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

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On November 8, Iggy Drougge wrote: > Oh, and then there's that marshmallow butter, which I think you're supposed to > have on your sandwich. Makes Nutella seem like a wholesome product. =) Ahh, Nutella. Glorious stuff. And the word "wholesome". ..every time I hear it, it's always spoken in the same breath as either a conversation describing a completely un-arousable woman or some food with absolutely no flavor. ;) -Dave -- Dave McGuire St. Petersburg, FL

24 years, 7 months

2
1
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8 inch floppy drives

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Nov 9, 2:29, Iggy Drougge wrote: > > [ plain text > Encoded with "quoted-printable" ] : Pete Turnbull skrev: > > >Eh? Normally PAL is the higher resolution, 625 vertical lines rather than > >525, and 6.5MHz bandwidth rather than whatever NTSC normally uses > >(5.something, IIRC). > > Didn't the UK switch to 650 line PAL in the late sixties? No, 625. But that was when ew changed from monochrome on VHF (Band I/III) to a colour service on UHF. Same as other parts of Europe (slightly different PAL standard, though). -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

24 years, 7 months

1
0
0 0

Sun stuff

by gene＠ureach.com

Hello Agarvin(a)tribalddb.com I am interested in some of the sun equipment you have. Please email me a list of the stuff you want to get rid of -- to smmgene(a)netscape.net or gene(a)ureach.com

24 years, 7 months

4
3
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food

by mythtech＠Mac.com

>>I find it somewhat interesting how Americans define "foreign". Doesn't that >>require something "indigenous"? =) > >Hmmm... not sure if I should be offended by this... Despite the last name >of "Merchberger" a healthy portion of my heritage is descended from exactly >those who were here before the europeans arrived... > >American Indians, aboriginals, "red man", however you want to put it - >there's a great deal in America that's indigenous, and you'd be amazed with >the variety & quality of food that's available at a decent-sized American >Indian pow-wow. You know, I have always been curious why American Indians are the only ones that can claim to be "true Americans" (discounting the fact that "American" can really refer to anyone from North, Central, or South America... but is commonly used to refer to those from the United States of America). My family has direct ancestry to settlers on some of the first ships (for instance, I am related to Thomas Greene, the original governor of the Maryland Colony). My family predates the United States, yet I have very little American Indian genes in me, so I am always chastised when people ask me what my heritage is, and I tell them "I am an American". How far back is one supposed to go to decide their "heritage" 100 years? 200 years? Why stop, why not go back 1000 years, or 2000, or 10,000... heck, I guess we should all just say we are from Java... or should we not stop there.... that's it, from now on, I should tell people I am a proud Ameobian... or maybe just an Enzymian. :-) I stand proud... I am a good old pure bred American mutt! -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

24 years, 7 months

4
3
0 0

hp 86/87 cp/m

by dogas＠bellsouth.net

I booted cp/m on my HP-86 with the hp 82900a Aux. Processor cartridge and a few hp 9130a floppy drives. Send an email if you need the OS for a similar setup - Mike: dogas(a)bellsouth.net

24 years, 7 months

1
0
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OT: Playstation 2 opinion?

by cfandt＠netsync.net

Please reply OFF list since this is decidedly off topic. I figure there are at least several gamers on the list who could offer their feelings on the questions we have, hence my approaching the list. Anyway, Beverly and I are thinking of getting our 8-yr-old a Playstation 2 for Christmas or his early February birthday. I'm not really into video games at all so we could use some feedback. I just understand some of the technology :-) We've had a Nintendo 64 for the past year and its likeable. I do admit having fun with a Donkey Kong and a couple different Super Mario games. They are indeed challenging from a hand-eye coordination, memory and limited intellectual standpoint, so I begrudgingly admit there is some value for Matt to play them. However, Bev has found that most of Matt's friends have Playstation I's and II's and that the game selection is somewhat better than N64. Matt also expresses a slight preference for the PS games. So, we're shopping. Bev understands DVD's can be played on the PS 2 unit. Are these movie DVD's they're talking about? Audio DVD's? How is the playback quality? Comparable to an average DVD player? Any advice on prices? Usual price at Wal-Mart, Ames and other dept. stores is $299 so we figure that's that unless a sale pops up. Thanks in advance. -Chris -- -- Christian Fandt, Electronic/Electrical Historian Jamestown, NY USA cfandt(a)netsync.net Member of Antique Wireless Association URL: http://www.antiquewireless.org/

24 years, 7 months

22
40
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Boxed Basis 108 system in the mail today.

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On November 8, Ernest wrote: > I just received a boxed Basis 108 today, with user manuals, system disks, > schematics, and a binder full of newsletters from the B.U.G. (Basis User > Group.) If you have a Basis 108, and need a copy of the system disks or user > manuals, let me know. I'll make copies for you. I have never heard of a Basis 108. What is it? -Dave -- Dave McGuire St. Petersburg, FL

24 years, 7 months

3
2
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OT: food

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On November 8, Richard Erlacher wrote: > McDonalds puts sugar in their french fries, I recently head on NPR. Apparently > their sales increased slightly when they started doing that. It's consistent > with their tendency to limit our diet to salt, fat, and sugar. In reality, I > guess we do it to ourselves, since we don't have to eat there. The only meal I > occasionally take at the Golden Arches, is breakfast, since they do, oddly > enough, have pretty passable coffee. Remember...fat means flavor! ;) I must admit...I do enjoy a McD's cheeseburger and some fries once in a while. And the [now discontinued] Jalapeno Poppers from Burger King were *really* tasty. Though I'm not supposed to have quite that much salt due to high blood pressure.. :-( -Dave -- Dave McGuire St. Petersburg, FL

24 years, 7 months

3
2
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OT - Re: food

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On November 8, Iggy Drougge wrote: > It's such a mess, really. What I did find funny was how Americans define > what's foreign, though. Americans are traditionally immigrants, after all. My ancestors were immigrants. So far back that I don't even know their names. If all Americans are immigrants just because a lot of people immigrated to this country, then it seems to me that it should be correct to consider anyone else in the world an immigrant if anyone >from any other country ever settled in their country of origin. -Dave -- Dave McGuire St. Petersburg, FL

24 years, 7 months

1
0
0 0

Rubber Restorer...

by fmc＠reanimators.org

ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) wrote: > No. No mains connectors at all (obviously). In the UK, the standard mains > socket has shutters over the live/neutral contacts which are openned when > the earth pin enters its contact. So you can't stick bits of wire into > mains sockets. Well, that's no fun. How else are kids supposed to learn that sticking a neon lamp's leads into a wall socket is a bad idea? -Frank McConnell "I don't want a kinder, gentler world. I want one full of traps for the unwary, whirling blades, spite and radios which bear in large red letters the Dave-Barryesque legend 'OK TO USE IN TUB.'" -D. Henke

24 years, 7 months

5
4
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food

by dhquebbeman＠theestopinalgroup.com

> *Still* trying to get my uncle to send me some from Deutschland. I ask only > rarely (because I forget to "pester" him) and he forgets to bring some back > when he comes (he usually comes back to the states once or twice a > year...). :-( > > Find a way to get me a jar or two, and I'll forgive that > "indigenous" remark... I could swear I've seen Nutella at Wal-Mart... -dq

24 years, 7 months

2
1
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Refilling Toner Carts (was RE: Rubber Restorer...)

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Nov 7, 14:08, Marvin Johnston wrote: > I've heard that a drop of 409 cleaner on the print head will disolve the > dried ink enough that it will again be workable. I haven't tried it but > I do trust the person who did try it and told me about it. That's interesting. I have a junk cartridge for my HP 1600CM that I'd be willing to try it on. Anyone know what's in 409 cleaner? -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

24 years, 7 months

7
6
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KM11 and RK11-D

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Nov 7, 16:58, Tom Uban wrote: > Yes, I have the overlay. I guess that it doesn't allow quite the level of > control that is provided for CPU debug. It looks like it just shows the > state of a number of signals and the switches don't do much of anything, > at least based on the labeling. I've been playing with my own RK11-D and a pair of RK05s this evening, so I had the RK05 Maintenance Manual and the RK11-D Manual handy. According to those, the KM11 switches don't do anything on an RK11-D. -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

24 years, 7 months

1
0
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Zenith Data Systems Z-386 SX/20 Free in NJ

by mythtech＠Mac.com

>Is it the same fancy connector as the one in my Zenith 486 Z-station? A brown >3?5 pin connector with latches on the side. Looks like a blown up version of >certain big-box Commodore supplies. It was just a plain square molex connector. Looked kind of like the Mac LC class power supply connectors. I think it was 4 pins (two rows of 2), but I am not sure as I have already reset it, closed it and stuck it on a shelf. -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

24 years, 7 months

1
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8 inch floppy drives

by mythtech＠Mac.com

>This is a little on topic, since it concerns a "classic" technology. >I'm told that Macrovision is very VHS-centric, and as a consequence, it's >without consequence when dubbed onto ?etamax, VCR or Video 2000, to name a >few. >I wish I had salvaged that VCR machine now... Not for piracy, I just like old >video equipment. Since I don't live in California (who has recently ruled it to be ok to discuss how to bypass copy protection), I can technically be a heap of trouble for saying this... but f-em. Macrovision basically puts a signal in the vertical sync pulse that confuses a VCRs auto adujustment circuitry. Normal VCRs (almost any that you can buy today) will adjust for weak or strong signals to "normalize" a video. Macrovision writes artificially strong or weak signals in that pulse, so the "normalizing" distorts the image. This is transparent on most systems during playback, as the adjustment occurs at record time. But good high quality equipment, and many projection TVs adjust on playback as well... causing the Macrovision to kick in, preventing you from watching the video at all. It will effect any system that depends on signal adjustment based on the sync pulse. Basically VHS. They have also begun to macrovise DVD and Satallite (which is going to start pissing off more people, as Satallite owners are more apt to also own high end equipment that will be distorted on playback). Things like 8mm, Beta, UMatic, won't be effected, because they look elsewhere for adjustment (but if you dupe a macrovised movie to 8mm, and then back to VHS, it will still kick in, as the sync has been carried over, but the 8mm copy will be clean). To bypass it, you just need to either adjust the sync, or write a new one. External macrovision defeating boxes tend to flatten out the signal. Or you can use a TBC (time base corrector) to write a brand new pulse. Or, in the case of what I do, my computer does it as a side effect. When I dupe thru it, I am not actually copying the video, but rather recording an NTSC conversion of what my computer screen is displaying. So the original sync is never passed thru (so I get the same net result as a TBC, without the benefit of being able to do A/B roll without gen lock problems). Now... to go a bit more off topic... I can be fined/jailed for sharing this with you, because it is a violation of the DMCA. However, there is NOTHING that I discussed here that I had to learn from "pirate" sites. EVERYTHING I learned in collage during my assorted TV production classes (I majored in TV/Theater production, well, at least until I dropped out of school). If you have a half way decent understanding of TV production, how macrovision works becomes an almost obvious no brainer, and how to defeat it becomes an absolute joke.... but I can still go to jail... but the MPAA/RIAA want you to believe the DMCA is a fair, just, and "good for you" law! -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

24 years, 7 months

1
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Zenith Data Systems Z-386 SX/20 Free in NJ

by mythtech＠Mac.com

>Time for LART stick to two companies's their tech staff, DD is ok >but hard to find now. Instruct the and demo that same program >doesn't care running on 1.44MB disks and log the stuff to another >1.44MB disk. Remember to substitute the DOS for 5.0 instead of 3.2 >for support of 1.44MB. > >You need to talk to them to make them understand that DD is not easy >to find now and 1.44MB doesn't break the security. > Well, unfortunatly, I understand, technology wise, where they are coming from. They used to require everyone to use 360k 5.25 disks. They only made the switch to 3.5s because the 360k disks became so hard to get, and they weren't very durable. Their software will actually run just fine off two 360k disks on an XT system. And in fact, the software has never changed (they could do the whole thing off one 720k disk now, but it would have involved changing proceedures at all their interviewing sub sites... you are talking about asking people that are lucky they know how to turn a computer on, to change how they do interviews). The company (they split into 2 after the 720k switch) opted to use a double 720k disk approach to keep proceedure the same. They also opted to use 720 because most PCs had that in them at the time they did the switch (1.44's were newer, and although widely available, not as likely at the time to be installed in the computers the interviewing sites already owned). Also, 720k drives were cheaper, so those that had to upgrade could do so cheaper. Now it has stayed that way, simply because outside of not being able to get DD disks, they have thousands of interviewing sites in the US all geared up to work with 720k disks. I personally think moving to HDs would be a non issue, as I suspect that most of the sites have already long since upgraded their computers (I have exactly one computer in the field with a try 720k drive, one out of about 30 used on these jobs), but the companies don't see it that way. They don't want to force the tens of thousands of interviewing computers to be upgraded. >They hate you because these people doesn't understand too well what >is going on, needs to address this issue and smooth over all ruffled >feathers. They hate me, because I have all 7 of our sites ripping shutters off their disks so they stop damaging my drives (which they refuse to pay for when they are damaged). This causes them to have to replace the hard to find disks (which also means fewer support calls to me when one of the well overused disks fails and generates errors and confuses/scares my interviewing staff). Add to that the fact that I know how to bypass ALL their software security (it really is a joke, their "security" consists of hiding files and directories, know the names, and you can bypass it... know of a little program called ATTRIB and the security disappears). I scare them more than anything else. > >I think both companies were advised by a dimwit who doesn't know what >stuff is talking about. Fire that guy and get one who knows their >stuff. They have a few interview script programmers who handle everything. The new jobs are sent via modem to a master machine at each site (running a pretty pick and choose front end to kermit and copy). They mail disk packs to the sites before each job, and the disk packs are nothing more than the same tired, beatup old boot disks, and reused, reformatted (using format /q I am sure) interview disks. They stick new lables on the interview disks that reflect the current job number. Old labels get peeled off when the pile gets high enough that the disk no longer fits in the drive!. When they do a job, an interview disk is inserted into the master computer, where the job files are copied to it, and a text file is tagged that the disk has been used. When the day is done, the disk is put back into the master computer, the data files copied to the hard drive, and the computer is set to wait for a phone call, so it can upload the day's interviews. I don't think anyone there knows enough about anything to risk change. It has been a case of, this was state of the art when it was designed... but years later, it is badly out of date, but no one is employed anymore that understands technology (at least not in the division that handles this stuff), so they are all just afraid to make changes, because they don't know WHAT they are doing, just how to do it. The could avoid all this with a simple proceedure change. That is, stop mailing out disks, and update their boot disks to support 1.44 drives. Then just tell each site to buy a pack of HD disks, and reuse as needed. The sending and forcing people to use provided disks, is useless (and a waste of money on their part). Again, it dates back to when floppies were actually expensive, and they didn't want each site to have to buy their own. I'm not sure when the last time was that I "paid" for disks, as I always buy them when I can get a rebate equal to or above the cost of the disk pack. I have of course recommended this to them a number of times... but they don't want anything to do with change. "I fear change, so I will keep my bush" -Quizzno's -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

24 years, 7 months

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Zenith Data Systems Z-386 SX/20 Free in NJ

by mythtech＠Mac.com

>Oh, good to hear that. Can't this interview program copied to HD and >run from there? Could I, yes, will I, no. It isn't my interview software. It is sent by the client (actually, two different ones, but they were once the same company, so they both use the same software/setups). The problem is, they are SUPER security concious. So for me to move it to a hard drive, I would have to edit the way they have it configured. They currently use a boot disk with DOS 3.2, which boots, and loads the interview program, then asks for the 2nd disk which contains the interview script and saves the data. Making the changes to run the whole thing off a HD is trivial, and I have done it in the past. The problem is, they consider doing any changes to their configuration to be a security violation, and when you violate their security, you get suspended as a work site for 2 weeks. So can I do it, yes, I just won't, because it isn't worth the risk of being caught, nor worth the effort to do it, since every job they send new disks, so every job I would have to repeat the conversion. Lots of effort and risk for no increase in usability. Besides, they already don't like me. They keep reusing the same DD 3.5" disks over and over. As a result, the shutters get bent, and I have had countless drives ruined because a bent shutter ripped the drive head off when removing the disk. So I have instructed all my staff to remove any shutters that even look suspect. So now the two companies hate me because they have to keep replacing the DD disks (which are slowly getting harder to find). -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

24 years, 7 months

3
2
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Nuke Redmond!

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On November 8, UberTechnoid(a)home.com wrote: > I know how you all love this thread.... > > Now that the government and MS appear to have come to something of an > agreement, I wondered what the C-Comp folks think? > > For myself I think it is too little too late and does not directly address > actual crimes committed by the heads of the company. One thing it DOES do > is identify MS as having caused actual harm to some companies and provides > those companies recourse through separate lawsuits (ala Sun Microsystems, > IBM, and others). Too bad people [companies] can't be sued for being incompetent schmucks. -Dave -- Dave McGuire St. Petersburg, FL

24 years, 7 months

1
0
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Refilling Toner Carts (was RE: Rubber Restorer...)

by dhquebbeman＠theestopinalgroup.com

> > One possible problem, Sodium Hydroxide < .5% could be damaging and > > corrosive to metalic parts. > > About the only common material that sodium hydroxide will attack is > aluminium, and then only when concentrated or exposure is reasonably long; > it has no effect on copper, steel, etc. Yeah, I've relied on this as a way to make satin-finish aluminum front panels for equipment. As the reaction progresses, the NAO2 (?) solution has to be preiodlically replaced. It generally took me about two days to get the desired look. -dq

24 years, 7 months

2
1
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Rubber Restorer...

by philpem＠bigfoot.com

> > I wonder how many accidental poisonings occurred? > A number, I would imagine, and especially in tight quarters. I got > exposed to some briefly during the `40s when the paper wrapping on some > decorative steel plate caught fire and the people nearest used a Carbon > Tet extinguisher to put it out. Rather pungent as I recall, so it does > provide some warning. A carbon tet extinguisher? IIRC the trade name for that stuff was "Halon"... > Also in that same era we used to degrease various components of > Resnatron Radar jamming with carbon tet and acetone bare handed. No one > thought a thing of it except for the way it degreased your hide! Acetone. The one common solvent I hate to hell. It ripped apart the supposedly-chemical-resistant gloves I was wearing while I was using it and proceeded to cover my fingers in goop. Took me a week to get all the cack off. "Chemical resistant" my left sock. So what if I've chopped a year or so off my life expectancy? For that year or so, I've had a lot more fun than some people twice my age... Including making a "slugzapper" - a 150V low-current voltage source to keep the slugs away from my Dad's flower bed :-) Oh, then there was the time I "accidentally" made an EHT generator out of a solenoid coil and a few diodes, transistors, etc... It was supposed to be an LC oscillator... Later. -- Phil. philpem(a)bigfoot.com http://www.philpem.f9.co.uk/

24 years, 7 months

2
1
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Rubber Restorer...

by Robert_Feldman＠jdedwards.com

HP recommends a plain old water (a damp cloth) to clean printer rollers. I just cleaned the rollers on my DeskJet 820ce and the paper feed is much improved. It remains to be seen how long it lasts this way, though. -----Original Message----- From: Roger Merchberger [mailto:zmerch@30below.com] Sent: Monday, November 05, 2001 1:02 PM To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org Subject: Re: Rubber Restorer... Rumor has it that Bryan Pope may have mentioned these words: >Does anyone know where I can get "Rubber Restorer"? I know it comes in a >spray. > >I thought I had bought it before at Radio Shack, but they didn't have any or >a clue. Not sure what kind of rubber you're trying to restore, but if it's printer rollers you're trying to "re-stickify" what works good for me is "Marvel Mystery Oil." Put some on a t-shirt rag and hit all the rollers in your inkjet or laser printer - I've "refurbished" several printers this way, some more than once. HTH, Roger "Merch" Merchberger

24 years, 7 months

12
16
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8 inch floppy drives

by mythtech＠Mac.com

>You can get PAL to work on NTSC, but I don't think you can do it in reverse >since the PAL chips don't have the bandwidth for the extra resolution. You >could get an NTSC console and if you play around a lot with the vertical >hold on the TV's and such you can stablize it and use it on a PAL tv and use >all NTSC carts. You can also buy an NTSC to PAL converter CHEAP (as low as about $40 US). Going the other way is more expensive however (PAL to NTSC usually runs about $200). Or you can use a computer's video capture card and defeat macrovision while you are at it (That is how I use my PAL VCR... I play it thru my Mac's TV Tuner card which can read PAL... and when I want to copy tapes to NTSC, I just sync it to the video output, which feeds NTSC, and creates a new sync pulse, thus defeating macrovision... oh wait, by saying this I am in violation of the DMCA... shucks!) -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

24 years, 7 months

2
1
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Micro PDP 11/73

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Nov 6, 18:41, Lawrence LeMay wrote: > Well, I have a 1 Mbyte MOS RAM board, M3104 8-line asyncronous multiplexor > with DMA (can these be used as normal serial ports, or do I need more > external hardware?) It's a DHV11. You need the "cabinet kit" which is essentially a (pair of?) panels with 4(?) DB25s on each, with a ribbon cable to connect them to the Berg connector on the card. No additional elecronics, just wires. > a M7546 TMSCP controller for TK50 tape unit (which > I dont have), and the M7555 MFM Winchester & Floppy disk controller. That last is an RQDX3, MSCP controller. What version are the ROMs, out of interest? > I'm assuming I just connect a terminal to the main console serial port, > and hope someone left me an operating system since I have no peripherals > at this time... Yes. One of the switches sets the baud rate, default is 9600 8N1. Depending on which boot ROMs are on the card, you should see some sort of diagnostic display, and it may or may bot try to autoboot. If you tell us the ROM numbers (something like 23-238E5 or just 238E5) we can probably tell you which version it is. I have a copy of the MicroPDP-11 handbook somewhere, I can probably look it up. -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

24 years, 7 months

1
0
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hard-sector 5 1/4 disk

by mythtech＠Mac.com

>>I don't think I'll ever get my dream car. A Bugatti EB16/4. > > Nice choice...I'll likely never aquire mine either since all >surviving examples are still owned by the manufacturer...1955 >Mercedes 300SLR. Dream car?!? Right now I'll just settle for A car! -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

24 years, 7 months

2
1
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Sun / CalComp Printer networking problems (was: Thick Ethernet/Sun networking problems)

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

Hi, Arno. On Nov 8, 7:50, Arno Kletzander wrote: > at first: Is it okay to continue our mailing this way (directly mailing the > messages, only CCing to Classiccmp.org? It's because I'm on the Digest and it > has been arriving at about 4 P.M. local time the last few days, which is too > late for me to stay in school and pick it up the same day (alas, don't have > Internet at home yet). Yes, that's OK. I don;t know if you'll necessarily get a faster response, but it's worth a try :-) > No, nothing on that board. There are only two 2pin jumpers, one for printing > out the adapter's status page and one for resetting the NOVRAM contents to > the factory defaults. I think I've already seen what you mean on other network > devices (six or so 3-pin jumpers, the movable parts sometimes joined in a > blue plastic tray). OK. It's probably a little more modern than I thought, then. I guess it senses that it is receiving link pulse on the 10baseT interface and uses that, otherwise it uses the AUI. > >>But no signs of overheating etc. on the PCB... > > OK, I admit that was only for VISIBLE SIGNS. The LM2577-T12 (switching > voltage regulator in TO-220 package) next to the AUI port becomes TERRIBLY hot > even after < 10 minutes of running the printer. > I assume it's used to generate the voltage the Transceiver uses? But the > power light (on the transceiver) is on as long as the printer is... That may not be a problem. The external transceiver (and the internal one) use an isolated supply to drive the electronics on the cable side. Those little converters sometimes get warm. I'm not familiar with that specific chip, though. It probably shouldn't get very hot. > And even worse...the DATA LED does no longer blink when there's traffic on > the Ethernet... Oh dear, a bad sign, I fear. -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

24 years, 7 months

1
0
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OT: food

by dhquebbeman＠theestopinalgroup.com

> McDonalds puts sugar in their french fries, I recently head on NPR. Apparently > their sales increased slightly when they started doing that. It's consistent > with their tendency to limit our diet to salt, fat, and sugar. In reality, I > guess we do it to ourselves, since we don't have to eat there. The only meal I > occasionally take at the Golden Arches, is breakfast, since they do, oddly > enough, have pretty passable coffee. ISTR hearing that they started that back in the early 70s... -dq

24 years, 7 months

1
0
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Apple Floppy Drives (was: More Apple Pimpers)

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Nov 8, 19:32, Tony Duell wrote: > > I never had problems as you describe, nor have I ever heard of anyone > > needing to adjust the alignment of an Apple disk drive. > > I have had to align Disk IIs. The version based on the SA400 mechanism, > if there's more than 1 type. And it certainly appeared as though the > continual banging of the head against the end stop (due to there being no > track 0 sensor) was a contributory factor in them losing alignment. I've had to do that too, and I tend to agree with Tony that the banging on the end stop seems to contribute to the need. However, I ought to point out that I've had to align lots of other 5.25" drives as well (I used to be a (micro)computer technician, a long time ago), including ones that used taut band mechanisms and leadscrews. > > As far as I know, there is no procedure in the Disk ][ manual for aligning > > a drive, and as far as I know, there is no reason for needing one. > > There is no procedure in PC user manuals for aligning the floppy drives. > Are you saying such a procedure does not exist? I have the service > manuals for the Teac drives used in my PCs and they include alignment > procedures. As does the Apple Service Manual for the Apple ][, as sold to all Apple Service Centres in the early '80s. It gives explicit instructions on head alignment, and board setup. I don't think I found Disk ][s to be much less reliable than contemporary drives, and mine are still going strong (both pairs). We all learned to open the door before power-up or power-down, but we had to do that with CBM drives and many others too. Certainly some brands of disk were better than others but that was true in the Commodore drives and the Cromemco drives, and later in the Acorn/BBC drives as well. Most of the time, they were on top of the machine, with the monitor on top of that, and I don't recall any problems that could be ascribed to that. The only catastrophic failures I can remember (apart from "Oh Spit! I meant to format the *other* disk!") were due to users replacing the cables wrongly. I think I've told this story before, but the Tech College used to loan Apples out to staff over the weekends. Typically the drives would be disconnected to make it easier to carry. It's easy to put that 20-pin ribbon header back, one pin along from its correct position on the controller, and if you do, you let a lot of magic white smoke out of the drive door. You can tell it's magic smoke, because the drive never has enough magic left to work after that. Usually the 74LS125 takes the brunt, but at least once it took out the MC3470 as well. That was "interesting" the first time, as Apple carried no spares, and the Motorola distributors claimed it didn't exist. -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

24 years, 7 months

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food

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Nov 8, 11:28, Mike Ford wrote: > >In some respects it's about getting people to "try" something they aren't > >accustomed to eating, just like when I was trying to train my kids. It's > >really > > I gotta say though this GREEN ketchup Heinz is pushing along with the Shrek > Video really barfs me out. Nah, that's quite cool. My nieces won't eat it, though. -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

24 years, 7 months

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DECSystem 5900 (fwd)

by optimus＠canit.se

Got this on another list. You could run ULTRIX on it. I could supply a CD image if necessary.

24 years, 7 months

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Pre PDA computers

by marvin＠rain.org

A friend emailed me these two links to a posting on Revworld about some of the computers that predated the PDAs. Very interesting! http://revoworld.com/dbShowNews.asp?ID=702 http://revoworld.com/dbShowNews.asp?ID=703

24 years, 7 months

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Burroughs B80

by mhstein＠usa.net

Someone who has a B80 in a museum contacted me on this list a while ago about some materials I want to get rid of. Alas, I can't easily find that reply now, so would you please contact me again off-list. My apologies... m

24 years, 7 months

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DECSystem 5900 (fwd)

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On November 8, Iggy Drougge wrote: > Oh, how silly of me. I assumed it was one of the QBUS systems. That'd be the 5400 and 5500 IIRC. -Dave -- Dave McGuire St. Petersburg, FL

24 years, 7 months

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Cable and connector source

by mcclure3＠home.com

on 11/2/01 1:45 PM, classiccmp-digest at owner-classiccmp-digest(a)classiccmp.org wrote: > 6-pin mini-DIN is what a PS/2 mouse uses. > > For "raw" parts how about http://www.jameco.com/ ? > > - -Philip Yes, PS/2 keyboard/mouse uses the same mini-DIN, but the wiring is completely different. Thanks for the URL... Don McClure Bel Air, MD

24 years, 7 months

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Refilling Toner Carts (was RE: Rubber Restorer...)

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Nov 8, 11:56, Douglas Quebbeman wrote: > > > One possible problem, Sodium Hydroxide < .5% could be damaging and > > > corrosive to metalic parts. > > > > About the only common material that sodium hydroxide will attack is > > aluminium, and then only when concentrated or exposure is reasonably long; > > it has no effect on copper, steel, etc. > > Yeah, I've relied on this as a way to make satin-finish aluminum > front panels for equipment. As the reaction progresses, the NAO2 (?) > solution has to be preiodlically replaced. It generally took me about > two days to get the desired look. Sounds about right. Depends on the concentration and temperature, of course, and also the fact that NaOH readily absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere, turning into Na2CO3 (sodium carbonate, washing soda) which doesn't have much effect on aluminium. In fact, NaOH and KOH are so good at that, that they're used in atmospheric scrubbers. -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

24 years, 7 months

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Clearly OT (but what the hell...) (was: food

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Nov 8, 11:49, Douglas Quebbeman wrote: > > It varies. Which night would you like? :-) > Any night whose name ends in the letter 'Y' and which > occurs once each week... but Chris already informed me > this is merely a yearly affair... one I'm sure to look > forward to if I have to wait a year for a wee dram! But the drinking part and eating part, and indeed most other parts needn't only be annual. Only the Burn's Night title part is annual :-) Um, you do have to listen to bagpipes, though, if it's Burn's Night. -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

24 years, 7 months

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Rubber Restorer...

by dhquebbeman＠theestopinalgroup.com

> HP recommends a plain old water (a damp cloth) to clean printer rollers. I > just cleaned the rollers on my DeskJet 820ce and the paper feed is much > improved. It remains to be seen how long it lasts this way, though. Cleaning isn't the issue- deglazing is. Rubber rollers become glazed on their surface, and whether it's from picking up dirt and dust or because the rubber simply fuses chemically at the surface I don't know. But traditionally, cerbon tetrachloride was used for this purpose. I also used it to highlight watermarks in vintage postage stamps. Regards, -dq

24 years, 7 months

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OT: food

by mythtech＠Mac.com

> But I have to admit, McDonalds french fries in thier choclate shake >is pretty good too. Never tried that, but I used to get a medium chocolate, and a medium stawberry, and drink them together (one straw from each to my mouth), that was always pretty good. I will have to dunk my fries the next time (and to think, I was just about to get Mc D's for lunch, but at the last minute pulled into the popeye's drive thru instead.) -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

24 years, 7 months

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OT: food

by Robert_Feldman＠jdedwards.com

I haven't tried one but I have heard that fried candy bars (e.g., Snickers) were a big hit at the Wisconsin State Fair. -----Original Message----- From: David Woyciesjes [mailto:DAW@yalepress3.unipress.yale.edu] Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2001 2:01 PM To: 'classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org' Cc: 'mythtech(a)Mac.com' Subject: RE: OT: food ! ... Of course, I am the guy the puts ! powdered sugar on french fries,... Powdered suger on french fries? Sounds... wierd... but tasty. I'll have to try it. Well, you _can_ go to a carnival and get fried dough with powdered sugar on it, so I guess it's not that much of a stretch... But I have to admit, McDonalds french fries in thier choclate shake is pretty good too. --- David A Woyciesjes --- C & IS Support Specialist --- Yale University Press --- mailto:david.woyciesjes@yale.edu --- (203) 432-0953 --- ICQ # - 905818

24 years, 7 months

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hard-sector 5 1/4 disk

by wrm＠ccii.co.za

Hi again I for one ran an Apple ][ (clone) with two floppies and a monitor on top of the box, for a long long time, and the only problems I had was when the one-shots in the drive (how's that for a (belated) thread merge? :-) drifted so far that disks from one drive wouldn't read on the other. And yes, I still have the system, and it still reads the disks. I owe Tony an apology: >Why suspect the FDC? This soulds like nothing more than a shorted or >leaky keyswitch. Have yoy taken the keyboard apart to check for this yet. I found the correct pins for "Enter" and the floppy tries to read the disk... I made a disk on the peecee but I since found out that peecees can't make SD disks... time to go find an old XT disk controller (I have a few :-) and gippo it to read and write SD. Seeya Wouter in digest mode

24 years, 7 months

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[AGarvin@tribalddb.com: Sun stuff]

by mrbill＠mrbill.net

Lots of old free Sun software in Dallas.. Please mail him directly. Bill ----- Forwarded message from Allen Garvin <AGarvin(a)tribalddb.com> ----- From: "Allen Garvin" <AGarvin(a)tribalddb.com> To: "'mrbill(a)sunhelp.org'" <mrbill(a)sunhelp.org> Subject: Sun stuff Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 14:35:47 -0500 Hello! I've found your site quite useful for the past few years. I was wondering: You wouldn't be interested in taking a gazillion pieces of old Sun software off my hands? A whole closet full of really interesting stuff, which includes nearly every piece of programming software sun put out between 87 and 93, along with manuals? Such jewels as Sun ADA, Fortran, Pascal, C, C++, GWBasic (really!), Lisp, modula-2, and others, along with libraries, all with full documentation. They take up way too much space in my apartment, and I'm just not that interested any more in running antique software and hardware, but I'd like someone who's interested in Sun stuff to have it. Or, do you know anyone else that would like it? I'll give it all away for free, to anyone who can drive to my apartment up in Dallas and pick it up. Allen Garvin UNIX Administrator Tribal DDB Dallas 214-259-2767 agarvin(a)tribalddb.com ----- End forwarded message ----- -- Bill Bradford mrbill(a)mrbill.net Austin, TX

24 years, 7 months

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Apple Floppy Drives (was: More Apple Pimpers)

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

In a message dated 11/8/2001 6:34:09 AM Central Standard Time, foo(a)siconic.com writes: > On Wed, 7 Nov 2001, Allison wrote: > > > 1- Drives (SA400 was pure garbage!!!) > > 2- horribly botched controllers (TRS-80 without mods) > > 3- software such as disk drivers that would hang if no media or > errors > > 4- floppy drives/controlers that would "bite" the media on power up > or > > down meaning it would write trash due to no write locks. > > 5- not enough space > > > > The apple-II was plagued with #1 and somewhat with #3 depending on > > OS and definately #4. Space was a problem for many users(#5) > > Most software I used on the Apple ][ would not hang on a disk error. I > only experienced that problem with certain games that had no provision for > disk errors. Only very poorly written software would not recover properly > from disk errors, but this is a bad software design issue, and not a > hardware issue. > > As for having media in the drive upon power up, I learned early on from my > cousin not to leave disks engaged in the drive at power up. In the very > least I always opened the drive door before turning the machine on. Even > if I was lazy, I rarely got bit by that issue. > > Sellam Ismail Agreed, most games and programs I ran (which were copies of copies of copies...) usually could recover from wrong disk, or I/O errors. Even the type in programs from NIBBLE magazine had error handling routines. I don't personally remember having a disk failure from powering up with a disk in the drive. Heck, I remember taking disks out while the disk access light was on! Perhaps I was luckier than most? clearing the HYPE about bioterrorism www.formatc.org/terrorism.htm

24 years, 7 months

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Apple Floppy Drives (was: More Apple Pimpers)

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

From: Eric Chomko <vze2wsvr(a)verizon.net> >> 1- Drives (SA400 was pure garbage!!!) > >Whoa! I bought my Smoke Signal Broadcasting disk system back in 1978 >with two SA400 drives. I added a third drive in the late 80s. To this day <snippage> I also have my three for the NS*, the first was from 1977. However as someone in the industry I did get to see how often the general lot of them failed and why. They were not great drives. I ahve mine working because it treated them very well and retired them by late 1981 for lack of space. >my 2 cents... >> meaning it would write trash due to no write locks. >> 5- not enough space > >Considering the alternative to #5 was cassette or paper tape, we lived with it! No the alternative was 8" drives at 250k or more. >> space poor at 90k per drive (#5). >> > >My SSB system was SS/SD soft-sector and had a whopping 80KB storage >capacity per diskette. Didn't TRS-80, Apple II, Northstar and others ALL have >a different scheme (i.e. more capacity, hard-sectoring, double sided/density)? The scheme with hard sector VS soft was not an issue here. It was tiny and if you did software development 90k was cramped. >My point is that, maybe they were trying to do to much with the little ole >SA400 than the thinhs was designed to do? No, it was just weak. It was slow at 40ms step (30 if you pushed it), the motor bearing tended to wear and a host of other problems. I may add that when Shugart sold the floppy business the quality went to pot. >> CCS used 8" disks and reliable controller. It was however prone to #4. >> Many S100 system that used 8" drives and the better 5.25 drives fell >> in this realm of reliability though most with 5.25 were pretty cramped >> until 360k(DD) or 720->780k(QD aka two sided DD) formats were common. >> >By then CP/M and S-100 was dying. And SS50 was long gone... the point being? Actually S100 was lingering after about 1982 and CP/M was still gathering steam up to 1984-5 with BBS systems and modems. The PC only started with 180k then 360k.. ignoring the OS and platform the PC only continued the progression with regard to floppies and their problems. >Mini computers had their fare share of disk problems too. The Interdata 7/16 >systems I worked on in the mid-70s were slated to be outfitted with >floppy drives. They could never make them work. It was either hard disks >(20 MB system, w/10MB fixed and 10MB removable), or good ole paper >tape and TTYs. The mid 70s was really the start for 8" floppies! There was a learning curve for the technology as a whole. >> Of all, my opinion is that floppies were ok but the first real improvement >> was the 3.5" drives(720k and 1.44m generation) with the power fail logic >> on board. They offered good storage, small size, lower power, good >> reliability and quieter than the whole lot. >> > >And the fact that the 1.44MB floppy is STILL a standard device on many >systems to this very day. Yes, and? We know that. It is becuase it works, was cheap and proved usable in size and durability. I'd also describe that as summa nulla. It's the best of the floppies and software and files now barely fit on CDrom... or CDrw the new "floppy" replacement. Don't rave at me. I though apple and many other machine to be valid and made a statement then. I also have the luxury of seeing what worked, failed, got forgotten and deserves to be forgotten in the epoch post MITS. Allison

24 years, 7 months

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food

by mythtech＠Mac.com

>I've lived in the US for my entire life and have never >been subjected to marshmallow butter You've never had Fluff? Fluff is great, have it with peanut butter (Fullernutter), have it with bananas, have it on ice cream, have it with graham crackers and honey, or with graham crackers and chocolate for non heated smores. You can have Fluff with all sorts of stuff. Turns any food into instant junk food! Of course, I am the guy the puts powdered sugar on french fries, so maybe my opinions should be ignored (it was an accidental find, the wind picked up at the shore and my wife's funnel cake landed on my plate of french fries). I also dip milky way bars into whoopie pie filling (powdered surgar and crisco), and sit twitching from the massive sugar rush... humm.. maybe it isn't US food is bizarre, maybe it is just some US residents eat bizarre stuff. -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

24 years, 7 months

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8 inch floppy drives

by clandrum＠monumental.com

Found a nice site that can supply new 8 inch floppy drives, both half and full height and they have lots of different models as well as enclosures and power supplies. Might be a useful bookmark. I have not purchased anything from them yet so cannot vouch for them. See: www.cadigital.com Craig Landrum CTO Mindwrap, Inc.

24 years, 7 months

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DECSystem 5900 (fwd)

by mcguire＠neurotica.com

On November 8, Dan Wright wrote: > What is it? it sounds interesting... It's essentially a DECstation5000-240 in a rackmount box. -Dave -- Dave McGuire St. Petersburg, FL

24 years, 7 months

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OT: IE 5.5 SP2 "Always ask before opening this type of file"is

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

Replace Nyetscrap 4.72 with 4.08, much more stable. Or if you want more fun install IE4.02 (comx/activx crippled) and turn off VBS scripting. Allison -----Original Message----- From: Jeffrey S. Sharp <jss(a)subatomix.com> To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org> Date: Friday, November 02, 2001 12:44 AM Subject: Re: OT: IE 5.5 SP2 "Always ask before opening this type of file"is >On Thu, 1 Nov 2001 jpero(a)sympatico.ca wrote: > >> Is there's reliable web brower aka (IE) but likes of Nutscape (4.72) >> that doesn't blow up at every turn? > >Opera? > >-- >Jeffrey S. Sharp >jss(a)subatomix.com > >

24 years, 7 months

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Zenith Data Systems Z-386 SX/20 Free in NJ

by mythtech＠Mac.com

>The internet is a big place. Don't give up so easily. Most often if you >don't find results, your search terms need refining. I didn't turn up anything useful on my first google search. I fully admit that I could have spent far more time looking, and probably would have found what I needed. But the machine is/was of next to no value to me, so it simply wasn't worth my time to look beyond my first search. (kind of the idea that when sheetrocking a wall, if you drop a screw, it is more cost efficient to get a new one from your pouch then to get off the scaffold and find the one you dropped... for me, it was more cost efficient to throw out the machine, then to take another 15 minutes searching for the info I needed. This would have been a totally different situation if it has been at least a 486, but 386 and less machines can only be used for one job for me now, and I have a stock pile of them already) However, someone else on this list sent me the key combo as well, so the machine has been salvaged (it was about 10 minutes away from being stripped, since there had been no one that wanted it, I was going to finish bundling some cables, then I was going to need my bench space back to work on more important equipment). I feel better saving it. I always feel guilty when I throw out an otherwise fully working machine simply because I have to watch the bottom line at work (if I wasn't on a tight time crunch to clear some office space, I would have put it to the side for a slow day when I could have taken more time to try and fix it... but that putting to the side of systems is what has burried me under parts that need to be fixed or evaluated, so right now, I have to stick to the mentality of fix it or throw it, so old systems are getting tossed right now if they cause me to have to spend more than about 10 minutes working on them) -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>

24 years, 7 months

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food

by dhquebbeman＠theestopinalgroup.com

> I find it somewhat interesting how Americans define "foreign". Doesn't that > require something "indigenous"? =) Well, pemmican is indigenous... there are also some corn dishes that are supposed to predate European arrival. -dq

24 years, 7 months

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Clearly OT (but what the hell...) (was: food

by dhquebbeman＠theestopinalgroup.com

> On Nov 7, 8:08, Douglas Quebbeman wrote: > > > > Traditionally served [...] on special occasions like Burn's Night with a glass of > > > whisky. > > > This Son of Clan Keith is wondering which night of the week that > > Burn's Night falls on? > > It varies. Which night would you like? :-) Any night whose name ends in the letter 'Y' and which occurs once each week... but Chris already informed me this is merely a yearly affair... one I'm sure to look forward to if I have to wait a year for a wee dram! -dq

24 years, 7 months

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Dr Dobbs CD compression

by dhquebbeman＠theestopinalgroup.com

> I downloaded a few very old programs from the 80's from an on-line > (probably illegal) version of the DDJ CD (version 7). These programs are in > the ARC format, but when I use standard de-ARCing tools, I get CRC errors > and the like. > > Does anyone know if this CD has a specially tuned version of ARC on > it? The ancient ARC.COM from SEA in the 80s doesn't work? Have you tried PKXARC.COM? -dq

24 years, 7 months

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