Does anyone remember seeing adds in popular electronics back during the 1970's
about the NRI computer .
A few examples were on page 37 of the 3\77 issue , .page 15 , 11\76 page 11 ,
2\76 .
thanks,
zge(a)aol.com
>From: SUPRDAVE <SUPRDAVE(a)aol.com>
>Subject: MFM drives
>has anyone else had a fantastic failure rate with mfm controller cards?
>seems like i have better luck with reviving hard drives....
For "fantastic" substitute "legendary." During my years as a support tech
(roughly 1986 to 1994) it was an article of faith in my firm that a "bad
disk" was a failed controller about two times out of three. This could be
difficult to explain to end-users, who generally knew what a hard disk was,
but rarely what a controller was, or even that they owned one.
It was also entertaining telling an end-user that, once they had a new
controller, they'd have to low-level the
-- kc
I've got some TK-50 drives that I want to use a couple of in my MicroVAX
II, they are all filthy, with big dustbunnies crawling out of them. I've
picked up some of the proper foam swabs for cleaning tape drives, and a
bottle of "Radio Shack Professional Tape Head Cleaner Fluid".
I took the worst one tonite and striped it down, gave it a good cleaning,
blew it out good, got it nice and spick and span. I've got it put back
together now, and it _looks_ great.
My question is, was this a good idea? I started thinking about this when I
went and put the thing that looks like it has two magnets back in from of
the tape drive head. By taking this apart like that have I messed up the
drive alignment or anything? Are there any particular gottcha's that I
need to be aware of. I'm already aware of how the tape leader needs to be
attached and what to do if it gets sucked into a drive (had a tech show me
on a DLT4000 drive a few months ago).
Of course my plan is to install it tomorrow night, and give it a try. It's
called I really want to get a good backup of this machine prior to starting
to play with it (I know nothing about VMS, but have the System Manager, and
User's manuals).
Zane
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator |
| healyzh(a)ix.netcom.com (primary) | Linux Enthusiast |
| healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| For Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, |
| see http://www.dragonfire.net/~healyzh/ |
| For the collecting of Classic Computers with info on them. |
| see http://www.dragonfire.net/~healyzh/museum.html |
At 22:01 20/01/98 -0500, Ward Griffiths wrote:
>Daniel A. Seagraves wrote:
>>
>> Linux has a termcap for the TRS-80 Mod. 100.
>> I think it trs80 or trs-80
>> -------
>
>Not on my Caldera distribution. Terminfo either. Not hard to edit
>the vt52 entry though, that's what I did when the 100 first came out
>before Xenix directly supported it -- and I emailed the entry I'd
>made to Fort Worth but never compared it to the official release.
Here's the Model 100 entry from my termcap (on a SunOS 4.1.3 machine):
zn|trs100|Radio Shack Model 100:\
:am:bs:le=^H:li#8:co#40:ku=^^:kd=^_:kl=^]:kr=^\:up=\EA:\
:nd=\EC:ho=\EH:ce=\EK:cd=\EJ:cl=\EE:xt:cm=\EY%+ %+ :\
:so=\Ep:se=\Eq:al=\EL:dl=\EM:
Hope that helps.
Regards,
| Scott McLauchlan |"Sometimes the need to mess with their heads|
|Information Services Division| outweighs the millstone of humiliation." |
| University of Canberra |__________Fox_Mulder_"The_X-Files:_Squeeze"_|
| scott(a)isd.canberra.edu.au |http://www.canberra.edu.au/~scott/home.html |
At 09:43 PM 1/19/98 -0500, you wrote:
>I print 'em out on stone using an HP 7140 plotter with a knife attached and
>use the pony express to get them to my cave.
And I thought dialing into my ISP at 2400 baud with my Atari Portfolio was
roughing it. Or before that, on a TRS-80 Model 100 at 300baud. Had to find
a 40 column termcap for that one.
-John Higginbotham-
-limbo.netpath.net-
Seems to me these kits are still available from some distributor on the net
for around $30. I'll see if I can dig up the exact URL.
Cliff Gregory
cgregory(a)lrbcg.com
-----Original Message-----
From: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
To: Cgregory <Cgregory>
Date: Sunday, January 18, 1998 7:46 PM
Subject: Sinclair Kit for Sale
>
>A friend of mine has an original unbuilt Sinclair kit for sale at what
>looks like an interesting price. If you're interested, contact him
>directly at squest(a)cris.com and tell him Anthony Clifton - Wirehead sent
you.
>
>Anthony Clifton - Wirehead
>
>
Uncle Roger <sinasohn(a)ricochet.net> wrote:
> I can do better than that -- I've got a Zenith that makes the Kaypro look
> pocket sized. *But* both fold up conveniently, and can be carried with one
> hand. The IBM 5100 (and RS mIII, Commodore Pet, HP 85, etc.) is *not*
> convenient to tote around on a regular basis.
OK, you've mentioned the HP 85, so I'll write about it a bit.
Was the 85 portable? That's a good question. HP apparently thought
it could be pressed into service that way -- I remember the CEs
bringing out a largish travel case containing an 85 with (at least) an
HP-IB interface and some tapes that made it a diagnostic tool and
exerciser for CS/80 disc drives. Of course, they also brought some
other similarly sized travel cases full of 7933 kit and a hand truck
to help move the lot from station wagon to computer room.
But I didn't see that case come up to the computer room unless the CEs
thought they were going to use it to deal with the problem at hand.
Make of that what you will. I read it as: it's easily movable, but
it's not convenient enough to be carried everywhere.
I'm thinking that the 85 was designed at HP's Corvallis site. Were
those responsible thinking of themselves as "Portable Computer
Division" back then?
-Frank McConnell
Well over the last few days I've found a Multi-Tech Systems FM30 Data
Coupler with cord for .80; a Heathkit Digital Design Experimenter model
ET-3200-B for .80 no doc's where with it, will play around this weekend
with it; 2 SUN spreakerboxs' for $5 each this place has about 50 of them
for sale; Apple PC 5.25 ext drive for free not tested yet; a EPSON P.I.C.
parallel interface cartridge #8620A no way to test it for now; IBM pc
convertible printer and adapter unit for free got get convertible going to
test unit; a Apple plotter model A9M0302 for $15 need s some clean and
maybe parts before I can test it; Lisa with keyboard for .80 not tested yet
card slot in back were open as if someone too them out at the thrift store;
another Toshiba T1000 that works has carrying case power supply and
manuals; HP IIIsi for $15 needs work; Laserwriter II $15 needs work; Kodak
Diconix 150Plus free and not tested yet; LattisNet Synoptics model 102 $15
and not tested yet; a stripped Mac IIsi for free; and several other units
and parts that do not meet the ten year rule. I hope to have better luck
when all this snow goes away until them Keep Computing !! John
At 11:57 AM 1/19/98 -0800, you wrote:
>YEAH! And not all of us have Windows to read email with -
>I got to ^Q thru all that...
Don't have windows??? How'd that neanderthal get in here?!? :)
(Ow! I'm kidding! Ow! I said I was kidding! OwOwOwOw!!!!)
Seriously, some people just assume that everyone else can support their
standards. I've been partially guilty of it too. I send all my attachments
as MIME, mainly because that's the standard in my main working environment
(win95/NT). I'm a graphic artist and web page designer. I could only do 30%
of my job in a text based environment if it came down to that (sometimes it
does). Then again, everyone I know that I send attachments to have mail
clients than can handle MIME. (I check the message headers for X-Sender
before I do) Still, that doesn't make it right to send attachments to a
list. It could have been worse. It could have come out of a "rich text" or
HTML compatible mail client. (Then all heck would break loose, Dogar, the
Many-Handed One would hand out the proper punishments, and all zeroes would
flow across the lines, as the backbones crumble from their fury! So it was
written, so it shall be!)
(Uhh, was there ever a point in this message where it was on topic? Uh oh.
Better fix that.)
So, uh, speaking of Commodores... Anyone know where I can pick up an Amiga
500 or 1000 real cheap? :)
-John Higginbotham-
-limbo.netpath.net-
> SO what? I read my messages from TOPS-20.
> Beat that.
I print 'em out on stone using an HP 7140 plotter with a knife attached and
use the pony express to get them to my cave.
manney
Who was the joker that posted the message a week or so ago stating
that usmo.com had good prices?
I checked thir website and found a couple of printers for the HP 41
calculator, so I E-mailed and asked their price. They didn't knopw what
they were, I had to send them the URL. Then they wrote back wanting $650
for them!!!!! That's more than double HP's original price and at least 15
times the maximum price now. usmo is a rip off and a waste of time!
Joe
>Return-Path: <kseeker(a)usmo.com>
>From: "c" <kseeker(a)usmo.com>
>To: "Joe" <rigdonj(a)intellistar.net>
>Subject: Re: more prices
>Date: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 09:36:17 -0000
>X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
>X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.2106.4
>
>Those printers we currenlty are asking $650
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Joe <rigdonj(a)intellistar.net>
>To: c <kseeker(a)usmo.com>
>Date: Monday, January 19, 1998 1:31 PM
>Subject: Re: more prices
>
>
>>They're at "http://www.usmo.com/~kseeker/webdoc3.htm". They're listed as
>>Thermal Printers.
>>
>> Joe
>>
>>
>>At 09:36 PM 1/18/98 -0000, you wrote:
>>>Where did you see these, at what link, I do not recall these part numbers.
>>>
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: Joe <rigdonj(a)intellistar.net>
>>>To: kseeker(a)usmo.com <kseeker(a)usmo.com>
>>>Date: Friday, January 16, 1998 1:46 AM
>>>Subject: more prices
>>>
>>>
>>>>I'm interested in the HP 82161 and 82162 printers advertised on your
>>>>website. Tell me what you want for them and their condition.
>>>>
>>>> Joe
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>
In a message dated 98-01-19 23:14:51 EST, you write:
<< >> Oh, they also had a few IBM PS/2 style monitors with a single RCA jack
>>
> What denotes a PS/2 "style" monitor ? I haven't heard this term
>before and have several P/S2 s. The RCA jack would suggest a
>composite monitor.
It's the kind of case; the PS/2 style is rather different from the old 5150
style.
what was the model number? first generation ps/2 machines were 85xx. second
generation ps2 models were 95xx, known as the premium line.
david
Hi Jim, I'll give you $30 shipped. I'm in PA 17347.
Sincerely,
Tom
>I have an Apple ][+ that needs a good home. I've never seen anything
>quite like this; every slot filled! I don't know it it works though;
>no boot floppies. Here's what's inside:
>
>Applied Engineering 16k Pocket Rocket (?)
>Asynchronous Serial Interface
>MountainComputer A/D+D/A
>PTM-1 Programmable timer module (with kludge of unknown function)
>Parallel Interface board
>ThunderClock Plus
>Disk ][ Interface Card (FDC)
>APL Board (with centronics cable attached)
>
>Included are a pair of Disk ][ drives, an Apple Joystick, and some
>misc cables dangling from the back. E-Mail me at:
>
> Jeff.kaneko(a)ifrsys.com
>
> _or_
>
> banzai(a)worldnet.att.net
>
>if interested. Will sell for a very reasonable price, plus shipping
>from Wichita, Kansas.
I wasn't try to ruffle any feathers here, or undercut anyone's price. Your
post simply jogged my memory as to the availability of these kits. FWIW the
URL is:
http://www.users.interport.net/~zebra/ts/
I was just there; it's still a live link. Kind of interesting browsing what
they have to offer. BTW, I'm not affiliated with the sellers in any way,
nor have I ever purchased from them.
Cliff Gregory
cgregory(a)lrbcg.com
-----Original Message-----
From: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
To: Cgregory <Cgregory>
Date: Monday, January 19, 1998 10:17 PM
Subject: Re: Sinclair Kit for Sale
>
>Yeah ok. I just report what I'm told. I'm not a salesman. I'm not an
>apologist. If you want to negotiate price with the guy contact him
>directly at squest(a)cris.com. I'm not making any money off them. I don't
>care if sells any. I don't care if anyone buys any.
>
>Anthony Clifton - Wirehead
>
>> Seems to me these kits are still available from some distributor on the
net
>> for around $30. I'll see if I can dig up the exact URL.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
>> To: Cgregory <Cgregory>
>> Date: Sunday, January 18, 1998 7:46 PM
>> Subject: Sinclair Kit for Sale
>>
>>
>>
>> >
>> >A friend of mine has an original unbuilt Sinclair kit for sale at what
>> >looks like an interesting price. If you're interested, contact him
>> >directly at squest(a)cris.com and tell him Anthony Clifton - Wirehead sent
>> you.
>> >
>> >Anthony Clifton - Wirehead
>> >
>> >
>>
>
Hello Fellow Classic Computer Collecting Nerds.
If you've checked out the Vintage Computer Festival web page then you
know that there will be an exhibition of over 100 computer systems as
part of the event.
Just having the computers without any accompanying literature would
probably leave a lot of attendees wondering what it was they were looking
at. Therefore, I would like to have a short, one-page write-up for each
machine on display giving summary information about the machine. I
figured there is probably no better resource for general and historical
information on old computers than this discussion group.
As you know, 100 computers is a lot. So I am asking for a favor from
anyone interested. I need write-ups done for the machines which will be
on display! Aside from my undying gratitude, anyone who contributes
write-ups will receive a free Vintage Computer Festival 1.0 t-shirt and a
free pass to the show either this year or for whatever year you will be
able to make it out (this WILL be an annual event).
A list of the systems on display will follow. If you would like to do some
write-ups for a particular system or series of systems, please e-mail me
and I will let you know if a write-up is required for that system.
The write-up should ideally include:
The company which created the computer
The founding year of the company
The year the company went out of business
The founder(s) of the company
What the company's main market was (ie. who was their customer?)
The year the computer was developed/released
How many were manufactured (if known)
What computer (if any) preceded this computer
What computer (if any) followed this computer
What operating system(s) could it run?
What language(s) if any were built-in or available for it?
What kinds of peripherals were available for this computer
What were the attributes of this computer
What processor did it use? How many bits was it?
How much memory did it come with standard? How much total memory
could it be expanded to?
What kind of bus architecture did it use (if any) or how could it be
expanded (if at all)? Did it have a carthridge slot?
What other computers was it compatible with (if any)?
What peripherals were specifically available for it (if any)?
Disk drives or other storage devices?
Printers?
Displays?
Other stuff like speech synthesizers, graphics tablets, etc.?
What (if any) graphics capabilities did it possess?
What was the resolution (of all graphics modes)?
How many colors were available?
Any special features of the graphics? Any special graphics hardware?
What (if any) sound capabilities did it possess?
How many voices did it support?
Any special features of the sound? Any special sound hardware?
What other significant attributes did it feature?
Again, it would be ideal to have all this information, but it is not
mandatory. I realize that some stuff is just a mystery. Hopefully
having Vintage Computer Festival's will clear up these mysteries by
getting the information flowing about old computers.
If you would like to contribute a write-up, please e-mail me with what
you want to contribute and I will let you know if I need one for that
system or not. Thanks!
(list to follow below)
Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass
Attend the First Annual Vintage Computer Festival
See http://www.siconic.com/vcf for details!
MANUFACTURER PRODUCT MODEL
---------------------------- --------------------------- ------------
Altos
Apple Computer Apple /// A3S2
Apple Computer Apple //c A2S4100
Apple Computer Apple IIe A2S2064
Apple Computer Apple IIe A2S2128
Apple Computer Apple ][ A2S0016
Apple Computer Apple ][+ A2S1048
Apple Computer Lisa 2
Apple Computer Macintosh Plus M0001A
Atari Atari 1040ST 1040STF
Atari Atari 1200XL Home Computer 1200XL
Atari Atari 130XE 130XE
Atari Atari 400 Home Computer 400
Atari Atari 520ST 520ST
Atari Atari 600XL Home Computer 600XL
Atari Atari 800 800
Atari Atari 800XL 800XL
Atari Falcon 030
Callan Data Systems Unistar 300
Commodore Amiga A1000
Commodore Amiga A500
Commodore CBM 2001 Series PET 2001-32
Commodore Commodore 64 64
Commodore Commodore 64 Personal Compu 64C
Commodore Commodore 128 128
Commodore Commodore Plus/4 Plus/4
Commodore PET 4016
Commodore PET 4032
Commodore PET 8032
Commodore VIC 20 Computer VIC 20
Compaq Portable
CompuPro 8/16
Computer Power & Light Compal 80 Minicomputer
Corona Data Systems M18P-2
Corvus Concept
Cromemco Z2 Computer System
Data General Data General One 2514A
Epson Geneva PX-8
Epson Portable Computer HX-20
Exidy Inc. Sorcerer Computer
Fortune Systems Corporation 32:16
Forward Technologies Sun 1 Clone
GCE Vectrex
Heath H8
Heath Hero I
Hewlett-Packard Computer HP3000/37
Hewlett-Packard Computer HP85A
Hewlett-Packard Computer HP86B
Hewlett-Packard Portable HP110
Hewlett-Packard Portable Plus
Hewlett-Packard Integral PC HP9000/207
Hewlett-Packard Workstation HP9000/520
Hewlett-Packard Computer HP9915
IBM 3270 Personal Computer 5271
IBM Personal Computer 5150
IMSAI Manufacturing Corporat IMSAI 8080 Microcomputer Sy
Interact Micro Video
Intertec Data Systems SuperBrain II
Kaypro Corporation Kaypro New 2
Macintosh 128
Mattel Electronics Aquarius 5931
Mindset Mindset
Morrow Designs MDT 60
Morrow Designs Pivot Portable
Non-Linear Systems, Inc. Kaypro II
North Star Computers Horizon
OSI C4P MF
Olivetti M10
Osborne Computer Corporation Executive
Osborne Computer Corporation Osborne 1
Osborne Computer Corporation Osborne 3
Osborne Computer Corporation Vixen
PMC Inc. PMC 81
Processor Technology Corp. SOL 20
Quest Electronics Super Elf
Radio Shack TRS-80 Model I
Radio Shack TRS-80 Model III
Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 100
Radio Shack TRS-80 64K Color Computer 2 26-3127B
Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer 2 26-3027
Radio Shack TRS-80 Micro Color Computer MC-10
Radio Shack TRS-80 Micro Computer Syste 26-1006-1
Radio Shack TRS-80 PC-1
SWP Microcomputer Products ATR8000
SWTP 6800
SWTP 6809
Sanyo MBC-550 MBC-550
Sinclair ZX80 ZX80
Sinclair ZX81 Personal Computer ZX81
Sun Microsystems Workstation 2/50
Synertek VIM-1
Tandy TRS-80 Model 2000 26-5103
Tandy Tandy 1000EX 25-1050B
Tandy Tandy 100HX Personal Comput 25-1053A
Televideo TS1603
Texas Instruments 99/4A Computer PHC004A
Texas Instruments Silent 700 745 Portable
Timex Computer Corporation Timex-Sinclair 1000 M 330
Timex Computer Corporation Timex-Sinclair 1500
Toshiba T1000 PA7027U
Vector Graphics Inc. Vector 1
Victor Technologies, Inc. Victor 9000 412
Video Technology Ltd. Laser 50
Visual Computer Inc. Commuter COMMUTER US
Let me ask some of you wiser heads here on the list a question if I may:
Is there a way to archive boot-disk images on my DOS file server? I'm trying
to archive some of the DOS versions that are on my older machines. I'm
thinking of that .exe format that IBM uses to produce bootable reference disks
for the PS/2's.....is there anything comparable to that I can use to make
a storable boot-disk image? I do make disk copies of the operating systems
I want to save, but would also like to back them up on the server. Can
anyone recommend anything that would be simple enough for a newbie like
me to use to do this?
Kirk Scott
scottk5(a)ibm.net
Net-Tamer V 1.09.2 - Test Drive
OK, I got a MicroVAX II with a working RD-54 yesterday! I'm finally up and
running with VMS. It's one of the Big ones on casters, I think it's what's
called a BA-123 enclosure. I'm happy :^) There is something incredibly
cool about a system that has the ability to bill users based on CPU usage!
Along with this I got a LOT of other stuff. Amongst it all were several
RD-53's, which when I connect them up and try to boot the system from them
it gives me a ?54 RETRY. Does this mean that they are bad, or that they
are simply not bootable disks? Yes, I realize that the RD-53's are some of
the worst disks ever made, but I've got a lot around here right now.
I'm hoping to use one of the 53's in my VAXstation II/RC (I also got a full
fleged backplane yesterday to swap out with the resin filled one).
While I'm asking questions, I also got three non-DEC Hard Drives, I gather
they can be used with the MicroVAX's. One is a Imprimis Hard Drive Model
Number 94166-182, I've determined it's a ESDI 182Mb HD, I've got at least
one or two Plessey ESDI controllers that I picked up a couple weeks ago.
How do I go about formating these drives?
Zane
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator |
| healyzh(a)ix.netcom.com (primary) | Linux Enthusiast |
| healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| For Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, |
| see http://www.dragonfire.net/~healyzh/ |
| For the collecting of Classic Computers with info on them. |
| see http://www.dragonfire.net/~healyzh/museum.html |
At 05:17 AM 1/17/98 +0000, you wrote:
> I've got a Kaypro "portable" that I lift occasionally to keep fit
I can do better than that -- I've got a Zenith that makes the Kaypro look
pocket sized. *But* both fold up conveniently, and can be carried with one
hand. The IBM 5100 (and RS mIII, Commodore Pet, HP 85, etc.) is *not*
convenient to tote around on a regular basis.
I still maintain that any reference to portability IBM might have made
(aside from outright lie-- I mean marketing) simply refers to not needing a
moving company, air conditioning installer, electrician, etc. when moving
the office. I cannot accept that anyone at the time would have expected
someone to lug it around it with them.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- O-
Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad
roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know."
Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates
San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/
I recently purchased a computer from a gentleman in Indiana. During our
correspondence he mentioned that he had a bunch of parts for the Cordata.
To quote him:
>I also have enough Cordata pieces/parts to start my own repair shop:
>Powersupplies, MB's, cards of all sorts, keyboards, little springs, etc.
>etc. Know anyone wanting to suppliment their parts supplies? Somewhere
>out there is someone who would give their eye teeth for this stuff!
>
>If you would like any other old software - I got it!
I'm not interested, but maybe someone out there is. His name is Keith
Hoffman; his email address is kehoffman(a)juno.com Contact him directly if
interested. Like I said, I bought a computer from him, and he was extremely
reasonable and easy to deal with during that transaction.
Cliff Gregory
cgregory(a)lrbcg.com
Hello all on The List; I have been a Lurker here for several
months but this is the first opportunity I have taken to actually
POST something.
For PDP11 folk in the Southern California area, I will have
several items of related gear at the TRW Ham Radio Swapmeet in El
Segundo, on Saturday Jan the 31st, 7:30am to 11:30am. (The meet is
always held the last Saturday of the month)
I have several Plessey pieces, including a MicroII which boots
into ODT - but I have no disk OS for it.. and a Plessey dual 8"
drive module... a Kennedy 5360 Hard Disk with a lucite see-thru
cover.. it spins up and comes into ready, but the drive-to-I/F card
was mechanically smashed. I have an RA60 that looks good but is
untested and an RL02 junk for parts. Also many other bits and pieces
and boards.. I am trying to thin out and concentrate my PDP collection.
I WOULD LIKE: a formatter/interface card(s) to hook a Kennedy 9300
9-trk to an 11/34a... also A/D and D/A cards for the MINC11, and/or
70's vintage stand-alone or DEC-specific D/A converters. All items I
have are for sale/trade/free to good home, and transportation in the
SoCal area is included... longer distances according to value of
bribe offered. :)
AT TRW I am in spaces J21-J23, near the east side of the lot and
across from a blue tent with CDroms all over. White Toyota P/U
Truck full of Old Stuff, you probably can't miss it.
I know this is CA-specific, but one never knows who might be
traveling and would be interested. A URL with pix of my stuff is
available, but waiting for renovation of the Old Computer section.
Please feel free to write to my e-mail address if you would like
more info or just to chat... I don't wish to take up ListSpace with
personal communications. ;}
Thank you for all the great info... many posts have helped me get
my own jun^H^H^H systems working thru others giving good advice.
Cheers,
John
At 08:23 PM 1/18/98 -0600, you wrote:
>> If anyone knows where I can buy a NeXT cube at a decent price, please
>> let me know.
Okay, I know NeXT was the baby of Steve Jobs, but what exactly is it based
on? Is it an entirely new animal? If anyone can point me to some info, I'd
appreciate it.
-John Higginbotham-
-limbo.netpath.net-
Having an IBM mainframe would be great provided you have a direct
connect to the nearest power station! Here's several messages from
knowledgeable folks that posted to alt.folklore.computers awhile back:
[Message 1 of 4 in thread 148 of 176] alt.folklore.computers
Re: IBM Mainframes: Power & Coolant Requirements
From: Alan Greenberg <ALAN(a)VM1.McGill.CA>
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 95 20:33:11 EDT (Page 1 of 2)
In article <BNIDrJa.jrbrady(a)delphi.com>
Jason Brady <jrbrady(a)delphi.com> writes:
>
>Does anyone have any insights as to the power requirements for the
>beasts? How about the liquid coolant (I think one of the many system
>components was the PDU "power/coolant distribution unit"?)
We just replaced a two processor 3090 with a new CMOS-based system.
The new systems was cost-justified partly on the energy savings.
The processor complex ate up about 55 KVA, mostly in 415 Hz power
(which is what the motor-generator created from 60 Hz - just as
with airborne equipment, the higher frequency makes for smaller
DC power supplies). Onto that, you need to add the cost of
removing the heat - perhaps another 25-50% for a total power
consumption of about 60-70 KVA. A complex with more processors
would of course take more power.
I should point out that this was a 9 year old machine....
We replaced it with a new box that draw less than 1,500 watts!
Alan Greenberg
Re: IBM Mainframes: Power & Coolant Requirements
From: Joe Morris <jcmorris(a)mwunix.mitre.org>
Date: 24 Aug 1995 14:42:30 GMT (Page 1 of 2)
Jason Brady <jrbrady(a)delphi.com> writes:
>I never got involved with the facilities support side of the place, but
>remember one day when an emergency shutdown was attributed to a "motor-
>generator failure."
A lot of the big systems used MG sets, both as frequency translators (some
circuits were designed for 400 Hz supply) and as an isolation mechanism
to prevent garbage on the power feed from getting into the computer. The
rotating mass of the MG provided excellent ride-through for short outages
of the commercial power.
At a PPOE in the mid-1970s we had an IBM 370/148 (with MG), an IBM 360/65
(no MG) and a DEC DECsystem KL10 (no MG). We also had a Dranitz power line
monitor tied to the power mains; based on its output we could show how
well the systems handled dropouts in the power.
The DECsystem 10 never survived more than about 3 or 4 cycles outage; the
360/65 died at about 16 cycles, and the 148 could tolerate almost a
full second. (We got lots of opportunities to collect data points ...
thanks, TVA.)
Of course, the peripherals on the 148 would usually die on an outage of
one second, but the CPU itself would survive without taking a power check.
(The shop didn't have the funds and/or will to buy a UPS, even though I
managed to include a room for one in the building when it was designed.)
The problem with the DEC box didn't surprise me at all. There were a
lot of nice features in the design, but the impression I got was that
DEC designed the power circuits on a day after the engineers had spent
the previous night in a bar. At one time I found that the box was
dumping almost 8A of current down the *ground* line, yet the DEC
CE insisted that the box was installed and working correctly. It
also was dumping over 20A down the neutral line on a 3-phase circuit;
not the safety issue of ground current, but still indicative of poor
design.
Joe Morris / MITRE
[Message 3 of 4 in thread 148 of 176] alt.folklore.computers
Re: IBM Mainframes: Power & Coolant Requirements
From: Joe Morris <jcmorris(a)mwunix.mitre.org>
Date: 24 Aug 1995 15:04:21 GMT (Page 1 of 2)
Responding to: <41e5j3$id(a)news.iadfw.net>
mcw(a)gateway.airmail.net (Mike Wommack) writes:
>I used to work as an Electrician at an IBM site a few years back. I know
>the 3380(?) DASD strings took 220v at 100A. The plugs were huge. I also
>recall what looked like 3/4" water lines used to cool the main processor.
>(Which was either a 3090 or ES9000.)
If it was a US site, the 3380 box probably was being fed with 208VAC,
3-phase power at no more than 60A; the box is spec'ed at requiring
no more than 8.2 KVA. In the case of the 3380 the power connector
is an R&S 7328 plug, which is rated at only 60A.
(You could get the box wired for other voltages, so a 220 VAC feed
is possible but if that was the voltage the current draw would have
been even less than at 208.)
The size of the connectors in the power lines is often mandated by NEC
(National Electric Code) and/or local code requirements, which for
underfloor installation often require watertight connections (and thus
increase the size of the connector).
Joe Morris / MITRE
Not in toronto, but I live in Castlegar British Columbia, Canada
Nice Computer website.
Chris :)
>On 18 Jan 98 at 16:50, Unusual systems wrote:
>
>> Did any one ever reply? I believe I'm the chap in the K-W area. We once had
>> Canada's first computer museum, but it has since closed. Have you seen our
>> web site? www.sentex.net/~ccmuseum.
>>
>> Please let me know what I can do to help you.
>>
>Not a peep !! It's amazing that the 5th largest city in N.A. has nary
>a one. Only you and Charlie Fox in Windsor TMK. Thanks for the URL
>I had a reference to it at one time but misplaced it.
> Any other TO area folks on the list ?
>
>ciao larry
>>
>>
>lwalkerN0spaM(a)interlog.com
>
>
Isaac,
Did this list get anywhere? I just found this discussion today, although
I have been collecting and have had a collecting page on the web for two
years. If it has amounted to something, please add my name and email.
Brian Mahoney
in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
bmahoney(a)sprint.ca
Thanks
