test-drb

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

101090 discussions

by dzander＠solaria.sol.net

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28 years, 10 months

Spare Chips

by chemif＠mbox.queen.it

At 10:12 22/05/97 +0100, you wrote: >In article <Pine.LNX.3.91.970522045703.16495A- >100000(a)vennea.demon.co.uk>, Alexios Chouchoulas >> >> While we're talking about EPROMs, anyone care to suggest a cheap burner? >>Preferably one I can buy in the UK, but any ideas would be lovely. I've >>looked at some, but they're all in the UKP250+ price range. I'm seriously >>considering building my own... >> > > >Alexios > Maplin do two under 200UKP - the EPP1-F at 162.99 and the EPP-2 >199.99 (both prices inclusive of VAT). I bought a EPP1-F a long time ago >at one company I worked at and it seemed OK for small EPROMS/EEPROMS (up >to 128k x 8. Comes with a DOS-based editor and utilities but claims to >work on any computer with an RS232 and terminal software. > >>From the catalogue, the EPP-2 is the same but goes up to 512k / 8Mbit >PROMS. I fully agree: I own a HI-LO (the company name producing the EPP and ALL family) EPP-01A eprom programmer since three years, and never had problems. Features: NMOS/CMOS EPROM : from 2716 to 27512 and 1 Mbit EEPROM: 2816, 2816A, 2817A, 2864A, 28256A Page Mode EPROM : 27513,27011 Quick program time: 20 secs for a 27256 Easy to install Easy to use software Its price here in Italy was abt. 160 UKP (incl. VAT) > But if price doesn't matter and you're looking for performances, take a look at this jewel ><http://www.mwmedia.com/tpvs/hi-lo/pld/all07.htm> > >Hope it helps. > >-- >Riccardo Romagnoli, Forli' - Italy > >

28 years, 10 months

Heath

by tomph＠ix.netcom.com

Hi Ward, Would you let me know if you still want this Heath. It's been sitting in a box in my van for over a week now. If you don't want it I'll give it to someone else. If you do want it, can we make some arrangement for the transfer. I have to move it out of here by Wednesday, next week so, if I don't hear from you by Sat. I'll assume your not interested. Thanks Tom

28 years, 10 months

Sinclair ZX80

by MicroAge97＠aol.com

i found a page that has the plans to build your own zx80. www.babytalk.demon.co.uk/zx80/zx80.html dave

28 years, 10 months

Teaco floppy drive excerciser

by bill＠booster.bothell.washington.edu

Hi. I recently picked up a Teaco floppy disk tester/excerciser for commodore and apple II disk drives (probably any GCR drive I'm guessing). Unfortunately I got no documentation or interface cables for it. Anybody know anything about it? It looks like it will be a fun gadget and I'd love to get it working. Bill ---------------------------------------------------- Bill Whitson - Classic Computers ListOp bill(a)booster.u.washinton.edu or bcw(a)u.washington.edu http://weber.u.washington.edu/~bcw

28 years, 10 months

Sinclair ZX80

by pcoad＠crl.com

On Thu, 22 May 1997, Stephen D. Jensen wrote: > I was wondering if anyone has a Sinclair ZX80 that they would like to sell. > I bought the kit and built one when they first came out. It was my first > home computer! A few years later somebody stole it from our house after my > Wife and I had seperated. Why they would steal that I don't know! I have a > ZX81 but it's just not the same. Of course, it won't be the same not having > the one I built myself but I'd still like to have one for my collection. > I don't have a ZX80 to sell. (I'd like one too.) I can address part of the problem. There is a place which has instructions, part lists, ROM images, schematics, etc. for building a ZX80. Below is the article posted to alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt last December. --pec -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Path: nexp.crl.com!nntp.crl.com!howland.erols.net!surfnet.nl!tudelft.nl!elektron.et.tudelft.nl!not-for-mail From: grant(a)babytalk.demon.co.uk (Grant Searle) Newsgroups: alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt Subject: Build your own ZX80 Date: 23 Dec 1996 12:42:13 +0100 Organization: Home Lines: 32 Sender: achhbot(a)morra.et.tudelft.nl Message-ID: <achhbot_19866(a)elektron.et.tudelft.nl> NNTP-Posting-Host: morra.et.tudelft.nl X-NNTP-Posting-Host: babytalk.demon.co.uk X-Newsreader: Forte Free Agent 1.0.82 X-ACHHBot: Processed. If you are interested in the internal workings of the ZX80 or ZX81 and would like to build a ZX80 yourself using readilly available components then please check out the following site: www.babytalk.demon.co.uk/zx80/zx80.html The later ZX81 is very similar to the ZX80 except a lot of the ICs in the 80 has been merged into one chip. As a result, you can learn a lot about the workings of the ZX81 by referring to the ZX80 circuit. I have several computers from the start of the 80's but have always liked the Sinclair ZX80 for the following reasons: 1. It was so tacky :) 2. It did not have a single dedicated IC in sight. It is because of the second reason this page has come into existance. Here I show you how to build your own piece of history. ALL parts for the ZX80 are available from most of the larger electronic companies. I hope it is of interest/use. BTW. As you will see from my site I am a very keen ZX80er. However, I don't have one (anymore). If you have one (working, dead or in bits) then please contact me on grant(a)babytalk.demon.co.uk as I am sure we can work something out. The above site is continually under construction as I will add further details when I have time. All suggestions will be considered. Grant.

28 years, 10 months

TRS-80s looking for a good home

by dastar＠crl.com

I hope this makes it to the list. My posts haven't been showing up lately. Sam ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Newgroups: comp.sys.tandy Subject: (fwd) FREE: Two TRS-80s Hello all, While cleaning my closet, I've rediscovered two Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer machines and a bunch of accessories. I'd like to give these things away to somebody with an interest in the thing rather than toss them into the dumpster. If you are interested, please respond to devolder(a)oakhill.sps.mot.com. Here's the contents of the box of stuff I want you to have... TRS-80 w/16K RAM TRS-80 w/32K or 64K RAM (I forget which) Tandy Cassette drive and cable 2 joysticks 2 game cartridges, Polaris and Football 1 EDTASM+ cartridge and manual TRS-80 Programming manuals (they cover BASIC and some ASM) Another book on specifically programming the TRS-80 in ASM, very good. Some magazines circa 1985 with articles on the Coco. Other literature which provide programming examples for the TRS-80. While I don't want any money for these, I will ask to be reimbursed for shipping. Please respond ASAP because I'm in the process of packing up to move. Thanks, Eric -- Sam ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass

28 years, 10 months

A Tragedy Averted

by gram＠cnct.com

Here in New Jersey, many towns have periodic "cleanout" garbage collections in which the residents are allowed to throw away just about anything their hearts no longer desire. Furniture, appliances, you name it -- they'll pick it up and cart it to a landfill. There are usually lots of pickup trucks and vans roaming the streets the night before, since much can be salvaged -- and there are some severely depressed areas not far away, such as Newark. Last night my fiancee spotted a serviceable couch two blocks from our house and dragged me over to help her lug it home -- we just finished a room in the attic and it needs furnishing. Two houses away from the couch someone had placed a TRS-80 Model II, its disk expansion bay, and a Line Printer VI by the curb. I could not allow this to be buried in Pennsylvania. There were also a couple of Wyse 50 terminals which will work fine on my various *nix boxen. While I was loading these treasures into the car, the perpetrator carried out sundry other (non-computer-related) items to the curb, and I asked him about the system. Seems that while it still works, he's out of space and hadn't used the system since he moved his body shop's bookkeeping systems to newer hardware. He said that he had a bunch of software in the attic, so call him in about a week. Then he brought out and presented me with a Kaypro 10. So it looks like at least part of the weekend is spoken for, while I clean these machines and check their functionality. Eight bits forever! -- Ward Griffiths "America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards." --Claire Wolfe

28 years, 10 months

Regular Posting: FAQ

by bill＠booster.bothell.washington.edu

============================================================================ ClassicCmp - The Classic Computers Discussion List FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) v1.3 Last Update: 5/2/97 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This FAQ is written with the primary purpose of making readily available answers to the more common questions appearing on ClassicCmp. It is Maintained by Bill Whitson <bill(a)booster.u.washington.edu>. The infor- mation in this document has been gathered from a variety of sources but, in general, the members of ClassicCmp should be credited for all contain- ed herein. I have, of course, endeavored to be as accurate as is possible and often failed ;). If you have questions, comments, or corrections (always welcome) please contact me at the address above. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Updates: New section 2.8 New section 3.3 New section 4.3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- About ClassicCmp ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. About the List ----------------- 1.1 What is ClassicCmp? 1.2 Why is ClassicCmp? 1.3 What's a Classic Computer? 1.4 Who runs this thing? 1.5 Don't you know you're duplicating what others have done? 2. Protocol and Etiquette ------------------------- 2.1 What can I talk about? 2.2 Can I talk about PCs? 2.3 Can I talk about Mini/MainFrames? 2.4 Can I post advertisements? 2.5 Can I ask people to give me their computers? 2.6 Can I ask for help fixing item x? 2.7 Where should I look before posting a dumb question? 2.8 Can I type obscenities about Microsoft in ALL CAPS?!? 3. Misc List Information ------------------------ 3.1 How many subscribers are there? 3.2 How many subscribers use machine x? 3.3 Is this list archived? 4. ClassicCmp Resources on the Net ---------------------------------- 4.1 Does ClassicCmp have a Web Site? 4.2 How come the Web Site is so ugly? 4.3 Does ClassicCmp have an FTP Site? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Collecting ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.1 Where can I find Classic Computers? 5.2 How much is machine x worth? 5.3 Will thousands of innocent machines be scrapped if I don't save them? 5.4 I just picked up a new machine. What should I do? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hardware and Media ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.1 What's the best way to clean these dingy tan boxes? 7. Media -------- 7.1 What's a hard sector disk? What's a soft sector disk? 7.2 What's SS/SD, DS/DD, DS/QD, DS/HD, etc. 7.3 Can these formats be interchanged? 7.4 What disk sizes are there? 7.5 How do I take care of old media? 8. Component Failure Issues --------------------------- 8.1 Do EPROM's go bad? 8.2 How about ROM's, other chips? 8.3 How about capacitors? 8.4 Anything else? 8.5 So how do I backup all this stuff like you suggest? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Software ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9.1 Where can I get a system disk for platform X? 9.2 What's the best way to back up my software? ============================================================================ 1.1 What is ClassicCmp? It's a mailing list for the discussion of classic computers. Topics center on collection, restoration, and operation. It is also an appropriate place for stories and reminiscences of classic computers. 1.2 Why is ClassicCmp? Uh, why not? There are lots of people who love these old machines and it seems like a fun idea to get together and talk about them. 1.3 What is a Classic Computer? Any computer that has not been manufactured for 10 years is a classic. This definition is one I made up and it's entirely arbitrary. It seems to work OK, so I've kept it. 1.4 Who runs this thing? That would be me, Bill Whitson - email bcw(a)u.washington.edu. 1.5 Do you know you're just duplicating work other people have done. I get a "reinventing the wheel" e-mail at least once a week. If you show me another group of computer collectors that claims a membership as large as this one I'll show you a group that must be very hard to find. Obviously there are other groups of collectors and I'm cheering them on - I don't see a problem with duplicating and reduplicating lore that's quickly disappearing anyway. [][][][][][][][][] 2.1 What can I talk about? Anything related to classic computers as defined above. There are many people on this list that really know what they're talking about, so you might want to check facts before you start shooting off messages. 2.2 Can I talk about PCs? Yes. PCs which haven't been manufactured for 10 years. Even then, be aware that in many cases you would get a better response posting to PC newsgroups. 2.3 Can I talk about Minis/MainFrames? There has apparently been some misconception that this is a list for micros only. You'll note I said "misconception". 2.4 Can I post advertisements? Sure. As long as they're related to _classic_ computers. And, of course, use your brain - don't spam. 2.5 Can I ask people to sell/give me their computers? Sure. But you're not likely to get a very nice response. Mine, for example, would be: Get your own f***ing computer! There are several people on usenet who will vouch for this. When someone posts about one of their machines without offering to sell it - it's really a pretty good bet that they're not secretly trolling for offers. See section 5 for info on how to find yourself a computer. 2.6 Can I ask for help fixing item x. Yes. Be aware that it may be difficult to help you fix things if you don't have much knowledge of how computers work or of how to use basic electronics tools (DMM, soldering iron, EPROM burner, etc). I'm no whiz with this stuff and the little knowledge I have has come from asking questions and then buying books to find out what "Simple... Just check the voltage on the caps in the PS to make sure one of them isn't flaking out!" exactly means. 2.7 Where can I look before posting a dumb question? It might be a good idea to take a look at what's available in the Archive section of the ClassicCmp web site (see below). 2.8 Can I type obscenities about Microsoft in ALL CAPS!?! Check your anti-MS baggage at the door, please. We all have our opinions about MS and their products but it's best to stick to discussing them in reference to _Classic_ computers. MS bashing is not only off-topic but potentially insulting to those members of the list who work for them. [][][][][][][][][][] 3.1 How many subscribers are there? Around 230, fluxing daily. 3.2 How many subscribers use machine x? Check the web site (see below). The Classic Computer Encyclopedia shows the number of machines registered by subscribers. 3.3 Is this list archived? Yes. The archives are available on the FTP site (see below) in the directory /pub/classiccmp/archive. The file name format indicates the month/year of the archive. Keep in mind that they are quite large. [][][][][][][][][][] 4.1 Does ClassicCmp have a web site? Yep. http://weber.u.washington.edu/bcw/ccl.html 4.2 How come the web site is so ugly? How come a PET is so ugly? Who cares as long as it works? 4.3 Does ClassicCmp have an FTP site? Yes. Anonymous FTP at 140.142.225.27. Look in /pub/classiccmp. There's not much there that's not available on the web site. I'm starting to load old drivers and system disks on occasion. There is an incoming directory which subscribers may use for ClassicCmp-related file transfers if needed. [][][][][][][][][][] 5.1 Where can I find classic computers? The best places seem to be thrift stores and swap meets. These are closely followed by pawn shops and mom and pop computer stores. The holy grails are electronics scrap yards - but they tend to be wary of individual pick-and-choosers. Oh yeah - garage sales! 5.2 How much is machine x worth? Precisely as much as you'll pay for it. Oh, you're selling it? Then, precisely as much as I'll pay for it. Seriously, no one prices these any more. I have an old Computer Blue Book that lists many classic computers but the prices are just ridiculous. Some machines (Apple Lisa's, old old Mini's, and unreleased prototypes) are starting down the road toward their original selling prices but it's unlikely that most will ever be worth more than the cost of their components. 5.3 Will 1000's of innocent machines be scrapped if I don't save them? Yes. This is the impetus behind every collector's tireless and selfless effort. Each machine we fail to save has it's gold parts mercilessly hacked off and sold (just like rhino horns - and look at the rhinos). The remainder is then sent to China to be made into bicycle spokes (you probably think I'm joking). Save a computer! Act now! Remind your wife of the rhino and cuter, fuzzier animals. It might work. In all seriousness - there are a large (and growing) number of so called "computer and electronics 'recyclers'" who take usable computers and recycle them into "reusable scrap". Small amounts of gold, silver, and platinum are extracted and the remainder of the material is generally just marketed to less wasteful countries. 5.4 I just picked up a new machine. What should I do? Don't power it up yet! All of the following should probably be done before that power switch gets flipped. Open the case - clean and visually inspect components. You're looking for traces of smoke, water, corrosion, loose screws, blown caps and resistors, etc. You can avoid a number of problems just by taking a peek inside. If you have the tools (and the machine is sufficiently rare) pull and dump backups of all EPROMs, ROMs, and PALs. Disconnect the power supply from the rest of the computer and start it up on a "dummy load". A six volt headlight bulb has been recommended as a convenient load. These should be available >from any decent Volkswagen shop. Hopefully this will prevent frying the rest of the machine with a flaky power supply. You may want to check the voltage output before you do this as it could be no where near the 5V average in micros. Even if you don't want to connect a load it's still probably a good idea to power it up separately from the computer for the first time. If you have a really rare beast it may be worth powering up some of the key capacitors out of circuit just to get them warmed up. Now you can power it up. Assuming it works, take a blank disk, format it, write some data to it, and read it back before using your precious software with it, as a bad disk drive could really ruin your day. [][][][][][][][][][] 6.1 What's the best way to clean these dingy tan boxes? Cases: It seems best to start gently with such old equipment. Try soaking in a little water and dish soap and then scrubbing. This takes care of most jobs. For removing stickers try mineral oil or Goo-Gone (available at most hardware stores - in the US at least). If those don't work, acetone can be good but, if overused, can do more harm. For removing marker, almost any solvent is good (alcohol, naptha, etc) but will definitely discolor or dissolve plastic if not carefully applied. Lava soap is also good for removing marker but can smooth off textured plastic. For removing sun or tobacco discoloring a product called Purple Stuff available from auto parts stores (again, in the US at least) seems to do the job almost effortlessly. Connectors: For edge connectors a plain pink eraser seems good for removing corrosion. Apparently other colors of eraser indicate a different texture - which may be damaging. Make sure to wipe the connectors with a clean cloth after erasing on them. There are a large number chemicals on the market that "magically" remove corrosion from components but as I don't know how safe they are, I'm not anxious to promote any of them. For pin style connectors a toothbrush and some softscrub or other mildly abrasive cleaner do wonders. Keyboards: I find a cycle through the dishwasher does a really nice job on keyboards. Just be sure they're completely dry before you put any power to them. [][][][][][][][][][] 7.1 What's a hard sectored disk? What's a soft sectored disk? We'll start with soft-sector since they're simpler to explain. On a soft-sector floppy disk the information that marks where a sector begins and ends is written to the disk by the computer (part of the formatting process). This means that various computers can use the same floppy disk types because the format of the disk is control- led by the operating system. Hard sector disks use a system of perforations in the media to mark the beginnings and ends of sectors. This means that computers which used hard sectored disks required the exact disk type they specified rather than a generic soft-sector floppy. A number of differently sectored disks were available - at least 10, 13, and 16 sector formats. 8 inch and 5.25 inch disks commonly used hard sectoring. To my knowledge it was never used with 3.5 inch disks. 7.2 What's SS/SD, DS/DD, DS/QD, DS/HD, etc. These all refer to the number of useable sides on a disk and it's density (how "efficiently" the magnetic bits are pushed together). SS/SD is a Single Sided - Single Density disk, the earliest available type I believe. The storage afforded by a single density disk was very small compared to today's standards. Single Sided disks were popular because they were cheaper than DS and could be easily modified with a hole punch into double sided disks. SD was followed by Double Density which, amazingly, doubled the amount of storage space. Double Density was followed by the extremely short-lived Quad Density which doubled a DD disk. QD was short lived because High Density was right on it's heels and nearly doubled disk capacity again. DS/HD was as sophisticated as 5.25" disks became. 3.5" disks have progressed as far as DS/EHD double-sided / extra-high density. 7.3 Can these formats be interchanged? Well, that may depend on what computer you are using, but in general the following substitutions may be made: Desired Format Substitute --------------------------------------------------- Single Density Double Density Double Density none reliably Quad Density High Density High Density none Other substitutions may be made, but due to physical differences in how the disks are made they are generally unreliable. It can almost be guaranteed that data written to a proper density disk of poor quality will last longer than data written to a good quality disk of the wrong density. 7.4 What disk sizes are there? Physically? There are 8 inch, 5.25 inch, and 3.5 inch as "standard" disks. There are also some unique and/or short-lived sizes such as 3 inch disks used by Amstrad and 2 inch disks which were pioneered for use in laptops and then quickly forgotten. 7.5 How do I take care of old media? Step one is Back It Up! After that, make sure it's kept in a clean, dry, temperature-controlled environment (I keep mine in a broken freezer). With disks it seems important to keep them standing on end rather than lying flat - the same goes for cassette tapes. I like to exercise disks and tapes at least once every six months although I have no real evidence that this has any positive effect. I have modified an old C64 floppy drive to simply spin when a disk is inserted and send large stacks of disks through it on a regular basis just to make sure they're not starting to stick up internally. An exciting and somewhat recent development is that availability of classic computer emulators that can make disk images of old media on PC's and Macs. This seems to be a very good way to backup disks since they will eventually go bad no matter how well we take care of them. The official line seems to be that floppy disks have a shelf-life of approximately 10 years. With proper care many are lasting a lot longer. [][][][][][][][][][] 8.1 Do EPROM's go bad? Definitely. They apparently are considered to reliably contain data for (on the outside edge) 15 years. This amount can be considerably reduced if, for example, the sticker over the window has dried out and fallen off. Luckily EPROMs were not used too extensively but they're out there. An EPROM writer/reader is a relatively cheap investment and an easy fix. Even if an EPROM has "forgotten" it's data it is still fine for being "re-educated". 8.2 How about ROMs and other chips? Things wear out. It's likely that even components which have not been fried by catastrophic failure will simply start to die someday. ROMs can be dumped to a file and re-written if they die. Other custom chips which are all too common in micros will be far more difficult to replace. The best advice is to stockpile these chips when you can - but someday even unused chips will probably start to turn up bad. In this case the best defense is to stockpile information in the hope of being able to modify an existing component to meet your needs. 8.3 How about capacitors? This seems to be another large concern, but rather than being an unreplaceable component a capacitor will take your unreplaceable components with it when it goes. It's a good idea to check out all the caps in a system if you haven't fired it up in a while. Caps go bad with time (even tantalum caps, apparently - although they are more reliable) and should be replaced if they are suspect. It's unlikely that it will be impossible to find a replacement capacitor as they are much more standard electronic components. 8.4 Anything else? Documentation: If there's anything which is entirely unreplaceable its the docs for uncommon equipment. Once they're gone, they're gone. I regularly pick up docs I find for equipment I don't have just because I may someday. Paper will, of course. go bad over time but it will be obvious and they will be easily duplicated. Hard Disks: ST-251s, ST-502s, MFM, RLL... old hard disks are going to go bad. Then they'll be gone. Theoretically, I suppose it's possible to crack a hard drive and replace a dead bearing, realign, relaminate, etc... but I've never heard of anyone doing these things in their base- ment. Perhaps in another 5 or 10 years many of us will be experts at this. 8.5 So, how do I back up all this stuff like you suggest? This answer will undoubtedly get longer as I learn more. The best ways seem to be to dump the particular ROM (or whatever) using the approp- riate equipment to a floppy disk (which most of this equipment allows).

28 years, 10 months

Spare Chips

by MPritchard＠ensemble.net

> > I have found what seems to be a decent supply of eproms. I was > looking at > > an old 2400 baud fax modem for my pc, and noticed that it had what > looked > > like an eprom on it. I pulled the chip and peeled off the label, > and it was > > a 27256 eprom. I also bought a 2400 baud modem at a thrift store > for $2.00 > > and it had a 27128 eprom in it. This was cheaper than buying the > eprom by > > itself. I paid $3.00 for a 2764, and didn't even price a 27128. I > am going > > to start picking up all of the old cheap, almost worthless modems > and > > grabbing the eproms out of them. You can probably pick up the modem > for > > less than the price of the eprom that it holds. If anyone else > knows of a > > cheap source of eproms or other chips, share it with us. > > >This is a great suggestion, worthy of the FAQ. Beware that you don't > > >cannabalize what could be considered a classic peripheral though. > > We pretty much cleaned out the Dallas 1st Saturday sale a few months > ago of cheap boards that had eproms. Gobs of 2764's for $0.25, plenty > o 27128's, but very few bigger chips. One notable exception. Some > strange board in a tiny pizzal style box. for $10 we got 4x 1-meg > 80-ns 30-pin simms, a 27128, and *8* 27010's and a few other useful > chips. > > -Mp >

28 years, 10 months

CA 'Naked Mini'

by ard12＠eng.cam.ac.uk

Does anyone on this list know anything about a machine I've just rescued? It claims to be a 'Computer Automation' Naked Mini, and mine appears (alas) to be incomplete I have the 4U rack case, the backplane, frontpanel (which seems to use membrane switches and LEDs), CPU board (At least I assume that's what it is - it's got some 74x181 ALU chips on it) and 2 core memory boards. The PSU is missing, but even so I think it was worth saving. I guess I can hack something together. I have no docs on this at all, so any info would be welcome. I don't fancy working it all out my own. Talking of docs, does anyone have a copy of the I/O reference manual (or whatever the title is) for the HP9100 calculator? This manual was written for people who wanted to interface non-HP peripherals to the HP9100 (HP's first ever calculator), and contains hardware info on the connector on the back of that machine - info that's not in the operation/programming manual. I'd be interested in any info on that I/O port - I want to try a few things. -- -tony ard12(a)eng.cam.ac.uk The gates in my computer are AND,OR and NOT, not Bill

28 years, 10 months

FS: Radio Shack 5 MB Ext Hard Drive (Ebay)

by gmast＠polymail.cpunix.calpoly.edu

I have a RS TRS-80 5 Meg external hard drive on the auction at Ebay. It's in good physical condition but I don't know the working condition. Someone pulled one of the interface cables out. There is a picture and a little more info in the listing. Only going for $20 so far. Auction ends Thursday 1:15 PM. http://www2.ebay.com/aw/itemfast.cgi?item=inz25894 Thanks, Greg

28 years, 10 months

Any good thrift shops in the LA area?

by george.lin＠documentum.com

Hello, I will visit Los Angeles over the Memorial Day weekend. Are there any good thrift shops in the area? Thanks. George -- ______________________________ ______________________________ / /\ / /\ / George Lin _/ /\ / Opinions expressed in this _/ /\ / Antique Computer Collector / \/ / message do not necessarily / \/ / http://museum.home.ml.org /\ / reflect my employer's. /\ /_____________________________/ / /_____________________________/ / \_____________________________\/ \_____________________________\/ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ Apple IIe, IIc, Mac 512K, Atari 800, 800XL, VCS, 5200, ColecoVision VGS, Commodore 64, plus/4, Compaq, Eagle II, KayPro II, Nintendo NES, Osborne 1 TI 99/4A, Timex Sinclair 1000, 1500, TriGem SLT-100, TRS-80 Model I, III, 100, Color Computer 2.

28 years, 10 months

Any good thrift shops in the LA area?

by idavis＠comland.com

At 11:49 PM 5/20/97 -0800, you Tim wrote: >Also some excellent military electronic surplus. I once found almost all the >components needed to build a Sidewinder missile there. Gyros, >radar domes, infrared sensors, the works. > >Tim. (shoppa(a)triumf.ca) > A true hacker. Why go waste all that money on a pre-assembled Sidewinder missile when you can just go get all of the parts and put it together yourself. Plus, the pride you will feel when your baby takes off and blows something up. There's nothing like it. Isaac Davis idavis(a)comland.com indavis(a)juno.com

28 years, 10 months

Regular Posting: Mail Basics

by bill＠booster.bothell.washington.edu

ClassicCmp Regular Posting Mailing Lists and How to Talk to the List Robot Last Rev: 5/2/97 This message is posted with frequency proportional to subscription rate (or monthly). Point of contact: Bill Whitson (bcw(a)u.washington.edu) Mailing List Basics A mailing list is a simple device which takes an e-mail and redistributes it to a group of people. People can add and remove themselves from the distribution list by Subscribing and Unsubscribing. When you send a message to the list, it is first examined by the robot for key words that tell it to process an automatic funtion (like help, subscribe, unsubscribe, etc). If the message does not contain a keyword it is sent to the distribution list. How to Talk to the Robot There are a few List Processor commands that you might want to use. To send a command to the list processor, write a message to listproc(a)u.washington.edu (Do NOT send the message to classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu). In the body of the message (not the subject line, that is) write one of the following commands, then send the message. SET CLASSICCMP MAIL ACK Tells the robot to send you a copy of messages you write to the list. This is the default. SET CLASSICCMP MAIL NOACK Tells the robot NOT to send you a copy of messages you write to the list. I don't recommend this. SET CLASSICCMP MAIL DIGEST Tells the robot to send you a digest of messages rather than each as it is posted. With this option you will get a weekly bundle of messages and keep a nice, tidy in-box. SUBSCRIBE CLASSICCMP Your.Address Subscribes you to the list. UNSUBSCRIBE CLASSICCMP Your.Address Removes you from the list. That's the basics. If you need to know more just drop me a line at bcw(a)u.washington.edu. Some requests may take a couple days as I just don't know that much about the list processor ;).

28 years, 10 months

stuff for trade

by marcw＠lightside.com

> > It's an IBM 370 mainframe emulator. Here's what I've heard: > > There should be a "P" card that should have two Motorola 68000s, both > modified in varying ways and produced under license by IBM on it, plus a > 8087. It should attach to the M card that has 512K of ram on it. And > then there's a PC3277-EM card that is just a 3270 terminal emulator that > should attach to the mainframe. > > I don't know much more about this, since I'm just getting all this > information second hand. It's allegedly in a book called _Upgrading and > Repairing PCs_, but I don't know the author. > I have that book. It's by Scott Mueller and the one I have is 1988. Here's what it says (to add to your info): "...All this hardware is run by a program called the 3270 PC Control Program. This combination can support up to seven concurrent activities: one local PC DOS session, four remote mainfram sessions, and two local electronic notepads. With the assistance of the 3270 PC Control Program, information can be copied between windows, except that a PC DOS window may not receive information. " The cards used are: 3270 System Adapter (communication 'tween the 3270 PC & 3274) Display Adapter (replaces PC's mono/cga card. No graphics unless...) Extended Graphics Adapter - XGA (required to get graphics) Programmed Symbols adapter (provides graphics with 3278/3279 stations) IBM also had an XT 370 that used the PC 370-P, PC 370-M, and PC 3277-EM cards. The P card emulates the 370 instruction set. This card has the Motorola 68K cpu's. It also has the 8087. The M card is the 512K mentioned above. And the 3277 card hooks up to the S/370 mainframe. So I reckon you have the XT 370. The price of the 370 attachments was $3,000 over the price of the XT this stuff had to go into. Jeez! Marc -- >> ANIME SENSHI << Marc D. Williams marcw(a)lightside.com marc.williams(a)mb.fidonet.org IRC Nick: Senshi Channel: #dos http://www.agate.net/~tvdog/internet.html -- DOS Internet Tools

28 years, 10 months

Gas plasma displays

by ds_spenc＠alcor.concordia.ca

Greetings. Recently I picked up a manual for a machine called the "Laser Concept 286/16 Laptop" for the sole reason that it has a couple of good photos of the machine's red gas plasma display. I remember seeing some other systems with this kind of display in magazines. (The GRiD Compass comes to mind?) Anyway, I'm wondering why this technology was so little used. What were the major disadvantages? And do these displays still survive today? (Does anyone have one?) I think gas plasma displays look extremely cool, but I've never actually seen one in real life. They could be a real pain in the eyes to use for extended periods? Doug Spence ds_spenc(a)alcor.concordia.ca

28 years, 10 months

Kaypro 4

by David_A._Vandenbroucke＠hud.gov

>Anyone ever heard of a Kaypro 4? I know what the Kaypro is, but this >specific model? When was it released and what does it run? What type of >CPU does it have? Gee. One I can answer. I'm not a collector like you folks, but I did use Kaypros and other CP/M machines for about a decade. The Kaypro 4 is your basic Kaypro transportable with a Z80 CPU (probably 4 MHz) and 64K RAM. It has two DSDD floppies which give 390K each in Kaypro's format, which is where the "4" comes from. At some point in 1984 or later, Kaypro switched from using Roman to Arabic numerals. Thus the 4, as opposed to the IV, is a later machine. Some of the later machines had a built in 300 bps modem, but if memory serves those all had "X" suffixes, as in Kaypro 2X (which paradoxically also had DSDD floppies, not the SSDDs of the Kaypro II). --Dav david_a._vandenbroucke(a)hud.gov

28 years, 10 months

Informations about Wang and Nixdorf

by kunz＠germany.cerf.net

Hi, I have a few old computers at home up and running, but without documentation. Does someone has information about the following systems or can point me to a source of information (servers, books, software) ? Vendor: System: Operating System: Wang OIS 140/III OIS 9.9 Nixdorf 8870 Niros DEC uVAX II netBSD Epson HX-20 Basic Hitachi 6805 developing system The uVAX is common, but Informations about the Wang and Nixdorf are hard to find. Thanks for any help, -- Karlheinz

28 years, 10 months

Kaypro 4

by dastar＠crl.com

Anyone ever heard of a Kaypro 4? I know what the Kaypro is, but this specific model? When was it released and what does it run? What type of CPU does it have? Sam ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass

28 years, 10 months

Preserve the other stuff as well Was: Re: yo

by jeffh＠eleventh.com

On 07-May-97, classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu wrote: >So what's the point? Preserving the machines is good, but it is only >part of the picture. What is the good of preserving a machine if all >of "culture" that surrounds the machine is lost? Agreed, which is why my more common systems, such as the Atari 800 and Vic-20 are fairly filled out with peripherals and such. Take for example my VIC-20..it has the following: VIC-20 boxed, VIC-1541 floppy, VIC-Modem, VIC-1525 printer, C2N Datasette, manuals for the VIC-Modem anad 1541, as well as 9 cartidges and about 6 original cassette tapes of programs, including one tape still in it's packaging. This to me is quite a well rounded system, much like one would find someone using on a daily basis. Unfortunately, for some of my systems, such as the Aquarius, it's not so easy to find the software and such for it. But I definately pay at least as much attention to searching out the add-ons as I do the systems themselves. In fact, at this point, my attention is likely to turn mostly to the add-ons and such, as I've aquired the more common systems I've sought and likely won't be aquring them as a whole as often. >Save those manuals, flyers, ads, boxes, packing foam, and twist-ties. >Save them even if you don't have a machine to go with them. One thing I always noticed about people into antique and classic cars is that a lot of them also search out the advertisements and such for thier favorite marque. It'd certainly be interesting to do such a thing for the computers as well. Too bad I tossed out all of my older magazines years ago. Jeff jeffh(a)eleventh.com -- --------------------------------------------------------------------- Sent from an Amiga 3000..the computer for the creative mind! --------------------------------------------------------------------- Collector of classic home computers: Amiga 1000, Atari 800, 800XL, Mega-ST/2 and XE System, Commodore C-128D, Plus/4 and VIC-20, IBM 5155, Kaypro 2X, Osbourne Executive Radofin Aquarius, Sinclair ZX-81, TI-99/4A, Timex-Sinclair 1000, TRS-80 Color Computer-3 and Model 4, plus Atari Superpong and 2600VCS game consoles.

28 years, 10 months

ADDS Multivision

by jonathan＠holly.ninja.ml.org

Hi! I have in my basement a genuine ADDS Multivision machine. It's runs a multitasking version of CP/M, called MUON, and used to run brilliantly until I accidentally ran the SYSGEN utility which, I found out later, overwrote the config information. It now refuses to boot, saying "Stack error" or something equally useful :-( Has anybody heard of this machine before - or, even better, does anybody have boot disks for MUON v2.3 ?? I would phone up ADDS, but they're in America and I don't particularly fancy all the international phone calls from the UK! I don't have their address or fax number or anything - and that's not even mentioning the fact that quite probably, nobody there will know a thing about this machine! :-( If any of you can help in any way, it would be much appreciated!! Thanks, ___ _ _ ___ _ _| (_)(\)(-) | (-)(-)(\)

28 years, 10 months

stuff for trade

by dastar＠crl.com

Well, I had a good weekend, acquiring lots of stuff too numerous to list. I got a genuine IBM PC (this time for sure), an Atari 1040ST, a Visual Computer Inc. Commuter "lap-top" (circa 1983 with a small flip-up LCD display, runs DOS), a Tandy TRS-80 Model 2000, TI Silent 700 Portable Data Terminal, Atari 800XL... I also picked up some extras for trading. Currently I have a couple original IBM PCs and PC XTs and a couple TI Silent 700 protable data terminals (with acoustic couplers). One of the IBM PCs is an oddity: it is actually labelled the IBM 3270 Personal Computer and inside it has three cards connected together to form the video card. It has one 9-pin male 'D' connector on the back (like a standard monochrome monitor adaptor). I was told this was for an enhanced graphics monitor. It also had a card in the slot next to the CPU. The card has a CPU on it, and has a ribbon cable going from the card to the socket on the motherboard where the CPU used to be. Any ideas what this is? I don't know if I want to trade this just yet. But if anyone is interested in a genuine IBM PC for trade, I can get more. Sam ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass

28 years, 10 months

Byte Jan 87 retrospective.

by jimw＠agora.rdrop.com

At 01:09 PM 5/18/97 -0700, you wrote: > >On the line of interesting storage devices - does anyone remember the >"scanner" that read strips of encoded data. I don't remember what it >was called, but for a little while they printed some of these strips in >Nibble. I think it was an Apple II only thing. I guess you could read >and print these strips and they generated programs when you scanned >them. It's called a Causin 'Strip Reader'. Cable and software kits were available for both PC compatable and Apple II series computers. I have one in my collection, but with no software at present. (have not got a picture on the web page yet either - foo!) Have been trying to track down the software for either system... >Also, some personal bad news - my van was broken into on Friday night >and a large load of classic equipment was stolen (I'm preparing to move >and the it was the easiest place to store it). Aw heck! ('course, I do the same...) -jim --- jimw(a)agora.rdrop.com The Computer Garage - http://www.rdrop.com/~jimw Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174

28 years, 10 months

Magazine retrospectives

by BigLouS＠aol.com

In a message dated 97-05-18 01:02:33 EDT, Sam writes: > Exactly. The Apple ][e bootstrap does a lot of work to read the boot > sector off the disk. It creates the 6&2 encoding table, looks for the > boot sector and reads it, decodes it and then jumps to it, all in less > than 256 bytes. Impressive as all hell. Woz is a god damn GOD. AMEN brother. Jobs who? Lou

28 years, 10 months

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