test-drb

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

101090 discussions

by kaikal＠MICROSOFT.com

My Cromemco System 3 won't power up. Help! Normally I would just pull it open and check the power supply voltages, but this is a problem because A) the case is incredibly difficult to get into, and B) I don't have the schematics. I'd like folks' assessment of probable problem causes before I tear into it (heck, it takes two people just to move the sucker!) Symptoms: The rear power switch glows when I turn it on. So far, so good. All fuses are OK. When I turn the front key (or hit the rear switch with the front key already ON) all I get is a faint internal click, and the power supply fan moves VERY slightly (maybe 1/8"). Somebody told me this is an AC fan, is this true? If so, either the fan is dead or the problem isn't the power supply. If the problem is the power supply, what's the likely culprit for this symptom? I peered into the back of the case with a flashlight (this is a BIG case) and the cap didn't appear to be leaking. Thoughts? thanks Kai

28 years, 9 months

PCjr Cartridges?

by thedm＠sunflower.com

Im interested in the PCjr carts. I have the basic one, but I can post a list of what I have. ---------- > From: Uncle Roger <sinasohn(a)crl.com> > To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> > Subject: PCjr Cartridges? > Date: Thursday, June 26, 1997 8:27 PM > > Saw today a few cartridges which I'm guessing are PCjr carts. They said > (among other things) "Cartridge BASIC". Anyone interested in them? They > were (I think) a buck. > > They also had some misc Apple II cards (about $5 each, I think), some Atari > 800 ROM's (or RAM? I didn't look that closely). Lemme know if there's any > interest. > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- > > Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad > sinasohn(a)crl.com that none but madmen know." > Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates > San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 9 months

old printers

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

if anyone does actually collect old printers i've one available for the asking. its an hp2671a, a big and ugly thermal printer made in feb of 1993. prints the self test, but i cannot establish communication with mac, a //e or an xt through it's serial port no matter what the dip switches are set to. im in raleigh, nc and the printer weighs about 20lbs, so it's probably not worth shipping. if anyone wants it, give me a shout before i round file it. david.

28 years, 9 months

PCjr Cartridges?

by sinasohn＠crl.com

Saw today a few cartridges which I'm guessing are PCjr carts. They said (among other things) "Cartridge BASIC". Anyone interested in them? They were (I think) a buck. They also had some misc Apple II cards (about $5 each, I think), some Atari 800 ROM's (or RAM? I didn't look that closely). Lemme know if there's any interest. --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)crl.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 9 months

Floppy drive type for North Star controller?

by allisonp＠world.std.com

> Anybody know what type of drive I can connect to the popular North Star > MDS-AD3 S-100 disk controller board? Sugart sa400l or similar. The MDS-AD3 was a dual density controller that aslo did two sided. Any of the 360 PC half height drives will work as will many of the older full height. Your limited to 5.25 as the media must be for ten sector hard sectoring. I have one here but it was given to me dead. I still run a MDS-A2 single density controller. FYI the are hard sector 10 sectors per track 256 or 512 bytes a sector. > dual density (FM vs. MFM) is determined by the controller, and soft vs. FM single density, MFM double density. > What bothers me is single vs. double sided and all of those jumpers on 5 > 1/4" drives. Will dual sided drives work on single sided controllers, Yes. > with only one side operating? Do those jumpers need to be set > differently for different controllers, and how would I find > documentation for the various brands (I'm sure I wouldn't!) Yes. The controller you identified is two sided capable and double density capable but the OS can be configured for various combinations. Allison

28 years, 9 months

Lisa's scores

by allisonp＠world.std.com

> BTW, Allison, the Lisa wasn't actually a PROTOTYPE for the Mac. Rather i > was the sister machine to the Mac. The Lisa and Mac projects stemmed fro > the same research, with the Mac project splitting off from the Lisa It was my understanding at the time if you wanted to develop apps for the mac you needed a design kit and a lisa. Something to the effect that the lisa has the resources that were a bit short in the mac. Allison

28 years, 9 months

(fwd) 65816 computer (fwd)

by dastar＠crl.com

This is a message by John Harris I pulled off of the Atari 8bit newsgroup. John Harris, if you've ever read _Hackers_ by Steven Levy, wrote pretty awesome games for ther Atari 800. He later when on to start his own company which used Atari 8-bit computers as displays in airports and in the hotel industry for the guests services menu on the TV (read about it in a soft-book called _Halcyon Days_). Anyway, the system he describes here sounds pretty neat. Sam ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: jharris(a)poboxes.com (John Harris) Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit Subject: 65816 computer Date: Thu, 26 Jun 1997 18:01:39 GMT Some of you may remember an anouncement I tried to make a few years back, but later had to keep quiet. It concerned a new atari-compatible computer made with a 65816 processor and some other cool stuff. It was being manufactured for a dedicated application that I actually never found out what it really was. I found out about it at a time when I was selling character generator software on the Atari8, and having immense difficulty obtaining Atari hardware. It was a great connection to make, and we are still selling these new systems with my CG software installed. The big project never materialized, since the company making the systems and Atari could never reach an agreement for large supply of Atari custom chips. It seemed like a no-brainer--Atari had chips, these guys had money, it should have been a simple exchange. It's no wonder Atari doesn't have any feet left. They keep shooting themselves there. Anyway, the bottom line is that Atari negotiations were the reason behind my silence at the time, and now that the project is completely dead I can make public the details of the machine for all those that are curious. It is based on a 5.37MHz 65816 processor, although it still runs 1.79MHz when accessing the base 64K of address space for compatibilty with the custom chips. It is in a nice case with internal 3.5 high density floppy and hard drive, parallel and serial, expansion slots, fully static memory (turn the power off and on, and everything is still there!), mouse support, and separate IBM-style keyboard. It has its own Sparta-like DOS, and with 65816 optimizations the memlo gets down to $FA3. I've found the compatibility to be extremely good, with two main problems. Some european programs, especially demos, use the undocumented 6502 extra instructions, and these don't work on the 65816 CPU. The other issue, is that there is no cartridge slot. Technically, it is feasible to add a slot using a plug in board, and run a connector out the back. It would probably depend on the number of interested parties for whether it was financially affordable to get the thing made. One nice thing about the slots though, they are physically the same as IBM 16-bit ISA cards. (but not electronically compatible of course). You can get experimenter boards for IBMs that just run power and have all other connections open. The do-it-yourself'er can do pretty much anything from here. Because of being a very low-production item, it is really expensive by 8-bit standards. Retail is $1800 with all options and the CG software. Obviously, it's only being sold to commercial applications like hotels and cable TV at that price. It is possible to make some deals if anyone is interested, especially for systems without the CG software. Obviously, I need to be fair to the people who are still buying the system for commercial use. I don't have any prices for you, but if anyone is interested at all, please let me know and I'll see what we can work out. If you're just curious for info, let me know that too. John Harris Japanese translation of Microsoft slogan: jharris(a)poboxes.com "If you don't know where you want to go, we'll make sure you get taken."

28 years, 9 months

Floppy drive type for North Star controller?

by kaikal＠MICROSOFT.com

Hi all, Anybody know what type of drive I can connect to the popular North Star MDS-AD3 S-100 disk controller board? I'm confused with all of this old floppy terminology. I know single vs. dual density (FM vs. MFM) is determined by the controller, and soft vs. hard sectoring is determined by the controller, so neither of these should matter as far as the drive is concerned. What bothers me is single vs. double sided and all of those jumpers on 5 1/4" drives. Will dual sided drives work on single sided controllers, with only one side operating? Do those jumpers need to be set differently for different controllers, and how would I find documentation for the various brands (I'm sure I wouldn't!) Any advice appreciated, thanks Kai

28 years, 9 months

USING classic machines

by BROBSTONA＠wartburg.edu

>I see a LOT of traffic about restoring and collecting old computers, >and the typical member here is one who has a large collection of >different machines, but except for a rare question about boot disks, >there isn't much said about using these machines. When I turn on my >99/4A or Geneve, it isn't primarily to bask in a nostalgic glow, but >to write something or balance my budget or do some programming. >Certainly the nostalgic glow is there, and it adds a dimension to >the computing experience that peecee devotees cannot understand. But >it IS my primary workhorse, not just a desk queen. That's part of what I love about my Apple IIGS. I'm the original owner. I know what this machine has done for me and continues to do for me. I love its simplicity. In the rare event of a crash, I pretty much know what the problem is, because I know the machine much better than anything Wintel came up with or any of the Macincrash line. >Don't get me wrong; I love to hear about these old machines, so keep >those messages coming. But I would like to hear from others out there >who use their obsolete machines (I prefer "non-mainstream machines") >for practical, everyday, household computing uses. Well, I'm a college student, so I use my IIGS for writing papers (though I transfer them to a Mac to print because my Imagewriter II isn't in good shape - I'll get around to fixing it one of these days). Mainly, I use it to connect to the campus computer system. I've also used it to run a BBS, play games, program - more than most people do with their PeeCees. >In fact, I'm wondering how widespread my idea is (shared by a >few, apparently) that the smaller, simpler machines really are well >suited for home use, and you don't need a high-end peecee for nearly >everything you want to do. You bet it is! This machine does everything I want or need it to do (or at least is capable of it, if I'm too cheap to buy things like a laser printer). -- Andy Brobston brobstona(a)wartburg.edu ***NEW URL BELOW*** http://www.wartburg.edu/people/docs/personalPages/BrobstonA/home.html My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Wartburg College as a whole.

28 years, 9 months

IBM System/36

by rcini＠msn.com

Dan: Although I have never seen one up-close, a company that I formerly worked for had a System 36. I think that it is one of IBM's older mainframes/minis that was the predecessor to the AS/400 (our S36 software ran unmodified on the AS/400). It's based on a TwinAx-based network and has terminals connected to it with snappy names such as the "3270" and the "5250". Line printers are also Twin-Ax based. I hope that this is the same one that I was thinking about (otherwise, ignore the above <g>). ------------------------ Rich Cini/WUGNET - ClubWin Charter Member (6) - MCPS Windows 95/Networking

28 years, 9 months

pieces of metal and plastic

by dlormand＠aztec.asu.edu

>And it was more than just the machine itself, but the culture that >spawned around it. The culture I am referring to mainly is the BBS >culture with all its lingo, the pirate groups who banded together and >cracked software, the holy wars with other computers. >The history behind the machine is what I am most interested in. What >company built it, what year it came out, what technology it used (its >processor, RAM, etc), what its predecessor and successor were, etc. I >like to know each machines historical perspective. Part of the thrill I have of being a TI junkie is BEING part of that history! The interesting part of the 99/4A is not so much the level of technology involved (although it IS there, relative to other home computers of the period) as the legend of how TI could make a market run with it, strain every nerve in true TI tradition, and then dramatically dump it when the effort finally proves to be too much. And now, I am part of the history of the TI-99/4A too, by perversely supporting it in preference to other (e.g. modern, more capable) platforms. -- ********************************************** * David Ormand *** Southwest 99ers * * dlormand(a)aztec.asu.edu *** Tucson, Arizona * **************************** TMS9900 Lives! *

28 years, 9 months

Lisa's scores

by cerebral＠michianatoday.com

>Files are linked lists of blocks. The sector header of each sector on the >hard disk contains pointers to the previous and next blocks in the file, >along with some other info that I've forgotten >Files may be sparse - the fact that block n exists does not mean that >block n-1 does >Block 0 of each file (I think, maybe block -1) contains the 'file >descriptor' - bascially an i-node. >Negative block numbers are the file allocation map. You can use this to >quickly find any block in the file without following the links.

28 years, 9 months

Help identifying ...

by walgen＠do.isst.fhg.de

Hi, today I got a special german (?) computer. It is a "SIEMENS PC100". But inside there is a board labled "R6500 ADVANCED INTERACTIVE MICROCOMPUTER" it is made by "ROCKLWELL" with a small (thermo?) printer a one-line display. Is this one of the legendary AIM65-Machines?

28 years, 9 months

Archive file formats (RE: Archiving Stuff)

by sinasohn＠crl.com

At 06:47 PM 6/25/97 -0700, you wrote: >I'm not so sure that "everything" supports TIFF. After a little looking, >I couldn't even find a TIFF file to test with xv. And my experience has been that TIFF is not always the same, especially Mac vs. PC. >Is there a reason that postscript cannot be used? Most of the schematics >out there that I have seen have been postscript files. [...] >Why not use postscript for publishing the formatted documents? Postscript is fine for Macs, not so great for PC's, and probably unusable for most older (pre-pc) machines. I'm not so worried about the images, but the formatted text should be kept readable. I'm not super-familiar with RTF, but isn't it just tags (like HTML)? If so, than a "reader"(?) could be written, even for CP/M or TRS-DOS or whatever... --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad sinasohn(a)crl.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 9 months

atari800xl FOUND it!

by thedm＠sunflower.com

Monitor Jack (all but 400, North American 600XL, XE Game System): 3 1 5 4 2 1. Composite Luminance (not on North American 600XL's) 2. Ground 3. Audio Output 4. Composite Video 5. Composite Chroma (not on 800XL,1200XL; grounded on 600XL) ---------- > From: Bill Girnius <thedm(a)sunflower.com> > To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> > Subject: atari800xl > Date: Thursday, June 26, 1997 10:39 AM > > anyone know the video pinouts so I can build a cable for this? i just > learned it has a video output.

28 years, 9 months

atari800xl

by thedm＠sunflower.com

anyone know the video pinouts so I can build a cable for this? i just learned it has a video output.

28 years, 9 months

TRS-80 Model I info (RE: MSX, TRS-80, Colour Genie, etc.)

by allisonp＠world.std.com

> >The Basic was an 4k microsoft basic with floating point and simple = > >arrays but no alphanumeric operators or transcendental functions. > =20 > >Tiny basic was an integer language of less than 4k. =20 > > IIRC Level I Basic was floating point but it was not a Microsoft = > product. Only Level II Basic came from Microsoft. In fact the source = > for Level I Basic was later released and I think I have a copy of it in = > storage somewhere. I pulled my notebooks from 76/77/78 and yes RS called it Tiny but, is was not. Tiny basic was the generic name given to ALL integer basics. At the time the only source available basic that was floating point was LLLbasic (lawence livermore labs) which as 8080 code fit in 5k of rom. I suspected at the time it could be a z80 recode for space, no match. Of the tiny basics palo alto TB (1976) was well known and fit in 2k of rom without IO drivers. It didn't match L1. My files indicate that the basic was most closely that of MITS altair basic 4k (pre- MS) by gates/allen. Techically is was not MS. It was at least looking at my notebook significantly identical. That particular basic was an early lost one and after about 79-80 its not seen in MSbasic docs. I suspect it was due to it being pre MS and having allens hand in it. FYI mits 4k basic was small enough to fit in 4k of ram and still hold the video and keyboard drivers. Allison

28 years, 9 months

TRS-80 Model I info (RE: MSX, TRS-80, Colour Genie, etc.)

by allisonp＠world.std.com

> Level I BASIC was _NOT_ a Microsoft BASIC. It was a fairly straight > rendition of Tiny BASIC. Unless I've been lied to for many years. The > Tiny BASIC published in Interface Age did have floating point, though not > much precision. You were lied to. ;-) I have the IA articles for TB and TBX along with DDJ and BYTE. tiny basic was integer. There were several small basics that fit in 4k that were not like L1 (different mix of capability) or were MS 4k clones. Technically it was MS4k. I'd used the altair version and the TRS80 and they were Identical! > The keybounce was a bug in the hardware. Mine always came back when I > turned the keyboard upside down and dumped out a few months worth of > cigarette ashes. A week later the problem would go away. (Proof that I > didn't grow up in a clean-room computer environment -- I was 23 and out > of the USAF when I got that Mod I in '78). Wrong. I was doing systems design for a terminal company while at RS(i was not in sales). That terminal company used the exact same keyboard. Switches bounce, debounce is simple you detect closure wait a few MS and verify closure if the verify fails the switc is open. The 4k basic didn't wait long enough but, beniding the contacts to change their dynamics was often enough. The verification if this is I clocked off a pulse gen and at 1.15mhz the bounce would go away! The delay rountine was in software so slowing the cpu was enough to make the dely longer and it would behave. some of the speed mods made it worsse unless LII was in there. I still have my trs80 hackboard (much modified and mangled) that I used to test various and sundry ideas. Of course when Tandy has launched the trs80 I'd had my altair up and running for some time with a TTY, ct1024 (64x16 upper only) and PR40 printer for a while. Allison

28 years, 9 months

TRS-80 Model I info (RE: MSX, TRS-80, Colour Genie, etc.)

by allisonp＠world.std.com

> > modifications), and power supply brick. Level I BASIC is similar to > > Tiny BASIC. I still have my Level I BASIC reference manual. > > Level I BASIC _was_ Tiny BASIC. NO IT WAS NOT. LEVEL-I basic was the same basic sold by gates for the altair just a later revision level. IT was little, it ws limited but to did have floating point math and a few otehr things not found in tiny basics of the time. Tiny BASIC was one of several basics that were integer math only and far more limited and generally smaller too. Once upon a time there were three basics from MS, 4k, 8k, 12k extended, disk (~23k), and compiled(bascom). L1 was 4k and LII was the 12k extended with mods. > Dennis Kitsz did once publish an upgrade to 48k that could be done in a > keyboard without the EI. I have no idea how many others built it, but I > never had a problem with the alleged memory speed problems from the EI > cable. Jerry Pournelle's gripes are another story. It was never memory speed it was ras/mux/cas timing that was marginal. after about late 79 the design was substantually changed to derive the signals loacally in the EI. stacking 32k more in the keyboard was a trivial task. IF you didn't mind staking the chips three high and skywiring the cas/ lines for the added chips to a decoder. It did work well. > > - RS-232 interface board > For expansion interface. > > Worked better than an Apple serial card from the era. The RS card worked excellent if the connector did! > I _still_ don't understand that trade-off between cost and utility. The > decision makers were gone before I joined the company in '80. INthe trs 80 case some of it was the lack of decision making by other than marketing/sales types. I was there from 74-79 and helped launch and fix the trs80 > > It was more reliable than the cassette interfaces for the Apple or the Pe > ot the Atari. _All_ cassette interfaces are unreliable. How many people Generally speaking all audio cassette interfaces were poor. Some were poorer than others. I'd tried digital (saturation recording) using a modified trs80(all the analog gone) and it was absolutely reliable. The recorder electronics were no more complicated than athe audio just different. > more than a few eval and review units when Tandy announced the TRS-80 > Microcomputer System on 3 Aug 77 with 5,000 units already in the > warehouses -- idea was, since they didn't know if it would work, they had > 5,000 stores -- if the silly things didn't move they'd figure out a way The first year of sales exceeded 250,000! > The one Percom used came out after the design was final. The percom design existed at least a year before the design was started. It was straight out of the wd1771 data sheet!

28 years, 9 months

MSX, TRS-80, Colour Genie, etc.

by walgen＠do.isst.fhg.de

---------- From: Cord Coslor[SMTP:coslor@pscosf.peru.edu] Reply To: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu Sent: Thursday, June 26, 1997 2:50 PM To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers Subject: MSX, TRS-80, Colour Genie, etc. > I am located in central Nebraska, USA, and am looking for the following to > add to my collection. If you have these systems or might be able to get > them for me at a reasonable price, PLEASE e-mail me. > > MSX computer > Colour Genie > TI 99/4a I have a Colour Genie and a Sony HitBit HB75 and also a Ti99/4A as I live in germany sending the TI99/4A makes no sense but if you are interested in the other items drop me a note. I would like to swap them on a "I send them to you and pay on my own and you send me some other stuff and pay for the shipping". What do you think? Here my URL for some other stuff I have to trade: http://192.102.161.122/~walgen/

28 years, 9 months

pieces of metal and plastic

by manney＠nwohio.nwohio.com

> > > Remember it? If it's what I am thinking of, I was doing it a couple of > > > weeks ago. You are talking about a 'Coconut', right (explanation of that > > > codename also on request - it has _nothing_ to do with the Tandy CoCo). > > > Nowadays I do something similar. I create a GROB with the right bit > > > patterns, use the SystemRPL 'Get' routine to remove the header, and thus > > > create new objects. No, not quite. The HP-41C used 2, 3 or 4 bytes to create the program steps. By forcing apart the bytes and substituting new ones, new ("synthetic") opcodes could be created. These ranged from creating new characters to being able to access areas of memory. Ah, the heady days of discovery! Mother HP wouldn't officially help, but there was plenty of behind-the-scenes help.

28 years, 9 months

CBM 900

by alexios＠vennea.demon.co.uk

Hello folks! What information is there on the CBM 900? I was mailed by someone who has a working one and is looking for more information on the machine. Any info would be lovely. Btw, his machine is apparently a prototype (it says so somewhere -- probably a sticker or something). Thanks, Alexios --------------------------- ,o88,o888o,,o888o. ------------------------------- Alexios Chouchoulas '88 ,88' ,88' alexios(a)vennea.demon.co.uk The Unpronounceable One ,o88oooo88ooooo88oo, axc(a)dcs.ed.ac.uk

28 years, 9 months

TRS-80 Model I info (RE: MSX, TRS-80, Colour Genie, etc.)

by bwit＠pobox.com

>>modifications), and power supply brick. Level I BASIC is similar to >> Tiny BASIC. I still have my Level I BASIC reference manual. >The Basic was an 4k microsoft basic with floating point and simple >arrays but no alphanumeric operators or transcendental functions. >Tiny basic was an integer language of less than 4k. IIRC Level I Basic was floating point but it was not a Microsoft product. Only Level II Basic came from Microsoft. In fact the source for Level I Basic was later released and I think I have a copy of it in storage somewhere. Regards, Bob

28 years, 9 months

TRS-80 Model I info (RE: MSX, TRS-80, Colour Genie, etc.)

by fmc＠reanimators.org

Kai Kaltenbach <kaikal(a)MICROSOFT.com> writes: > Other Upgrades: You left out the TRS-80 Screen Printer, a widget that plugs into the connector otherwise used for the Expansion Interface. Hit the switch on the front of the printer, and it ejects a few inches of silvery electrostatic paper with the image on your screen zapped dark on it. My understanding is that it grabs the image right out of the screen memory. Somewhere I have some pages printed by one of these. As I recall they didn't last long as a product. I think I have two Radio Shack microcomputer catalogs from 1978 (one white/black/silver, one later one in full color) and the screen printer is only shown in the earlier catalog, but both are loaned out to someone who wanted to scan some pictures from them. (Hey Javier, are you reading this?) -Frank McConnell

28 years, 9 months

FS: More cheap C= stuff, GEOS, Games

by gmast＠oboe.aix.calpoly.edu

Sorry, I for got to aadd these to my last message. Also found some software. I've never used this stuff so it's an as-is deal. Geos Lot: Looks like a set of GEOS 2.0 and 1.2 Manuals for 1.2 and 2.0 Deskpak Plus (six applications for GEOS) Deskpak Manual 25 Blank 5-1/4 disks Price $5, Shipping $2.75 C-64 Game/Software Lot: Zork I or C64 with Manual Flight Simulator II in box w/manual AwardWare Graphics Starcross game w/manual Business Indoor Sports w/manual Into the Eagles Nest (WWII) Box of 12 misc disks w/some s/w Price $5, Shipping $2.75

28 years, 9 months

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