test-drb

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

101090 discussions

Lots of vintage electronic and computer stuff

by peter＠vanpeborgh.eu

Guys, Guys, Guys... I am overwhelmed and slightly gobsmacked at the level of interest. I hope I won't disappoint you. Since the stuff is in machester and I am in Somerset (about 200 miles apart within England for those of you in the USofA), I won't know in detail what is involved until I get there at the beginning fo the week when I start clearing out. I do know there are a lot of electronic test equipment including scopes. IBM '60s manuals and hardware descriptions, mag tapes and paper tapes. Lots of valves/tubes also. Please keep telling me your interests and I will conact relevant people nearer the time. peter || | | | | | | | | Peter Van Peborgh 62 St Mary's Rise Writhlington Radstock Somerset BA3 3PD UK 01761 439 234 || | | | | | | | |

13 years, 9 months

ST-506/412 to IDE/ATA/SCSI/? adaptor

by tom94022＠comcast.net

There has been a lot of discussion on this subject and I have tried to read all of it, but I may have missed a discussion of what I think is the key problem in such a product. Apologies in advance if I am repeating something As I recall you could not move a formatted ST506/412 HDD between controllers without first reformatting. This is because the gap and header information was likely different between different controller manufacturers. This particularly applies to ECC but could include simple things like address mark, sync byte, etc. So although your IDE drive gives you error free data and a crystal will give you perfect serial timing (no pll required and the pll in the controller never sees bit shift) the adaptor would have to synthesize the particular format down to the bit and including the specific ECC/CRC or the controller will post an error. Since most of the ST506/412 controllers after the early ones were "picocoded" state machines that did the serializing/deserialing I suspect most any modern dsp can do the work, the real problem may turn out to be getting the format information for the particular manufacturer and model controller chip used in the system to which the adaptor attaches. Even within manufacturers the format changed with generations and some manufacturers did custom variants, some of which were rumored to be designed to preclude generic ST506/412 drive attachment. I suppose a very smart machine could learn by having a series of known data patterns written to it, but that seems challenging. So it may turn out to be an impossible task for other than the high volume commercial controller chips and even there finding the specific ECC algorithm might be difficult. Just my 2 cents Tom

13 years, 9 months

Diagnosing and Reparing Commodore 64s

by dm561＠torfree.net

Original Message: Date: Sun, 24 Jun 2012 05:41:11 -0400 From: "Jeffrey Brace" <ark72axow at msn.com> > Hello everyone, > I was hoping for some definite direction in my endless quest to fix my > C64. Then I would suggest that, instead of just venting your frustration that troubleshooting and repairing computers sometimes requires knowledge, experience and tools and isn't always easy to do via email without access to the machine, you accurately describe your symptoms in detail and ask for specific advice on a list like this where folks know what they're talking about; the Vintage Computer Forum is another good place, among others. > I'm told to go to Ray Carlsen's site and that will have everything I need. > http://personalpages.tds.net/~rcarlsen/cbm.html. Which is very nice, but > I'm a beginner and I don't need just a bunch of schematics and reference > material. I need step by step method which explains which tools, > techniques etc. that I need to do. What you need to do is look more closely in the right place: http://cbm8bit.com/articles/raycarlsen/raysarticles.php Near the bottom you will find a number of articles listing symptoms and possible causes; yours is probably in there somewhere. m

13 years, 9 months

HP 9885M troubleshooting tips

by derschjo＠mail.msu.edu

Hi all -- Picked up a (mostly) complete HP 9885M (8" floppy drive) set up for my HP 9825 computer. I have the 9885M drive itself, a 98032A interface, and the "Flexible Disk Drive" ROM pak for the 9825. I am unfortunately missing the "9825A Disk System Cartridge" tape (hp p/n 09885-90035). Any ideas if this has been archived anywhere? I haven't found it in my searches. (Not that I currently have any means to get it onto my 9825...) Looks like this is actually required in order to format disks. Sigh... Unfortunately, the drive appears to be failing the built-in diagnostic; there's a single LED that goes on when the test starts and it's supposed to go out within a minute if the diagnostic's passed. The LED on mine just stays on permanently. Unfortunately that's the -only- diagnostic indicator on the unit. I've read through the service manual and unless I'm missing something it doesn't really describe how to go about narrowing down the problem. There's a flowchart that basically says "if the light doesn't go out, it's a problem with the controller in the drive unit" which seems fairly obvious... The service manual mentions a diagnostic on the tape, but I don't have this to aid me. Anyone have any experience with these drives? Any pointers for starting out? (I've checked the obvious things -- the power supply voltages look good, etc). Thanks as always, Josh

13 years, 9 months

Powermac G5 won't start

by md.benson＠gmail.com

On 29 Jun 2012, at 12:16, George Rachor <george at rachors.com> wrote: > Hmmmm,, > > I had pulled the battery for only a few minutes?.. > I'm leaving the power unplugged and the battery out overnight? Advisable. The minimum I ever had it work over was about 3 hours. I usually left them overnight to stand in a corner and think about what they'd done. -- Mark Benson http://markbenson.org/blog http://twitter.com/MDBenson

13 years, 9 months

Powermac G5 won't start

by md.benson＠gmail.com

On 29 Jun 2012, at 10:37, John Many Jars <john at yoyodyne-propulsion.net> wrote: > Check the PRAM battery is good, and replace if necessary. > > Yes, at the Mac shop, this made 98% of dead Macs come alive. > > Apple got sued at the time, because the solution in the manual was > "replace the main board" for hundreds of dollars, instead of, replace > the PRAM battery, for seven dollars. Ultimately, yes, it needs a new battery but in my experience replacing the PRAM battery with a fresh one doesn't always work straight off the bat - went through this with a 7300, 9600 and a G3 Blue, all needed leaving to forget their PRAM settings before they'd power on. *Then* when you power off and fit the new battery tgey work fine. Back in the days when I used to hang around on the PCI PowerMacs list and the G-List at LowEndMac this was a well known proceedure and got repeated to people who'd already replaced the PRAM battery many times. I have to admit I panicked the first time it happened to me on my 7300 but an experienced tech told me how to fix it. In Apple's defence, the difference between a dead PRAM battery/corrupt PRAM and the symptoms of a board failure are indistinguishable, hence why a lot of people think the machine is dead when it actually isn't. They should at least have issued an adendum, however, so the law suit was appropriate. -- Mark Benson http://markbenson.org/blog http://twitter.com/MDBenson

13 years, 9 months

Raspberry Pi and America, was Re: ST-506/412 to IDE/ATA/SCSI/? adaptor

by md.benson＠gmail.com

There os a team actively working on a Raspberry Pi version of xbmc. There's a link on the RPi website somewhere. -- Mark Benson http://markbenson.org/blog http://twitter.com/MDBenson On 29 Jun 2012, at 09:13, George Rachor <george at rachors.com> wrote: > I was wondering if the Raspberry Pi might be used as a very lightweight xbmc fronted?.. > > George Rachor > > george at rachors.com > > > > > On Jun 28, 2012, at 11:38 PM, Tothwolf wrote: > >> On Thu, 28 Jun 2012, Mark Benson wrote: >> >>> I don't talk much on here because most of the time I am in awe of most >>> of you guys fixing things and sharing knowledge at levels I don't have >>> the tools or the talent to aspire to, and hays off it's awesome. >>> >>> Fact is though, this thread is starting to have echoes of that guy at >>> HP that said he could only see a market for 5 computers at most. >>> >>> I have a Raspberry Pi and run it 24/7 as an emulated VAX 3900 using >>> SimH. It does a damn good job of it too. >> >> I work with a lot of embedded boards these days. Design wise, I rather like the Raspberry Pi. >> >> My single gripe with the project is their choice of Farnell/Newark as their retail distributor. Newark as they are better known in the US has an enormous markup on parts and materials and I've had so many bad experiences with them (including overnight shipping not shipping out for 3-4 days on /multiple/ occasions) that I will simply not deal with Farnell/Newark unless there is absolutely no way I can avoid doing so. >> >> With my latest experience with Newark last year, they charged me $18 for a small heat sink plus $20 for UPS ground shipping (that they -finally- shipped out about 5 days later) PLUS local sales tax for an out of state purchase. All total, about $58.00 USD for a small aluminum heat sink that was less than 1LB shipped. That part was for a rush repair job, and I ate the cost, but I vowed to never deal with Newark again. >> >> By the time Newark tacks on all their fees, that "inexpensive" Raspberry Pi is no longer inexpensive by any definition. Until the Raspberry Pi is available via another distributor, I will not buy one. >> > >

13 years, 9 months

HP 9885M troubleshooting tips

by js＠cimmeri.com

Josh, IIRC, you need to have an 8" floppy in for the testing. cctalk-request at classiccmp.org wrote: Subject: HP 9885M troubleshooting tips From: Josh Dersch <derschjo at mail.msu.edu> Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2012 21:16:48 -0700 To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Hi all -- Picked up a (mostly) complete HP 9885M (8" floppy drive) set up for my HP 9825 computer. I have the 9885M drive itself, a 98032A interface, and the "Flexible Disk Drive" ROM pak for the 9825. I am unfortunately missing the "9825A Disk System Cartridge" tape (hp p/n 09885-90035). Any ideas if this has been archived anywhere? I haven't found it in my searches. (Not that I currently have any means to get it onto my 9825...) Looks like this is actually required in order to format disks. Sigh... Unfortunately, the drive appears to be failing the built-in diagnostic; there's a single LED that goes on when the test starts and it's supposed to go out within a minute if the diagnostic's passed. The LED on mine just stays on permanently. Unfortunately that's the -only- diagnostic indicator on the unit. I've read through the service manual and unless I'm missing something it doesn't really describe how to go about narrowing down the problem. There's a flowchart that basically says "if the light doesn't go out, it's a problem with the controller in the drive unit" which seems fairly obvious... The service manual mentions a diagnostic on the tape, but I don't have this to aid me. Anyone have any experience with these drives? Any pointers for starting out? (I've checked the obvious things -- the power supply voltages look good, etc). Thanks as always, Josh

13 years, 9 months

Teletype

by elson＠pico-systems.com

Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2012 15:22:16 +0200 From: Sander Reiche <sander.reiche at gmail.com> To: cctech at classiccmp.org Subject: Teletype ASR33 110 or 220V? Message-ID: <CACStewZZ+V4fNskjsSexYHTLFdagDED03vqEsoYZcTL438Gf_g at mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Hi all, Do you guys know of a failsafe way to check if a Teletype is for 110 or 220V? I've bought one which has a power connector which seems like US mains. The motor is 50Hz, but I guess that won't make a difference. Any quick way to check without completely dismantling the machine? Yes, the 50 Hz will DEFINITELY make a difference. I think the ASR33 has mechanical send as well as receive, so the baud rates will be off in both directions if you run it off the wrong line frequency. But, the motors may be 50/60 Hz, I think they changed a gear to select the mains frequency. I guess try running it on 120 V, if the motor fails to start or runs very sluggishly, then it is most likely a 240 V motor. Jon

13 years, 9 months

Southern haulage

by wdonzelli＠gmail.com

I am planning to take a Southern roadtrip sometime soon (one or two months away) to pick up some gear, and should have space to haul something for someone (or someones). Hudson Valley, NY to mid-PA to Orlando, FL, and all points between. I could probably handle a small rack, like a five footer. If anyone needs something moved that fits my van, please contact me off list. Prices are pretty damn reasonable... -- Will

13 years, 9 months

AT & T 7300 docs and skanky defective Tandy 2000

by rampaginggreenhulk＠yahoo.com

Being shipped or disposed of tomorrow. First offlist email by person/s immediately willing to paypal 60lbs media/35lbs parcel post +10% in either case for my expenses. From 08758. Going going going. Tandy is very yellow or orange, missing screws, dual floppy, color rgb IIRC.

13 years, 9 months

Selling my CT63(CT60) 68060-accelerated Falcon

by julian＠twinax.org

So, I've set to selling my Falcon and its software. It's just the board, with accelerator and memory. http://www.ebay.com/itm/160832830585?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p398… The software is a separate auction but includes NVDI 5, N.AES 2.0, MagiC 6, and CD Writer Suite 4 with ExtenDOS. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160832836938#ht_500wt_14… Thanks for looking. Julian

13 years, 9 months

Emulex QD21 firmware

by jgevaryahu＠gmail.com

Seth, Can you dump the EPROMS of the old Rev. D firmware before replacing them? I'm interested in tracking what changed over the different firmware revisions. -- Jonathan Gevaryahu jgevaryahu at gmail.com jgevaryahu at hotmail.com

13 years, 9 months

2x RA-60 + packs

by quapla＠xs4all.nl

As I'm getting rid of 'non classical PDP-11' equipment, I have 2 RA-60's and 5 RA-60 packs which will have to go. Asking price is Eur 250 for the lot. Although both were working when put in storage, they have developed a (small?) fault. One spins up but does not do a head load, the other does not spin up, could be minor fault or else make 1 drive out of these 2. Comes with a KDA-50 (QBus) or UDA-50 (Unibus), depending on choice. Pickup only (near Arnhem, Netherlands) due to the weight of these drives. Ed -- Dit is een HTML vrije email / This is an HTML free email. Zeg NEE tegen de 'slimme' meter.

13 years, 9 months

Lots of vintage electronic and computer stuff

by gerhard.kreuzer＠liftoff.at

Hi, maybe I missed something, but is there a list of that stuff available? Thanks a lot. With best regards Gerhard OE3GKC

13 years, 9 months

dc fans

by rampaginggreenhulk＠yahoo.com

black and red leads are labeled, white is not. Speed control? From large Sun servers OOPS! Sorry. But can someone inform regardless, and what kind of signal/circuit is required to control the speed, if thats the case. Cant successfully look it up now, its this stupid phone.

13 years, 9 months

Lots of vintage electronic and computer stuff

by peter＠vanpeborgh.eu

In September next, I will be emptying a small warehouse of vintage computer and electronic items, including oscilloscopes and lots of valves/tubes. I am trying to ascertain what interest there would be in buying some of these items from me. peter || | | | | | | | | Peter Van Peborgh 62 St Mary's Rise Writhlington Radstock Somerset BA3 3PD UK 01761 439 234 || | | | | | | | |

13 years, 9 months

emulated linux/bsd motorola 68k system?

by ray＠arachelian.com

Anyone know of a working emulator for a Motorola 68K system that works well enough to install either linux/bsd in? Would like to be able to compile and test stuff with GCC to 68K assembly while on the go from an intel macbook pro. Something that could run under MESS would be nice, as an example, but would like a unixy tool-chain.

13 years, 9 months

S-100 8088 CPU board ready for order

by LYNCHAJ＠yahoo.com

Hi! The S-100 8088 CPU board has completed its trace optimization and final checks. It is ready to go for PCB manufacturing order. At the moment there are 10 PCBs for builders on the waiting list. There has to be about 20 PCBs to make an order feasible so if you are interested please let me know. More information at the links below: http://s100computers.com/My%20System%20Pages/8088%20Board/8088%20CPU%20Board .htm http://n8vem-sbc.pbworks.com/w/browse/#view=ViewFolder <http://n8vem-sbc.pbworks.com/w/browse/#view=ViewFolder&param=S-100%208088%2 0CPU%20board> &param=S-100%208088%20CPU%20board As usual these PCBs will be $20 each plus $3 shipping in the US and $6 elsewhere. Thanks and have a nice day! Andrew Lynch

13 years, 9 months

HP 7970B interface trouble

by hp-fix＠xs4all.nl

Today I had finally the time to look after my HP 7970B tape drive. After cleaning and adjusting the mechanics and electronics and some tests, I was planning to hook it up to my HP 2113B processor and found out.... I'm having a HP 7970E interface set, the HP 13183A, and I need the HP 13181A/B interfaces. So if there is someone who wants to trade a set HP 13183A boards with manual for a set of HP 13181A/B boards I would be very very happy.. -Rik

13 years, 9 months

IBM 5150 (fwd)

by sellam＠vintagetech.com

An IBM 5150 needs to go to a good home. See below for details. Reply-to: autumn.quiles at gmail.com -- Sellam Ismail VintageTech ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintagetech.com Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap...The truth is always simple. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2012 14:33:43 -0400 From: Autumn Q <autumn.quiles at gmail.com> To: donate at vintage.org Subject: IBM 5150 Hello, My Dad kept our first computer, a complete IBM 5150, for many years. He was proud to have seen it in the Smithsonian! :) Dad recently died and, in going through his things, we decided would like for the 5150 to have a good home. Do you know anyone who would be interested? Thanks so much, Autumn Quiles

13 years, 9 months

My 'New'/ Never-Used: (Complete) Commodore 64 Computer.--(With all peripheral: hardware/ options/ components/ software, etc..). (fwd)

by sellam＠vintagetech.com

A guy in Brentwood, Tennessee is selling his NIB Commodore 64 system. See details below. Complete contact information is included (see phone number at end of text). Reply-to: Lawrence.Gallagher at va.gov -- Sellam Ismail VintageTech ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintagetech.com Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap...The truth is always simple. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2012 10:15:48 -0400 From: "Gallagher, Lawrence E." <Lawrence.Gallagher at va.gov> To: vcf at vintage.org Cc: "Gallagher, Lawrence E." <Lawrence.Gallagher at va.gov> Subject: My 'New'/ Never-Used: (Complete) Commodore 64 Computer.--(With all peripheral: hardware/ options/ components/ software, etc..). Vintage Computer Collectors: (Please help me; if possible.). I am selling my 'new'/ never-used: Commodore 64 Computer! -(With all/ various: peripheral devices/ supplies.). I am the original purchaser of the device.-It has never been used! (I need to sell it due to various health problems and concerns.). Please call me; as soon as possible.-I want it all to go to someone who will appreciate it! "Thank You!"- Larry Gallagher 101 Birchwood Court Brentwood, TN 37027-7806. Home: (615) 833-7585.---('Anytime!'). Lawrence.gallagher at va.gov

13 years, 9 months

dc fans

by rampaginggreenhulk＠yahoo.com

So in laymans terms you vary the speed by narrowing or widening the pulses delivered on the positive lead (duty cycle). A steady 12vdc and you get max air flow/speed? The tach lead is registered by something on the mobo, and otherwise has nothing to do with the rotation of the blades? ------------------------------ On Tue, Jun 26, 2012 8:42 PM PDT Dave McGuire wrote: >On 06/26/2012 11:27 PM, Chris Tofu wrote: >> black and red leads are labeled, white is not. Speed control? From >> large Sun servers OOPS! Sorry. But can someone inform regardless, and >> what kind of signal/circuit is required to control the speed, if >> thats the case. Cant successfully look it up now, its this stupid >> phone. > > Put them BACK in the large Sun servers if they're anything remotely >recent. > > It's almost definitely a tachometer lead. They're typically >controlled via PWM, with a closed-loop servo for speed control and >OS-accessible speed monitoring. > > -Dave > >-- >Dave McGuire, AK4HZ >New Kensington, PA

13 years, 10 months

Film Recorders (Agfa PCR II)

by Arno_1983＠gmx.de

ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) wrote: > When wa this made. There weren't many 16 pi nprogrammable parts other > htan bbipolar PROMs (which doesn't sound likely here) in the 'classic > era'. Of course tere are such parts now. (...) The installation sticker on top of the case mentions it was set up in 1993. If Wikipedia is to be believed (I know there are mixed opinions about that here, no combustion demonstrations required...), the first standalone PICs (just as an example what could have been used in this place) came about soon after General Instrument's microelectronic division was sold out to Microchip in 1989. > Have you treid looking for a service manual for the camera on the web? > Some Niko ncamera man aulas are there. THe 'electronic' one I looked at > (F3) didn't include full schematcs, but it did have a wiring diagram and > soem theory of operation. It's a possible source of information. The additional board was, according to its silkscreen print, made not by Nikon but by Agfa. It says "AGFA MATRIX DIV 22-23-14180 REV.A" on it. I would not expect to find information about the modification an a Nikon manual, but one might of course look there for the signals one would have to tap when refitting a standard body. > There was a motordrive for the Nikon F, but it is very dififcult to find. > And it requires a diffenrt base casting under the shutter to pring out > various cotnrol levers to the motordrive (to indicate, for example, when > the shutter has copmpleted its open/close operation). That part is ever > harder to find. WP knowledge says the base has to be replaced (which is a matter of just a few screws), then the body/motor combination requires a trip to the specialist for some kind of mechanical adjustment. jim s <jws at jwsss.com> wrote: > The motorized F body is the F-36. (...) Does look like the F approach > would be in the 200 dollar range minimum maybe 400 if you really don't > want to hunt for a long time (assuming you have the body). Oh, that's not the direction I was heading :) I was merely tipping my hat to DrARDs opto-electro-mechanical skills in suggesting he'd surely find a way to convert his camera if he wanted to. On the one hand, I was looking for an AGFA camera module, as they were sold, for the reason of originality - in case somebody has one sitting on the shelf and gathering dust. OTOH if I have to manufacture a replacement, I'll be looking for the simplest solution possible. I don't get why they used a very sophisticated SLR body with exposure control and shutter times down to 1/2000s anyway in an application where none of that is of any use (there is no continuously visible image - which renders the viewfinder useless and would also wreak havoc on automatic exposure control - and image recording times in minutes require the "bulb" setting only). One would think there must be special camera bodys which accomplish advancing the film, opening a shutter as long as a signal is active, and not much else... > [Probably macro or enlarger lens configuration] Thanks for that hint, too. I will be back when I can measure the object distance to the mounting interface, but I don't think it is shorter than the image plane distance, so a close-up lens would be what's asked for rather than an inverted standard or enlarger one. Arno -- Empfehlen Sie GMX DSL Ihren Freunden und Bekannten und wir belohnen Sie mit bis zu 50,- Euro! https://freundschaftswerbung.gmx.de

13 years, 10 months

BEGINNER getting started (Was: Diagnosing and Reparing Commo

by cctech＠beyondthepale.ie

> >And that is soemthing else to be careful about. A friend of mine was >nearely killed by a cheap mete. He measured the voltage of a maisn >socket, it showed 240V or so, so the meter was working/ He flipped the >breaker for what he thought was the right circuit, then measured the >voltage again. 0 or so. So he thought he had isoalted the circuit and >started to remove the socket. Alas the meter had taken that momemnt to >fail (range swithc trouble I think) and he's flipped the wrong breaker. >Result : He got the mains across him. Second result, he bought a good meter. > I can't agree with this. He was not nearly killed by a cheap meter. He was nearly killed because he did not appreciate what could go wrong. While it is less likely to fail, a good meter can still fail. Also, if (for example) the building was wired badly and the breaker opened the neutral, he could still have been in trouble, even with a good meter that was working properly. I prefer to use a neon tester for this sort of job. It doesn't need a functional neutral or ground in order to operate and there is less to go wrong than a meter. However, it can still go wrong and should be tested on a live point before and after using it to identify that a circuit has been powered off and lighting conditions must be such that the glow can be seen. Having verified that the power is off by whatever method (and made sure someone else could not inadvertently switch it back on), continue to take care. Do not dive in and grab a conductor in each hand. It is often possible to treat the circuit as if it is still live - use insulated tools, don't touch any bare conductors and don't let any bare conductors touch each other or anything else conductive. If it is necessary to touch a conductor, I would suggest first brushing it with the back of a finger after ensuring there are no paths to ground through the the other hand in particular or any other body parts in general. Think about using a different method if you are on a high ladder. Don't believe that using a good meter or a good anything else is all you need to keep safe. Whatever you use, think about what could go wrong. (If you decide to use a neon tester, make sure it is a mains rated neon tester and not an very similar looking instrument containing a low voltage filament bulb intended for automotive testing!) Regards, Peter Coghlan.

13 years, 10 months

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