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101090 discussions

Fwd: Looking for BAD / Faulty core memory for a display piece

by jfoust＠threedee.com

At 04:35 AM 7/21/2020, Gary Sparkes via cctalk wrote: >Anyone? even if it's physically broken You don't like the ones on eBay? - John

5 years, 9 months

Wanted Sun 3/80

by spacewar＠gmail.com

I'd like to buy a Sun 3/80 machine. I'm not too interested in other models. I'm willing to pay a fair price plus shipping, but not a L@@K RARE price.

5 years, 9 months

Compaq Smart Array 3200 Controller as a SCSI Controller

by cctalk＠ibm51xx.net

This may be a bit too new for this list but I thought what the heck - maybe one of you Compaq/DEC/HP guys would know: Is there any reason a Smart Array controller can't be used as a simple SCSI controller? I.E. No array, just using it to drive a tape library? TIA! -Ali

5 years, 9 months

Sun E250, NVRAM edit? (Serial Speeds, no console, etc)

by silvercreekvalley＠yahoo.com

Hi Ethan In theory console can be set to anything but its usually 9600/8/n/1 as I?m sure you?ve tried. On some suns unplugging the serial cable is the equivalent of sending a break, so might be worth a try? Suns do require full hardware signalling on the console connection so might be worth checking.

5 years, 9 months

windows program to read papertape from reader through serial port

by deramp5113＠yahoo.com

I?ve used Teraterm to receive and save binary paper tapes and ASCII paper tapes to files using the log function without any problem. When you say receive ?into an ASCII file,? what is the ASCII requirement you?re trying to satisfy? What is on the tape - text or binary data? Mike

5 years, 9 months

Interested in Microport 286 System V?

by robertlipe＠gmail.com

Hi, Warren. We've spoken a few times through the decades, but a have a friend with a delightful relic of PC Unix history: the original 286 UNIX port, well before SCO with Xenix. Bela is in Mountain View, CA so he's on the wrong continent for you, but I figured you might know of an appropriate home for this. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3516115585074301&id=10000027682… Thanks for all you've done to preserve UNIX. RJL

5 years, 9 months

Unisys MCP (was: Re: UniSys ClearPath OS/2200 Express?)

by sieler＠allegro.com

i> From: Alan Perry <aperry at snowmoose.com> > Why would one get OS/2200 when they can get https://www.unisys.com/offerings/clearpath-forward/clearpath-forward-produc… ? thanks! As an old MCP user/developer (although outside the lab), that's really interesting to me! Note: you have to register to get the software. That's apparently done by clicking on "Downloads". Then you're presented with a registration form. After submitting it, you're told you'll receive an email. Don't hold your breath. It's been 20 minutes, and no email from Unisys :( (And, no email --> no download) Stan

5 years, 9 months

T-11 evaluation module manual page A-92 added

by aek＠bitsavers.org

fixed version at http://bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp11/t11/EK-DCTEM-UG-001_DCT-EM_Users_Guide_S… name changed to differentiate it from other copies on the web

5 years, 9 months

Looking for BAD / Faulty core memory for a display piece

by mokuba＠gmail.com

Unrepairable preferred It'll be going into an epoxy resin setup that someone I know is doing for a table, and I really want to get something that still LOOKS OK but is... well, just faulty and won't be restorable to service so we don't destroy any potentially usable hardware. Ideas/suggestions welcome! -- Gary G. Sparkes Jr. KB3HAG

5 years, 9 months

windows program to read papertape from reader through serial port

by billdegnan＠gmail.com

Hi - I read on teraterm's forum or something like it that teraterm is not really equipped to receive an inbound papertape reader dump into an ascii file. What do those of you who have both windows and a tape reader use? RealTerm? If so, what settings? I have been wresting with this for a while...I am told my DSI NC 2400 needs hardware flow control Thanks BIll

5 years, 9 months

Fan problem with DEC H7822 power supply in MicroVAX 3100

by cctalk＠beyondthepale.ie

I have a MicroVAX 3100 which has a H7822 power supply. The power supply and the machine itself mostly work (there is a problem with the SCSI interfaces but that's another story) except that the two fans in the power supply don't run. If left on for a long time, the machine gets too hot and a thermal trip operates, shutting it down. The fans are DC 12V 0.2A and if I connect them to +5V or +12V, they work fine and don't draw excessive current so there would seem to be a problem with the section of the power supply which drives the fans. Unfortunately, it's operation is not obvious and the power supply is a pig to work on. It consists of two double sided PCBs connected by short leads and having live parts on both boards making it difficult to get access to both sides of the board where the fan circuit is when the power is on. I don't have an identical working power supply to compare the faulty one to but the fan circuit looks superficially similar to the one in the H7821 which I do have working examples of so that may be a way to proceed. Does anyone have a service manual for the H7822 or H7821 or know how the fan circuit is supposed to work in these power supplies? Regards, Peter Coghlan.

5 years, 9 months

Anyone out there that can read 7 track / 556 BPI tapes?

by cramcram＠gmail.com

Hi, I bumped into an old friend of mine today. We both talked about a pair of machines we worked on that no longer exist as far as we cant tell. They were both Adage machines and had the same base digital architecture. Their names are Ambilog 200 and AGT-30. The Ambilog was the predecessor to the AGT line. The AGT came in 3 flavors, AGT-10, AGT-30 and AGT-50. The 30 seems to have been the most prevalent. They were 30 bit, one's complement machines. The Ambilog had a beautiful console that used an IO Selectric. It was designed as a 2D vector graphics machine. Here's an image of the Ambilog 200: Ambilog 200 <https://d.lib.ncsu.edu/collections/catalog/ua023_024-001-bx0010-020-004#?c=…> The AGT/30 was a very advanced 3D vector machine. The XYZ signals for the display came from a 4 x 3 "hybrid" matrix multiplier which allowed for 3D imaging with Z axis depth cueing. The matrix multiplier was a 19 in rack of a dozen discrete 15 bit multiplying D to A converters. About once a year it had to be re-calibrated due to long term drift. Here's a link to an image of an AGT-30: Adage AGT-30 <https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwhat-when-how.com%2FTutori…> And here is it's 1.5 seconds of fame from the SciFi classic "Dark Star": AGT-30 das Blinkenlights <https://youtu.be/ocse-0bBfo8?t=3152> Anyway, it turns out he has quite a few of the source and backup tapes. Unfortunately they are 7 track 556 BPI. So the question is: is there anyone out there that can assist with either reading these tapes or (better yet) has a 7 track tape head we could buy? Our goal is to preserve this forgotten machine designed at the start of the computer graphics era. Writing a full emulator is our goal. I live in the Bay Area. Maybe those of you with connections to CHM could see if we could read the tapes on the 1401. Or maybe one of you has a 7 track driver in your junk file. All we really would need is the head and we could put it on an existing drive. As a last option, a commercial tape recovery vendor although that is probably too pricey. Thanks, Marc Howard

5 years, 9 months

Motorola 12Xbug?

by cmhanson＠eschatologist.net

Does anyone know where to find Motorola 120bug or 12Xbug? I have an MVME121 but it has a third party ROM, not the typical Motorola boot ROM. (The 12Xbug manual would be handy too, of course.) -- Chris

5 years, 9 months

MVME225 documentation

by cmhanson＠eschatologist.net

Does anyone have MVME225 documentation? I have one of these boards now and no docs for how to set the addressing jumpers/switches. -- Chris

5 years, 9 months

When is a capacitor not JUST a capacitor (i.e., not just a filter or part of a resonant circuit)

by cube1＠charter.net

(And not acting as part of a resonant circuit) Answer: When it is acting like a little delay line. https://www.computercollection.net/index.php/2020/07/18/q-when-is-a-capacit…

5 years, 9 months

Help identifying mystery Dataram VAX-11/750 (?) board

by derschjo＠gmail.com

Hi all -- Picked up a board advertised as a "4mb memory board" for a VAX-11/750. It's made by Dataram and I'm unsure of the model number, based on photos of it. I just noticed that rather than being a hex-height board that goes in the memory backplane, it looks like a board that goes in the main CMI backplane. It also appears to have 16mb of ECC memory on it, rather than 4mb. My thought is either (1) it's not actually for an 11/750 (in which case I'm curious what it would go into), or (2) it completely replaces the memory controller and standard memory and gives you 16mb in the 750. (Or it could be that it's something else entirely.) If anyone has any ideas or has a source of information, let me know. I put up a few pictures here: http://yahozna.dyndns.org/scratch/dataram/ Thanks as always, - Josh

5 years, 9 months

Compaq Smart Array 3200 Controller as a SCSI Controller

by cctalk＠gtaylor.tnetconsulting.net

On 7/17/20 7:07 PM, Paul Koning wrote: > Yes, if you define it that way then clearly I agree. The thing is > that in most people's definition, "drive failure" means "the drive > is a door stop". Ya.... I've had too many "but the drive isn't a brick ... how could it be the failure" experiences to use that as my benchmark. Now, if the drive is not doing what it's supposed to do in any (reproducible) manner, I consider it a failure. Well ... almost any reproducible manner. > And in fact, hard read errors are normal. Every drive has a spec for > the probability of that happening, and given the per-sector failure > probability and the sector count, the probability of SOME sector > failing to read when you read the whole drive is nowadays somewhere > around 1. Ya. That's where the reproducibility of any given failure comes into play. -- Grant. . . . unix || die

5 years, 9 months

Small C ver 1.00 source?

by wrcooke＠wrcooke.net

I'm trying to find source files for the very first, original, ver 1.00(?) small C compiler. I have the DDJ issue with the printed source (minus the assembly language runtime libs.) I have found all sorts of derivative works, but I haven't found files of the original version. My old eyes aren't up to typing in 13 pages of scanned copy of printed dot matrix listings. Does anyone know where a downloadable copy of these files can be found? Or have a copy they could send? Thanks, Will "A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery "The names of global variables should start with // " -- https://isocpp.org

5 years, 9 months

interfacing DSI NC 2400 tape reader/punch

by billdegnan＠gmail.com

Is there a trick to archiving tapes to PC using Teraterm from a DSI NC 2400 reader/punch? Or is there a best software for this? From the terminal I can ctrl+Q to cause the reader to initiate a read of a test tape but I can't capture the output of the tape through the modem port of the reader into the serial port of my PC. I tried various things with settings. I was told it uses hardware flow control. The reader is set correctly as far as I can tell. I am using 2400/8/n/1 but I have tried other settings. I get no response from the terminal inbound at all. I am using a USB to serial interface that I know works with an RS232 modem, but it may not work with the reader. If so, I'd like to know if anyone has a similar experience. It may not be straight forward and I have to make a custom cable. I will keep at it, report if I find the answers. Bill

5 years, 9 months

100p Cables

by grumpyx＠gmail.com

I ran across some 50 POS 100 C/L card edge ribbon cables 9.5' in length, AMP 1-583717-9 connectors on each end. It's 2 x 50 pin cables between the connectors. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rjGLewB3J4fDJc5cTRgDwInAVjWz2dxx?us… Any good uses for such a cable? Anyone in need of some?

5 years, 9 months

Dilithium Press (Computer Books)

by healyzh＠avanthar.com

Out of curiosity, does anyone know anything about this publisher? They apparently existed in the late 70?s and early 80?s. They were apparently located in Beaverton, Oregon in the same business park, on Nimbus, where Norvac Electronics was. They obviously published some very strange computer books, including what looks to be a teen romance. I find myself with an embarrassingly nice little collection of the books, that my Dad apparently had. Considering I think he touched a computer twice in his life, they?re something of a mystery. Best title, ?Nailing Jelly to a Tree?, which is apparently a book on Software. The publisher sounds vaguely familiar, and I think I might have one or two other books from them in my collection. Zane

5 years, 9 months

Gotek Floppy Drive Emulators in general and as RX50/RX33 replacements

by bobsmithofd＠gmail.com

Two questions, 1. If anyone is using these devices, which firmware/software do you use in the device and why did you choose it? 2/ Is anyone specifically using one as a replacement or adjunct or and RX50 et al on a Pro, pdp11, uVax, DecMate, or Pro box, and same question set as 1? Yes, i picked up one, and looking at the capabilities, documentation first, and considering reflashing the beast to give more control of formats. TIA bob smith

5 years, 9 months

Microfiche reader spotted in Longmont, CO thrift store

by cruff＠ruffspot.net

If anyone along the northern Colorado Front Range is in need of a microfiche reader, it was reported to me that a Micro Design model 4010 is sitting in the Longmont Community Thrift store. My source didn't notice a price. The condition is unknown, but it appears to be reasonably intact, and a cell phone picture from the front is available if you send me a message.

5 years, 9 months

CDC CYBER 170 Consoles

by ccth6600＠gmail.com

I have been working on CDC CYBER 170 mainframes between 1977 and 1988. In 2002 I wrote an open-source emulator for the CDC 6000 and CYBER series (see my website http://www.control-data.info/). In 2013 I also developed the open-source VHDL firmware emulating the console controller for these systems. The firmware runs on a Xilinx Virtex 6 FPGA on a PCI Express (PCIe) board. The off-the shelf Xilinx board carries a small custom "piggy-back" board with 4 DACs and 4 op-amps to interface to a DD60or CC545 console. This PCIe board was used by Paul Allen's Living Computer Museum (LCM) in Seattle from 2013 onward in a PC running my 6000/CYBER series emulator to drive a real DD60 console. The CC545 has a very similar interface and my emulated controller would work with it too. For many years I have been trying to find one of these vector drawn CC545 consoles to use with my emulator but I haven't been able to find one. Recently I decided to build a clone of it myself. Bitsavers has a hardware manual with schematics: http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/cdc/cyber/cyber_170/62952600L_CYBER_170_Displa… The CC545 console achieved unusually fast deflection with an electromagnetically deflected CRT. I am trying to understand the tricks they used to get these high speeds. Part of the magic is a dual-yoke which provided gross positioning within 2 microseconds to anywhere on the screen using the first yoke (this is VERY fast) and then painted the character using a second yoke around that base position with 0.1 microsecond per stroke (this is VERY fast too). The two yokes work in an additive manner. The reason there are two yokes is that you need quite low inductivity/impedance to be able to drive the symbol vectors at 0.1 microsecond per vector with up to 24 vectors making up one character. The gross position yoke needs to create a large enough magnetic field to sweep across the entire screen so has a higher inductivity/impedance but the magnetic field has 2 microseconds to stabilise. The older DD60 console used electrostatic deflection which is much faster by its very nature. Traditional CRT oscilloscopes were all electrostatically deflected because of the speed advantage over electromagnetic deflection. The CC545 manual on Bitsavers has a good description of the circuits and schematics, but unfortunately Section 8 with the "Parts Data" has not been scanned. I really would like to know the types of transistors used in the 4 deflection amplifiers as well as the details of the dual-yoke and possibly the CRT data. It would also be very useful to see details of the design of the dual-yoke and possibly the inductivity of each of the coils. This dual-yoke is most unusual and very different from what is used in TVs, CRT monitors and even vector drawn games like Vectrex or early vector drawn Atari arcade games. Could somebody please help? Thanks Tom Hunter

5 years, 9 months

cray unicos cds sold on ebay in 2016

by plamenspam＠afterpeople.com

Any clue who won this auction: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/cray-research-unicos-operating-syste… ?

5 years, 9 months

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