test-drb

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

101090 discussions

by wayne.smith＠charter.net

> Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2007 13:18:17 -0300 > From: M H Stein <dm561 at torfree.net> > Subject: Linux question > To: "'m100 at list.30below.com'" <m100 at list.30below.com> > Cc: "'cctalk at classiccmp.org'" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Message-ID: <01C77F60.91DCC0A0 at mse-d03> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > A simple question for the Linux gurus from a WIN/DOS simpleton: > > How do you concatenate two binary files into one? > > m > Ask a question about Linux, everyone falls over themselves to help - and that's certainly nice. But ask a question about a classic system like the Kaypro 10 - like poor Ralph Dodd did on April 12th - and the response is disinterested silence. -W

19 years, 2 months

More on govliquidation...

by kahrs＠caip.rutgers.edu

Compared to what DRMS used to make before govliquidation, all I can say is I'll bet they're getting a lot more now... My internal calculation goes something like this: plan on $100 per item for S&H by an external agent. I've had both good and bad experiences. Anything is possible with money. And you'll probably get something you don't want. If it weren't for the S&H, the deals would be phenomenal.

19 years, 2 months

source for developing nextstep applications book

by ingrammp＠earthlink.net

I recently picked up a copy of the book "Developing NextStep Applications" by Gene Backlin, but unfortunately, it did not come with the diskette containing the code. Is this available as a downloadable file anyplace ? ( ie... anyone have a copy ?? ) I've googled around and haven't had any luck, and the email address of the author... gbacklin at marizack.com just bounces... Thanks in advance Mike

19 years, 2 months

Heathkit Products (was: Help to identify a Selectric based terminal)

by Watzman＠neo.rr.com

Re: > Barry Watzman > [former Product Line Director for Heathkit computers and Zenith Data > Systems] Oh REALLY! 8-) Perhaps I can pick your brain for a moment. :) There was a neat Heath machine, I believe it was 8086 or 8088 based, that had a solderless breadboard built into it...I believe it was even connected to the bus. What would that have been? I'd like to find one, but it's been a difficult search not knowing what it was called." There were a couple of them, actually. Those were not my products, however. The products you refer to (the early ones were based on a Motorola 6800 series, if I recall, the later ones were based on the Intel 8088) were products from the educational products division of Heathkit, rather than the computer division. I don't remember the model number of the later one (the earlier one, based on the Motorola CPU, was the ET-3400 series), and the later one, I think it was the ET-100 (which was derived from and compatible with the Z-100 series ... would run 16-bit Z-100 software) wasn't made in particularly large numbers (also, an even more rare expansion accessory was required for full Z-100 and MS-DOS compatability). But they did exist, and you may find them on E-Bay from time to time.

19 years, 2 months

TU-58s (was Re: Some progress with my PDP-11/73 system)

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

> >Subject: Re: TU-58s (was Re: Some progress with my PDP-11/73 system) > From: "Jerome H. Fine" <jhfinedp3k at compsys.to> > Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2007 21:43:19 -0400 > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > > >Allison wrote: > >>Sounds nice. I have a few BA-11VA (four dual width slots) >>and it's a challange to put enough boards to make a bootable >>viable sytem in that. An 11/23, 256k ram, DLV11J and a Rom >>card was full house and for storage the only choice was TU58 >>or Tu58 emulation (requires bukly balky PC). >> >Jerome Fine replies: > >For this example (I assume this is an M8186), there >were dual MFM and ESDI controllers which have boot >ROMs for the hard drive (non-DEC of course). I still >use my dual ESDI controller. I no longer have the >MFM controller, but that was all the VT103 originally >had which was essential to run and boot an operating >system such as RT-11. I have a few contollers (dual width) that are Both MFM and SCSI that sound like those. I keep putting it on my list of projects to do a simple IDE for QBUS. the design goals would be dual width, boot rom on board and uses a 2.5" drive on the card. So far I've only seen one Qbus IDE and it was lacking for software. Software driver for that hardware is for RT11 alone is a bit of a project as I'd need both the FB and SJ versions of the driver. Allison

19 years, 2 months

SCSI-1 spec

by trag＠io.com

>Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2007 10:40:44 -0700 >From: Al Kossow <aek at bitsavers.org> >Here is the last working draft. > >http://www.t10.org/ftp/t10/drafts/s1/s1-r17b.txt > Thank you for that. I'm not the original requester, but I imagine that many of use may have a use for that at some point. I put some specs for later SCSI standards up at <http://www.prismnet.com/~trag/Standards/> and some specs for IDE as well. I'm not certain that they were the latest working drafts for each standard, but I collected them in 2004 and most of them are from the 90s, so I believe that they were the latest available. Jeff Walther

19 years, 2 months

OT: Tektronix plug-ins

by rcini＠optonline.net

All: I?m trying to help out a friend who isn?t particularly scope-savvy. He has a Tek 7406a scope and wants to know what plug-in he needs to do waveform capture. If anyone knows or can provide come guidance, please let me know. Thanks. Rich -- Rich Cini Collector of Classic Computers Build Master and lead engineer, Altair32 Emulator http://www.altair32.com http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/classiccmp

19 years, 2 months

SCSI-1 spec

by aek＠bitsavers.org

> I have a SCSI disk drive manual M2244S/SA/SB M2245S/SA/SB M2246S/SA/SB > which if I remember correctly has a lot of good info (not scanned yet) > nag me if needed looks like it would be a good thing to get a scan of what you have. turns out mine was a service manual for non-scsi drives.

19 years, 2 months

ISO Syquest SQ306 (on eBay) / Syquest 100

by aek＠bitsavers.org

> This seller is usually way over priced on his items And when they don't, they mysteriously discover the item isn't in stock any more. They priced some Kennedy 96xx tape drives low, and reneged on the deal. avoid "IT Equipment Express"

19 years, 2 months

HP "calculators" (was Re: World's first computer on ebay!)

by mtapley＠swri.edu

At 20:02 -0500 4/14/07, ard wrote: >It puzzles me too. The connector in question is a normal, double-sided 25 >pin (per side) 0.156" pitch edge connector. That's actually not a common >size in the UK (0.156" pitch is not normally used over here), so it's >probably somebody 'borrowed' it becuase it was the easiest way to get >that sort of connector. Is there any chance that the connector was removed because it was causing some sort of mechanical interference or stress on the board? Just guessing wildly, but maybe, if it was otherwise non-functional....? -- - Mark, 210-379-4635 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Large Asteroids headed toward planets inhabited by beings that don't have technology adequate to stop them: Think of it as Evolution in Fast-Forward.

19 years, 2 months

Help to identify a Selectric based terminal.

by marvin＠rain.org

Are Selectric based terminals that rare? And do the Selectric style typewriters fall in that same classification? I've seen three Selectric style typewriters in the last couple of weeks, and figure they are not worth picking up. > Richard wrote: > > [snip] > > If you want to unload that beast, just let me know as its something > I've really been looking hard for over the past couple of years!

19 years, 2 months

Help to identify a Selectric based terminal.

by Billy.Pettit＠wdc.com

Bob Rosenbloom wrote: The IBM MAG card Selectric's are not too hard to find. Their not cheap, about $50 each, but I've found two in the last year. I have not tried to interface one yet but I do have the manuals and don't think it would be too hard. Also, they made a "Communications MAG Card Typewriter" that has some sort of interface on it. I just missed one a few months ago. Another thing to look out for is the military I/O Selectric's. I bought two from govliquidation a few years ago. Both have some damage from poor shipping though. These have a big round military (ITT/Cannon) type connector and I have yet to find any info on them. I was lucky to find them, they were listed as "Human Communication Device, Typewriter"! My real quest is a "Model B" I/O typewriter as was used on the IBM 1620, model 1. Probably end up with a bunch of solenoids under a standard typewriter! Bob ----------------- Billy responds: I consider $50 for a Selectric with interface connections extremely cheap. I would expect them to be much more scarce than that. The military machines sound familiar. I'm certain they are covered in some manuals I loaned Al recently to scan. The heart of the I/O Writers used the IBM model 72 and model 73. Al has my manuals for both - they are CDC reprints of IBM Service manuals. Plus I loaned him some parts manuals that have great exploded views for repairing the units. I used all of these manuals when I was trained on the Selectrics, back in 1967. Also, Al has already posted some IBM reference manuals. But I think they are in the CDC folder under terminals. One of the manuals I loaned Al also has all the interface timing and signal levels and how to control. Finally, Wayne Green published a nice little paperback on interfacing a Duramachine to a PC. It has a good basic circuit that could be used to start your own design. I have one Model B with the Sorobon mechanism to drive the typewriter from a computer. It was used on all the CDC computers plus many of the other computer companies of the era. I don't believe that IBM used Sorobon, instead did their own design on the 1620. But I've never dug into a 1620 so don't know what the encoder looks like. I have some other Model B's to use as spares, but no other encoding devices. Would love to find more on the history of that company: Sorobon. About all I know is that they were based in Florida when I ordered some parts from them in the 70's. Still have some of the spare solenoids they used. Guess I should measure and document them. Billy

19 years, 2 months

HP "calculators" (was Re: World's first computer on ebay!)

by jdbryan＠acm.org

On Sat Apr 14 2007, Tony Duell wrote: > If you want to run the old programs and get the feel of the machine > again, I am told there's a pretty good HP98x0 emulator on the web, and > I think it's open-sourve.... I've taken a quick look at this: http://sourceforge.net/projects/hp9800e/ ...and it seems quite impressive. I spent only a little time working with it, but it appears to emulate the hardware and execute code dumps of the actual 9800-series ROMs. Most of the option ROMs are included, as are a number of peripherals. Worth a look. -- Dave

19 years, 2 months

SCSI-1 spec

by julesrichardsonuk＠yahoo.co.uk

Does anyone have an electronic copy of the SCSI-1 spec (scans or OCR)? I'm homebrewing some SASI stuff, but figured it'd probably be possible to add SCSI support on the same board (hence the hardware parity question yesterday). I suspect the latest SCSI spec *is* around as a PDF, but 90% of it's likely not relevant to dealing with vintage SCSI devices! :-) Failing that, I suspect that some device manuals (such as disk/tape bridge boards) might have useful SCSI documentation within - so recommendations welcome! (I've got a few OMTI, Xebec and Emulex ones here, but despite calling themselves SCSI they tend not to cover arbitration, parity, unit attention etc. and are more like SASI in nature) cheers Jules

19 years, 2 months

SCSI-1 spec

by aek＠bitsavers.org

Here is the last working draft. http://www.t10.org/ftp/t10/drafts/s1/s1-r17b.txt

19 years, 2 months

Help to identify a Selectric based terminal.

by Billy.Pettit＠wdc.com

Richard wrote: Dude! That is very similar to the 2741-ish terminal that I used in 1979 and ran at 134.5 baud. I have been looking high and low for even a picture of this puppy and you got one, you lucky bastard! :-) [snip] If you want to unload that beast, just let me know as its something I've really been looking hard for over the past couple of years! -- I second that. I've been looking for Selectric based terminals, stand alones, Durawriters, & console I/O writers for many years. Never found a single one. What a great find. I'll stand right behind Richard should you ever want to part with it. Billy

19 years, 2 months

OffTopic: For Sale, Icom 746 & Linear PS

by zmerch-cctalk＠30below.com

Of course, all replies offlist. Roger needs a new AT keyboard converter to finish his CoCo repack... (and a newer laptop) and there's a lot of Ham Radio enthusiasts here, so I apologize for the offtopicness of the forsale, and if I've done bad things, slap me in the face with a frozen mackerel... but hey... at least it's not a linux distro advocacy thread! I haven't used my Icom 746 in a few years, so I'm going to sell it. $750 + shipping (your choice of USPS, UPS, FedEx or DHL) from 49783 (I can have the weight available for anyone interested this evening - it's already packed up) - It's super-clean, no scratches on the faceplate or finish (well, except around the screws, but that's to be expected) No dust or anything on the inside - and it does have 2 installed crystals (of the six max.) a CFK455K-5 DSP filter, and an Icom FL-272 9Mhz/2.4KHz SSB filter. I'm also selling the 35A 12V *linear* power supply that will run this and much more - also super clean, only used a few times - it's a Victory PS35 - $80 + shipping. I have pictures here - they're unsorted, but they're named fairly aptly: http://www.1400rpm.com/epay As the directory name suggests, if I have no takers, they'll be on ePay next Sunday. The *cheapest* 746 sold on ePay lately was for $760, and that was with inflated shipping. ;-) I apologize for the pictures - I've had "depth of field issues" with my Nikon D70 in the past, so I was tinkering with the settings - these are around 1-second exposures with natural light at maximum aperture. I had a tripod, but the long exposure time still didn't do me any favors with sharpness, but hey - at least the DOF is better!!! ;-) I'd be happy to provide better pictures on request. Again, thanks for not lynching me (yet) and all responses offlist. Thanks, Roger "Merch" Merchberger -- Roger "Merch" Merchberger | Anarchy doesn't scale well. -- Me zmerch at 30below.com. | SysAdmin, Iceberg Computers

19 years, 2 months

SCSI-1 spec

by aek＠bitsavers.org

> I have a SCSI disk drive manual M2244S/SA/SB M2245S/SA/SB M2246S/SA/ I have B03P-4805-0008A_M224SAX_Sep85 scanned

19 years, 2 months

Help to identify a Selectric based terminal

by Watzman＠neo.rr.com

Re: "It looks like the Heath colors from the H8 series. I suspect it is a very limited edition of a Heath terminal" Heath never made anything in any color even remotely resembling that [blue], nor did Heath ever offer a selectric-based product. [The only colors used by Heath computer products were black, a cream off-white, two shades of gray, and the beige/tan colors used in the Z-100 and some other products.] In fact, Selectric-based printers had disappeared (as new products) by the time Heath entered the PC business, relatively late, in 1977. Barry Watzman [former Product Line Director for Heathkit computers and Zenith Data Systems]

19 years, 2 months

ISO Syquest SQ306 / Syquest 100

by aek＠bitsavers.org

> I have a few Burroughs Cartridges for a SyQuest 100 tapes.. any idea what > model SyQuest drive these are for? They are 5.5mb removable disc cartridges, most likely for the Convergent Miniframe. There is mention of it in R.D. Davis' FAQ " 2.4 Were any hard drive interfaces, other than the ST- 506, used with the Miniframe? From the writings of Clarence Dold, dold at rahul.net: No. There was a driver for the removable SyQuest 5MB cartridge, which was mounted as drive one, leaving the odd quirk that the machine wants to boot drive one rst, if one is available " The SQ306 is, in fact, an ST506 compatible drive. If you are able to read these, the Computer History Museum would be interested. There is an effort within the Software Preservation Group to save CTOS software and related hardware.

19 years, 2 months

ST506 WTB:Micropolis 1325

by dm561＠torfree.net

------------Original Message: Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2007 06:32:06 -0700 From: jd <onymouse at garlic.com> Subject: Re: ST506 WTB:Micropolis 1325 <snip> >Seagates before that which all failed when the warranty chip timed out. LOL!! Hmmm... do you suppose...? m

19 years, 2 months

How to Build a Clean Box

by mtapley＠swri.edu

At 5:32 -0500 4/10/07, Sridhar wrote: Sridhar and Andy, Good suggestions below. I have a couple of additions, based on my (limited) experience working on the flight hardware on a couple of pretty contamination-sensitive projects I've worked on. Sorry for the delay, I was ( :-) ) working on one of the projects, albeit not one at the clean-room stage, rather than keeping up with my email. >Basically, the purpose of the clean box is to ensure that the air you're >working in is clean. The box should be made from something that won't >turn readily into dust, for example, it should *not* be made of >cardboard. Plastic works best. Painted metal is what we use for practically all of our work. With the right paint, it can be grounded (through resistors) to eliminate the chance of ESD; that's hard with plastics. Also, most of the instruments I've worked on are *very* sensitive to contamination >from hydrocarbons. That affects several of the statements I make below, and it precludes most kinds of plastic. Delrin, lexan, and a few others with extremely low outgassing properties are still OK, but there are a lot of plastics that are not allowed in the clean room. I expect this would be much less of an issue (except for the ESD considerations) for something other than UV optics or microchannel detectors. >Also, the box should have at least one clear side. I used perspex for >the sides and top and thick rigid PVC for the base. It's important for >you to be able to see what you're working on. > >Third, it's important to get the box sealed up well, so use plenty of >thick silicone sealant along the corners. And make real sure that the >silicone is completely and thoroughly dry and set up before you use the >clean box. It also couldn't hurt to join the corners on a miter. In >mine, I use a false bottom that holds together with some bolts to make >it easier to open and close the box, so I can get tools and items to be >repaired in and out of the box. In my experience, sealing is a non-issue. In fact, practically all of our clean rooms, clean boxes, etc. have open apertures of one size or another, cracks, vents, etc. What *is* critical is that the volume have positive pressure maintained inside of it while any work is going on. Generally, with a good high-volume but low-pressure supply of clean air, all the dust is removed (blown out the apertures) within about 15 minutes of starting the supply. Of course, if the air supply fails or is shut off, we close things up pretty well and pretty quick, to keep dust from migrating back in. We also wipe down surfaces from time to time, so that whatever dust does manage to accumulate doesn't get stirred up during work. For wiping down, Isopropyl alcohol (um, propan-2-ol?) and lint-free wipes ("Kimwipes" brand, in the US) are the standards. One thing you may not have to worry about is the idea that to us silicone is a four-letter word. Silicone oils are *very* easy to inadvertently transport all over the work via accidental contact on a gloved finger, *very* hard to remove, and fatal to several of the detectors and optics we use. So we don't allow any of that kind of material in the clean room as a general principle. >Fourth, it's a good idea to use an inert gas supply. For reasons of >availability and price, the best choice might be nitrogen. Danger, Will Robinson! I second Simon's caution - do not allow N2 to accumulate in the volume you are breathing out of! Even though the box is "sealed", N2 will be leaking out into the room. If enough of that happens before the room air is replaced (by an open window, or whatever) you die. We don't want that. >Bottled >nitrogen won't be completely clean, A liquid nitrogen dewar is a good supply of clean nitrogen, but that may not be such a useful suggestion .... Meantime, with bottled, regulated nitrogen, you may well have issues with hydrocarbons (if you care about that). Hoses that have been used downstream (or even upstream) of vacuum pumps can have some of the lubricating oil on the inside. Many regulators have grease or oil which can get into the downstream side. If you choose to go this route, you might consider SCUBA gear and plain compressed air (and a filter). Most SCUBA equipment and air suppliers are pretty careful about atomizing oil into divers' lungs, so that can help you. In general, if it has a noticeable odor, it's got some sort of hydrocarbon outgassing or contamination, and we would not use it. Most folks have noses which give them a lot more information than they pay attention to. All that said, we don't use any of that for clean-room work. We use *only* a HEPA (HEPA is a key descriptor, here) filter on the output end of a good ventilation system. We are reasonably careful about the input supply (ie no diesel trucks parking right next to the air inlet), but that's about all. Paxton's comments (hey, if it's good enough for pizza, it's good enough for a hard drive :-) ) are very well taken here. We do use a liquid N2 dewar to supply purge gas which is tubed directly into some instruments to make sure humidity, fumes from drying adhesives, diesel fumes from outside, etc. do not get into the detector and UV optics, but that comes at a really low supply rate and I don't think any of those considerations are applicable to hard drives or to most electronics. >so an air filter is probably a good >idea. Don't use a paper one, obviously. I use a glass allergen filter. A good HEPA filter on a high-volume air supply (ie one that exchanges air in the work area about once every 15 seconds or so) is really *all* you need, in my experience. Put the work upstream of the hands and tools, wipe down the work area with IPA and kimwipes, let the supply run for an hour or so before you start, and I think you should be down to a pretty low level of particulates. > And the gas should go through a regulator. If it comes out too >quickly, it could get supercooled, and that would not be fun. And don't >forget to create a gas outlet with a one-way valve, to prevent outside >air from getting in. If you don't put in an outlet, the gas will find >its own outlet, and that won't be good. True, but see above. Letting the gas get out any (many) ways is OK, as long as it's getting out fast enough that none or not much can come back in. >Obviously, it isn't possible to work in a completely sealed cube. You >also need a place to put your hands into the box to actually *do* the >work. The most reasonable method for doing this is to attach a pair of >gloves to the box itself. Again, getting a good seal between the box >and the glove is of paramount importance. Use a sealant material which >has enough flexibility to do the job. Also, it would be a good idea to >have a way of changing the gloves without tearing the box apart. I >mounted my gloves to the box on opposite ends of the box so that I can >get my hands to anywhere in the box. Good for flexibility with the work, bad for staying downstream of the clean air supply. If anyone is interested, I can try to grab pictures of some of our work setups around here. They are probably fancier than what you'd want, though. >One thing I didn't think of until >after I had built the box is that the positive pressure inside the box >doesn't have to be very high, so you don't have to use gloves that are >very rigid. I used pipefitters' gloves the first time, and I lost a lot >of fine control. I suggest using something much thinner. > >Experiment! It's the easiest way to figure this stuff out. And let me >know how it goes. I'd be interested to know. Good luck. > >Peace... Sridhar There are particulate counters, but not cheap. One idea for a test is to set up your work area, lay a *clean* mirror in it facing up, and leave it overnight. (or do some non-critical work in the area for a few hours). Then look at the mirror under a really bright light or (even better) a UV light. If it still looks clean, you are probably OK. I'm hoping Tony D. (and many others) chime in (or have already done) on this thread; I suspect there's much experience out there more applicable than mine. -- - Mark, 210-379-4635 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Large Asteroids headed toward planets inhabited by beings that don't have technology adequate to stop them: Think of it as Evolution in Fast-Forward.

19 years, 2 months

Quote attribution (was: Mac SE?

by jvdg＠sparcpark.net

Dave McGuire wrote: > On Apr 16, 2007, at 7:11 PM, Fred Cisin wrote: > >>> On Apr 16, 2007, at 5:07 PM, Joost van de Griek wrote: >>> >>>> "Never ascribe to malice what can be explained by stupidity." >>>> - Nadine (Velociraptor) >>> >>> Hey, I know her! I can just picture her saying that too. ;) >> >> It has also often ben attributed to Napoleon, Gordon Liddy, and >> "Hanlon". > > Yep...It's very much Nadine's style, though. :) Plus, I added it to my collection after she posted it to the list. So AFAIC, it stays attributed to her. I'm sure you're in my file somewhere, too. Something about suits. :-) ,xtG tsooJ

19 years, 2 months

ISO Syquest SQ306

by aek＠bitsavers.org

Does anyone have a SQ306 they don't need? circa '82 mfm 5 meg removable cart drive

19 years, 2 months

IRIS Indigo PM2 post-portem

by compoobah＠valleyimplants.com

I recently acquired a SGI IRIS Indigo R4k machine that was nonfunctional. After a bit of troubleshooting I tracked it down to the PM2 (processor module daughtercard, R4400 + oscillator + 1MB cache), which has visible damage to two of the cache RAM chips (smoke holes and cracks). I am trying to trace back the likely sequence of events that lead to this happening so it doesn't happen again. AFAIK in the R4400SC the cache memory is attached directly to the R4400 with the exception of the power leads, and the R4400 has all cache control logic integrated. The PSU voltages have been checked and are within specs, with no excessive ripple. In my experience, chips do not blow up without an external cause that drastically increases the current flowing through the chip, however I also have zero experience with SRAM chips failing in a "spectacular" manner. Is this possible/likely? The other option seems to be the R4400 dying and taking the cache with it. Any ideas on where to proceed from here?

19 years, 2 months

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