test-drb

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

101090 discussions

by 107765.1161＠compuserve.com

Message text written by INTERNET:classiccmp@u.washington.edu >> a mention that I have a front-panel IMSAI I get hundreds of emails from collectors and pseudo-collectors-wannabes who would bend overbackwards to pay me good money for it. Are the only machines that people collect trendy micros that have been featured in the "collectible" column of the _LA Times_ and the like? Are classic minis, including PDP-11's and DG mini's only items for the junk heap?<< >I can't speak for everyone, but for some of us the problem isn't that PDP-11's aren't "trendy" enough, the problem is space. I would love to< This is THE critical fact. Go into an antique store sometime, and look at the prices. You'll see some little knicknack for $300, and then you'll see a huge, 150-year old carved mahogany wardrobe closet for-- $260? The fact is EVERYONE has room for the small knicknacks, but few people have room for the wardrobe closets. Similarly, I can (and some day, probably will) decorate my office with cute little ZX-80s, Mattel Aquarius, CGP-115-type printer plotters and the like, scattered around for people to look at as curiousities (and ask about, if they're foolish enough to get me started); but, what would I do with a mini or an IBM 360 if I had one? Not that preserving some of the larger systems isn't a worthwhile effort, but I think most people would echo W.C. Fields comparing women to elephants: "I like to look at them, but I wouldn't want to own one."

28 years, 8 months

PET FAQ

by 107765.1161＠compuserve.com

Message text written by INTERNET:Philip.Belben@powertech.co.uk >I have some comments on the PET FAQ, but I've lost Larry Anderson's e-mail address. Accordingly I am posting it here, with apologies to all who don't wish to read it.< I believe it is foxnhare(a)goldrush.com I've already sent him e-mail, directing him to Jim Brain's "Canonical List of Commodore Products" which mentions a number of computer and printer models he missed. I also mentioned the FAQ that Jim maintains on various Commodore topics, although I assume he's familiar with that. Gil Parrish 107765.1161(a)compuserve.com

28 years, 8 months

HHC's?

by 107765.1161＠compuserve.com

Message text written by INTERNET:classiccmp@u.washington.edu >Mike has contacted the company with the HHCs and there is a guy there counting up all the available units. Mike and I worked out a deal of $1600 for 200 units, which puts the base price per unit at $8 before< Again, bravo for undertaking this effort. Once we all get our units, we'll probably need a separate listserv to discuss them, swap programs and such. If folks have access to the internet (usenet) newsgroups, I know of one which is virtually inactive and could easily be hijacked for this purpose. ;-] Gil Parrish 107765.1161(a)compuserve.com

28 years, 8 months

How do I Unsubscribe From This List Server? HELP!

by BNICALEK＠aol.com

I've been trying to do this over the last few days, and still can't figure it out... Bryan Nicalek bnicalek(a)aol.com

28 years, 8 months

Minicomputer Storage Myths

by thedm＠sunflower.com

Well I've done that too. Like with my Tandy Model4's, which I didn't know anything about. But at least I knew it as all there. The places I get my stuff, never have anything like this. You find me one, and well, if I can afford it, I'll have a stab. Be a good reason for me to learn unix. ---------- > From: PDP11 Hacker ..... <ard(a)siva.bris.ac.uk> > To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> > Subject: Re: Minicomputer Storage Myths > Date: Tuesday, July 22, 1997 1:45 PM > > From: MX%"classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu" 22-JUL-1997 17:57:36.60 > To: MX%"classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu" > CC: > Subj: Re: Minicomputer Storage Myths > > >Wanna here a crying shame!? I only collect micros, simply because I'm not > >at all familiar with Unix, Vax, or any flavor thereoff. I have an 18X24 > >room in the basement of my house devoted to not just storing my collection, > >but having it setup and running. If I knew more about these machines, I'd > >probably love to have one. > > That's no excuse! :-). When I got my first minicomputer I knew absolutely > nothing about them (I'd never used a front panel, had only vague ideas on > how a processor worked at gate level, etc). I suspect the rest is true > of some other serious collectors on this list. > > Still, I sat down with the machine, and even more importantly the service > manual, and I figured it out. It didn't take that long. And I didn't have a > group of experts to turn to, either. > > -tony >

28 years, 8 months

Minicomputer Storage Myths

by thedm＠sunflower.com

Wanna here a crying shame!? I only collect micros, simply because I'm not at all familiar with Unix, Vax, or any flavor thereoff. I have an 18X24 room in the basement of my house devoted to not just storing my collection, but having it setup and running. If I knew more about these machines, I'd probably love to have one. ---------- > From: Carl R. Friend <carl.friend(a)stoneweb.com> > To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> > Subject: Minicomputer Storage Myths > Date: Tuesday, July 22, 1997 11:42 AM > > In a few assorted threads I've seen under various names like "RSTS/E > Manuals" and "Minis not 'Trendy'", several folks have put forward the > argument that minicomputers are too large to collect easily. I have one > word: "hogwash". > > For the most part, your typical minicomputer fits securely in a 19" > wide rack. They're typically either around 5.5" or 11" high, or there- > abouts, and they're usually 22-30" deep with some going a little > deeper. They stack nicely for the most part as all the surfaces are > at right angles to one another. They do weigh a certain amount, but > usually do not top 100 pounds or so. > > Yes, collecting them does take creative space management. > > I noticed that one chap has installed his pdp11 under his bed; good > call! I hadn't thought of that one... > > Another guy gripes about putting a mini in his Honda Civic for > transport. My wife did just that when she came home with a DG Nova 1200 > for me a few years back; it fit very comfortably in the trunk. I just > got back from a trip to the US Midwest with two minis in two 6' bays > in the back of my minivan (story coming on my website). > > Kevan has room in his loft for a half-dozen minis or so (looked > at the pictures) once he gets things organised (sorry, Kevan) with > space left over. > > I keep three minicomputers (half-height Novas) on a kitchen counter > underneath our coffee-pot (I really should get a picture of that). I > also have a small rack with three of my pdp11s in it living in the > dining-room of our house - it makes a wonderful stand-up terminal > stand. Smaller racks can be utilised as end-tables. > > The ultimate space-management tool in dealing with minis is the > six-foot rack. In one of them you can mount an easy half-dozen > machines; if you share peripherals, they can all be used too. Un- > fortunately, my wife drew the line at that one, so I use the "scatter > method" of space management. > > The bottom line is that _it's not as big a deal as it's made out > to be_! It can be done, it should be done, and not enough people are > doing it. The machines are disappearing - and that's a shame. > > ______________________________________________________________________ > | | | > | Carl Richard Friend (UNIX Sysadmin) | West Boylston | > | Minicomputer Collector / Enthusiast | Massachusetts, USA | > | mailto:carl.friend@stoneweb.com | | > | http://www.ultranet.com/~engelbrt/carl/museum/ | ICBM: N42:21 W71:46 | > |________________________________________________|_____________________|

28 years, 8 months

FWD: RSTS/E Manuals

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<dollars or drive hundreds (thousands) of miles in a rented truck (unless <you can fit a PDP-11 in the trunk of a Honda Civic) to pick stuff up. I've loaded an 11/23 with rx02 drives sans rack into one easily. A DG mini in one of the smaller boxes would fit. Keep in mind most of the minis the basic CPU box is rack width (nom 19"wide x 30"deep) and usually under 11" tall. Most 11/23s are in ba11N or S boxes that are 5-1/2" tall. An RL02 at 70pounds is rack width/depth and under 11" tall. The cak however can be bigger. I could easily fit a 11/23 or ther Q-bus pdp-11/rlo2/rx02 in any midsize trunk they arent that big. Also some of the short racks (30", 40", 50") fit in rooms easily. They are more than large enough to contain a PDP-11 or nova or several depending o disks and CPU boxes. I'd jump on a Front pannel nova but I can't swing the shipping unless I can keep it under 20$. Even thoug DG is only a few miles from here I've never played with their hardware. Allison

28 years, 8 months

HHC's?

by jrice＠texoma.net

I was curious what the status of the HHC's were? JamesL. Rice

28 years, 8 months

Wanted -- Atari ST 1040 drive

by FAIAZMC＠hsd.utc.com

I'll look into it! Mike ---------- From: PG Manney To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers Subject: Wanted -- Atari ST 1040 drive Date: Monday, July 21, 1997 4:03PM A customer's Atari 720 K 3 1/2" floppy drive died. Anyone have one? According to him, this takes standard IBM DSDD 720K drives, but not Tandy (I guess, because of the strange data cable.) Thanks, manney(a)nwohio.com

28 years, 8 months

Are we gatewayed to a bit.listserv group?

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<I know a lot of these mailing lists are gatewayed to a newsgroup in a <special bit.listserv hierarchy. That might me a good idea for this group, <as the volume of messages here as gotten too unwieldy for e-mail. (I have <over a thousand messages unread from this group alone). I for one hope not. The few groups I write to that are a a constant source of junk mail from the spammers that parse them. Allison

28 years, 8 months

Odyssey2, Commodore Calc., 8" disks....

by coslor＠pscosf.peru.edu

Howdy: I picked up a few things today, and was wondering if anyone might have some feedback on this snag... including some more information on some of the items. To start with, I paid a total of $44 for the following. Feel free to let me know if I got a good deal... or not. 1) Odyssey 2 game system from Magnavox (Phillips). This comes with the original box, power supply, joysticks, TV converter box, etc. Also in this package is the THE VOICE expansion unit that allows voice output from the cartridge software. The unit itself is in _perfect_ condition! Thirteen game carts also came with this unit: Alien Invaders-Plus!, Computer Golf!, Attack of the Timelord!, Invaders From Hyperspace!, Speedwar, Spin-Out, Crypto-logic (the last three on one cart), Killer Bees!, KC'sKrazy Chase!, Sid the Spellbinder!, Type & Tell!, Football!, Nimble Numbers Ned, Bowling, Basketball (the last two on same cart), UFO!, and KC Munchkin!. Along with these carts are all the original boxes, in great shape, and the original manuals and countless other inserts! Does anyone know what the 'going' rate for a package like this might be these days? Also, does anyone have any inside info. on why ALL their titles end with an ' ! '?? 2) Commodore Solid State Electronic Calculator Model # 887D seriel #099632. I am seeking more information on this one. It's just a small digital (old style, lights actually are lit for numbers, etc.) calculator. This came with original manual, inserts, power supply, and box. I wasn't able to find a manufactured date, but on one of the instruction addition inserts, it is dated 10-1-1975. Please let me know if you might have more info. on this one. Also, let me know if there are any die-hard Commodore collectors that might be interested in purchasing this from me. 3) I found 60, six boxes of 10, 8" diskettes. These boxes are the heavy, plastic boxes that the top is spring-loaded to pop off. The disks are in mint condition and are unlabled. However, some of the boxes are labeled such things as 'daily backups', C, D, E, etc., and seems to be some accounting or other business disks. Can someone help me out and give some info on what types of machines used these? I know the Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 2,12, & 16 used these 8" disks but what others did? Is anyone interested in buying these up from me? I don't have a heck of a lot of use for them. Well, that's about all. Feel free to contribute any of the requested info., and anything else you'd like. Do you think I did ok financially on this deal? Also, if you're interested in getting 2 & 3 from above please let me know.... I will entertain ANY offers. Finally, I am also looking for any Atari 400 cassettes or cartridges. I don't have a disk drive, but am looking for one. Let me know what you have and how much you'd let 'er go fo, and we'll work something out. Also, looking for old TRS-80 software on disk and cassette, or CoCo cartridges, some keep that in mind as well. Thanks a ton for your time, CORD G. COSLOR //*=====================================================================++ || Cord G. Coslor P.O. Box 308 - 1300 3rd St. Apt "M1" -- Peru, NE || || (402) 872- 3272 coslor(a)bobcat.peru.edu 68421-0308 || || Classic computer software and hardware collector || || Autograph collector || ++=====================================================================*//

28 years, 8 months

DG Nova 4's, Eclipse S130's

by shoppa＠alph02.triumf.ca

A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text Size: 3574 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.classiccmp.org/pipermail/cctalk/attachments/19970721/6b7a5eae/at…

28 years, 8 months

Preliminary PET FAQ

by foxnhare＠goldrush.com

I figured I'd shoot this by you guys as I am getting closer to putting it on my web site. I am sure I will get some good criticism from you all. If you have any additions/suggestions or additional questions to include, let me know. I also plan also to add in a couple texts on disk drive usage some PET memory maps (gee there are barely any PET maps on the net!) and if I don't find a link to one, an overview of Commodore PET BASIC (applies to 64 also). (view with a monospaced font for best results) THE COMMODORE PET COMPUTER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FILE - VERSION 1.0beta --------------------------------------------- BY LARRY ANDERSSON, COMMODORE COLLECTOR AND PET ENTHUSIAST --------------------------------------------- WHAT MODELS OF THE PET ARE THERE? The PET line was Commodore's first computer line after purchasing MOS Technologies the primary design of the computer (as well as its microprocessor, the 6502) was by Chuck Peddle. The line was labeled in series' the first series, the 2001 series, the european 3000 series, and the modern 4000 and 8000 series, and the final single unit 9000 series which is the SuperPET. 9" display units (40 column x 25 line character only display): PET 2001series: Original PET: - Steel case - Internal 'datasette' cassette tape drive - Blue on black 9" display - Small 'calculator style' keyboard - Small shipment with 4k, most with 8k RAM - Original ROMs Large Keyboard PETs (no more internal datasette drive): PET 2001 xN (x=8,16,or 32 depending on amount or RAM it was shipped with) - Full-size key keyboard w/PET graphic symbols imprinted on keys - Upgrade ROMs - Many steel cased, some w/molded plastic tops. - many with clearer green on black displays - Later versions had 4.0 ROMs installed PET 2001 xB (labeled as CBM, Commodore Business Machine) - Full size xx key keyboard (no graphics symbols printed on keys) - Upgrade ROMs (powers up in upper/lower case mode) - Later versions had 4.0 ROMs installed - Many w/molded plastic tops some steel cased. PET/CBM 40xx Series (PET= N keyboard/ROM, CBM= B keyboard/ROM, xx= RAM) - 4.0 ROMs - molded plastic top 12" displays - updated video controller (prone to the 'killer poke') - internal piezo speaker, audible startup, and right margin sound. - 4.0 ROMs PET/CBM 40xx (PET= N keyboard/ROM, CBM= B keyboard/ROM, xx= RAM) - 40 x 25 display, upgradable to 80 columns - lower case availabe by CHR$(14) which also changes line spacing. 80 column series (can be set to 40 column mode via software.) CBM 80xx - 80 x 25 display, powers-up in upper/lower case. - buisness xx key keyboard - later versions had 64k & 96k RAM expansion board options. - 4.0 ROMs PET SP9000 SuperPET (or Micro Mainframe) - 80 x 25 display - 6809 co-processor board - 96k RAM - True RS-232 interface - Multiple charactersets (for APL, etc.) - Avalability of disk Based languages MOTHERBOARD SERIES 2000 series(9" CRT) 3000 & 4000 series (8" CRT) IEEE user tape #2 IEEE user tape #1 +------####-####--##-+ +------####-####--##-+ ! # ! #! ! # ! #! ! # exp ! #! exp ! # bus ! ROMS #! bus ! # ! F E D C A B 9 #! ! # ! #! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ROMS ! ! ! ! F E D C A B 9 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! tape # RAM MEMORY ! tape # RAM MEMORY ! #1 # ! #2 # ! +--------------------+ +--------------------+ 4000/8000 series (12" CRT) IEEE user tape #1 +------####-####--##-+ ! # # tape ! # # #2 ! R exp bus # ! ! A #! 2000 Series ! M 9 #! circa 1977/78 Max RAM - 8k ! A #! [daughterboard exp to 32k] ! M R B ! ! E O C ! 3000 & 4000 Series ! M M D ! circa 1979/80 Max RAM - 32k ! O S E ! ! R F ! 4000 & 8000 Series ! Y ! circa 1981 Max RAM - 32k* ! spkr! [daughterboard exp to 96k] +--------------------+ WHAT VERSION OF ROMS DO I HAVE ON MY PET? The PET/CBM line had three major ROM revisions as well as a few minor ones, you cannot reliably determine the ROMs by looking at the outside of the PET (unless it has a large monitor). Fortunately there is an easy way to distinguish the three various versions by just turning on the computer. Depending on how your start-up message looks you can determine the ROM version: *** COMMODORE BASIC *** - Original ROMs sometimes referred to as 2.0* ROMs. (only found in the older calculator keyboard style PETs) Occupy $C000-$FFFF ### COMMODORE BASIC ### - Commonly known as the 'Upgrade ROMs' sometimes referred to as 2.0 or 3.0 ROMs depending on who you ask. Occupy $C000-$FFFF *** COMMODORE BASIC 4.0 *** - 4.0 ROMs The only ROMs that will work on large-screen PETs. Occupy $B000-$FFFF * Some people contend that BASIC version 1.0 never made it out of beta development and the PET line started with version 2.0 ROMs... Commodore on the other hand usually refers to the 'Upgrade ROMs' as V2, or 2.0. For the sake of sanity in this FAQ I will refer to them as original and upgrade ROMs, and as for an opinion I will go with the company's numbering (which leaves V 3.0 out of the picture). WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES AND/OR BUGS OF MY VERSION OF BASIC? Original ROMs Commodore had not yet implemented the IEEE-488 disk routines. Arrays are limited to 256 elements due to a bug in firmware. There is no machine language monitor nor could the PEEK command access locations above memory location 49152. The upper/lower case character set was inverted (SHIFT for lower case) (note: reading my sources there are ALOT of bugs, will take a while to compile them) Upgrade ROMs Many Original ROM bugs were squashed. BASIC commands and capabilities very much like the Commodore 64's. Now includes a tiny ML monitor and IEEE-488 disk operability. Easter Egg - enter WAIT 6502,x to see MICROSOFT!' displayed on the screen x number of times. 4.0 ROMs* Addition of direct Disk operation commands DLOAD, DSAVE, COPY, HEADER, etc. Ability to repeat cursor control characters by holding down keys. Reserved DOS error-channel variables: DS,DS$. Added screen 'window' formatting control characters. * The small screen-and large screen versions of these ROMs differ and some software developed for the small-screen 4.0 ROMS crash on the large screen units. This is due to the necessary changes made for the new video controller of the 12" display PETs. CAN I RUN VIC-20, 64, 128, PLUS/4, OR C-16 SOFTWARE ON MY PET? Maybe. Any program that is all BASIC that does not use hi-res graphics or sound and contains no POKES should work readily on a PET. Of course if it contains POKEs, sound commands, and Machine Language conversion will be nessasary. If it rely on more than one voice of sound, hi-res grpahics, programmable character sets or color, it may not be worth converting because those features aren't present on the PETs. NOTE: Many early VIC, 64, and Plus/4 BASIC games and programs were converted PET games. HOW DO I GET 64 (VIC, PLUS/4, ETC.) BASIC PROGRAMS ON MY PET? Unlike the later 8-bit Commodores,the PET always loads programs into the memory address they were saved at (i.e. no loading ,8 and ,8,1 as on the later machines), which means BASIC programs saved on VICs, 64s, 128s, etc, will not load in the right location on the PET to be seen by the BASIC interpreter. PET BASIC starts at location 1025 ($0401 in hex) and the later Commodore machines have different, higher starting locations. (see table x) There are a couple ways to get a BASIC program to load properly into memory, Disk Track/Sector Editors: My preferred method of conversion is using a disk track/sector editing utility to change the 'load address bytes' of the file directly on the disk. This is not an easy process to 'explain' and I hope to write it up at a later time. BASIC Line Relocation Method: Here is a way to get the BASIC editor to do it for you; of course you will need to have an upgrade ROM or later PET (which has a ML monitor) or load in a monitor for your original ROM PET first. It involves 'linking' the higher located BASIC program to a line starting in regular BASIC, when you delete that line, the editor will move your program to where it belongs in memory. 1. Enter NEW to erase any programs already in memory. 2. Enter: 0 REM 3. LOAD the program you want converted (i.e. LOAD"program name",1 for tape) 4. When loaded, enter the machine language monitor by entering SYS 1024 5. display the first part of the BASIC you first typed: M 0401 0408 6. Change the line-link to the memory location of the program to be moved; use cursor keys to move up and change the first two two-digit numbers to read: :0401 01 08 00 00 8F 00 00 00 ^^ ^^ (for a program from a 64, otherwise, see table x) 7. Press return to change the bytes then enter X to exit the monitor. 8. Type LIST, you should see the 0 REM followed by the program. 9. Enter 0 to delete line 0 which will move the BASIC to its proper place. 10. Save the program. TABLE X - Load Addresses for BASIC files: Saved under Start of BASIC Computer load load change Model/ addr. addr. bytes configuration dec. hex. to: ------------- ---- ----- ----- PET/CBM 1025 $0401 N/A VIC-20 unex. 4097 $1001 01 10 VIC-20 +3k 1025 $0401 N/A VIC-20 8k+ 4609 $1201 01 12 Commodore 64 2049 $0801 01 08 B-128 0003 $0003 * Plus/4-C16 4097 $1001 01 10 Plus/4-C16** 8193 $2001 01 20 C128 mode 7169 $1C01 01 1C C128 mode** 16384 $4001 01 40 * The BASIC RAM of the B128 is located in a separate bank of RAM memory, which starts at a VERY low address and will be difficilt to convert without a track/sector editor or saving it special on a B-128 itself. ** When hi-res GRAPHICS mode space has been allocated. WHAT KIND OF DRIVES CAN I USE? Tape Drives Tape Drives for the VIC, 64 and 128 work well on the PET. In fact you can hook up 2 tape drives on the PET (the second connector is inside the case, on the edge of the motherboard.) and can be accessed as device #2. Commodore Models: SANYO - First drives, power supply section cut out and modified for PET datasette cable/plug. C2N - Box look, black or cream colored case. 1530 - Rounded low-profile, counter & 'save' indicator light. Commodore IEEE-488 5.25" models 2020 - (first drive design, bugs may be present) 2040 - Updated ROMS, resembles a 1541 format & readbable on 1541/71s 4040 - Read/Write compatible with 1541/1571s. 2031 - Read/Write compatible with 1541/1571s. 8050 - Single Sided/Quad Density format, 512k per disk side. 8250 - Double Sided/Quad Density format, 1mb per disk SFD-1001 - Same as 8250, but single drive unit. Commodore IEEE-488 8" 8280 - 1 MB or 512k per Drive (little info on this one...) Commodore IEEE-488 Hard Disk Drives 9060 - Five Magabyte Hard Disk Unit 9090 - Seven Megabyte Hard Disk Unit 3rd party MSD-SD1 ** The MSD SD1&2 offer both IEEE-488 and MSD-SD2 ** VIC/64/128/+4 Serial bus interfaces. Modified 1541 PRINTERS? Commodore Model IEEE-488 Printers 4022 4023 8023 Some companies produced printers with IEEE-488 interface options (Epson was one) HOW CAN I GET PET PROGRAMS FROM DISK TO TAPE? You can just LOAD the program from tape and and SAVE them to disk one after another, of course, if you are using a VIC/64/128, etc. the loading address will get messed up. Fortunately there is a wonderful fily copy utility available for PET (4.0), VIC, and Commodore 64/128, called 'Unicopy'. Unicopy (written by the famous Commodore enthusiast, Jim Butterfield) allows you to copy from disk directly to tape. This of course preserves the loading address and makes things mauch easier. (also it performs multiple file copies instead of just one program at a time). HOW CAN I GET PET TAPE PROGRAMS TO DISK? Again you can do LOAD and SAVE as I mentioned or use a handy little utility I had discovered for the 64. This program will automatically LOAD each file off of tape and subsequently SAVE it to disk and continue until you stop it (or a disk error occurs when it attempts to save a file with the same name as one already on disk, disk full, or end of tape. HOW DO I HEAR/PLAY SOUND ON MY PET? Like many other microcomputers of the time the PET was not originally designed to produce sound. A few methods of sound generation have been developed but the most popular employs the use of parallel user port pin M which generates.... The latest 4000/8000 (large screen PET) motherboards have a built-in piezo speaker and also have a bell sound accessible with a print: chr$(7) Sound Interface Diagrams here... WHAT ARE THE BASIC COMMANDS FOR MY PET? For the most part the BASIC on the 64 is identical to the upgrade ROM PETs and it only varys by a few commands and features between original and 4.0 ROMs. On the other hand the 'memory map', the locations you POKE numbers into, vary quite a bit between ROM revisions. Memory Maps are available for all the versions... HOW DO I ACCESS THE PET's M/L MONITOR? The 'timy machine language monitor' (known as TIM to some) is available on all PETs but the original ROM version. TIM is invoked by executing a BRK instruction by SYSing any memory location containing a zero (0), most people enter SYS 1024, as it almost always contains a 0. WHAT ARE THE COMMANDS FOR THE M/L MONITOR? G - Execute M/L: G programaddress (i.e. G 033C) L - Load: L "filename",dev (i.e. L "PACMAN",08) S - Save: S "filename",dev,startaddress,endaddress (i.e. S "FLASH ATTACK",02,027A,2000) R - Display Processor Registers X - Exit Tiny Mon M - Memory Display: M startaddress endaddress (i.e. M 0400 04A0) : - Modify Memory (supplied in memory dumps using the M command) ; - Modify Processor Registers (supplied in the processor register, P command) CAN I GET A BETTER M/L MONITOR FOR MY PET? Yes, there are two that I know of that are readily avaiable. The most popular (and universal among the Commodore 8-bits) is Jim Butterfield's Supermon. There are versions available for all ROM revisions including original ROM PETS and offer a mini Assembler and Disassembler among other useful memory/ML commands. The other, similar to Supermon is called Extramon. There are other versions many of wich are commercial but I have little information on them. I HAVE A PROGRAM THAT CAN USE JOYSTICKS, WHERE CAN I GET/MAKE THEM? The PET was not initially designed for joysticks but a determined user had devised a dual-joystick interface employing the parallel port. This interface allows you to plug in standard Atari/Commodore compatible joysticks.... Interface Diagram Here HOW COME MY PET CAN'T READ A TAPE FROM MY PLUS/4 OR COMMODORE 16 OR VISA-VERSA? You are quite a collector, aren't you? When Commodore designed the Plus/4 and Commodore 16 they broke alot of standards they had previously established for their 8-bits (and fortunately went back to in the C128); besides the plug designs, they changed the sound-frequency of the signals used to record on tape. Though the the format is identical to the PET and the other 8-bits, the sound is only readable on the Plus/4 and Commodore 16. My sggestion would be to record the program on disk (1541) and then read it on a 4040 or 2031, or copy them from the 1541 to tape using a 64 or 128. WHAT IS THE 'KILLER POKE' AND SHOULD I WORRY ABOUT IT? This is THE POKE of computer lore, the command that WILL physically break a computer! Of course other commands and methods are known that can potentially cause damage (usually to disks, hard drives or other mechanical units), but this is the most notable mainly because it was a command somewhat commonly used and it affects solid-state circuitry. History of 'the killer poke' When the first PETs (small 9" screen) models came out, the display wasnt all that fast. It wasn't too long before someone learned they could impove the character printing speed via a poke to location 59458; which would set the video controller into a faster mode. It was a noticible improvement of speed on programs using PRINT often, it was kind of like a free upgrade. It was mentioned in a few publications and used in many programs that relied on printing to the screen. I had learned of the poke through Cursor Magazine, a monthly tape-based publication. They printed the command in one of the 'newsletter' flyers included with an issue which you could insert into their game "joust" to make it play faster. Later on, when Commodore released the larger display (14") PETs, they had improved display speed which made that POKE unnecessary. An unfortunate side effect was that the POKE to 59458 still caused the already faster controller to run even faster, in fact too-fast, which could result in damaging the PETs video curcuitry when left running. I discovered it by accident after our school received some large-screen 4016s. When active, the screen starts to warp after about the third line and the display stops around the fifth, the keyboard is also unresponsive. When a PET is in this mode, the only solution is to turn it off, quickly! Fortunately none of the school's PETs were damaged due to this POKE. Later Cursor Magazine published a 'fix' that would allow older PETs to use the poke and keep the large-screen units from frying. Unfortunately there are still many programs that do not have this fix. Prevention Make sure to check BASIC programs (especially games) when running them on a large-screen PET and be ready with the power switch when you first run it. I have usually found the 'killer poke' statement looking like this: POKE 59458,PEEK(59458)OR 32. The fix is to put an if-then conditional to determine if the poke is needed for the PET running the program, here is the code: IF PEEK(50000) THEN POKE 59458,PEEK(59458)OR 32 CAN I HOOK UP AN EXTERNAL MONITOR TO MY PET? With the help of the following circuit you can get a composite singnal from the user port... Insert Video Diagram here.... WHAT ARE THE PINOUTS SO I CAN BUILD AN IEEE-488 CABLE FOR MY PET TO MY DRIVE. WHERE CAN I GET SOFTWARE FOR MY PET? WHERE CAN I GET CONNECTORS THAT FIT THE USER/IEEE-488 PORTS? IS THERE A MODEM AVAILABLE FOR MY PET? I know of only one company that prosuced a modem and IEEE-488 interface, the company is TNW, and I think they also built the Commoodre 8010, an acoustic modem for the PET. I have some notes on using the device but have never actually seen one. Larry Anderson -- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- Visit our web page at: http://www.goldrush.com/~foxnhare/ Call our BBS (Silicon Realms BBS 300-2400 baud) at: (209) 754-1363 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

28 years, 8 months

Apple Lisa Owners??

by bede0005＠gold.tc.umn.edu

Hi all: This is my first post to ClassicCMP. Let me just start by sayin it is great to see how much interest there is out there in different Classic Computers!! I recently aquired an Apple Lisa and was wondering if anyone out there also had a working model. So far, I have a copy of the Lisa Office System, the Lisa Tools, and MacWorks XL. What I'd like to find out is what other software for it was available and if anyone wants to get rid of it :) I know there is the workshop environment for programmin in Pascal, and I think a version of Unix and Basic were realeased. But what about Fortan? Also on the hardware side. Does anyone know of any cards that were made for the expansion bays. I know that a parallel card was available, and also something called a Priam Card. Anything else? Let's see one final question. What about printer support. Was it limited to the Imagewriter I, Apple DMP and the daisy wheel one (can't remember the name). Can one use the Imagewriter II? How about other printers? Well thanks to anyone with any info Rob

28 years, 8 months

V6 Unix and E11

by dseagrav＠bsdserver.tek-star.net

I can't get the V6 Unix images to boot under E11. Any special differences between it an V7? (Other than my real PDP can't do V7)

28 years, 8 months

CoCo disks

by jeffh＠unix.aardvarkol.com

I found what looks to be a few intersting disks today, though at the moment I can't check to see what's on them or anything. They are all for the CoCo though, and all Tandy-labled disks in Tandy jackets still...and some are even for OS-9. They are: Flightsim I, (c) 1984 Multiview for OS-9 L-II, (c) 1987 OS-9 Pascal Disk I & II (version 02), (c) 1983 C Compiler for OS-9 Systems (version 01), (c) 1983 Color Disk EDTASM (version 01), (c) 1983 Ghana Bwana, (c) 1984 OS-9 Profile, (c) 1984 Biosphere for OS-9, (c) 1985 At least now I've got a few CoCo disks to try once I finally find a disk controller for my III! Jeff jeffh(a)unix.aardvarkol.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Amiga enthusiast and collector of early, classic microcomputers http://www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/lakes/6757

28 years, 8 months

Wanted -- Atari ST 1040 drive

by manney＠nwohio.com

A customer's Atari 720 K 3 1/2" floppy drive died. Anyone have one? According to him, this takes standard IBM DSDD 720K drives, but not Tandy (I guess, because of the strange data cable.) Thanks, manney(a)nwohio.com

28 years, 8 months

weekend additions

by 107765.1161＠compuserve.com

Message text written by INTERNET:SUPRDAVE@aol.com >i also picked up something called a mattel aquarius for $10. the box was still sealed up, even the staples were intact! i havent used it yet. any opinions on the copy option board or the aquarius would be welcome. < I'll send you e-mail on this, but for the benefit of anyone else: I happen to maintain the FAQ on the Aquarius, and on the "add-on" computer keyboard for the Mattel Intellivision, known as the ECS. Since you have the manual, some of the information in the FAQ will be duplicative, but some could be very useful. For instance, depending on the package you got, the Aquarius does not come with the cable needed to hook it to a cassette recorder. From the (brief) description in the manual, the cable SOUNDS like the Radio Shack cable-- five-pin DIN connector on one end, and plugs for the cassette EAR, MIC and REMote connectors on the other. Unfortunately, the Aquarius cable is NOT wired the same as the Radio Shack cable; and, the manual doesn't supply a diagram of any Aquarius ports to allow you to easily figure it out yourself! The FAQ explains how to make your own. Also explained is how to attach a serial printer (either a DB-25, or a Radio Shack printer intended for use with the CoCo) to the Aquarius. (The Aquarius printer port is quite unique: it's a mini-stereo socket-- just three separate lines.) Gil Parrish 107765.1161(a)compuserve.com

28 years, 8 months

TI-99/4A Cartridge Lifespan

by 107765.1161＠compuserve.com

Message text written by INTERNET:classiccmp@u.washington.edu >I managed to get at least of the necessary pieces to have a usable TI-99/4a although I think I've don't have the proper pieces for video, since all I get is B&W.< It's probably not worth your effort to mess with a malfunctioning /4a; get another one. I see these units ALL THE TIME in the $3-$4 range, and I don't even pick them up because I already have more than I'll ever need. The trick with the TI is to find the "expansion box", particularly one well populated with cards; that adds (with the right cards) 32K memory, 1 or 2 disk drives, and serial/parallel ports. (Obviously, you can expand it more if you want to get serious about the TI, but this is the "plain vanilla" disk system.) Then you can run disk-based software without dealing with cartridges all the time. Still, you can have some fun with a non-disk system. The cartridges can allow you to do serious work and save the output to tape. There is also an adventure cartridge that contains the basic parser, etc., and then the different adventures can be loaded from tape. A nice setup for a small-memory computer. By the way, your cable might be your problem on having a monochrome picture. Many of the old home computers put out a monochrome signal on one of the pins, and a color composite on another. Gil Parrish 107765.1161(a)compuserve.com I'm wondering why of the six cartridges I've got three work just fine. Two don't work at all, and one "Parsec" works if I fiddle with the tuner on the TV after it's running, yet the initial screen that lets you choose BASIC, or the game is normal. Is this a indication of dead carts or a problem with my computer? What is the estimated lifespan of the standard cartridge, and how can environmental conditions effect this? Thanks, Zane <

28 years, 8 months

CoCo disks

by zmerch＠northernway.net

Whilst in a self-induced trance, Jeff Hellige happened to blather: > I found what looks to be a few intersting disks today, though at the >moment I can't check to see what's on them or anything. They are all for >the CoCo though, and all Tandy-labled disks in Tandy jackets still...and >some are even for OS-9. They are: > Flightsim I, (c) 1984 This is one of the original flight simulators that came out for several 8 & 16-bit machines that IIRC the copyright was bought up by none other than Micro$hark. > Multiview for OS-9 L-II, (c) 1987 This is a GUI for OS-9... it was rather interesting [and I've heard useful with a hard drive], but *extremely* slow with floppies. > OS-9 Pascal Disk I & II (version 02), (c) 1983 Standard USCD P-code compiler... interesting thing is you could compile programs larger than 64K (max memory for a CoCo 1/2) out-of-box. > C Compiler for OS-9 Systems (version 01), (c) 1983 IIRC, *almost* standard K&R C... methinks there were a few *very minor* differences that were easy to code around, but non-standard nonetheless. > Color Disk EDTASM (version 01), (c) 1983 This can be fudged to use the 80x24 screen of the CoCo3 (quite nicely, I might add... as I used it quite often like this) but the line-editor was still weird. There are patches available to make this assembler support the Hitachi 6309 processor, which is a M6809 workalike -with enhancements.- > Ghana Bwana, (c) 1984 > OS-9 Profile, (c) 1984 > Biosphere for OS-9, (c) 1985 Never played with any of these... others will have to take the ball and run here. > At least now I've got a few CoCo disks to try once I finally find a >disk controller for my III! Uhhh, I might have one *for trade*. Presently, I have two available working Disto MC-1 [Mini-Controller 1] boards, but without getting into that entire pirating issue *again*, I have no available DOS's for them. I am looking for a shareware RS-DOS clone that I could burn into e-prom for you, or I could purchase ADOS-3 or Extended ADOS-3 for you and install it. Be warned: I don't have cases for these controllers, so you'll have to run them nekkid or fudge something of your own. (The Tandy FD-500/501/502 case will work fine... but you can't buy them thru RS anymore, AFAIK.) I'll keep looking for a week or two for a DOS you can use, and let you know if you're interested. See ya, "Merch" -- Roger Merchberger | If at first you don't succeed, Programmer, NorthernWay | nuclear warhead disarmament should *not* zmerch(a)northernway.net | be your first career choice.

28 years, 8 months

Atari still around?

by FAIAZMC＠hsd.utc.com

Yes! Sorry about the misspelling! The merger was done by ATARI giving a "bridge loan" to JTS. ---------- From: jpero(a)mail.cgo.wave.ca To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers Subject: RE: Atari still around? Date: Friday, July 18, 1997 1:00PM I had to jump in! :) Mike, are you talking about the Tandon as in "Tandem"? :) Is that person who now owns this JTS is american or not? I still waiting to see how good JTS are or still junk. I knew Tandon drives used to be reasonably good drive but WD jumped in and screwed it. Thanks. Jason D. > Yes there are still distributors around! I will put a list together. > Atari merged with JTS, a make of PC hardrives, owned by the person who > used to put out Tandem harddrives. Atari is now known as ATARI > INTERACTIVE, a maker of game software for all platforms! > Mike

28 years, 8 months

Commodore Shares...

by Philip.Belben＠powertech.co.uk

> > >>Would this be for proffit or non-proffit purposes? > > > > Well, if we have to pay real $ for the info, we should try to make a > > reasonable return. I'm not really considering remanufacturing anything in > > any quantities, but just in case we need to, we can. > > I agree. Why would anyone pay ANY money for shares if they knew that > everything would ultimately become public domain. For the same reason that they put money in collecting tins - not just for charities but for other organisations - it's a good cause. I'll subscribe! > > Since the rights would be purchased by the computing community, they'd > belong to the computing > > community.<< > > > > I don't necessarily have a problem with this. If this ever comes to pass (a > > slim chance at best), we can make provisions for emulator licenses. > > The keyword being licenses here. No one asks anyone on here to work for > free and likewise, no one should be expected to shell out their hard > earned cash for the "greater computing good." Sure, Commodore went > bye-bye a LONG time ago but the rights to some of that stuff still won't > be cheap... No-one should be expected to, but I think you'll find more people are prepared to than you expect. I'm prepared to - I get my money's worth anyway (technical data for my several PETs, VICs and my 64), and I would be quite happy to see the stuff go PD thereafter. Returning briefly to the Commodore B series, how do the 8200 series machines fit in? I see old documents refering to the B and P series, and older ones refering to the 500 and 700 series (I think respectively), but the machines I've actually seen from that period are called 8296. There were two models that I've seen - the 8296D (with internal disk drives) and the 8296 (without). The motherboard is identical - two banks of 64k RAM, (I think) a high speed (2MHz?) 6502, and a couple of chips which you unsolder and move to adjacent positions for 40 column mode. The case is similar to the 8032SK - rounded, plasticky PET case with large green screen and separate keyboard, but returns to the edge connectors for the IEEE488 and user ports. The internal disk drive - which I have now added to my 8296 to make a D machine - is an 8252 (?) which plugs into the IEEE488 internally. Ironically, 8296 had a linear power supply and 8296D a switchmode! So how do the 8296 and the B/P machines relate? Anyone know? Also, how do you do the bank switching to get at the full 96K of RAM? (I think you lose 32K to the screen - very inefficient!) Philip.

28 years, 8 months

Tandy Service Manuals

by rcini＠msn.com

On Fri, 18 Jul 1997 19:57:22 GMT Benedict Chong wrote: >>Where can we get a list of catalog numbers of the various products for the various models. I'm waiting for my M4 and wouold like to have at least some technical manuals (so that I can rip apart the machine).<< I don't think that the master book in the Radio Shack store has a description of the product next to the catalog number. You would need a kind sole here with an old R/S catalog to give you the number. You could also ask the operator on 1-800-THE-SHACK. Just give her the model of the computer and say that you don't know the catalog number. ------------------------ Rich Cini/WUGNET - ClubWin Charter Member (6) - MCPS Windows 95/Networking

28 years, 8 months

USING classic chips (was Re: USING classic machines)

by chemif＠mbox.queen.it

At 13:24 28/06/97 -0400, you wrote: >> At 08:59 AM 6/27/97 BST, someone wrote: > Big advantage here over Atari and Amiga 68000 based >hardware is the high availability of dirt cheap networking and disk >hardware... other than that, I'll take the 68000 based stuff any day as a >personal preferance. If interested in such family of CPU's and want to use them as preference, be informed that Motorola use a 68k chip inside its GSM cellular phones (like 7000's and 8000's) I found this info on http://www.ibt.dk/morten/friends/hardware.htm Ciao! ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ? Riccardo Romagnoli,collector of:CLASSIC COMPUTERS,TELETYPE UNITS,PHONE ? ? AND PHONECARDS I-47100 Forli'/Emilia-Romagna/Food Valley/ITALY ? ? Pager:DTMF PHONES=+39/16888(hear msg.and BEEP then 5130274*YOUR TEL.No.* ? ? where*=asterisk key | help visit http://www.tim.it/tldrin_eg/tlde03.html ? ? e-mail=chemif(a)mbox.queen.it ? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

28 years, 8 months

Atari 400 / Odyssey ???

by coslor＠pscosf.peru.edu

Howdy: Today I'm looking for anyone that might have ANY old Atari 400 cassettes and cartridge games or other programs. Right now, I don't have a disk drive for this system, but am looking for one as well. Second, I am looking to buy an Atari 800xx system? Let me know if you have one for sale. Finally, looking for an old Odyssey game system. Any and all models are on my wish list... including the original Odyssey 'pong' unit, and the more modern models of the cartridge game console unit. If you have any of the above for sale, PLEASe let me know, and your price you would offer it to me for. Thanks, CORD COSLOR //*=====================================================================++ || Cord G. Coslor P.O. Box 308 - 1300 3rd St. Apt "M1" -- Peru, NE || || (402) 872- 3272 coslor(a)bobcat.peru.edu 68421-0308 || || Classic computer software and hardware collector || || Autograph collector || ++=====================================================================*//

28 years, 8 months

Jump to page:

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

test-drb