test-drb

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101090 discussions

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On July 22, Matt London wrote: > > - - > > o- - > > - - > > A B > > > > Did DEC have a reason for doing this, other than to be able to extort > > money from people who need replacement power cords, or to sell them > > new systems when they make replacement power corde obsolete? > > It's a standard power connector, it's just rated at 15A and not 10A IIRC, > they're most commonly used here for kettles, hence the name "kettle plug" They're are three power connectors in the "standard" family as defined by IEC...a low-, medium-, and high-current version. The low-current version is the one we're all used to, 10A. The one on some MicroVAX chassis is the 15A version. The third is a larger one (20A, I think but I'm not sure) that has three flat pins in a triangular arrangement but in two parallel planes, with a plain rectangular body. Tey're found on some larger Cisco routers (7513 for one) and on SGI Challenge-L systems for example. -Dave McGuire

23 years, 11 months

New toy: VAX with DECVoice

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On July 22, R. D. Davis wrote: > Anyway, it's now counting down to 3, so, something's working! :-) > ...will know more when I can get a terminal attached. Do all > VAX-4000/200 machines make a loud fan noise when first powered on, and > then get much quieter? Are variable-speed fans being used, and is > that noise a test of high-speed operation? They are variable-speed fans. I'm not sure why they do that on powerup in these machines, but I have seen situations in which variable-speed fans were in use and, due to the control circuitry, they didn't have enough power applied to them when the system was powered up to overcome static friction and get the rotor going. I'm guessing that DEC knew about this and designed the control circuitry to give them a little "kick" at powerup to make sure they're all running, then spin them down to the speed required by the temperature of the machine. -Dave McGuire

23 years, 11 months

Kodak Gold CD-R's going bye-bye?

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

While we largely talk about saving *old* programs and data here, there is an aspect we cannot ignore: making sure any transcriptions are good into the future. All of us who have tried to read some tapes that are just a few years old which gum up in the drive know that it is truly a false economy to buy anything except the best. (And I still swear by 3M Blackwatch, and *at* Memorex MRX IV.) Now that I'm beginning to recover enough from all the events of the past year to get minimal free time devoted to archiving, I find that my favorite CD-R media - Kodak Gold Ultima - is evidently being phased out. Kodak no longer lists gold/gold data media on their web page of "active media", and many of the online distributors have exhausted their warehouse stock. I've only got a few hundred left here. Now those of us who have been involved in darkroom activities for a while know that Kodak products/processes *do* come and go. Sometimes the reasons are environmental, sometimes the reasons are marketing related. In any event, this is one product I had grown to trust and now I'll miss it. (I still miss many of their fiber based papers and ortho films, and some of those disappeared a few decades ago! At least all that Selenium Toner I've absorbed over the years will preserve me for the next couple centuries...) It appears the demise of Kodak Gold Ultima is mostly marketing - they have a web page discussing its current "non-holding-inventory" status: http://www.kodak.com/cluster/global/en/service/faqs/faq1008.shtml I reproduce the FAQ at the bottom. (Note that while they claim *their* cost has risen over the past two years, looking at the invoices *I've* been paying the price has actually dropped from $1.75 in bulk two years ago to just under a dollar each in the last batch I bought.) It looks like while they aren't *officially* discontinuing it, they are rasing the minimum order requirement to 100000 pieces, and it seems that all the distributors I deal with are no longer stocking it. Kodak's suggested replacement media - Kodak Ultima aka "Silver Plus" - is readily available, and looking at the techincal data on it it may be just about as good as the Gold Ultima. As far as I can tell, it's the same Phthalocyanine dye in both the Gold and "Silver Plus". The "Infoguard" topcoating seems to be just as good (if not better, judging by my scratch tests!) on the "Silver Plus". (Note that I put "Silver Plus" in quotes. While the official Kodak marketing material never uses this phrase, all of my Kodak invoices show this as the product's name. Note that the current Kodak pricing on "Silver Plus" is very good - straight from Kodak it's less than $0.30 each in bulk.) The other gold/gold name brand media that I'm aware of is Mitsui. These have never been as regularly distributed here in the states as well as Kodak, but it is possible to get them (even though a quick sample of online retailers show that of those who carry Mitsui CD-R's, only about 20% stock gold/gold.) I don't have as much experience with Mitsui Gold's, but they do have a good reputation in at least the bootlegging community. (Good to know that all those bootlegged Dead concerts will outlive the official record company CD's, huh?) I *did* pick up a pack of 80-minute IBM-labeled gold-colored CD's at the local Staples store and was quite surprised to find that the ATIP info claims the dye is Phthalocyanine and the media actually made by Ricoh. Of course, this doesn't mean that any other pack of IBM-labeled disks will be made by the same company or have the same specifications, and AFAIK Ricoh doesn't offer much in the way of archival properties data the way Mitsui and Kodak do. Tim. Kodak's FAQ 1008 follows: 1.Why has Kodak ceased holding inventory of KODAK CD-R Gold Ultima media? The demand for KODAK CD-R Gold Ultima media has fallen over the last two years. Due to these lower sales volumes, it is now far more expensive to make. However, the main reason for this change is that KODAK CD-R Ultima media - our unique and patented CD-R that contains a special combination of silver and real gold in its reflective layer - is now performing at levels that are essentially equal to KODAK CD-R Gold Ultima media. For standard applications, no other brand beats KODAK CD-R Ultima media for stability. 2.But what if I still want KODAK CD-R Gold Ultima media? There remain some commercial applications for which KODAK CD-R Gold Ultima media is perfectly suited. To support these applications, Kodak will continue to make, on a custom-order basis, KODAK CD-R Gold Ultima media. There are special order conditions that apply - contact your Kodak sales representative, distributor or reseller for full details. If your media needs support the 100,000-piece minimum order requirement, you can still custom order NSP, thermal white, inkjet white or inkjet clear KODAK CD-R Gold Ultima media. Custom orders of these products will be packaged in the commercial bulk configuration which consists of 4X100 stacks of discs with a blank substrate at each end for protection, no spindle, shrinkwrapped. All custom order product is barcoded. 3.Is Kodak eventually going to discontinue Kodak Gold Ultima CD-R Media? Kodak currently has no plans to discontinue this product line. 4.How much information can each disc hold? KODAK CD-R Gold Ultima discs have 650 MB / 74 minute capacity. 5.Why wouldn't I switch to another media brand now that Kodak doesn't stock Gold Ultima CD-R media? Kodak still offers the highest performing media on the market in the form of KODAK Ultima CD-R Media. This media is the only disc on the market containing added gold for maximum stability while also offering maximum compatibility and longevity. Through meticulous testing Kodak continues to find that competitors' CD-R discs, which have a reflective layer of pure silver only, degrade quickly over time, resulting in the loss of important information. 6.What recording speeds can I use for CD-R Gold Ultima media? You can record at speeds of 1X to 12X to create discs that comply with the following standards: CD DA, CD ROM, CD-ROM XA, and CD-I. 7.What is the expected data life on KODAK CD-R Gold Ultima media? KODAK CD-R Gold Ultima media has a projected lifetime of 200 years or more. For more information , see http://www.cd-info.com/CDIC/Technology/CD-R/Media/Kodak/html 8.Does KODAK CD-R Gold Ultima media have the INFOGUARD Protection System? Yes, KODAK CD-R Gold Ultima media has INFOGUARD Protection. The INFOGUARD Protection System is proprietary and includes one of the most stable dye layers available today, along with super-tough overcoat to help protect the surface of the discs from scratches and fingerprints. In addition, the gold reflective layer provides an archival lifetime. 9.Does KODAK CD-R Gold Ultima media work in all CD writers and CD readers? Yes. With this product, Kodak continues to provide media that work great in all leading writers and readers. 10.What is the warranty on KODAK CD-R Gold Ultima media? All of our Gold Ultima products that have the INFOGUARD Protection Systemand, therefore, carry a lifetime warranty. If any disc is found to be defective in manufacture or packaging, it will be replaced.

23 years, 11 months

DEC KA640 connectors question

by healyzh＠aracnet.com

OK, I've been looking into the B400X chassis, it looks to me like it is straight Q-Bus, however, the DSSI disks look to be a problem. It looks like a male HD50 connector is what connects to them. However, the KA640 CPU has 50-pin connector next to the one for the RAM, I'm guessing this is the DSSI connector. Is this correct? If so, then I'm needing to go from 50-pin ribbon to HD50, I don't suppose I'd be able to use a SCSI cable I've got that would do the trick. I've no idea what the DSSI pinout is, or how much I'd risk blowing something up. Maybe I should just turn the chassis into a PDP-11 w/SCSI disks :^) Zane -- | Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Administrator | | healyzh(a)aracnet.com (primary) | OpenVMS Enthusiast | | | Classic Computer Collector | +----------------------------------+----------------------------+ | Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, | | and Zane's Computer Museum. | | http://www.aracnet.com/~healyzh/ |

23 years, 11 months

TERRAHAWKS SERIES 2 VIDEOS FOR SALE !!!

by crewey＠thewho2000.freeserve.co.uk

3 VHS PAL videos containing the completley unavailable series 2 of the Terrahawks, these were never released on video like much of series 1. Recorded from UK T.V in the eighties, TEN COPIES OF THE 3 VIDEO SET AVAILABLE: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1448285396

23 years, 11 months

Thicknet Transceiver

by rnlion＠its.caltech.edu

Hi, I have a thicknet transceiver here, an Allied CentreCOM 440, that has 4 AUI ports and an attachment to the backbone with a vampire tap. I was wondering if I can use this thing without connecting to a coax back bone at all, and still be able to network between the four computers attached? If I did so, would I need to terminate the would-be coax connection somehow? I have a bunch of computers sitting around here, mostly older SparcStations, that only have AUI connections, and it would be cheaper if I didn't have to convert each one to 10baseT. I was thinking that I might be able to use this box to connect 2 or 3 of those, and then have a Linux box connected to one port bridging it to the rest of the network. Thanks for any relevant (or hell, even irrelevant but interesting) information. Rob Lion -----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK----- Version: 3.12 GAT/E d- s:- a--- C++(++++) ULS+ P+ L+ E- W++ N+(++) o K w+++ O- M- V- PS+(+++) PE--(+) Y+ PGP t- 5- X+ R- tv b++ DI++ D++ G++ e h+ r- y ------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

23 years, 11 months

ATTN: Michael L. Drew

by healyzh＠aracnet.com

23 years, 11 months

Game Boy Processor (Was: Re: Broken C128)

by tlindner＠ix.netcom.com

>>They also ran some Game Boy demos, but that's not on topic. =) > > Why, I've had a Game Boy for over 10 years, and IIRC, it's a 6502 based system. > No, it is a Z80 with some modifications. I don't know any of the details. -- tim lindner tlindner(a)ix.netcom.com "Life. Don't talk to me about life." - Marvin, the android

23 years, 11 months

DECtapes available

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On July 21, Bill Bradford wrote: > I've got the following 7" mag tapes (DECtape-I?) > available. All are original DEC, with orange center labels. They aren't DECtapes...they're standard 600' 9-track magtapes. Just a nit. -Dave McGuire

23 years, 11 months

Who wants a Tektronix 8002A uProcessor Lab?

by jweder＠telusplanet.com

Hi all... Buried away in my company's cold storage I some time ago found a Tektronix 8002A uProcessor Lab. I made one inquiry about this earlier, and got a reply telling me it was an interesting find. Sorry but I don't recall the fellow who sent that email. The 8002A was apparently used to develop software and operating systems for 8080 and 6800 based devices. Our company used it to develop the software for RTU's (Remote Terminal Units), which are commonly used in the oil & gas business at remote sites to control and monitor equipment on the site (such as pumps, valves, pressure transmitters). I've gone back out and made a partial list of everything that's included, which follows. I've also asked the boss what he thinks, and he just wants it GONE - that means FREE! So, have a look below and if this intrigues you let me know. The main problem will be shipping, as the total package probably weighs 200 pounds. The equipment is located in central Alberta (yes that IS Canada), so you might want to think twice about the shipping costs. Hardware: Tektronix 8002A uProcessor Lab - 2 PROM burner sockets on front panel 2 Tektronix Flexible Disc Units - 2 8" floppy drives each 2 Emulator Processors with probes (external black boxes on ribbon cables, & DIP plug) Manuals: 8080A Emulator Processor 8080A Assembler & Editor User's Manual 6800 Emulator Processor 6800 Assembler & Editor User's Manual 3 TekDOS System Reference Booklets Command Reference Cards for various processors Software: NUMEROUS 8" floppies which seem to include... TekDOS Fortran Pascal RTU Development Disks (many) Depending on interest I may run this notice another time or two, to make sure nobody who might be interested misses it.... Joel A. Weder jweder(a)telusplanet.net 403-556-4020

23 years, 11 months

AppleII GS software

by witchy＠vorbis.demon.co.uk

Hi folks, welcome to digest 666 if you're on digest mode :o) Has anyone got a spare copy of either ProDOS or GS/OS on 5 1/4" floppies I can swap/buy/whatever? I've discovered I can use the Disk ][ controller in slot 7 of the GS so my boxed one is about to be disked and fired up. Failing that has anyone got a spare 3 1/2" drive? My external Mac 400 or 800K drives don't work. cheers! adrian/witchy www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk - the Online Computer Museum 0:OK, 0:1

23 years, 11 months

DecMate III

by rcini＠optonline.net

I know that they're fairly common, but does anyone need one of these? I'll be at VCFE on Saturday and I'll bring it with me if anyone is interested. Rich Rich Cini Collector of classic computers Build Master for the Altair32 Emulation Project Web site: http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/classiccmp/ /************************************************************/

23 years, 11 months

DECtapes available

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On July 21, Bill Bradford wrote: > > > I've got the following 7" mag tapes (DECtape-I?) > > > available. All are original DEC, with orange center labels. > > They aren't DECtapes...they're standard 600' 9-track magtapes. Just > > a nit. > > My mistake, I've never used/dealt with these before. I'm just trying > to find them a home. 8-) I'm sorry Bill; I didn't mean to sound like I was jumping on you about it. I guess I was distracted when I sent my reply. -Dave McGuire

23 years, 11 months

Test

by jhfine＠idirect.com

Hi, Testing!

23 years, 11 months

DECtapes available

by mrbill＠mrbill.net

I've got the following 7" mag tapes (DECtape-I?) available. All are original DEC, with orange center labels. BB-N630A-BE PRO TK V1.0 VMS 16MT9 1982 BY-0061E-C0-0001 PROGRAMMING RSX-11M IN FORTRAN 1983 EY-0060E-CD-0001 (?) PROGRAMMING RSX-11M IN MACRO 1983 I've also got a complete set of FORTRAN-11 manuals to go with the tapes.. If anybody can use these, please let me know. Would like to swap for LSI-11 stuff, but if nothing else will see that these can go somewhere they can be used. I have no hardware to read the tapes. Bill -- Bill Bradford mrbill(a)mrbill.net Austin, TX

23 years, 11 months

Proper front panels for LSI-11 PDPs?

by mrbill＠mrbill.net

Anybody ever thought of building up a LSI-11-based PDP system, but with a proper "blinky" front panel? Would such a thing even be feasible, even with modern LEDs? Bill -- Bill Bradford mrbill(a)mrbill.net Austin, TX

23 years, 11 months

Anybody want/need MAINDEC diagnostic listings?

by mrbill＠mrbill.net

I've got a few (about 10-15 pounds worth) of MAINDEC diagnostic source code listings, for various hardware bits and systems. Anybody want/need these? I certainly dont, and would like to see them go to a good home. I've also got some small magtapes, but will report on those once i'm able to read the labels.. bill -- Bill Bradford mrbill(a)mrbill.net Austin, TX

23 years, 11 months

thunderstorm damages!

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

I'm back, if anyone noticed. DSL and Phone modem cooked on June 30th put me off the air save my 2400 baud pocket modem. FYI: there were 1810 messages all but 9 were from Classiccmp... thats a bit much, no? Allison

23 years, 11 months

Sad experience

by jfoust＠threedee.com

Today at the UW-Madison surplus sale, a favorite haunt, I found a box containing eight or nine software boxes. Sure enough, it looked like a complete set of all the software from IBM that shipped with the original IBM PC circa 1982: DOS 1.1, 2.0 and the full UCSD p-System, including FORTRAN, the assembler and Pascal. Everything pristine. All disks in place. The shrinkwrap was still around a few of the boxes. No price on the box, so I search for the Pricing Guy. "Sorry, we can't sell software." I knew about this policy - the University destroys all the software it can no longer use. I'm sad that I found the item on the sale floor but can't buy it. He refers me to Boss #1. He says "we can't sell that, how did that get out here? Go talk to Boss #2." Boss #2 says "Three dollars." Back to Pricing Guy. I say, "Boss #2 said three bucks." Boss #1 is still within earshot, he says "Boss #2 can't do that." (So why did you send me to him?) Boss #1 takes the box and heads for the back room, where the disks will be "recycled" and the manuals shredded. - John www.threedee.com/jcm

23 years, 11 months

thunderstorm damages!

by dhquebbeman＠theestopinalgroup.com

> I'm back, if anyone noticed. Actually, yes, I'd been wondering why we hadn't heard much from you or from Megan lately... > DSL and Phone modem cooked on June 30th put me off the air save > my 2400 baud pocket modem. > > FYI: there were 1810 messages all but 9 were from Classiccmp... > thats a bit much, no? And most of those OT, no doubt... -dq

23 years, 11 months

Bad BA123 Power Supply - Fix or Scrap?

by jhfine＠idirect.com

Does anyone want to fix a power supply from a BA123? The box seems OK, but there was probably a short at some point. Local pick up only - in Toronto. If no one replies, out on Wednesday for sure into the garbage!!

23 years, 11 months

New Finds

by jrkeys＠concentric.net

Picked up a Laser PC3 portable computer that works great and has a nice carrying case but no doc's at Goodwill At an auction I got a Vibrac model 350 Flexible Disc Tester and a MTI Accumcasure System 1000. At another Goodwill I got 3 clear IBM Data Processing Magnetic Tape holders (99 cents each). They also had new 8" 3M diskettes in the box for $2.99 each. The rest of the stuff is not yet 10 years old. On the subject of shopping at places of higher ed. I have stopped going to the U of M here because they got to were if you got a item out of the trash they would keep it and give it to 'a person' that would sell it on eBay (the school got none of the funds).

23 years, 11 months

RSX11M+ v3.0 Distribution

by wrking＠dadaboom.com

Following up on my previous posting, I've been made aware that all of the DECUS RSX Sig tapes are already available on-line. Cool. I thought I was going to have my 15 minutes of fame. I'm going to pursue the possibility that it's legal to post the RSX11M+ v 3.0 distribution on-line. I think I'd like to have a signed agreement with Mentec that this will be okay. I don't want someone to introduce me to the DMCA the hard way :-). Hopefully Mentec will answer my email. I can handle the legal side of this (it's a good thing my father is a retired attorney), but could someone give me some hints as to the technical side of posting the tapes? There are two tapes, one is the distribution, and the other is standalone BRU. Well, I also have DECnet, DECmail and update E tapes as well... I'll keep you posted. Thanks, Bill

23 years, 11 months

OT: Great idea going wanting

by cmcmanis＠mcmanis.com

Well, I was planning on having a big party on Sept 1st but now it looks like I'm booked, however, if there are any other numerologists out there, note that this date is an auspicious date for having an EMERGENCY party The date is 9-1-1 and it falls on a SATURDAY Is that cool or what? --Chuck (normally I have my emergency party on the 11th) Please disregard this message if you don't get it. Thanks.

23 years, 11 months

OT: Great idea going wanting

by lance＠costanzo.net

At 11:57 PM 7/20/01 -0700, you wrote: >Well, I was planning on having a big party on Sept 1st but now it looks >like I'm booked, however, if there are any other numerologists out there, >note that this date is an auspicious date for having an EMERGENCY party > The date is 9-1-1 > and it falls on a SATURDAY >Is that cool or what? And don't forget that there's several more opportunities this year for BINARY day parties: 10/1/1, 11/11/1, etc

23 years, 11 months

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