- test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org - classiccmp.org

Netbooting VAX-11/730 (was Re: Naming schemes)

by classiccmp＠crash.com

I wrote: > If I get the 11/730 running, I'll worry about a name then. > [mentioned net-booting] Antonio Carlini wrote: > It will boot from the TU58 but I don't know of anything that > will then boot it over the net over MOP. Jochen Kunz suggested: > The NetBSD/VAX boot loader? > It uses DHCP and NFS to load an ELF image. This might work. This 11/730 was packaged in a low-boy (~42" tall) rack with RL02 on top, an R80 on the bottom. I received the host because it was crashing on bad sectors in the R80, and the person using it was given a free 11/750 & rack of RA81s from another lab. The TU58 might be a bit cramped for a full-on bootloader with all kinds of network support at 256k minus whatever else needs to be on there for the machine to boot to the console. However, if it can then read a more complete loader from the RL02, or even a miniroot... Hmmm... Very Interesting... --Steve.

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

still a green keys list ?

by PLancashire＠columbia.com

Gil, is the list still active ? if so would like to become a member. thanks -pete pete5520(a)pdxeng.com

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Sad Day need help on replacing ASR35 and IBM 129 Verifier

by PLancashire＠columbia.com

I lost (in addition to lots of old computer items) two things I'm trying to get information for my insurance company on. The first is a ASR35 that was 'loaded', over the years I had converted a TWX ASR35 in to on that had every option you could think of. I just did a search of Google, and could find almost no references to it, sad in its own right. I also lost a ASR 38, but that's for another time. The other item destroyed, was a IBM 129 Punch card verifier. A 129 is a 29, with the ability to verify previously punched cards. It also could be used as a card reader. Mine had that option. Both were very clean, low usage. They both were 'backup' machines that in the case of the 129, had less then 100 hours on its run time meter. Both had full sets of manuals, spare parts etc. The 35 included a never used type unit in the box. So if anyone could help with where I can start to look for replacements, value etc. I would be most thankful. Thanks in advance for any leads -pete

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

help: Brikon Floppy drive tester

by rigdonj＠cfl.rr.com

Hi, I have a couple of Brikon model 723 floppy drive testers made by Brian Instruments of Fullerton, California. One of the testers that I have has the "R" option. The "R" option is a feature that includes a bunch of flying leads tahat you can attach to various test points on the drive under test and measure various analog parameters. It's shown in the factory brochure and it appears to be a ribbon cable with a small blue box on it and about 8 or 10 individual leads coming out of the box. The leads appear to have banana plugs on them where they plug into the box and the other ends have grabber clips on them. Does anyone have one of these cable/pods? If so can you send me the pin out so that I can make one or can I borrow it long enough to make schematics of it? Joe

22 years, 5 months

2
2
0 0

SYSTEM 80 Schematics

by vax＠onthenet.com.au

Mike, I just found you message about having the ciruit diagrams for a Disk Smith System 80. I found one of these the other day in a recyling center and always had a soft spot for them as it was first computer. The one I found works, but has a problem in the video circuit. It is repairable, but would be a lot easier if I had schematics to work from (I collect video games from the same era as well so my skills in repairing these would help me a great deal :) If you have a scan or even a photocopy of this manual, I would glady purchase it off you. Cheers, Geoff

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Mac SE/30 revival

by liste＠artware.qc.ca

I was driving into town when I spoted the aforementioned computer in some phule's garbage. I stopped and pulled it out. However, when I turn it on, the screen comes up 4 grey scan lines, then alternating 8 black scan lines and 8 grey scan lines. A friend mentioned that this is normal boot config, that it should then proceed to the happy mac icon and so on. He asked if the ROM was still in it. I can't get the box open though : I don't have the extra special long torx driver to get at the 2 top screws. And the hex extention bits I have don't fit into the hole. Anyone have a clue about how to revive this? I'd love to get netbsd running on it. Or is it hopeless? -Philip

22 years, 5 months

8
12
0 0

IBM System/23 ROM help needed

by ian_primus＠yahoo.com

This is yet another incomplete project that I am trying to finish... I have an IBM System/23 Datamaster, and I am attempting to get it to work. When turned on, it displays a series of numbers on the screen, and stops at "FD". Of the numbers printed, "0B" is inverted and flashing. I found a listing of the error codes in google's cache of classiccmp.org (part of the archive seems to be down). http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:83dbK69EHG8J:www.classiccmp.org/ mail-archive/classiccmp/1997-07/0566.html+IBM+System/ 23+error+site:www.classiccmp.org&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 According to this, the error code "0B" indicates that one of the ROM chips on the logic board has failed. The chip is soldered to the board, but replacing it with a socket and an EPROM shouldn't be a problem, but I don't know anything about these chips, or if they have an EPROM equivalent. I have repaired my EPROM programmer, so I now have the ability to burn my own EPROM chips. The problem I face now is that I need the data for the new chip. Does anyone have a ROM image of this chip that they could send me? Also, does anyone know the pinouts of these ROM chips on the System/23 board? (or as IBM calls them, ROS modules, for Read Only Storage). Thanks! Ian Primus ian_primus(a)yahoo.com

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

The UNIBUS FAQ is wrong about grant cards, isn't it?

by gunther＠aurora.regenstrief.org

Hi, the UNIBUS FAQ sais that the grant cards G727A is a dual-height card with NPG grant. But from the cards I have I see the G727A is a single height card with only bus grant, not NPG, and it is a knucklebuster. The one that's dual-height and has handles is the G7273. I also have a 3rd party vendor dual height bus+NPG grant card. I suppose it shouldn't be too hard to make grant cards yourself. I think I have my VAX11/780 UNIBUS under control now. I threw out all cards except for the UDA50 pair, put in a new terminator and filled all with appropriate grant cards. Now the UDA50 initializes fine and I get the 8/9 blink fine the port-A light goes on on the RA90. Still the VAX doesn't seem to get anywhere and after a while the lights go off. May be I'm too impatient and should just wait long enough? -Gunther

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Naming schemes (was upcoming classiccmp wierdness)

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

> > I'd be interested to find out what network names/nicknames some other > > classiccmpers have given their machines. Mine are an assortment of groups. The SGIs, which are the largest group that are networked, are mindy (my original Indy), mork (another Indy), mearth (another!), orson (Origin 2000), volgar and exidor (O2s), but the Indigos mostly still have the names they were given by previous owners (dopey, ziggi, mrtoad, ...). My laptop is called dancer because it moves about; the windows PC is called floorbox because it's just a box that sits on the floor. The NeXT slab is predicably called monolith (blame the previous owner). I have a few Acorn machines named after districts around Newcastle (which is where a couple of them came from), and a few other machines (PDP-11s, microVAXen, a couple of Suns, a Mac, etc) named by their previous owners. The network printers are star (a Star Laserprinter8), twinkle (big HP colour deskjet), and coruscor (made up word, an HP LJ5M PostScript printer). Most of the rest are functional names (the GatorBox is gator, the LANmodem is lanmodem, and the ATM switches and bridges are named after their colours: orange (ATM-Ethernet), red (ATM-FDDI), purple (route server), magenta (ATM switch)). -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

22 years, 5 months

3
2
0 0

Naming schemes (was upcoming classiccmp wierdness)

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Oct 18, 18:47, Jochen Kunz wrote: > On 2003.10.18 06:40 Pete Turnbull wrote: > > > Mine are an assortment of groups. > My "primary" names are James, MissSophie, SirTobie, MrWinterbottom and > AdmVonSchneider. If you don't know these names, well, I can't explain > the origin. You have to see the film. ;-) "Dinner For One". I've not see it for years, though. It should be "Toby" though, not "Tobie" :-) -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

OT, but REALLY funny -- Killer Helium Blimps!

by kyrrin＠bluefeathertech.com

I know this is off-topic, but we all could use a good laugh. NOTE: Remove all furry, feathered, or scaly critters from your lap, shoulders, or wherever, and put down all spillable and snortable substances, BEFORE you read this! http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=160851 Other than that, enjoy! ;-) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Bruce Lane, Owner & Head Hardware Heavy, Blue Feather Technologies -- http://www.bluefeathertech.com ARS KC7GR (Formerly WD6EOS) since 12-77 -- kyrrin(a)bluefeathertech.com "Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati" (Red Green, aka Steve Smith)

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

PDP-11/34A's, 11/05, PDP-8/I backplane for sale in Northern VA

by wrljet＠yahoo.com

Thanks for all the replies to my post. All the PDP-11 stuff has been paid for, picked up, and has gone to a good home. The PDP-8/I backplane is most likely spoken for. Bill

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

list status

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

Well, I had a very bad time with mailman and sendmail today. I was assuming the problem was with sendmail. After screwing around with it all day, I'm not so sure the problem is sendmail. I found the following items: 1) A LOT of people on the list have very slow mailservers. This is bad in conjuction with the way mailman queues messages. 2) All the junk email coming into the list gets a "your post awaits moderator approval" return email, and most of those domains don't exist, or have servers that are extremely bogged down, also causing a problem with the way mailman queues messages. 3) Mailman queues messages in very large groups. A single post to the list generates 4 emails, each one with around 150 recipients. When sendmail processes one of these single messages, as it sends to one of the recipients and encounters a VERY slow mail server, everyone else on the recipient list just sits and waits. The delays are... to me... well... horrid. 4) When I set mailman to send one email per recipient, sendmail still only had one runner processing the queue. Of course, the same problem exists them as #3. Everything I tried seemed to make it the same or worse. I tried starting a separate localhost only daemon of sendmail which doesn't do DNS lookups, setting the outbound sendmail daemon for persistant queueing, put in a caching only nameserver on the mailserver, set mailman to send one recipient per message, etc. before running out of time to work on this. I suspect that this all started with the upgraded mailman, this version apparently has it's own message queueing and is very different from previous versions. I've kinda hit the point of not being able to see the forest for the trees, so if someone is up on mailman and sendmail I'd appreciate some insight. If you have some thoughts (besides "dude, switch to using XXXXX for your MTA"), please email me directly so I get the email quickly. In response to the people who have suggested replacing sendmail... I would like to call attention to what the website for mailman says. Bear in mind, the mailman camp is somewhat anti-sendmail, instead favoring qmail, exim, and postfix. However, note what THEY say about sendmail... "Moreover, with appropriate work, sendmail can be configured to be the fastest and highest-volume general-purpose MTA on the planet." This is in the section where they compare sendmail to exim, qmail, and postfix. So I'm not the only one who believes in sendmail. I put things back the way they originally were. I'll ponder it over the weekend. Regards, Jay West jwest(a)classiccmp.org --- [This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus]

22 years, 5 months

2
1
0 0

TinyC, port to HP

by dwight.elvey＠amd.com

Hi Bob The boot loader for my Nicolet is similar in that it over writes itself. It fits into about 15 words so it is quite easy to toggle in. They even took advantage of the 'don't care' fields in some instructions to take advantage of minimizing switch changes. Even the memory location is chosen because it is has bits that fit well in adjacent instructions. It is quite remarkable that they can squeeze so much into so few instructions. I have written a boot loader that I use to transfer data to and from an H89 ( Heathkit ) computer that takes about 52 bytes. Most is com port initializing. It was nice when the hardware was jumper configured. The loader would be much smaller. The loader is such that I can send it by email and someone can bring a H89 up from scratch. They just need a couple of blank 10 sectored disks and my code. Later Dwight >From: "Bob Shannon" <bshannon(a)tiac.net> > >Oh no, many HP boot loaders use self modifying code. > >Take a look at the source for the H 264X terminal boot rom, it alters an >instruction by >using it as the target for an increment-and-skip-on-zero instuction. HP >took great pains >to squeeze some boot loaders into only 64 words. As a result you have >to reload these >loaders from ROM each time they run. > >ben franchuk wrote: > >> Tony Duell wrote: >> >>>>> C requires a stack pointer and a index register.Offhand I don't >>>>> think your hardware supports that. >>>> >>>> >>>> Certain HP2xxx do have index registers (the ones with the EIG >>>> instructions >>>> IIRC), but guess how FORTRAN compilers handle indexed array accesses >>> >>> >>> >>> Err, self-modifying code? That was the traditional way to do this >>> sort of thing. >> >> >> I think the PC is noted more more self-modifying code than the old >> machines. The only real self modifying code (on your typical early >> machine) is the fact the return address is placed in the first word >> of subroutine code. >> >>> -tony >>> >> >> >> >> >> > > >

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

TinyC, port to HP

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

I am looking for full source code for a *VERY* tiny C compiler written in any common assembly language. I'm much more concerned with size of the compiler than functionality/features. Can anyone suggest one or know where the source might by laying around? I thought I had heard ages ago about some microcomputer C compilers being well under 32K. As to how this relates to classiccmp... well.. *blush* I'm actually thinking of porting C to the HP2100. The whole thing has to fit in 32K of ram, including drivers, etc. Not sure what OS it will be placed on, perhaps HP-IPL/OS. Might make a simple native OS for it or might even make it standalone, not sure yet. Did I recently post about being overcomitted? heh Jay --- [This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus]

22 years, 5 months

11
17
0 0

Funny vintage gaming article

by evan947＠yahoo.com

http://www.egmmag.com/article2/0,4364,1338730,00.asp

22 years, 5 months

2
1
0 0

DEC AlphaServer 2100

by vcf＠siconic.com

I picked up a DEC AlphaServer 2100 today. Is anyone interested in it? It has what I believe to be a RAID array. I haven't looked inside yet. Anyone interested in making an offer? I don't think I want to keep it. -- Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org [ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ] [ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

still testing

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

please ignore Not sure sure the problem is sendmail. There is much wailing and gnashing of teeth going on here *sigh* --- [This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus]

22 years, 5 months

2
1
0 0

test please ignore

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

testing --- [This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus]

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Recommendations for archiving audio tapes

by dundas＠caltech.edu

I have a number of old DECUS U.S. Symposium audio tapes that I would like to archive before they completely disintegrate. I have a way to digitize these and store them in a variety of formats. I'm not sure what format is best for archive and distribution, though I assume something like WAV or AIFF for archive and MP3 for distribution. I have no prior experience at this and would appreciate any suggestions on the best approach. Also suggestions on who to contact to make these archives legally available on the web would be welcome. Is anyone else archiving these? As a teaser, here's what I have: 1987 Fall: N008 Understanding Ethernet N037 Cryptographic Security for Ethernet DA054 Optimizing VMS device Drivers for Realtime I/O V104 Tape 1 VAX Magic, War Stories, and Horror Tales V104 Tape 2 1988 Fall: PC031 Internal Enhancements to AppleTalk for VMS NE050 An Introduction to the Digital's Distributed Name Service (DNS) GR054 Renderman: A 3D Scene Description Interface for Computer Graphics System GR033F Computer Graphic and Visualization Thanks, John

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

testing testing

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

another test - please ignore --- [This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus]

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

upcoming classiccmp wierdness

by RCini＠congressfinancial.com

And of course there should be an "Uncle Donald" around there somewhere :-) -----Original Message----- From: cctalk-bounces(a)classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-bounces@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Jay West Sent: Friday, October 17, 2003 8:38 AM To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org Subject: upcoming classiccmp wierdness I finally have carved out a little time to work on the sendmail config for huey (the classiccmp list server). I know exactly what needs to be done and there are several ways to do it, I'm not sure which way is best. Hence, I will be experimenting a bit today and possibly over the week. During that time, expect some oddity from the list. I'll keep you posted on the progress. Trivia note - Why did I name the classiccmp list server machine huey? The first computer I ever used was an HP 2000 TSB system in highschool. It's name was Huey. I couldn't resist the nostalgia. We also had a PDP-11/03 with RT-11 & TSX-plus. It was named Dewey. So if classiccmp ever gets split to another machine, it will be called (you guessed it) Dewey. Three? Well, Louie of course :) Jay West --- [This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus]

22 years, 5 months

3
2
0 0

upcoming classiccmp wierdness

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

I finally have carved out a little time to work on the sendmail config for huey (the classiccmp list server). I know exactly what needs to be done and there are several ways to do it, I'm not sure which way is best. Hence, I will be experimenting a bit today and possibly over the week. During that time, expect some oddity from the list. I'll keep you posted on the progress. Trivia note - Why did I name the classiccmp list server machine huey? The first computer I ever used was an HP 2000 TSB system in highschool. It's name was Huey. I couldn't resist the nostalgia. We also had a PDP-11/03 with RT-11 & TSX-plus. It was named Dewey. So if classiccmp ever gets split to another machine, it will be called (you guessed it) Dewey. Three? Well, Louie of course :) Jay West --- [This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus]

22 years, 5 months

2
1
0 0

TI-52 manual

by mmcfadden＠cmh.edu

Actually the first calculator I bought in graduate school was a TI-52, I still have it and the manual. Please email me an address and I will email you a scan of the manual. My battery packs are shot but I have saved them. I also have the case. The 52 could do factorials and logs. It was really handy for computing probabilities using factorials for my statistics classes. When I first went to college they had a remedial class for students who didn't know how to use a slide rule. I already knew how since my grandfather gave me one in 6th grade. I used a slide rule all through college until 1975 when I bought a calculator. Mike m m c f a d d e n a t c m h . e d u > Hi, my name is Tobias and i own a TI-52 calculator. As it was given to me, i'd really like > to program it(thoug it's as old as me). > But this model is too old, and i can't get a manual for it. > > So i'd like to enquire whether you know how to get a manual for the TI-52. > > Thanks in advance! > > best regards > Tobias Petschke >

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

TinyC, port to HP

by dwight.elvey＠amd.com

>From: "Jim Battle" <frustum(a)pacbell.net> > >Dwight K. Elvey wrote: >... >> In any case, I never understood the stigma of using self >> modifying code. It does require careful documentation if >> it is expected to be maintained. There is no reason why >> it can't be as robust as any other code if done properly. >> I suspect it was used as a sales talk when someone was >> trying to pitch their version of code to be better than >> someone else's. Such things as overlays would qualify as >> more risky uses of self modifying code but that is done >> without mention. > >Obvious drawbacks -- > >doesn't work if you ROM the code > >indeterminate behavior on certain chips that have instruction caches. >the data cache snoops and invalidates the write address, but the >instruction cache doesn't snoop and so requires an explicit flush (eg, >the i860). > >even if the icache snoops the write, it can have a performance impact >depending how often the code is modified since it can result in a full >instruction pipe flush. > >even without caches, there can be a race between the data being written >and the instruction fetch path. some self modifying code that works >reliably on a 386 may not work on a 486. > >in an interrupt driven environment, such code is unlikely to be >reentrant/thread safe/interrupt safe. > >it is harder to maintain. > >but, I agree, sometimes a coder has to do what a coder has to do. > > Hi I should have mentioned the issues with instruction caches and pipelines. After all, our K8 is heavy into this. I was thinking more in terms of small micros or even in the case where there is a well defined cache that can be used to advantage. Anytime one does something out of the ordinary, one needs to make it clear all of the restrictions and such of how it is to be used. One of the examples of how a known cache can be to advantage is like the adsp2100 works. It has a 6 instruction cache so that it can do things like over write the current instructions in memory for an overlay while running the loader code from the cache. It does need the interrupts disabled but this can be handy for something like a flash update. Dwight

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

testing number 2

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

testing again - please ignore --- [This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus]

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

testing

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

Just testing... please ignore. Jay West --- [This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus]

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

DEC Pro 350 For Sale

by ohh＠drizzle.com

Hey, all: I'm meeting the nicest people lately. :) I've run into someone who has a DEC Pro 350 which he'd like to sell to a respectful owner. Here's his description of the system: > DEC Pro-350 (circa fall 1983) > 10GB drive > 2 400K floppies (400K each? 800K each? now I don't remember) > VT-220 style keyboard and display > hang-on copyholder for the monitor > vertical stand for the system unit > all P/OS diskettes and manuals > RSX-11M disks and manuals (some are copies) > Original boxes (unsure of the condition) > > LA-100PC printer > extra ribbons (if I can find them) - reinkable > some rom cartridges including Epson MX-80 emulation (again - if I can > find them) > no box - sorry > > The BIOS battery is probably dead by now, but it's 3 AAA nicads if I > remember. Other than that, it's ready to go. I found it an encouraging sign that he regretted not having the original printer box. :) Anyway, anyone who has an interest and/or questions and/or offers can contact the owner directly. His name's Ron Hansen, his e-mail is <ogre(a)brainlink.com>, and from the e-mails we've exchanged he sounds like a nice guy. :) Thanks! -O.-

22 years, 5 months

2
1
0 0

ASR33 Late comments

by kandres＠epssecurity.com

Message: 16 Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 09:04:11 -0400 From: Ian Primus <ian_primus(a)yahoo.com> Subject: Re: ASR33 Teletype interfacing To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> Message-ID: <67FFB9E5-FBEB-11D7-86CD-000393D7845A(a)yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed I am late in an response to this ASR33 discussion but the comments here definitely hit some memory banks buried deep. In the early 70's, I recall that 120VDC was the source for 60ma current loop to teletype, and it seems to me that "full-duplex" had the send side sourced from the teletype and the receive side sourced from the connected transmission equipment. There was something special that was done to "echo" at the local printout any typed keys, It seems that it was jumpers at the transmission equipment between the incoming "xmit" current and the outgoing "Rcvd" current, again it must have put them in series. It also rings in my head that the interfaces changed when 20ma came out and they could not be intermixed. A machine would be either 60ma or 20ma and required an overhaul to change it. 20ma was a result of reduced physical part requirements for robustness and EMF splatter reduction. Test equipment of the time put out "RY's", and that was almost a perfect square wave at 120Vdc, 60ma as I remember. I have conveniently forgotten most of what we did to repair these units, but I do remember a tank where the units were given a bath in something??? If air couldn't get things cleared and freed up, it got a bath then a complete relube???!!!! The comments to "running open were correct. That is the sign that no current was available to the unit. The current kept it "held". On Thursday, October 9, 2003, at 04:52 PM, Tom Jennings wrote: >> I have been attempting to get my ASR33 teletype connected to something >> and communicating, but so far I have not been successful. I have built >> the interface here : >> http://www.daedalus.co.nz/~don/computing/20mahack.html > > > It wont work, sorry... > Somehow I'm not surprised. Something told me that it was too simple to work properly. > Teletypes are inductive loads. Though they only want 20 mils, the > voltage needs to be high to get the initial magnet pull-in (basic RL > theory). ASR33 loops were generally run at 100V or so, but I run my > Model 28 at 14V, with non-perfect error rate, and I don't use the > keyboard. I take it that the voltage isn't that crucial, just the current? > The keyboard and printer are IN SERIES. If you hit keys while it's > printing you foul it up. Normal. What about on a full duplex machine? Is it the same, or are they separate? > Because it's inductive, it makes a spike when yuo turn the voltage off. > You need to suppress this with a diode, a resistor and capacitor, for > example. > > They're not subtle interfaces, and weren't meant to be. > > If you just want to print, you can rig up a power transistor, two > resistors, a diode, and a high-voltage DC power supply to do the trick, > and drive it from the serial port. > > If you want to receieve also, you can use another transistor and > resistor to pick off the change in loop current that happens when you > press keys which open the loop, and drive the serial port. > > I've done one of these fairly recently, and if poked with a > not-too-sharp stick, I'll scan the schematic and pu on my website. *poke* <grin> If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to see it. From what I have heard, there are lots of ways to do this, and i would be very interested to see how you did it. Thanks! Ian Primus ian_primus(a)yahoo.com --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.528 / Virus Database: 324 - Release Date: 10/16/2003

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Vintage collection for sale

by collectionsale＠quicknet.nl

Please see http://www.fossilicon.com/collectionsale for details and pictures thanks, Sergej

22 years, 5 months

3
2
0 0

Seiko RC-1000 wrist terminal software req?

by dave＠mitton.com

Does anyone have a copy of the host system software for the circa 1984 Seiko RC-1000 watch terminal? I thought I had a copy that ran on DOS as a character mode app, but I cannot find the original diskette. The original PC I used is long gone. Dave.

22 years, 5 months

2
1
0 0

TinyC, port to HP

by dwight.elvey＠amd.com

>From: "ben franchuk" <bfranchuk(a)jetnet.ab.ca> > >Tony Duell wrote: >>>>C requires a stack pointer and a index register.Offhand I don't think >>>>your hardware supports that. >>> >>>Certain HP2xxx do have index registers (the ones with the EIG instructions >>>IIRC), but guess how FORTRAN compilers handle indexed array accesses >> >> >> Err, self-modifying code? That was the traditional way to do this sort of >> thing. > >I think the PC is noted more more self-modifying code than the old >machines. The only real self modifying code (on your typical early >machine) is the fact the return address is placed in the first word >of subroutine code. > >> -tony >> Hi I don't call this self modifying. Where you have a port command like the 8080 and you overwrite the port address before executing, now that is self modifying. Something like over writing an add instruction with a subtract would qualify as self modifying. Placing the address at the beginning is no different than pushing the address onto a stack, other than that it isn't reentrant ( with out extra code and then not for interrupts ). The first address isn't code, it is a variable space. The executed code never changes. My Nicolet uses the entry address saving method. In any case, I never understood the stigma of using self modifying code. It does require careful documentation if it is expected to be maintained. There is no reason why it can't be as robust as any other code if done properly. I suspect it was used as a sales talk when someone was trying to pitch their version of code to be better than someone else's. Such things as overlays would qualify as more risky uses of self modifying code but that is done without mention. Dwight

22 years, 5 months

3
2
0 0

More info on posting delays

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Oct 16, 13:40, John Lawson wrote: > ----------------cut n paste---------------------------- > > Received: from huey.classiccmp.org (huey.classiccmp.org > [209.145.140.36]) > by mail3.panix.com (Postfix) with ESMTP > id B220098214; Thu, 16 Oct 2003 13:00:45 -0400 (EDT) > Received: from huey.classiccmp.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) > by huey.classiccmp.org (8.12.8p1/8.12.8) with ESMTP id > h9GGjaH5086939; > Thu, 16 Oct 2003 11:45:38 -0500 (CDT) > (envelope-from cctalk-bounces(a)classiccmp.org) > Received: from linux.local ([128.195.166.138]) > by huey.classiccmp.org (8.12.8p1/8.12.8) with ESMTP id > h9DIMuH3076162 > for <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org>; > Mon, 13 Oct 2003 13:22:56 -0500 (CDT) > (envelope-from tomj(a)wps.com) > Received: by linux.local (Postfix, from userid 500) > id A6B2C378DC; Mon, 13 Oct 2003 11:14:43 -0700 (PDT) > From: Tom Jennings <tomj(a)wps.com> > To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org > In-Reply-To: <200310131508.h9DF8gH5075481(a)huey.classiccmp.org> > > > ------------end cut n paste----------------- > > I see there is quite a delay between two of the entries - 3 days. As > Arte Johnson used to say on Laugh-In: "Veeeeeeeery Eeeenteresting!" But schtupid :-) Those headers show that it took a few minutes to get tpo huey.classiccmp.org (acting as receiver) -- that might be just mismatch between the clocks -- and then 3 days to get to be forwarded (from the same machine!). I've noticed a few headers with delays since we last discussed this, but none quite as extreme! However, I can think of some possible reasons. In this case, I'd guess that for some reason (maybe the sender isn't subscribed, or sent from an address that differs in some way from the address he subscribed with) the message had to be moderated -- we rely on Jay's goodwill and free time to do that, and if he's busy, I imagine that he does the really obvious ones in batches where he doesn't really need to examine them closely, and some get held over for a closer look when time permits. He also has to sleep and eat sometimes! In some other cases I've noticed, where the delay is a few hours, the same reasoning might still apply, even to messages sent by a subscriber. If you send to the list, and your headers give a different username, hostname, or domainname than the one you used to subscribe, it will need to be moderated. Another possibility is that any kind of DNS lookup failure -- including a slow response -- could cause the sending process on huey to requeue the message. This happens a lot with people who use dynamic DNS services and try to run their own mailserver on an ADSL line. They forget that even though they can update the DNS within a few seconds (or usually several minutes) when their IP address changes, most of the rest of the world that's interested in them has already cached the old data and it doesn't expire for a while (I've know it take days). Yet another possibility right now, with all the viruses, and floods of mail saying "we didn't deliver your mail because it had a virus and we're too stupid to read the headers and see they're forged"[1] (not mentioning AOL or certain other ISPs) is that some ISPs are finding their mail servers swamped and hence slow. The ISPs that have suddenly put virus-checking in place are particularly badly off, because the scanning takes several times as many computrons as simple mail handling does. huey might try to deliver a message and not be able to at some particular instant, so it gets requeued. I've seen this happening on our mailservers at work (we can easily handle what we're getting and sending, but sometimes outgoing mail is queued because the recipient's servers can't). The above also happens a lot with ADSL users trying to run their own servers, because right now some of them are getting hit with lots of spam and virus-generated crap. However, that wouldn't explain why you saw such a delay (since panix is not a little linux box on the end of a DSL line). [1] Several viruses currently forge the "From" line, making it seem that email from some infected machine actually came from a different user/machine. Easy to spot if you bother to look, but lots of people -- even serious ISPs -- don't. There are lots of other possibilites. Most mail transport agents, like sendmail, have several built-in timeout functions, to cover various eventualities. Sendmail has loads of them, mostly short, but the net effect is that if some check or lookup takes too long, the associated email is queued. Most MTAs only run the queues periodically (common settings in sendmail are every 15 or 30 minutes) so you see that if some recipient has some systematic problem (like bad/slow DNS, or being hammered by DOS attacks or viruses) it doesn't take many delivery attempts for the delay to mount up *for that recipient*. One I came across the other day was that one sendmail was trying to do an ident lookup on incoming mail. The ident protocol is an old and not very useful way of trying to validate a sender's username; not many people run ident daemons so if a recipient's server tries to do this validation, it can take tens of seconds for it to decide it's not going to get anywhere with it. Meanwhile, the sender may give up. Another one I've seen, though not for a little while, is using an out-of-date blackhole list -- depending on how the recipient server checks blackhole lists, it might take a long time to decide whether to accept a message, and meanwhile -- you guessed it -- the sender has given up waiting and requeued the mail. -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Update: VAXen available.

by cmcmanis＠mcmanis.com

Ok, the folks at www.auctionbdi.com have put these out in their current auction (which ends Sunday, October 19th at midnight pacific time. The lot numbers are as follows: SJ-97 for the 3400s, MV2, and 4000/300. Plus a pair of skis? SJ-98 for the VAX in the H9644 cabinet with the SCSI drives (the door says MicroVAX 3600 I believe). SJ-99 is the pallet of mixed stuff I believe. (The pictures aren't up yet...) --Chuck --------------------- Previous Email ... A number of VAXen are available this week from www.auctionbdi.com. I gave them all of my "spares machines" which I cannot store and no one in the Bay Area wanted. The good news is that BDI will ship them to you pretty much anywhere in the country and the minimum bid is $25. The lot to look for has 3 MV3400's (in BA213 cases), one VAX 4000/300 (in a BA440 case) and one MicroVAX II in a pedestal BA23 case. I don't recall how complete they are, I do thing the 4000/300 is complete except for some DSSI plugs which I needed to bring my 3800 on line. Two of the 3400's have the front "door" (one says MicroVAX 3400, one says VAXServer 3400). If you've got a 3400 or 4000/300 there are plenty of parts to "enhance" your system. I believe the 4000/300 has 192MB of memory but can't swear to it) There is also a MicroVAX 3600 in a H9644 rack. This one I've never looked at in depth other than to note that it has a 4 SCSI drives and a tape but a gap where the SCSI controller had been. Given that it couldn't talk to the disks I pretty much ignored it. Finally there are some PC parts with a nice 17" NEC 5fg monitor (including the special NEC VGA cable). The monitor is nice but not an "Energy Saver" (it stays on as long as power is applied, no standby mode) Probably not of interest to this crowd but I thought I would mention it. --Chuck

22 years, 5 months

2
1
0 0

Googlers

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Oct 9, 22:16, Tothwolf wrote: > On Thu, 9 Oct 2003, Vintage Computer Festival wrote: > > On Thu, 9 Oct 2003, Fred Cisin wrote: > > > > > But would it be feasable to have the mailing list software > > > automatically put a "non-member submission" addition in their subject > > > line? "[NMS]" > > Or...maybe replacing the From: email address in the archive emails with > the list email address hasn't worked as well as folks thought it might? Ah, does that mean I'm not the only person who doesn't like that? It just looks wrong to me, putting some other address against my name, and I'm sure that's part of the cause of so many non-subscriber replies being sent to the list (I'm sure most are meant to go to the original poster). The intent was to prevent address harvesting, but I'd prefer my address was just obfuscated in some way (maybe split up). Wasn't the address-replacing meant to be temporary, until a better way was found to obfuscate the sender address? Actually, I don't care if it's not even obfuscated, but I know others do. -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

22 years, 5 months

4
3
0 0

Old but off-topic: Yamaha CS-80 Synth

by jpl15＠panix.com

Right before I go to eBay with this - I know there are a couple or three Musicians here - I have a 1977 Yamaha CS-80 8-voice polyphonic synth for sale. I thought to take a chance on Classiccmp - one never knows... If you know what this is, and you're interested, please contact me off-list for more details. I have the Service Manual for it, which is now made purely of Unobtanium. Hey - it *does* have a special-pupose computer chip in it: the Keyboard Scanner / Note Multiplexer is a very early CMOS mask-programmed "PLA" sort of thingy... so I'm not too far off-base here. Cheers John

22 years, 5 months

2
1
0 0

IMSAI 8080

by Mark＠Misty.com

Hi Bob, I have been having regrets about selling my Imsai-8080 a few years ago. Did you ever find a home for yours, or is it still up for sale? Mark -- Mark G. Thomas (Mark(a)Misty.com) voice: 215-591-3695 http://www.misty.com/ http://mail-cleaner.com/

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Windows package questions

by cb＠mythtech.net

I've looked around and I can't find my answer, so I'm asking here as I'm hoping a collector will know. I have a box and manual here marked "Microsoft Windows & MS-DOS Operating System Plus Enhanced Tools". I'm trying to determine what version of windows it is. I'd look in the manual, or look at the disks, but the package is still shrink wrapped and I don't want to open it. There is no outer box with version info as this was a "Distribution Only With A New PC" version. The manual is all white, with black text. No logos, no nothing. The only other things on the package are the Cert of Auth card (number 603301052) that has a PN 0-1258 in the bottom corner... and a sticker marking that the package has 3.5 diskettes. I was guessing Win 3.1 and DOS 6.2, but I thought DOS 6.2 only came on 3.5 disks, and so the label would seem redundant. So then I wondered if is was an older version of DOS, and thus maybe an older version of Windows. Like I said, I've searched, but was unable to turn up anything (found one ebay hit that sounds like they are selling the manual, but it doesn't say in the listing what version its for, and there is no pic so I can't compare and be sure). I'm hoping there is someone on the list that might have what I have described and can tell me what version of Windows and DOS is inside. TIA -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

22 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

test-drb