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

by jfoust＠threedee.com

Michael Hyman's "PC Roadkill" book site at <http://www.nwlink.com/~tigger> has disappeared. Anyone know where it went? He had been hosting the executables for Claus Giloi's IMSAI/Altair emulators for Windows. I still have the source on my page at <http://www.threedee.com/jcm/> but now that this other page has disappeared, I think I'll add the executables, too. - John

26 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Speaking of Tandys... 2800HD parts?

by arfonrg＠texas.net

I just picked up a Tandy 2800HD laptop! Anyone have any clues/leads where I can find a power supply board and floppy drive for this thing? A ---------------------------------------- Tired of Micro$oft??? Move up to a REAL OS... ######__ __ ____ __ __ _ __ # #####/ / / / / __ | / / / / | |/ /## ####/ / / / / / / / / / / / | /### ###/ /__ / / / / / / / /_/ / / |#### ##/____/ /_/ /_/ /_/ /_____/ /_/|_|#### # ###### ("LINUX" for those of you without fixed-width fonts) ---------------------------------------- Be a Slacker! http://www.slackware.com Slackware Mailing List: http://www.digitalslackers.net/linux/list.html

26 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Strange drive unit

by PasserM＠umkc.edu

Chris, Another drive made for the C-64 was the Indus GT drive (more well known among Atari 8-bit users). It's cool looking-- all black with a smoked plexiglass cover and two 7 segment LED's showing what track the drive was using or the most recent error code. And another was something like the "Excelerator Pro", which has a cheap look and feel to it, though it may well be an OK drive. --Michael Passer mwp(a)acm.org >There were at least two other manufacturers of Commodore drives besides Commodore >itself, but memory fails me at the moment...none of them were 100% compatible, and as >such left the market rather early on in the game.

26 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Strange drive unit

by foxvideo＠wincom.net

I found this in one of my cupboards, don't know where or when I got it. Micro-systems development Inc. Dallas Texas Model SD-2 Two TEC 51/4 floppy drives, Model FB501, mounted vertically Built in AC supply Rear panel has two 6 contact female DIN sockets and one 24 contact female connection similar to a Centronics printer, only smaller. The construction is generally similar to that used on Apple ][ drive cases, although I suspect this might have something to do with a PET. Can any one enlighten me? Regards Charlie Fox Charles E. Fox Chas E. Fox Video Productions 793 Argyle Rd. Windsor N8Y 3J8 Ont. Canada email foxvideo(a)wincom.net Homepage http://www.wincom.net/foxvideo

26 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

Strange drive unit

by PasserM＠umkc.edu

That is an MSD SD-2 dual drive. It was sold as a premium drive for the Commodore 64, and supports either serial or IEEE-488 interfaces. It would work with a PET, as well, via the IEEE-488 interface. One of its compelling features is its ability to copy a diskette completely in its firmware with one command, and quickly. If you would like to sell it, I would be interested :>. Nice find! --Michael Passer mwp(a)acm.org -----Original Message----- From: CLASSICCMP-owner(a)u.washington.edu [mailto:CLASSICCMP-owner@u.washington.edu]On Behalf Of Charles E. Fox Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 1999 8:12 AM To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers Subject: Strange drive unit I found this in one of my cupboards, don't know where or when I got it. Micro-systems development Inc. Dallas Texas Model SD-2 Two TEC 51/4 floppy drives, Model FB501, mounted vertically Built in AC supply Rear panel has two 6 contact female DIN sockets and one 24 contact female connection similar to a Centronics printer, only smaller. The construction is generally similar to that used on Apple ][ drive cases, although I suspect this might have something to do with a PET. Can any one enlighten me? Regards Charlie Fox Charles E. Fox Chas E. Fox Video Productions 793 Argyle Rd. Windsor N8Y 3J8 Ont. Canada email foxvideo(a)wincom.net Homepage http://www.wincom.net/foxvideo

26 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Strange drive unit

by KFergason＠aol.com

Sounds like a MSD-2 Dual floppy for Commodores. pretty cool. relatively rare. 1541 compatible, but the copy-protected stuff wouldn't work on them. I think Fast Hack-em had a SD-2 copier, could copy a non-protected disk pretty quick. Kelly In a message dated 8/25/99 8:13:18 AM Central Daylight Time, foxvideo(a)wincom.net writes: > I found this in one of my cupboards, don't know where or when I got it. > > Micro-systems development Inc. Dallas Texas > > Model SD-2 > > Two TEC 51/4 floppy drives, Model FB501, mounted vertically > > Built in AC supply > > Rear panel has two 6 contact female DIN sockets and one 24 contact female > connection similar to a Centronics printer, only smaller. > > The construction is generally similar to that used on Apple ][ drive cases, > although I suspect this might have something to do with a PET. > > Can any one enlighten me? > > Regards > Charlie Fox >

26 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

new toy tandy 1000hx

by allisonp＠world.std.com

Anyone out there with suggestion or clues on this oddball? Tandy 25-1053 1000HX PC. Interesting 8088 non-isa monoboard with what appears to be mono video and integral keyboard. The PS is very small, less that 55W and the MB is mostly cmos save for the cpu and support chips. I'm trying to decide if I'll gut it for the powersupply and floppy or find a use for it. One limiting factor is it down't appear to have a serial port. If I can find a schematic I may try a hack I've considered. Putting a 8085+mmu in the 8088 socket (it's been done going the other way!) and changing the rom so I can run cpm-80. First chance I'll drop by Tandy... knowing them they may have the service manual for it. Allison

26 years, 10 months

3
3
0 0

new toy tandy 1000hx

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

In a message dated 8/24/99 10:23:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time, allisonp(a)world.std.com writes: > Anyone out there with suggestion or clues on this oddball? > > Tandy 25-1053 1000HX PC. > > Interesting 8088 non-isa monoboard with what appears to be mono video > and integral keyboard. The PS is very small, less that 55W and the MB > is mostly cmos save for the cpu and support chips. > > I'm trying to decide if I'll gut it for the powersupply and floppy or > find a use for it. One limiting factor is it down't appear to have a > serial port. > > If I can find a schematic I may try a hack I've considered. Putting a > 8085+mmu in the 8088 socket (it's been done going the other way!) and > changing the rom so I can run cpm-80. > > First chance I'll drop by Tandy... knowing them they may have the service > manual for it. > > Allison that is that small apple //c looking pc clone? has dos2.1 in rom IIRC, and a bit nonstandard card slot(s). i think the 1000ex was similar... D.B. Young Team OS/2 -->this message printed on recycled disk space visit the computers of yesteryear at: http://members.aol.com/suprdave/classiccmp/museum.htm

26 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

Help me identify this mysterious RAM card

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

In a message dated 8/24/99 11:04:42 PM Eastern Daylight Time, ethan_dicks(a)yahoo.com writes: > I have this card made by "Memory Products and More". It's 8Mb, *looks* > like a PCMCIA card but says on the back, "Do not insert this card into > the PCMCIA card slot." It has 88 pins. Does anyone know what this might > go into? > > Thanks, that's most likely an ICDRAM card; some of the 360 and 75x series IBM thinkpads used those for memory expansion and some other mobile products as well. certainly not classic though. D.B. Young Team OS/2 -->this message printed on recycled disk space visit the computers of yesteryear at: http://members.aol.com/suprdave/classiccmp/museum.htm

26 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Help me identify this mysterious RAM card

by ethan_dicks＠yahoo.com

I have this card made by "Memory Products and More". It's 8Mb, *looks* like a PCMCIA card but says on the back, "Do not insert this card into the PCMCIA card slot." It has 88 pins. Does anyone know what this might go into? Thanks, -ethan === Infinet has been sold. The domain is going away. Please send all replies to erd(a)iname.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com

26 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

new toy tandy 1000hx

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<that is that small apple //c looking pc clone? has dos2.1 in rom IIRC, and <bit nonstandard card slot(s). i think the 1000ex was similar... Yep exactly, runs too. Can't say on the EX. The DOS in rom is a 16kb (27128) with dos command.com, driver, bios and an autoexec.bat as drive C:. Drive is 3.5" 720k and ram is a whopping 256k, and its full unless it will take a larger part. Rather curious beast. Allison

26 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

IBM part numbers

by mark_k＠iname.com

Hi, Is there a web site that, on entry of an IBM part number, returns what that thing is? I picked up an old (made in early '89 from date codes on the chips) IBM 8-bit ISA card the other day. It's half-length, and the only connector on the rear panel is a BNC. There are no jumpers on the card. Part number is 25F8545. Searching for the part number on the IBM web site didn't turn up anything. On Dejanews, one posting mentioned that part number. This card might be a "3270 emulator" apparently. Can anyone shed more light on this? What exactly is it? -- Mark

26 years, 10 months

3
2
0 0

To be posted shortly - BIOS source code

by rcini＠msn.com

Hello, all: I just finished two projects for the PeeCee. I've finished scanning and correcting the source code for the original IBM PC and IBM PC/AT. Right out of the Tech Ref books. I haven't tried to re-compile the BIOS, but I'm reasonably certain that the files are free of spelling errors, having taken me months of on-and-off line by line editing. These will be posted to the secure portion of the site since IBM's wallet is much bigger than mine :-) These will be posted in the next day or so (since I left my Zip disk at work). I'm also going to post a copy of the VIC-20 Kernal ROM source code, as decompiled by yours truly, and as featured in a series of articles in the C=Hacking e-zine. This one recompiles fine. Enjoy. ----------------------------------- [ Rich Cini/WUGNET [ ClubWin!/CW7 [ MCP Windows 95/Windows Networking [ Collector of "classic" computers [ http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/classiccmp/ <---------------------------- reply separator

26 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

Antiques Roadshow (was: Re: Re. imsai 2)

by cdrmool＠interlog.com

I'm not suprised at the AR comments. My brother is a master craftsman. He restores antique furniture for a living and has done so for the Royal Ontario Museum. He has, on occasion, and for his own amusement, mad e copies of rare antique pieces and shown them to the experts, sometimes side by side with the originals. The experts are often wrong in chosing which is the copy. I wonder how long before fake old computers start to appear? I'm very proud of him in that he is totally self taught and that he would never profit from the fakes. colan ____________________________________________________________________ Vintage Computer Collectors List and Info: http://members.xoom.com/T3C Mail us at: T3C(a)xoommail.com -----Original Message----- From: Philip.Belben(a)pgen.com <Philip.Belben(a)pgen.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Monday, August 23, 1999 1:08 PM Subject: Antiques Roadshow (was: Re: Re. imsai 2) > > > >> At 10:39 AM 8/22/99 -0400, Bill Sudbrink wrote: >>> >>>"Gee, that's too bad. If you hadn't rewound the transformer on that >>>IMSAI, it would be worth $50,000. But since it works, it's only >>>worth $25. Remember folks, never fix anything. The original non-working >>>lump of metal is worth far more than a machine that does what it was >>>actually designed to do." >> >> I guess you don't watch the Antiques Roadshow very often. They routinely >> dash people's hopes by saying "Gee, if back in 1950 you hadn't refinished >> this 1820 chest of drawers, it would be worth $25,000. But now it's >> worth $250." >> >> It all comes down to each person's perception of value. And of course, >> the sale price is ultimately determined one buyer and one seller. >> >> - John >> >> P.S. For the non-USAians, "Antiques Roadshow" is a television program >> on the public television network. It travels from city to city, opening >> up a convention hall to the public to bring in their antiques for free >> appraisal by their teams of expert auctioneers and collectors. > > >We have a similar show in the UK, also called Antiques Roadshow. One of the few >TV shows I actually enjoy watching. Alas I was away when it came to Coalville, >so I couldn't take any classic computers to see how they reacted... > >I'm not sure of the accuracy of some of their comments though. Examples from >when my parents caught it at their town (and got on TV!): > >1. My mother took some WW2 propaganda posters. Was told they were almost >worthless. Later on, an official came up to her and said they wanted to film >the posters. So they went through the same rigmarole again. But on camera she >was told they were worth at least 100 pounds (I can't remember whether each or >for the set) > >2. My parents also invited them to look at some antique furniture in situ. One >writing desk they were particularly interested in, shipped it to the filming >venue, etc. They pointed out all the things to look for, and claimed that the >evidence proved it was original and had never been restored. My father forebore >to say that it had come back from the restorer's workshop only 2 months earlier >- and we'd all seen the state it was in before it went... > >(We think they must have lost a lot of footage that day. A lot of interesting >things they filmed weren't shown, and they filled up time with pointless >activities that had little bearing on the antiques...) > >Philip. > > > > > > >

26 years, 10 months

6
9
0 0

2 FREE DEC Rainbow 100+'s in UK (forwarded)

by rhblake＠bigfoot.com

Found this on the Obsolete Computer Helpline....contact the author below in the UK, not me. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lee davison <lee.davison(a)mercom.co.uk> Ludlow, Shropshire UK - Tuesday, August 24, 1999 at 17:21:38 FREE! Two (at least) DEC Rainbow 100+ machines, keyboards, mono monitors and any other DEC bits I have. AFAIK they both still work and have 10MB hard drives in them. The lucky recipient of these must either collect them or pay shipping. I'll keep them until the end of the month but after that they are scrap. They are heavy and fairly big and I need the room. Cheers, Lee.

26 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

New toy

by donm＠cts.com

Over the weekend, I acquired a new toy called an Intel Wildcard WC88. It consists of a card in 72 pin SIMM format - only taller - that contains a surface mount 8088 chip hiding under a glob of epoxy. Also carries an xtal, 640k memory, another - unidentified - chip under epoxy, a BIOS EPROM, and a few glue chips. The edge connector is 72 pin SIMM style. There is also a (basically) passive motherboard that carries a 72 pin SIMM socket, a keyboard connector, three 8-bit ISA sockets, and a handful of chips. The Award BIOS displays a message on bootup that 'this is a demonstration BIOS and is not to be sold'. I have searched the Web to no avail seeking any reference to this mini-XT. If anyone has one or has heard of one, or... I would certainly appreciate hearing from them. I have know idea what Intel intended when they put this thing together - for sale, demo, sales tool, ??? But I'd like to know. - don

26 years, 10 months

3
3
0 0

Re. imsai 2 (OT)

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<Of course no program should ever intentionally use undefined opcodes, but <copy-protection systems often do in my experience. So it's useful if <emulators do the Right Thing with them. In the case of 8085 and z80 they were actually useful extensions and worth using. Those that came to depend on them kept spcing the part to have them and the vendors would make sure they were there. Allison

26 years, 10 months

2
2
0 0

Heathkit Analog Computer info?

by dcoward＠pressstart.com

Dave Dameron said: >Is this the one with 12AU7 (ECC82) twin triode amplifiers? (Or does the >EC-1 use them also?) I might have some partial schematics... >Cool. >-Dave In the manual I have each amplifier has a 12AX7 and a 6BQ7A twin triode plus a 6BH6. > What do you want for a copy of the Operations guide? The one I >have coming (the owner forgot to pack it) may or may not be complete. I'm sure we can work something out. I've being searching for a first born child (boy or girl) for a completely unrelated hobby. OR you could just keep me up to date on your music experiments. Keep in mind that this Operations Manual has theory but no example programs. It's the EC-1 Operations Manual that has the example programs. A good source for magazine articles on analog computers is the American Journal of Physics. Including one article on replacing the Heath ES-201 amplifiers with 741 op-amps. They have a searchable index on the web. And I found the issues at the S.F. Public Library (other libraries may differ). Other magazine called "Simulation" in their Febuary 1997 issue had an article on simulating an analog computer in Excel. Which looks like a great way to "single step" your program before moving to the computer. (See Windows does have a use) :) > My 'real world' use for this machine is to participate in the >production of what might be termed "chaos music", and other sounds >that could be produced when the output of the computer is applied to >the inputs of an analog synthesiser. Speaking of computer music generated by old machines, if you don't already have a copy, I recommend "Music by Computer", John Wiley and Sons, 1969, 139 pages. This book was started from papers submitted to the "Computers in Music" session at the 1966 Fall Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco. In a pocket in the back cover is four 7" floppy records with a total of 8 sides, containing examples of computer generated music and sounds samples to accompany each paper. > To those who asked for pictures.. as soon as I have time I will >put up a few, as well as some print advertising for it and an >article in a Popular Electronics I found describing it. I don't think I've seen this article. (hint) :) Regards, --Doug ========================================= Doug Coward Press Start Inc. Sunnyvale,CA =========================================

26 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Damn fools (was Re: Dell "Oldest PC" winner on zdnet)

by jeff.kaneko＠juno.com

On Sat, 21 Aug 1999 20:40:31 -0400 (EDT) William Donzelli <aw288(a)osfn.org> writes: < Bunch of stuff SNIPped > >The other troublesome comment was about the recyclers: "That's pretty >much what my local scrapper does . [tomb raiding for gold]. . .". Now these Yeah, that's what I said, and it's based on my experiences with a local party. I bring him a pile of stuff culled from his various heaps, and the question is "Let's how much gold you got there". That's all it boils down to, because that's how he chooses to operate his business. I've tried to impress upon him that this stuff is worth more alive than dead, but he is slow to understand. I made this statement because it parallels the 'treasure hunter' mentality towards archeological digs during the early part of the last century. "How much gold we got?". Alot of history got melted as a result. But I'm tired of talking about this. The good people know who they are, and everyone else seems to know who they are. The assholes tend to remain clueless, but we can usually work around them (or at least pick up the pieces after the fact, which is what I do). Jeff ___________________________________________________________________ Get the Internet just the way you want it. Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj.

26 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

Wanted: jumper settings for Teac FD-235HF-101

by ethan_dicks＠yahoo.com

--- Tony Duell <ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote: > > some recognizable names (D0, D1, FG, H-HI...) and at least one with a > > mysterous name (OP)... > > AFAIK, pin 16 on a standard floppy is the MOTOR ON signal... > Silly suggestion. Have you tried linking pin 16 on the drive to the drive > select line (pin 14 most likely). Leave the drive select wire connected > there as well. So that the motor goes on whenever the drive is selected. I have not tried jumpering any pins together among other reasons because on my Amiga schematics, pin 16 is driven by a discrete transistor rather than directly off of a Gary pin (custom chip used in Amiga floppy controller). > Alternatively, what about using whatever pin on the DB25 corresponds to pin > 10. That's what becomes pin 16 after the IBM-twist, and thus is the > motor-on signal for the second drive. That's probably the more likely > setup, actually. According to my records... 2 - chng 4 - inuse 1 6 - inuse 0 8 - index 10 - sel 0 12 - sel 1 14 - inuse 1 (yes, it's tied to pin 4 on the schematic) 16 - mtron 18 - dir 20 - step etc... Do I have this wrong? -ethan === Infinet has been sold. The domain is going away. Please send all replies to erd(a)iname.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com

26 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

New Document on Highgate's pdp-8 Web Site

by mranalog＠home.com

Kevin McQuiggin said: > Hi Gang: > The most recent addition to http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/pdp8 is the Small > Computer Handbook, 1966 edition, sections 1 and 2. > These were contributed by Doug Coward. You can reach Doug at the highgate > web site. > Further contributions of pdp-8 material welcome, I just wanted to add: Thank you Kevin, for taking this material under your wing. And to everyone else, this DEC handbook states the following on the rear cover: "This first edition of the DIGITAL Small Computer Handbook is designed to be a sourcebook of basic computer technology for the computer user and student. In addition to detailed material on computer fundamentals and programming examples, this book includes three user handbooks covering Digital's popular Family of Eight scientific/engineering computers - the PDP-8, LINC-8, and the new PDP-8/s." "sections 1 and 2" consist of the "computer fundamentals" section and the PDP-8/s section. Currently this is a 69MB file of 300 dpi scans. This is the first time that I have scanned any documents of this size for anyone besides myself, and I'm hoping to find out if these scans are convertable to a more manageable format or if I need to make some adjustments, before begining on the last two sections (PDP-8 and LINC-8) which make up 2/3 of the handbook. And in the process, I want to learn the process of converting scans to a smaller format (without starting an argument) because I also have about 590 pages of COSMAC/ELF docs scanned and ready to convert in addition to a few other that are in progress. Maybe one of these days I'll even get around to scanning some analog computer docs. :) Regards, --Doug ==================================================== Doug Coward dcoward(a)pressstart.com (work) Sr. Software Eng. mranalog(a)home.com (home) Press Start Inc. http://www.pressstart.com Sunnyvale,CA Curator Analog Computer Museum and History Center http://www.best.com/~dcoward/analog ====================================================

26 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Braille terminal

by lemay＠cs.umn.edu

> > I put a few digital camera photos of a old braille terminal (Feb > > 1977 vintage) in a directory at http://www.cs.umn.edu/~lemay/braille > > Thanks. I was kind of curious what the output side of the thing > looked like. I was expecting something like a fixed part-of-line > Braille display, but I guess paper would work better. What's it got, > a moving embossing head of some sort? Now that I've recharged my batteries, i've put two more photos in that directory, with closeup shots of the printing mechanism. No, there is no moving head which a blind person wouldnt be able to see moving. The 'paper' is very tough, almost identical to IBM punch cards. And as you see in the photo there are rows of holes, that have some sort of rod that pops up from behind to punch a raised round dot into the paper/cardboard sheets. I'm sot sure what will happen with this terminal. I hear we have to contact the Navy to see if they want it back, since it was originally purchased by them. After that, I guess its destined to be scrapped. Oh, does anyone know what these three chips are: 93419-DC F 8002 -------- ~/011 ~ should be double wavy lines MM5303N -------- sn74186N (three of these are on the board -Lawrence LeMay > > > I'm not quite sure what to do with this unit. There probably werent many > > braille terminals made in the 70's, and like most things, they probably > > were disposed of when they became obsolete. Maybe this should be donated > > to a computer museum. > > There were other widgets in the 1980s, I seem to remember a > description of a screen-scraper with Braille output that could be > fitted to an Apple ][. > > I guess they are obsolete. Until recently I was working with a blind > programmer/manager, and I was somewhere on her call-for-help list when > her PC misbehaved. When it wasn't misbehaving, she had screen-reader > software (something called JAWS from Henter-Joyce) that let her do > what she needed to do reasonably comfortably under WinNT. It worked > well enough for her to use Outlook and MS Word; I never saw her trying > to use a web browser so I don't know how well it worked with that. > > I'm trying to synch up with her for dinner, and if you like I'll try > to find out what she knows about this sort of thing. Don't know if > she's ever used one, though; she has talked about using what I > gathered were unmodified Silent 700s and I still haven't figured out > how that worked if/when she got unexpected output. > > -Frank McConnell >

26 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

Re. imsai 2 (OT)

by allisonp＠world.std.com

< Then the high order half of X would be $FF. Not sure if thta happens on <other versions of the 6809. Then there are all the undocumented opcodes o <the 6502 ... 8080, 8085, z80, z180, z280 and others also have undefined or irregular opcodes that are either unsupported or unofficially supported (all versions have them but they may not ;-)). The 8085 and z80 ones are most unique as I know of no version that doesn't support them and it's across vendors (even those that dont swap masks!). So It' surprizes me none at all to see that in moto chips or any other. A few emulators like MYZ80 do infact support all the z80 ops faithfully but thats an example of a well tested package and a stable set of opcodes. The 6502(and cmos versions) are legions for odd and spotty opcodes off the basic set. I know the 6800 family vary some as do the 6809. It's my understanding it was years before the 68000 instruction set was stable. Emulators, useful, interesting but NOT the real thing. Allison

26 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

Wanted: jumper settings for Teac FD-235HF-101

by allisonp＠world.std.com

This is pinouts for most 5.25 and 3.5" floppies that have 1 or 4 selects (excluded most current 3.5" that use twist cable select). NC(speedsel in 1.2mb) < 2 - chng nc(hd load) < 4 - inuse 1 drive sel3 < 6 - inuse 0 < 8 - index <10 - sel 0 <12 - sel 1 drive sel2 <14 - inuse 1 (yes, it's tied to pin 4 on <16 - mtron <18 - dir <20 - step writedata 22 wrtgate 24 track00 26 write pro 28 head sel 32 disk change 34

26 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Heathkit Analog Computer info?

by dcoward＠pressstart.com

John Lawson said" > I have just 'taken delivery' of a big Heathkit Analog Computer.. >not the small EC-1.. the big 15 opamp job. > The docs that are with it are just the operaor's guide. I >therefore will begin a search for the assembly manual and possibly >any theory of operation manuals, circuit diagrams, program set-ups, etc. > I think these are not too plentiful, but I will perform due >diligence and see if Heath can be of any help. Many times they still >have old manuals around and will copy them (for a fee). > In the meantime, if anyone on The List has any info pertaining to >this computer, it would help me get it back on the air. John, I can't tell if this question has been answered since midnight, so I'll just recount my experience with Heathkit Analog Computer manuals. When you call the Heathkit Manual Replacement Service you need to have the model number of the kit you want a manual for. And the Heathkit Analog Computer, like some of their more complicated kits, is actually maded up of a number of different kits. Below I'll list the kits that I know of and a price if I have already purchased that assembly manual myself. ES-400 $25 Cabinet and Front Panel, 56 pages X ES-2 $25 Amplifier Power Supply, 24 pages X ES-50 $20 Reference Power Supply, 16 pages ES-100 $25 Initial Condition Power Supply, 12 pages X ES-151 $20 Relay Power Supply ES-201 $25 DC Amplifier, 16 pages ES-401 Voltage Regulator Transformer ES-405 Patch Cords, They don't have a manual for this. ES-447 Coefficient Potentiometer ES-450 Auxiliary Coefficient Potentiometer ES-505 Repetitive Oscillator ES-600 Function Generator, a stand alone accessary. I assume it is meant to generate functions like sine,cosine, and log. Again, the ones with prices I have. The ones without I have not checked on yet. And the ones with Xs, they had extra originals, so they sent me an original. They have lost their copy of the Operations Manual. I finally found a copy in Switerland. :) > Finally... a computer that glows in the dark... 2 K3WL D00DZ!!! I know how you feel :) On a separate analog computer type note, I made a real exciting find a few weeks back. The S.F. Bay Area guys have already heard this. ======== Paste from old mail ============== Last week I was thumbing through "High-Speed Computing Devices", Engineering Research Associates, McGraw-Hill, 1950. This is the book that describes the state-of-the-art in 1950 and it discusses most of the one of a kind computers up until then. (It also has a large section on analog computers). Anyway, I was looking through the references section at the end of the the chapter on analog computers, when I noticed that Vannevar Bush had published most of his early articles in the Journal of the Franklin Institute. So I decided to see what would come up if I did a BookFinders.com search for the Journal of the Franklin Institute. I found: Bush, Vannevar "THE DIFFERENTIAL ANALYZER. A NEW MACHINE FOR SOLVING DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS." Contained in the Journal of the Franklin Institute, Volume 212, No. 4, October,1931, pp. 447-88. The complete Volume 212, octavo, attractively rebound full navy morocco. US$1500.00 Too expensive!!!! According to the references, the first article by Bush in this journal was in 1927 Volume 203. "Bush,V., F.D. Gage, and H.R. Stewart, A Continuous Integraph, Journal of the Franklin Institute, Vol.203, pp.63-84 (1927)" This is 2 years after he started work on the Integraph and 3 years before the Product Integraph is credited as being operational. So then I found on BookFinders: MCCLENAHAN, HOWARD: JOURNAL OF THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE DEVOTED TO SCIENCE AND THE MECHANIC ARTS ; PHILADELPHIA: THE INSTITUTE, 1927. G, XLIB VOL. 203 USD25.00 I took the chance that this was not just a single issue. And it's not!! It arrived today, a hard bound copy of Volume 203 Jan-June 1927. And the article has 6 pictures and some diagrams. ======== End paste ============== (Vannevar Bush is considered the father of the electronic analog computer) --Doug =================================================== Doug Coward dcoward(a)pressstart.com (work) Sr Software Engineer mranalog(a)home.com (home) Press Start Inc. http://www.pressstart.com Sunnyvale,CA Visit the new Analog Computer Museum and History Center at http://www.best.com/~dcoward/analog ===================================================

26 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

Re. imsai 2 (OT)

by max82＠surfree.com

>I thought that that was exactly what I was parodying. I guess >I didn't make that clear. I generally enjoy Antiques Roadshow, >but those particular spots really annoy me. In my opinion, the >original craftsman (the maker of the piece) would probably drop >over dead if presented with his work in "ideal collectable" >condition. Either that or he would immediately attack it with >sandpaper and mineral spirits. In general, what is the meaning of an antique? In many cases, it is exactly something that is old. However in the case of a computer, I think that an exact copy is perfectly valid. We are trying to preserve computer history, and computer technology, not old plastic, after all. What should concern people (IMHO) is the particular arrangement of keys on the keyboard, or gates on a CPU, or whatever, i.e. functional characteristics.

26 years, 10 months

4
6
0 0

Re. imsai 2 (OT)

by max82＠surfree.com

>Which would you prefer? A modern day clone of Stalin, or Stalin >himself? OK, enough with the communist shit. Bill Clinton is most certainly better than Stalin, BTW ;)

26 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

CP/M 86

by musicman38＠mindspring.com

Interesting CP/M 86 for the old IBM on eBay.. I really wanted this but it has gone way past my budget. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=147842873 So I was wondering if anyone had a copy of it or knew where I could get a copy of CP/M-86 for the IBM PC.. I will gladly send the disks, and a self addressed envelope if anyone could help.. Phil...

26 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

CP/M 86

by IVIE＠cc.usu.edu

> So I was wondering if anyone had a copy of it or knew where I could get a > copy > of CP/M-86 for the IBM PC.. http://cpm.interfun.net/ Roger Ivie ivie(a)cc.usu.edu

26 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Re. imsai 2 (OT)

by max82＠surfree.com

>Interesting point. From a logical standpoint, an emulator can be just as >much the original machine as the original itself. However, I think the No, it can't, because the software might use a different algorithm for emulating than the machine actually used. And of course, the interface logic isn't emulated. What I mean is that if we wish to preserve machines for study, then a copy is acceptable. Of course, there is that human element to which you refer, but I'd rather have a copy than nothing at all.

26 years, 10 months

4
6
0 0

Re. imsai 2 (OT)

by edick＠idcomm.com

What you've said here is EXACTLY the difference between "Antique Collectors" and various sorts of hobbyists. As was pointed out earlier, the IMSAI Front Panel, in its mint, therefore non working, condition is MUCH more desirable and hence valuable to the "collector" than the one, working perfectly with well-thought-out well-documented modifications to make it compatible with the environment for which it was purportedly intended. That means that the antique collector has different reasons for wanting, hence, obtaining and keeping, artifacts from the past. For Antique Computer afficionados, that means that those items which serve best, in this case, to "connect us to the past" by virtue of emulation, or by simple repair/modification in the interest of "making it work" are of little interest to the collector. He want the "real McCoy" as it was minted, not working and "alive" as it should have been. Dick -----Original Message----- From: Sellam Ismail <dastar(a)ncal.verio.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Monday, August 23, 1999 11:49 AM Subject: Re: Re. imsai 2 (OT) >On Mon, 23 Aug 1999, Max Eskin wrote: > >> In general, what is the meaning of an antique? In many cases, it is exactly >> something that is old. However in the case of a computer, I think that an >> exact copy is perfectly valid. We are trying to preserve computer history, >> and computer technology, not old plastic, after all. What should concern >> people (IMHO) is the particular arrangement of keys on the keyboard, or >> gates on a CPU, or whatever, i.e. functional characteristics. > >Interesting point. From a logical standpoint, an emulator can be just as >much the original machine as the original itself. However, I think the >psychological impact of an "antique" is that it has passed through many >hands before it arrived in yours, and the personal history that each >individual machine possess is what is desired. It connects us to the >past. Something peculiarly human. > >Also, humans are creatures that desire tangibility. We want to see the >machine, feel it, look inside it, experience the sights and smells as it >fires up, marvel at its elegance (or lack thereof), tinker with it in >three dimensions, point it out to people as a source of pride. You can't >do that with an emulator. > >Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- >Don't rub the lamp if you don't want the genie to come out. > > Coming this October 2-3: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0! > See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details! > [Last web site update: 08/17/99] >

26 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Antiques Roadshow (was: Re: Re. imsai 2)

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

>That would be this October, if you believe the scheduled shipping date >for the new Imsai computers. "New-old" IMSAI boxes were shipped through the mid-80's under several different names (there were Cromemco-branded IMSAI's, in particular). So classifying them as "old" or "new" isn't necessarily the simplest thing in the world! -- Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/ 7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917 Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927

26 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

BA-11 Power Supply Schematic/Repair Help

by steve.lubbers＠barco.com

I got a 4 dual slot qbus logic box. It's a little desktop unit. The power supply is not functioning. There are two connectors on the rear of the chassis. One goes to the processor reset, the second goes into the power supply. Is something required in the power supply connector to make things work, or do I have a blown supply? Does anyone have schematics for this supply? (The chassis is marked oba11-va) Steve

26 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

DEC Rainbow

by nerdware＠laidbak.com

Hi. I just acquired a Rainbow (haven't seen it yet, so I don't know many specifics) but it has a color monitor and the guy said he also had a touchscreen attachment for it. Anybody have pointers to where I can find out a little more about this beast? The guy I'm getting it from told me it was working the last time he used it, so I should be a happy camper in a couple of days. Thanks. Paul Braun NerdWare -- The History of the PC and the Nerds who brought it to you. nerdware(a)laidbak.com www.laidbak.com/nerdware

26 years, 10 months

4
6
0 0

Re. imsai 2

by bill＠chipware.com

> > I think that it's a load of crap. Old computers for the masses. Ruins it > > for the rest of us. Next thing you know, the Antiques Road Show will have an > > "antique computer" eposode. > > Um, from what I heard, someone on the Roadshow said within the last year > that computers will become the next hot collectable. Someone locally here > told me that (I didn't see the show myself). So it's too late for fear, > move straight on ahead to loathing. Oh! I can't wait... "Gee, that's too bad. If you hadn't rewound the transformer on that IMSAI, it would be worth $50,000. But since it works, it's only worth $25. Remember folks, never fix anything. The original non-working lump of metal is worth far more than a machine that does what it was actually designed to do."

26 years, 10 months

3
3
0 0

New Document on Highgate's pdp-8 Web Site

by mcquiggi＠sfu.ca

Hi Gang: The most recent addition to http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/pdp8 is the Small Computer Handbook, 1966 edition, sections 1 and 2. These were contributed by Doug Coward. You can reach Doug at the highgate web site. Further contributions of pdp-8 material welcome, Kevin ========================================================== Sgt. Kevin McQuiggin, Vancouver Police Department E-Comm Project (604) 215-5095; Cell: (604) 868-0544 Email: mcquiggi(a)sfu.ca

26 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

RX02 Repair

by steve.lubbers＠barco.com

I've been trying to bring my old RX02 drive back to life, with little success. I just received a good bootable floppy, and get the same results as with all my old disks, so now I'm looking for hardware problems. On a PDP-11/03, With RXV21 controller, and an RX02 drive, the RX02 initializes, attempts to read the boot block, and crashes to ODT at 000600. > In examining what my system reads as it attempts to boot, it looks like I > read every other 128 byte chunk correctly. I haven't figured out a pattern > to the corrupt sections. Does anyone have any RX02 diagnostics, or hardware trouble shooting tips? Steve

26 years, 10 months

16
19
0 0

imsai 2

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<Well, as I've said before, there are transformer kits available in the <UK. THey cost a little more than a normal transformer of that power <rating, and consist of a former with the primary windings pre-wound, and <a pile of laminations. You get to supply the secondary wire, and wind it on As someone that has wound audio and power transformers from scratch it's a pretty trivial task and can be very useful. Used to be a time the ARRL (USA) Handbook for Radio Amateurs had all the tables. Though given a random core it's pretty easy work all the numbers out after finding out if it's big enough. Allison

26 years, 10 months

7
8
0 0

Re. imsai 2 (OT)

by max82＠surfree.com

>Well, actually it's not. A copy might not be made of the same materials >that the original was made of. It might have different components Well, then it's not really what I was thinking of as a copy. Again, minor variations are possible, but if it no longer works the same way (e.g. if it has a pentium running an emulator inside), of course I wouldn't accept it as a copy. What I'm trying to say is basically that copies are not really such awful things as you make them sound...

26 years, 10 months

3
2
0 0

Compaq 386 luggable (but just)

by cdrmool＠interlog.com

Anyone able to direct me to a copy of the display driver and/or diagnostic setup disk(s) for this thing I just found ? Would be much appreciated. TIA colan ____________________________________________________________________ Vintage Computer Collectors List and Info: http://members.xoom.com/T3C Mail us at: T3C(a)xoommail.com

26 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

Antiques Roadshow (was: Re: Re. imsai 2)

by Philip.Belben＠pgen.com

> At 10:39 AM 8/22/99 -0400, Bill Sudbrink wrote: >> >>"Gee, that's too bad. If you hadn't rewound the transformer on that >>IMSAI, it would be worth $50,000. But since it works, it's only >>worth $25. Remember folks, never fix anything. The original non-working >>lump of metal is worth far more than a machine that does what it was >>actually designed to do." > > I guess you don't watch the Antiques Roadshow very often. They routinely > dash people's hopes by saying "Gee, if back in 1950 you hadn't refinished > this 1820 chest of drawers, it would be worth $25,000. But now it's > worth $250." > > It all comes down to each person's perception of value. And of course, > the sale price is ultimately determined one buyer and one seller. > > - John > > P.S. For the non-USAians, "Antiques Roadshow" is a television program > on the public television network. It travels from city to city, opening > up a convention hall to the public to bring in their antiques for free > appraisal by their teams of expert auctioneers and collectors. We have a similar show in the UK, also called Antiques Roadshow. One of the few TV shows I actually enjoy watching. Alas I was away when it came to Coalville, so I couldn't take any classic computers to see how they reacted... I'm not sure of the accuracy of some of their comments though. Examples from when my parents caught it at their town (and got on TV!): 1. My mother took some WW2 propaganda posters. Was told they were almost worthless. Later on, an official came up to her and said they wanted to film the posters. So they went through the same rigmarole again. But on camera she was told they were worth at least 100 pounds (I can't remember whether each or for the set) 2. My parents also invited them to look at some antique furniture in situ. One writing desk they were particularly interested in, shipped it to the filming venue, etc. They pointed out all the things to look for, and claimed that the evidence proved it was original and had never been restored. My father forebore to say that it had come back from the restorer's workshop only 2 months earlier - and we'd all seen the state it was in before it went... (We think they must have lost a lot of footage that day. A lot of interesting things they filmed weren't shown, and they filled up time with pointless activities that had little bearing on the antiques...) Philip.

26 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

Damn fools (was Re: Dell "Oldest PC" winner on zdnet)

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<> Since the quote is from my post why not step away from ad hominin <> commentary. < <If you wish to be singled out, then fine. There are many on this list <with the same attitude, so it more or less applies to lots of people. The <attitude is one of elitism (sp?) - that our little circle of collectors <is far and away the best place for all of our machines, and that if you <are not in the circle, you are trash not worth of even the most common box I prefer to speak for myself only. If I resemble that, then there is a great misunderstanding. If anything I've passed on a great deal of material usually free or at prices so low as to reflect a disregard profit. But hey at least were talking about it. <Put yourself if the shoes of some guy from zdnet or Dell - that quote <is basically a direct slam against how well corporate institutions treat <historical artifacts. Dell and zdnet happened to be be "in the wrong <place at the wrong time" - and their names were dragged around a bit. Since the conversation was in the context of their seeking I can see possible confusion. No direct slams were intended, however they were misconstrued. Maybe because I have a realistic attitude about business. Even business do things they don't like or wish to do. <It seems that the DEC U.S. collection turned TC"M" is just about the only <massive failure, and even then, DEC wins back a lot of points for the DEC <Australia collection (now under independent control). Look at some of the <successes - Westinghouse, Motorola, IBM (for a time). There are many more <smaller ones, too - U.S. Robotics even had a very small exhibit (they <still do, even after the 3com buyout). Most of these corporate museums <are SERIOUS about what they do, and frankly, put us to shame when it <comes to how well they treat their holdings (how many of us keep out <goodies in climate controlled rooms, stored or displayed with dignity, <completely cataloged for researchers, handled with cotton gloves, and <restored and operated according to all of the rules of thumb for museums?) This is a good thing. No, few of us do the kid gloves. Likely I offend many because I actually run them, use them and occasionally modify them. <The problem is that some of those "what if"s tend to be rather <offensively written, often using blanket statements that immediately put <people in a defensive position. Nobody likes that. Yep, somethimes they also have to look at the concern and understand it even if poorly written. For example one my worries is what happens if the company falls on hard times, collections have costs like storage or people and if a company falls on hard times...could that be the first to go? Have they provided for continuence? The successes exist to say that it does happen. But, I ask what outside influences were ther to make this happen. <No, I have never heard you lash out at the scrappers, but many others <have (that is why the original post was split up - same concept from two <different people). There have been a great number of posts badmouthing <the scrappers in the past, and yesterday, another one came up. Scrappers is business. In the past I've used them to get metal stock and the like for bargan prices compared to dealers. Still that does mean pay a fair price. Like the guy with the smashed radio I had to learn what that means, however my father was one to mediate my stupdity then so WE the scrapper and I both got what we wanted. I know. <And, no, scrappers can make a lot of money off of the gold. The average <desktop PeeCee contains 2 to 9 dollars worth at today's price. Obviously, <the big systems are the cash cows. There is value, for effort and work. Like anything they are diamonds in the rough and recycling the materials is a necessary thing. <Now here we go again. Calling this imaginary person a "dope" is really <bad form. Does he deserve to be called a "dope", simply because he is <working 55 hours a week, and his boss tells him to get rid of the old No excuse both ways. However waste is a general thing. In this day of recycling maybe it fits. <system because they need the floorspace (and sometimes power)? I have <been in this situation many times, working in computer rooms around the <country. I did not have a few hours to devote to trying to find equipment <good homes, even if it was on my own time. Pretty much the best one can <do is put out a post to the list or the newsgroups, and hope someone can <fit _into_ the schedule. Ah, but you did! There is lies the difference. <I figured that word would come up. No, you can say whatever you like to <others, individual or corporate. Just be sure you know what the <consequences are, and that they may effect you, a group, or the whole <collecting scene as a whole. I, for one, think that being group labelled an <"elitist whiner" is not a good thing. "Respectable collector" sounds much <nicer, but I think the former label is what we are headed towards due to <the attitudes of many on this list. Well oh, I see. I'm very uncomfortable with that whole presentation. Maybe you need to reread and think what you have said over as well with consideration of your own views. From the otherside of the glass it sounds no better. I'd think I fit neither. I'm a used hardware user. Very little of what I've gathered is "collection" much of it is my old stuff that is sentimental more than historically important. Then again maybe why they are historically important. Museums and collectors are apparently the other guy. Like I've said before, much of what I have is satisfying a wish to run and tinker with systems I could never afford when new. Different mindset I'd guess. One additional point. Museums of my past were sterile plases where don't touch was the operating word, glass cases, rails to keep distance. I understand why. However, this is emotional so stay with me, computers especially old ones through the early 70s were always behind the glass. Many people were held at bay by the resulting priesthood and classism that resulted. Only the privileged got to touch or run them. Keeping (making?) the older ones touchable is an important task that coperate sponsers may or may not understand. Just a thought. Allison

26 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

Heathkit Analog Computer info?

by jpl15＠netcom.com

I have just 'taken delivery' of a big Heathkit Analog Computer.. not the small EC-1.. the big 15 opamp job. The docs that are with it are just the operaor's guide. I therefore will begin a search for the assembly manual and possibly any theory of operation manuals, circuit diagrams, program set-ups, etc. I think these are not too plentiful, but I will perform due diligence and see if Heath can be of any help. Many times they still have old manuals around and will copy them (for a fee). In the meantime, if anyone on The List has any info pertaining to this computer, it would help me get it back on the air. Finally... a computer that glows in the dark... 2 K3WL D00DZ!!! Cheers John

26 years, 10 months

3
2
0 0

Success w/RT-11 and TCP/IP

by healyzh＠aracnet.com

A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text Size: 345 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.classiccmp.org/pipermail/cctalk/attachments/19990820/60dfe3fe/at…

26 years, 10 months

2
2
0 0

RQDX3 as third controller under RT-11

by healyzh＠aracnet.com

OK, it looks like I figured out why I've not been able to get the RX50's on my PDP-11/73 working, dead RQDX3. Of course it's my only one that can handle RX33's, thankfully I'm more interested in RX50's. Anyway, I've got a problem, and part of it might be what a mutant beast this system is. If I have DU7: set to one of the drives on the RX50 the system crashes after 1 minute (I actually timed this, and it was so close to 1 minute it was disturbing). I've not tried any other combo's of setting the RX50 in the system, but don't see why that would matter. The thing really wierd about this system, and one of the main reasons I call it a mutant beast is the following: Controller CSR Vector Purpose Viking QDT 172150 154 Both Hard Drives are on this board WQESD 160334 150 Bootstrap (that's all it does) RQDX3 160354 144 RX50 DU0: is set UNIT=0, PART=0, PORT=0 (Boot Disk) DU1: is set UNIT=1, PART=0, PORT=0 (Backup Boot Disk) DU2: is set UNIT=0, PART=1, PORT=0 DU3: is set UNIT=0, PART=2, PORT=0 DU4: is set UNIT=1, PART=1, PORT=0 DU5: is set UNIT=1, PART=2, PORT=0 DU6: is set UNIT=0, PART=3, PORT=0 DU7: is set UNIT=0, PART=0, PORT=2 After one minute, I get the following: . 134606 @ I think it's always at 134606, but the minds a little fuzzy at the moment, I'm working on this while working on problems at work, and it's just a little late. Anyone have any ideas? My plan is to normally have DU7: set to PART=3 of UNIT=1, and only switch it to the RX50 when I need to use a floppy drive. In the mean time, I think I'll have to give that Codar clock a try. Zane | Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator | | healyzh(a)aracnet.com (primary) | Linux Enthusiast | | healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector | +----------------------------------+----------------------------+ | Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, | | and Zane's Computer Museum. | | http://www.aracnet.com/~healyzh/ |

26 years, 10 months

4
3
0 0

grad student looking for old but working VMS system

by macierno＠cvm.msstate.edu

grad student looking for old but working VMS system - (read - inexpensive) If anyone can point me in the direction of a microvax or VAXStation please let me know........... thanks..... mark ------- ICQ 40439199 http://www2.msstate.edu/~mja2

26 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Braille terminal

by lemay＠cs.umn.edu

I put a few digital camera photos of a old braille terminal (Feb 1977 vintage) in a directory at http://www.cs.umn.edu/~lemay/braille These are 1280x960 jpg images, not at the highest image quality setting for the camera. Most of the photos are of the interior of the unit, ie, the power supply and the card cage. The card cage is made of wood. I'm not quite sure what to do with this unit. There probably werent many braille terminals made in the 70's, and like most things, they probably were disposed of when they became obsolete. Maybe this should be donated to a computer museum. Of course, I wrote down some chip numbers and such, and promptly lost the sheet of paper I wrote it down on.. I think it was made by Triformation Systems Inc. Model LED-120. The grey socketed chip was a F 8003 or was that 8002? The 3 chips with white stickers on them are the same chip number, probably some sort of prom. The large black chip, possibly a cpu of some sort, i forget the number exactly.. Trying to read it from the photo, it looks like 6503N, from i think national semiconductor (it has a dual ~ followed by a / as some sort of identifiying symbol). Well, hopefull someone is interested in seeing this. -Lawrence LeMay lemay(a)cs.umn.edu

26 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

RQDX3 - Problem Solved.

by healyzh＠aracnet.com

Well, Thanks to an idea that the RT-11 "Software Support Manual" gave me, it looks like I solved my problem. I copied the DU device handler to DA, and set the CSR's and Vectors such that DU is the Viking, and DA is the RQDX3. It has now been 30 minutes since I looked at the floppy sitting in the RX50 and the system hasn't crashed. This has the added benifit of allowing me to have DU0-DU7 for the Hard Drive partitions and DA0 & DA1 for the floppies. Cool, can't decide if I want to takle adding in some Serial Ports, or work on getting the DEC Pro380 up and running. I highly recommend working on Classic Computer projects as a method of staying awake, nice to be using them to stay awake instead of loosing sleep because of them :^) Zane | Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator | | healyzh(a)aracnet.com (primary) | Linux Enthusiast | | healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector | +----------------------------------+----------------------------+ | Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, | | and Zane's Computer Museum. | | http://www.aracnet.com/~healyzh/ |

26 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

BIOS Source Code!

by cmcmanis＠mcmanis.com

I've been cleaning up and found a DOS 3.3 disk with a copy of my Cromemco BIOS source code, including the Turbo PASCAL disk formatter! (Talks to a Cromemco 16FDC) Enjoy, the page with the link is here: http://www.home.mcmanis.com/~cmcmanis/ --Chuck

26 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Damn fools (was Re: Dell "Oldest PC" winner on zdnet)

by allisonp＠world.std.com

From: William Donzelli <aw288(a)osfn.org> <There seem to be some foolish people on this list, judging from two of <today's posts. Kai made some great points a while back in his rant, so I No it was just a rant. While the MITS box is collectable and interesting in many ways my comments about it were somehow extended to the IMSAI and those trying to manufacture it again. Fools, you say, victims of partial reading I say. <will not repeat them, but I would like to add one - that of "public <relations". The two awful posts in question show that there is a problem <brewing. yes and right here in river city... <The two posts were basically concerned with dealing with those people <outside of this list. The first post was about the zdnet Altair possibly <going into "corperate hands and from there it can be lost, damaged, ...". Since the quote is from my post why not step away from ad hominin commentary. Since reading out of presented contects is going on... First: I worry that material will be lost. Never did I say dell was a bad guy, they may be offended themseleves by other bad guys actions. <It seems this person (along with quite a few others) does not think too This person has a name! Disagreement is acceptable and discussion over it as well but sidewise swipes are not. <highly of corporate institutions, even though quite a few have established <(or at least made an honest effort) museums and protection for their <historic holdings. In places where politics plays serious games - Yes and yes, some very good, some are failures. DEC made an effort with what lead up to TCM is Boston... what happend after DEC stopped funding them is where matters apprently went awry. We should ask why. <listen in on this list. I know for a fact that some of the higher echelon, <including the President, of ANS (my former employer) were quite interested <in the fates of some of the old NSFnet gear. If I had made some less than <friendly remarks about ANS to this list (or anywhere public, really), I <think the supply of old networking goodies that RCS was being given would <have dried up in an instant. Now I do not know what kind of corporate <support VCF gets, if any, but it could go away instantly as well, with <just a few short posts. Of course, with all of the Microsoft and IBM <bashing that goes on here, it would be a miracle if any support ever came <from that pair ever again. While there is the sound of truth in this I think this is a gross over reaction. While your comments on political care are warrented, that does not override someone elses personal opinion or concerns. The latter be more important. No one was accused of doing anything bad, only concerns of "what if". <what my local scrapper does . [tomb raiding for gold]. . .". Now these Interesting juxtapostion of two comments from two people that see things differently. My Tomb raiders was NOT aimed at scrappers, I doubt they make much of the gold fingers and the aluminum. I was aiming at the those that break up rare systems for pure cash and little care of historical value. FYI: those that collect and trade for cash value are not hostile to collecting. People rarely toss out something that has value. So to me while a $40,000 Apple 1 is totally out of reach, it may convince someone that the poly-88 in their basement is better served as collectors fodder rather than the bottom of the trash bin. <himself. Now if you go into a scrapyard screaming "bloody murderer", you <can bet that the PDP-8/e you have been eyeing will be loaded into the <Taiwan bound container first, probably on its face. Once again, just for <spite. No doubt true. the scrapper is doing a job, the dope that dropped it there is the one that deserves the slap. But then again business has priorities. Where we can help is to make it easy, maybe even a small value to those that might otherwise scrap systems. <Yes, this is politics. Just remember that its a good idea to have friends <in high places. Having enemies up there does no good to anyone, but with <a little responsibility, is easily avoided. True, however your comments sound much like censorship. People don't like that and most companies do not either. Now, the original topic. DEll has gotten a few hits on their page from me over the last day or so, while it's unlikely I'd buy a new PC from them or anyone else for varied reasons none relecting on their products, it was and informational visit. Besides, I happen to like dell, I have three of their older 386/486 machines. One of which was salvaged from the trash completely functional. Full circle, eh! Allison

26 years, 10 months

3
2
0 0

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

test-drb