test-drb

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

101090 discussions

by akb+lists.cctech＠imap1.mirror.to

Hi-- I'm seeing posts here about systems to be rescued, but often no replies. The classic computer rescue squad pages have no listings later than 2005. This is a high-bandwidth list that people interested in old systems can't neccessarily keep up with. Could we get a seperate list going just for rescue listings, and have either cctech or cctalk as a subscriber? That way, folks interested only in seeing systems listings could see them and maybe rescue systems. Thoughts? --akb

19 years

A new Kenbak-1 replica kit

by evan＠snarc.net

Howdy. Just a heads-up that Grant Stockly now has a Kenbak-1 replica available. I blogged about it: http://www.computerworld.com/blogs/node/5673 - Evan

19 years

dream on: equip in NORAD bunker in North Bay, Ont

by hilpert＠cs.ubc.ca

Last night on the CBC TV news there was an item about a decommissioned underground NORAD bunker in North Bay, Ont. and how the Cdn gov/DoD is trying to figure out what to do with it. The control room is still filled with equipment, including SAGE-style-or-era video consoles (not sure that they were SAGE, the camera went by too quickly). There was also a camera shot of what appeared to be some other desk-style computer console. The reporter referred to the place as being 'filled with obsolete equipment', the rest of the systems are presumably still there too. .. now that would be a rescue .. one can dream, but it'll probably all end up in the scrap bins. Perhaps somebody nearby should start making inquiries. Does anybody with a background in SAGE know whether that bunker was part of SAGE, or what systems would be in there? I've never been really clear on how the SAGE / DEW line / other NORAD systems related to each other or overlapped/interconnected in operations or equipment.

19 years

Boot CD

by RodSmallwood＠mail.ediconsulting.co.uk

Hi In Linux land you can download an ISO image and burn a boot cd that will install a system. Does anybody know if something similar is possible with VMS? Rod

19 years

Nanocomputer Training System

by steven.hatch＠hp.com

Hi, I just read your note that you just got a NBZ80 Nanocomputer. Where did you get it and how can I get one? I will give you a really good hint about what you can do about documentation. I have two books that are based entirely upon that nanocomputer. Here are the titles of those books. Actually it is Book 1 and Book 2. Name: Z-80 Microprocessor Programming and Interfacing. Authors: Elizabeth A. NIchols, Joseph C. NIchols, and Peter R. Rony Go to www.abebooks.com This is a used bookstore and they have thousands and thousands of new, used and out of print books. I know that they have some listings of these books. I had Book 2, but just got Book 1 from them. good luck. If you know where I can get another nanocomputer, I would appreciate it. steve hatch

19 years

Tek 4081

by aek＠bitsavers.org

> The machine had a ROM bootloader that allowed booting from a 4051-like > cartrige magtape drive, or disk. Installing the OS took a LONG time > from cartridge tape. > The Tektronix 4081 was used to generate the vector graphics for film of > the full-screen graphics used in the original "Battlestar Galactica" TV > show. The 4052 I got from Jim Willing has a large collection of tapes which he claimed contained BG graphics. I'll have to go through them to see if any of them say anything about th 4081 on them.

19 years

Strange VT50 Decscope

by wacarder＠earthlink.net

>> Are there any former DEC employees (or anyone else) here who have ever seen or heard of anything like this? Richard said: >I saw one of these for sale on ebay recently, advertised as a VT52. This is the one that was on ebay. It was listed as a VT50. It also came with the VT50 engineering prints and a VT50 manual. Ashley

19 years

networked games 1972 to 1988

by aek＠bitsavers.org

1972 - Alto Trek probably first networked game nope.. 1972 is WAY off. Docs at http://bitsavers.org/pdf/xerox/alto/trek21.pdf Trek was developed at the Univ of Rochester, who would not have gotten any machines as part of the university grant til the late 70's. 1974 - MazeWar, probably second networked game ? XNS/PUP, right? PUP, not XNS. Closer to being the first networked game (but NOT on the Alto) http://www.digibarn.com/collections/games/xerox-maze-war/index.html IMLAC version predates it, 76-77 at PARC

19 years

anybody know of a source for these?

by rtellason＠verizon.net

A friend of mine writes: > I find it very interesting that you have all those old IC's and whatnot, > since I restore pinball machines and video games from the 80's/90's. I > looked over your list, but you state on the page it isn't complete. Any > chance you have UDN7180 IC's? I don't have any of these, and didn't know what they were, so when I asked he said: > UDN7180 is a plasma display driver. It's used in solid state pinball > machines with 7 segment orange plasma displays. They have a tendency to blow > themselves up from time to time, so I'm always on the lookout for a few. Anybody know of any of these? Have some maybe? -- Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and ablest -- form of life in this section of space, ?a critter that can be killed but can't be tamed. ?--Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters" - Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James M Dakin

19 years

Strange VT50 Decscope

by wacarder＠earthlink.net

>> Are there any former DEC employees (or anyone else) here who have ever >> seen or heard of anything like this? > >A friend of mine who is a former DEC employee once told me a war story >about being given a "prototype" terminal to take home. He said the PCBs >were thin, and kind of flexible, like the cardboard sheets in the back of a >tablet of paper, and the thing was very tempermental -- even after you got >it working again the MTBF was in hours. He said he eventually threw the >accursed thing away. > >I wonder if this is one of those? > > Vince It looks like some kind of prototype. I'll open it up tonight or tomorrow to see what it looks like on the inside. I'll try to get some more pictures. Here's what the previous owner told me when I asked him about it. It sounds like it worked for him for 6 years. "I worked for DEC in the late 70's early 80's as a software engineer on the PDP10/PDP20 mainframe computers. I was given this terminal so I could work from home. When I left DEC they did not want the terminal back. So I've had it all these years. We plan to sell our house so I am doing some major house cleaning, selling on Ebay, garage sale, etc. I would say the last time it was used was around 1984. I used it frequently for about 6 years, so 1978->1984. Has not been plugged in since 1984!" Ashley http://www.woffordwitch.com

19 years

PDP11/10 looking for a home

by ed＠ed-thelen.org

I have received request/permission from Richard Krasnow to post the following request ----------------------------- Hello, I have a PDP11/10 that was working fine the last time it was turned on, back in 1984 or so. It's been in my basement since. Can you advise where I might look to see if there is a museum that would like to inherit the beast? I'm in the Washington, DC area, so something nearby would save on the shipping. Thanks, Richard 301-652-6110, ext. 145 Richard Krasnow, Ph.D., Operating Director Salamandra, LLC Technical and Strategic Consulting to the Pharmaceutical Industry (c) fax 301-652-6739 ... ...

19 years

Strange VT50 Decscope

by wacarder＠earthlink.net

A couple of months ago I acquired a strange looking terminal that was said to be a VT50 Decscope. A picture of it can be found on my web site at: http://www.woffordwitch.com/VT50.asp The case looks like it was cast in pieces from a rough mold of a standard VT50. Many of the key caps are not the usual color, and look more like the key caps on the earlier VT05. I have not opened it up and studied the inside yet to see if it has the proper "guts" of a VT50. The previous owner said that he worked for DEC back in the 1970s, and they gave this "VT50" to him to use at home so that he could remotely connect to a system at work. Are there any former DEC employees (or anyone else) here who have ever seen or heard of anything like this? Thanks, Ashley Carder http://www.woffordwitch.com

19 years

My sale or swap list (Update)

by RodSmallwood＠mail.ediconsulting.co.uk

Hi We have friends in the mid west (Mason City). They also seem to cover vast distances to get anywhere at all. From their description of the weather, the favored modes of transport are stagecoach in the summer and dog team in the winter. Railroads are apparently ok so long as there are no Indian raids! (sorry about that!). I think the lake ports shut in winter. My rule of thumb used to be if I can't lift it its not airfreight! Its not like the old days at DEC. If you wanted to send something (anything) to DEC Maynard say. You put it in the car took it down to the DEC shipping section at London Heathrow. They would find a box, pack it, label it up and that would be that until next morning when they would ring you to say your package had arrived at Logan and would be by the addresses desk when he got into work. (Around midday UK time). The same thing worked in reverse. One day I asked the shipping manager how things did not get held up in customs. He said "Digital is the largest employer in Massachusetts and a major contributor to the state economy" That reminds me of another story. One day they ran out of parking space at the Mill. So they decided to fill in part of the mill pond to make more space. The Maynard town council said "Heritage site no you can't" Ken Olsen said "don't worry guys I'll call the Mayor". The Mayor said "Heritage site no you can't" Ken said "ok Mr Mayor if you look out of your window in about two hours you will see the first of the moving trucks relocating every DEC site in the town elsewhere. The Mayor said "OK if you look out of your window in one hours time you will see a fleet of council trucks loaded with dirt coming to fill the pond in for you!" -----Original Message----- From: cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Ethan Dicks Sent: 12 June 2007 13:33 To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts Subject: Re: My sale or swap list (Update) On 6/12/07, Rod Smallwood <RodSmallwood at mail.ediconsulting.co.uk> wrote: > > 'has 1 cubic meter of volume and the first 1000 kilos' > That seems to be a lot of weight in a small space. Last time I checked, water was 1000 kilos per cubic meter, so the base charge seems to be centered around the density of water. > Port to port is less of a problem for me as the UK is that much > smaller than the US. > I can get to most of the UK ports in an hour or two. Indeed. Being in the mid-west, we don't think about ports much. I can drive to NYC in under 14 hours. Boston is farther. I think the closest Atlantic port, drive time, would be Baltimore at around, IIRC, 9 hours. Lake Erie ports are close (2ish hours), but would almost certainly require a shifting of the load to another vessel at an Atlantic port somewhere. -ethan

19 years

Rough batch of 2007 VCFE Pictures...

by wh.sudbrink＠verizon.net

No captions, no thumbnails, no bad shots removed... http://wsudbrink.dyndns.org:8080/vcfe2007/ Use the bandwidth at your own risk. Bill No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.13/844 - Release Date: 6/11/2007 5:10 PM

19 years

Update - S-100 Proto board design available online - pcb image and cad image

by ragooman＠comcast.net

I've been working on a S-100 proto board design recently. I like to say thanks for all the suggestions that everyone sent. I updated the page to include images of the pcb design and the cad design(3D) Anyone else that might be interested in this, I can add your name to the list on there. You can see the current work on my homepage. http://ragooman.home.comcast.net/rog.html =Dan -- [ beauty is in the eye of the beer holder ] [ http://ragooman.home.comcast.net/ ]

19 years

DEC CD Drives

by RodSmallwood＠mail.ediconsulting.co.uk

Hi I managed to locate an RRD42-AA (ie real Dec for 14 Pounds UK (27 Dollars US)) I aready have a Yamaha SCSI drive in an external powered case. I also managed to locate the correct cable. (50 Way Centronics male to 50 way D type male double density pins and clip type) This fits the SCSI connector on the back of the external box and the other (big) end goes into the KZQSA So... When the cable arrives try the Yamaha drive. If its no good. Then remove the Yamaha drive from its box and replace with the RRD42. This way I end up with one or maybe two working SCSI drives. Regards Rod -----Original Message----- From: cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Scott Quinn Sent: 12 June 2007 01:08 To: cctalk at classiccmp.org Subject: Re: DEC CD Drives > Hi > Before I go to a dealer and maybe get ripped off. Has anybody in > the UK got any DEC RRD4x series CD Drives. (Must work with a KZQSA) > > Rod Why not just get one of the plentiful early Toshibas? I have a XM-3101 (same as the Sun SL-CD) that boots my VAX4k2 (KZQSA) VAXstation 3176 (int. SCSI), SPARCstation IPX, IRIS Indigo, etc. etc.

19 years

PDP/Cray swap?

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

Is anyone in the US interested in possibly swapping some PDP gear (lights-n-switches PDP-11, or non-E/non-A PDP-8) for some (functional/ complete/runnable) Cray hardware? My income is limited at the moment, so shipping/driving would be difficult, but am willing to negotiate otherwise. Interested? Contact me off list. -Dave -- Dave McGuire Port Charlotte, FL

19 years

Dry Air Purging on IBM Computers

by marvin＠west.net

I was reading an application note about a Puregas heatless dryer, and one of the applications mentioned that some IBM computers require a dry air purge. Does anyone know which computer(s) this is referring to? The URL of the booklet is http://puregas.com/industrial/pdf/Drying_Compressed_Air_Booklet.pdf These things look like they could be useful when small CFM ratings of dry air are required.

19 years

DDC Fixed Head Disks

by jam＠magic.com

> I do recall some computer equipment that had helium in the enclosure. At least > that's what the labels said. I have a DDC 7301 drive (same manufacturer as Guy's, but different model), and it is definitely filled with helium. Well, it was filled with helium 30 years ago ... The DDC maintenance manual says it requires oil-free 99.995% pure helium. The preventive maintenance procedure indicates that the helium tank is good for about 6 months (dropping from 2200psi to 300psi). James Markevitch

19 years

You *can* get a good deal on ebay

by compoobah＠valleyimplants.com

>> Are the SGI collectors just out enjoying the nice weather? > > With IRIX a dead end, I don't know how much people are going after > them any more. My pair of O2's (I also have one with the slowest O2 > CPU) are the most impressive workstations I've ever seen, and I'd > love to have an Octane 2, Fuel, or Tezro, but unless I get them > locally for basically nothing I don't see me spending the money to > get one. There's something just, I don't know, wrong about the complaint that IRIX is a dead end on this list. Discontinued, yes, but so is DOMAIN, TSB, OS/8, CP/M ... and yet those machines are still collected/used/discussed here. At this point, VAX OpenVMS is at roughly the same position as IRIX- no new hardware and no major upgrades to VMS. IRIX will be "unofficially supported" by usergroups for quite a while yet-just look at Nekoware. They're still very well made machines, and IRIX has its quirks, but it is a good, stable UNIX implementation (and Indigo Magic is a pretty good UI). I suppose the collectors will get to them (SGI does have a reputation), but for now I'm happy that it's predominantly hobbyists- machines are cheaper that way. I haven't been able to afford a PDP-11, but I have several IRISes. Just think of yourself as being at the forefront.

19 years

Tek 4027

by aek＠bitsavers.org

> I was an intern at Tektronix around '79-80. Have you ever run across > any scraps of info about the Tek 4016, 4081 or 4027? > Used an under-powered eight bit micro (8085?) to interpret > a complex serial command language and draw the graphics. I used one around 1980. Graphics were constructed using a programmable character generator, a la the Intecolor. It was similar to the 4025, which is mono, which I do have info on at http://bitsavers.org/pdf/tektronix/402x I've been looking for technical/service docs for the 4027 and 411x/412x series for a while now.

19 years

DEC CD Drives

by compoobah＠valleyimplants.com

> Hi > Before I go to a dealer and maybe get ripped off. Has anybody in the > UK got any DEC RRD4x series CD Drives. (Must work with a KZQSA) > > Rod Why not just get one of the plentiful early Toshibas? I have a XM-3101 (same as the Sun SL-CD) that boots my VAX4k2 (KZQSA) VAXstation 3176 (int. SCSI), SPARCstation IPX, IRIS Indigo, etc. etc.

19 years

DDC Fixed Head Disks

by ggs＠shiresoft.com

Hi, I just received a DDC (Digital Development Corporation) 6200X series fixed head disk. It includes all of the cables, power supplies and controller for a PDP-11. Before I hook it up to one of my 11's, does anyone have any docs on this beast? Here are the specs as I know them: Series: 6200X Speed: 3450rpm bits per track: 72000 access time: 8.7ms tracks: 64 unformatted capacity (MB): 0.58 Supposedly there was no scheduled preventive maintenance, however DDC made other fixed head drives that were helium filled and they needed periodic service. So, my question is do I need to do anything (like purge and refill) before I use it? Does anyone have any additional info? I did get some manuals with it, but they're mostly focused on the controller for the PDP-11. TIA. -- TTFN - Guy

19 years

busted Lisa in Australia (eBay)

by chrism3667＠yahoo.com

http://cgi.ebay.com/Apple-Lisa-2-Good-physical-condition -not-operational_W0QQitemZ110137215609QQihZ001QQcategory Z80286QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem ____________________________________________________________________________________ Building a website is a piece of cake. Yahoo! Small Business gives you all the tools to get online. http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/webhosting

19 years

You *can* get a good deal on ebay

by legalize＠xmission.com

See item # 120128637318 I won an SGI Personal Iris 4D/20 (1988!) workstation. I was the only bidder and I picked it up for $40. The cosmetic condition is excellent. Honestly, I expected someone to come in and snipe me at the last possible minute, so I increased my bid twice. The hard drive will be wipe, so I nee to get an OS package for this, which is probably as hard as finding the hardware. In several years of watching ebay for SGI gear, this is the first time I've seen a Personal Iris offered up, although I admit that I haven't had a specific search for it, so one or two may have slipped through the cracks. Are the SGI collectors just out enjoying the nice weather? -- "The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline" -- DirectX 9 draft available for download <http://www.xmission.com/~legalize/book/download/index.html> Legalize Adulthood! <http://blogs.xmission.com/legalize/>

19 years

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