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

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

In a message dated 97-11-14 23:20:56 EST, you write: > > I was using a WD Caviar 2.0 GB, and it was > > LOUD!!! > > If you think that was loud, you've never heard a RP05 spinning up :-). > > The most amazing thing is being in a real computer room (i.e. dozens > of 14" drives) when the power suddenly goes *off*. The silence is > astonishing. > > Tim. (shoppa(a)triumf.ca) > off-topic again: speaking of loud, i worked in a small computer room back in 1992 and when i came in one afternoon, it was quieter than normal. turns out the ac units werent running so those units themselves make plenty of noise. even louder was the IBM 3380/3880 (cant remember which) DASD units of which there were 4 rows of them. quite impressive for their size and noisy, probably due to the belt drive mechanism. later they were replaced with one small row of hitachi drives which were mcuh quieter and had almost 2x the capacity, I was told. david

28 years, 4 months

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Classic Computer Accumulation Squad

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 10:29 AM 11/15/97 -0800, you wrote: >I mean, we have a house rule of "No computers in the living room or >dining room, unless they're laptops or they're leaving," Hmmm... What a silly rule! 8^) (As for me, there is currently (at least before I left for a weekend holiday) a Data General One & a Mac Plus in the dining room, At least an Apple IIe, M100, Dash 030, and probably a couple of others in the living room, Atari Falcon in the laundry room... Nothing (yet) in the kitchen or bathroom... --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)ricochet.net that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 4 months

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New Definiton REQUIRED

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<years old machines now. Rainbow machine is very quirky demanding <weird hardware and quirky disks in both format and hardsectored. :( Huh? Rainbot uses the somewhat unique format for the hard disk but sos did many other of the time. The floppy is a soft sector single sided 96tpi at 10 sectors per track that can be formatted on a PC with a good 1.2m drive in 360k speed and with the correct formatter. OR a system with an RX50 drive and a 1793 floppy controller (CP/M-80 boxen). <> acceptable OS. Although CP/M running native on a Pentium 133 is pretty <> cool, and fast! By collecting Non-PC's there a tons of OS's to play with CP/M-80 running on a 16mhz z180 is far more interesting. ;-) Allison

28 years, 4 months

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One from the 'believe it or not' file...

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<And so, the dilemma... do I open the disks and crank this critter up? Or <just pack it all away as another classic 'artifact'? (or leave it until I <have a fair amount of time to spend with it) Open it and crak it up. make full copies and backups. Save all packaging by sliting the edges or whatever so that any making is preserved. Exploit and document the machine to the world as I have no clue what a 3b1 is or the cpu it used. Though I do remember the ads. Allison

28 years, 4 months

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New Definiton REQUIRED

by kroma＠worldnet.att.net

>But the 10 year rule is simple and not without precedent (it's roughly >the way other things are judged "antique" -- if I remember correctly >the "magic number" is 100 years for furniture and housewares and 20 >years for automobiles). That's why we have it, we know it's not >perfect but it does provide a clear cutoff. > Actually after 20 years an automobile is considered a Classic, I think it's 40 - 50 years to be considered an Antique. With the frequency that new computers are introduced 10 - 15 years is probably a good definition for classic and 20 - 25 for antique. -- Kirk

28 years, 4 months

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I've asked it once, I'll ask it a million times....

by photze＠batelco.com.bh

Hello. Does anyone have any systems that are not "high" on the price list of classics that they could give me? (I could have my relatives in the states get them via UPS, then they could mail 'em to me as a Christmas present..... it would make me very happy!) Thanks, Tim D. Hotze

28 years, 4 months

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New Definiton REQUIRED

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<there is no doubt that the early mass-produced CD-ROM drives (not the <origionals of 1984, but the ones that were made to be put into PCs, not <servers) are classic componets, even though many are of this decade. <In my opinion, the first 486 PCs (not servers) are classics... ones that <are still used, but classics... even though most of 'em were made in Classic, like the 14 year old washing machine I have. Most post 286 PCs are appliances just like a washer dryer only built worse. <said that it was hard to state the definiton of a classic... but 10 <years or older would do. I do not wish to offend the owner, but they <are one person, and they can make mistakes... and together, as a group, <the chances of making an accurate definiton are smaller with us. <Possibly (out for MUCH revision...) is the definition "Any computer <which has aged sufficently to be considered "outdated" by the computer <market and has historic signifiance, OR is 10 years old or older." The <one evedeint place that requires revsion is the "historical signifiacne" To me most VAXen are still used and sold for commercial use, though many are still over 10. Try and buy some of the PDP-8s that are in commercial service. Age does not make a computer significant alone though, it's a distinct factor. Another factor is unique design in a technical sense or esthetic (or the lack of) style. Rarity is an impact too. I can name several machines of the altair imsai time frame that are far more scarce. For example, I still have not found or seen an IMSAI IMP48 other than my own. <but I'm not sure how to include that while still acknowledging the <presence of many of the best machines and componets that did indeed fail <in the process... but at least Wang's did eventually fall.... I can't <even rememeber all of the problems that they had... Wang played to to narrow a market (word processing and document management) that was invaded by all the micros at far lower price and in some cases a product that was more stylish or appealed to the user more. With shrinking market space and a but if empire building by Ahn Wang the business costs exceeded revenue... then rest is not news or unexpected. The layoffs were amoung the most brutal in the industry. Allison

28 years, 4 months

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DECwindows, and the MicroVAX 3100

by carl.friend＠stoneweb.com

On Sat, 15 Nov 1997, Mr. Seagraves inquired of the assembled masses thusly: > I've noticed all this time that DECwindows is on this MV3100. > What is it? It it like Macro$oft's windows, or Xwindows? > And when it says "display device", what is it expecting, a Tek > terminal, or VT of some sort, or some special adapter? DECwindows is an X-window system workalike that runs on both VAXen and DEC's RISC platforms. It's merely a way for a client program running on one machine to display its graphics on a server running on another machine (Warning: in X terminology, "server" and "client" seem reversed - you sit in front of the server while the client shoves graphics data at you; the "client" does the applications processing). The two are somewhat compatible. I have a pal in Providence who has a VAX-11/750 and DECwindows, I have a Linux box at home running an X server. We were able to get an X session set up with a client running on his VAX to display on my machine; the network transport was CMU/IP for the VAX, standard TCP/IP at the Linux end. Yes, it was slow as a dog, especially as I have a 14.4 kbps modem, but it _did_ work. Fun stuff. Cheers. ______________________________________________________________________ | | | | Carl Richard Friend (UNIX Sysadmin) | West Boylston | | Minicomputer Collector / Enthusiast | Massachusetts, USA | | mailto:carl.friend@stoneweb.com | | | http://www.ultranet.com/~engelbrt/carl/museum | ICBM: N42:22 W71:47 | |________________________________________________|_____________________|

28 years, 4 months

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What's an apple //GS worth?

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

Ive found a guy locally who has a GS for sale, but hasnt set a price. ( i hate that) what does everything think it's worth? details are sketchy, but here's what he said its a woz version coupla megs of memory. (exp card?) external cms hard drive (scsi?) has a sound card. he says it's not the ensoniq sound chip, but an adaptor card. 3.5 drive. also has some books and sw. what would be a decent price for this? he may be interested in a basic 486 i have to barter with. david

28 years, 4 months

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Info? HP1000 F series

by fmc＠reanimators.org

James Willing <jimw(a)agora.rdrop.com> wrote: > While wandering around one of my favourite surplus gear haunts today, I cam > across a couple of HP 1000 F series minicomputers. While they look neat, I > know just about nothing about them. Anyone out there familiar enough with > them to give me the 'infamous 25 words or less' speech on their significance? They're real-time control systems, based around the 21MX processor family (which succeeded the 2100 (ca. 1972) and 211[456] (ca. 1967)) and running one of several flavors of HP's RTE operating system. I've never actually used them. > It might take a few $$ to break one or more of them loose, so I'd like to > have a bit of info before I make a concerted effort to procure them... If you have HP Measurement/Computation catalogs from 1980 or 1981 or so, you could look in there. Else pester me and I'll try to FAX a few relevant pages to you. -Frank McConnell

28 years, 4 months

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DECwindows, and the MicroVAX 3100.

by dseagrav＠bsdserver.tek-star.net

I've noticed all this time that DECwindows is on this MV3100. What is it? It it like Macro$oft's windows, or Xwindows? And when it says "display device", what is it expecting, a Tek terminal, or VT of some sort, or some special adapter?

28 years, 4 months

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What's an apple //GS worth?

by engine＠chac.org

At 23:03 11/15/97 -0500, you wrote: >Ive found a guy locally who has a GS for sale, but hasnt set a price.... If the 486 has decent RAM and disk I would trade him level, but only if you really want the IIGS. >its a woz version This is not the Good Thing it may sound like, apart from cool appearance. The Woz sig on the front of the case implies Rev 00 ( = earliest) ROMs and very limited expandability. AFAIK the released ROM versions were 00, 01, and 03; 00 could be upgraded to 01 with a chipset, but 03 was a logic board swap. There never was an 02; 04 existed, but the GS was killed before 04 went into production. Some of the 04 ROM code was written into GS/OS instead, but beyond this I yield gracefully (I hope) since others here surely know more than I do. >coupla megs of memory. (exp card?) >external cms hard drive (scsi?) >has a sound card. he says it's not the ensoniq sound chip, but an adaptor >card. >3.5 drive. >also has some books and sw. oh....like I said, how bad do you want it? __________________________________________ Kip Crosby engine(a)chac.org http://www.chac.org/index.html Computer History Association of California

28 years, 4 months

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What's an apple //GS worth?

by jrkeys＠concentric.net

I have seen them go from free to $30 with less extra's them the one you are looking at. At 11:03 PM 11/15/97 -0500, you wrote: >Ive found a guy locally who has a GS for sale, but hasnt set a price. ( i >hate that) what does everything think it's worth? >details are sketchy, but here's what he said > >its a woz version >coupla megs of memory. (exp card?) >external cms hard drive (scsi?) >has a sound card. he says it's not the ensoniq sound chip, but an adaptor >card. >3.5 drive. >also has some books and sw. > >what would be a decent price for this? he may be interested in a basic 486 i >have to barter with. > >david > >

28 years, 4 months

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Software needed

by jrkeys＠concentric.net

Can anyone tell me if Linux will run on the IBM Powerstation 7012/300 and 7011/200, these are both rs6000 machines. I got them at auction and the aix/unix operating systems and everything else was removed from the harddrives. I'm looking for some low cost operating system software to run these machines with. Thanks in advance. John Keep on computing !!!

28 years, 4 months

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Tape backup unit: Any clues?

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

I dont have the exact same thing, but an old IBMer gave me something called a videotrax, which is an 8bit isa board that connects to a vcr for backup purposes. I got the complete thing, with box and sw. of course, this one only holds 80meg per vcr tape. david In a message dated 97-11-15 12:53:59 EST, Bruce Lane put forth: > Came across an interesting find recently. Manufactured by Digi-Data > Corporation, out of Maryland (yes, they are still around), it's a > Pertec-interface TBU that uses, of all things, a VHS cassette mechanism to > back up as much as 2 gigabytes to a normal T120 VHS tape. > > Darndest thing I've seen this year! I've spoken to Digi-Data already, and > it is still possible to get a manual for the thing (you better believe I'll > be doing so!), so I intend to put it to good use. > > I'm just curious if anyone else has crossed paths with this unit. It's > called a 'Gigastore.'

28 years, 4 months

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Classic Computer Rescue Squad

by carl.friend＠stoneweb.com

On Fri, 14 Nov 1997, Mr. Donzelli mentioned: > Quite a few years ago, I scrapped out a big drive that had an arm > with very fine brushes that would sweep the platters just after the > thing came to speed. DEC RP04s (Sperry drives, IIRC) had that as a feature. It was later found that the brushes did more damage than good, and the brushes were subsequently all tied back with wire-ties as per an ECO. ______________________________________________________________________ | | | | Carl Richard Friend (UNIX Sysadmin) | West Boylston | | Minicomputer Collector / Enthusiast | Massachusetts, USA | | mailto:carl.friend@stoneweb.com | | | http://www.ultranet.com/~engelbrt/carl/museum | ICBM: N42:22 W71:47 | |________________________________________________|_____________________|

28 years, 4 months

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Classic Computer Rescue Squad

by carl.friend＠stoneweb.com

On Fri, 14 Nov 1997, Mr. Shoppa made this observation: > The most amazing thing is being in a real computer room (i.e. dozens > of 14" drives) when the power suddenly goes *off*. The silence is > astonishing. In an installation that size, the environmental A/C makes a sub- stantial amount of noise as well. The eeriest moments I've even encountered were at my first employer who had a _monster_ UPS supplying a pair of 5000 sq. ft. computer rooms and the power failed. The UPS held the computers up, but the A/C spun down and the lights all went off (save the battery-operated ones). It was, shall we say, strange. The backup generator (a big old V-16 diesel in the parking lot) came on about 20 seconds later and the A/C and lights came back on. Oddly enough, the A/C made more noise than the computer gear. ______________________________________________________________________ | | | | Carl Richard Friend (UNIX Sysadmin) | West Boylston | | Minicomputer Collector / Enthusiast | Massachusetts, USA | | mailto:carl.friend@stoneweb.com | | | http://www.ultranet.com/~engelbrt/carl/museum | ICBM: N42:22 W71:47 | |________________________________________________|_____________________|

28 years, 4 months

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Info? HP1000 F series

by jimw＠agora.rdrop.com

While wandering around one of my favourite surplus gear haunts today, I cam across a couple of HP 1000 F series minicomputers. While they look neat, I know just about nothing about them. Anyone out there familiar enough with them to give me the 'infamous 25 words or less' speech on their significance? It might take a few $$ to break one or more of them loose, so I'd like to have a bit of info before I make a concerted effort to procure them... -jim --- jimw(a)agora.rdrop.com The Computer Garage - http://www.rdrop.com/~jimw Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174

28 years, 4 months

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subscribe

by chesster＠pcl.net

subscribe

28 years, 4 months

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Software needed

by jrkeys＠concentric.net

Thanks for the input John At 02:05 PM 11/15/97 -0500, you wrote: >John R. Keys Jr. wrote: >> >> Can anyone tell me if Linux will run on the IBM Powerstation 7012/300 and >> 7011/200, these are both rs6000 machines. I got them at auction and the >> aix/unix operating systems and everything else was removed from the >> harddrives. I'm looking for some low cost operating system software to run >> these machines with. Thanks in advance. John Keep on computing !!! > >To the best of my knowledge, probably not now and likely not soon. As I >recall, those machines are old Power (or maybe Power2) architecture (Bill >Donzelli knows which models are which better than I do) and the closest >Linux porting project is for the PowerPC, which is less closely related >than the similar names might imply. >-- >Ward Griffiths >"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails >of the last priest." [Denis Diderot, "Dithyrambe sur la fete de rois"] > >

28 years, 4 months

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Who Was Looking for the RSX-11/M Manual??? Please Respond!

by mcquiggi＠sfu.ca

Hi: I was in contact with someone through the group who was looking for an intro manual to RSX-11. I lost your street address (and email message)!!! Please repeat, and reply to me directly! Kevin --- Kevin McQuiggin VE7ZD mcquiggi(a)sfu.ca

28 years, 4 months

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[RANT] I hate life, I wish this was simple, like the PDP...

by dseagrav＠bsdserver.tek-star.net

I have been sitting here for the past 3 hours trying to make **** BSDi see a Digiboard that MS-DOG swears is there and BSD swears is not. If this were my PDP I could just drop in another DZ11, but no, Intel has to make the machines, and they have to use some bass-ackwards IBM BIOS which limits the normal amount of serials to 4... And, since this is work, I can't leave at 5 because the CUSTOMERS are down, and they get to call me with their whiny little voices and say "The Internet is down, and it's your fault I didn't read the mail saying this was scheduled...", and worst of all I'll be here till 6 because this doesn't work, and I could be getting an RL02, controller, and terminator for $20 at 5:00, but no, the CUSTOMERS are down, so I have to put myself last *AGAIN*... Oh, that feels better. Now, off to rebuild BSD again...

28 years, 4 months

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Caution!

by yakowenk＠cs.unc.edu

I just noticed in poking around this goverment auction stuff, a lot of the computer stuff is marked with codes F# or H#, which can mean it is radioactive. Yikes! Read the fine print before bidding! But that Encore system is listed as A1 - in good working order, etc. And another list showed it's original list price as something like 2.4 megabucks. Pretty picture, too. Bill.

28 years, 4 months

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Tape backup unit: Any clues?

by engine＠chac.org

At 09:52 11/15/97 -0800, you wrote: >Came across an interesting find recently....a >Pertec-interface TBU that uses, of all things, a VHS cassette mechanism to >back up as much as 2 gigabytes to a normal T120 VHS tape. > > I'm just curious if anyone else has crossed paths with this unit. It's >called a 'Gigastore.' Such a device, maybe not this particular make, was the standard OEM backup for Alpha Micro minicomputers. Mid-eighties. Not madly reliable. __________________________________________ Kip Crosby engine(a)chac.org http://www.chac.org/index.html Computer History Association of California

28 years, 4 months

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Software preservation

by kyrrin2＠wizards.net

OK... now that I've -finally- gotten hold of a CD burner, I can start thinking about preserving all the old software I have. What I'd like from the group is some pointers on ways that I can preserve things like RX50 floppies on CD. EPROMs and PROMs I can already deal with. What kind (if any) of binary or bit-copy utilities are available to help me in this regard? FTP sites, anyone? My primary workstation is Windoof NT, though I will be setting up an ESIX (Unix) system in the near future, or possibly Linux (haven't decided yet). I know about CoComp's SCSI Toolkit, but I'm not quite ready to spend another $500 just yet! ;-) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Bruce Lane, Sysop, The Dragon's Cave BBS (Fidonet 1:343/272) (Hamateur: WD6EOS) (E-mail: kyrrin2(a)wizards.net) http://www.wizards.net/technoid "Our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our own human terms. It cannot, in any way, define any of them..."

28 years, 4 months

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Classic Computer Accumulation Squad

by engine＠chac.org

At 09:27 11/15/97 -0500, you wrote: >> Your problerm is that your starting with a passion for collecting >> rather than a passion for a particular machine, platform, or >> architechture . > >Unlike those of us who never _planned_ to accumulate a bunch of >"obsolete" hardware (Hell, some of it _wasn't_ when we got it), but >just have a serious problem throwing anything away. And then after >a few years decided to start filling gaps in the product line. Disclaimer -- I do have a serious problem throwing anything away. Nonetheless, with computers and me, it's not that. In June 1986 I bought two 10MHz 286 clones (1MB RAM, 20MB disk, green mono) from a nice guy in Scotts Valley for $2500 each. One of those belonged to an intensely practical person, i. e., my wife, and is now gone. The other one, however, was mine, and every time I went to chuck it, I said "Hey, I paid real money for this thing." So, in eleven-plus years, it's been a 286/10, a 386/40, a 486DX/33, a 486DX4/100....and is now, saddled with the cynical nickname of Millennium Falcon, my kid's second-string machine. Since it had a new PS sometime in the early nineties, the only original part left is the case, but bygawd I haven't wasted that $2500 yet.... It's like farmers who park their old cars in a row in a field. I mean, we have a house rule of "No computers in the living room or dining room, unless they're laptops or they're leaving," and even so, we have enough computers here that they take some time to count. __________________________________________ Kip Crosby engine(a)chac.org http://www.chac.org/index.html Computer History Association of California

28 years, 4 months

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HD Floppies in DD Drives

by manney＠nwohio.com

>William Donzelli wrote: > >> says that they will last at least ten years. The best solution (other than >> mylar punched tape) is probably the older WORM drives (not MOs!), as they > >Purely out of morbid curiosity, has anybody ever considered making Tyvek >tape? The stuff is damned near impossible to tear and difficult even to >stretch enough to lose data. I don't think that indestructibility of the tape is the issue...the coating is the problem -- sliding across the head. What are you gonna bond to Tyvek? (still, DuPont managed to bond Teflon).

28 years, 4 months

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Tape backup unit: Any clues?

by Anthony.Eros＠digital.com

I've heard of these before, a large chemical company headquartered where I live used these to back up engineering data. There was some senior management concern raised though over the format -- "We've got to keep these under tight control. If they fall into the wrong hands, our competition might put them into a VCR and look at our data." I kid you not... -- Tony ---------- From: Bruce Lane[SMTP:kyrrin2@wizards.net] Sent: Saturday, November 15, 1997 12:52 PM To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers Subject: Tape backup unit: Any clues? Hi, folks, Came across an interesting find recently. Manufactured by Digi-Data Corporation, out of Maryland (yes, they are still around), it's a Pertec-interface TBU that uses, of all things, a VHS cassette mechanism to back up as much as 2 gigabytes to a normal T120 VHS tape. Darndest thing I've seen this year! I've spoken to Digi-Data already, and it is still possible to get a manual for the thing (you better believe I'll be doing so!), so I intend to put it to good use. I'm just curious if anyone else has crossed paths with this unit. It's called a 'Gigastore.' -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Bruce Lane, Sysop, The Dragon's Cave BBS (Fidonet 1:343/272) (Hamateur: WD6EOS) (E-mail: kyrrin2(a)wizards.net) http://www.wizards.net/technoid "Our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our own human terms. It cannot, in any way, define any of them..."

28 years, 4 months

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HD Floppies in DD Drives

by manney＠nwohio.com

>Since some of the software for my "old" (first generation PC) computers >is on 5 1/4" disks of dubious condition, I would like to make copies >onto new disks. Since HD disks are still readily available and cheap, I >thought this would be an ideal way to do so. Try asking for used DSDD disks...I have boxes of 'em that I get free. 'Course, you might get a dirty one... > >I also seem to have fried the 5 1/4" HD drive in my PC while sorting >through some old software. It seems a couple of disks had some dirt on >them which caused horrible screeching sounds when the disk was spinning, >and also deposited a very hard black coating on the heads. The only way >I could remove the deposits was to scratch it off with my fingernails >(alcohol would not touch it). However, I must have bumped the heads out >of alignment, because the drive won't read disks any longer. > >My question is: can I plug a Double Density drive into the same >connector in my modern PC and use it for my old disks? I know I will >have to change my BIOS setting, but is there anything else I need to >consider? No. Just specify it as a 5 1/4", 360K. You might want to test the drive you install (Norton, for example), to make sure it does a good job. For greatest archive longevity, I'm told that tape (pick something common, such as QIC-80) *if recorded on a new tape and then not read often* will outlast anything -- even CD-ROM's. manney(a)nwohio.com

28 years, 4 months

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Tape backup unit: Any clues?

by kyrrin2＠wizards.net

Hi, folks, Came across an interesting find recently. Manufactured by Digi-Data Corporation, out of Maryland (yes, they are still around), it's a Pertec-interface TBU that uses, of all things, a VHS cassette mechanism to back up as much as 2 gigabytes to a normal T120 VHS tape. Darndest thing I've seen this year! I've spoken to Digi-Data already, and it is still possible to get a manual for the thing (you better believe I'll be doing so!), so I intend to put it to good use. I'm just curious if anyone else has crossed paths with this unit. It's called a 'Gigastore.' -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Bruce Lane, Sysop, The Dragon's Cave BBS (Fidonet 1:343/272) (Hamateur: WD6EOS) (E-mail: kyrrin2(a)wizards.net) http://www.wizards.net/technoid "Our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our own human terms. It cannot, in any way, define any of them..."

28 years, 4 months

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Tape backup unit: Any clues?

by IVIE＠cc.usu.edu

Kip Crosby wrote: >At 09:52 11/15/97 -0800, you wrote: >>Came across an interesting find recently....a >>Pertec-interface TBU that uses, of all things, a VHS cassette mechanism to >>back up as much as 2 gigabytes to a normal T120 VHS tape. >> >> I'm just curious if anyone else has crossed paths with this unit. It's >>called a 'Gigastore.' > >Such a device, maybe not this particular make, was the standard OEM backup >for Alpha Micro minicomputers. Mid-eighties. Not madly reliable. The backup unit an Alpha Micro sysadmin _i_ knew converted the data to video to get it onto the tape; i.e., it wasn't a Pertec interface, but used standard everyday VCRs. Roger Ivie ivie(a)cc.usu.edu

28 years, 4 months

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Hard drive rescue: Update

by kyrrin2＠wizards.net

It seems that my initial post about a couple of hard drives and enclosures looking for a home was partly in error. The fellow's just offering the drives, and intends to keep the enclosures. Sorry for the inconvenience. -=-=- <snip> -=-=- >X-Sender: cyber(a)prismnet.com >X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0 (32) >Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 02:14:17 -0600 >To: Bruce Lane <kyrrin2(a)wizards.net> >From: Tom Ray <cyber(a)prismnet.com> >Subject: Re: OLD hard drives and enclosure need RESCUE! > >actually, Bruce, what I was offering specifically was just the drives >themselves, not the external SCSI cases. I plan on using those. I'll send >the cables with the drives but there was nothing fancy about the enclosure. >They don't even have a fan to keep them cool, just a powersource and the >external SCSI connector. I'm still fairly new to SCSI so I am not sure what >I do or don't need out of the case. Let me describe as best I can. <remainder snipped> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Bruce Lane, Sysop, The Dragon's Cave BBS (Fidonet 1:343/272) (Hamateur: WD6EOS) (E-mail: kyrrin2(a)wizards.net) http://www.wizards.net/technoid "Our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our own human terms. It cannot, in any way, define any of them..."

28 years, 4 months

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DOS 3.31

by manney＠nwohio.com

>In a message dated 97-11-14 13:04:53 EST, you write: > ><< I can supply original DOS disks for 3.31 >> > >I would most certainly appreciate it. The computer these would be used on is >actually a Visual Technologies Commuter--a colleague noted that although this >unit runs intel 8086, 8088, 80286, it can boot into DOS 6.22. I have yet to >find out if this is true or not; however, what can we work out so that I may >get those disks? Even a PC (8088) will run DOS 6. E-mail me privately with your address, and we'll work out details. manney(a)nwohio.com

28 years, 4 months

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Classic Computer Rescue Squad

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

off topic, but speaking of JTS, egghead is/was selling JTS 1gig drives for $99. i bought one, and works great! quiet, and has a 3 year warranty. all i got was the drive in a box, but then again, that's all i wanted. david In a message dated 97-11-14 05:22:36 EST, mr hotze put forth: > Well, it won't help you now, but a company called JTS Corporation has the best > HDDs I've seen in a LONG time. I was using a WD Caviar 2.0 GB, and it was > LOUD!!! It also had a fairly good HDD Test Score: 2.6 by the Norton > Utilities > benchmarks. I ran the test with my NEW 2.0 GB JTS, which got a 4.0!!! Also, > > it's about $20-$40 cheaper than the equivelent Caviar. The best part: It > has a > cover with rubber on the outside. I had it IN THE OPEN for about 3 weeks, > and > it still worked just fine. The cover protects it from static electrictity > form > jerks like me, and from shock, stuff like that.

28 years, 4 months

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Classic "Laptops"

by manney＠nwohio.com

>I've recently heard of someone who told me about an 8080 laptop from >someone who has been into computers longer than I have. He said that >there was a laptop... in the 1970's, that was smaller than the origional >Compaq. It was soupossed to only have a little RAM, and it was used by >journalists, who would connect with a modem an upload the files. Is >this true? If so, what on earth ever happened to these? (Does this >sound like something else... H/PC come to mind? Journalists around here used the Radio Schlock thingie (Tandy 100?) Don't know the processor, tho'.

28 years, 4 months

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Caution!

by lfb107＠psu.edu

>On Wed, 12 Nov 1997, Tim Shoppa wrote: > >> Tim Shoppa | Internet: shoppa(a)triumf.ca >> TRIUMF, Canada's National Meson Facility | Voice: 604-222-1047 loc 6446 > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > >Hey Tim, what is a Meson Facility anyway? > Mesons are simply either pions, muons, or kasons! That's all! LeS

28 years, 4 months

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Classic Computer Rescue Squad

by mcquiggi＠sfu.ca

At 11:16 AM 97/11/15 -0500, you wrote: >> > The most amazing thing is being in a real computer room (i.e. dozens >> > of 14" drives) when the power suddenly goes *off*. The silence is >> > astonishing. >> >> What would be even MORE amazing is when the power comes back ON a second >> later, with all the power switches still on, and everything tries to spin >> up at once... >> Or is there some safeguard against that? A lot of mainframe/mini drives have a configuration option called "spindle delay" that allows for a settable delay between power on and spin up. One sets the drives to spin up individually rather than all at once. Kevin --- Kevin McQuiggin VE7ZD mcquiggi(a)sfu.ca

28 years, 4 months

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Older computers FS

by manney＠nwohio.com

>On Fri, 14 Nov 1997, PG Manney wrote: > >> Our local NASA is selling off older PC and other stuff. I'm local, if anyone >> wants anything. >> >> Stuff is at >> >> http://www.lerc.nasa.gov/WWW/Logistics/sales.htm > >Lots of stuff I'd like to see preserved, however if I read the details on >the site correctly the bidding closed yesterday (13-Nov.) > >DRAT! ...but look at the other one, under Plum Brook. It has some Zeniths, closing on the 23rd, I think.

28 years, 4 months

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Who Was Looking for the RSX-11/M Manual??? Please Respond!

by mcquiggi＠sfu.ca

Hi Daniel: I've copied the manual and will mail it today or Monday! Sorry for the delay, Kevin At 07:29 AM 97/11/15 -0600, you wrote: >I was the guilty party. > >Daniel Seagraves >106 West Forest Ave >East Peoria, IL 61611 > >I've lost addresses before, this is nothing new... > > > > --- Kevin McQuiggin VE7ZD mcquiggi(a)sfu.ca

28 years, 4 months

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Classic Computer Rescue Squad

by manney＠nwohio.com

I dunno...I dropped one off my desk (2 1/2 ft), and it survived fine. I dropped a 1.2 GB HDD (WD, I think) BRAND NEW off my desk onto a carpet, and it died (couldn't have been a ST-157, no-o-o-o.) Depends on how it bounces, I guess. Anyone wanna try this with a 9 gig, in the interests of science? >Now.... just for fun, try to get a modern PC, drop it on your toe (A >sacrifice for science) and then watch it break into DOZENS of piece. Chip >out of socket, RAM out of socket, motherboard out of case, power supply out >of case, HDD crashed, disk drive not in a working condition, CD-ROM drive's >laser swears that there's no disk in. They don't make 'em like they used >to!!! > >---------- >From: Jeff Beoletto <jbeolett(a)ssi.net> >To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers ><classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> >Subject: Re: Classic Computer Rescue Squad >Date: Saturday, November 08, 1997 6:28 PM > > > >On Sat, 8 Nov 1997, Daniel A. Seagraves wrote: > >> On Sat, 8 Nov 1997, Hotze wrote: >> >> > At 23:18 11/7/97 +0000, you wrote: >> > >I am conviced that a lot of people (probably not on this list) >wouldn't >> > >know a well-designed or well-built computer if it was dropped on >them... >> > >> > Naturally not, they'd be too busy limping around howling. >> > >> >> I DID THAT! I DID THAT! I successfully managed to crush Jeff Beoletto's >> (One of my friends) toes with >> a PDP-11/44. We were trying to move it sideways. BTW, his foot healed >up >> quite well. And he wasn't limping around, he was curled up in a little >> ball on the floor, cussing a blue streak :) A week ago we were moving >the >> RA81, and I almost did it again... >> >> >> > Seeing how it was me that Dan managed to drop it I can agree to >the limping, and ironically enough it's the same foot that I had broken 3 >times in the month before he crushed it. And just yesterday hauling a pc >down to our storagge office on the 5th floor I tripped and fell down the >steps and have just re-broken that very same ankle. Computers are >hazerdous to your health. =+) > > > >

28 years, 4 months

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Classic Computer Rescue Squad

by photze＠batelco.com.bh

You're right, also, they can make great places to keep things... convert a black case into a storage area for you're CDS, empty out a power supply to make an industrial-style case. Also, what are "popular" micros; I need to start getting collecting, but I'm not sure what to start with. By the way, that warehouse that was full of classics... what ever happened? When I say "popular"; I mean what are good, not something that's worth money. (No 5,000 pound Nova's, please) Bye, Tim D. Hotze ---------- From: Daniel A. Seagraves <dseagrav(a)bsdserver.tek-star.net> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: Classic Computer Rescue Squad Date: Saturday, November 08, 1997 7:01 PM On Sat, 8 Nov 1997, Hotze wrote: > Now.... just for fun, try to get a modern PC, drop it on your toe (A > sacrifice for science) and then watch it break into DOZENS of piece. Chip > out of socket, RAM out of socket, motherboard out of case, power supply out > of case, HDD crashed, disk drive not in a working condition, CD-ROM drive's > laser swears that there's no disk in. They don't make 'em like they used > to!!! > Why break a new PC? They can be used as terminals for the *REAL* computers!

28 years, 4 months

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Help with Mac Plus

by bwit＠pobox.com

Another thing to consider is that the Mac allocates a max amount of memory for each program. If this "partition" is too small the program will not run regardless of the amount of memory in the machine. To view and/or change the memory setting for a program select it's icon and pick the File->Get Info menu item. A dialog will be displayed showing current memory requirements. These values may be changed to increase the partition available for the program. Bob ---------- From: SUPRDAVE@aol.com[SMTP:SUPRDAVE@aol.com] Sent: Friday, November 14, 1997 2:37 PM To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers Subject: Re: Help with Mac Plus as specified before, if the "about this mac" doesnt show it, you may have to remove the case and look at the simms. plus models came with 1 meg standard in 4 256k simms. other mem configurations are 2 1meg simms and 2 256k ones for 2.5 meg and 4 1meg simms for a total of 4 which is what my platinum mac plus has. i've noticed two mac plus designs; one in the apple //e beige colour and the other in corporate gray. i presume they are identical though. In a message dated 97-11-14 10:49:08 EST, PG Manney put forth: > Can anyone with Macintosh experience help me, please? > > 1) How do I check the amount of memory installed without ripping open the > beast? > > 2) The machine was running some programs (Chess, for example) and suddenly > refuses to do so, claiming, "xxx K needed to run this program. You have 512 > K). Customer doesn't know how much was installed. Might this be a > configuration problem, or has it lost contact with half its RAM? (and it > hasn't even hit 40 years yet!) > > Thanks, > manney(a)nwohio.com >

28 years, 4 months

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HX20 - again!

by NOSPAM＠ptolzserv.com

Dear Tony, Sorry - forgot to mention, I also have about 15 blank rom cartridges (you need a 2764 or 27128 eprom - I have a bit of software that formats the files correctly that I can give you). Julian

28 years, 4 months

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HX20

by NOSPAM＠ptolzserv.com

Dear Tony, Yes - I've got all the bits and pieces for the HX20, including a system dsisk. I also did some software for it, such as an assembler/dissasemlber/debugger. I've got: HX20 TF20 Micorcassette Manuals (system, and user, repair, programming) The TF20 is a complete CP/M compatible computer (I know of one guy who turned it into a CP/M machine!). It uses the serial i/f to talk to the HX20 using a packet system a bit like xmodem. The same i/f also talked to the old video display interface (the one bit I never bought!). Best wishes, Julian

28 years, 4 months

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Classic Computer Rescue Squad

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

In a message dated 97-11-15 09:30:25 EST, HOTZE put forth: > Yeah, I know... real quiet, fast, and the waranty is unbeatable (500,000 MTBF > at > 5,400 (5,200?) RPM ain't bad.... kind of like warranties with REAL computer > parts > back in the 80's. Real computer warranties? hmmm, the warranty on my apple //+ was only 90 days if i'm not mistaken... david

28 years, 4 months

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Model 100, again

by transit＠primenet.com

Ok, I still haven't been able to find out what's wrong with the LCD in my Tandy Model 100 (the rest of the machine works fine, as I was able to tell by blind-writing BASIC progs that beep the speaker). I opened it up, and the cable between the LCD module and the rest of the computer *looks* fine, as does the LCD module itself. I hope I don't have to replace the entire LCD module; I read on the tandy newsgroup that a new one, ordered via Radio Shack, costs upwards of $200!!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Charles P. Hobbs __ __ ____ ___ ___ ____ transit(a)primenet.com /__)/__) / / / / /_ /\ / /_ / / / \ / / / / /__ / \/ /___ / -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

28 years, 4 months

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Anyone have a used copy of this book?

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 07:34 PM 11/11/97 -0800, you wrote: >Try http://www.powells.com next to Amazon they're about the biggest >bookstore in the world. Plus they've the advantage of actually being open >to the public. They have a really awsome Technical bookstore. Powells is >a must see if you're ever in the Portland Oregon area, it's almost a >tourist attraction! However, I've no idea if they've got the book you Actually, Powell's *is* a tourist attraction. At least, we make a point of stopping there whenever we're in town. The main store is a full city block. If you're in the area, you definitely have to check it out. I don't know if they've got their full selection on-line; if not you can always call them and ask someone to check, I suppose. They do carry various Land Rover manuals and books too. --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)ricochet.net that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 4 months

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Probably not counting... DECserver 200/MC

by dseagrav＠bsdserver.tek-star.net

I just got a DECserver 200/MC to act as a termserver for my 11/34 when it comes back up... ANyone know how to get setup on here? This may not count as a computer, but I do need help...

28 years, 4 months

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Classic Computer Rescue Squad

by allisonp＠world.std.com

< <> > HDDs I've seen in a LONG time. I was using a WD Caviar 2.0 GB, and it <> > was LOUD!!! < <Hey! What is wrong with loud disk drives! The more noise the create, the <more fun they are... I've seen several of them and they werent loud save for one that had a bad bearing! Allison

28 years, 4 months

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What's this?

by dseagrav＠bsdserver.tek-star.net

I bought a nice piece of luggage today, it has a few DEC disks and the CR04 diag cards (Card reader for PDP). But what are the disks? It's about 12-18" across, says decpack, 2200 BPI-12 on it. There's 3, 2 for XXDP+, one scratch. Are these RL02 packs? It's a single platter affair.

28 years, 4 months

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Finds & Questions

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 04:45 PM 11/10/97 -0500, you wrote: >>Two are in and out to the 9114, one is power (I'm pretty sure) but I'm not >>sure about the last. Perhaps input for the barcode wand? > >What does the mystery connector look like? It's kinda roundish wiht (I think -- I'm on bart, it's at home) 5 holes for pins -- made me think of the old Hayes modem power supply connectors. The one that I'm pretty sure is the power is two adjoining square holes with 1 pin-hole in each. The same connector is on the disk drive. Someone said these take a standard HP 8v ps... Anyone know where to get one? Thanks in advance! The other thing I noticed about this (and I found something on the web that seemed to agree with this) is that to the right of the space bar it appears there's a slot for a magstripe card. It's a little wider than the strip on a credit card. Pretty neat. --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)ricochet.net that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 4 months

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More off-topic stuff

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<sounds as if the head is hitting against the case or something. Now, <there is no disk access going on at all when this is happening, and it <happens regularly at (seemingly) random intervals throughout the day. All <of a sudden I'll start to hear the thunking sound and it will be coming <from one of the two machines' hard drive. Very odd. It may be that most of the non stepper drive will reseek from time to time to correct for temperature and wear. It's recalibration. Allison

28 years, 4 months

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MV3100 floppy drive

by dseagrav＠bsdserver.tek-star.net

I have a MicroVAX 3100 I'm putting a floppy in. Where does it attach? YOu can see where it was removed, and there's no option card slots... Where do I put the floppy in?

28 years, 4 months

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JTS (was: Classic Computer Rescue Squad)

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 01:19 PM 11/14/97 +0000, you wrote: >Well, it won't help you now, but a company called JTS Corporation has the best >HDDs I've seen in a LONG time. I was using a WD Caviar 2.0 GB, and it was For a little classic content, JTS is the company that acquired the remnants of Atari Corp. Haven't done anything with it, that I know of, but in the future...? --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)ricochet.net that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 4 months

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System/34

by Zeus334＠aol.com

In a message dated 97-11-14 14:43:02 EST, you write: << Subj: Re: Re[2]: System/34 Date: 97-11-14 14:43:02 EST From: allisonp(a)world.std.com (Allison J Parent) Sender: CLASSICCMP-owner(a)u.washington.edu Reply-to: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu To: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu (Discussion re-collecting of classic computers) <> Anyway, if the Boston System/34 is available, perhaps the RCS/RI people <> might want it. < <Allison has expressed an interest... It will be for the RCS/RI folk if I collect it as I am not IBM oriented. <I can't now remember who asked, but whoever you are, your Toyota should <have no difficulty carrying the thing if you can get it into the back. <Warning: If you need people to help you lift bits into the back of your <truck, you will _definitely_ need help lifting it off again when you get <home. Good to know. A few racks will fit no sweat I was wondering if it were more like a room full. However, I've heard nothing from the owner. Allison >> I don't actually own the thing, and never offered it per se. I could probably get the administration to let go of it, esp. if there' s money involved. I'll ask around. The terminals are 3 5250's -- I found the manual for one of them. As soon as I get a definite response, I'll post. Tell me how much you would pay.

28 years, 4 months

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Help with Mac Plus

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

as specified before, if the "about this mac" doesnt show it, you may have to remove the case and look at the simms. plus models came with 1 meg standard in 4 256k simms. other mem configurations are 2 1meg simms and 2 256k ones for 2.5 meg and 4 1meg simms for a total of 4 which is what my platinum mac plus has. i've noticed two mac plus designs; one in the apple //e beige colour and the other in corporate gray. i presume they are identical though. In a message dated 97-11-14 10:49:08 EST, PG Manney put forth: > Can anyone with Macintosh experience help me, please? > > 1) How do I check the amount of memory installed without ripping open the > beast? > > 2) The machine was running some programs (Chess, for example) and suddenly > refuses to do so, claiming, "xxx K needed to run this program. You have 512 > K). Customer doesn't know how much was installed. Might this be a > configuration problem, or has it lost contact with half its RAM? (and it > hasn't even hit 40 years yet!) > > Thanks, > manney(a)nwohio.com >

28 years, 4 months

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1
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Victor 9000 (Visual Technologies)

by Aperiodic＠aol.com

In a message dated 97-11-14 13:04:53 EST, you write: << I can supply original DOS disks for 3.31 >> I would most certainly appreciate it. The computer these would be used on is actually a Visual Technologies Commuter--a colleague noted that although this unit runs intel 8086, 8088, 80286, it can boot into DOS 6.22. I have yet to find out if this is true or not; however, what can we work out so that I may get those disks? Thanks Sam Uncler

28 years, 4 months

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System/34

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<> Anyway, if the Boston System/34 is available, perhaps the RCS/RI people <> might want it. < <Allison has expressed an interest... It will be for the RCS/RI folk if I collect it as I am not IBM oriented. <I can't now remember who asked, but whoever you are, your Toyota should <have no difficulty carrying the thing if you can get it into the back. <Warning: If you need people to help you lift bits into the back of your <truck, you will _definitely_ need help lifting it off again when you get <home. Good to know. A few racks will fit no sweat I was wondering if it were more like a room full. However, I've heard nothing from the owner. Allison

28 years, 4 months

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Bogus CD drive

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<>My primary computer has a Toshiba 3401 (couple-years-old) caddy-type SCSI <>CD drive in it. This is from back when they were expensive and built lik <>tanks. It is now generally choking on software CD's and skipping horribl < <Run down to Tower Records and pick up a CD Lens Cleaner. Shouldn't be mor <than $10-15 and it just might do the trick. (Not a bad thing to have in an <case.) My phillips cm205 (yes single speed) gets cranky every so often and removing and opening it finds a cloud of dust. Careful vacuum and soft brush and clean the lenses with a blast of dry air in a can seems to do it every time. The dust accumulates in the CDrom as a result of the PCs cooling fan that blows out. The cooling intake air come from a grill at the opposite corner of the box about also some is sucked through the 3.5" floppy and the CDrom via the doors. After a while I can see the dust if I push the door open. Since the system runs 24x365 it does gather dust! Allison

28 years, 4 months

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HD Floppies in DD Drives

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<I would really doubt this. The oxide coating on just about any tape, <digital or analog, flakes off even if never used. As for CD-ROMs, I would <say that the stamped ones (normal ones) will probably last for a very Mag tape (reel to reel) has the longest life. Many companies depend on it lasting in excess of 10 years in a good enviornment and 20+ is not uncommon. Much of the newer media and backings have the likelyhood of lasting longer from improved materials. Here at home I have NS* disks that are in excess of 15years old some 19! My TU58 tapes(DC100/DEC) none are newer that 1985 and some go back to '81. I have RX01/2 media that is clearly late '70s and early '80s. My RL02 (removeable 10mb 14" platter) packs are 1984. I take real good care of the media and drives and rare is the failure. Several things to consider, if your comfortable the magnetic media is. Clean is good, no smoking or dust will help greatly for long term. Careful storage, do not over stuff boxes, a stiff cardboard seperator to prevent warping or bending. Nothing is a substitute for opening the drive and hand vacuuming and cleaning it. Doubtful drives should be cleaned, repaired or replaced rather than risk media in them. A dirty head or bad pressure pad can scratch a an otherwise good disk. Allison

28 years, 4 months

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Classic "Laptops"

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<>journalists, who would connect with a modem an upload the files. Is <>this true? If so, what on earth ever happened to these? (Does this <>sound like something else... H/PC come to mind? < <Journalists around here used the Radio Schlock thingie (Tandy 100?) Don't <know the processor, tho'. T-100 was 80c85, cmos 8085 which with the exception of two instructions is an 8080/8224/8228 reduced to 40 pins and cmos. Good chip by the way. It's most current use is the mars rovers for it's very low poaer and resistance to radiation effects. 8085 is 1977, cmos part is 1981ish. Allison

28 years, 4 months

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Older computers FS

by manney＠nwohio.com

Our local NASA is selling off older PC and other stuff. I'm local, if anyone wants anything. Stuff is at http://www.lerc.nasa.gov/WWW/Logistics/sales.htm on the world's slowest server. manney(a)nwohio.com

28 years, 4 months

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PC/AT reference

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 08:56 AM 11/14/97 -0500, you wrote: > I speak French, mut I'm not an expert on computerese >French...unfortunately, I'm snowed under at my business, so I don't have I took french in high school & college... which means I can swear at you, ask you out, and say "Je deteste des ordinateurs". (but I can say that last bit in several languages.) 8^) --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)ricochet.net that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 4 months

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Bogus CD drive

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 01:24 PM 11/13/97 -0800, you wrote: >My primary computer has a Toshiba 3401 (couple-years-old) caddy-type SCSI >CD drive in it. This is from back when they were expensive and built like >tanks. It is now generally choking on software CD's and skipping horribly Run down to Tower Records and pick up a CD Lens Cleaner. Shouldn't be more than $10-15 and it just might do the trick. (Not a bad thing to have in any case.) --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)ricochet.net that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 4 months

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System/34

by Philip.Belben＠powertech.co.uk

>> > This machine is in Boston, MA, USA. It also has three very ugly terminals - >> > anyone know what kind? Yes, I know exactly what kind, but I can't remember the IBM number (5250? Something like that, anyway). You daisy-chain up to eight of each port on the Sys/34 using IBM twinax cable. > Anyway, if the Boston System/34 is available, perhaps the RCS/RI people > might want it. Allison has expressed an interest... For your information, it is about 4 feet tall, two or three feet wide, and at least six feet long, the actual length depending on what options are installed. It is very heavy (I don't know how heavy) but some dismantling should be possible. I can't now remember who asked, but whoever you are, your Toyota should have no difficulty carrying the thing if you can get it into the back. Warning: If you need people to help you lift bits into the back of your truck, you will _definitely_ need help lifting it off again when you get home. > > I have one available here, in Peoria, IL... > > Anyone want it? I can't store it... > > It has all sortsa 8" floppies with it... > > It might not be a bad idea to grab the floppies, even if you can not > find a taker for the hardware. Good point. Well said, William. Whoever gets the Boston machine will want [copies of] the Peoria floppies, I imagine. I may well be visiting the eastern US in the next few weeks but I absolutely _refuse_ to take a system/34 home with me! In the summer, I got sent to Jakarta (Indonesia) and I bought a large gong. You wouldn't believe how expensive excess baggage costs to bring home! (I had 76kg total baggage on that flight...) On the other hand, I might be able to shuttle a _FEW_ _SMALL_ items in each direction. Suggestions?? Philip.

28 years, 4 months

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Bogus CD drive

by manney＠nwohio.com

>Disclaimer: This is not a ten-year-old topic and you are free to ignore the >message as you see fit. I write, however, in full confidence that someone >reading this can answer the question. > >My primary computer has a Toshiba 3401 (couple-years-old) caddy-type SCSI >CD drive in it. This is from back when they were expensive and built like >tanks. It is now generally choking on software CD's and skipping horribly >on audio CD's. My Wintel guru says that it is literally not worth trying >to clean the thing, that the cost of a cleaning will exceed the cost of a >new 8X or 10X SCSI CD drive, and the bother of going inside the case, >removing, and re-installing will be the same. I hate to pitch this drive, >it's worked so well; is there anything non-invasive I can try before I give >up on it? Have you tried a cleaning CD? You can get them for $8 or so.

28 years, 4 months

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Victor 9000

by manney＠nwohio.com

I can supply original DOS disks for 3.31 manney(a)nwohio.com -----Original Message----- From: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> To: Manney <Manney> Date: Thursday, November 13, 1997 9:56 AM Subject: Re: Victor 9000 >To All: > >Know where I might be able to obtain MS-DOS 3.2, 3.3, or 4.0 on a 5.25" >disks? This would be for an older machine--my only other alternative is to >remove a 5.25" drive and plug it into my "newer" HP, download DOS and CP/M >from the internet, and save it to this drive. > >Anybody else had to do something similar to get a boot disk for their older >computer? Any experiences would be extremely helpful. > >Sam >

28 years, 4 months

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Victor 9000

by manney＠nwohio.com

>Hi ya. I have a Victor 9000 computer. Is this a DOS machine or a CP/M >machine? I cannot get it to boot from a disk (MS-DOS 3.2) and I haven't >found anymore information on it. Anything you can tell me abut it will >be great. Thanks IIRC, it would run either. A local doctor has a Victor in his basement (anyone want it?) manney(a)nwohio.com

28 years, 4 months

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Thought everyone would like a chuckle

by manney＠nwohio.com

>Microsoft to Buy The U.S Government >REDMOND, Wash. - Oct. 21, 1997 -- In direct response to accusations >made by the Department of Justice, the Microsoft Corp. announced today >that will be acquiring the federal government of the United States of >America for an undisclosed sum. "It's actually a logical extension of >our planned growth", said Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, "It really is >going to be a positive arrangement for everyone". >Microsoft representatives held a briefing in the oval office of the >White House with U.S. President Bill Clinton, and assured members of >the press that changes will be "minimal". The United States will be >managed as a wholly owned division of Microsoft. An initial public >offering is planned for July of next year, and the federal government >is expected to be profitable by "Q4 1999 at latest", according to >Microsoft president Steve Ballmer. >In a related announcement, Bill Clinton stated that he had "willingly >and enthusiastically" accepted a position as a vice president with >Microsoft, and will continue to manage the United States government, >reporting directly to Bill Gates. >When asked how it felt to give up the mantle of executive authority to >Gates, Clinton smiled and referred to it as "a relief". He went on to >say that Gates has a "proven track record", and that U.S. citizens >should offer Gates their "full support and confidence". Clinton will >reportedly be earning several times the $200,000 annually he has >earned as U.S. president, in his new role at Microsoft. >Gates dismissed a suggestion that the U.S. Capitol be moved to Redmond >as "silly", though did say that he would make executive decisions for >the U.S. government from his existing office at Microsoft >headquarters. Gates went on to say that the House and Senate would "of >course" be abolished. "Microsoft isn't a democracy", he observed, >"and look how well we're doing". >When asked if the rumored attendant acquisition of Canada was >proceeding, Gates said, "We don't deny that discussions are taking >place".Microsoft representatives closed the conference by stating that >United States citizens will be able to expect lower taxes, increases >in government services and discounts on all Microsoft products. >About Microsoft: Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the >worldwide leader in software for personal computers, and democratic >government. The company offers a wide range of products and services >for public, business and personal use, each designed with the mission >of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of >the full power of personal computing and free society every day. >About the United States: >Founded in 1789, the United States of America is the most successful >nation in the history of the world, and has been a beacon of democracy >and opportunity for over 200 years. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., >the United States is a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft >Corporation.

28 years, 4 months

1
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Help with Mac Plus

by adam＠merlin.net.au

Not knowing what system you are running, I may not be able to help. But... >1) How do I check the amount of memory installed without ripping open the >beast? Under the apple symbol in the top left of the menu bar is an "about this macintosh" option - that should give you memory, memory usage, and the version of the OS. This is under system 7.1, but it should be on most (if not all) the versions of the OS. >2) The machine was running some programs (Chess, for example) and suddenly >refuses to do so, claiming, "xxx K needed to run this program. You have 512 >K). Customer doesn't know how much was installed. Might this be a >configuration problem, or has it lost contact with half its RAM? (and it >hasn't even hit 40 years yet!) I haven't encountered that problem yet. The Mac plus should have more than 512k as standard. (mine has 2 meg, but that was expanded). Anyway, when you highlight a program, but don't start it, you can go to the file menu and look under the get info option. That will tell you, at the bottom, what the suggested memory size is, and what the minimum and prefered sizes are. Changing these may solve your problem, and if not I can only assume that it is, indeed, hardware related. I don't think there are any software settings for memory, but I imagine there are the usual switches on the motherboard - unfortunatly I don't have that much info. Hope that helps, Adam.

28 years, 4 months

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Classic "Laptops"

by manney＠nwohio.com

>OK. By the way, speaking of "sub-laptops", does anyone know what kind of models >might be good for me? I just pretty much want to be able to take notes; etc. >Windows CE is cheap enough for me, but they're keyboards aren't for REAL people. >Possibly an Apple Newton? Or are there any classics that have a keyboard large >enough to type on(not two-finger typing.) ? Where can I get one of these Radio >Shack 100's? > Radio Schlock 100's had the loveliest keyboards I've ever seen. Don't think the display was backlit, tho'. I see 286 and 8088 laptops (floppy only) going for cheap $$ at hamfests.

28 years, 4 months

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Sorry, I need to get this to PG Manney, there

by manney＠nwohio.com

>> Whoops! of course...and didn't they make a calculator or two? > >Yes, they made quite a few calculator models. I've only seen one myself. >My father used it in his engineering work many years ago. I now have it, >and although it is functional, a friend that I lent it to smashed the case >up pretty badly by accidentally hurtling it against a cement floor. <s> > >It's a PR-100 programmable scientific calculator. It has one of those >very intense orange displays (I forget what the technology is). > >My father says that the engineering firm he worked for used to have tons >of Commodore equipment around. Mostly mechanical adding machines and >office furniture. :) > >I've been running into far more Commodore furniture recently than >Commodore computers. I usta have a Sinclair programmable calculator that ran on a 9V battery, thus requiring a large bulge in the case that would tilt the calculator away >from the user when set down. Magnificently intelligent design. manney(a)nwohio.com

28 years, 4 months

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PC/AT reference

by manney＠nwohio.com

>P.S., I stumbled across a site that might offer insight into this question. >It's at <http://www.mygale.org/08/samurai/> and offers a listing of >computers by microprocessor (as well as other ways). Only problem is it's >in french. 8^) I speak French, mut I'm not an expert on computerese French...unfortunately, I'm snowed under at my business, so I don't have time to translate the whole document. I can research and/or translate portions for anyone who wants, tho'. manney(a)nwohio.com

28 years, 4 months

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Help with Mac Plus

by manney＠nwohio.com

Can anyone with Macintosh experience help me, please? 1) How do I check the amount of memory installed without ripping open the beast? 2) The machine was running some programs (Chess, for example) and suddenly refuses to do so, claiming, "xxx K needed to run this program. You have 512 K). Customer doesn't know how much was installed. Might this be a configuration problem, or has it lost contact with half its RAM? (and it hasn't even hit 40 years yet!) Thanks, manney(a)nwohio.com

28 years, 4 months

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Bogus CD drive

by engine＠chac.org

Disclaimer: This is not a ten-year-old topic and you are free to ignore the message as you see fit. I write, however, in full confidence that someone reading this can answer the question. My primary computer has a Toshiba 3401 (couple-years-old) caddy-type SCSI CD drive in it. This is from back when they were expensive and built like tanks. It is now generally choking on software CD's and skipping horribly on audio CD's. My Wintel guru says that it is literally not worth trying to clean the thing, that the cost of a cleaning will exceed the cost of a new 8X or 10X SCSI CD drive, and the bother of going inside the case, removing, and re-installing will be the same. I hate to pitch this drive, it's worked so well; is there anything non-invasive I can try before I give up on it? thanks much, __________________________________________ Kip Crosby engine(a)chac.org http://www.chac.org/index.html Computer History Association of California

28 years, 4 months

2
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Probably not counting... DECserver 200/MC

by fmc＠reanimators.org

William Donzelli <william(a)ans.net> wrote (after Daniel Seagraves): > > I just got a DECserver 200/MC to act as a termserver for my 11/34 when it > > comes back up... ANyone know how to get setup on here? > > This may not count as a computer, but I do need help... > > OK, so I am not familiar with the unit, but why would it not count as a > "computer"? Is it not yet ten years old (for this list)? If not it's close. I was responsible for one or two in 1988 or so, and we got it from somewhere else so it must have been around for a little while before then. It's a terminal server. I never took a screwdriver to one but it clearly had some smarts inside. To the best of my knowledge it will not do TCP/IP, but my knowledge is a bit dated. Maybe DEC found a way to cram it in there but I think they only had TCP/IP support in later models of terminal server. On powerup it has about enough code in it to download the code that makes it useful over Ethernet using DEC MOP. Supposing it finds a willing MOP server with the appropriate loadable image it will then be able to do DEC LAT over Ethernet. So you could hook terminals or modems up with it and have them talk to a LAT host, or you could hook up a printer and establish a LAT print queue on a VMS host, or you could hook its serial ports up to some other computer's serial ports and set it up as a LAT server that other LAT users could connect to. Is it useful/usable with -11s? I don't know, I used it with VAXen, but that's been eight or nine years ago and I don't really remember them that well. -Frank McConnell

28 years, 4 months

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GridPad 1910

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

I recently got a GridPad model 1910, and I have a few questions... Does anyone know of a source for batteries? (Mine doesn't have one) Is there a version of basic specifically for the gridpad, or does anyone know how to get input from the screen with a general PC Basic? Does it require any special type of keyboard? Anyone have any documentation for it, especially for the docking station? connector on the bottom? Anyone have or know of software for it? This thing is pretty rugged, and I'm thinking it would be great to mount in my Land Rover to use for navigation (which means finding a DOS-based nav program that can work with a GPS.) Thanks! --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)ricochet.net that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 4 months

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Info On PIMs wanted.

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 08:11 PM 11/12/97 +0000, you wrote: >OK, so they weren't called that early on. But still, that's what >they're called now. What I really want is something small, but >powerful. (This classic is going to get USED) I have two schedule >programs; MS Schedule+ and a program called Sidekick 2.0, for DOS, made >in the early 90's. Compatibility would help. I also want something >that's not to hard to find, and I can get for less than a Palm Pilot. (A >lot less, if possible.) Your choices include: Amstrad PDA-600 (maybe DOS?) Atari Portfolio (DOS) Poquet PC (DOS) GridPad (DOS, not very small) HP handhelds Dauphin DTR-1 (DOS/Windows) Maybe a couple of others None of those are cheap. Portfolios and Poquets seem to sell for well over $100. Same for the gridpad. I dunno about the various HP handhelds, but I suspect they're expensive too. I got (not yet -- it's on its way) my Amstrad PDA-600 for $60. Dauphins are more than a Pilot. Of the lot, the HP's are probably the most powerful. Another option would be an early Newton or one of the machines that came out at the same time (like the Zoomer). --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)ricochet.net that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 4 months

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Anyone have a used copy of this book?

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

>Try http://www.powells.com next to Amazon they're about the biggest Whups. Got confused a bit in my last reply. This isn't the Land Rover list. So ignore the (true, but) irrelevant comment about Land Rover manuals. --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)ricochet.net that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 4 months

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Sick PDP-8/f: Need Diode Info!

by mcquiggi＠sfu.ca

Hi David: > boards for decoupling capacitors, if their is one near each chip then that > is what it is, any .01uf ceramic would replace it. It would be on the > traces to the corner power and ground pins. Well there ARE a bunch of them, they ARE near several ICs, and they are in parallel with one side at ground. I think you're right. I think I have found the major problem with my board: The symptom I'm experiencing is that the DC OK H line, nominally 3.2V, drops to 2.2V when the M8310 is inserted into the backplane, and then the machine doesn't work anymore (not really, just can't RUN from the toggle switches). This voltage stays constant at 3.2V either on an empty backplane, or with all boards except the M8310 installed. Put the 8310 in and the voltage drops to 2.2V. I've traced this DC OK H pin to the input of a 7404 IC on the 8310 board. With power off, the gate's input and output are seen to be at ground, i.e. I think the gate is shorted. I wonder if you could look at your printset and see where the DC OK H line actually goes and what happens after the 7404? I think this is a bad chip. Thanks in advance, Kevin > > If you need any more help email me > > David Gesswein. > -- Kevin McQuiggin VE7ZD mcquiggi(a)sfu.ca

28 years, 4 months

2
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6800

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<I have just done a search in the Jameco catalogue and although there are <some 8080A for sale the 6800 seem NOT to be available anymore..... I just got hardcopy catalong this week and also checked on line. They have it! The 8080A is the same thing and the 6800 also came in a B part (different speed). Allison

28 years, 4 months

4
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Kim Help

by jrkeys＠concentric.net

Today I picked up a KIM-1 with Commodore/MOS label for free they had it in the trash at the yard. No power supply was with it and they sold these for 169.99 with power supply. Anyone have information or know were I can get a power supply for this unit? Thanks John Keep Computing !!!

28 years, 4 months

2
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Victor 9000

by jrkeys＠concentric.net

This machine came with a green-phosphor, slow-phosphor screen that's sharp and rock steady. The screen tilts up and down and left and right for maximum comfort. It has a silent keyboard with a large shift key next to the Z, the return key is also large, and the cursor-movement keys are separate from the numeric keypad. The disk drives are 5 1/4-inch and hold 640k each and are expandable to 1200k each. 128k of user programmable memory is standard. It sold for $4995 new. It had a 16-bit processor like the IBM and you could buy a plug-in card that increased the memory by 64k for $600 that also had the Z-80 microprocessor on it and allows you to run CP/M. This was called a Victor-80 Card. The 9000 does excellent monochrome graphics but it will not do color graphics. Hopes this info helps John Keep Computing !!! At 10:21 AM 11/13/97 -0800, you wrote: >Hi ya. I have a Victor 9000 computer. Is this a DOS machine or a CP/M >machine? I cannot get it to boot from a disk (MS-DOS 3.2) and I haven't >found anymore information on it. Anything you can tell me abut it will >be great. Thanks > >Anthony (Tony) Lee > > >

28 years, 4 months

1
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DEC Rainbow

by jrkeys＠concentric.net

Do a web search there many rainbow sites that offer software for download. At 04:46 PM 11/10/97 -0500, you wrote: > DOS or CP/M? > >manney(a)nwohio.com > >> I just bought a DEC Rainbow, does anyone have any idea where I can get a >>boot disk for it? >> >> Thanks >> Charlie Fox >> >> >> > > > >

28 years, 4 months

1
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DEC Rainbow 100

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<From CLASSICCMP-owner(a)u.washington.edu Thu Nov 13 22:16:58 1997 <Received: from lists2.u.washington.edu by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) < id AA00816; Thu, 13 Nov 1997 17:31:05 -0500 <Received: from host (lists.u.washington.edu [140.142.56.13]) < by lists2.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW97.07/8.8.4+UW97.05) with SMT < id OAA02819; Thu, 13 Nov 1997 14:26:25 -0800 <Received: from mx3.u.washington.edu (mx3.u.washington.edu [140.142.13.230] < by lists.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW97.07/8.8.4+UW97.05) with ESMT < id OAA39428 for <classiccmp(a)lists.u.washington.edu>; Thu, 13 Nov 1997 14 <Received: from bsdserver.tek-star.net (bsdserver.tek-star.net [206.29.81.10 < by mx3.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW97.07/8.8.4+UW97.09) with ESMTP < id OAA05558 for <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>; Thu, 13 Nov 1997 14:25:07 <Received: from localhost (dseagrav@localhost) by bsdserver.tek-star.net (8. <What is this? I have one. It's decs a80/8088 powered alter to a PC. <Some guy brought it in, said it was an XT he got at a garage sale, and <wanted it upgraded. Bought it for $10. Fall on floor laughing. While similar it's not upgradeable to a XT. First off it has 768k of ram(or more) possible if not installed. Unlike IBM they actaully fully decoded addresses for memeory so there are no "holes" There is a z80 that does IO and it ran both CP/m-80/86(both!) and MSDOS2.11. <No video or whatever... Should have a tube and LK201 keyboard as well as it has video and all. It was a vastly better machine than the XT but not as accepted due to poor marketing by DEC(actually none at all!) It was faster than the XT and had at the time of offering better graphics. <Is it a PDP relative? Only in that it came from DEC. No PDP-11 or PDP-8 connection. Allison

28 years, 4 months

2
1
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System/34

by Zeus334＠aol.com

In a message dated 97-11-13 06:51:18 EST, you write: << Subj: Re: System/34 Date: 97-11-13 06:51:18 EST From: Philip.Belben(a)powertech.co.uk Sender: CLASSICCMP-owner(a)u.washington.edu Reply-to: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu To: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu (Discussion re-collecting of classic computers) > Sorry, folks. I've been asking around about what a System/74 is. I looked, > and it's really a System/34. Could someone tell me what they were for, how > much they were sold for, what year they are, what they're worth now, etc,etc. > Thanks. I used a System'34 when I worked for IBM in 1985-86. It was old then - late '70s?. I seem to remember about 224K of RAM, possibly 256MB of hard disk. There were a number of posts on this subject on this list in late September - start with the thread on IBM 5120 on 18th. I would be very sad to see such a system vanish - I have a certain affection for it after discovering that I - the newest student - knew more about system/34s than anyone else in the building (this wasn't much - the building housed two marketing units). If you - or someone - do manage to acquire this sys/34, I may have some spare copies of one or two pocket quick reference guides I could send you. I'm pretty sure I've got OCL pocket reference (about 1/2 inch thick) and I may have the Assembler pocket reference. Finally, where is this machine? If it is in England or Wales I might consider acquiring it myself... Philip. >> This machine is in Boston, MA, USA. It also has three very ugly terminals - anyone know what kind?

28 years, 4 months

3
2
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6800

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<Well I want it for my CPU collection and therefore it is QUITE different <to me... < Enrico, What your saying is you want a real Intel 1974 C8080D date code part! That's the commercial grade cermet package part that was the initial offering. Not an AMD, NEC or some dozen others, not all identical. On the other hand if you really wanted all of the various permutations of the 8080 and there are at least 4 or 5 (all pre 1979) I know of. You'd have to consider the 8080a a find as that is still pre '79 design! You have to qualify the vendor and mask set used of or if it was a reverse engineerd design like the NEC parts the 8080, 8080a and 8080af. Of course there were subtleties like the round lid uPD8080AFD or the square. So if you are going to preserve history, you have to be a lot more specific. Or otherwise an 8080A is really then just another 8080! It's the specific part, vendor and die level aspects of the history you loose by collecting those 40 pin slabs of plastic or ceramic indiscriminately. FYI: the MDS I have has a intel 8080 cermet late 74 date code nonstandard branding hand written part number. It appears to be a engineering sample marking. I also have several dated copies of the 8080 and NEC 8080 parts as they were different both in packaging and specifications. Never minding the other intel one from my altair(early 75). The 6800D1 board I have has a MC6800L, that's the cermet 1mhz part circa 1976(august if the datecode reads right). Since I was designing with and using these parts I retained samples that I never threw out as I figured some day I may use them again. they are also part of the collection of processors that includes the DEC T-11 single chip version of the PDP-11 chips I have with DC310es60 (engineering samples 4 of them). One of the ES parts is in a internal DEC demo/proto board. Then there are the pre '79 SC/MP, cosmac, Intersil, TI I know a bit about the history as I was one of the now older hackers from then! Allison

28 years, 4 months

1
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Bogus CD drive

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

well, a cd disk cleaning kit only costs <$10. I myself dont even know how one would clean a cd drive if it was taken apart as the disk cleaner would do everything. david In a message dated 11/13/97 10:05:55 PM Eastern Standard Time, engine(a)chac.org writes: << My primary computer has a Toshiba 3401 (couple-years-old) caddy-type SCSI CD drive in it. This is from back when they were expensive and built like tanks. It is now generally choking on software CD's and skipping horribly on audio CD's. My Wintel guru says that it is literally not worth trying to clean the thing, that the cost of a cleaning will exceed the cost of a new 8X or 10X SCSI CD drive, and the bother of going inside the case, removing, and re-installing will be the same. I hate to pitch this drive, it's worked so well; is there anything non-invasive I can try before I give up on it? thanks much, __________________________________________ Kip Crosby >>

28 years, 4 months

2
1
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[11/34A] ARRRRGH!! <sound of head banging on wall>

by dseagrav＠bsdserver.tek-star.net

The BUS ERROR wasn't from the card not being installed. I reinstalled everything, and it refuses to boot. Apparently, I've snipped the wrong wires on the UDA50 slots. Or forgotten to plug things in... No, that's not it. EVerything's plugged in, the lights on the UDA strobe, I've cut the wrong pins and boogered this up worse. I really should stop destroying these machines and just pass them on to more capable people... But I like them too much. Where are the pins I am SUPPOSED to have clipped? I'll rejumper the old ones, it doesn't look hard...

28 years, 4 months

2
8
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11/44's

by JAiken8269＠aol.com

I saw your request for info regarding UNIBUS pinouts. I will try to look them up for you... no promises though. I have a complete set of 11/44 boards and a couple of 1 MB memory boards for it. Would you be interested in them? Reasonable offers or begging will be considered. John Aiken JAiken8269(a)aol.com

28 years, 4 months

2
1
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DOS versions

by engine＠chac.org

At 15:52 11/13/97 -0500, you wrote: >I could probably get you a full distribution of MS-DOS 3.2, with manual, >reference cards, etc. It depends where I have to ship it. There are maybe 5 >copies, so if anyone else wants them.... Do remember, though, that of the DOSes under discussion in this thread, both 3.2 and 4.0 were prone to notably ugly behavior. The fix to 3.2 was 3.3, the fix to 4.0 was 4.01. Of that list, what I would hold out for is either 3.3, which was quite good, or Compaq 3.31, which was the jewel in the crown. __________________________________________ Kip Crosby engine(a)chac.org http://www.chac.org/index.html Computer History Association of California

28 years, 4 months

1
0
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Docs wanted: Scantron OMR units

by jimw＠agora.rdrop.com

Snickering quietly at the visions of people fleeing in terror and revulsion... B^} I'm seeking some docs on a couple of recent additions to the collection. (be kind, they both have microprocessors so they at least kind of fall into the charter) I've rescued a Scantron 888MP test scorer OMR unit and a model 8400 (option 40) OMR page reader, both (of course) with no docs, information, or software. (for the 8400 at least, the 888MP is a stanmd-alone) So... after the prerequsite inquires toward Scantron (which so far have netted a couple of nice catalogs, and an offer to sell me the latest/neatest units, but nothing useful for what I've got... I turn here... So... if anyone has (or has access to) spare manuals (or copies thereof), I'd appreciate hearing from you... Hey, this could even be an opportunity to dump that carton of old Scantron (bubble) forms you have been using for note pads and connect the dot (bubble?) games! <G> -jim --- jimw(a)agora.rdrop.com The Computer Garage - http://www.rdrop.com/~jimw Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Victor 9000

by Zeus334＠aol.com

In a message dated 97-11-13 10:46:26 EST, you write: << Subj: Re: Victor 9000 Date: 97-11-13 10:46:26 EST From: Aperiodic(a)aol.com Sender: CLASSICCMP-owner(a)u.washington.edu Reply-to: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu To: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu (Discussion re-collecting of classic computers) To All: Know where I might be able to obtain MS-DOS 3.2, 3.3, or 4.0 on a 5.25" disks? This would be for an older machine--my only other alternative is to remove a 5.25" drive and plug it into my "newer" HP, download DOS and CP/M from the internet, and save it to this drive. Anybody else had to do something similar to get a boot disk for their older computer? Any experiences would be extremely helpful. Sam >> I could probably get you a full distribution of MS-DOS 3.2, with manual, reference cards, etc. It depends where I have to ship it. There are maybe 5 copies, so if anyone else wants them....

28 years, 4 months

1
0
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System/34

by allisonp＠world.std.com

< >> <This machine is in Boston, MA, USA. It also has three very ugly terminals <anyone know what kind? < Hey, it's local to me. I think I know people that might want it and I can move it if it fits in a toyota pickup. Myself I know little of IBM stuff other than PC XTs. What is a sys/34? How big? Allison

28 years, 4 months

1
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6800

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<Aaaaah! but does the "A" at the end of the number makes any difference? <I think it does: it's not THE 8080 then. Then you know not the 8080! Actually the A was identical save for the NEC 8080 which was interchangeable in most cases but, had a different Hold state, they corrected that with the 8080AF part. Generally the answer is no it makes no difference. Allison

28 years, 4 months

2
1
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6800

by e.tedeschi＠ndirect.co.uk

I have a spare new 6800 which I would like to swap for a similar 8080. Any taker? Thank you enrico -- ============================================================ Enrico Tedeschi, 54, Easthill Drive, BRIGHTON BN41 2FD, U.K. tel/fax +(0)1273 701650 (24 hours) or 0850 104725 mobile website: <http://www.Brighton-UK.com> ============================================================

28 years, 4 months

2
4
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Victor 9000

by keyboardman＠orbiter.com

Hi ya. I have a Victor 9000 computer. Is this a DOS machine or a CP/M machine? I cannot get it to boot from a disk (MS-DOS 3.2) and I haven't found anymore information on it. Anything you can tell me abut it will be great. Thanks Anthony (Tony) Lee

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Victor 9000

by Aperiodic＠aol.com

To All: Know where I might be able to obtain MS-DOS 3.2, 3.3, or 4.0 on a 5.25" disks? This would be for an older machine--my only other alternative is to remove a 5.25" drive and plug it into my "newer" HP, download DOS and CP/M >from the internet, and save it to this drive. Anybody else had to do something similar to get a boot disk for their older computer? Any experiences would be extremely helpful. Sam

28 years, 4 months

1
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Victor 9000

by Philip.Belben＠powertech.co.uk

> Hi ya. I have a Victor 9000 computer. Is this a DOS machine or a CP/M > machine? I cannot get it to boot from a disk (MS-DOS 3.2) and I haven't > found anymore information on it. Anything you can tell me abut it will > be great. Thanks AFAIK, both DOS and CP/M86 were available for it. It is not IBM compatible, though - neither the architecture nor the disk format - so attempting to boot from a PC disk won't achieve much. I have an Act Sirius-1 which I believe is a re-badged Victor 9000. If the worst comes to the worst I can attempt to copy some disks and snail-mail them to you. However I am in the UK and I imagine you are in the US, so you ought to be able to find people to help you nearer at hand... Philip.

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

6800

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<I have a spare new 6800 which I would like to swap for a similar 8080. < Here in the USA JAMECO sells 6800s for $1.95. they are still pretty easy to come by. I should pick one up as I've done little with that chip. Allison

28 years, 4 months

1
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System/34

by Philip.Belben＠powertech.co.uk

> Sorry, folks. I've been asking around about what a System/74 is. I looked, > and it's really a System/34. Could someone tell me what they were for, how > much they were sold for, what year they are, what they're worth now, etc,etc. > Thanks. I used a System'34 when I worked for IBM in 1985-86. It was old then - late '70s?. I seem to remember about 224K of RAM, possibly 256MB of hard disk. There were a number of posts on this subject on this list in late September - start with the thread on IBM 5120 on 18th. I would be very sad to see such a system vanish - I have a certain affection for it after discovering that I - the newest student - knew more about system/34s than anyone else in the building (this wasn't much - the building housed two marketing units). If you - or someone - do manage to acquire this sys/34, I may have some spare copies of one or two pocket quick reference guides I could send you. I'm pretty sure I've got OCL pocket reference (about 1/2 inch thick) and I may have the Assembler pocket reference. Finally, where is this machine? If it is in England or Wales I might consider acquiring it myself... Philip.

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Qume

by yakowenk＠cs.unc.edu

Thanks for the tips! I had found something that I suspected was an optical sensor, but wasn't too sure. And cleaning it out as best I could didn't change anything. Of course, I couldn't get at the thing very well. And, as Tony pointed out, common-sense wiring of the thing would mean the problem couldn't have been just a dirty lens. The good news is that I have a working drive to compare against, so tracing the problem shouldn't be that hard. Maybe this weekend... ] Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 10:28:14 +0000 (GMT) ] From: Tony Duell <ard(a)odin.phy.bris.ac.uk> ] Subject: Re: Qume? ] ] On Mon, 10 Nov 1997, Bill Yakowenko wrote: blah, blah, blah... ] Lots of useful bits deleted... ] ] ... It shouldn't be too hard to trace the signal from the ] phototransistor to the Trk00 pin through the logic chips, though. You'd think so. The last time I tried fixing these drives (a couple years ago) I was trying to work backwards from the select LED. Had big problems tracing the circuit because the traces go under chips, and often turn corners under there, so you can't see which ones go where. And I was paranoid about using a continuity-checker for fear of putting voltage someplace where it could do damage. (Was that being excessive?) On the other hand, it should be trivial to measure voltage of the Trk00 signal at the connector, and see if it was getting that far. Divide and conquer - the first secret of debugging. ] ] -tony ] Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 09:05:15 -0800 (PST) ] From: Tim Shoppa <shoppa(a)alph02.triumf.ca> ] Subject: Re: Qume? ] ] > ...got service manuals?... ] ] I wish I did. What model do you have? I'm looking for manuals ] for the Qume Datatrack 8 (DSDD, full-height.) They are DT/8's, full height, I think DSDD (a megabyte per floppy). ] But lacking a manual, you still can trace the circuitry by hand; ] it's all SSI TTL, discrete components, and a couple of simple ] analog chips. Yup. Sounds easy. If I wasn't so @#!% paranoid with the meter. ] ] Tim. (shoppa(a)triumf.ca) ] Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 17:33:51 +0000 (GMT) ] From: Tony Duell <ard(a)odin.phy.bris.ac.uk> ] Subject: Re: Qume? ] ... ] Still blowing dust out of the sensor can't do any harm, and it's something ] that I'd do first anyway, as it can't help the problem. ] Will try it again, disassembling the thing if necessary to get access. ] ] -tony Thanks guys! Bill.

28 years, 4 months

2
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FWD: FREE to good home: IBM RT 6150s

by jrkeys＠concentric.net

I'm open for it, anyone else ? At 11:14 PM 11/11/97 -0500, you wrote: >I'd like to snag one of those as well. Any chance of doing some sort of coordinated roadtrip with folks meeting in a central place for distribution? > >-- Tony Eros > Digital Equipment Corporation > >---------- >From: John R. Keys Jr.[SMTP:jrkeys@concentric.net] >Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 1997 7:44 PM >To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers >Subject: Re: FWD: FREE to good home: IBM RT 6150s > >If no one close want them I could drive from Minnesota to your home a >meeting place close to the IL border one of these weekends before snow hits. >John >At 09:16 PM 11/10/97 -0500, you wrote: >>Found the following on comp.sys.ibm.pc.rt >>Anybody near him wanna rescue these machines. >> >>I acquired one about a month ago here in Indiana, along >>with a fairly complete set of books and disks. Mine has >>two ESDI drives (300mb & 110mb) and loaded with >>AIX 2.2. It's a tower case about 24" x 24" x 9". >>If I remember the front panel says System 135. >> >>Mike Thompson >> >>================================================== >>Subject: FREE to good home: IBM RT 6150s >>From: Bill Bradford <mrbill(a)texas.net> >>Date: Sun, Nov 9, 1997 20:52 EST >>Message-id: <645pd8$cbc$1(a)news3.texas.net> >> >>I recently acquired this whole bunch, with the intention of getting >>at least a couple of them reloaded and working; however, I've now >>got plans to move soon, and cant afford to move these machines. I'd >>like to see them go to a good home; so they're free to the first >>person to come pick them up. >> >>System Configurations: (6 systems) >> EAP processors (16mb RAM each) >> dual ESDI hard drives (unknown size) >> SIIG ISA-bus I/O cards >> Graphic cards with 6153 mono monitors >> Ethernet (AUI / 10base2) cards >> ESDI controller cards >> >>The other system only has the HDs and ESDI controller card (no CPU card >> or other cards). Also, one of the above systems is lacking the 1.2mb >>floppy drive; it may be the same system that is lacking a CPU card. >> >>I beleive 3 or 4 of the machines also have tape drive controller >>cards; and I have three external IBM QIC tape drives to go with them. >>I've also got a 15" monochrome IBM monitor that has a DB9 data cable >>connector. >> >>I've got some manuals (User's manual, problem determination guide, and >>2-3 others) in the IBM binders. >> >>Systems are located in Austin, Texas. You'll need a good-sized pickup >>truck or van to haul all of them away. If you're interested, let me know. >>It sucks to let these go, but I cant afford to move them along with my >>other computer equipment. >> >>I can be reached at mrbill(a)texas.net. >> >>-- >>Bill Bradford Sr. Systems Engineer ICQ: 1864511 >>mrbill(a)texas.net Texas Networking, Inc. http://www.texas.net >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > > > >

28 years, 4 months

1
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Encore Computer Infinity 90 System

by yakowenk＠cs.unc.edu

Anybody know what it is? There's one up for grabs in OK, by US govt. auction. Here's a URL; dork around with it to find related info: http://www.drms.dla.mil/drmo/sales/misc/SY3AFB20377002A157-1.html Looks pretty cool, but it's a thousand or two miles from here... Bill.

28 years, 4 months

2
1
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866 lbs

by yakowenk＠cs.unc.edu

28 years, 4 months

1
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0 0

Need Info: Sick PDP-8/f (Diode)

by mcquiggi＠sfu.ca

Hi Allison: > <> Your best bet is the 1N914 silicon diode. The one your replacing is likel > <> not germainium. 1n914s are available from many sources (even radio crap > <> for a few cents a peice. > > Trust me they are not caps, the part someone described would come into > common use about 5-8 years later! To tell if they are diodes an > ohmeter(VOM) and check for resistance one way and open circuit the other. > No resistance in either direction is a cap! I spoke with a fellow who has a print set for the board, he indicated that there are no diodes on the board at all. There are, however, quite a few bypass caps shown on the schematic. My glass devices are all in parallel, each associated to a particular, IC, and are grounded on the other lead. I will have to remove an intact one to check resistance and determine what they are. Thanks for the reply, Kevin -- Kevin McQuiggin VE7ZD mcquiggi(a)sfu.ca

28 years, 4 months

2
1
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HD Floppies in DD Drives

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 05:45 PM 11/10/97 +0000, you wrote: >> (i.e., not looked for) the software to do it. Can someone recommend a PC >> program to read 5.25" (and 3.5"?) diskettes and make images of them? >There is... look into the simtel site and d/l several of them to try >out. Some are DOS, win3.x and win95. >I prefer to archive all of my disks to that dos based imager. I like DOS best too. I'll check it out. Thanks! --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)ricochet.net that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 4 months

2
1
0 0

System/34

by Zeus334＠aol.com

Sorry, folks. I've been asking around about what a System/74 is. I looked, and it's really a System/34. Could someone tell me what they were for, how much they were sold for, what year they are, what they're worth now, etc,etc. Thanks. By the way, I may be able to get my hands on those unidentified IBM network cards, maybe I can get a couple or two. I'll also look if I can find a hub for them. There are also some PS/2s (not for sale), which used to be attached to the network, which is now ethernet. The PS/2s, however, have a weird cable that looks like the monitor power cable. It has a box on the end, about 1" X 1", that has a ton of electrodes. What is that?

28 years, 4 months

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Info On PIMs wanted.

by photze＠batelco.com.bh

OK, so they weren't called that early on. But still, that's what they're called now. What I really want is something small, but powerful. (This classic is going to get USED) I have two schedule programs; MS Schedule+ and a program called Sidekick 2.0, for DOS, made in the early 90's. Compatibility would help. I also want something that's not to hard to find, and I can get for less than a Palm Pilot. (A lot less, if possible.) Thanks for all of your assistance, Tim D. Hotze

28 years, 4 months

1
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Classic "Laptops"

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 08:47 PM 11/10/97 -0500, you wrote: >Now the $64 question. there was a tandy with a 80x4 or 80x8 I do remember >it as it was one of the few with a decent line length. Could that have been the WP-2? (m100-like word processor). I sure hope so, 'cause I could really use the $64... 8^) (Not including later PC laptops of course) --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)ricochet.net that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 4 months

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Correction (Classic "Laptops")

by Philip.Belben＠powertech.co.uk

Earlier this week I wrote: > I wonder. A few weeks ago I bought for L1 at a car boot sale a device > called a Microscribe 320. (Made by a Welsh company, Microscribe Ltd., > but sold with a British Telecom badge.) This is a sub-notebook (7 in > square) terminal with built in text editor, 32K battery backed RAM and > 40 x 8 character display. Before you all jump on me, yes, I know it was > built circa 1983. It is a very nice machine, the only thing wrong with Further investigation shows that my estimate of 1983 was incorrect. The design of the model 320 dates from around 1985, and mine appears to have been built early in 1988. Just to keep the record straight. Philip.

28 years, 4 months

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Classic "Laptops"

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 07:07 PM 11/10/97 -0500, you wrote: >>Actually, the 102 has the same size screen as the 100. Perhaps you're >>thinking of the 200? The 200 is a clamshell design (iirc) with 24x80 >>screen. The 102 was simply a lighter, cheaper-to-make version of the 100. > >Wha? Whoa! Mmmmmm, noper. The 200's screen had only twice the real estate >of the M100 -- it has a 40x16 screen. Yes it was a flip-top which was nice Whups! Sorry. Us po' kids from the big city couldn't never afford none o' dem fancy machineries. 8^) Don't know that I've ever seen a 200 (let alone a 600) in the flesh. One of these days... >(Get this -- the two halves are kept together during transit by *magnets*) Hmmm...doesn't sound like such a great idea, but i guess since it doesn't have a floppy drive... P.S., has there been any messages on the m100 list? I've not gotten any since you signed me up. Thanks! --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)ricochet.net that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 4 months

3
2
0 0

Anyone have a used copy of this book?

by rcini＠email.msn.com

I'm looking for the following book. Does anyone have it? Amazon wants $80+ for it (I think that it's more of a text book than anything else). Thanks! Title: "An Introduction to the Intel Family of Microprocessors: A Hands-on Approach to Utilizing the 8088 Microprocessor" by James L. Antonakos. There are two publishing dates: 1992 and 1996. Rich Cini/WUGNET Charter ClubWin! Member MCP Windows 95/Windows Networking

28 years, 4 months

3
2
0 0

FWD: FREE to good home: IBM RT 6150s

by Anthony.Eros＠digital.com

I'd like to snag one of those as well. Any chance of doing some sort of coordinated roadtrip with folks meeting in a central place for distribution? -- Tony Eros Digital Equipment Corporation ---------- From: John R. Keys Jr.[SMTP:jrkeys@concentric.net] Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 1997 7:44 PM To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers Subject: Re: FWD: FREE to good home: IBM RT 6150s If no one close want them I could drive from Minnesota to your home a meeting place close to the IL border one of these weekends before snow hits. John At 09:16 PM 11/10/97 -0500, you wrote: >Found the following on comp.sys.ibm.pc.rt >Anybody near him wanna rescue these machines. > >I acquired one about a month ago here in Indiana, along >with a fairly complete set of books and disks. Mine has >two ESDI drives (300mb & 110mb) and loaded with >AIX 2.2. It's a tower case about 24" x 24" x 9". >If I remember the front panel says System 135. > >Mike Thompson > >================================================== >Subject: FREE to good home: IBM RT 6150s >From: Bill Bradford <mrbill(a)texas.net> >Date: Sun, Nov 9, 1997 20:52 EST >Message-id: <645pd8$cbc$1(a)news3.texas.net> > >I recently acquired this whole bunch, with the intention of getting >at least a couple of them reloaded and working; however, I've now >got plans to move soon, and cant afford to move these machines. I'd >like to see them go to a good home; so they're free to the first >person to come pick them up. > >System Configurations: (6 systems) > EAP processors (16mb RAM each) > dual ESDI hard drives (unknown size) > SIIG ISA-bus I/O cards > Graphic cards with 6153 mono monitors > Ethernet (AUI / 10base2) cards > ESDI controller cards > >The other system only has the HDs and ESDI controller card (no CPU card > or other cards). Also, one of the above systems is lacking the 1.2mb >floppy drive; it may be the same system that is lacking a CPU card. > >I beleive 3 or 4 of the machines also have tape drive controller >cards; and I have three external IBM QIC tape drives to go with them. >I've also got a 15" monochrome IBM monitor that has a DB9 data cable >connector. > >I've got some manuals (User's manual, problem determination guide, and >2-3 others) in the IBM binders. > >Systems are located in Austin, Texas. You'll need a good-sized pickup >truck or van to haul all of them away. If you're interested, let me know. >It sucks to let these go, but I cant afford to move them along with my >other computer equipment. > >I can be reached at mrbill(a)texas.net. > >-- >Bill Bradford Sr. Systems Engineer ICQ: 1864511 >mrbill(a)texas.net Texas Networking, Inc. http://www.texas.net > > > > > > > > > >

28 years, 4 months

3
2
0 0

Ohio Scientific Challenger series

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

Actually, i have a C1P model that is untested at the moment. I also have plenty of documentation which I have loaned out for copying purposes. My particular model is tan with brown sides. david In a message dated 97-11-07 12:32:24 EST, you write: > Whoops.... Try Challenger > > ========================================================= > George L. Rachor george(a)racsys.rt.rain.com > Beaverton, Oregon > > On Fri, 7 Nov 1997, George Rachor wrote: > > > Forgive me as I have just joined the list but it seems that most of the > > computer collections noted online have missed my favorite machine. > > > > My first machine was an Ohio Scientific C2-4p. I do think my most > > efficient programming was done in that 4K of RAM. > > > > I no longer have the original but do have a couple of it's brothers. The > > last of the series was painted white and had introduced color. To > > complete my collection I'd love to find either a C4 or C8 machine complete > > with Disk subsystem and software. I refuse to believe that I've got the > > only ones left. > > > > George Rachor > >

28 years, 4 months

3
2
0 0

Classic "Laptops"

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<programs) and bank-switched RAM (up to 72K?). I thought the M102 had a <40*8 display, and was simply a slimline M100 with a revised logic board <(used surface mount chips?), etc. < <If that's incorrect, what is the size of the M102 display? It was may memory that the 102 had 80x8. Allison

28 years, 4 months

4
3
0 0

Need Info: Sick PDP-8/f (Diode)

by mcquiggi＠sfu.ca

Hi All: I am working on a sick M8310 board from a PDP-8/f. I've found and removed a broken diode. It has a glass housing and resembles a germanium variety that I used to see often in my early days. The board has over a dozen diodes, all are the same. The diodes are not numbered but have three coloured bands: Orange, Black, Brown. Not having a suitable reference, any '8 owners out there that can tell me what kind of diode I should replace the broken one with? Thanks, Kevin -- Kevin McQuiggin VE7ZD mcquiggi(a)sfu.ca

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

OLD hard drives and enclosure need RESCUE!

by kyrrin2＠wizards.net

FW to: ClassicCmp(a)u.washington.edu CC: cyber(a)prismnet.com Can anyone give the hard drives and enclosures this fellow has a good home? The price is certainly right ($10 + shipping). What they are is two enclosures, each with a pair of Miniscribe 4022's (16 MB each, formatted) in them, and I've also been led to understand that the enclosures contain a SCSI-to-MFM bridge board. Please reply directly to the offerer. Thanks! Attachment follows. -=-=- <snip> -=-=- >X-Sender: cyber(a)prismnet.com >X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0 (32) >Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 15:28:02 -0600 >To: Bruce Lane <kyrrin2(a)wizards.net> >From: Tom Ray <cyber(a)prismnet.com> >Subject: Re: weird SCSI drives > >I'll take you up on that offer. I hate to throw things out. Anybody wants >them, they can have both of them for the cost of shipping via USmail plus >$10. if that's too much, let me know. Only thing is, I don't even know if >the drives work. > >tom > > > >[snip] >> In short, even if their box does contain a SCSI-to-MFM bridge board, >>they're pretty useless for much of anything current. HOWEVER -- do NOT just >>throw them out! Sell them (at no more than $20 for the whole thing) to >>someone who can give them a good home, or donate them to whatever computer >>charity is in your area. >> >> One other alternative is that I'm a member of a mailing list of folks that >>collect "classic" (read: more than 10 years old) hardware/software. Those >>drives might be just what some collector needs to get that old Osborne or >>Altair of theirs going with a good hard drive. I can, if you'd like, >>forward a 'for sale/trade' note to the list for you. If anyone's >>interested, they'd contact you directly. >> >> Best of luck, no matter what happens. >> >> >>-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- >>Bruce Lane, Sysop, The Dragon's Cave BBS (Fidonet 1:343/272) > > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Bruce Lane, Sysop, The Dragon's Cave BBS (Fidonet 1:343/272) (Hamateur: WD6EOS) (E-mail: kyrrin2(a)wizards.net) http://www.wizards.net/technoid "Our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our own human terms. It cannot, in any way, define any of them..."

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

FWD: FREE to good home: IBM RT 6150s

by jrkeys＠concentric.net

If no one close want them I could drive from Minnesota to your home a meeting place close to the IL border one of these weekends before snow hits. John At 09:16 PM 11/10/97 -0500, you wrote: >Found the following on comp.sys.ibm.pc.rt >Anybody near him wanna rescue these machines. > >I acquired one about a month ago here in Indiana, along >with a fairly complete set of books and disks. Mine has >two ESDI drives (300mb & 110mb) and loaded with >AIX 2.2. It's a tower case about 24" x 24" x 9". >If I remember the front panel says System 135. > >Mike Thompson > >================================================== >Subject: FREE to good home: IBM RT 6150s >From: Bill Bradford <mrbill(a)texas.net> >Date: Sun, Nov 9, 1997 20:52 EST >Message-id: <645pd8$cbc$1(a)news3.texas.net> > >I recently acquired this whole bunch, with the intention of getting >at least a couple of them reloaded and working; however, I've now >got plans to move soon, and cant afford to move these machines. I'd >like to see them go to a good home; so they're free to the first >person to come pick them up. > >System Configurations: (6 systems) > EAP processors (16mb RAM each) > dual ESDI hard drives (unknown size) > SIIG ISA-bus I/O cards > Graphic cards with 6153 mono monitors > Ethernet (AUI / 10base2) cards > ESDI controller cards > >The other system only has the HDs and ESDI controller card (no CPU card > or other cards). Also, one of the above systems is lacking the 1.2mb >floppy drive; it may be the same system that is lacking a CPU card. > >I beleive 3 or 4 of the machines also have tape drive controller >cards; and I have three external IBM QIC tape drives to go with them. >I've also got a 15" monochrome IBM monitor that has a DB9 data cable >connector. > >I've got some manuals (User's manual, problem determination guide, and >2-3 others) in the IBM binders. > >Systems are located in Austin, Texas. You'll need a good-sized pickup >truck or van to haul all of them away. If you're interested, let me know. >It sucks to let these go, but I cant afford to move them along with my >other computer equipment. > >I can be reached at mrbill(a)texas.net. > >-- >Bill Bradford Sr. Systems Engineer ICQ: 1864511 >mrbill(a)texas.net Texas Networking, Inc. http://www.texas.net > > > > > > > > > >

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Varian 620/i information and software wanted

by hansp＠columbia.digiweb.com

I spent a most enjoyable day today writing an emulator for the varian 620/i processor. I have a few questions about the handling of the overflow flag if anyone can help. Also does anyone have any software for the beastie? What happend to the Varian computer division? Regards, -- Hans B. Pufal : <mailto:hansp@digiweb.com> Comprehensive Computer Catalogue : <http://www.digiweb.com/~hansp/ccc/> _-_-__-___--_-____-_--_-_-____--_---_-_---_--__--_--_--____---_--_--__--_

28 years, 4 months

2
1
0 0

HD Floppies in DD Drives

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 08:43 AM 11/9/97 -0600, you wrote: >Here's a silly question, but one I've never understood: Not that silly; but I'm afraid I don't recall the answer. 8^) >Since some of the software for my "old" (first generation PC) computers >is on 5 1/4" disks of dubious condition, I would like to make copies I think the best way to do this is to make disk images. I know the Mac can do this with Mac disks, and I'm sure the PC can too, but I've not found (i.e., not looked for) the software to do it. Can someone recommend a PC program to read 5.25" (and 3.5"?) diskettes and make images of them? This, I think, is where syquest drives (and similar) come in *very* handy. You can store the images on a removeable disk and not bother taking up fixed disk space for them. --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)ricochet.net that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 4 months

5
4
0 0

11/34A PSU: Here we go again...

by dseagrav＠bsdserver.tek-star.net

Replaced the 1.5A breaker with a 20 (One of the origionals) Now I have a 15, and a 20. The other origional one is toast, the insides were banged up. I reglued the handle to the 20. About to try this drill again... Got it! It works! Halts with BUS ERR 'cause I removed the RX controller! Now to take it in the next room and attach devices...

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

34A Power Trouble. I calmed down, here's the facts...

by dseagrav＠bsdserver.tek-star.net

Alright. It wasn't powering on because I left J3 unplugged. When I plug in J5 (4-wire plug on the line power module) everything goes. I can plug in everything else, and all I get is a relay click. I found the easy way to play with these plugs is to set the BA11 upside-down on the table, and unmount the PSU so I can get access. What is J5 for and what voltages are supposed to be there? I have an oscope here, and I may be able to dig out a VOM... It's obvious I switched wires or something in the line power module. Visual inspection shows nothing obviously wrong...

28 years, 4 months

3
10
0 0

apple rgb monitor problems

by pb14＠leicester.ac.uk

On 10 Nov 97 at 18:15, Zane H. Healy wrote: > >This really sounds like the monitor for an Apple IIgs. I have three > >such monitors. (One isn't in very good shape and the other two are > >in use.) I think there are some Macs that can use this monitor, but I'm > >not positive. Make sure you are using analog RGB, not digital. No standard Macintosh can use the Apple IIgs RGB monitor. The video port on the Mac provides a signal with a horizontal scan rate of about 35kHz -- this figure is for the Mac II; newer Macs may be higher. The Apple IIgs monitor and system video port use a scan rate of about 15.75kHz. Both IIgs and Mac systems provide analog signals. > In my opinion the LC would have been the most likely to be able to use the > monitor. The LC and IIsi were the first (non compact) Macs to have video on the main board and folks were pleased to note that, using the right cable, it was possible to hook up to a standard grotty PC VGA display. The pinouts are available in Apple's Tech Info library. > I'd heard rumors that it would, but when you think about the fact > that they'll all work with a Multisync monitor, doesn't really make sense. Lots of older computers will work with the early Multisync monitors. I've used the same Multisync on my IIgs and on a PC. I've run out of D-connectors temporarily; when I've been shopping I'll sort out the cables to attach the monitor to my (digital output) Apple III and to an LC-series Mac. Phil ************************************************************** Phil Beesley -- Computer Officer -- Distributed Systems Suppport University of Leicester Tel (0)116 252-2231 E-Mail pb14(a)le.ac.uk

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

34A power problems

by dseagrav＠bsdserver.tek-star.net

Okay, I narrowed it down some: I unplugged everything except J3, the power switch. I plugged in that edge connector to the line module, OK. Power on: loud click, but the breakers held. Next, I plugged in J5. Power on: *CRACK!* Both breakers go. The breaker on the powerstrip is holding though. What is P5 for?

28 years, 4 months

2
1
0 0

Commie & Apple stuff..

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

Just an FYI... www.classifieds2000.com/cgi-cls/ad.exe?P1+C220+A0+R12409+Q101422074 Old Computer Various Dell,IBM, $15/OBO, Used Description Lots of Samsung Amber monitors.Compaq 286 Deskpro, Dell and IBM 286 Plus all the Commodore and Apple stuff you could want Make Me An Offer!! Seller Info For sale by private party (713) 631-1545 [Day] billbutl(a)swbell.net Houston, Texas - Houston 77078 Post Date 09-NOV-97 Copyright ? 1996-97, Classifieds2000 Inc. All rights reserved. Send any comments, questions, or suggestions to comments(a)classifieds2000.com Employment Opportunities Disclaimer. --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)crl.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Computer collecting humor.

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<> I believe that there are some CPU chips now with 64-bit internal buses. <> Any advance on 64? <Well I believe the HP 85 had a HP propietary CPU with 64 bits internal <running at 613 KHz That was 64bits of internal storage and that is different from a 64bit parallel CPU. Also 613khz is slow. There are otehr 64bit cpus, some are in games and other embedded systems. However the number of systems for general purpose computing using 64 bit cpus are however few. Allison

28 years, 4 months

4
4
0 0

FWD: FREE to good home: IBM RT 6150s

by Mzthompson＠aol.com

Found the following on comp.sys.ibm.pc.rt Anybody near him wanna rescue these machines. I acquired one about a month ago here in Indiana, along with a fairly complete set of books and disks. Mine has two ESDI drives (300mb & 110mb) and loaded with AIX 2.2. It's a tower case about 24" x 24" x 9". If I remember the front panel says System 135. Mike Thompson ================================================== Subject: FREE to good home: IBM RT 6150s From: Bill Bradford <mrbill(a)texas.net> Date: Sun, Nov 9, 1997 20:52 EST Message-id: <645pd8$cbc$1(a)news3.texas.net> I recently acquired this whole bunch, with the intention of getting at least a couple of them reloaded and working; however, I've now got plans to move soon, and cant afford to move these machines. I'd like to see them go to a good home; so they're free to the first person to come pick them up. System Configurations: (6 systems) EAP processors (16mb RAM each) dual ESDI hard drives (unknown size) SIIG ISA-bus I/O cards Graphic cards with 6153 mono monitors Ethernet (AUI / 10base2) cards ESDI controller cards The other system only has the HDs and ESDI controller card (no CPU card or other cards). Also, one of the above systems is lacking the 1.2mb floppy drive; it may be the same system that is lacking a CPU card. I beleive 3 or 4 of the machines also have tape drive controller cards; and I have three external IBM QIC tape drives to go with them. I've also got a 15" monochrome IBM monitor that has a DB9 data cable connector. I've got some manuals (User's manual, problem determination guide, and 2-3 others) in the IBM binders. Systems are located in Austin, Texas. You'll need a good-sized pickup truck or van to haul all of them away. If you're interested, let me know. It sucks to let these go, but I cant afford to move them along with my other computer equipment. I can be reached at mrbill(a)texas.net. -- Bill Bradford Sr. Systems Engineer ICQ: 1864511 mrbill(a)texas.net Texas Networking, Inc. http://www.texas.net

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Classic "Laptops"

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<and is very easy to read for a non-backlit screen, but 80x24's were still <few years away... Tandy got close on the Tandy 600 with 80x16, but the Yes 80x24 were a few year later but, 80x8 was PX8 (and others) and that was like a year away(1984 the latest). Now the $64 question. there was a tandy with a 80x4 or 80x8 I do remember it as it was one of the few with a decent line length. Allison

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Classic Computer Rescue Squad

by photze＠batelco.com.bh

Oh yes, Tim (This could be a Tim-Tim conversation type thing!!!), that would be very nice. Well let's see, I'd have to trade in the Honda for a truck, ship it back to the US from Bahrain, drive down, and then come back. Not my idea of fun. (Sorry, I didn't mean to sound hostile) I've found 30 IBM 400 terminals for $1 a piece, in Western Massachusetts, but no mainframe. Anyway, I need systems, not parts (I need systems for the parts :-) .) But if I get the systems, I'll get the parts. I can even use the most "common" classics, I have a US postal address. Ciao, Tim D. Hotze ---------- From: Tim Shoppa <shoppa(a)alph02.triumf.ca> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: Classic Computer Rescue Squad Date: Thursday, November 06, 1997 9:44 PM > Does anyone have any systems that they could sell me? Anything... all I've > got is an XT that dosn't work. Sure. Come up here with a lift-gate truck and I'll sell you all the Data General Novas, 14" disk drives, and 1/2" 9-track tape drives that you could want. Tim. (shoppa(a)triumf.ca)

28 years, 4 months

7
9
0 0

HD Floppies in DD Drives

by gzozman＠escape.ca

Here's a silly question, but one I've never understood: Why can't a high density 5 1/4" disk be formatted in a double density drive? When I try, DOS returns a "Track 0 Bad" error message. I thought that a HD disk would simply have a denser coating of magnetic material applied evenly over the entire surface of the disk. I don't see why this should cause problems for a DD drive. However, a few questions come to mind. Is the magnetic coating of a different sensitivity, resulting in a weaker signal for the heads to pick up? Is the magnetic coating applied to the media in "tracks", causing problems when a different TPI spec is attempted on the disk? Since some of the software for my "old" (first generation PC) computers is on 5 1/4" disks of dubious condition, I would like to make copies onto new disks. Since HD disks are still readily available and cheap, I thought this would be an ideal way to do so. I also seem to have fried the 5 1/4" HD drive in my PC while sorting through some old software. It seems a couple of disks had some dirt on them which caused horrible screeching sounds when the disk was spinning, and also deposited a very hard black coating on the heads. The only way I could remove the deposits was to scratch it off with my fingernails (alcohol would not touch it). However, I must have bumped the heads out of alignment, because the drive won't read disks any longer. My question is: can I plug a Double Density drive into the same connector in my modern PC and use it for my old disks? I know I will have to change my BIOS setting, but is there anything else I need to consider? Any input on the above would be much appreciated... thanks in advance! Hope this isn't too far off topic. Grant Zozman gzozman(a)escape.ca

28 years, 4 months

2
1
0 0

CIE 680/20 Unix-like workstation

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

Spotted this, thought it might be of interest to someone... >http://www.classifieds2000.com/cgi-cls/ad.exe?P1+C220+A0+R11595+Q8671010 > > Old Computer CIE Systems 6680/20, $50/OBO, Used >> >> Description CIE 680/20 Unix-like workstation. 15 years >> old. Regulus (Unix-like) OS. 2@ 8MB hard >> drives. 0.5 MB RAM. 4-8 MHz clock speed. >> Antique? Many manuals (several hundred >> pages). 3 serial ports. Very large desktop >> unit. Works OK. $50 >> >> Seller Info For sale by private party >> >> (626) 796-5184 [Day] >> (626) 796-5184 [Eve] >> Pasadena, California - L.A. Area 91106 >> >> >> Post Date 30-OCT-97 > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)ricochet.net that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 4 months

3
2
0 0

Classic "Laptops"

by jrkeys＠concentric.net

The 100 is used and in demand overseas, it is used by reporters in the jungles. They have a web site with address if anyone wants donate one. At 04:49 PM 11/10/97 +0000, you wrote: > > >On Mon, 10 Nov 1997 Philip.Belben(a)powertech.co.uk wrote: >> On the subject of early laptops in general, I have heard much in praise >> of the Tandy model 100, but I like the Epson HX20 which has everything >> you could possibly want in a laptop except a decent sized screen! > >Hmmm... Having got both (and an Olivetti M10, Thorn Liberator, etc - no I >don't collect portables), IMHO the keyboard on the HX20 has a much worse >feel than that on the M100. I'd not want to type up anything long on the >HX20, whereas I took my student lecture notes on the M100 (back when the >M100 was almost current...) > >There is a video output option for the HX20. It plugs into the 'serial' >connector (a 38400 baud RS232 link), which is also used for the TF20 disk >drive. I beleive said video interface gave you CGA-like text and graphics. >I've not seen one, however, but it would solve the small-screen problem, >at least when using it at home/on your desk. > >Talking of the HX20, does anyone have a systems disk for the TF20 floppy >drive? I've got the drive and the laptop, but no boot disk, which is a >pity. > > >> >> Philip. >> >> > >-tony > > > >

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Classic "Laptops"

by jrkeys＠concentric.net

Yes they made them (1984)and sold for $249.95. Powered by batteries and 6k of ram. I have one in storage picked it up for $10 about 4 years ago. At 03:09 AM 11/11/97 +1030, you wrote: >A simple question - was the Texas Instruments Compact Computer - the CC-40 >- ever produced? I have some photos in a book here, and it looks neat, but >I have never heard of them and have no idea if they are available >second-hand. > >Adam. > > > >

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Old stuff

by Philip.Belben＠powertech.co.uk

> >> >....in my experience > >> >with IBM network cards, if they're a round (i.e. BNC) connector, > >> >they're probably the old "baseband" stuff that uses lots of coax > >>cable >and a hub/amplifier, and work only with IBM PC-LAN Program > >>and >NetBEUI....the number 2Mb/sec comes > >> >to mind.... > >> Are we talking about Arcnet here? When I think 2Mb/sec, BNC > >>connector, and 8-bit bus, I think Arcnet, but there may have been > >others.... If the cards are _branded_ IBM, chances are well over > >ten to one that they are > >Token Ring. IBM never touched Arcnet, and was hesitant about > >Ethernet. -- > >Ward Griffiths > > If any of those network cards ARE token-ring and have BNC connectors, I > would love to buy a couple. I got an old Token ring MAU several years ago > that has BNC ports and would like to try it out. Can't tell you how many > people have flat out denied that Token Ring was ever carried over coax! > But the existence of the MAU is proof enough that at one time it was done. Wow. I must admit, I thought that token ring required too many wires for co-ax. Or was the 4-wire connection replaced by coax in, coax out? Seriously, if it's IBM and co-ax I'd guess at SNA (Systems Network Architecture - the famous 3270 series terminals and related devices). This was not a PC network architecture at all - it was a loads-of- terminals-into-the-mainframe architecture - and the card would have come with terminal emulator software. BTW, did anyone discover what the IBM System/74 was? The description sounded more like a system/34 to me, and I certainly never heard of the 74 when I worked at IBM. Philip.

28 years, 4 months

2
1
0 0

Fudge! I fudged it up! 34A PSU problems.

by dseagrav＠bsdserver.tek-star.net

Okay, I found a plug I forgot to attach. I plugged it in, switched it on, and the breakers went POP! Nothing burned, no hot smell... Time to start rechecking things!

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Classic "Laptops"

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 12:04 PM 11/10/97 -0500, you wrote: >Tandy improved the 100 with the 102 which has a lager screen. Actually, the 102 has the same size screen as the 100. Perhaps you're thinking of the 200? The 200 is a clamshell design (iirc) with 24x80 screen. The 102 was simply a lighter, cheaper-to-make version of the 100. --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)ricochet.net that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 4 months

2
1
0 0

Old Magazines, was (Building A Computer from Scratch Squad)

by rcini＠email.msn.com

Hotze asked: >PS-Does anyone know where I can get old PC Mag issues? Or any other major >magazine? It's funny that you ask this. My wife's uncle just gave me issue #1 of PC World and issues 2 and 3 of PC Magazine. I'd really like to get my hands on PCMag issue #1! He also gave me a late-model original PC *with* theexpansion box (which I understand is a relatively rare item). Anyway, he was a sales rep for IBM for the PC product, and he kept all sorts of stuff in his attic. I guess that every summer, his wife makes him clean up a little more. I'd say go to garage sales, or put an add in the local newspaper. There's a juy who advertises every month in Nuts & Volts, that he collects pre-1980 equipment, mags, etc. Maybe try the same. Anyway, who knows what else he has up there. I've asked him to save a copy of the IBM songbook for me <g>. Rich Cini/WUGNET <rcini(a)msn.com> - ClubWin! Charter Member (6) - MCP Windows 95/Networking

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

I finally replaced the switches in the 34A, and Guess What! It's , dead!

by dseagrav＠bsdserver.tek-star.net

No reaction to the power whatsoever. Yes, it is plugged in! What did I do wrong? I got all the connections to the switches back in order, it doesn't pop either breaker, just no reaction. Anything in particular I could have missed? WHat's the result of getting that edge connector on upside-down?

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Classic Computer Rescue Squad

by adam＠merlin.net.au

><Now for what Allison was waiting for - a mention of Honeywell :-) When ><FTS went bust, they sold the design of the series-86 to Honeywell-Bull, ><who marketed it as the Microsystem Executive. Needless to say it died Can you describe the Microsystem Executive? I have a Honeywell Microsystem 6, but no details about it. It is about 2 feet high, by 1.5 feet deep and 1 foot wide, finished in black and white. (The plastic front and back is black, while the metal case is white). It's a very big beast for a micro, and runs but a single terminal. Adam.

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Classic "Laptops"

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 03:09 AM 11/11/97 +1030, you wrote: >A simple question - was the Texas Instruments Compact Computer - the CC-40 >- ever produced? I have some photos in a book here, and it looks neat, but Yep. I've got one. --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)ricochet.net that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

DEC Rainbow

by manney＠nwohio.com

DOS or CP/M? manney(a)nwohio.com > I just bought a DEC Rainbow, does anyone have any idea where I can get a >boot disk for it? > > Thanks > Charlie Fox > > >

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Finds & Questions

by manney＠nwohio.com

>HP 75D with 9114 disk drive -- $25 > >My questions concern this last one. The computer itself is about 5" deep by >10" wide by about an inch thick. It has room for three expansion modules >(has two: "Barcode Reader" and "HP 75 I/O") and four connectors on the rear. >Two are in and out to the 9114, one is power (I'm pretty sure) but I'm not >sure about the last. Perhaps input for the barcode wand? What does the mystery connector look like? manney(a)nwohio.com

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

STuff

by manney＠nwohio.com

I'm interested in the 386's...are they boards, or complete systems? manney(a)nwohio.com -----Original Message----- From: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> To: Manney <Manney> Date: Friday, November 07, 1997 3:48 PM Subject: STuff >I have a bunch of wyse 60 terminals, a couple of 386's, an old printer >and various boards etc. Anyone interested. >"Janet Paganelli" <info(a)msnyc.org> > >

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Classic Computer Rescue Squad

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<Now for what Allison was waiting for - a mention of Honeywell :-) When <FTS went bust, they sold the design of the series-86 to Honeywell-Bull, <who marketed it as the Microsystem Executive. Needless to say it died Actually I'm far less interested with what Honeywell-Bull did with x86 chips and moreso with the predecessor computers. They made some big machines at one time. Allison

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Classic Computer Rescue Squad

by mark＠cyberlightstudios.com

---------- + From: Sam Ismail <dastar(a)wco.com> + To: "Discussion re-collecting of classic computers" <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> + Subject: Re: Classic Computer Rescue Squad + Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 06:21:38 -0800 (PST) + +On Sun, 9 Nov 1997, William Donzelli wrote: + +> > > On Sat, 8 Nov 1997, William Donzelli wrote: +> > +> > > 500 years from now, if what I am trying to accomplish with the Vintage +> > > Computer Festival succeeds, the machines which were truly significant from +> > > a social context, meaning the ones which ran the banking system, the +> > > airline system, government, etc. (in other words, the computers which were +> > > the foundation of modern society), will be the ones which we remember, and +> > > the Altair and others of its ilk will be merely novelties. +> > +> > I'd reign in your desire to pidgeonhole computers into "novelties" vs +> > "socially significant" if I were you. Not only is EVERY piece of hardware +> +> Next time you want to turn your flamethrower on, please aim at the right +> person. You quoted me for something I did not say. +> +> William Donzelli +> william(a)ans.net + +Mark, + +I take credit for the original posting. And you make some valid +arguments. What I wrote wasn't meant to be taken as an abridgement of my +total philosophy. + +There's been a problem around here lately of people taking single +sentences from a message and blowing it out of proportion. I wish it +would stop. + +Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com +--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- +Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass + + Coming Soon...Vintage Computer Festival 2.0 + See http://www.siconic.com/vcf for details! + + Hi, Yes, I agree, and I must confess that I sounded a bit more irritated than I actually was! My point, as you note, was that we should consider all of computing's heratige special...but of course, we do, or we wouldn't be reading this list. Sorry if I sounded a bit arrogant.....and thanks for the reply Mark

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Classic "Laptops"

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 04:36 PM 11/9/97 +0000, you wrote: >OK. By the way, speaking of "sub-laptops", does anyone know what kind of models >might be good for me? I just pretty much want to be able to take notes; etc. >Windows CE is cheap enough for me, but they're keyboards aren't for REAL people. >Possibly an Apple Newton? Or are there any classics that have a keyboard large >enough to type on(not two-finger typing.) ? Where can I get one of these Radio >Shack 100's? Good keyboards for taking notes: Radio Shack Model 100/102 NEC PC8201A (M100, but some differences (or vice-versa?)) Epson HX-20 (Not as good, but adequate) Cambridge Z88 (Never used one, but looks good.) Radio Shack WP-2 (Word processor, similar to m100) There are a couple of newer m100-type machines that can act as a keyboard for a Mac or PC as well. And, of course, Apple's E-mate (or whatever it's called.) Or pick up a used '286-ish PC laptop. Generally decent machines, run DOS (lots of available word processors), and cheap. --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)ricochet.net that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Trash

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 02:38 PM 11/8/97 -0500, you wrote: >So, what do you people think I should do when I just can't keep a computer >much longer? I don't want to trash them, but things like XTs, 286s, etc? What >can I do but throw them away when I have no room? Where are you located? There are groups that will recondition them and place them in schools. Groups like the Detwiler Foundation (huge) or the Computer Recycling Project (tiny). I do the same for my girlfriend's school with Mac's. There are also programs that teach kids about fixing them. Lemme know if you need more info and I can dig it up. (I don't do much with most of the groups because I'm able to scrounge the computers and fix them myself.) P.S., if anyone has older mac stuff (Mac II or newer) we can always use it. --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)ricochet.net that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Classic "Laptops"

by adam＠merlin.net.au

A simple question - was the Texas Instruments Compact Computer - the CC-40 - ever produced? I have some photos in a book here, and it looks neat, but I have never heard of them and have no idea if they are available second-hand. Adam.

28 years, 4 months

2
1
0 0

Qume?

by yakowenk＠cs.unc.edu

Today, for the first time in years, I got my old SwTPC S/09 to boot. (pause for applause to die down) But success was not total; floppy drive 0 works fine, but drive 1 just retracts to track 0 and makes a buzzing/grinding noise. I'm guessing that it wants to hit track 0 at the beginning of a seek, can't tell that it has made it there, and is struggling to retract past the legal limit. So, is anybody out there familiar with the mechanics of Qume 8" floppy drives? Is there a switch or optical sensor or something that tells it when it is at track 0? Or, from the description, is it possible/likely that this is an electrical failure, like a dead chip? Anybody got a service manual for one of these critters? Cheers, Bill.

28 years, 4 months

3
3
0 0

Classic "Laptops"

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<> Sounds bogus. The small laptops using 8080 (actually 8085) were the tand <> M-100s and there were also the Epson and NEC but none were before 1979. Most of the early laptops were either 8085 or z80 as both required less support chips than the 8080 (8080+8224+8228) as the 8080 chip set required three voltages and lots of board space. the 8085 or z80 were single 5v at lower power needs. the 6502 was also popular for the application. <On the subject of early laptops in general, I have heard much in praise <of the Tandy model 100, but I like the Epson HX20 which has everything <you could possibly want in a laptop except a decent sized screen! Tandy improved the 100 with the 102 which has a lager screen. Allison

28 years, 4 months

3
2
0 0

Classic Computer Rescue Squad

by Philip.Belben＠powertech.co.uk

> < Another "cute" blurb, "CP/M-86 is the 16 bit version of the de facto > <industry standard microcomputer operating system, CPM. Once a user > <slips the 8-inch floppy containing CPM-86 into a (IBM) Displaywriter, > <an entirely new world of data processing will open up on the typist's > <desk." Sounds almost pornographic. ; ^ )) > > Call that a snapshot in time before the PC explosion. I like it! I used a Displaywriter occasionally at IBM, but I never knew it had an 8088/86 in it! I didn't even know you could get a general purpose operating system for it. It was a very nice machine, and ran a version of Displaywrite nicer than _any_ of the PC implementations. I'd love to get one for my collection... Well, there you are. A non-IBM-compatible with an 8088/86, and made by IBM too! I would add the FTS series-88 - a very strange British box with an 8088 in it, also running CP/M-86. An 8086 CPU card exists, but the machine was soon replaced by the FTS Series-86. This machine was sold as the "Non-compatible Compatible" - it ran a multi-tasking version of CP/M-86 called Concurrent DOS, sold by a company whose name escapes me, but begins with P (Pegasus?). It ran Lotus-123 from an IBM disk with no complaints, even drawing graphs on the (monochrome) screen. I must get mine working sometime... Now for what Allison was waiting for - a mention of Honeywell :-) When FTS went bust, they sold the design of the series-86 to Honeywell-Bull, who marketed it as the Microsystem Executive. Needless to say it died :-( Philip.

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Classic "Laptops"

by Philip.Belben＠powertech.co.uk

> <I've recently heard of someone who told me about an 8080 laptop from > <someone who has been into computers longer than I have. He said that > <there was a laptop... in the 1970's, that was smaller than the origional > <Compaq. It was soupossed to only have a little RAM, and it was used by > <journalists, who would connect with a modem an upload the files. Is > <this true? If so, what on earth ever happened to these? (Does this > <sound like something else... H/PC come to mind? > > Sounds bogus. The small laptops using 8080 (actually 8085) were the tandy > M-100s and there were also the Epson and NEC but none were before 1979. > I did a quick flip through my Kbaud and Byte for 76-80 and there were no > adverts for anything laptop other than a hand terminal that used a 4bit > part. I wonder. A few weeks ago I bought for L1 at a car boot sale a device called a Microscribe 320. (Made by a Welsh company, Microscribe Ltd., but sold with a British Telecom badge.) This is a sub-notebook (7 in square) terminal with built in text editor, 32K battery backed RAM and 40 x 8 character display. Before you all jump on me, yes, I know it was built circa 1983. It is a very nice machine, the only thing wrong with it being the small keyboard. Fortunately I don't touch type - FWIW I use the index and middle fingers of each hand and am as fast as most of the touch typers I know who aren't professional typists. The reason I am replying is that shortly after I posted about it here (and had a brief conversation with Tony Duell about how to power it up) I received an e-mail from one Adrian Godwin, who had seen my posting, and who also had a microscribe, and wanted to compare notes. In the end we concluded that his was an earlier model than mine (less RAM, smaller screen). So when did these start being made? Was there an even earlier model right back in the seventies? I would also like to thank Adrian (if he is reading this) who, when he obtained a Microscribe manual, and discovered it was for mine and not his, sent me a copy for free. The world needs more people like this! On the subject of early laptops in general, I have heard much in praise of the Tandy model 100, but I like the Epson HX20 which has everything you could possibly want in a laptop except a decent sized screen! Philip.

28 years, 4 months

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apple rgb monitor problems

by pb14＠leicester.ac.uk

On 9 Nov 97 at 22:54, SUPRDAVE(a)aol.com wrote: > i need some help with an applecolor rgb monitor if anyone can. > does anyone know any way of testing this monitor? Apple have mastered the art of confusing names for monitors. The "original" colour monitor you need for a Mac II series is called the "AppleColor Hi-Resolution RGB Display"; for early Mac II series particular adaptor cards are required for particular monitors, so your adaptor card will not work with an A4 portrait display for example. From about 1990 it was replaced by the "Macintosh 12" RGB Display" which was smaller and lighter, There is a similarly named rgb monitor designed for the Apple IIgs; this is a 12" analog display very similar to the Macintosh display. It works with a horizontal refresh rate of 15.75kHz -- half that supplied by the IIcx video port. > i have one in the > silver-gray colour that matches my mac IIcx yet, i cannot seem to get any > video on it. i have tried using both a laser128 and a //c's rgb output into > the monitor, but the only thing i can get is a deep blue screen with stable > vertical lines with the //c, and a moving blue bar with the laser128 although > they both can do rgb output and i was using the same cable. Isn't the output from the //c and the laser *digital* rgb, not *analog* rgb? You can also be certain that Apple didn't use the same pinouts for the //c and the Mac II series so your cable will be wrong. > when i tested the > monitor with my mac cx which has a 1 bit mono card, i did get video, but was > difficult to read, and i got double images of the desktop. i've already tried > every control accessable on the monitor too. This sounds like the IIgs display to me. I'd hang on to it -- they are very highly regarded -- until a IIgs system turns up... Phil ************************************************************** Phil Beesley -- Computer Officer -- Distributed Systems Suppport University of Leicester Tel (0)116 252-2231 E-Mail pb14(a)le.ac.uk

28 years, 4 months

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Classic Computer Rescue Squad

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<> Does anybody but me remember the Byte cover (1976, I think) of a 4-bit <> computer built from transistors, diodes, etc. and wire? (No boards or <> anything). There was a followup picture in the magazine some months <> later after the cat had knocked it off the desk. the first BYTE cover was sept 1976 and there was never such article around then. There are two I remember the first was a terminally simple machine of extreme limitations that illustrated microprogramming (simple TTL) and was very low parts count. The other in the Aug and Sept 1985 Bytes called EGO and was a 16bit general purpose machine using mostly TTL SSI/MSI (74181 was the most complex part). <SSI small scale integration 7400, 7474 are examples and MSI medium scale integration such as 74181 or complex counters.> Allison

28 years, 4 months

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Classic Computer Rescue Squad

by mark＠cyberlightstudios.com

If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first--Invent the Universe. ---Dr. Carl E. Sagan ---------- From: "Lawrence Walker" <lwalker(a)mail.interlog.com> To: "Discussion re-collecting of classic computers" <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: Classic Computer Rescue Squad Date: Sun, 9 Nov 1997 10:26:08 +0000 > On Sat, 8 Nov 1997, William Donzelli wrote: > 500 years from now, if what I am trying to accomplish with the Vintage > Computer Festival succeeds, the machines which were truly significant from > a social context, meaning the ones which ran the banking system, the > airline system, government, etc. (in other words, the computers which were > the foundation of modern society), will be the ones which we remember, and > the Altair and others of its ilk will be merely novelties. I'd reign in your desire to pidgeonhole computers into "novelties" vs "socially significant" if I were you. Not only is EVERY piece of hardware and software a legacy of the history of computing, but those "novelty" computers (the Commodores, the Altairs, the Apples) were more than just 8 bit precursors to the current wave of desktop technology...they were inextricably linked to the social mileux for whom, and in whose time, they were developed...a sign of the times as it were. Part of the mystique of the "novelty" computers of which you speak is the very fact that the design and function of the computer reflected a historic mindset, the widespread dissemiation and embracing of the IDEA of computing within the masses of society. It would be foolish and shortsighted to try to relegate certian aspects of computing history as "novelty" vs "foundation of modern society". I would remind you that some of the founders of the modern age of computing, architects of those computers you would no doubt find "socially significant", started out peeking and pokeing their way along an 8 bit piece of silicon that shaped far more influential commodities than the banking system or the stock market...it shaped their MINDS. A little respect for the grass roots of the computing age is in order. Mark Tosiello ("Soapbox mode off, Mr. Spock")

28 years, 5 months

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New finds and a question

by adam＠merlin.net.au

After a very poor start, my weekend ended up great - I picked up three Apple IIc's (which I didn't want as I already have two) for $10, but they came with some thirty manuals for most of the Apple II range (along with the Osborne Executive) and a number of books on the Apple IIs. Thinking this made for a good day, I was later given a Microbee with the Computer-in-a-Book drive,and a Dick Smith System 80. The Microbee was an Australian Z80 CP/M system, highly sucessful both as kits (as they originally were) and complete systems, especially in schools. I had been searching for one for a while, but had very little luck - everyone I knew who had one was too attached to it to let it go. The System 80 was a TRS-80 Model 1 clone, with some interesting modifications - most notably an inbuilt tape deck. Another computer I had been specifically looking for. :) Anyway, as to my question. The System 80 works fine, but it seems it needs a cable to connect to the monitor. The monitor uses a standard TV aerial connector, but the computer has a DIN. Fortunately I found a technical manual for the computer in one of my piles of manuals at home, and it lists the pin outs - one +5 volt, one ground, and one video output. It also has a diagram of the cable, and it seems it is just a plain cable with different plugs at each end. Knowing nothing about electronics, it seems to me that the TV plug has only two contacts, not three - anyone know how I make the cable? Or know where I might find a replacment? I'm sure this is a really stupid question but I am a mere programmer - technical stuff is way out of my league. Thanks heaps, Adam.

28 years, 5 months

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Classic Computer Rescue Squad

by mark＠cyberlightstudios.com

If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first--Invent the Universe. ---Dr. Carl E. Sagan ---------- From: William Donzelli <william(a)ans.net> To: "Discussion re-collecting of classic computers" <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: Classic Computer Rescue Squad Date: Sun, 9 Nov 1997 23:21:21 -0500 (EST) > > On Sat, 8 Nov 1997, William Donzelli wrote: > I'd reign in your desire to pidgeonhole computers into "novelties" vs > "socially significant" if I were you. Not only is EVERY piece of hardware Next time you want to turn your flamethrower on, please aim at the right person. You quoted me for something I did not say. Damn software anyway.......would be nice if I learned to read, wouldn't it? Public apology hereby humbly expressed to William Donzelli, for inexplicably confusing him with the author of the quote to which I responded. Again, my mistake! Mark Tosiello William Donzelli william(a)ans.net

28 years, 5 months

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Classic "Laptops"

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<I've recently heard of someone who told me about an 8080 laptop from <someone who has been into computers longer than I have. He said that <there was a laptop... in the 1970's, that was smaller than the origional <Compaq. It was soupossed to only have a little RAM, and it was used by <journalists, who would connect with a modem an upload the files. Is <this true? If so, what on earth ever happened to these? (Does this <sound like something else... H/PC come to mind? Sounds bogus. The small laptops using 8080 (actually 8085) were the tandy M-100s and there were also the Epson and NEC but none were before 1979. I did a quick flip through my Kbaud and Byte for 76-80 and there were no adverts for anything laptop other than a hand terminal that used a 4bit part. I happen to have a Epson geneva (PX8) but that was years later(1984). Allison

28 years, 5 months

2
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Old stuff

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<If any of those network cards ARE token-ring and have BNC connectors, I highly likely as IBM was a strong proponent for token ring. <would love to buy a couple. I got an old Token ring MAU several years ago <that has BNC ports and would like to try it out. Can't tell you how many <people have flat out denied that Token Ring was ever carried over coax! <But the existence of the MAU is proof enough that at one time it was done. Obviously they never saw any of the WANG system that used it as the default interconnect to EVERYTHING even POS terminals! Allison

28 years, 5 months

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Finds & Questions

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

Added a couple of things to my collection today: Compaq 386 Lunchbox (comes up with a 1790 (iirc) Disk 0 error) -- $35 Data General One -- $20 2 SE/30 logic boards, new in Apple service boxes -- $10 (probably put these on ebay.) HP DDS Dat drive -- $25 HP 75D with 9114 disk drive -- $25 My questions concern this last one. The computer itself is about 5" deep by 10" wide by about an inch thick. It has room for three expansion modules (has two: "Barcode Reader" and "HP 75 I/O") and four connectors on the rear. Two are in and out to the 9114, one is power (I'm pretty sure) but I'm not sure about the last. Perhaps input for the barcode wand? Anyway, if anyone has *any* info about it, I'd love to hear from you. I tried HP's site and all I got was that it's discontinued, not supported, and replaced by a newer handheld or something. It was described as a "notebook BASIC Computer", btw. Thanks in advance! --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)ricochet.net that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 5 months

3
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Hard Drive Bible

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 09:11 AM 11/7/97 -0500, you wrote: >I 'd like to commend and thank Matt Pritchard for shipping the Hard Drive I'll second that! Thanks! (P.S., mine came in on Friday.) --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)ricochet.net that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 5 months

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HD Floppies in DD Drives

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<I thought that a HD disk would simply have a denser coating of magnetic <material applied evenly over the entire surface of the disk. I don't <see why this should cause problems for a DD drive. However, a few <questions come to mind. Is the magnetic coating of a different Corcivity, the amount of field needed to chage the magnetic state. the HD media requires different field strength and it affects the ability to record on the other media. Simply put the head, media and rotation rate are specific and altering the parameters of one munge the other. <Since some of the software for my "old" (first generation PC) computers <is on 5 1/4" disks of dubious condition, I would like to make copies <onto new disks. Since HD disks are still readily available and cheap, I <thought this would be an ideal way to do so. Reading from one and writing to another is ok bt the drive used should match the media. <My question is: can I plug a Double Density drive into the same <connector in my modern PC and use it for my old disks? I know I will <have to change my BIOS setting, but is there anything else I need to <consider? Maybe, depends on the controller installed and the version of dos. Acopy of upgrading and repairing PCs <QUE publications> would be helpful to you on this and other PC related problems. Allison

28 years, 5 months

1
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apple rgb monitor problems

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

i need some help with an applecolor rgb monitor if anyone can. does anyone know any way of testing this monitor? i have one in the silver-gray colour that matches my mac IIcx yet, i cannot seem to get any video on it. i have tried using both a laser128 and a //c's rgb output into the monitor, but the only thing i can get is a deep blue screen with stable vertical lines with the //c, and a moving blue bar with the laser128 although they both can do rgb output and i was using the same cable. when i tested the monitor with my mac cx which has a 1 bit mono card, i did get video, but was difficult to read, and i got double images of the desktop. i've already tried every control accessable on the monitor too. unlike my vga monitors, this one does not produce a raster screen when no video cable is connected. is there anything else i can try short of round-filing the monitor? david

28 years, 5 months

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