM). > > My focus is DEC and Commodore, though I do have a lot of Apple // gear. > > Zane

5 years

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cctalk Digest, Vol 80, Issue 24

by compoobah＠gmail.com

On Wed, 2021-05-26 at 12:00 -0500, cctalk-request at classiccmp.org wrote: > If you were to find an M7626 KA660 CPU you could do away with all of > the DSSI cabling between the CPU and the M9715 (in addition to having > a CPU that is around twice as fast). KA660/BA430 makes for a nice MicroVAX, had one for a while. You can even route the SCSI on the backplane as well, and the sleds pick up whichever you need. Too bad DSSI stuff either isn't more common or DEC found a way to route full cluster over SCSI, that was neat too (and faster than LAVAC for KA660). I seem to recall a highly opinionated VAX/BSD partisan also bestowed on it the rare (in his system) title of "real VAX" In the completely unrelated category my state has signs out asking us to "VAX up" which has me itching to get my VAXes out again. Sadly HP shut down the hobbyist license issuing before they got to my request :(.

5 years

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How to read Osborne 1 Floppies?

by healyzh＠avanthar.com

A photographer I know contacted me last night asking about reading Osborne 1 floppies. What does it take to read these? The only Catweasel board I have is the old Zorro 2 board for the Amiga. I do have 5.25? floppy drives. Neither of us have an Osborne anymore (I think mine went to Jim Willing). Zane

5 years

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IBM PC Network

by cctalk＠gtaylor.tnetconsulting.net

Q: Does anyone have any IBM PC Network hardware and / or software that they would be willing to part with? The recent "COMPAQ ISA PC to ethernet" thread got me thinking about IBM PC Network (and ARCnet) again. Sadly, Wikipedia's IBM PC Network article [1] is about the most concise / complete source of information that I've seen in the past. I'd like to learn more. I knew about the F connectors on coax cable, but was not aware of centralized device needed to do frequency translation. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_PC_Network -- Grant. . . . unix || die

5 years

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VAXstation 4000 Mice?

by healyzh＠avanthar.com

What sort of mice does a VAXstation 4000 (vlc/60/90) take? I?m pretty sure they don?t need a DEC ?hockey puck? mouse. I?m trying to get a VAXstation setup as? A VAXstation! I?ve always run them headless, usually with SBB?s in a BA353 or BA350. Zane

5 years

6
10
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COMPAQ ISA PC to ethernent

by compoobah＠gmail.com

On Sun, 2021-05-23 at 12:00 -0500, cctalk-request at classiccmp.org wrote: > To: Grant Taylor <cctalk at gtaylor.tnetconsulting.net>, > ????????General at ezwind.net, Discussion at ezwind.net:On-Topic and Off- > Topic Posts > ????????<cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: COMPAQ ISA PC to ethernent > Message-ID: <60A9DFDE.9080300 at charter.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed > > Grant and et al, > ???? I have several hundred MB and expansion cards from 30 years ago > up > to about 5 years ago. I would like to sell all of my computer > equipment. > Boards, cards, cables, covers, printers, monitors, computers. The > whole > works. > ???? I probably have cancer and if I do I am dead. i have been > selling > off everything that I own and I have been using the funds to drive > all > around the country full filling my bucket list. Please help me by > taking > everything off my hands? I still have two Simpson 260 VOMs that I > want > to see go to a good home instead of hitting the trash. > ???? Grant, Randy has not responded to me. Yes, I have Arcnet and > Ethernet ISA cards. What info do you need? > GOD Bless and Thanks, > rich! Man, that bites. Seen too many people I know die of cancer. Simpson meters are nice, and having an analog around is good, hope someone snags them. Too rich for my blood. Reminds me have a old NRI VTVM I need to get working, think I'm gonna try to wire in a 50B5 instead of the dead 50C5. FETVOMs interest me but don't see many of those around.

5 years

1
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cctalk Digest, Vol 80, Issue 22

by compoobah＠gmail.com

On Mon, 2021-05-24 at 12:00 -0500, cctalk-request at classiccmp.org wrote: > Message: 25 > Date: Mon, 24 May 2021 09:24:22 -0700 > From: Jason Howe <jason at smbfc.net> > To: Chris Zach <cz at alembic.crystel.com>, "General Discussion: On- > Topic > ????????and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Writings on AI from 17 years ago.... > Message-ID: > <e5a3d9aba75a6d0fbfb377372cf3f1a7d29fffde.camel at smbfc.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > > On Sun, 2021-05-23 at 21:34 -0400, Chris Zach via cctalk wrote: > > Anyone know if the LCM will be open > > > Considering there is no staff as they were all laid off and have now > all found other jobs, I'd guess that's a hard no.? They'd basically > need to spin up from 0 again -- considering Vulcan shut down LCM, > Cinerama and the Flying Heritage Museum as soon as they could after > Paul's death -- I put my money on asset dispersal, rather than > reopening. > > I say with a pit in my stomach as a former member and regular > visitor. > > EMP (or whatever the hell they're called now) survived because they > had > been spun off as a separate legal entity from Paul's Vulcan empire. > > > --Jason I fear so as well, but one of the other MS teachers in my district has done some remote training recently through them, so there might still be hope.

5 years

1
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COMPAQ ISA PC to ethernent

by cctalk＠gtaylor.tnetconsulting.net

On 5/24/21 11:47 PM, Richard Pope wrote: > Grant, Hi Rich, > Did you receive my last email? Yes, I did receive it. I've not had an opportunity to reply to it. -- Grant. . . . unix || die

5 years

1
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LCM

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Lars Brinkhoff > Chris Zach wrote: >> I'll drop by and see which CHAOSNet card it has. > It may have been removed when we worked on getting ITS booted. For a long time AI used a UNIBUS CHAOSNet card, plugged into an -11 connected up to AI via the Rubin 10-11 interface. (I'm not sure which -11; maybe the TV-11, but I think I remember there was another one used for the CHAOSNet? I think the same -11 that the AI Lab's 3-mbit Ethernet interface was plugged into. If I wasn't so lazy I'd look at TV > and see.) I'm not sure what happened after the Rubin interface died. Maybe they built another KA I/O bus interface (like the one on ML)? Config > might answer that question. Noel

5 years

3
2
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Link Rot

by cctalk＠ibm51xx.net

Interesting article on Link Rot and its prevalence. According to the article even sources being referenced as early as 2018 have about a 60% Rot.I think all of us in this hobby can relate nor only to loss of articles but from sites, drivers, file repositories, etc....https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/21/22447690/link-rot-research-new-yo…

5 years

7
8
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Old Mac IICX to give away in Los Angeles/Orange County.

by tosteve＠yahoo.com

Free Macintosh IICX in Orange County CA area. Sometimes it boots, often it doesn?t (power supply issue?). Also HD has stiction issues. Also the tall profile monitor has a very smeary image. Other than that, it?s great! Everything is included - computer with cover, keyboard, mouse, monitor.

5 years

1
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Seeking: X.25 networking equipment

by Astrid＠xrtc.net

Hi folks, I'm looking to build an X.25 packet data network for semi-active use at the Connections Museum in Seattle. Please contact me off-list (<astrid at xrtc.net>) if you have any X.25-capable networking gear (routers, PADs, cable, etc) that wants a new home. Why? Some of our newer equipment has serial management consoles. Plumbing those into a proper-vintage data network would be a lot spiffier than running around with usb-serial devices. I'm not looking for serial-to-telnet IP converters. I'm also interested in setting up a public federated X.25-over-TCP network, much like https://ckts.info/ but for circuit switched data. Cisco IOS 12 has support for DNS-based routing of XOT connections, which I've been learning how to configure. Thanks, -- ?strid smith (she/her) =<[ c y b e r ]>= antique telephone collectors association member #4870

5 years

1
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DEC weights

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Barry M > H960 120 lbs (not sure if this includes the side panels) The H960 has a whole constellation of appurtenances which can add to the weight: sides, back door, back mounting frame, top fan(s), floor screen, stabilizer feet, etc, etc. I happen to have an empty H960 (well, it does have the two top fans, which I was too lazy to take out - they are only a couple of pounds each) out in my garage, so I stuck it on a bathroom floor scale, and it seems to be about 100 pounds. If you want the weight on any of the other bits (above), let me know, it would be easy to weigh them. Noel

5 years

2
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DEC weights

by fritzm＠fritzm.org

> On May 23, 2021, at 9:14 PM, Marc Howard via cctech <cctech at classiccmp.org> wrote: > In my case I'm looking for the weight of an RK05 and full height 19" DEC > rack. I have not see these published, but can attest that it is somewhere between 1 25-yr-old-can-load-in-station-wagon and 1 53-yr-old-can-load-in-station-wagon...

5 years

2
1
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DEC weights

by iamvirtual＠gmail.com

Marc, I am not aware of a single document that lists the weights of various sub-systems. I did find the weights or the RK05 and H960 rack: RK05 110 lbs See: DEC-00-RK05-DA RK05 DISK DRIVE MAINTENANCE MANUAL Page 1-2 H960 120 lbs (not sure if this includes the side panels) See: DEC-11H45SM-E-D PDP-11/45 System Maintenance Manual Page C-5 --barrym On Sun, May 23, 2021 at 10:15 PM Marc Howard via cctech < cctech at classiccmp.org> wrote: > Hi, > > Is there a doc anywhere that breaks out the individual weights of various > PDP gear? > > In my case I'm looking for the weight of an RK05 and full height 19" DEC > rack. > > Thanks, > > Marc >

5 years

1
0
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IBM PC Network

by paulkoning＠comcast.net

> On May 23, 2021, at 5:18 PM, Wayne S <wayne.sudol at hotmail.com> wrote: > > ISTR That the 2 main issues hindering wide spread adoption of TR was cost and and not knowing where TR development was headed. > The Type 1 cabling needed to each port on the hub was expensive vs thick/thin Ethernet with taps (as were the hubs). Also, there was no second source for TR chips so everyone who wanted to make TR hardware was at the mercy of the IBM chip pricing so there weren?t too many TR cards being manufactured by anyone other than IBM. I recall the Madge TR cards for IBM ps/2 machines being about $400 ea circa 1992. > So you had a lot of cost standing in the way if you were thinking about going/staying with TR and had hundreds of workstations. There was also the bogus addressing and strange bridging. > As for development, there was an ethernet roadmap ( don?t remember the group that put it together) stating that 100 mbit was next running over shielded twisted pair then unshielded tp. And 1000 mbit was possible. > For TR, No one knew if IBM would up the speed past 16 mb and allow TR chips to be made cheaply. > > Also the fact that token passing is inherently slower than CSMA/CD did not help to sell TR. > The analogy was that if you had a long street with many stop lights, using TR would be like having every light be red and having to stop at each light, where using Ethernet some of the lights would be green and no stop required. > > IBM tried to use that to their advantage and use to say since the amount of time it takes to token pass could be measured precisely that the network response as a whole could be determined and capacity planning was more deterministic using TR than Ethernet. While at DEC in the network architecture group I contributed to a DEC marketing document that was a detailed point by point reply to an IBM document. IBM tried to claim TR was superior, we demolished that in detail. The deterministic argument was in there; unfortunately for IBM it is true that the network is deterministic -- has an upper bound on transmit latency -- but that upper bound is so crazy large that the property has no practical value whatsoever. BTW, this is where FDDI is vastly better, since it uses 802.4 timed token protocol rather than 802.5 token passing. paul

5 years

1
0
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RS64 on a PDP-8?

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> Is there a controller to attach an RS64 disk to a PDP-8? The only > controller for the RS64 I can find is the UNIBUS RC11. Thanks. I never saw any reply, so I gather the answer is 'no'. I looked through the stuff on BitSavers for a bunch of other machines (IIRC, PDP-9 and PDP-12 and maybe one more), didn't see anything. The odd thing is that based on the RS64 manual cover/format, it dates to the same time period as the early -11's; and that manual is very careful to separate the drive info from the controller. Very strange that it wasn't interfaced to something else (like an -8 or -9). Maybe there was at one point a plan to do so, but plans changed? I note that there is an RS32 - I onder if they are any relation? Noel

5 years

1
0
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VAXstation 4000/90 Diagnostics

by healyzh＠avanthar.com

Is anyone familiar with the 4000/90 diagnostics? It looks like it will fail the test of the LCSPX graphics board, if it?s not plugged into a monitor, or is missing a loopback device. Is that correct? T 2 fails, but the manual makes it sound like I need a loopback T 100 succeeds when testing the LCSPX graphics board. The system had been a boat anchor until a short time ago, as the battery in the Dallas DS1287A RTC was dead. Amazon just delivered two DS12887?s. Once I replaced it, it came right up. I was surprised to see I had a 4GB and a 2GB drive in it. Now to dig out the mouse, and wait for the parts to hook it up to a monitor. :-) Zane

5 years

2
2
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SCSI2SD

by healyzh＠avanthar.com

Does anyone have experience using a SCSI2SD board to replace a Hard Drive on a VAXstation or an AlphaStation? I?m thinking about using them on some of my systems to reduce the amount of noise. I?ve gotten used to a quiet office. :-) Zane

5 years

8
13
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COMPAQ ISA PC to ethernent

by cctalk＠gtaylor.tnetconsulting.net

On 5/23/21 10:35 AM, Warner Losh wrote: > I'm out in Brighton:) Has it been wet there for you too for the last ~36 hours? Are you suggesting splitzies on Rich's collection? Or is that a veiled threat / invitation to share a beverage and chat? ;-) -- Grant. . . . unix || die

5 years

1
0
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SCSI2SD

by cruff＠ruffspot.net

I've also used a version 5.1 SCSI2SD on a VAXstation 4000/60 without problem.

5 years

1
0
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SCSI2SD

by mark＠matlockfamily.com

> <healyzh at avanthar.com> wrote: In this the weakest link would appear to be the SD Card. As such it seems to me that the best solution would be to have 2 or more SCSI2SD?s in the device. I?m not sure what benefit would be achieved by using a single board to present multiple devices. Unless of course you had a drive size limitation, or you?re trying to emulate something like 2GB or 4GB drives. As an example, that would be handy for VAXen with a 1GB Boot Drive limitation. -Zane Zane, I am using SCSI2SD cards in a VAXstation 4000/90a, and in a MV3100-80 as well as an Alpha DS10. In the two VAXes, I use two SCSI2SD cards, configured identically with a system drive and a user drive on class 10 16GB microSD cards. So each microSD card has both the system drive and the user drive. Thus I can use VMS backup from one microSD card to another so that if one microSD card fails I can easily recover from it. So far I have not had hardware failures, but being able to recover from a bad software installation which has been VERY helpful. Mark

5 years

1
0
0 0

VT100 dot stretching in reverse video

by lars＠nocrew.org

Hello, Is there anyone with a VT100 (or any VT1xx, if so please specify which) that can make a photo displaying text in reverse video? I'm making a detailed simulation of the VT100 hardware, and I'd like to see what, if any, effect dot streching has. I searched the "VT100 Technical Manual", but as far as I can see it doesn't say. A good sample text would be: ESC [ 7 m b d h x CR LF ESC [ 0 m b d h x CR LF

5 years

3
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PDP-8/e M8652 KL8F Double-buffered asynch terminal control

by ccth6600＠gmail.com

I am looking for the manual for the following Omnibus board: M8652 KL8F Double-buffered asynch terminal control Is there a scanned copy of the manual and/or schematic or any other information for this board somewhere? Thanks and best regards Tom Hunter

5 years

1
0
0 0

DEC DUP

by aek＠bitsavers.org

posting this over here, if anyone has any clues for this guy i could dig in the DEC archive but it won't be any fun to find https://www.vcfed.org/forum/forum/genres/dec/1209678-documentation-for-dec-…

5 years

2
1
0 0

RT-11 .DPA and .DPY files

by cclist＠sydex.com

I've just finished processing a bunch of RX01 and RX02 RT11A disks. The files on the RX01 floppies are of type .DPA and those on the RX02 ones, DPY. No files of any other type in the whole collection. I have no other information, but I suspect that these are plotter files. Both types seem to start with the same prefix bytes, for example: 06 00 f0 00 40 00 00 01 00 1e ff ff 00 00 00 00 Does anyone have a guide to how these files are structured? Thanks, Chuck

5 years

1
0
0 0

Melted computer feet

by healyzh＠avanthar.com

Is there any recommended method for cleaning up melted ?rubber? feet on a plastic case? I?m trying to determine if I can revive the VAXstation 4000/90 I received from a list member, back around 1998 (it?s never worked). When I pulled it out, I discovered that its feet have melted, and I?m assuming probably made a mess on the disk enclosure for my VAXstation 3100 that it was on top of. Zane

5 years

8
11
0 0

Sun 3/80 parts

by knowak＠alumni.calpoly.edu

Hi All, I lent my Sun 3/80 out to someone and it came back pretty damaged. Does anyone by chance have an old 3/80 carcass laying around that has a good rear plastic bezel P/N 600-2209-02? If not, does anyone have any plastic repair suggestions? Also one of the rear feet (narrower rear one) opposite the PSU was missing... -Kurt

5 years

1
0
0 0

cctalk Digest, Vol 80, Issue 17

by bobsmithofd＠gmail.com

THanks Lee!! Much appreciated - confirmed my decaying memory, and pointed out the the almost mythical DECNA!! bb On Wed, May 19, 2021 at 1:38 PM <cctalk-request at classiccmp.org> wrote: > > Send cctalk mailing list submissions to > cctalk at classiccmp.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://www.classiccmp.org/mailman/listinfo/cctalk > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > cctalk-request at classiccmp.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > cctalk-owner at classiccmp.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of cctalk digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. DECNet for Pro 300 series boxes (Lee Gleason) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Tue, 18 May 2021 12:20:34 -0500 > From: Lee Gleason <lee.gleason at comcast.net> > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Subject: DECNet for Pro 300 series boxes > Message-ID: <db66b12f-e0a4-94b4-d9e9-efa88a84851e at comcast.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed > > > ? DECnet for Pro350/380 was donated to DECUS, available as? DECUS > package PRO175. A quick Goog found the floppy disk images for it at > http://www.os2site.com/sw/DEC/pro/pro175/index.html. If that site > doesn't work out, or you don't like them in LHARC format, let me know - > I have them as normal dsk files. DECnet on the PRO's was end node only, > you could run it DDCMP on an asynch line, or on the rare, elusive, DECNA > ethernet card - but not both at once. > > -- > Lee K. Gleason N5ZMR > Control-G Consultants > lee.gleason at comcast.net > > > End of cctalk Digest, Vol 80, Issue 17 > **************************************

5 years

1
0
0 0

DECNet for Pro 300 series boxes

by lee.gleason＠comcast.net

? DECnet for Pro350/380 was donated to DECUS, available as? DECUS package PRO175. A quick Goog found the floppy disk images for it at http://www.os2site.com/sw/DEC/pro/pro175/index.html. If that site doesn't work out, or you don't like them in LHARC format, let me know - I have them as normal dsk files. DECnet on the PRO's was end node only, you could run it DDCMP on an asynch line, or on the rare, elusive, DECNA ethernet card - but not both at once. -- Lee K. Gleason N5ZMR Control-G Consultants lee.gleason at comcast.net

5 years

1
0
0 0

Looking for VAXSET Software Engineering Tools for VMS 4.x

by mdehling＠gmail.com

(I had accidentally sent my reply below only to Antonio. I'm resending it to the list.) > On 10/05/2021 10:05, Malte Dehling wrote: > > Thanks a lot, Antonio, these are very valuable to have! > I've only checked a couple of them under SIMH, so it would be helpful to > know if I need to check my workflow or not. > > I think uploading them to archive.org would be a good long-term > > solution. I can take care of it if you don't have an account. > > Please do. Thanks. Will do. I'll let you know. > In other news, I polished the MAR-1989 CONOLD, which looked very bad, to > start with. Amazingly it buffed up quite nicely and then read surprisingly > well: > > [ > > $ ddrescue -r5 -v /dev/sr1 CDROM-AG-NC67A-RE-1989-03-VMS-CONOLD.iso > CDROM-AG-NC67A-RE-1989-03-VMS-CONOLD.map > GNU ddrescue 1.23 > About to copy 205199 kBytes from '/dev/sr1' to > 'CDROM-AG-NC67A-RE-1989-03-VMS-CONOLD.iso' > ??? Starting positions: infile = 0 B,? outfile = 0 B > ??? Copy block size: 128 sectors?????? Initial skip size: 128 sectors > Sector size: 512 Bytes > > Press Ctrl-C to interrupt > ???? ipos:? 205198 kB, non-trimmed:??????? 0 B,? current rate:?????? 0 B/s > ???? opos:? 205198 kB, non-scraped:??????? 0 B,? average rate: 637 kB/s > non-tried:??????? 0 B,? bad-sector:???? 2048 B,??? error rate: 170 B/s > ? rescued:? 205197 kB,?? bad areas:??????? 1,??????? run time:????? 5m 22s > pct rescued:?? 99.99%, read errors:?????? 25,? remaining time:???????? n/a > ????????????????????????????? time since last successful read:????? 2m? 1s > Finished > ] > > > So I went ahead and tried the CONDIST from MAY-1989. That too now can be > read, although it is proving a somewhat tougher nut to crack: > > [ > > $ ddrescue -r5 -v /dev/sr1 CDROM-AG-MN36D-RE-1989-05-VMS-CONDIST.iso > CDROM-AG-MN36D-RE-1989-05-VMS-CONDIST.map > GNU ddrescue 1.23 > About to copy 623247 kBytes from '/dev/sr1' to > 'CDROM-AG-MN36D-RE-1989-05-VMS-CONDIST.iso' > ??? Starting positions: infile = 0 B,? outfile = 0 B > ??? Copy block size: 128 sectors?????? Initial skip size: 128 sectors > Sector size: 512 Bytes > > Press Ctrl-C to interrupt > ???? ipos:??? 5919 kB, non-trimmed:??????? 0 B,? current rate:?????? 0 B/s > ???? opos:??? 5919 kB, non-scraped:?? 11127 kB,? average rate: 14694 B/s > non-tried:??????? 0 B,? bad-sector:??? 2843 kB,??? error rate:????? 85 B/s > ? rescued:? 609276 kB,?? bad areas:????? 445,??????? run time: 11h 31m? 2s > pct rescued:?? 97.75%, read errors:???? 5884,? remaining time:? 5d 23h 43m > ????????????????????????????? time since last successful read:????? 2m 45s > Scraping failed blocks... (forwards)??? ] > > > On the plus side, that's 97.75% more data than I had before :-) but the > "remaining time" looks like it could be the rest of the week (it varies > quite a bit). > > > I think, from reading the manual, that I can use CTRL-C and restart this > again later and it will pick up where it left off using the map file. Is > this right? Very nice, this worked much better than I had expected! And you're right, you can simply CTRL-C and restart ddrescue with the same command (i.e., with the iso and map file; different options should work.) I would make a copy of the files before restarting, just in case. > Are there any other options I should consider trying? Can you try with "-b 2048 -d" for direct disc access and maybe once more with "-R" for reverse? > Another thought is that perhaps a shade more polishing might help. If I > polish the CDROM a little more and then resume the ddrescue, I think I won't > be any worse off than I am now, i.e. all existing data will still be there > and all I'll be risking is data that maybe would have eventually read before > but now may not read at all. Is that right? Successful reads are now ~20m > apart, so I suspect that the remaining data will be quite difficult to > recover. After trying the various options on the disk in its current state, I see no harm in trying this approach. With the map file, ddrescue should never overwrite already-read data. Again, I would make a copy to be safe. Cheers, Malte -- Malte Dehling <mdehling at gmail.com>

5 years

6
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Still looking for VAXSET <= v7.0

by mdehling＠gmail.com

Dear list, through Antonio's efforts, we have now archived ISOs for a number of early CONDIST CDs. Unfortunately, this did not help me find a version of the VAXSET Software Engineering Tools for VMS 4.x that I was looking for: - CONDIST 1989-07 contains VAXSET v8.0, which requires VMS 5.0/5.1. - CONDIST 1989-05 does not contain any VAXSET components. So my hope now is that someone may still have old TK50 or 9-Track distribution tapes stored away for VAXSET v7.0 or earlier, or for some of its components: - LSE Language Sensitive Editor v2.2 or earlier - SCA Source Code Analyzer v1.2 or earlier - PCA Performance Coverage Analyzer v2.0 or earlier - DTM DEC/Test Manager v2.3 or earlier (I already have CMS and MMS.) Cheers, Malte -- Malte Dehling <mdehling at gmail.com>

5 years

1
0
0 0

DECNet for Pro 300 series boxes

by bobsmithofd＠gmail.com

My recollection of Decnet for Pro boxes is that the available SW was for an end node and not a routing or other capability for the 380/350/325 boxes. While that memory might be incorrect, are there any DecNet packages for the Pro family available anywhere? a few hours of searching did not turn up any thing but PDFs about the software. thanks in advance for any replies. bob

5 years

6
8
0 0

Fwd: DDS Intertec SuperBrain attic find w/ OS and dust cover

by 4eric.evans＠gmail.com

Classic Computer Collectors, My name is Eric and I live in Baton Rouge, LA. A customer of mine recently asked me to find a good home for his early 1980's Intertec Superbrain. He told me that it worked the last time he used it in 198? after which time it sat in his attic with the dust cover on it. He provided me with a number of 5.25" floppy disks, which he said contained the complete operating system. The chassis appears to be 100% intact, and includes the dust cover. I can provide a few photos if you'd like. I have not yet been able to make contact with any other classic PC collectors, or museums that have expressed interest. Before I send it out to my local recycler, I thought I'd reach out and see if anyone might be interested. Thank you for your time & God bless, Eric Evans 225homebuyers.com 225.242.9858 gVoice 316.461.8587 cell ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Dave Dunfield <dds.dunfield at gmail.com> Date: Tue, May 11, 2021 at 11:09 PM Subject: Re: DDS Intertec SuperBrain attic find w/ OS and dust cover To: Eric Evans <4eric.evans at gmail.com> Hi Eric, Sorry but no - I'm moving to smaller digs and have had to let much of my collection go and simply can't take on more right now. You might try the Classic computer collectors mailing list: http://www.classiccmp.org Dave Btw: In asking stuff like this it might be a good idea to state your (or friends) location. On Mon, May 10, 2021 at 5:22 PM Eric Evans <4eric.evans at gmail.com> wrote: > Dave, > > A customer of mine recently asked me to find a good home for his early > 1980's Intertec Superbrain. He told me that it worked the last time he used > it in 198? after which time it sat in his attic with the dust cover on it. > He provided me with a number of 5.25" floppy disks, which he said contained > the complete operating system. > > The chassis appears to be 100% intact, and includes the dust cover. I can > provide a few photos if you'd like. > > I have not yet been able to make contact with any other classic PC > collectors, or museums that have expressed interest. Before I send it out > to my local recycler, I thought I'd reach out and see if you had any > interest, or knew of anyone who might. > > Thank you for your time & God bless, > > Eric Evans > 225homebuyers.com > 225.242.9858 gVoice > 316.461.8587 cell > -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Search "Dave's Old Computers" see "my personal" at bottom!

5 years

4
3
0 0

Documentation for F11 Chipset?

by robert.jarratt＠ntlworld.com

I have gone back to trying to fix my DEC Professional 350. I have a printset for the machine now. I think the CPU is being constantly reset. Is there any documentation anywhere on the F11 chipset? Bitsavers only seems to have the later J11. Thanks Rob

5 years

5
13
0 0

DEC PDP-8/e Omnibus backplane lubrication

by ccth6600＠gmail.com

What is the best type of lubricant for Omnibus backplanes? It can be a struggle to insert and remove PDP-8/e boards into the Omnibus. There is a risk of damage to the brittle bakelite connector housings on the Omnibus PCB. Traditional contact sprays should work but have two problems: 1) they remain wet and over time will attract and retain dust 2) the solvent and lubricant *may* weaken or attack the bakelite There are some PTFE (Teflon) based lubricant sprays which create a dry film. Would this type of spray work? Any suggestions on what I could use that reduces the strain on the Omnibus and the PCBs during insertion/removal without creating new problems? Thanks and best regards Tom Hunter

5 years

9
11
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Looking for VAXSET Software Engineering Tools for VMS 4.x

by mdehling＠gmail.com

Dear all, I am looking for a version of the VAXSET Software Engineering Tools to run on (Micro)VMS 4.7. The oldest version I have found so far is VAXSET010 which requires VMS 5.3 to run (this was on CSD 1991/05.) VAXSET is a bundle of the following components (and more in newer versions): - CMS (Code Management System) - LSE (Language Sensitive Editor) - SCA (Source Code Analyzer) - MMS (Module Management System) - PCA (Performance Coverage Analyzer) - DTM (DEC/Test Manager) I have found versions of CMS and MMS seperately that run on VMS 4.x. If anyone has old versions of the other components and is willing to share, that would be much appreciated :-) Cheers, Malte -- Malte Dehling <mdehling at gmail.com>

5 years

13
30
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920M - an European contemprary of the Apollo Guidance Computer

by erik＠baigar.de

Dear colleagues in vintage computing ;-) In the last years there has been substantial interest in the Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC). So maybe someone might be interested what happened outside of the United States in the 1960ties: Over the last few years I restored a 920M computer which was (among others) used as the guidance computer in the Europa rocket. This was the ancestor of the European Ariane sapce launcher: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Launcher_Development_Organisation Although not well known, this machine is a contemporary of the AGC, it also uses integrated, SMD mounted circuits and is realized in DTL techology (Diode Transistor Technology). Its word width is 18bit, 8k of core store where standard within a show-box sized chassis. 2us and later down to 1us instruction time where stadnard. In contrast to the AGC, this machine was a member of a whole series of airborne computers - some of which are still in use TODAY (2021). After core and the DTL chips became obsolete, this architecture even was re-implemented by BAE systems using the AMD29XX chipset in the same chassis as drop-in replacement. The 920M never had core rope memory, and for rocket guidance 8k have been enough although adding a 2nd box extending the core was possible. Tte architecture is able to support up to 256k words of 18 bit. Of course, the instruction set is very archaic - no carry flag, no stack but it served its purpose with 18 bit choosen as the perfect word length to give reasonable resolution without need for double-word calculation in most applications; http://www.programmer-electronic-control.de/Elliott920FactsCard.pdf If this triggered some interest, you may watch my recently released video on the 920M (covers applications, internals and some software is shown running)... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-gF5g0nnoE ...or visit my project page regarding the work of restoring three different members of this computer family to working condition: http://www.programmer-electronic-control.de/index.html Happy computing to all of you, best wishes, Erik. P.S. Just wanted to point out, that also in Europe there have been relevant developments regarding spaceborne computing in parallel to the Apollo programme! In no ways I want to diminish the achievemets of the Apollo development team... ''~`` ( o o ) +------------------------.oooO--(_)--Oooo.--------------------------+ | Dr. Erik Baigar Inertial Navigation & | | erik at baigar.de .oooO Vintage Computer | | www.baigar.de ( ) Oooo. Hobbyist | +---------------------------\ (----( )----------------------------+ \_) ) / (_/ Dr. Erik Baigar Scientific Lead Spectroscopy Systems Technologie Team Spectroscopy THORLABS GmbH M?nchner Weg 1 85232 Bergkirchen Germany Tel.: +49 (0) 8131 5956-40147 Fax.: ?+49 (0) 8131 5956-99 Mail: ?EBaigar at thorlabs.com Web: ?www.thorlabs.com General Manager: Dr. Bruno Gross HRB No: 85345, M?nchen

5 years, 1 month

5
6
0 0

MOPPY.....

by organlists1＠sonic.net

Which is closer to being vintage, the sounds made, or the floppy disk drives themselves? Moppy + Star Wars Theme = Floppy Vader's Theme https://youtu.be/LdgzsF_O7oI Donald R. Resor Jr. T. W. & T. C. Svc. Co. http://hammondorganservice.com Hammond USA warranty service "Most people don't have a sense of humor. They think they do, but they don't." --Jonathan Winters

5 years, 1 month

3
6
0 0

LK201 emulator for PS-2 keyboard

by paulkoning＠comcast.net

Last year I created an LK201 keyboard emulator that uses a USB keyboard. More recently I extended that work to create a second one that uses a PS-2 keyboard instead. Partly because I had one and figured it would be fun to try. You can find both designs on Github at https://github.com/pkoning2/lk201emu . The "doc" directory describes both; in particular, file doc/kicad.md talks about the hardware design, with pointers to an OSHPark layout, a parts BOM, and assembly instructions. The new one is slightly larger than the old (2 by 2 inches, rather than 2 by 1.5). I like the audio implementation a bit better; perhaps I'll revise the USB version to use that same technique. Enjoy. Comments and feedback will be much appreciated, either by email or on this list or as "issues" on Github. paul

5 years, 1 month

6
9
0 0

Has anyone heard from Paxton Hoag ?

by aek＠bitsavers.org

Josh and I have been trying to contact him for a couple of years now. Has anyone been in contact with him?

5 years, 1 month

2
2
0 0

PDP-11 SPACEWAR running again!

by mattislind＠gmail.com

Today I finally got the SPACEWAR version for PDP-11/10 running again on my PDP-11/05 with AR11 board. I played a couple of rounds together with my daughter. She was better than me. Quite hard game IMHO. https://youtu.be/fTiHRAKjyho Bill Seiler and Larry Bryant wrote this version in 1974 and submitted it to DECUS. It was believed to have been lost to history. But Bill had saved the printouts from the PAL11 assembler. He sent me scans of these printouts as pdf files. I then transcribed it into source files and iterated several times in SimH to get a clean build and link. I got some help from people here doing OCR on some files. But the lines mostly confused the OCR process so a lot of errors was introduced. It turned out that it was easier to just transcribe the whole lot by hand than finding and correcting errors. The AR11 is somewhat different to the AD01 and AA11 that Bill and Larry used. AA11 has a 12 bit 2?s complement D/A while the AR11 is only 10 bits and not 2?s complement. I did some patches and eventually got everything right. I also connected a couple of analogue joysticks. The fire button is just short ciruiting the viper of the potentiometer to the 5V supply lead. The screen is a HP1332A vector screen. All the transcribed code, AR11 patches and build instructions are available on github. https://github.com/MattisLind/SPACEWAR It should be possible to adapt it to orher types of A/D and D/A hardware if anyone wishes to do so. However the gameplay might be harder when running on a faster PDP-11? Have fun! /Mattis

5 years, 1 month

6
7
0 0

Apple II PSU

by nospam212-cctalk＠yahoo.com

Anyone have any idea on how to open this particular Apple II PSU? It is a Astec AA 11040B and has like a rivet on each side in the middle. All the other supplies I've messed with just had screws along the bottom. Trying to remove the bottom of the casing so I can work on the supply itself. Link to a pic of it. Thanks for any help. http://www.trailingedge.com/images/A2PSU.jpg David Williams www.trailingedge.com

5 years, 1 month

7
8
0 0

DMC integral modem line card schematics

by paulkoning＠comcast.net

Does anyone have a DMC11 integral modem line card schematics set? I'm looking specifically for the part right next to the connector, i.e., the coax driver and coax receiver parts. I don't see it on Bitsavers. That does have a line unit maintenance manual which has a schematic of the digital parts (in other words, everything up to the point I actually need the most) but it omits the analog part, saying to find it on "print D16". The DMR11 print set does show a circuit for this, but it's very different from what the DMC manual describes and it has some aspects that don't make much sense, like a "sine generator" in the output stage. paul

5 years, 1 month

2
2
0 0

Restorations...

by lbickley＠bickleywest.com

Jim, I sent you an email to your jwsmail at jwsss.com mail account and haven't heard back from you, so thought I'd better try to reach you on cctalk! It's about potential restoration work needed in the LA area. Please get back to me privately. Sorry for the interruption of posting this to the cctalk list... Best, Lyle -- 73 NM6Y Bickley Consulting West https://bickleywest.com "Black holes are where God is dividing by zero"

5 years, 1 month

1
0
0 0

WordPerfect for VMS

by healyzh＠avanthar.com

Strange question, does anyone happen to have the keyboard overlays for the VAX/VMS version of Word Perfect that they can photograph, or better yet scan? I have the manuals, and the green, red, and blue stickers on the VT keyboard, but no overlays. I *might* have the overlays, but I can?t find the the VT keyboard I?m thinking of (though after digging, I know I have more than I thought). I?m looking for the VT200/300 version (which should work for my LK401). Zane

5 years, 1 month

4
7
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cctech Digest, Vol 80, Issue 10

by mark＠matlockfamily.com

Date: Mon, 10 May 2021 10:15:34 -0700 > From: Vincent Slyngstad <vincent.slyngstad at gmail.com> > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Subject: Re: QBUS/UNIBUS card handles > Message-ID: <826ef016-3060-e690-de81-8209479712e9 at gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed > > On 5/10/2021 9:25 AM, Fritz Mueller via cctalk wrote: >> >>> On May 10, 2021, at 7:14 AM, Joshua Rice via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote: >>> I would assume it would be trivial to do an injection-moulded run of these handles... >> >> They might also be ideal for silicone mold / resin cast, for smaller/home production runs? > > Resin casting will work, but it's messy, etc. I haven't had any trouble > with the toughness of 3D printed handles. Honestly, I often attach them > with a pair of small zip-ties instead of rivets, and they are still > plenty strong. The usual caveats about 3D printing apply -- just don't > print it so that the layers will be torn apart when you pull on it! > > Maybe you PDP-11 guys are more used to hex cards, or something? I did > have some PCB made where the card fingers tended to bind, but that's > best addressed with some careful filing and a tweak of the CAD files for > the next run :-). (The CAD files on so-much-stuff have long been > tweaked for a good fit to the connector blocks.) > > Vince Vince, I recently had Shapeways 3D print some of your card handles in Nylon 12. They call Nylon 12 ?versatile plastic? on their web site and they use a laser sintering process for fabrication. I used the card handles on my QBone and UniBone boards which makes them MUCH easier to insert and pull. The Nylon 12 seems to be quite tough and I used 3mm x 6mm long screws to fasten them. Shapeways charged $5.00 each plus shipping to make them. Thanks for the great 3D design! Best Regards, Mark

5 years, 1 month

2
1
0 0

PDP-11 SPACEWAR running again!

by sieler＠allegro.com

Re: Today I finally got the SPACEWAR version for PDP-11/10 running again on my PDP-11/05 with AR11 board. ... Bill Seiler and Larry Bryant wrote this version in 1974 Congratulations! Odd coincidence, sort of, in names ... "Seiler" wrote SPACEWAR in 1974 for the PDP-11, "Sieler" (me) wrote it for the Digital Scientific Meta 4 (an IBM 1130 super clone) in 1971. I suspect he gets his name mispronounced as much as I do :) Stan Sieler (long "e")

5 years, 1 month

1
0
0 0

In search of RK05 rack caddy

by fritzm＠fritzm.org

Okay, now that my 11/45 is up and running well, I could really make good use of one of those rack caddies for RK05 packs to hold my most commonly used system packs for different operating systems. Anybody have one they'd be willing to sell/trade, or at least the DEC part number so I could try to track down some drawings? Looking at pictures on the web, there seem to have been at least two styles: one with plated rod wings, and one with sheet metal wings? I'm supposing I'll end up needing to fab something myself unless these are less rare out there than I think they are (I've yet to see one go by on ePay, for example.) cheers, --FritzM.

5 years, 1 month

4
4
0 0

Pipelining and Dec Jupiter thoughts....

by compoobah＠gmail.com

On Sat, 2021-05-08 at 12:00 -0500, cctalk-request at classiccmp.org wrote: > I seem to recall that the Tadpole AlphaBook performance is roughly on > par with the DEC Multia, which is to say, not very good.? Though I > don?t think I ever got OpenVMS running on my Multia. > > Zane I did get it running on mine for a while. I remember it wasn't fast and was kind of annoying - the VMS-capable SRM had a peculiar bug where if the NVRAM battery died you had to failsafe-load the official Multia firmware then load the VMS-capable one otherwise the framebuffer would never initialize, not even after the battery was replaced. Finally got a DEC 3000 and passed the Multia off. Wish that some of the DEC gear that was showing up was nearby... ah well.

5 years, 1 month

1
0
0 0

PDP-11 SPACEWAR running again!

by boris＠summitclinic.com

Thanks Mattis - watching an AR11 making that oscilloscope display brings back a lot of memories from my PDP-11 programming days. Had heard of spacewar in 1980, but was more interested in playing around displaying data on screen of a scope. One of my jobs was to clean up electrophysiology data for publication and that meant removing noise in signal so had a joystick system which could move and click on point on screen I wanted deleted. 11/34 was fast enough that we had an EE summer student create a dot matrix character set so we could put captions on our oscilloscope images. Of course, only way of getting hard copies of those was with an oscilloscope Polaroid camera. Looking at the printouts that you're dealing with, I had a hard time making out some of the characters. Can see individual dots in a number of the characters and haven't found any OCR in past that works well on them. Had my MSc thesis printed on and IBM lineprinter and looks good >from afar but couldn't get any OCR program to digitize it properly. At least the spacewar code is relatively short! Boris Gimbarzevsky >Today I finally got the SPACEWAR version for PDP-11/10 running again on my >PDP-11/05 with AR11 board. I played a couple of rounds together with my >daughter. She was better than me. Quite hard game IMHO. > >https://youtu.be/fTiHRAKjyho > >Bill Seiler and Larry Bryant wrote this version in 1974 and submitted it to >DECUS. It was believed to have been lost to history. But Bill had saved the >printouts from the PAL11 assembler. He sent me scans of these printouts as >pdf files. I then transcribed it into source files and iterated several >times in SimH to get a clean build and link. I got some help from people >here doing OCR on some files. But the lines mostly confused the OCR process >so a lot of errors was introduced. It turned out that it was easier to just >transcribe the whole lot by hand than finding and correcting errors. > >The AR11 is somewhat different to the AD01 and AA11 that Bill and Larry >used. AA11 has a 12 bit 2???s complement D/A while the AR11 is only 10 bits >and not 2???s complement. I did some patches and eventually got everything >right. > >I also connected a couple of analogue joysticks. The fire button is just >short ciruiting the viper of the potentiometer to the 5V supply lead. The >screen is a HP1332A vector screen. > >All the transcribed code, AR11 patches and build instructions are available >on github. https://github.com/MattisLind/SPACEWAR > >It should be possible to adapt it to orher types of A/D and D/A hardware if >anyone wishes to do so. However the gameplay might be harder when running >on a faster PDP-11? > >Have fun! > >/Mattis

5 years, 1 month

1
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Intel iPSC/860 restoration

by camiel.vanderhoeven＠vmssoftware.com

I managed to bring another one of my supercomputers back to life: an Intel iPSC/860. This one has 16 compute nodes, 8 i860?s and8 i386?s with Weitek co-processors, as well as 4 I/O nodes. Detailed writeup here: http://www.vaxbarn.com/index.php/42-repair/756-ipsc-860-repair Downloads (documentation, tape and floppy images available in the downloads section on my website. Camiel This e-mail (including any attachments) may contain privileged, confidential, proprietary, private, copyrighted, or other legally protected information. The information is intended to be for the use of the individual or entity designated above. If you are not the intended recipient (even if the e-mail address above is yours), please notify us by return e-mail immediately, and delete the message and any attachments. Any disclosure, reproduction, distribution or other use of this message or any attachments by an individual or entity other than the intended recipient is prohibited.

5 years, 1 month

5
5
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Terminals wiki

by dfnr2＠yahoo.com

Does anyone have a mirror of the terminals wiki at https://terminals-wiki.org?? It seems to have gone dark over a year ago, and it would be a shame to lose the resource.? If there is no mirror, does anyone know of a way to contact the owner/maintainer?? I'd like to see if there's anything I can do to help get it back online. Thanks, Dave

5 years, 1 month

4
3
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Apple II+ Video questions

by nospam212-cctalk＠yahoo.com

Working on restoring my very first computer, an Apple II+. Got it mostly working with just a couple of issues identified at the moment. Some of the keys on the keyboard don't register but I can work on that. The real question I have is about the video, it constantly rolls and no amount of playing with the vertical hold on any monitor I try will completely stop it. I can get it close but it will slowly roll one way or the other at best. Tried several different monitors and it is the same on each. Also tried my old Apple IIe and it seems fine on all the monitors so trying to decide what might be the issue with the II+. Any ideas or areas to look? Thanks. David Williams www.trailingedge.com

5 years, 1 month

2
2
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QBUS/UNIBUS card handles

by drb＠msu.edu

Folks, Does anyone have a design for printing card handles for QBUS / UNIBUS cards? It seems a natural application. Some grepping of the list logs, a brief plonk through the gadawful thingiverse search, and various googling have produced no existing designs. Thanks, De

5 years, 1 month

10
13
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Maxtor ESDI drive PCB question

by knowak＠alumni.calpoly.edu

Hi All, I have two Maxtor XT-4380E drives, one is a Series Code 3 and the other is 4. Is it OK to swap the boards between the two or is this a bad idea? They physically appear to look the same. Also a general question about PCB cleanup. Is there a method or solvent of some sort to clean boards? I've always used 99% alcohol in the past. -Kurt

5 years, 1 month

2
2
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Pipelining and Dec Jupiter thoughts....

by dick.curtis＠ymail.com

> From: Paul Koning <paulkoning at comcast.net> > Message-ID: <9D8BADA7-B597-42E1-99C8-4CC751F838C5 at comcast.net> > Another part of the puzzle was figuring out how to feed 100 watts of power to a chip,?> and get rid of that amount of heat, neither of which were anywhere close to what was > done at the time.? I still have some of the tech reports that describe that piece (and I?>contributed a wild idea -- which unfortunately DEC didn't get around to patenting?>before the project was shut down). Back in the mid-90s, there was an outfit in Britain which made some laptops using Alpha processors.? There was a rumor inside DECin the same time-frame about DEC engineers prototyping an Alpha-based laptop (which never made it to market). The rumor included the internal code-name... "BURNS". Dick

5 years, 1 month

4
3
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Pipelining and Dec Jupiter thoughts....

by dick.curtis＠ymail.com

On Friday, May 7, 2021, 11:07 CDT,?Zane Healy <healyzh at avanthar.com> wrote: > These if I needed OpenVMS on a laptop, I'd simply run it via emulator or virtualization?> (not an option for Itanium).? I gather that at least some development on OpenVMS 9.2 > is being done on VM's running on the developers laptops. Well, the latest version shipping from Bolton is V9.0-H, which has the long-awaited support for VMware, and IIRC some non-zero number of compilers available.? It's still pretty well set in the "bleeding-edge" field of software though.? It's labelled as V90EAK, with the last three letters indicating "Early Adopters' Kit", and made available to a rather small number of VMS customers who are interested in making their own products run on X64-86 platforms (as well as work properly on Itanics running v9.x) I don't know whether VSI has any particular policy about making the field test kits available to hobbyists/end-users quite yet.? Bear in mind that there's a LOT of VMS components which aren't really ready to use yet.? If memory serves, the V9.1 kit will also be labelled as 'field test', but will be made available to a larger number of customers/test sites, and is expected to include working versions of the components currently 'in progress'. Regards,Dick

5 years, 1 month

1
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400 Hz

by charlesmorris800＠centurytel.net

On 5/8/21 12:00 PM, cctalk-request at classiccmp.org wrote: > Message: 8 Date: Fri, 7 May 2021 21:59:08 +0000 From: W2HX > <w2hx at w2hx.com> To: Andrew Back <andrew at carrierdetect.com>, "General > Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: RE: 400 Hz Message-ID: > <de37431b96cf4c82ba5ddb2b9daf1873 at EXBE015SV3.NA02.MSEXCHANGEOUTLOOK.COM> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" I will add that aircraft are > one of the main users of 400 Hz. This is because weight is always an > critical design consideration. So with smaller transformers, smaller > capacitors, etc, you can save a LOT of weight on electronic devices in > an aircraft. 73 Eugene W2HX -----Original Message----- From: cctalk > <cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org> On Behalf Of Andrew Back via cctalk > Sent: Wednesday, May 5, 2021 11:26 AM To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Subject: Re: 400 Hz On 05/05/2021 16:07, Grant Taylor via cctalk wrote: >> Were the higher frequencies used because it directly effected the >> amount of time / duration in (fractions of) seconds between peaks of >> rectified (but not yet smoothed) power? > Haven't read the rest of the thread and so at the risk of being profoundly wrong... Benefit of 400Hz mains is that transformers can be much smaller. Think of switching power supplies that rectify to DC and then switch up into kHz, which are then able to use far smaller transformer cores than an old linear PSU. At least this is a key motivation with 115V/400Hz 3-phase aviation power AFAIK. > > By coincidence we've just built a big 28VDC power supply, so that we can run a vintage 400Hz aircraft rotary inverter, which will then be used to power up old mil surplus kit that wants this. A classic adventure in yak shaving. Anyway, here's the 28VDC bit. > > https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/constructing-a-high-current-28v-dc-po… That's a very neat repackaging of the Lambda power supplies! Do they have the surge capability to start that rotary inverter (which may require a LOT more than 44 amps until the armature gets moving)... I hope you tested them first ;) I bought a 1 KVA 115V 400 Hz supply, a PP-7482/G from Fair Radio back when they still had them ("Reparable") a few years ago. The H-bridge TO-3 transistors were all blown, some with holes melted through their lids. I replaced them with BUX48A parts and it works again. It really sings that A-flat though ;) But I don't have anything to run with it! When I was young, 400 Hz surplus gear was a dime a dozen because no one had 400 Hz power. Now I do and all that gear has disappeared... -Charles WB3JOK/0 since '76 :)

5 years, 1 month

1
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400 Hz

by cctalk＠gtaylor.tnetconsulting.net

I have found the Motor Generator thread to be fascinating and enlightening. But it has made many a reference to the 400 Hz or other frequency much higher than mains line frequency. Despite the comments about the frequency, I'm still confused as to why the higher than mains frequency was used. Were the higher frequencies used because it directly effected the amount of time / duration in (fractions of) seconds between peaks of rectified (but not yet smoothed) power? I ask because it seems to me like the percentage of time / duty cycle of raw rectified but not yet smoothed) power would be the same at any and all frequencies. Is this assumption / understanding correct or completely off the mark? A few different people made references to the amount of capacitance needed at 400 Hz et al. vs 50/60 Hz mains frequency. Someone even spoke about high power DC being produced by polyphase converters and the possibility to tweak tweak winding voltages in order to possibly do away with the need for capacitors. Am I starting to understand the motivation behind the 400 Hz or is there something else behind it? Is this really playing to the (dis)charge time of capacitors in between peaks of rectified (but not smoothed) sources? Aside: I started a new thread for this very specific minutia to not mire the other Motor Generator thread down. Thank you for all the comments and those who respond to help me learn something new today. :-) -- Grant. . . . unix || die

5 years, 1 month

9
17
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400 Hz

by cctalk＠gtaylor.tnetconsulting.net

First, thank you to everyone who replied and gave me things to think about and learn from. On 5/5/21 9:26 AM, wrcooke at wrcooke.net wrote: > Hope this helps. Yes, indeed, very much. Thankfully, your description happened to mesh with the weird way that my brain processes things and your message just clicked confirming what I was learning but still processing what other people had written. Thank you Will. -- Grant. . . . unix || die

5 years, 1 month

1
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cctalk Digest, Vol 80, Issue 5

by athornton＠gmail.com

From: Liam Proven <lproven at gmail.com> > To: "Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: Motor generator > > I think because for lesser minds, such as mine, [APL is] line noise. > > A friend of mine, a Perl guru, studied A-Plus for a while. (Morgan > Stanley's in-house APL dialect.) He said to me that "when I came back > to Perl, I found it irritatingly verbose..." and then was immediately > deeply shocked at the thought. > > I seriously think this is why Lisp didn't go mainstream. For a certain > type of human mind, it's wonderful and clear and expressive, but for > most of us, it's just a step too far. > > Ditto Forth, ditto Postscript, etc. > > Plain old algebraic infix notation has thrived for half a millennium > because it's easily assimilated and comprehended, and many arguably > better notations just are not. > > The importance of being easy, as opposed to being clear, or > unambiguous, or expressive, etc., is widely underestimated. > > Yes, that. C is a great assembly language preprocessor for a PDP-11. The PDP-11 is a beautiful, intelligible architecture, where things happen one at a time in sequence. This is easy to think about. Unfortunately it's got very little to do with the way that modern high-performance silicon gets stuff done. (Aside: it's also weird that the one-thing-at-a-time sequencing is the thing that feels logical and intuitive to us since it is absolutely not how our brains work.) I would argue that Forth and Postscript are hard to understand for a different reason than APL: APL is inherently vectorized, and requires, more or less, that you treat matrices as single entities. Not many people's brains work that way. It's hard enough to learn to treat complex numbers as single entities. Forth and Postscript require you to keep a really deep stack in your brain to understand the code, and people aren't really very good at doing that for more than three or four items (much fewer than 7 +/- 2). Both of these are much more difficult for most people to work with and reason about than something imperative and infix-based. The fundamental problem is the impedance mismatch between the way most people think (which would at the very least take a radical reframing of curricula to change, and might not work anyway: look at the failure of the New Math, which was indeed very elegant, taught mathematics from first principles as set theory, and was not at all geared to the way young children _actually learn things_) and where we can continue to squeeze performance out of silicon. This is really not tractable. I think our best hope is to make the silicon really good at generating and figuring out graphs so it can dispatch lots of pieces of what feels like a sequential problem in parallel and come out with the same answer as you would have gotten doing it the naive one-step-at-a-time way. But we've already done that, and, yeah, it mostly works, but the abstraction is leaky and then you get Meltdown and Spectre. I don't have any answers other than "move to Montana, drop off the grid, and raise dental floss." Adam

5 years, 1 month

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Motor generator

by cctalk＠emailtoilet.com

Many thanks for all the info. I just wanted to make sure my recesses were right. I asked about MG because, in an audio forum, I see folks paying crazy money for AC cords and power line conditioners. I thought a good MG would solve many of the 'problems' they are trying to fix.

5 years, 1 month

6
5
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Motor generator

by cctalk＠emailtoilet.com

In the deep recesses of my mind I seem to remember something about S/360 machines using a motor generator. If I am right was this to create a stable power source at a certain frequency or voltage?

5 years, 1 month

16
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Lecture: Forth: from the minicomputer to the microcontroller, 2021-05-08, 19:00

by stueberahoo＠yahoo.de

Hi all, you're invited to the Update computer club[0] public lecture series "Updateringar"[1]! Update is a Swedish computer club founded in 1983 whose members tinker with all kinds of computers, from Raspberry Pi to PDP-12. The club has a big collection of historic computers. In this lecture series we'll talk about everything related to computers: Historic and modern computers, operating systems, programming, hardware projects, creating art with computers, building a computer museum, and more. When: 2021-05-08, 19:00 CEST Where: https://bbb.cryptoparty.se/b/upd-0mo-m2u-aq8 Forth: from the minicomputer to the microcontroller Forth is an almost esoteric programming language in the eyes of most modern programmers, but still worth learning if only to expand your horizon. On modern microcontrollers the strengths that made Forth stand out in on 1970s minicomputers are relevant once again: fast enough execution, low worst case latency, full control over the system, powerful metaprogramming, and interactive development. This presentation will show how to overcome the initially near vertical learning curve and get the Mecrisp Stellaris Forth system running on a STM32 microcontroller without breaking the bank. Prior exposure to microcontrollers or assembler is helpful, but not required. Once the Forth system is running we will use it to explore either the hardware it's running on or its implementation and available implementation tradeoffs. Jan Bramkamp (CCCHB) The lecture is free and open to everyone. Upcoming: 2021-06-12, 19:00: How to start and run a computer museum. Thiemo Eddiks (Oldenburger Computer-Museum) Hope to see you there, Anke P.S.: I hope this is not too offtopic, but I assume there are people interested in Forth here. [0] http://www.update.uu.se/index_eng.html [1] https://www.update.uu.se/wiki/doku.php/projekt:updateringar

5 years, 1 month

1
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cctech Digest, Vol 80, Issue 5

by athornton＠gmail.com

Message: 18 > Date: Thu, 6 May 2021 15:18:04 +0200 > From: Liam Proven <lproven at gmail.com> > To: Jay Jaeger <cube1 at charter.net>, "General Discussion: On-Topic and > Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Subject: Re: That VAXStation4000vlc 3W3 video connector > Message-ID: > < > CAMTenCGKYnC++cT2gfpCvvntTjv-FrvivhuoXLcjWDesf2WC9w at mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > > On Wed, 5 May 2021 at 17:59, Jay Jaeger via cctalk > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote: > > > I, for one, did find this helpful - one could make one of these up to > > test before possibly forking over the funds to build one properly. > > If anyone were up to making a small batch of these, I'd be happy to > pay for a few, plus shipping etc. I have 3 ? 4000VLCs and only 1 > monitor for 'em, and I hope to get them running again sometime... > > > I'd buy at least one, seeing as how it was my original question, and whatever I end up stitching together will be really gross. If whoever is doing it would ALSO do the much simpler DEC 15-pin to VGA adapter, I'd probably buy some of those too. Adam

5 years, 1 month

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That VAXStation4000vlc 3W3 video connector

by prd＠decarchive.org

> On 4 May 2021, at 19:00, cctalk-request at classiccmp.org wrote: > > Message: 17 > Date: Mon, 3 May 2021 16:22:45 -0700 > From: Adam Thornton <athornton at gmail.com> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic Posts" <cctech at classiccmp.org> > Subject: That VAXStation4000vlc 3W3 video connector > Message-ID: > <CAP2nic2zsyqsLo1dFTTPh4WFV6utS1Tt_4RMsROjsmw78+8zKQ at mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > > I assume it would be way too much to hope that HD BNC would fit it? Does > anyone have a pointer to the actual physical dimensions of the itty-bitty > BNC-ish connector in the video port of the VAXStation4000vlc? If I can get > red, green, and blue out (assuming since there are only 3 connectors it's > sync-on-green) I can put together a sync splitter and turn it into VGA. I > have at least one decent multisync VGA monitor still, although none with > the RGB BNC inputs. Firstly, apologies if my response doesn't show up nicely in this thread --- I only receive the daily digests so I'm not sure how best to reply to a specific post... But on the subject of sourcing / making video cables with 3W3 connectors on one end, I also balked at the cost of the coaxial insets and decided to make an only marginally dodgy (if I do say so myself) cable out of half of an old VGA cable, three of the 'sleeves' / female connectors contained, in abundance, in every female D-sub connector, and a few bits of heat-shrink (see https://media.decarchive.org/DEC/VAX/VAXstation%204000-VLC/IMG_3941.jpg for a photo of this cable from an albeit sub-optimal angle). The resulting connections were surprisingly stable, however, were I to make another one, I'd replace the grounding alligator clip with a lug that can be screwed onto one of retaining nuts next to the VLC's 3W3 connector, and use longer bits of heat-shrink to fully insulate the outside of the RGB connectors... And just FYI, even as shown, the video quality was more than adequate (considering the resolution of the VLC's LCG framebuffer), however, I suppose one could always attach a shielded DA15 shell to provide a bit of extra noise suppression (as well as mechanical protection). Hope this helps, Peter

5 years, 1 month

3
2
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PDP-8/I Negative-bus termination

by michael.99.thompson＠gmail.com

> > Date: Wed, 5 May 2021 00:03:05 -0700 > From: Josh Dersch <derschjo at gmail.com> > Subject: PDP-8/I Negative-bus termination > > Hey all -- > > Until this point I've never had any peripherals for my negibus systems > (apart from teletypes), and it occurs to me that I have no idea if the bus > needs to be terminated (and if so, with what). There are 6 slots in the > RF08 backplane (D01-D06) for daisy-chaining to the next device, which is > where I assume they'd go; the RF08 manual does not make it clear what this > looks like or if it's actually required, and I've gone through the > available PDP-8/I docs and I'm still at a loss. > > Can anyone with negibus experience point me in the right direction? > > Thanks, > Josh > The DEC Field Service Technical Manual has some notes on bus termination. It says: Termination is required on I/O cables longer than 20 ft., and may be desirable on shorter cables. For negative bus, use 220 Ohm shunt resistors to ground on IOP 1, IOP 2, IOP 4, BTS 1, BTS 3 and Initialize. No special termination module exists for the negative bus. -- Michael Thompson

5 years, 1 month

1
0
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Motor generator

by michael.99.thompson＠gmail.com

> > Date: Wed, 5 May 2021 13:20:59 +0100 > From: <dave.g4ugm at gmail.com> > Subject: RE: Motor generator > > We had a Motor/Generator for our Honeywell L66. Not sure it was because it > wanted US voltages or just for a clean supply > Dave > I also worked on a Honeywell L66 that had two motor-generators. We used one at a time, and swapped the operational one each month. They cleaned up the noise in the incoming 208VAC 3-phase power, and the really heavy flywheel provided a little ride through for short term power drop outs. -- Michael Thompson

5 years, 1 month

1
0
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400 Hz

by erik＠baigar.de

..not to forget, that the 400Hz equipment was readily available from powering aircraft on the ground before the engines take over. So although not cheap, they where cheaper than a custom design at an arbitrary new frequency

5 years, 1 month

1
0
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400 Hz

by erik＠baigar.de

> Incidentally, a way to get three phase power at a frequency of your > choice is to use a "variable frequency drive". Please be careful with this! Have quite some experience in building three phase inverters from such small boxes for my various avionics projects. (1) The normal ones rectify the mains voltage (in EU this gives around 320V DC) and from this make PWM outputs on three lines. Yes, you can enter voltage and frequency (sometimes even more than 400Hz) digitally, but the outputs are ALWAYS PWM switching between 0V and 320V in the EU. Consequence: If you rectify these outputs you will get back your 320V, completely independent of your settings! You need to use a device called Sinus-Filter, i.e. a low pass using caps and Ls to smooth out and get rid of the PWM - only than you get the correct three phase. (2) The small boxes are only for motors (inductive loads). Connecting someting else (does not matter whether three phase or not) which e.g. has got EMC filters at the input containing caps, the relatively high frequency (e.g. 16kHz, often selectable) will easily toast them leading to a short. (3) The PWM-boxes do not isolate from mains, so you will have pretty high voltages at the PWM outputs with high frequencies which can be a challenge for isolations - so even if you set the inveter to 110V only, but power it >from 240Vmains, the isolation of your device needs to handle the full 320V! My biggest inverter based on such a small PWM motor drive inverter is described in my blog (including schematics)... http://www.baigar.de/TornadoComputerUnit/TimeLine.html#inverter1500 (4) DO NOT use these three phase boxes connecting one output and one input pin to your device thinking that this is a single phase output. Creating a "neutral" line at the output of such an inverter can be done, but it requires additional components and than you can use it as single phase device: Here I used a special transfomer after the Sinus filter with input in triangle and output in star configurations. So I get neutral PLUS insulation to mains... Good luck!

5 years, 1 month

1
0
0 0

400 Hz

by erik＠baigar.de

..not to forget, that the 400Hz equipment was readily available from powering aircraft on the ground before the engines take over. So although not cheap, they where cheaper than a custom design at an arbitrary new frequency

5 years, 1 month

1
0
0 0

PDP-8/I Negative-bus termination

by derschjo＠gmail.com

Hey all -- I cabled up the RF08 to my 8/I this evening and it's showing some very faint signs of life -- a DIML instruction appears to do the right thing. That's about it. Until this point I've never had any peripherals for my negibus systems (apart from teletypes), and it occurs to me that I have no idea if the bus needs to be terminated (and if so, with what). There are 6 slots in the RF08 backplane (D01-D06) for daisy-chaining to the next device, which is where I assume they'd go; the RF08 manual does not make it clear what this looks like or if it's actually required, and I've gone through the available PDP-8/I docs and I'm still at a loss. Can anyone with negibus experience point me in the right direction? Thanks, Josh

5 years, 1 month

3
4
0 0

IBM 4700 question

by h.j.stegeman＠hccnet.nl

Hi, Does anyone known which processor IBM used in the IBM 4701 ? Branch Controller (8? floppy disc) ? Regards Henk

5 years, 1 month

1
0
0 0

General Instruments Capacitive Keyboard Encoder

by pbirkel＠gmail.com

I'm currently reverse-engineering an AMPEX keyboard that uses capacitive key switches. The basic design employs a GI encoder coupled to an 8039 MCU supplemented by a 2K EPROM and 74LS373 (used to latch the ROM address set >from Port A while Port A is then used to read data back from the ROM). The 8039 MCU drives a bit-banged serial interface. The PCB identifies itself as AMPEX on the coper foil, although the key switch mounting-plate actually has a "General Instruments Quality Accepted" sticker. The EPROM is labeled "3512663-03 Copyright 1983 AMPEX CORP". The GI encoder is a DIP-40 labeled as "321239007 M2406-054-02 GI 8233 CBU TAIWAN". I seek technical documentation for this IC. It evidently is not a relabeled simple variant of the documented AY-3-4592 as it does not multiplex the input side of the matrix (sense lines), there are fewer output data lines, and the power pins are non-standard (Vcc = pin 37; GND = pin 16). Reverse engineering identifies this M2406-054-02 as supporting an 8 column by 16 row (3 unused in my case) matrix plus 8 output data lines. I can identify analogs of several pins on the AY-3-4592. My interpretation of the pin uses is that the necessary key-scanning behavior is generated using the 8039 ALE line (pin 11) as the encoder clock input. Proper documentation for this IC would be nice to come by! Pointers and suggestions appreciated. Thank you, paul

5 years, 1 month

3
6
0 0

That VAXStation4000vlc 3W3 video connector

by athornton＠gmail.com

I assume it would be way too much to hope that HD BNC would fit it? Does anyone have a pointer to the actual physical dimensions of the itty-bitty BNC-ish connector in the video port of the VAXStation4000vlc? If I can get red, green, and blue out (assuming since there are only 3 connectors it's sync-on-green) I can put together a sync splitter and turn it into VGA. I have at least one decent multisync VGA monitor still, although none with the RGB BNC inputs. Adam

5 years, 1 month

10
11
0 0

IBM 1410 FPGA Implementation Update - new github repository

by michael.99.thompson＠gmail.com

> > Date: Sun, 2 May 2021 15:38:33 -0500 > From: Jay Jaeger <cube1 at charter.net> > Subject: IBM 1410 FPGA Implementation Update - new github repository > Message-ID: <68c06711-e563-f1bf-8abc-090793bed752 at charter.net> > > The last 12 months I have been pretty busy working on my 1410 in FPGA > project, and there is now more to share, though I have not done much > actual work since February - been too busy playing with other "toys". 8D > > JRJ > The RICM has a 1401 control panel. It would be pretty cool to mount your FPGA to the back of it and get it to blink the lights the right way. https://www.ricomputermuseum.org/Home/interesting_computer_items/ibm-contro… -- Michael Thompson

5 years, 1 month

2
1
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920M - and also the Argus 200 / 700

by erik＠baigar.de

Hi Jos! > in the UK around 1960 the Argus 200 was developed to control the Bristol > Bloodhound anti-aircraft rocket. This computer was one of the very first > transistor-based control computers. Absolutely - in these days Ferranti and Elliott where competitors on the European market for defecne computing! Very funny, that they later merged and today the legacy of both is distributed in the BAe and Leonardo businesses ;-) There are quite interesting stories, on occasions when the two had to cooperate before merging and in the ELDO project mentioned in my video, the computer was from Elliotts whereas the inertial sensor was from Ferranti (https://youtu.be/v-gF5g0nnoE?t=363). > In Switzerland the Bloodhound was on duty?? until 1999 ! One of the sites, > once top secret,?? is now a museum, and well worth a visit. > Check out https://www.museums.ch/org/de/Bloodhound-Lenkwaffenstellung Definitively worth a visit! I am also into the Ferranti navigation systems >from the 1970ties (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EQqfxiGgd8) and since years I am trying to find out, what architecture its 32 bit computer is. Here I booked an extensive special tour and the team on mount Gubel organized some experts to join the tour - although I learned that the INS computer is not related to the Argus series, the visit was AMAZING! Also great there to see the technology of the almost Mach3 missile from the 1950ties. Erik.

5 years, 1 month

1
0
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RS64 on a PDP-8?

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

Is there a controller to attach an RS64 disk to a PDP-8? The only controller for the RS64I can find is the UNIBUS RC11. Thanks. Noel

5 years, 1 month

1
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Cipher C995 manuals

by drb＠msu.edu

I have a recalcitrant Cipher C995 9track drive. Does anyone have manuals for this thing? It seems to be enough different from the M990 to matter. Thanks, De

5 years, 1 month

3
2
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Sprague 2X.1-1000 filter capacitors and 854-B power control assembly

by ccth6600＠gmail.com

Unfortunately once again I am having trouble with Sprague 2X.1-1000 filter capacitors. The two filter caps on a Lab-8/e rack's 854-B power control assembly appear to occasionally leak to ground more than the 30 mA tolerated by my RCD. Mostly it trips the RCD when I power off the system, but sometimes it even trips the RCD with the system powered off. One of the two filter caps is permanently connected across mains power and earth coming from the cable (i.e. it is before the power switch). The exact same filter caps were also used inside the LAB-8/e computer?s power supply. Early on I replaced these with a small PCB with a bunch of male spade connectors and two Y class safety caps. The PCB was designed to replace two of the Sprague filter caps in the side-by-side configuration used inside the LAB-8/e?s power supply where it is also hidden from view. The PCB was designed by Malcolm Macleod in Melbourne/Australia who hit the same problem. I got the PCB manufactured in China from his design. The 854-B power control assembly has the two Sprague filter caps sitting on either end of the assembly ? far from each other. Also the can of the capacitors is exposed at the back and clearly visible so even a newly designed PCB with a single set of safety caps wouldn?t look great and also wouldn?t be stable because there are only two mounting holes. I cannot think of a neat solution to resolve this. I could try to find an electrician willing to wire me a non-RCD protected socket into my study, but I can?t quite warm to that idea. The RCD is an important safety feature. By law now all houses are required to have their AC wiring protected by 30 mA RCD circuit breakers so I likely would have to do this myself. The other option would be to make or buy two terminal blocks with male spade connectors and connect the female spade connectors to those rather than the Sprague connectors. I could then also wire in the 2 Y class safety caps or even forego the filtering. It would mean drilling new holes into the power control assembly. Chuck(G) in the vcfed DEC forum suggested pulling apart the old "bathtub" capacitors and replacing their guts with modern safety caps. The caps contain toxic and carcinogenic PCBs so I am less than enthusiastic about that idea. The capacitor's metal can is soldered together so trying to desolder it would heat the mineral oil containing the PCBs which would make them even more harmful. There is no point in trying to hunt for ?new? Sprague 2X.1-1000 because they would all be ancient and have the same leakage problem. Any thoughts, ideas or suggestions? Best regards Tom Hunter

5 years, 1 month

2
2
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IBM 1410 FPGA Implementation Update - new github repository

by cube1＠charter.net

The last 12 months I have been pretty busy working on my 1410 in FPGA project, and there is now more to share, though I have not done much actual work since February - been too busy playing with other "toys". 8D First, I finished working through all of the IBM 1410 and IBM 1415 Automated Logic Diagrams - generating VHDL and testing the results with test benches. [Note that this includes the built-in 1401 compatibility mode, activated at the flip of a switch.] That took most of 2020. So, the CPU generation in VHDL is now more or less complete, and I added a hand coded memory module for memory, as core is kind of hard to find on an FPGA development board. ;) I am currently using a Digilent Nexys 4, but I think it might have even fit on a Nexys 2 - there is plenty of room to spare, and there isn't anything in the VHDL aside from, maybe, the memory implementation (though even that is pretty generic VHDL). With this the CPU runs, at the very least, Unconditional branch (Jump), Halt, NOP and Set Word Mark instructions seemingly correctly - I haven't tried any others. Somewhat surprisingly, aside from issues with the hand coded VHDL in triggers and the need to communicate pins tied to logic one or zero, the auto-generated VHDL works untouched. I have updated the github repository for the C# database application that generates the VHDL from time to time (and which includes the complete database) at http://github.com/cube1us/IBM1410SMS There is now a *new* repository, http://github.com/cube1us/IBM1410FPGA which holds the generated VHDL, some hand coded VHDL modules for certain SMS cards (typically for triggers, for example), the console and test benches I used along the way, and VHDL "Integration Tests" which are designed to be loaded onto the board - the current one being IntegrationTest3. There will be, eventually, a third repository which will contain the C# code that "hosts" the IBM 1410 console and peripherals, communicating with the FPGA over a high speed serial over USB connection. I figured out that this should allow me to emulate peripherals without having to resort to sending data over Ethernet, SPI, I2C or the like. I have just started that, so it really isn't at a point that there is much to share. Once I have a console working (which will require a re-do of the console VHDL implementation, which right now communicates in ASCII, but should probably be using BCD), I should be able to pre-load into memory some of the CPU diagnostics, by loading a diagnostic routine into either my 1410 simulator (http://github.com/cube1us/1410), or Richard Cornwell's emulator in SimH and then taking a snapshot of "core" to pre-load into the FPGA. At that point I expect I will be able to test the CPU pretty thoroughly. I hope and expect that will happen this year sometime. Unfortunately, I do not have the ALDs (Automated Logic Diagrams) for the IBM 1414 I/O Synchronizers, but I do have the Instruction Logic Diagrams which should allow me to code VHDL to emulate card, tape and maybe eventually even disk functions, so those might take a while. If anyone cares.... ;) JRJ

5 years, 1 month

4
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Looking for the person I sold an eMachines eOne to at the VCF Swap Meet on April 24

by tony.aiuto＠gmail.com

*I found more related goodies you can have for the shipping. You can reply direct to me or on this thread.*

5 years, 1 month

2
1
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DEC PDP-11/45 backplane +5 ECO

by fritzm＠fritzm.org

Hi Josh, Among the pictures linked from your message about the H742a parts, there is one picture of you backplane. I have been looking for some time for information about the following 11/45 ECO: > KB11-00001 CODE: D May-72 [ECO] > > Problem: Etch carrying +5V current from Mate-n-Lock pins to backpanel pins is not heavy enough to carry required current. Correction: Run 24AWG wire in parallel with etch on panels which already have Mat-n-Lock assembly installed. Increase thickness of conductor with solder bead if Mate-n-Lock assembly not installed. PDP-11/45 system serial number 101 and later. The wiring arrangements at the top of your backplane look to be a bit different from mine, and I believe you may have this ECO implemented. While you have your backplane out, could I ask that you take some closeups around the Mate-n-Locks along the top? I'd be very interested to see the board traces and the details of the red bus wiring there. Pictures of the toasted 11/45 suggest that the original machine had the older power wiring scheme (distribution panel mounted vertically on back of cabinet instead of horizontally at top of cabinet, etc.) although your KB11A serial number badge is >2000, which is curious...

5 years, 1 month

3
5
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DEC RF08/RS08 module placement info

by michael.99.thompson＠gmail.com

I sent Josh pictures of the complete RF08/RS08 that John Wilson donated to the RICM. I will send detailed pictures of the RS08<->RF08 cables next week. -- Michael Thompson

5 years, 1 month

1
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Bounces

by binarydinosaurs＠gmail.com

Hi folks, Did anyone else get an email about excessive bounces today? I?ve not changed anything hosting wise forever so this is a bit weird. Cheers, -- Adrian Graham Owner of Binary Dinosaurs, the UK's biggest private home computer collection? t: @binarydinosaurs f: facebook.com/binarydinosaurs w: www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk

5 years, 1 month

5
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DEC RF08/RS08 module placement info

by derschjo＠gmail.com

Hi all -- In addition to the 11/45 project I'm also working on restoring an RF08/RS08 fixed head disk/controller (in the vain hopes of one day running TSS/8 on my PDP-8/I). I have the power supply repaired and running and I'm getting ready to power the logic up (the disc itself will be a project all its own, once it arrives). I'd like to double-check that all the flip chips are in their right places; I have no cause to think they've been shuffled around but I want to be sure. The engineering docs have detailed schematics but no placement chart for the modules themselves. Given enough time with the schematics I could derive this chart but I'm saving that as a last resort. So, two possibilities here: 1) Does anyone know of a document I've overlooked that includes module placement? 2) Can someone with an RF08 and/or RS08 take a few detailed pictures of the logic (from the handle side, of course) so I can compare? (Note: the available RF08/RS08 pictures on the 'net are of the unit currently in my possession, so are not useful in this regard!) Thanks! - Josh

5 years, 1 month

4
9
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Free assorted manuals

by geniibuntu＠gmail.com

Spring cleaning. Will be recycled otherwise. While most are probably not of interest to this group it's possible someone may want the SCSI related items like the ES-1000C flatbed scanner manual or Yamaha CRW8424SX manual or the Adaptec stuff. I'm in downtown Toronto, Canada. On Freenode IRC my nick is genii imgur gallery of the stuff https://imgur.com/a/USejVEv -- "..we are dwarfs astride the shoulders of giants. We master their wisdom and move beyond it. Due to their wisdom we grow wise and are able to say all that we say, but not because we are greater than they." Isaiah di Trani

5 years, 1 month

1
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DEC PDP-11/45 backplane +5 ECO

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Eric Smith > The KB11-B (original 11/70) and KB11-C (later 11/70) have essentially > the same changes as from the KB11-A to KB11-D Speaking of which, two of the boards that are different in the KB11-D, from the -A, are _identical_ to boards in the KB11-C - the M8123 ROM & ROM control and the M8132 instruction register decode! (The M8123 is also different from the M8133 board in the KB11-B.) Pretty wierd that the -11/45 and -11/70 CPUs share two boards, but true! (The FP11 boards are the same in both, too.) > It sure would be nice to get backplane wirelists for all four (KB11-A, > -B, -C, and -D). ISTR a previous, un-fulfilled request for the -11/70 wirelist, so it's been missing for a while. We _might_ have the -11/45 wirelist: http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp11/1145/1145_System_Engineering_Drawing… but it's short (pp. 128-132), so maybe it's not complete)? Two other print sets seem to have the same list: http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp11/1145/1145_System_Engineering_Drawing… http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp11/1155/MP00039_1155vol1_Mar76.pdf (pp. 45-49 and pp 131-135 respectively). > Also, I'm looking for a Field Maintenance Print Set for the RH70. Heh. I didn't see it online; the manual: http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/unibus/CSS-MO-F-5.2-27_RH70_Option_Descrip… is a CSS document, which makes no sense, because the CPU backplane is laid out to have room for four, so it's an integral part of the /70 CPU - so why is it a CSS product? Anyway, the print set listed there seems like it might be a CSS thing, too. I see that the CHM seems to have a set: https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102749003 so maybe Al will take pity on us and scan it! I looked in my /70 print set, and although it contains all sorts of odds and ends (including MJ11 prints - which kind of half makes sense, since that was the only main memory option on early /70's), it doesn't have the RH70. (I didn't see the MJ11 prints on BitSavers, so I was thinking I was going to have to scan them, but on further looking I found them on deramp.com.) Noel

5 years, 1 month

4
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11/70 system drawing set

by aek＠bitsavers.org

I just uploaded a drawing set that includes KB11-B and C information to http://bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp11/1170

5 years, 1 month

2
1
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DEC PDP-11/45 backplane +5 ECO

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Henk Gooijen > I have the M8120 and 4 M8121 boards (32kW bipolar RAM). It is a bit > weird, but in the 11/55 are also two G114 boards (4kW MOS RAM), IIRC. G114s? Those are the sense/inhibit module from the MM11-U/MJ11. Did you mean G401s? If so, one guess as to what happened there is that the machine used to have two banks of MS11 Fastbus memory, one bipolar, and one MOS, and some of the boards from the MOS bank (the memory control, and maybe some of the matrix boards) got removed? A KB11-[AD] can have two banks of MS11; the only type mixing allowed is that one can be all bipolar, and one all MOS; within each bank they all have to be the same. More here: https://gunkies.org/wiki/MS11_Semiconductor_Memory_System Interesting factoid: the M8110 and M8120 use the same etch. I'm not sure quite what the difference is (the MS11-A MM doesn't say, I couldn't find, and I don't think we have the M8120 engineering drawings, just the M8110); the M8120 has a bunch of ECO wires on it, and maybe there are component changes too. (I don't have an M8110 to compare them directly.) Noel

5 years, 1 month

2
1
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DEC LK201-AA removable feet dimensions?

by web＠loomcom.com

Sort of an odd request, but I have some LK201-AA keyboards that have (of course) not got their little black riser feet any more. I don't think they've ever had them while in my possession, in fact. If anyone has one, and has the time and interest, could you do me a big favor and take measurements of them for me? I would like to 3D print some replacements, so getting the outer dimension is the most critical part (though I can always measure the inner dimension of the hole they fit into, too), along with the protrusion of the two clips that fit into the key of the hole on the bottom of the LK201 keyboard. I have good pictures of them, just not dimensions, so I think once I know the size of the critical bits, designing and printing them shouldn't be too difficult. Thanks, -Seth -- Seth Morabito Poulsbo, WA, USA web at loomcom.com

5 years, 1 month

5
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DEC PDP-11/45 backplane +5 ECO

by michael.99.thompson＠gmail.com

> > > On 4/24/21 10:28 PM, Noel Chiappa via cctalk wrote: > > Noel > > > > PS: I wonder how many people here have -11/45's? ISTR one other, but > they aren't > > common. The Rhode Island Computer Museum has two. The pair were the interface between fire pull boxes and the 911 dispatch system in Brooklyn, NY. Both have DV11 & DH11 serial controllers. These are capable of the very low baud rates needed to talk to the fire pull boxes. https://www.ricomputermuseum.org/collections-gallery/equipment/dec-pdp-11-45 -- Michael Thompson

5 years, 1 month

2
1
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3B2 in Brazil on Facebook

by dave.g4ugm＠gmail.com

Some one appears to have three AT&T 3B2/300 manuals, cables diskettes, sadly in Brazil and has posted some pictures in a Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/vintagecomputerswapmeet/permalink/3954289997 980016/ You can open the link in an incognito, sandboxed, VPNd session and still see the post.. Dave G4UGM

5 years, 1 month

4
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Is this a new record?

by derschjo＠gmail.com

https://www.ebay.com/itm/164815576309 $9570 for a keyboard. As much as I'd like to find a keyboard for my Lambda's second head, I somehow doubt that's going to happen. And now I think I need to go find a really, really (really) safe place to keep the keyboard I *do* have... - Josh

5 years, 1 month

12
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Digital DEC 3000

by rob.laz＠ntlworld.com

>//>/Digital DEC 3000 />//>/I have an old DEC 3000 unit that I no longer have time or space for, and />/was wondering what to do with it. />//>/The rear plate shows PE42A-B9, CPU KN17, DEC 3000 600S and the ROM has a />/sticker showing Dec 1989. />//>/I have a video cable but not a suitable monitor so can't fully test it />/but I think it is booting up OK as the diagnostic LED's on the rear show />/11011101 or DD in hex which I think means it has booted OK to console. />//>/It has been running in the past and my last efforts were probably 10+ />/years ago when I installed VMS version 7 with a guest licence. />//>/I also have a few peripherals including a SZ12 disk unit, LK201 />/keyboard, circular mouse and various SCSI and video cables. />//>/It has been stored in my garage which is not totally sealed so it has />/suffered a little corrosion to the rear connectors but it looks recoverable. />//>/All thoughts and opinions welcome. />//>// Hi Rob, I have three DEC 3000 600 machines which don't work with various issues including multiple cache failures, shorted decoupling capacitors and power supply issues. They seem to accumulate more issues each time I get around to looking at them again :-( If you are willing to part out, I would be interested in your system board and I/O board to help me get some of my machines sorted out. I guess you also have a graphics card? I would be interested in that too. You don't say where you are. I am located in Ireland. Regards, Peter Coghlan. I hadn't considered splitting the components but I can see that would be an option and a lot more manageable boxing up smaller parts for the post office. I would really prefer to see the unit go in one piece but will keep it in mind as an option. I am in Cardiff.

5 years, 1 month

1
0
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Digital DEC 3000

by rob.laz＠ntlworld.com

I am new to the list so please excuse me for leaving out a few essential elements of my message. ----------------- I am in Cardiff in the UK and would prefer collection of the Digital DEC 3000 unit as it is large and heavy and would not be easy to arrange postage. I am happy to wait for a few weeks/months until covid restrictions are fully lifted and would really like the item to go to someone who appreciates its heritage. ----------------- I have an old DEC 3000 unit that I no longer have time or space for, and was wondering what to do with it. The rear plate shows PE42A-B9, CPU KN17, DEC 3000 600S and the ROM has a sticker showing Dec 1989. I have a video cable but not a suitable monitor so can't fully test it but I think it is booting up OK as the diagnostic LED's on the rear show 11011101 or DD in hex which I think means it has booted OK to console. It has been running in the past and my last efforts were probably 10+ years ago when I installed VMS version 7 with a guest licence. I also have a few peripherals including a SZ12 disk unit, LK201 keyboard, circular mouse and various SCSI and video cables. It has been stored in my garage which is not totally sealed so it has suffered a little corrosion to the rear connectors but it looks recoverable. All thoughts and opinions welcome.

5 years, 1 month

1
0
0 0

Digital DEC 3000

by rob.laz＠ntlworld.com

Digital DEC 3000 I have an old DEC 3000 unit that I no longer have time or space for, and was wondering what to do with it. The rear plate shows PE42A-B9, CPU KN17, DEC 3000 600S and the ROM has a sticker showing Dec 1989. I have a video cable but not a suitable monitor so can't fully test it but I think it is booting up OK as the diagnostic LED's on the rear show 11011101 or DD in hex which I think means it has booted OK to console. It has been running in the past and my last efforts were probably 10+ years ago when I installed VMS version 7 with a guest licence. I also have a few peripherals including a SZ12 disk unit, LK201 keyboard, circular mouse and various SCSI and video cables. It has been stored in my garage which is not totally sealed so it has suffered a little corrosion to the rear connectors but it looks recoverable. All thoughts and opinions welcome.

5 years, 1 month

4
3
0 0

Looking for IBM 3278 Operator Console

by haydenkilloh＠gmail.com

I'm trying to track down a keyboard to complete a system which is proving quite difficult! Here is the specific unit: https://i.imgur.com/FsG24G3.jpg if anyone happened to have one of these spare or know someone who does please let me know!

5 years, 1 month

3
2
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DEC PDP-11/45 backplane +5 ECO

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Fritz Mueller > could I ask that you take some closeups around the Mate-n-Locks along > the top? I'd be very interested to see the board traces and the details > of the red bus wiring there. I had a look at my /45 (a later KB11-D - although I think the backplanes for the -A and -D are identical), and it seems to have heavy red wires attached to the upper row of Mate-n-Lok's that look just like those on Josh's. I'd really want to take pictures of mine (I don't want to take the backplane out - too much work - but I can get decent images with it in, I think) so I can compare them directly, though, not depend on visual memory. Noel PS: I wonder how many people here have -11/45's? ISTR one other, but they aren't common.

5 years, 1 month

9
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DEC PDP-11/45 backplane +5 ECO

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> I had a look at my /45 ... and it seems to ... look just like those on > Josh's. I'd really want to take pictures of mine .. so I can compare > them directly, though, not depend on visual memory. Yeah, mine (a late /55, actually) has the _exact_ same wires at Josh's. So that's probably the final ECO level. Image here: http://ana-3.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/tech/pdp11/jpg/1145CPUBackPlane.jpg if you're interested. (Not a great image, but OK; I can try for a better one if there's a need.) > From: Henk Gooijen > Most of the CPU boards in the 11/55 are the same as the ones in the > 11/45 The -11/45, /50 and /55 are all the same CPU (KB11-A or -D), so the same backplane/everything, but differ only if they were sold pre-configured with the MS11 Fastbus memory. And of course some /45's (especially those sold before the introduction of the /50 and /55 as sales options - I have a /45 price list from Sep, 1972 which lists the /45 and /50 but not the /55; and one from Jan, '73 which only lists the /45 :-) were upgraded (possibly after sale, after the /50 and /55 appeared) with MS11 - or possibly some /50's and /55's had the MS11 removed at some point. So the number doesn't mean anything; one has to look at the boards. Noel

5 years, 1 month

2
1
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Exidy S-100 Expansion cards questions

by nospam212-cctalk＠yahoo.com

Moving forward on setting up my collection and I was taking a look at an Exidy Sorcerer S-100 Expansion box I had received long ago. I wondered if anyone could help with info on the cards I found inside. The first is clearly a memory card but not familiar with the company. The second is a disk controller and the third is a parallel/rs232 interface. I haven't found any doc on any of them yet. If you have doc or info on the cards or anything else about the expansion box please let me know. Haven't tested or done any more with it yet other than open it up and look around inside. Had this for ages but only now had room to take it out of the box. 1) 64K Static Memory card copyright 1981 Memory Merchant 2) Double Disk controller by Jade Computer (Doesn't seem to match the image on the doc I found on Bitsavers for their Double D controller but suspect it is one) 3) Interfacer II Triple Parallel / RS232 Serial I/O from CompuPro - Godbout Links to pics below. http://www.trailingedge.com/images/ExidyS100-1.jpg http://www.trailingedge.com/images/ExidyS100-2.jpg http://www.trailingedge.com/images/ExidyS100-3.jpg http://www.trailingedge.com/images/ExidyS100-4.jpg http://www.trailingedge.com/images/ExidyS100-5.jpg http://www.trailingedge.com/images/ExidyS100-6.jpg http://www.trailingedge.com/images/ExidyS100-7.jpg http://www.trailingedge.com/images/ExidyS100-8.jpg http://www.trailingedge.com/images/ExidyS100-9.jpg Thanks. David Williams www.trailingedge.com

5 years, 1 month

3
4
0 0

hp 9145 capstan replacement

by plamenspam＠afterpeople.com

Hello, Did anyone change the hp 9145 streamer capstan ? What parts do you use? Best regards, Plamen

5 years, 1 month

5
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DEC H742a Power Supplies, for Parts (Seattle)

by derschjo＠gmail.com

Hey all -- I've started stripping down the "fire-sale" PDP-11/45 I picked up in November, in preparation for sanding and repainting the rack and processor chassis. There were two H742a supplies in the rack that I believe are too far gone to be reasonably restored (in particular the heat definitely did a number on at least one of the transformers) and I have a pair of H7420a's ready to take their place. I hate to see things go to waste, though, and even though it's probably pointless -- before I send these off to the scrapyard, I wanted to check to see if anyone here needed any parts. Shipping the whole unit(s) would be pretty expensive, local pickup is an option if you want the whole thing(s). The transformers are a bit toasty but the power supply boards look like they might be usable after a good cleaning and testing. Fans are dead (either melted away entirely or rusted out). I suppose there's not really much else that'd be useful to anyone but I have a compulsion to make sure... Here's a couple of pictures: https://1drv.ms/u/s!Aqb36sqnCIfMpL89R2GtJFrrRqZ1vQ?e=Re3KZr And for fun, here's a bunch of pictures of the unit just prior to the teardown: https://1drv.ms/u/s!Aqb36sqnCIfMpL8-mTCp-NndzDTpbw?e=8aWCl4 (I do think there's a good chance this will run again, the major casualties were the front panel, power supplies, and wiring harness. I have replacements for the first two, and the third is just a matter of taking the time to build a new one. The boards cleaned up nicely and there's no real damage to the processor backplane, amazingly.) - Josh

5 years, 1 month

3
3
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Interesting Exidy peripheral

by nospam212-cctalk＠yahoo.com

Earlier I'd found a box with a speaker, what looked like a volume control and maybe a headphone jack with a ribbon cable going to a DB-25 connector. Thought it might be for playing sounds from the system. Appears to be partly right. While digging through various Exidy doc on Bitsavers I came across a manual for a Cognivox Speech Recongnition and Voice Response Peripheral by a company called Voicetek. The images in the manual match the box itself. What I thought was a headphone jack is for a mic and it appears to plug into the parallel port in the expansion unit. I haven't found any of the software that the manual says ships with it though I'm still finding parts of this system packed away in various boxes so might find it yet. I know it is probably a huge long shot but if anyone else has software or anything else about this peripheral, please drop me a line. David Williams www.trailingedge.com

5 years, 1 month

1
0
0 0

Need a BASIC expert

by cc＠informatik.uni-stuttgart.de

Hi, I'm trying to find out if the BASIC dialect that was available for the MINCAL computers (aboutn 1971) was something derived from another "system" or whether it was an own dialect. Some characteristic instructions that I can't find somewhere else are: - Formatted output with PRINT FOR(<FORTRAN like description>) Example: PRINT FOR(F5.0)500.1 - Computed GOTO with GOTO <expression> OF n1,n2,... Example: GOTO A+B+1 OF 100,20,50 - Presence of "DEF FN", lack of RESTORE for DATA/READ constructs. This BASIC must have been around 1970-1972. Christian

5 years, 1 month

5
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hp 9145 capstan replacement

by cclist＠sydex.com

On 4/23/21 10:33 AM, Rik Bos wrote: > That would not work the capstans of the 9144/45 have much larger > diameter. Those drives use DC600HC tapes not a QIC tape. How do you figure that? I've got a DC600HC cart here and it's the same dimensions as a standard DC600A cartridge--it is Iotamat preformatted, without the usual optical sense stuff. It was used on a number of QIC (yes, it's quarter-inch) drives, such as the Kennedy 9455 and the ADIC 32-track drives. As far as the capstan being too large, I suspect you may underestimate the "stretchiness" of silicone hose. Somewhere, I posted a photo if an Archive 2060S drive with a red hose replacement capstan. The hose comes in larger sizes, regardless. I still need to refurb the capstan on my 3M DCD-01 drive, but it's been too long since I've run into any 2-track DC300 tapes, so it's not a priority. In any case, the suggestion is offered for whatever value one can gain >from it. --Chuck

5 years, 1 month

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ISO intel iPDS-100 w/8085 pod (UK)

by binarydinosaurs＠gmail.com

Hi folks, I just got pipped on an auction for one of these last night, clearly someone needed it more than me and I hope it was for a real usage reason and not just to add to their collection of MDS-related machines. I?ve been looking for an 8085 ICE for ages now to help troubleshoot my STC Executel phone systems so this seemed like an ideal opportunity to get my hands on one but hey, that?s how auctions work. This one also has an external 37 pin floppy interface so I was hoping I could hook up an 8? drive to be able to read the Executel source floppy disks I have. Does anyone have one in the UK they don?t need/taking up too much space etc? This weekend I?ll be investigating getting a Greaseweazle running with an 8? drive now that I have all the components to power my Shugart 860. (I now await comments along the lines of ?what do you need an ICE for when you have a DMM, scope and LA - easy answer: the whole environment was designed on an MDS80 so it would be fun) Cheers, -- Adrian Graham Owner of Binary Dinosaurs, the UK's biggest private home computer collection? t: @binarydinosaurs f: facebook.com/binarydinosaurs w: www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk

5 years, 1 month

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FTAG: AlphaServer DS15, Sun T5140, Sun Blade 10, HP Proliant DL380 G7, VT220 [London, UK]

by ullbeking＠andrewnesbit.org

Hello all again, With a heavy heart I need to find a new home for the following beautiful hardware: - AlphaServer DS15 server - Sun SPARC Enterprise T5140 1U rack server - Sun Blade 10 mini tower - HP Proliant DL380 G7 2U rack server - DEC VT220 with screen, keyboard, and various adapter cables Please note that the Sun T5140 and HP DL380 are deep (700mm for purposes of installation in a rack). I'm starting a new job next week and intend to focus on that and my family. I've stopped working on various projects and I am vacating my studio workshop, so I have a lot of things to give away or sell. The above items are all FREE FOR COLLECTION ONLY (a car will be fine to transport the above items). I am located in London, UK. Post code is N15 4QL (Seven Sisters and Tottenham Hale) in Haringey, London. Kind regards, Andrew

5 years, 1 month

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PDP 11/23 for sale on Ebay

by technoid6502＠gmail.com

There's a nice, working PDP 11/23 with 20 meg hdd and 1meg (!!) of ram, with terminal screens indicating full operation. The asking price is $900.00, but I imagine the fellow might negotiate. Shipping is gonna be a fair penny. best, Jeff

5 years, 1 month

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Apple 3.5" drive issue

by nospam212-cctalk＠yahoo.com

Moved recently and finally have space to set up the collection and play with it. I've set up my Apple IIgs and a Macintosh Plus and in testing they are still working but while doing so I've noticed an issue with the 3.5" drives. I have an Apple Superdrive and 4 Apple 3.5 Drives on the IIgs and where they all work as far as reading and writing, only the Superdrive can actually eject the disks. The Mac Plus has the internal drive and an external Apple 800K drive, both of which work except not being able to eject disks either. So out of 7 drives, I have one that doesn't need a paperclip to eject the disk. Haven't opened them up to look at them yet, wanted to see if this is common and suggestions on possible causes to check. Thanks. David Williams www.trailingedge.com

5 years, 1 month

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