The PDP-11, VT100, Flyer/Video Toaster and some of the Macs have found homes,
but there are still some items left and a couple more I added. These will be
going to the recycler soon unless they are spoken for (all free to good
homes). I may be adding some others, too. As before items are at various
locations in Riverside-San Bernardino, CA. Please contact me OFFLIST to
arrange PICKUP.
POSSIBLY WORKING:
Mega ST4 with Megafile 60 and SC1224 and SM125 monitors. These are a bit
yellowed and the keyboard is thrashed. Also, the TOS is on a separate card
with two leads that got loose and I don't know where they go (probably to +Vcc
and a select pin). Thus, can't test the monitors or the hard disk, but the
system does power on, and the hard disk does power up and makes happy hard
disk noises. No idea what's on it. The SM125 puts on a power light and does
appear to try to make a picture, though its previous owner separated it from
its stand for some reason. The SC1224 sounds like the flyback is bad but may
be serviceable. Includes ST mouse and hard disk cable. No manuals or
software. If you want this unit, you need to take everything including the
monitors.
PARTIALLY WORKING:
500MHz iBook G3 laptop (snow, not colour) M6497 with tray loader optical
drive and power supply. Does boot OS X, but needs a new LCD backlight (mini
VGA port works and you can see the display in bright light) and battery is
of course toast. Otherwise physically intact except that ex-bro-in-law put
grotty stickers on it.
PARTIALLY WORKING:
Quad G5 2.5GHz x2x2, 8GB RAM, Nvidia 6600. Got whacked in shipping and one
side of the case is damaged. No hard disk. Does power on but you will need
to service the processors and the liquid cooling system. Aftermarket optical
drive needs "help" when you eject it. Add your own USB keyboard and mouse.
PARTIALLY WORKING:
Sawtooth Power Mac G4 450MHz. No RAM, no video card, no hard disk. Used to
be my file server but had issues with one of the PCI slots. Has optical drive
and ZIP with matching Apple bezels. Does power on, but obviously without RAM
or a video card (AGP) will not pass POST. Add your own USB keyboard and mouse.
NOT WORKING:
Single G5 1.8GHz, 2GB RAM, GeForce 5200. The previous owner seemed to have
had a disagreement with the front panel connector and the front panel
connector lost. I received it stripped to the chassis except for the
processor and the logic board, but it does have the fans, video card, wireless
(with T-antenna), power supply and panel cable. Because the front panel
connector is busted I can't test it. You get to replace the front panel
assembly and put it back together. This unit is air-cooled, but probably
could benefit from reapplying thermal compound while you're at it. Has optical
drive (disconnected), no hard disk, add your own USB keyboard and mouse.
Various other items:
Apple II Super Serial card with DB-25 670-0020-? (uses 6551 ACIA) and
Apple IIe 80 column 64K memory expansion 607-0103-K. Can't test them but
both look intact.
Kurta Penmouse. Serial and PS/2 connectors. Seems to have a power supply
jack (9V) but I don't have the power supply and I don't know if it needs
it. Can't test it, no drivers, physically intact.
Sun model 411 SCSI CD-ROM. Requires caddy. Won't mount discs, might need a
recap.
Samsung 17" SyncMaster CRT. Works fine, great shape, just too big to keep
around anymore.
UMAX Astra 2100U flatbed USB scanner with power supply. Powers on. Works
with classic Mac OS but probably most systems. No driver disc.
Pair of Telular SX5 GSM terminals. These were the server room's backup
communication system. They work, but no GSM network to connect to anymore.
Might be fun if you set one up. Real serial ports! Real GSM modem! Full
kits with power supply.
Visual UpTime Select T1 CSU/DSU. Has a Cisco V.35 cable connected and
jacks for Ethernet, serial, DSX-1 and T1. Powers on, obviously goes
right into Red Alarm since there's no network. You telco nerds will love it.
Adaptec AHA-1542CF ISA SCSI card. I don't have a system to put this in.
Looks fine, might work. No software or drivers.
ATI PCI Rage XL card, VGA DE-15 port. Likely for PC, doesn't seem to have
a Mac ROM. Good condition. No drivers.
Diamond ATI Radeon HD 6450 PCIe card with DVI, VGA, HDMI. Has manual, no
drivers. Good condition.
Various complete external modem packages ranging from 14.4 to 33.6K.
--
------------------------------------ personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ --
Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at floodgap.com
-- Man fears Time, yet Time fears the Pyramids. -- Arab proverb ---------------
Read that Personal Systems magazine from 1992 that was recently posted
and enjoyed the article on the PS/2 295 system. I never heard about that
one, the biggest PS/2's I worked on were the 95 systems with 486
processors back at Covington.
One thing that popped out: The 295 was a multi-processor-ish system with
two MCA busses. Granted they were decoupled with each processor having
its own MCA bus but it got me to thinking: Were there other systems of
that time that could use two MicroChannel busses?
I know of one: Back when I first started working at the IEEE Computer
Society in 1993 they had a donated NCR 3550 system. Big box, mainframe
sized with 4 486/50 CPUs in it and an MCA backplane. As I recall AT&T
donated it to the CS but no one had a clue what to do with it.
It ran NCR Unix which wasn't interesting but when we started putting
together the first E-Commerce systems in 1994 I decided to use it with
Windows NT. Oddly enough it could run NT 3.51 (and later NT 4 with a
HAL) and we put it online with Netscape Commerce server. Ran great and
just like that we were doing E-Commerce for SuperComputing/95
registrations. :-)
Later we started building the Digital E-Library on it. We needed a
system that could do a lot of SGML-HTML conversions quickly as well as
render TEK Math to .gif in real time. So we upgraded the 3550 with 8
(later a total of 16) Pentium Pro CPUs and a second Microchannel bus.
We split the disks up with 2 4 port SCSI adapters on each bus along with
a network port each and balanced RAID1 and RAID5 disks across the
channels on both busses. Worked surprisingly well and allowed us to load
all of the CS periodicals on the system along with a big Lotus Notes
server implementation to run the commerce software and store the
E-Accounts (still in use today!). The E-commerce system allowed people
to renew their memberships with credit cards, and of course add
subscriptions both in paper and on-line with instant access once the
credit card was charged. For mid-1990's timeframes this was pretty
advanced stuff.
Later when we composted PDFs we put those on there as well with the
Article shopping cart so people could buy articles individually. Boy,
people liked that a LOT. We did experiment with a digital credit system
so people could buy points and use those to buy articles but I could
never figure out how to make it tamper proof. Satoshi figured that one
out a decade later, I wish I had thought of the checksum chain idea....
Oh well.
But the big point: Running two MCA busses on a SMP based multiprocessor
system was quite possible and do-able at scale, however did any other
company make a dual MCA bus system? I always found it impressive that
Windows supported even that stretch of a configuration (seeing 16
Pentium Pro CPUs running together as people hit the digital library en
masse was *neat*) but I don't recall any other systems that did it.
Thoughts?
Is it still possible to get accounts on the LCM systems? I wanted to get a login on the VAX 7000, but can?t figure out where to request an account.
Zane
I gave up trying to repair this PSU myself and I have got someone to do it
professionally. It seems they have it working well but think that two
capacitors should still be replaced. I think these are the two big "Coke
Can" sized filter capacitors. The trouble is they seem to be unable to find
any. The spec for them is 4500uf 200v DxH 76mm x 145mm Qty. 2.
Anyone know where to find such monsters? In the UK ideally. I have looked on
Farnell, Digikey and Mouser. It all seems to be special order, minimum
quantity, long lead time etc.
Thanks
Rob
Hi,
I own a Pro-Log M980 Prom Programmer and want to program a 2732 EProm. I
have everything needed, but how can I get the data in?
There is a serial interface, did anybody have some program for a standard
PC to handle that daa transfer?
Cabling istn't an issue, can do it.
Thanks for helping.
With best regards
Gerhard
Hi there guys!! I modded the battery with an external 2032 and now is
booting fine. The HDD on my machine is an ALPS DRPO 20MB there is not info
available about this HDD. Did you find or have any luck with this machine ?
"Nice selection of dirty and yellowed computers in unknown condition."
I just took a run out to the warehouse in question, figuring the owner would be there today cleaning up. The quote above sums up the state of things. There were some miscellaneous DEC terminals, a few MicroVAXes, and some other assorted DEC stuff - but it was all a trifle ...funky. That alone might not have been a sales stopper for me (all of my collection is not pristine), but the prices were a bit higher than I was prepared to pay for that condition and these circumstances. EG $125.00 for a VT220 w/o keyboard, and $90.00 for VT240 base units. I left empty handed.
--
Lee K. Gleason N5ZMR
Control-G Consultants
lee.gleason at comcast.net
Only semi Classic as the subject has been around for a long time.
I saw recently that the VA is moving to a new EHR System (not very
successfully, so far). Does this mean that VA Vista and MUMPS are
finally going to be scrapped? Anybody else hear anything?
bill
I worked at a company called DMA located in Amery Wisconsin during the
80's and 90's that did do core mat repair. Yes, the gal that did the
work used a scope. She replaced cores and wires. Good luck finding
someone to do that work now. If I remember the process, first the mat
was removed from the driver assembly, then the varnish was removed. Then
the mat was repaired and revarnished and then reassembled and final test
before returned to the customer.
On 2021-07-20 12:00, cctech-request at classiccmp.org wrote:
> Send cctech mailing list submissions to
> cctech at classiccmp.org
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> http://www.classiccmp.org/mailman/listinfo/cctech
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> cctech-request at classiccmp.org
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> cctech-owner at classiccmp.org
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of cctech digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair (steven at malikoff.com)
> 2. Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair (Joshua Rice)
> 3. Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair (Joshua Rice)
> 4. Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair (Tom Hunter)
> 5. Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair (Jules Richardson)
> 6. Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair (Rod Smallwood)
> 7. Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software (Jules Richardson)
> 8. Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software (Zane Healy)
> 9. Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software (Al Kossow)
> 10. Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software (Al Kossow)
> 11. Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software (Al Kossow)
> 12. Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software (Jules Richardson)
> 13. Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software (Jules Richardson)
> 14. Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software (Zane Healy)
> 15. Re: Items Wanted (Jay Jaeger)
> 16. Re: Items Wanted (Zane Healy)
> 17. Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair (Toby Thain)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 17:59:59 +1000
> From: steven at malikoff.com
> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
> <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> Subject: Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair
> Message-ID:
> <84f709701f774aebb1a07a8bbb6eb091.squirrel at webmail04.register.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain;charset=utf-8
>
> Tom said
>> I am curious if anyone has attempted to repair (replace) a broken wire
>> in a
>> PDP-8/e H212 (MM8EJ) core mat (8 k word). The cores are not visible
>> without
>> a microscope. I cannot imagine how these were even manufactured and
>> wonder
>> if DEC service centers repaired core mat faults or if faulty boards
>> were
>> simply discarded.
>>
>> CDC 6600 cores were huge in comparison and I would not hesitate to
>> replace
>> a broken core wire on those.
>
> I have no idea how DEC made theirs but for IBM's System 360, one of
> their engineers
> came up with the clever idea of stretching the core wire so it necked
> and broke, leaving
> a work-hardened tapered point to thread the cores with.
> They patented it https://patents.google.com/patent/US3314131A
> (Source: page 187 of 'IBM's 360 and early 370 Systems' by Pugh et al)
> On a Youtube film about the 360 they show cores being vibrated into the
> correct
> orientation on a jig board.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 09:40:44 +0100 (BST)
> From: Joshua Rice <rice43 at btinternet.com>
> To: CCtalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> Subject: Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair
> Message-ID: <55e9b1e8.2735f.17abdecb557.Webtop.91 at btinternet.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
>
>
>
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> From: "Tom Hunter via cctalk" <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
> <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> Sent: Monday, 19 Jul, 2021 At 06:33
> Subject: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair
> I am curious if anyone has attempted to repair (replace) a broken wire
> in a
> PDP-8/e H212 (MM8EJ) core mat (8 k word). The cores are not visible
> without
> a microscope. I cannot imagine how these were even manufactured and
> wonder
> if DEC service centers repaired core mat faults or if faulty boards
> were
> simply discarded.
> CDC 6600 cores were huge in comparison and I would not hesitate to
> replace
> a broken core wire on those.
> Best regards
> Tom Hunter
>
>
> I believe much of the core manufacturing for DEC minicomputers was
> outsourced, but a lot of it had become much more automated by the late
> 60's and early 70's. I believe it was done by machine, with a tray to
> hold the toroids in place, and a very fine needle-like "bobbin" that
> threaded the wires through the toroids. I believe threading the cores
> by
> hand had become largely obsolete by the time the PDP-8 came onto the
> market.
> Though i can't confirm it, i highly doubt that DEC engineers would
> repair core planes. These would more likely be sent back to the
> manufacturer for "recycling", with the cores being recovered and
> reused.
> It's worth noting that most computer manufacturers appreciated the
> fragility of core memory planes at the time, with most of them being
> protected with either PCB's or perspex/plastic shields on top of the
> core planes. In this way, it was rather difficult for a clumsy ol'
> technician to put his thumb through the planes as he was servicing
> machines.
> Josh
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 09:52:13 +0100 (BST)
> From: Joshua Rice <rice43 at btinternet.com>
> To: CCtalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> Subject: Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair
> Message-ID: <5d5f0788.273f3.17abdf7399b.Webtop.91 at btinternet.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
>
>
>
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> From: "Tom Hunter via cctalk" <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
> <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> Sent: Monday, 19 Jul, 2021 At 06:33
> Subject: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair
> I am curious if anyone has attempted to repair (replace) a broken wire
> in a
> PDP-8/e H212 (MM8EJ) core mat (8 k word). The cores are not visible
> without
> a microscope. I cannot imagine how these were even manufactured and
> wonder
> if DEC service centers repaired core mat faults or if faulty boards
> were
> simply discarded.
> CDC 6600 cores were huge in comparison and I would not hesitate to
> replace
> a broken core wire on those.
> Best regards
> Tom Hunter
>
>
> These patents might be enlightening. I'm sure there's others, but these
> are some i've found on a quick search.
> https://patents.google.com/patent/US4161037A
> <https://patents.google.com/patent/US4161037A>
> https://patents.google.com/patent/US3668664
> <https://patents.google.com/patent/US3668664>
> Josh
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 19:02:25 +0800
> From: Tom Hunter <ccth6600 at gmail.com>
> To: Joshua Rice <rice43 at btinternet.com>, "General Discussion:
> On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> Subject: Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair
> Message-ID:
> <CAALEduCP_GLHuuMG2UO3CU329-_3E=RPqzVZ+RUGC6gTVQNFow at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>
> Thanks Josh,
>
> I read through both patents but struggled to fully understand what they
> described.
> Unfortunately patents are written in broad terms to cover as much as
> possible.
>
> It was very interesting nevertheless.
>
> Best regards
> Tom Hunter
>
> On Mon, Jul 19, 2021 at 4:52 PM Joshua Rice via cctalk <
> cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>
>> ------ Original Message ------
>> From: "Tom Hunter via cctalk" <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
>> <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>> Sent: Monday, 19 Jul, 2021 At 06:33
>> Subject: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair
>> I am curious if anyone has attempted to repair (replace) a broken wire
>> in a
>> PDP-8/e H212 (MM8EJ) core mat (8 k word). The cores are not visible
>> without
>> a microscope. I cannot imagine how these were even manufactured and
>> wonder
>> if DEC service centers repaired core mat faults or if faulty boards
>> were
>> simply discarded.
>> CDC 6600 cores were huge in comparison and I would not hesitate to
>> replace
>> a broken core wire on those.
>> Best regards
>> Tom Hunter
>>
>>
>> These patents might be enlightening. I'm sure there's others, but
>> these
>> are some i've found on a quick search.
>> https://patents.google.com/patent/US4161037A
>> <https://patents.google.com/patent/US4161037A>
>> https://patents.google.com/patent/US3668664
>> <https://patents.google.com/patent/US3668664>
>> Josh
>>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 16:50:10 -0500
> From: Jules Richardson <jules.richardson99 at gmail.com>
> To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
> Subject: Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair
> Message-ID: <769e6168-9024-fa20-5b9c-ed1cb91ec641 at gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15; format=flowed
>
> On 7/19/21 3:40 AM, Joshua Rice via cctalk wrote:
>> I believe much of the core manufacturing for DEC minicomputers was
>> outsourced, but a lot of it had become much more automated by the late
>> 60's
>> and early 70's.
>
> I've got a trio of planes here, two of which are from a Lockheed
> MAC-16,
> but the other one is made by Keronix out of Santa Monica for an unknown
> machine (dated 1973, model number "P4" and p/n 816335 if that means
> anything to anyone, approx 16"x16" with two 100-pin, double-sided
> finger
> edge connectors on 0.1" spacing).
>
> Anyhoo, the Keronix one has a sticker on it saying it was repaired by
> DMA,
> inc. in Amery, WI in 1980 - which might suggest that there were third
> parties around working on boards, rather than them having to go back to
> the
> manufacturer for repair. (I have no idea what the nature of the repair
> was,
> of course; maybe it was to surrounding logic rather than the mat
> itself).
>
>> It's worth noting that most computer manufacturers appreciated the
>> fragility of core memory planes at the time, with most of them being
>> protected with either PCB's or perspex/plastic shields on top of the
>> core
>> planes.
>
> Yes, that's how all the ones I've ever seen have been. The Keronix one
> has
> an additional shield over the top of the entire PCB, on top of the one
> protecting the cores.
>
> Jules
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 6
> Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 23:06:26 +0100
> From: Rod Smallwood <rodsmallwood52 at btinternet.com>
> To: Jules Richardson via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> Subject: Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair
> Message-ID: <d5251315-3f4c-3a46-e36e-71949a90c26e at btinternet.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15; format=flowed
>
>
> Yes most core stringing was outsourced.
>
> By hand under magnification was used.
>
> I cant recall any references to automation.
>
> That would br down to the supplier.
>
> The story I heard was at least some were done by embroidery girls in
> Hong Kong
>
> Rod Smallwood ? -- Digital Equipment Corporation? 1975 to 1985
>
>
> On 19/07/2021 22:50, Jules Richardson via cctalk wrote:
>> On 7/19/21 3:40 AM, Joshua Rice via cctalk wrote:
>>> I believe much of the core manufacturing for DEC minicomputers was
>>> outsourced, but a lot of it had become much more automated by the
>>> late 60's and early 70's.
>>
>> I've got a trio of planes here, two of which are from a Lockheed
>> MAC-16, but the other one is made by Keronix out of Santa Monica for
>> an unknown machine (dated 1973, model number "P4" and p/n 816335 if
>> that means anything to anyone, approx 16"x16" with two 100-pin,
>> double-sided finger edge connectors on 0.1" spacing).
>>
>> Anyhoo, the Keronix one has a sticker on it saying it was repaired by
>> DMA, inc. in Amery, WI in 1980 - which might suggest that there were
>> third parties around working on boards, rather than them having to go
>> back to the manufacturer for repair. (I have no idea what the nature
>> of the repair was, of course; maybe it was to surrounding logic rather
>> than the mat itself).
>>
>>> It's worth noting that most computer manufacturers appreciated the
>>> fragility of core memory planes at the time, with most of them being
>>> protected with either PCB's or perspex/plastic shields on top of the
>>> core planes.
>>
>> Yes, that's how all the ones I've ever seen have been. The Keronix one
>> has an additional shield over the top of the entire PCB, on top of the
>> one protecting the cores.
>>
>> Jules
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 7
> Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 18:03:46 -0500
> From: Jules Richardson <jules.richardson99 at gmail.com>
> To: CCtalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> Subject: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software
> Message-ID: <5b8f634d-93c9-22c2-fd05-6e1937767883 at gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15; format=flowed
>
>
> Just out of interest, is the software for the Tektronix 8002
> microprocessor
> lab archived out there anywhere?
>
> What I believe is one popped up on one of my Facebook groups, and it'd
> be a
> trek to get it even if I can arrange a good price with the current
> owner -
> but it sounds like the software at the site, if it still exists, is
> unlikely to surface from a huge pile of detritus, so that automatically
> puts things right in boat anchor territory.
>
> There may or may not be a terminal, too; I get the impression those
> were
> optional (I've been told that there are two Tek terminals, I just don't
> know if they're the right models for this system).
>
>
> cheers
>
> Jules
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 8
> Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 16:11:32 -0700
> From: Zane Healy <healyzh at avanthar.com>
> To: Jules Richardson <jules.richardson99 at gmail.com>, "General
> Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> Subject: Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software
> Message-ID: <ED3B17DB-6591-493A-B470-D940A5E18A91 at avanthar.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
>
> You might check with the Tektronix museum, and see what they know. As
> far as I know, they aren?t actually part of Tektronix.
>
> Zane
>
>
>
>> On Jul 19, 2021, at 4:03 PM, Jules Richardson via cctalk
>> <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Just out of interest, is the software for the Tektronix 8002
>> microprocessor lab archived out there anywhere?
>>
>> What I believe is one popped up on one of my Facebook groups, and it'd
>> be a trek to get it even if I can arrange a good price with the
>> current owner - but it sounds like the software at the site, if it
>> still exists, is unlikely to surface from a huge pile of detritus, so
>> that automatically puts things right in boat anchor territory.
>>
>> There may or may not be a terminal, too; I get the impression those
>> were optional (I've been told that there are two Tek terminals, I just
>> don't know if they're the right models for this system).
>>
>>
>> cheers
>>
>> Jules
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 9
> Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 16:15:11 -0700
> From: Al Kossow <aek at bitsavers.org>
> To: Jules Richardson via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> Subject: Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software
> Message-ID: <395e3439-3632-33ea-9579-883ad602b8e5 at bitsavers.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15; format=flowed
>
> On 7/19/21 4:03 PM, Jules Richardson via cctalk wrote:
>>
>> Just out of interest, is the software for the Tektronix 8002
>> microprocessor lab archived out there anywhere?
>
> I have some but it is hard-sectored so I've never tried to read it.
>
> It's pretty unlikely anyone at the tek museum would have tried to
> recover
> the floppies even if they had them.
>
> One of my 'really like to try to recover' things at CHM is we have a
> bunch of floppies from
> the company that designed it for Tek, but someone put a center punch
> through every disk, so
> I'm going to have to take them out of the jacket and try to flatten
> the dent out as best as
> I can.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 10
> Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 16:20:19 -0700
> From: Al Kossow <aek at bitsavers.org>
> To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
> Subject: Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software
> Message-ID: <a0c2c3a7-4c74-81da-1f40-a581d3f29fda at bitsavers.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15; format=flowed
>
> On 7/19/21 4:03 PM, Jules Richardson via cctalk wrote:
>>
>> Just out of interest, is the software for the Tektronix 8002
>> microprocessor lab archived out there anywhere?
>>
>
> It would be nice to save a complete system though, since most have
> been tossed out since there is little
> practical use for them now. I never had a whole one, just board sets
> for various processors that I collected
> over the years.
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 11
> Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 16:25:21 -0700
> From: Al Kossow <aek at bitsavers.org>
> To: Al Kossow via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> Subject: Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software
> Message-ID: <f4bafaa8-f4d9-95aa-016e-68d36d7c8b8a at bitsavers.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15; format=flowed
>
> On 7/19/21 4:20 PM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote:
>> On 7/19/21 4:03 PM, Jules Richardson via cctalk wrote:
>
>> It would be nice to save a complete system though, since most have
>> been tossed out since there is little
>> practical use for them now.
>
> I've collected a LOT of in-circuit emulators and microprocessor
> development systems over the decades, and
> I'm trying to decide right now what I'm going to do with them.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 12
> Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 19:53:25 -0500
> From: Jules Richardson <jules.richardson99 at gmail.com>
> To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
> Subject: Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software
> Message-ID: <8d864579-a8be-c8b1-9734-d208d0c10bcf at gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15; format=flowed
>
> On 7/19/21 6:20 PM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote:
>> On 7/19/21 4:03 PM, Jules Richardson via cctalk wrote:
>>>
>>> Just out of interest, is the software for the Tektronix 8002
>>> microprocessor lab archived out there anywhere?
>>>
>>
>> It would be nice to save a complete system though, since most have
>> been
>> tossed out since there is little
>> practical use for them now.
>
> Well sadly it's looking like game over. By the sounds of it there's a
> basement full of old equipment and boards, and a scrapper out in OH has
> offered $6k for the lot, sight unseen, just on the hope that they can
> make
> a buck on the gold and palladium content.
>
> The next offer seems to be from someone who's planning on just dumping
> it
> on ebay - so if the scrapper deal falls through maybe it'll resurface
> on
> That Auction Site for lolprice...
>
> This is starting to feel like one of those situations where it's a huge
> shame that the original owner of this stuff didn't have a will
> expressing
> what should be done with it all.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 13
> Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 20:17:27 -0500
> From: Jules Richardson <jules.richardson99 at gmail.com>
> To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
> Subject: Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software
> Message-ID: <a734724d-b7f5-deb8-6e1f-10e429e8f43f at gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15; format=flowed
>
> On 7/19/21 7:53 PM, Jules Richardson via cctalk wrote:
>> Well sadly it's looking like game over. By the sounds of it there's a
>> basement full of old equipment and boards, and a scrapper out in OH
>> has
>> offered $6k for the lot, sight unseen, just on the hope that they can
>> make
>> a buck on the gold and palladium content.
>
> annnnd... right after I hit send on that, things start looking up
> again.
> The guy responsible for this stuff doesn't seem to want it to get
> scrapped
> any more than I do, and he got in touch with folks down at Cape
> Canaveral
> (there are various ex-NASA things in the pile), then talked to the
> family
> of the estate; it sounds like some of it at least might get donated to
> the
> collection down there.
>
> I'm not sure about non-NASA things at this point, we'll see - but it
> sounds
> like there's interest now in not junking it, at least!
>
> Jules
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 14
> Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 19:56:29 -0700
> From: Zane Healy <healyzh at avanthar.com>
> To: Jules Richardson <jules.richardson99 at gmail.com>, "General
> Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> Subject: Re: Tektronix 8002 microprocessor lab software
> Message-ID: <DE9B0230-1D5D-4416-992D-6B60A7886F17 at avanthar.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
>
> On Jul 19, 2021, at 6:17 PM, Jules Richardson via cctalk
> <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
>>
>> On 7/19/21 7:53 PM, Jules Richardson via cctalk wrote:
>>> Well sadly it's looking like game over. By the sounds of it there's a
>>> basement full of old equipment and boards, and a scrapper out in OH
>>> has offered $6k for the lot, sight unseen, just on the hope that they
>>> can make a buck on the gold and palladium content.
>>
>> annnnd... right after I hit send on that, things start looking up
>> again. The guy responsible for this stuff doesn't seem to want it to
>> get scrapped any more than I do, and he got in touch with folks down
>> at Cape Canaveral (there are various ex-NASA things in the pile), then
>> talked to the family of the estate; it sounds like some of it at least
>> might get donated to the collection down there.
>>
>> I'm not sure about non-NASA things at this point, we'll see - but it
>> sounds like there's interest now in not junking it, at least!
>>
>> Jules
>
> That?s a bit of good news!
>
> Zane
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 15
> Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 22:03:49 -0500
> From: Jay Jaeger <cube1 at charter.net>
> To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
> Cc: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
> <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> Subject: Re: Items Wanted
> Message-ID: <9ac110f9-2407-c9ba-6ec5-d70e9fd10d26 at charter.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
>
> On 7/11/2021 9:33 AM, Eric Moore via cctalk wrote:
>> Hello, I am looking for any of the following items. I have terminals
>> and
>> assorted qbus and S100 cards for trade, or am happy to discuss payment
>> :).
>>
>> 1) Qbus scsi card
>
> You and me both. ;) I have one - and I intend to keep it.
>
>> 2) Emulex TC01
>> 3) QBUS bus probe
>> 4) SD2SCSI
>
> Do you mean a device that emulates a SCSI drive with an SD card? Why
> not just go out and purchase a SCSI2SD V5.1 - a little slower than the
> newer ones, but works fine in my Sun, SGI and Intergraph Boxen.
>
> I also just bought one of the less expensive Androda SCSI emulators -
> designed for Macs, really, but it might work and it is relatively
> inexpensive.
>
>> 5) Teletype DRPE or ARPE (already have a BRPE) paper tape punches
>> 6) AED/tektronix/SGI/etc... graphics terminal
>
> FYI, if you have "Pizza Boxes" then I have found that the cable
> commonly
> available (VGA one end, 13W3 on the other - the one with switches on
> it)
> works well on both Sun and SGI Boxen. Google Sun VGA 13W3 on eBay.
> You probably want the one with the switches.)
>
>> 7) Unfomatted pertec controller (any bus)
>
> I have some old Pertec formatters that have no bus interface. Free to
> good homes. Some were mouse houses for a while, but were subsequently
> cleaned up reasonably well. Models F649-72 (2 of those) and F649-40.
> Heavy to ship.
>
> In addition, I think I have a TC031, Pertec/QBus (I think) that I
> really
> am not using. I tried it out once - I think the issue was that I had a
> Pertec interface speed mismatch between it and the HP drive I have with
> a Pertec interface (which also has issues with loading tape.) I
> suspect it is formatted, however.
>
>> 8) S100 jade bus probe, system monitor board, or similar
>> 9) Anything fabri-tek, Gould, or SEL
>
> I have a Fabritek memory box. I think it was on a PDP-12, but am not
> 100% certain without going back and looking at old paperwork. I am not
> sure of its condition, electrically speaking - whether it had slots for
> cables, or cables coming out of it, and if the latter, whether they are
> intact. It has been stored in my basement for decades, low and dray.
> That would take some work to pry out of my hands.
>
>> 10) blinkenlights and flippenpaddles computers, any interesting front
>> panels, etc...
>> 11) ESDI disk emulator
>
> I am not aware of any such beasties in the wild. MFM, yes, but I
> haven't seen ESDI. I would love for such a thing to exist, thinking
> of
> my Apollo, 3B2 and IBM RT/PC workstations.
>
>>
>> Thank you!
>>
>> -Eric
>>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 16
> Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 21:00:27 -0700
> From: Zane Healy <healyzh at avanthar.com>
> To: Jay Jaeger <cube1 at charter.net>, "General Discussion: On-Topic and
> Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> Subject: Re: Items Wanted
> Message-ID: <3EFC578F-97F0-468A-B3F1-8E4C17094843 at avanthar.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
>
> On Jul 19, 2021, at 8:03 PM, Jay Jaeger via cctalk
> <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
>>
>> On 7/11/2021 9:33 AM, Eric Moore via cctalk wrote:
>>> Hello, I am looking for any of the following items. I have terminals
>>> and
>>> assorted qbus and S100 cards for trade, or am happy to discuss
>>> payment :).
>>> 1) Qbus scsi card
>>
>> You and me both. ;) I have one - and I intend to keep it.
>
> Yeah, they are sort of a necessity.
>
>>> 4) SD2SCSI
>>
>> Do you mean a device that emulates a SCSI drive with an SD card? Why
>> not just go out and purchase a SCSI2SD V5.1 - a little slower than the
>> newer ones, but works fine in my Sun, SGI and Intergraph Boxen.
>
> The SCSI2SD v5.1 should be faster than the Q-Bus. I bought several
> recently, and plan to put one in my PDP-11/73. I even opted for these
> for my VAXstation 4000?s. I figure I?ll use the newer ones in an
> AlphaStation.
>
>>> 11) ESDI disk emulator
>>
>> I am not aware of any such beasties in the wild. MFM, yes, but I
>> haven't seen ESDI. I would love for such a thing to exist, thinking
>> of my Apollo, 3B2 and IBM RT/PC workstations.
>
> I?d also love to have one of these, preferably using SD or CF cards.
> The Webster WQESD/04 card is a fantastic card, it?s only downfall is
> that it works with ESDI drives, rather than SCSI, and they?re big and
> loud. :-)
>
> Zane
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 17
> Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 18:16:28 -0400
> From: Toby Thain <toby at telegraphics.com.au>
> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
> <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> Subject: Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair
> Message-ID: <820d43ed-e32d-4394-4038-bb662f5e6798 at telegraphics.com.au>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15
>
> On 2021-07-19 6:06 p.m., Rod Smallwood via cctalk wrote:
>>
>> Yes most core stringing was outsourced.
>>
>
> There's more detail on early core production in the book "IBM's Early
> Computers", iirc. (And possibly "A Few Good Men From Univac".)
>
>
>> ...
>> Rod Smallwood ? -- Digital Equipment Corporation? 1975 to 1985
>>
>>
>> On 19/07/2021 22:50, Jules Richardson via cctalk wrote:
>>> On 7/19/21 3:40 AM, Joshua Rice via cctalk wrote:
>>>> I believe much of the core manufacturing for DEC minicomputers was
>>>> outsourced, but a lot of it had become much more automated by the
>>>> late 60's and early 70's.
>>>
>>> I've got a trio of planes here, two of which are from a Lockheed
>>> MAC-16, but the other one is made by Keronix out of Santa Monica for
>>> an unknown machine (dated 1973, model number "P4" and p/n 816335 if
>>> that means anything to anyone, approx 16"x16" with two 100-pin,
>>> double-sided finger edge connectors on 0.1" spacing).
>>>
>>> Anyhoo, the Keronix one has a sticker on it saying it was repaired by
>>> DMA, inc. in Amery, WI in 1980 - which might suggest that there were
>>> third parties around working on boards, rather than them having to go
>>> back to the manufacturer for repair. (I have no idea what the nature
>>> of the repair was, of course; maybe it was to surrounding logic
>>> rather
>>> than the mat itself).
>>>
>>>> It's worth noting that most computer manufacturers appreciated the
>>>> fragility of core memory planes at the time, with most of them being
>>>> protected with either PCB's or perspex/plastic shields on top of the
>>>> core planes.
>>>
>>> Yes, that's how all the ones I've ever seen have been. The Keronix
>>> one
>>> has an additional shield over the top of the entire PCB, on top of
>>> the
>>> one protecting the cores.
>>>
>>> Jules
>
>
>
> End of cctech Digest, Vol 82, Issue 15
> **************************************
Hello, I am looking for any of the following items. I have terminals and
assorted qbus and S100 cards for trade, or am happy to discuss payment :).
1) Qbus scsi card
2) Emulex TC01
3) QBUS bus probe
4) SD2SCSI
5) Teletype DRPE or ARPE (already have a BRPE) paper tape punches
6) AED/tektronix/SGI/etc... graphics terminal
7) Unfomatted pertec controller (any bus)
8) S100 jade bus probe, system monitor board, or similar
9) Anything fabri-tek, Gould, or SEL
10) blinkenlights and flippenpaddles computers, any interesting front
panels, etc...
11) ESDI disk emulator
Thank you!
-Eric
I am looking for an IBM 360 operator panel. Model 55 would be wonderful but I would consider any 360/370. To be used for demo so condition of switches & lights is important.
Going by the size, I'd say the Keronix board is for a Data General Nova or one of its ilk. Keronix did make core boards with p/n starting 816 for Novas.
**Richard
Message: 1
Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 16:50:10 -0500
From: Jules Richardson<jules.richardson99 at gmail.com>
To:cctalk at classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair
Message-ID:<769e6168-9024-fa20-5b9c-ed1cb91ec641 at gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15; format=flowed
On 7/19/21 3:40 AM, Joshua Rice via cctalk wrote:
> I believe much of the core manufacturing for DEC minicomputers was
> outsourced, but a lot of it had become much more automated by the late 60's
> and early 70's.
I've got a trio of planes here, two of which are from a Lockheed MAC-16,
but the other one is made by Keronix out of Santa Monica for an unknown
machine (dated 1973, model number "P4" and p/n 816335 if that means
anything to anyone, approx 16"x16" with two 100-pin, double-sided finger
edge connectors on 0.1" spacing).
Anyhoo, the Keronix one has a sticker on it saying it was repaired by DMA,
inc. in Amery, WI in 1980 - which might suggest that there were third
parties around working on boards, rather than them having to go back to the
manufacturer for repair. (I have no idea what the nature of the repair was,
of course; maybe it was to surrounding logic rather than the mat itself).
> It's worth noting that most computer manufacturers appreciated the
> fragility of core memory planes at the time, with most of them being
> protected with either PCB's or perspex/plastic shields on top of the core
> planes.
Yes, that's how all the ones I've ever seen have been. The Keronix one has
an additional shield over the top of the entire PCB, on top of the one
protecting the cores.
Jules
Just out of interest, is the software for the Tektronix 8002 microprocessor
lab archived out there anywhere?
What I believe is one popped up on one of my Facebook groups, and it'd be a
trek to get it even if I can arrange a good price with the current owner -
but it sounds like the software at the site, if it still exists, is
unlikely to surface from a huge pile of detritus, so that automatically
puts things right in boat anchor territory.
There may or may not be a terminal, too; I get the impression those were
optional (I've been told that there are two Tek terminals, I just don't
know if they're the right models for this system).
cheers
Jules
I am curious if anyone has attempted to repair (replace) a broken wire in a
PDP-8/e H212 (MM8EJ) core mat (8 k word). The cores are not visible without
a microscope. I cannot imagine how these were even manufactured and wonder
if DEC service centers repaired core mat faults or if faulty boards were
simply discarded.
CDC 6600 cores were huge in comparison and I would not hesitate to replace
a broken core wire on those.
Best regards
Tom Hunter
------ Original Message ------
From: "Tom Hunter via cctalk" <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
<cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Sent: Monday, 19 Jul, 2021 At 06:33
Subject: DEC PDP-8/e H212 core mat repair
I am curious if anyone has attempted to repair (replace) a broken wire
in a
PDP-8/e H212 (MM8EJ) core mat (8 k word). The cores are not visible
without
a microscope. I cannot imagine how these were even manufactured and
wonder
if DEC service centers repaired core mat faults or if faulty boards were
simply discarded.
CDC 6600 cores were huge in comparison and I would not hesitate to
replace
a broken core wire on those.
Best regards
Tom Hunter
These patents might be enlightening. I'm sure there's others, but these
are some i've found on a quick search.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US4161037A
<https://patents.google.com/patent/US4161037A>
https://patents.google.com/patent/US3668664
<https://patents.google.com/patent/US3668664>
Josh
Hello,
I came across a web article in which you discussed restoring an HP2100A. I spent many years working on this computer and have the front panel. I am doing some work on it to produce a display for fun. I am replacing the incandescent globes with LEDs and using a Raspberry Pi to control them.
The question I have is, do you know an easy way to remove and insert globes in the front panel switches please?
I am based in Melbourne, Australia.
Many thanks
John
_____________________________________________________
Professor John Rosenberg
E: johnr at grebnesor.com
M: +61 418 253001
Doe anyone have an "owners manual" or technical manual for the KA600 aka VaxBrick aka Vax 4000-50?
I have most of a Vaxbrick, but I'd sooner run Unix on it that VMS. But I know of no open-source OS which supports the KA600.
I'd guess most of the internal devices are similar to SCSI or DSSI on high-end Microvaxes/vaxstations; but that's a guess.
There's a listing on eBay for a lot which includes vaxbricks. I've made an offer on it, but let the offer expire after finding no open-source drivers. I'm willing to front purchase of the lot, if others are interested in buying a VaxBrick in a BA213 or BA 215.
-Jonathan Stone
I was looking through some old journal entries and found this:
AI is lonely...
She has been sitting quietly in my house for the past 8 years. She runs,
but is old now and tired. Most of the time she sits in her room and
waits patiently. Waits for the users who ran jobs in the middle of the
night. Waits for PFTMG to run the daily feed. Waits for someone to Alt-U
in and begin to hack...
Waits for the TU77 MASSBUS interfact to be repaired
Waits for RP07 drives that will never be repaired
Waits to once again run the ITS tapes that sit quietly nearby.
She's lonely. And although I have been looking after her for a long
time, she needs help.
Is anyone still interested? No, she will not be trashed. But perhaps the
knight that guards her is getting old and needs someone else to share
the load. Someone who won't just sell her on Ebay or break her apart or
dump her off a loading dock.
I worked too hard to save her from that. Twice. I owe her a lot; she
rescued me way back when, yaknow. In a way she contributed greatly in
making me the hacker I am today.
But in the day and age where one can run a full ITS on a palm pilot is
there any room for MIT-AI?
And so the knight returns to quietly guard the last remaining ITS...
CZ
The funny part is someone replied "Donate it to a museum" and I wrote:
"*nod* Unfortunately, after the Boston Computer Museum debacle, I'm a
bit wary of museums. Other problem is it would just get stuck in a back
room and eventually tossed like it almost did at Digex."
Sometimes I wonder if I did fail. Anyone know if the LCM will be open
this summer? I'm going to be in Seattle for a day in August, wouldn't
mind stopping by and seeing how it was doing....
CZ
>
> From: Paul Koning <paulkoning at comcast.net>
> To: Chris Zach <cz at alembic.crystel.com>, "cctalk at classiccmp.org"
> <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> Subject: Re: Looking for VAX6000 items
>
> A number of the large disk drives use 3 phase motors; RP04/5/6 are
> examples as well.
>
> Three phase motors won't run on single phase power without help from run
> capacitors. (There is no such thing as "two phase power" -- 220 volts is
> single phase, balanced.)
>
> paul
>
The RP06 uses 220VAC single phase motors for the spindle and blower.
I converted an RP06 from three-phase to single-phase to use with PDP-10
KS10 at home. Instructions are here:
https://sites.google.com/site/mthompsonorg/Home/pdp-10/rm03-and-rp06-inform…
--
Michael Thompson
Paul Koning may be pleased to know that his implementation of TECO has
supplanted Blake McBride's TECOC as the standard TECO in the Rubin
Observatory's Science Platform Interactive Notebook Aspect.
https://github.com/lsst-sqre/nublado/blob/f6b186081c0a3c9e12a1935db304ee2b3…
Of course if there is sufficient outcry from the user community I could be
convinced to include both in the image, at least until my boss catches me
doing it.
Adam
Started work on putting together a couple of VAX6000. 4x0 and 5x0. Looking for spare XMI, VAXBI, Cab kits DSSI,Ethernet,CI, Storage arrays, spare regulators etc. Will travel the Northeast for larger items.Also Engineering drawings as the ones on Bitsavers are really hard to read.
Thanks,Brian.
> From: Chris Zach
> The older Vaxes had linear power supplies if I recall up to the time
> of the Decsystem/2020 (when they went switching at last)
Really? The H742 power supply:
https://gunkies.org/wiki/H742_Power_Supply
(well, technically, the associated 'bricks', such as the H744, etc) from
about 1972 were switching supplies, so I'm suprised that the much later
VAXen (any of them) used linear supplies.
Of course, the H744/etc switching supplies didn't use a lot of the techniques
used in modern switching supplies to make them small and light (e.g. stepping
up the frequency to allow use of a small transformer); the H742 still has a
whacking great transformer in it. But they were switching supplies (as we
discussed here a while back at some length), not linear.
Noel
Hey, anyone need a KI10/KL10 I/O Bus terminator:
https://gunkies.org/wiki/File:KIKLIOBusTerm.jpg
(H867)? Since I don't have either a KI10 or a KL10, I'm unlikely to ever have
a need/use for this one! :-)
Noel
Hi folks,
Has anyone happened to squirrel away a copy of the Maxtor/Sequel LXT or
MXT series documentation or firmware updates?
I've got an LXT200A sat on the bench which seems to have corrupted
on-disk firmware -- the firmware version is shown as "1.02BROM"
I've got an identical second drive which works but has bad sectors,
which identifies as "1.02BHAT".
I'm hoping to dump the on-disk firmware on the working one and load it
onto the dead one -- either onto disk or temporarily into RAM... high
hopes I know.
This is all an experimental thing - the local data recovery firms aren't
interested in a drive this old or this small...
If anyone has a mirror of Maxtor's old FTP site or support BBS, these
are some of the files I'm after...
MXTA_53.EXE MAIN 41K 03/94 MXT540A/AL Frimware Rev 5.3
firmware 540
MXTA_54.EXE MAIN 40K 03/94 MXT540A/AL Firmware Rev 5.4
Firmware Upgrade for MXT-540AT.
MXTA_55.EXE MAIN 40K 03/94 MXT540A/AL Firmware Rev 5.5
Firmware Upgrade for MXT-540AT.
MXTA_60.EXE MAIN 41K 03/94 MXT540A/AL Firmware Rev 6.0
Firmware Upgrade for MXT-540AT.
Alternatively the same covering the LXT series.
Or this (or similar) documents covering the LXT series:
MAXTOR LXT-200A TECHNICAL MANUAL 1019707
Cheers
Phil.
>
> Date: Sun, 11 Jul 2021 19:57:06 -0500
> From: Eric Moore <mooreericnyc at gmail.com>
> To: Classic Computers <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> Subject: Re: Items Wanted
> Message-ID:
> <
> CAE1er56kMOyVeQ4eorgS8fUjHRrCKy_T7DAwTUpebFJAWSO2gA at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>
> Also, I am in central texas :)
>
> Thanks!
>
> On Sun, Jul 11, 2021, 9:33 AM Eric Moore <mooreericnyc at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Hello, I am looking for any of the following items. I have terminals and
> > assorted qbus and S100 cards for trade, or am happy to discuss payment
> :).
> >
> > 1) Qbus scsi card
> > 2) Emulex TC01
> > 3) QBUS bus probe
> > 4) SD2SCSI
> > 5) Teletype DRPE or ARPE (already have a BRPE) paper tape punches
> > 6) AED/tektronix/SGI/etc... graphics terminal
> > 7) Unfomatted pertec controller (any bus)
> > 8) S100 jade bus probe, system monitor board, or similar
> > 9) Anything fabri-tek, Gould, or SEL
> > 10) blinkenlights and flippenpaddles computers, any interesting front
> > panels, etc...
> > 11) ESDI disk emulator
> >
> > Thank you!
> >
> > -Eric
> >
> >
> >
>
> Eric,
I'm on NW side of Houston and have a Siemens T100 teleprinter with stand in
my garage that needs a new home :)
It is untested, but too heavy to ship.
Monty
Hello all,
I was hoping to tap into the considerable Sun Microsystems experience within this group.
I picked up a significant quantity of Sun SPARC equipment back in the early 00?s and due to life/children/etc. have only recently been able to start cataloguing it. In particular, I had a somewhat tatty box full of assorted SBUS cards. Amongst the usual GX / TGX frame buffers, ethernet and narrow SCSI cards were some more unusual ones I?ve struggled to identify.
I have photographed (poorly, I only have my mobile phone camera) the items, and they can be viewed here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kv42ig8nucikt0p/AAAKMZkqn9r19Ti0yKllQ2g8a?dl=0 <https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kv42ig8nucikt0p/AAAKMZkqn9r19Ti0yKllQ2g8a?dl=0>
Here is a text description of the cards, in case it can be useful:
(1) A dual-width SBUS card with no internal or external interfaces or backplate. Other features include 2x LSI chips 'LIA7321 EK7B7483' and 'LIA6371 EK7B7484? and a sticker displaying '7B7488 011 0110-014 0643 1700556 9651? a barcode ?J0BAW?. I wondered if it might be a DSP of some kind?
(2) A dual width SBUS framebuffer, with space for a piggyback daughter SBUS card in the middle. It features 3 x Bt457 RAMDACs and an Actel A1020A chip.
(3) A 3M fibre card, looks like a prototype based on the number of bodge wires. FDDI? Marked '3M ASSY 78-8095-5382-5', ROM marked FOSSIL BD. 1AS8.
(4) Possible Serial card with a DB9 connector, although there?s WAY too much logic for a simple serial card. Has a jumper for 4Mhz / 16Mhz which hints at maybe something Token-ring?
(5) A SBUS card with S-Video and what I assume to be composite. Looks like a 501-3019 on first inspection but there?s less logic and no heatsink on board.
(6) A rather beautiful (to look at) SBUS card by Performance Technologies Inc. This one strikes me as a multi-port serial card although I don?t have the breakout HD80 lead for it. Has a chip marked 820P010201 HG62S038R02F 9120, a sticker ?120P010001' and on the back of the board '#595801-01 DC 9116 NT2V0 94V0' and '124-010000?.
Any insight would be gratefully received!
Thanks,
Austin.
Alan Mantooth, Carl-Mikael Zetterling and Ana Rusu (28 April 2021)
"The Radio We Could Send to Hell: Silicon carbide radio circuits can
take the volcanic heat of Venus" IEEE Spectrum
https://spectrum.ieee.org/semiconductors/materials/the-radio-we-could-send-…
"The average surface temperature on Venus is 464 ?C, the atmosphere is
dense with highly corrosive droplets of sulfuric acid, and the
atmospheric pressure at the surface is about 90 times that of Earth."
(Teflon melts at 327 ?C)
The following thesis describes the Vulcan II chip mentioned a bit more
Benavides Herrera, Maria Raquel, "An RS-485 Transceiver in a Silicon
Carbide CMOS Process" (2018).Theses and Dissertations 3067
"The RS?485 was designed in a 1.2 ?m SiC CMOS process technology
developed by
Raytheon Systems Limited (UK) called High Temperature Silicon Carbide
(HiTSiC?).
The components available in this process include: NMOS and PMOS devices,
on-chip resistors, diodes, and capacitors.
The process key features are given below:
? 4H-SiC process
? N-type substrate
? Supply voltage of 15 V
5? Single metal layer, two layers of polysilicon (one being high sheet
resistance poly)
? Operating temperatures greater than 300?C" ...
---
In 1988's 1.2?m CMOS process the MIPS R3010 floating-point coprocessor
was about
75,000 transistors on an ~8mm x 8mm die.
Are there markets for SiC CMOS devices with large transistor counts?
Watching Curious Marc's video mentioning Triton missile/Saturn V bit-serial
computer implementations, reminded me of:
Olof Kindgren (2019) Bit by bit - How to fit 8 RISC-V cores in a $38
FPGA board
https://riscv.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/12.15-SERV-Zurich-Copy.pdfhttps://github.com/olofk/serv "SERV is an award-winning bit-serial
RISC-V core" (RV32I)
(Not an engineer - guessing)
If process limits mean large SiC memories are unlikely, what other
technologies
would work in the 400?500?C temperature range? Magnetic bubble memory?
Twistors
if threading cores automatically remains infeasible?
For cameras could you build vacuum tube sensors containing SiC devices
if useful?
I am making room to work on my pdp 11 and mainframe computers. The
following things are for sale :
3 Dec decmate computers with kb and monitor. Partway loads into the WP os
but the floppy is bad, and i dont have more
Sgi tezro
Hp 9000 desktop for hp -ux with cables
Working microvax 3100 with install of vms. Vt terminal availible for sale
too to go with it.
Hp 9000 for basic. Was used with test insturments like volt meters, relay
controllers hpib etc for process control.
Many hp keyboards with chicklet keys availible for this system
Tandy vgm 300 monitor
Enough crt monitors to sink a boat. Nec, viewsonic, ibm, etc.
S100 bus computer chassis with backplane, power supply and proto boards.
A single S100 backplane
Isa /pci single board computer backplanes
Isa 486 and pentium single board computers. Works standalone or with
previously mentioned backplane
Rackmount 68k vme bus motorolla computer with floppy, hard drive and proto
boards.
(Must be sold together will not seperate) books for like every version of
irix apple early windows maya, power animator, discreet, etc. Sgi install
cd sets. Sgi power animator cd. Studio paint. Misc hotmix cd's.
Trs 80 model 3. No keyboard. Posts, bad floppy drive hangs up boot. Unplug
it and it works. Big / heavy.
Dec alphastation 255 computers x3
I had vms on them at some point.
Wyse dumb terminal in original box
Many televideo dumb terminals
Ibm bladecenter h chassis with misc blades and spare fans etc. Shipping
will be expensive.
Hp 50mhz dual trace scope 54200a.
Working apple mac plus with kb and external 20 mb hard drive. No battery
damage. Clean. Boots. Runs.
Im sure to find more to list. Send some offers my way and ill ship it out.
Located in melbourne fl.
https://mastodon.technology/@mrbill0/media?
Most of my stuff is on my mastadon gallery, welcome to scroll through. I
can provide pictures of said machines upon request, too much to take
pictures of right now though.
--Devin D.
I?ve been given a couple of RLX blade server chassis loaded with blades (one with Transmeta Crusoe cpu?s, and one with Pentium III cpu?s). I hope you?ll allow me to count these as ?vintage? because of their interesting origin: the Pentium III loaded chassis was part of a 768 node computer cluster at the Sanger Institute in the UK, and was used in the last stretch of the DNA sequencing computations for the Human Genome Project.
I?d like to build a compute cluster out of these, but I don?t have the rpm?s they supplied to customize Linux for their blades. Ideally, I?d hope to find a copy of their ?Control Tower? blade management software, and their customized Linux installation images, but just the bare rpm?s would do for now. From the RLX platform guide, I?d hope to find:
kernel-*rlx*.i386.rpm
kernel-headers-*rlx*.i386.rpm
devfsd-*rlx*.i386.rpm
ucd-snmp-*rlx*.i386.rpm
net-snmp-*rlx*.i386.rpm
ucd-snmp-utils-*rlx*.i386.rpm
net-snmp-utils-*rlx*.i386.rpm
bootctl-*rlx*.i386.rpm
atftp-*rlx*.i386.rpm
lm_sensors-*-*rlx*.i386.rpm
lm_sensors-drivers-*-*rlx*.i386.rpm
lm_sensors-devel-*-*rlx*.i386.rpm
base-utils-*rlx*.i386.rpm
runctl-*rlx*.noarch.rpm
networkcfg-*rlx*.noarch.rpm
mgmtmode-*rlx*.noarch.rpm
namedcfg-*rlx*.noarch.rpm
dhcpdcfg-*rlx*.noarch.rpm
lilo-*rlx*.i386.rpm
grub-*rlx*.i386.rpm
rlx-clientpm-*rlx*.i386.rpm
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Hello there!
Has anyone here had the TeleCompaq setup disks imaged? I see that there are
a few in the CHM's possession, but besides that, no images.
If so can you please send me the image files?
Thanks,
Tyler Hayes
Hi all,
you're invited to the Update computer club[0] public lecture series
"Updateringar"[1]! Update is a Swedish computer club founded in 1983
whose members tinker with all kinds of computers, from Raspberry Pi to
PDP-12. The club has a big collection of historic computers. In this
lecture series we'll talk about everything related to computers:
Historic and modern computers, operating systems, programming, hardware
projects, creating art with computers, building a computer museum, and
more.
When: 2021-07-10, 19:00 CEST
Where: https://bbb.cryptoparty.se/b/upd-0mo-m2u-aq8
How I ported Space Invaders to a video game console from 1978
Bjarni walks us through his recent port of the arcade classic to the
Philips Videopac, a second-generation video game console. He explains
the hardware limitations and shows tricks used to get around them ?
unlike in the arcade machine there is no frame buffer, and the
functionality of the hardware sprites is severely constrained on the
Videopac. The development of the port was done on real hardware with a
home-made USB-connected game cartridge.
Bjarni Juliusson (Update)
The lecture is free and open to everyone.
Upcoming: 2021-08-14, 19:00: The Whirlwind I. Angelo Papenhoff (Humboldt
University of Berlin)
Hope to see you there,
Anke
[0] http://www.update.uu.se/index_eng.html
[1] https://www.update.uu.se/wiki/doku.php/projekt:updateringar
Well, the pandemic turns everything upside down and we're looking at new
employment, a new place and probably having to slash a few things. First on
the chopping block is to consolidate and downsize storage.
These systems and peripherals are all free to a good home; all you have to
do is pick them up. Pick up any and all, with priority given to those who
are interested in multiple units. I've tried to describe them as
completely as possible. A few items have "on your honour" conditions. I'm
also giving priority to classiccmp readers before I post public elsewhere.
The items are in various places over the Riverside-San Bernardino area in
Southern California depending on where and when I acquired them, so send me
an off-list E-mail and we'll figure it out based on their location.
THESE ITEMS NEED TO BE GONE IN THE NEXT MONTH. If you need a little
extra time, we can work something out; I'd rather not scrap what someone
has an interest in, but obviously with a likely move approaching, the
sooner the better.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
POSSIBLY WORKING:
PDP-11/44 with at least four disk packs and lots of paper tape and 8" floppies,
sitting on top of what I think is a TU58. I never got the chance to fire it on.
You will need a truck, probably a cart and definitely a hernia belt. There is
also a big Kennedy disk next to it but I don't know if they originally went
together.
POSSIBLY WORKING:
DEC VT100. This got bashed around a little and the case is a little loose,
and I don't know if it works, but it's an honest to Ford VT100.
NOT WORKING:
Alpha Micro S-100 system. I got this when I had more money with the
intention of rehabilitating it when I had more time, and now I have less
of both. It will work for other S-100 cards. Whatever cards and devices
are in there are all yours. They are heavy steel drawers and it can take
big cards. There are two boxes; please take both.
NOT WORKING:
Acorn RiscPC 700 and Castle Iyonix PC. Like the AM S-100 system, I got this
when I had more money but not enough time, and now I have neither. They
need specialist restoration as neither system powers on, and it doesn't
appear to be (just) the PSU. In particular, the RiscPC came to me with a
leaky board battery which may have something to do with it. Both systems
appear heavily upgraded but I don't have any inventory. If you are
interested, it is expected you will be restoring the systems and not just
turning around to part them out; there aren't that many of these machines on
this side of the Atlantic (on your honour). Please take both units; you
will get a big box of software and RiscPC artifacts from the previous owner
as well.
WORKING:
Snow iMac G3 (600MHz, 512MB RAM). Works fine, comes up in stock 10.3.9. Needs
a new PRAM battery but in good shape otherwise. Add your own USB keyboard and
mouse. This was a gift from a good buddy, so it goes to you with the
understanding you will try to find it a home if you don't want it instead
of trying to sell it (on your honour). Everyone should have the joy of an
original iMac.
NOT WORKING:
Atari STacy, disassembled. I was working on the system to replace the
hard disk and one of the power headers got shifted which put 12V on a 5V
line. Guaranteed this liberated some magic smoke from the motherboard or
a yet-to-be-detected fuse somewhere, but the keyboard, RAM card, screen
and such were all functional at the time I effed up and probably still are.
You will get it in a fabulous Office Depot box with "STacy" written on it
using a half-dead Sharpie.
POSSIBLY WORKING:
Mega ST4 with Megafile 60 and SC1224 and SM125 monitors. These are a bit
yellowed and the keyboard is thrashed. Also, the TOS is on a separate card
with two leads that got loose and I don't know where they go (probably to +Vcc
and a select pin). Thus, can't test the monitors or the hard disk, but the
system does power on, and the hard disk does power up and makes happy hard
disk noises. No idea what's on it. The SM125 puts on a power light and does
appear to try to make a picture, though its previous owner separated it from
its stand for some reason. The SC1224 sounds like the flyback is bad but may
be serviceable. Includes ST mouse and hard disk cable. No manuals or
software. If you want this unit, you need to take everything including the
monitors.
NOT WORKING:
Breadbox NTSC Commodore 64, in original box with power supply. Last time
I powered it up, it generated a garbled display that suggested either bad
RAM or PLA. You get to find out.
PROBABLY WORKING:
Tandy Color Computer 2, in original box. Was working when stored.
PARTIALLY WORKING:
Quad G5 2.5GHz x2x2, 8GB RAM, Nvidia 6600. Got whacked in shipping and one
side of the case is damaged. No hard disk. Does power on and starts Apple
Service Diagnostics fine, but the fans roar like the MGM lion and while there
is no obvious leak you will need to service the liquid cooling system -- you're
not thermal calibrating your way out of this one. Has the wireless card.
Aftermarket optical drive needs "help" when you eject it. Add your own USB
keyboard and mouse.
NOT WORKING:
Macintosh SE/30 (marked "Lake Washington"). 8MB RAM. Powers on and bright
display on the monitor but Simasimacs immediately. Probably fine with a recap.
Case yellowed as hell. I think I removed the hard disk, but if not, hey,
free hard disk. Add your own ADB keyboard and mouse.
NOT WORKING:
Macintosh SE/30 (marked "Clover Park"). Also used to be my file server but
then Simasimaced and now doesn't put a picture on the screen at all.
Undoubtedly needs a recap and may need other repairs based on the funny
pulsing of the system fan when connected to power. I think it had 4MB of RAM,
don't recall exactly. I think I removed the hard disk, but if not, hey, free
hard disk. Add your own ADB keyboard and mouse.
PARTIALLY WORKING:
Sawtooth Power Mac G4 450MHz. No RAM, no video card, no hard disk. Used to
be my file server but had issues with one of the PCI slots. Has optical drive
and ZIP with matching Apple bezels. Does power on, but obviously without RAM
or a video card (AGP) will not pass POST. Add your own USB keyboard and mouse.
NOT WORKING:
Quad G5 2.5GHz x2x2, 16GB RAM, Nvidia 6600. This is in better physical
condition and does power on and bong but shortly afterwards puts on OVERTEMP
and CHECKSTOP lights, so you definitely will have to service the LCS and
possibly the processors (no obvious leaks but I haven't checked thoroughly). No
wireless card, no hard disk, OEM optical drive, add your own USB keyboard and
mouse.
NOT WORKING:
Single G5 1.8GHz, 2GB RAM, GeForce 5200. The previous owner seemed to have
had a disagreement with the front panel connector and the front panel
connector lost. I received it stripped to the chassis except for the
processor and the logic board, but it does have the fans, video card, wireless
(with T-antenna), power supply and panel cable. Because the front panel
connector is busted I can't test it. You get to replace the front panel
assembly and put it back together. This unit is air-cooled, but probably
could benefit from reapplying thermal compound while you're at it. Has optical
drive (disconnected), no hard disk, add your own USB keyboard and mouse.
Various other items:
Newtek Video Toaster 4000 and Video Toaster Flyer boards with a whole
mess of cables (looks like SCSI and some other internal pin header-type).
Don't know if these are complete and no way to test. No software.
Apple II Super Serial card with DB-25 670-0020-? (uses 6551 ACIA) and
Apple IIe 80 column 64K memory expansion 607-0103-K. Can't test them but
both look intact.
Kurta Penmouse. Serial and PS/2 connectors. Seems to have a power supply
jack (9V) but I don't have the power supply and I don't know if it needs
it. Can't test it, no drivers, physically intact.
Sun model 411 SCSI CD-ROM. Requires caddy. Won't mount discs, might need a
recap.
UMAX Astra 2100U flatbed USB scanner with power supply. Powers on. Works
with classic Mac OS but probably most systems. No driver disc.
Pair of Telular SX5 GSM terminals. These were the server room's backup
communication system. They work, but no GSM network to connect to anymore.
Might be fun if you set one up. Real serial ports! Real GSM modem! Full
kits with power supply.
Visual UpTime Select T1 CSU/DSU. Has a Cisco V.35 cable connected and
jacks for Ethernet, serial, DSX-1 and T1. Powers on, obviously goes
right into Red Alarm since there's no network. You telco nerds will love it.
Various complete external modem packages ranging from 14.4 to 33.6K.
--
------------------------------------ personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ --
Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at floodgap.com
-- The cost of living has not adversely affected its popularity. --------------
I was playing with ST Minix (v1.1, based on PC Minix v1.3). I didn?t have any luck with Minix (neither the boot program nor the kernel) detecting the MegaFile (60 or 30, both the same outcome) on the Mega 4. Both MegaFiles worked fine with Minix on the 1040ST.
So there must be some difference (timing?) between the ST and Mega. There are some usenet posts speculating on the cause of this, as well as contradictory user reports on whether it is known to work or not. So I?m not sure what to make of this.
But Minix is pretty tight in 1 MB RAM, so I would like to understand why it shouldn?t work on the Mega 4.
Any Atari ST experts on the list who can shed any light on why this might be the case?
ok
bear.
I bought this years ago for a planned project to create a card reader and
card punch for a mainframe replica, using this machine that was designed to
reproduce decks of punched cards. It is very heavy and sturdy.
It has two input hoppers and two stackers, one for the source cards and one
for the punched copies. The punched head is cooled by ammonia gas,
indicating that it was designed to operate at a healthy rate of cards per
minute if it needed that kind of cooling. A keypunch, by comparison can
punch cards at about 20 cpm with no need for cooling, so I estimate this
could run at hundreds of CPM.
This is ideal for a hobbyist would would convert it so that it reads cards
into some kind of mini, mainframe or other computer device, with the other
side able to punch contents from the same computer onto blank cards. This
works with the standard IBM '5081' style 80 column punched cards.
I am moving in 12 days and would need to send this to the scrap yard if
someone isn't interested. I can hold it here until July 12th or 13th
latest. You will need to bring help to move it as it weighs a few hundred
pounds.
Pictures at -
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/sys/d/los-altos-free-punched-card-reader-p…
> From: Mattis Lind
> Thanks Noel for sorting this out.
Eh, de nada. But thank you.
>> I wonder if the ucode in the two versions is identical? The uROM chip
>> numbers should give it, (if they are the same on both versions, albeit
>> in different locations on the board), but I have yet to check. Does
>> anyone happen to know?
OK, so the situation here is pretty complicated. To start with / make things
worse, that CPU uses lots of PROMs. Lots and lots and lots and lots of PROMs.
For the data paths board (M7260), both major versions appear to contain the
same PROMs (going by the DEC part numbers), but the chip location (Exx)
numbers are all different.
For the control board (M7261), the C, E ('early' version) and F ('late'
version) etch revisions each contain mostly the same PROMs, but apparently
with slight differences between the sets of PROMs in each (as reflected in
different DEC part numbers). For details see:
http://gunkies.org/wiki/PDP-11/05#Control_PROMs
to which I have just added all the gory details.
As to getting the contents of all of them dumped in machine-readable form -
oi vey!
>> on the earlier version (prints for that version are in the GT40 prints
>> online
It turns out that I have hard-copy prints for the "C" etch revision of the
M7261, which do not yet appear to be online; the GT40 prints have the "E"
etch revision.
I will scan the pages for that revision of the board, and put them up 'soon'.
(I'm not doing the whole print set, it's about 1" thick, and most of them are
for other things anyway, like MM11-L memory, etc.)
Noel
On 6/29/21 10:00 AM, cctech-request at classiccmp.org wrote:
> I miss that machine. I'd love to sim it but the code and schematics are
> gone forever. Actually I think CHM has a box of stuff but I can't find a
> link to it anymore.
>
another case where I watch cctalk, and this showed up only in cctech
so I only saw it today since I only get digests of cctech
https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/search/?s=adage
some has been scanned http://bitsavers.org/pdf/adage
I noticed that there is no copy on bitsavers of the Konan Corp "The DJ 210"
SASI Controller OEM Reference Manual so I posted one on my web site:
https://www.vintagecomputer.net/cisc367/Konan_The_DJ_210_SASI.pdf
I am not 100% sure, but if I was to guess this info could be applied to
repairs for Tandy's and other 5MB hard drives of the era that used the
ST506/412 and maybe the Tandon 603S (?) You be the judge, I am not an
expert.
Bill
kennettclassic.com
A friend of mine collects old photos, and sent me a link to this set he just recovered from film. He doesn't know much about the provenance, but it might be interesting to figure out what we can about them.
The link is here:
https://www.espressobuzz.net/Found/GeorgeClark/GraphicsLab/
The film roll was dated June 1968, which was a month before I was born.
The most interesting (to me) is the photo of the Adage Graphics Terminal. I'd never heard of the company before, but it looks like they were one of the many tech companies that sprang up in the MIT & Harvard orbit in the 60s and 70s. There's a small amount of info about the company on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adage,_Inc.
Also in the same photo, to the right of the terminal is a silver box that might be an early joystick. It's hard to say.
The pictures of the graphics terminal output is pretty cool, given that it's probably really pushing state of the art at the time. Also, they're in color, which was still not terribly common at the time. The only few photos I was able to find of Adage terminals are all black and white.
Other recognizable hardware are a couple of ASR33 teletypes (one of which was rebadged as Adage), and some tape drives, the manufacture I don't recognize. Everything else, I pretty much can't make out what any of it is, but perhaps someone recognizes the particular layout of the blinkinlights?
He was told that the pictures were taken "somewhere in the northeast". I suspect Boston, and therefore probably MIT or maybe Harvard. On the same roll were some pictures of "a colonial ship with lots of cannons", which I suspect was the USS Constitution in Boston Harbor, but I haven't seen those pics yet. I wonder if the tile pattern on the floor is distinct enough or recognizable?
Anyway, it's an interesting set of archival photos, and I figured someone here might find them interesting or might recognize more than I do.
-mike
Sad computer history note - Larry Breed, one of the original implementors of Iverson Notation AKA A Programming Language AKA APL passed away last month. Larry went to work at IBM on the first APL implementation on an IBM 7090 in 1965 as his first job out of Stanford. My path crossed Larry's not thru APL, but when I was working my first retirement job at Hassett Hardware in downtown Palo Alto. Larry would come in to buy parts for his latest Burning Man or community project. He was a delightful person to talk with, learn something from, and just be around. I'm sorry I did not take the time to talk to him more about APL when I had the chance.
There's a Wikipedia entry on Larry here (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_M._Breed) and remembrances of him on the apl.comp.lang mailing list.
God speed Larry and RIP.
Lee Courtney
Does anyone know anything about the "Serial Multisession" that the VT
LAN 40, and presumably other terminals, supports?
I've not heard about it before and intend to do some research. But I
figured that it was an interesting enough topic, that is multiplexing
terminal sessions over a single serial link, to warrant further discussion.
--
Grant. . . .
unix || die
Paul K got it right:
"Any language can be interpreted or compiled. For some languages, like
LISP and TECO, interpreting is a rather natural implementation techniques,
while for others (C, ALGOL) compilation is the obvious answer. But either
is possible."
A few quick notes...
Back around 1973, I wrote a compiler for InterLISP on the Burroughs B6700,
with the target code being a new P-code invented just for LISP (by, I
think, Bill Gord, based on Peter Deutsch and Ken Bowles P-code work).
Yeah, some parts of the P-code machine had to invoke the interpreter, but
that's philosophically no different than the next note...
Around 1977/1978, Hewlett-Packard released the source code for their COBOL
compiler for the HP 3000. My friend looked at the source and said: every
statement compiles into a bunch of subroutine calls!
So, technically....it was a compiler. But, essentially no machine code was
emitted :)
In 1984, HP announced their PA-RISC systems (HP 3000 and HP 9000), and that
their ALGOL-like language, SPL, used by them and customers on the HP 3000,
would not be ported to PA-RISC (because "it wasn't possible").
We looked at it and said: we can.
And, we did (without the "subroutine call" mechanism :)
In some cases, we emulate a 16-bit wide CISC architecture (e.g., if you use
the SPL construct "ASSEMBLE (...)", we compile it...into PA-RISC code
emulating the old architecture). It's still in use today, and can now emit
either PA-RISC code or C source code (for a form of cross-compiling).
What HP missed, and many people miss, is that any language can be
compiled. The main question one might ask is the degree of closeness to
machine code that's emitted :)
Stan