test-drb

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101090 discussions

by dmabry＠mich.com

I became the grateful recipient of a TI Programmer today. A buddy at work said "here, you like calculators, right? Better than throwing it away." Well, I said "thanks!" Now, in looking about the internet for some info on the battery styles for these things, I have a couple of questions that I cound't find the answer to. This calculator has a battery pack called BP-8 which has 2 AA ni-cads and a small circuit in it. It connects to the calculator internally with a connector that would also mechanically mate to a 9 volt battery. Now I would not expect a 9 volt battery to work where 2 AA's work, but I'm not sure. In looking at Gene's web site he says the BP-8 is also used on the TI-30 and I see TI-30's on ebay saying that they work with 9 volt batteries. I will replace the two AA's with new ones. That should make the BP-8 good again. I guess the is a roundabout way of asking for some background on the power requirements of this calculator. Unfortunately my buddy had lost the AC adapter (apparently it was an AC-9132, thanks Gene!). So I'll be looking for one of those. 5.7v, 240ma, and that small 2-pin connector. Thanks for any help. -- Dave Mabry dmabry(a)mich.com Dossin Museum Underwater Research Team NACD #2093

23 years, 3 months

ZMAIL goes live

by acme＠ao.net

Hi -- After all the whining I've done on this list concerning virii attacking the Windows-based PC I've been using for email, I'm pleased to announce that it's no longer a problem. This message was composed and mailed using the email system I've been working on -- ZMAIL. The client-side hardware consists of a Zenith Z-100 with 1 20 MB hard drive and 192 KB RAM, plus a 56 K modem. I really don't know what the host machine is, except that it's running Debian Linux. The client-side software consists of an offline email reader/writer -- ZMAILER - -- which has many of the features you'd expect: address book, reply, forward, import file, etc. (no sort capability yet) Additionally, there are utility programs which concatenate the outgoing messages into a single file, break the incoming messages out from a single file, connect to the host, and transfer the data back and forth. On the host side, I wrote programs to grab new incoming mail and pass it to the client, as well as a utility to break out individual outgoing messages from a single file and post them via SMTP. This has been a great learning experience as I had to learn enough about CP/M-86, Linux, SMTP, and the 2661 UART to get this system working. It also (IMHO) is a great use of this classic old Z-100 -- actually two of them, one at home and one at my shop. Anyway, thanks to all of you who very kindly helped me during the course of this project. Especially, thanks to Joe Rigdon, who gave me the Z-100s, and also to Tony Duell, who very patiently helped me with the basics of programming the 2661. Classic computers rule! (even at 2400 baud ;>) Later -- Glen 0/0

23 years, 3 months

Thing to check before powering up DEC VT100

by ian_primus＠yahoo.com

I just acquired a new, unused DEC VT100 terminal. I have not plugged it in yet, because I am a little weary about firing up a piece of 20 year old hardware that has never been turned on before. Something tells me that there are probably some dried up capacitors lurking in there somewhere, just waiting to blow as soon as I flip the switch. Visual inspection really can't tell me anything here, there won't be any burn marks or blown caps in something that has spent it's entire life wrapped in plastic. What areas in particular should I check? Are there any parts that are prone to failure in these terminals? Thanks in advance! Ian Primus ian_primus(a)yahoo.com PS - On a similar note, does anyone know of someplace online that I can find a VT100 keyboard? I have one here, but it's in really terrible shape - very yellow with the name of a school written on it. It works, save for the "Return" key that normally takes two presses to register, but I would like to find something in a bit better shape and with all the keys present and accounted for.

23 years, 3 months

Acorn A3000 and A3010 (was: Re: Apple disk controllers)

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Dec 20, 17:35, Philip Pemberton wrote: > Frank McConnell wrote: > > There was also a Vista 8" floppy controller for the Apple ][, built > > around the WDC 1793 I think. I have one of those in a Basis 108. > 1793? That was in the same family as the WD1770 and 1772, wasn't it? Same manufacturer but different family, and not interchangeable. > Speaking of which, has anyone got a WD1772 spare? I'd like to put a > high-density (1.6MB) disc drive in my Acorn A3000, but the instructions I've > got to upgrade it say that I've got to use a WD1772 with an 02-02 batch > code. Yes, they can run at a higher clock speed. About the only place you find them are in Atari 520s and 1024s. -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

23 years, 3 months

Surge protectors or fire hazard

by dwightk.elvey＠amd.com

Hi I've just seen the third surge protector blow up and this time, it almost started a real fire. I've had two of these go up in smoke that were in metal strips. These generally make a lot of smoke but I think the metal spreads the heat enough that the fire danger is small. Now, most of the newer ones are made from plastic. The last one that just burned, started a small fire on the back side of a chest of drawers. Luckily, the chest didn't stay lit. It did charcoalize one of the feet. While these things come with a 15 amp breaker, the MOV's fail and draw something less then what is required to blow the breaker. I wonder if any of the fire prevention groups are looking into these time bombs? Dwight

23 years, 3 months

Surge protectors or fire hazard

by dwightk.elvey＠amd.com

>To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org > >> I've just seen the third surge protector blow >>up and this time, it almost started a real fire. > > >> I wonder if any of the fire prevention groups are >>looking into these time bombs? > > >Are you buying units that are UL approved? Are you kidding, I don't think I've ever seen one without a UL sticker. > >When I blow up power strips so far all I get are sparks and a very small >puff of smoke. This is what the metal ones do ( at least the two I've seen go ). It was a plastic one that caused the troubles. When I've looked in the metal ones, I've never seen a separate fuse. I don't know what the plastic one had, it is a melted mess. Dwight > > >

23 years, 3 months

PDP11/44 update, dead wierd fan (35VAC, 75Hz)

by glenslick＠hotmail.com

Well I managed to get a M7095 module ($25 plus shipping) for the PDP11/44 I recently acquired and now I can connect to the console >>> prompt after powering it on. Plus I figured out how to execute the firmware utility on the CMD CDU-720 (anyone have docs for this board?) so it appears that the system is fairly functional. However, after a while I noticed that some of the modules seemed to be running rather hot and then I noticed that one of the three fans is not working. I pulled out the fan tray and found that I can manually spin up the two good fans with little effort but the bad fan sticks and won't spin. These fans are labeled Torin TA450 Model A3102-10 35VAC 75Hz. Anyone know where a replacement fan could be obtained? _________________________________________________________________ Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963

23 years, 4 months

Apple disk controllers (was: Sharp MZ-80B boot disk

by fmc＠reanimators.org

Fred Cisin (XenoSoft) wrote: > > > seeing one that had some extra diagnostics and stuff. And, of course, > > > there was the Sorrento Valley Associates board that did MFM in Apple][ > > On Thu, 19 Dec 2002, Sellam Ismail wrote: > > Ooh, juicy! Where can I get one of those? > > It's been a while since I've seen one. They were mostly pushed in the 80s > for being able to connect 8" drives! There was also a Vista 8" floppy controller for the Apple ][, built around the WDC 1793 I think. I have one of those in a Basis 108. -Frank McConnell

23 years, 4 months

CompuPro RAM board settings

by RCini＠congressfinancial.com

I pulled out my IC Master last night and indeed they are 4kx1 chips. So, the board is a 32k board. -----Original Message----- From: Eric Smith [mailto:eric@brouhaha.com] Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2002 10:20 PM To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org Subject: Re: CompuPro RAM board settings Rich Cini wrote: > I just got a CompuPro RAM20 memory board with no manual. [...] > The memory array is 8 columns of 8 chips, type MM2147J. I'm thinking > that these are 2kx1 chips, resulting in a 16k board. They're 4K chips. Someone somewhere may have sold 2K chips (probably as half-good 4K chips), but they sure weren't very common.

23 years, 4 months

CompuPro RAM board settings

by fmc＠reanimators.org

Richard Cini wrote: > I just got a CompuPro RAM20 memory board with no manual. I'm looking > for the DIP switch settings specifically, but a copy of the manual would be > very helpful. And here I was kicking myself for forgetting to take the CompuPro Product User Manuals volumes back out to storage where they would be buried in boxes all the way at the back. My forgetfulness is your good luck tonight. > It's missing two chips...a 74LS74 at U6 and a 25LS2521 at U10. The > memory array is 8 columns of 8 chips, type MM2147J. I'm thinking that these > are 2kx1 chips, resulting in a 16k board. No, it's a 32KB board. 8 rows of 4KB each. Your "missing" ICs are explained below too. Switch 1 enables 4K blocks, one position per row. SW1-1: row 0 ON enables row; SW1-2: row 1 OFF disables row ... SW1-8: row 7 Switch 2: Positions 1-4 set the base address of the board on a 4KB boundary. SW2-1 is the least significant bit, SW2-4 is the most significant, write your desired start address in binary and then a 1 means turn the switch on and 0 means turn it off. So OFF OFF OFF OFF means the board starts at 0x0000, ON OFF OFF OFF at 0x1000, .... Position 5: ON: RAM XX is a standard/global memory OFF: RAM XX is to be used as extended address or bank select memory Position 6: ON: enables response (deselect) to PHANTOM OFF: disables response to PHANTOM Positions 7 and 8 matter if the board is being used as a bank select memory. If you want the board to come up enabled when you turn on the computer, SW2-7 should be on and SW2-8 should be off. If you want the board to come up disabled, SW2-7 should be off and SW2-8 should be on. Never leave them both on or both off. Switch 3: If you are using the board as extended address memory, put the 25LS251 in position U11 and leave positions U6 and U10 blank. (This is why you're missing a couple ICs!) Then, Switch 3 sets bits A16 through A23 of the extended address. SW3-1: address bit A16 ON = 1, SW3-2: address bit A17 OFF = 0 ... SW3-8: address bit A23 If you are using the board as a bank select memory, put the 25LS251 in position U10 (leaving U11 blank) and put a 74LS74 into position U6. Then, Switch 3 sets the bank select port address. SW3-1: port address bit A0 ON = 1, SW3-2: port address bit A1 OFF = 0 ... SW3-8: port address bit A7 Switch 4: If you are using the board as a bank select board, Switch 4 sets the data bit(s) that will enable the board when written to the bank select port. SW4-1: data bit D0 ON = 1, SW4-2: data bit D1 OFF = 0 ... SW4-8: data bit D7 Note that if more than one switch is set, then the board will be enabled if *any* bit matches. -Frank McConnell

23 years, 4 months

CompuPro RAM board settings

by rcini＠optonline.net

Hello, all: I just got a CompuPro RAM20 memory board with no manual. I'm looking for the DIP switch settings specifically, but a copy of the manual would be very helpful. It's missing two chips...a 74LS74 at U6 and a 25LS2521 at U10. The memory array is 8 columns of 8 chips, type MM2147J. I'm thinking that these are 2kx1 chips, resulting in a 16k board. Any help appreciated. Thanks. Rich Cini Collector of classic computers Build Master for the Altair32 Emulation Project Web site: http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/classiccmp/ /************************************************************/

23 years, 4 months

AlphaServer 2000/300 aka Jensen

by runtime＠wzrd.com

I've got one of these that I used extensively a few years ago (superceded by AS300 4/266 and then a C*q DS10) that won't do anything at all. No SRM console comes up. Problem is that about 3 years ago I removed the memory, which consisted of what it came with (DEC standard 32 MB) plus a 64 MB set which I believe was actually an IBM product. When I took the faithful 2000 out of service I put as much of its memory as I could into the AS 300 4/266, and gave the AS300 it to a client (out of state). When I went back to the 2000 to get it ready to give away to a student group that wants to run Linux on it, I realized that I'd removed all of the memory and could not remember how to populate the slots. I do remember that when I put the 64 meg in it wouldn't work at first, but Field Service told me I had to interleave the 8 mb sticks and the 16 mb sticks. So, I'd be grateful if anybody could answer these questions: 1. How are the 8 slots populated, normally? 2. Should I see the SRM even with no memory, or memory incorrectly installed? 3. Is "54-21246-FA" (2MX33) DEC memory AS2000 memory or AlphaStation 200 memory? (I've had a few of those around the shop over the years). Thanks in advance. I'm glad I found this group. I started my business with a VT103 / RX02 / RT11 v3 combo, went through Micro-11/23, then 73, then MicroVAX 3100, AS2000, AS300, and now the DS10. Don Mitchell runtime(a)wzrd.com www.run-time.com

23 years, 4 months

AlphaServer 2000/300 aka Jensen

by runtime＠wzrd.com

Thanks, Huw. It came up with 4 sticks of 4 MB 36bit memory, placed n alternate slots down from the top. I now think that it won't ever come up w/o 4 sticks of something -- I had 2 sticks of 16mb memory (the other 2 went into the 300 4/266) and I guess it just won't boot w/o 4 sticks. Thanks again. Now the kids can have it and do their Linux thing. I'll chase down some memory, or they can. Don

23 years, 4 months

Old TI analog sound chip; info?

by n8uhn＠yahoo.com

Was'nt the "spo256" a ti voice synth chip or was it a gi product. i do remember when radio shack carried the spo256 and the companion text to speech chip (cannot remember the part number for that chip) Bill. Message: 42 From: "Davison, Lee" <Lee.Davison(a)merlincommunications.com> To: "'cctalk(a)classiccmp.org'" <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> Subject: RE: Old TI analog sound chip; info? Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 09:02:10 -0000 Reply-To: cctech(a)classiccmp.org > I'm looking for the documentation for the olde TI analog > sound chip; this dates back to the late 70's early 80's if > my memory serves me correctly. I don't even remember the > part number. AFAIK, it had some kind of "I2L" (I squared > el) technology or somesuch, and it was mostly analog, with > some digital control (but nothing like a DSP or midi). > Anyone recall this chip? Anyone have the datasheet for > it online or willing to scan it in? SN76477N, http://rgvac.978.org/chips/sn76477datasheet.pdf > Background: I remember playing with it a *long* time ago, > and wanted to model it in software :-) I remember it well, it was the canine gonads until the AY3-8910 and it's ilk appeared. Cheers, Lee. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com

23 years, 4 months

TEK 213

by kerry.power＠chcc.nsw.gov.au

Hi, John. I got your address whilst searching for info on a TEK 213; you came up on a chat room. I bought a 213 recently at a government auction here in Australia, but it doesn't work properly. The 213s seem to be as rare as rocking-horse-droppings here, and I can't find a manual. Are you able to copy the manual you have?? If so, what would it cost?? If it's too difficult or expensive, maybe just the circuit diagrams & views of the PCBs. I'm not sure about postage, it might fit a large Global Priority Envelope at US$9. I'd appreciate any help. Regards, Kerry.

23 years, 4 months

Computers with ports coming out the front?

by vcf＠siconic.com

I am trying to identify various computers that have had their ports situated in the front of the chassis as opposed to the back. The Atari 800 would be one example (game ports in the front). Are there any other examples anyone can think of, especially where peripheral (disk, printer) or perhaps network ports are concerned? -- Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org * Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *

23 years, 4 months

Y2K/Y10K for V5.03 of RT-11

by mbg＠TheWorld.com

Okay, that was supposed to have been private... (sometimes the reply to list is a pain... but it's my own fault). Megan

23 years, 4 months

Nice Find today and some good books

by jrkeys＠concentric.net

Found a Micro Genius IQ-501 Computer Game console and one controller/joystick for it at a thrift. It's a NES/Famicom Pirate Clone. You can see it a this site page down to the bottom: http://www.gamersgraveyard.com/repository/nes/pirate/pirate-clones-A-M.html Also got a couple books in from Amazon; the one called High Score! the illustrated history of electronic games is a good source of info and pictures of old consoles. The other book called "the ULTIMATE History of Video Games" I have not started yet. My copy of Collectible Microcomputers came by mail today and I hope to start reading it soon.

23 years, 4 months

Wanted: Fairchild uA79MG voltage regulator

by tothwolf＠concentric.net

I've been looking for a replacement uA79MG negative voltage regulator for awhile, but so far haven't been able to find one. It is for a custom power supply for an embedded system made in the early 1980s. Fairchild's part number for the device is uA79MGU1C, which they call a 'Power Watt' package. It actually looks like a TO-220, but has 4 leads. The regulator bolts to a heat sink on the supply's board. I need at least one of these parts, but could use a spare or two if someone has a bunch hiding away in their parts cabinet. I could also use a couple spare uA78MG (uA78MGU1C) regulators too, but they would just be put away as spares for these power supplies. -Toth

23 years, 4 months

SCSI 9-Track tape under VMS..?

by spector＠zeitgeist.com

From the its been way too long to remember department... I just put an old HP SCSI 9-track tape drive on my 4000/400 running Vax/VMS 5.2... Does VMS probe SCSI devices at boot time? Is there a way to access this drive without re-generating the system..? David ------------------------------------------------------------------------ - David HM Spector spector(a)zeitgeist.com software architecture - network/security consultation technical due diligence - technology planning/analysis Office:(631)261-5013 Cell: (631)431-5756

23 years, 4 months

IBM 5120

by computermuseum＠pandora.be

Hi, I'm rather new inhere. I've got into my garage an IBM 5120 machine with his printer and an external diskette unit with 8 inch flops. I've got also all documentation and technical documentation of it together with all operation disks. It's running on APL (A Program Language) and it is working. Does someone know if this is a machine that is worth something? Please advise... it's rather huge and heavy and it is standing now in my garage which is rather moisty and cold..., mayby I have to move it somewhere else if it's worth it... Michel Wouters

23 years, 4 months

PDP11/44 update, dead wierd fan (35VAC, 75Hz)

by glenslick＠hotmail.com

I found this thread from 4 years ago. I'll give it a try... http://www.classiccmp.org/mail-archive/classiccmp/1998-09/0953.html >From: "R. D. Davis" <rdd(a)rddavis.org> >Reply-To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org >To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org >Subject: Re: PDP11/44 update, dead wierd fan (35VAC, 75Hz) >Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2002 22:06:28 -0500 > >What you don't need is a replacement fan. :-) I had a similar problem >when I got my 11/44 several years ago; Tony Duell kindly instructed me >on the _proper_ way to solve this problem. _________________________________________________________________ STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail

23 years, 4 months

computer audio tape formats

by n8uhn＠yahoo.com

I seem to remember that eather "radio electronics" or "rainbow" magazine had an article on how to build a computer audio tape conditioner. it was for the coco. On Tuesday 17 December 2002 9:50 pm, tim lindner wrote: > I am looking for information regarding how various computers wrote > information to audio tapes. > > For example, the Tandy Color Computer wrote ones and zeros to audio tape > in the following format: > > 'one bit': one sinusoidal cycle @ 2400 Hertz. > 'zero bit': one sinusoidal cycle @ 1200 Hertz. > > The bit rate is variable on a CoCo tape. But averages to about 1500 bits > per second. > > I am contemplating creating an audio tape anaylzer to help me recover > some data. I would like to make the program useful to thoes outside the > Color Computer community. But first I need to understand all of the > different methods used to put data on audio tape. --__--__-- __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com

23 years, 4 months

System/23 Support Disks

by n8uhn＠yahoo.com

Chris, are you talking about the sys/32? i have never heard of the sys/23. i do have some sys/32 disks - not the ones you mentioned, though. i still have the manuals (tech binders) with the schematics and trouble shooting stuff and i may have the sys/32 ssp and a few other disks around here somewhere. i still have two sys 34's and one sys/36 in my collection - one of the 34's and the 36 are rare config's - they both have extended chassi's and extra hard (disk) drives in them. the 34 has 2 hd's and the 36 has three hd's. it's really interesting that the 34 has 8 inches of chassi added to it and the 36 has three feet of chassi added to it. i do have alot of sys/36 software and some sys/34 software. if you do have a sys/32 - you can have the manuals and software - just arrange shipping. i no longer have a sys/32 and no longer need the stuff. Bill (n8uhn at yahoo dot com) __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com

23 years, 4 months

Sharp MZ-80B boot disk

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

In a message dated 12/18/2002 7:53:39 PM Eastern Standard Time, cisin(a)xenosoft.com writes: << > > And it's usually NOT a good idea to put your LAST boot disk into the > > drive! Although normally not a problem with most "normal" drives, there > > have been SOME (most notably Apple ][) that were capable of malfuntioning > > in ways that would cause them to erase/wipe/damage/ diskettes even when > > write-protected! > > What an amazing feature! On Wed, 18 Dec 2002, Tony Duell wrote: > _Any_ drive if malfucntioning could have write-gate stuck on and also > ignore the write protect line. After all, those signals are combined in > the logic circuitry somehow, and those gates could malfunction. Ooops! I meant to say that on the Apple ][ a malfunctiong disk controller could override write protect, even on a non-malfunctioning drive. THAT is the special unique feature. >> I had that happen once! Ruined a number of my floppies until I finally figured it out. Bought one from Jameco for either $50 or $80 way back in the late 1980s. -- Antique Computer Virtual Museum www.nothingtodo.org

23 years, 4 months

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