Hi,
I thought I sent this to the full list but Zane told me that I only sent
it to the auction notification list. So here it is again.
A friend of mine found a DG Nova III in a local scrap yard. He says that
it looks complete and in good shape and that it doesn't look like it's been
rained on yet. He says that it's in two ~ 5' tall cabinets and has a reel
to reel tape drive and four terminals. Anyone want to rescue this? I DO
NOT have room/time/money to rescue and/or to ship it. If you want it, come
and get it. It's located in Sanford, Florida.
Joe
I'm glad for this thread. It kept me from tossing the Commodore 16 box
away. Too late though for the beautiful NeXT boxes that went to recycling.
I didn't have room. I should have known better.
That sound you hear is Larry Walker and Brian Mahoney loading their
rifles.
colan
____________________________________________________________________
Vintage Computer Collectors List and Info: http://members.xoom.com/T3C
Mail us at: T3C(a)xoommail.com
-----Original Message-----
From: John R. Keys Jr. <jrkeys(a)concentric.net>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Sunday, August 08, 1999 11:40 AM
Subject: RE: Are tatty boxes worth keeping?
>I keep all boxes that I get until a better one comes along. John
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: CLASSICCMP-owner(a)u.washington.edu
>> [mailto:CLASSICCMP-owner@u.washington.edu]On Behalf Of Tony Duell
>> Sent: Saturday, August 07, 1999 5:48 PM
>> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
>> Subject: Are tatty boxes worth keeping?
>>
>>
>> A couple of months back I bought a second-hand Commodore 1570 disk drive.
>> It came in the original box, which is, alas, in very poor condition. The
>> polystyrene is cracked and has chunks missing. The cardboard sleeve is
>> torn/ragged.
>>
>> Is there any point in keeping it? I don't normally care about the packing
>> boxes for computers, but I know some people do. Also, I believe the 1570
>> is not the most common CBM drive, so presumably the boxes for them aren't
>> that common either.
>>
>> -tony
>>
>>
>
>
<problems (since I've yet to find an RTC chip that does the Wrong Thing
<when the year counter gets to 99).
I have five 486 boards that hae older RTC that roll over from 1999 to 1980!
they do however set manually to 2000!
A board I made using an RTC off a 386 bord has both 1999 to 1980 miss roll
(it's stuck. have to fid a different one) and bad leap year.
Allison
<> I have five 486 boards that hae older RTC that roll over from 1999 to 198
<> they do however set manually to 2000!
<
<Is this the clock chip (I would be _very_ supprised if it were the
<case), or how the BIOS/OS reads the chip.
In these cases (early 486s) the bios is reading a chip with a known bug.
<Now, some PC BIOSes/OSes will take an invalid (too early) year as being
<1980. So the clock rolls over from 1999 to 1900, and the _software_
<changes that to 1980 (as otherwise it's too early a date). That's why you
<can manually set them to 2000.
A few chips were designed that way, as their date of origin was later than
1980.
<The chip itself is working correctly (as designed). The software is
<misusing it ;-).
The one on my s100 board is definatly broke... I wrote the bios!
Allison
Sellam Ismail <dastar(a)ncal.verio.com> wrote:
> On Sat, 7 Aug 1999, Jay West wrote:
> > This manual is called 2000E IMS (Internals Maintenance Specification). It
> > was written by HP, and I'm pretty certain it was used to train new
> > programmers who were to work on the TSB code itself. It's just way too
>
> You said it was "handwritten", so I concluded it was someone's
> scribblings. Why would HP release a document in someone's handwriting?
OK, Jay said he thought this was a training manual. That could mean
"lab workbook" which didn't get the same amount of polishing as a
user manual. Such things tended to get passed around after one guy
got sent to the course, too.
For example, somewhere around here I have a photocopy of an IMAGE
internals lab workbook. The original was obviously produced with the
assistance of a typewriter and a flowcharting template, and it looks
like someone pencilled some notes on it (maybe while attending the
source). Given that I got that copy around 1982 or so, I'd guess that
it was originally produced in the late 1970s and before the wide
deployment within HP of computerized tools for doing this sort of work
(TDP, HPDRAW, graphics terminals, plotters, laser printers, most of
which didn't really play together on HP3000s 'til about 1980-1983
or so). 2000E manuals and lab workbooks probably would be from the
same or an earlier date.
-Frank McConnell
A former co-worker now works for a institution of higher learning.
We trade hardware from time to time, and he knows of my affinity for
DEC hardware. He told me of two stashes of old DEC stuff at work, and
that he had made arrangements for me to haul it off. For various
reasons, we had decided to wait until this summer.
The DAMNIT
----------
I get a call from him recently. It seems that unbeknownst to him,
his boss (another former co-worker), and his boss's boss; some other
idiot had decided to clean out the one stash. Since these three are
key players in the institution's computer center, it seemed unlikely
that this could have happened. But as I said this is an institution
of higher learning, and having work for another such institution in
this town, I can say with some certainty that it does not indicate
'higher smarts' or one damned bit of common sense.
This stash included at least 10 VAXstation 2000's & more than one
DECstation 3100. What intrigued me more was the boxes and boxes of
unopened DEC spares. We will never know what went into that dumpster.
My friend said one dumpster had been hauled off before he knew it.
He 'dove' the second dumspter and found that most of the CRT's had
been rendered useless, and was unable to recover anything useful.
I relate this to you so that all the DEC fans can observe a moment
of silence for what has happened with regards to this equipment.
PAUSE
The Latest Haul
---------------
My friend, not wanting this to happen to the second stash, loaded it
into the back of his truck at once. He then called me and we made
arrangements to meet in a couple of hours. As luck would have it,
there came up a storm before we could meet and the VR260 monitors
in the back of his truck got a little wet. That does not bother me
too much. I had given him an IBM RT with 19" color monitor months
ago. It had been in my garage when the tree fell on it during a
storm and the monitor got soaked. Six months later, he fired it up
and it worked fine.
This latest haul is 5 VAXstation 2000's, 5 VR260 monitors and all
the cables, mice, etc. Of the 5 VAXstation 2000's, three were
apparently running diskless, and the other two have been relieved
of their disk drives.
Previous Haul
-------------
Some time back I hauled home a couple of other VAXstation 2000's &
two TK50Z-FA's. One VS2000 is gone and the other has been disassembled
to pull the RD54 for a fellow list member. I still have the TK50Z-FA's.
To summarize, I have:
3 - VAXstation 2000's - are diskless
2 - VAXstation 2000's - relieved of disks
1 - VAXstation 2000's - basket case, (disassembled and in a basket)
5 - VR260 monochrome monitors
1 - MS400CA (unused) - 2 mb memory option for VS2000
With all the other DEC hardware, I doubt I will ever get to messin'
with these. If you have any interest in any of this, let me know.
Mike Thompson
In reply to some gripe about VMS, Allison replied:
] Dumb huh, it's at least secure!
] Ok go to the netbsd site and nose around, the proceedure for breaking into
] VMS is there...
Is it just me, or do those two sentences not belong so close together? :-)
Bill.
Man, it is turning out to be a real FINE week, if I just don't bankrupt
myself in the process!
Today I found up an AVA Model 409 Floppy Disk Drive Tester unit
(computerized, with auto-test options for 8 inch and 5.25 inch drives, and
integral printer). Most cool! These were multi-K$ back when we had one in
one of the service centers I worked in.
It comes up ok, passes its self-tests and reports its firmware version
(2.1) on the printer, but as is common there were no docs with it. I
recall using one of these way back when, so I've got most of it down pretty
well for now but...
(see this coming?) Anyone got a spare (or copyable) manual for this critter?
-jim
---
jimw(a)computergarage.org
The Computer Garage - http://www.computergarage.org
Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174
It is both hand written and printed. A large chunk of it is printed, but
obviously not for public publication (ie. internal use only). Many of the
printed sections are supplemented with hand written and diagrammed stuff.
However, most (but not all) of the hand written stuff is incredibly neat (a
ruler was used to draw the figures, etc.). Most of the hand written stuff
looked like it was being prepped for overheads.
So - than answer is both!
Jay West
-----Original Message-----
From: Derek Peschel <dpeschel(a)u.washington.edu>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Saturday, August 07, 1999 2:29 PM
Subject: Re: HP TSB internals
>> No Sellam, no one took the time to reverse engineer TSB....
>>
>> This manual is called 2000E IMS (Internals Maintenance Specification). It
>> was written by HP, and I'm pretty certain it was used to train new
>> programmers who were to work on the TSB code itself. It's just way too
>> detailed (and most of it printed too nicely) to be someone just doing
some
>> reverse engineering.
>>
>> I'll probably get to scanning a few parts of it in next week.
>
>But you said it was _hand written_? That sounds rather counter-productive.
>
>...not that I'm complaining about the fact that you have it, of course.
I'd
>be fascinated to see it. Someone else said correctly that this kind of
docu-
>mentation was rare. It seems to me that's especially true about HP, which
>is a shame since their stuff's so well-designed. I could be wrong about
>that impression though.
>
>Are you coming to the VCF? Or if not, I wonder if there will be any 2100
>hardware there?
>
>-- Derek
>
I posted recently copies of the DEC Unibus specs complete with timing and
other goodies on Zane's site. Thanks Zane for the space.:) They are mostly
GIF images and the ones that had fine printing on the charts there are 2
copies. Same file # just a suffix letter difference.
The url is ftp://zane.brouhaha.com/pub/dan/DEC/Unibus_spec
Dan
Hi,
I went scrounging again today and came home with a HP 13037D Storage
Control Unit Option 100. It's dated 1984 but the only reference that I
could find to it is in the 1977 HP catalog. It lists the 13037A and says
that it's a micro-processor based controller that offers a high level
interface that simplifies the design of the CPU I/O card. And that multiple
drives and CPUs may be connected to the SCU. Big whoppee! What does that
mean? Can anyone tell me more about it? I assume that it's for the old HP
MAC (Multiple Access Controller) interface. It has an HP-IB port and
several cables that have card edge connectors. I doubt that I need it so
if anyone has a need for it contact me directly.
Joe
You wrote...
> I went scrounging again today and came home with a HP 13037D Storage
>Control Unit Option 100
Off the top of my head without checking the manuals for accuracy.....
The 13037 was HP's bid to get away from having a different controller in the
backplane for each different drive. Previous disc interfaces were particular
to fixed head, moving head, drum, etc. In addition, the interfaces in the
card cage always took more than one slot as I recall. There is a 13037A, B,
and C that I know about, I have nothing that refers to the D model. With the
13037, one interface card goes in the card cage. Cables go from this to a
rack mount box (about 5 inches tall, about 28 inches deep). Inside this
rackmount box was a separate microprocessor board and additional disc
interfaces. The drives in turn were connected to the rackmount box.
The particular features of the 13037 stuff was that more than one system
could be connected to the rackmount microprocessor, but mainly different
types of discs could be connected. The 13037B could do 7905, 7906, and 7920
drives. The 13037C added the capability to do both MAC and HP-IB drives. I
have it on good word that the A and B models were junk (comparatively), and
that the C model was the "one to get". I might have a spare manual on the
13037, I'll have to check. I do have a 13037C under refurb at the moment.
Regards,
jay West
Hi
I'm trying to interface an ADM-3A with an IMSAI 8080 using an
IMSAI SIO card (revision 3). Has anyone had experience with this
combination? I'm trying to ascertain baud rate, parity as well as
the relevant settings on the SIO's two sets of DIP switches.
Thanks!
Brian
Regarding that spam from the fellow selling computer parts...
First, let me say that I've been actively fighting spam since I first got
a dial-up 'net account in 1994. I've seen a lot of spams, and I've gotten
to where I can usually tell when someone may have made an honest error in
judgment, as far as advertising their new business, vs. actually doing
intentional spam.
The spam from Mr. Holtzclaw had the feel of an honest error to it. Here
are the actions I've taken.
1). I have traced back the spam to its source, and notified the ISP
involved (jaxn.com was indeed the source). Their AUP specifically prohibits
spamming, so I would not be surprised if Mr. Holtzclaw starts looking for a
new provider very soon.
2). I have sent a note to Mr. Holtzclaw, something I almost never do,
explaining -- POLITELY -- about spam, about what he did, and where to find
web resources that explain what spam is and why it is a Bad Thing.
I'll keep the group updated with any responses I receive. Oh, and I also
sent a message to our (perhaps justifiably) overzealous member who wanted
to fire off a DoS attack on the responsible mail server. I have asked him
not to do so, as fighting abuse with more abuse never gets anything done.
Onward we go...!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bruce Lane, Owner and head honcho, Blue Feather Technologies
http://www.bluefeathertech.com // E-mail: kyrrin(a)bluefeathertech.com
Amateur Radio: WD6EOS since Dec. '77
"Our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our
own human terms. It cannot, in any way, define any of them..."
<Nor me. I've been called a 'hardware hacker' on many occasions, and I
<have no worries about accepting that title (even though I consider I'm a
<_minor_ hardware hacker). The rest of you can decide if the title is
<appropriate.
I've been called a Hardware, software, RF, microwave and audio hacker
in the most genuine 1974 terms. Tot hat all I say is, it what I do.
The evolved one does not fit me nor are them many others from the slang
english. Another that has been applied was my, avocation is my vocation.
Allison
No Sellam, no one took the time to reverse engineer TSB....
This manual is called 2000E IMS (Internals Maintenance Specification). It
was written by HP, and I'm pretty certain it was used to train new
programmers who were to work on the TSB code itself. It's just way too
detailed (and most of it printed too nicely) to be someone just doing some
reverse engineering.
I'll probably get to scanning a few parts of it in next week.
Cheers!
Jay West
<Since this is something that's only got to work once, I thought I'd put th
<SRAM on a small scrap of perf, along with a PAL to fiddle with the timing.
<The reason for not fiddling with the nWAIT line is that it doesn't time
<right with the instruction fetches, such that the peripherals will see the
<RETI opcode. If this gets too involved, I'll simply have to suffer throug
<doing it from the parallel port on the PC, but I already have some code
<written many years ago (in BASIC) which does the job nicely, and I'll
<probably never use it again.
Seems like the hard way to get there.
<alignment until these repairs are effected. The code was written for an
<S-100 box I used back in the '80's which ran a 12MHz (hand-picked) CPU
Why 12mhz? Reading the bits directly?
<I found that the wait line doesn't work for this sort of thing. It's got t
<do with the way the peripherals work. Switching the clock rate does work,
<though.
It's a way to do it. just dont get clock spikes.
<>I hacked one to 8mhz and then put it back, it was never as solid in
<>operation.
<>
<Their RAM timing was stupid.
It was very reasonable as a 4mhz board. Pushing to 8mhz was too much and
also the rest of the signals smeared out. Mine BTW was a AMPROLB with the
SCSI option.
<What's a TCJ?
The Computer Journal. They are too short on cah to publish but they do
offer back issues.
<I never saw much advantage in using Z-80 with mode-2 interrupts anyway. I
<guess it's just a matter of style. I like simple interrupts, and if it get
<too complicated, use another system to handle the I/O that makes it
<complicated. It's much easier to use three computers than to figure out ho
<to use one with three interrupts. I guess I'm lazy . . .
For many things mode 2 is much to much work. For others it's the only way
to fly. Then again so few CPM machines even used interrupts at all (remember
waiting for the disk to stop before typing?).
I modded my AmproLB for minimum power consumption instead by replacing all
I could with CMOS. The board itself is now under 3.5W power consumption
most of it in the SCSI loads and Floppy.
Allison
please see comments embedded below
regards,
Dick
-----Original Message-----
From: Allison J Parent <allisonp(a)world.std.com>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Saturday, August 07, 1999 7:54 AM
Subject: Re: Z-80 hack
><I've got a little job to do which would be easy with an AMPRO Little-Board
><like the REV-0 boards I have got, except that it's too slow. I was
thinkin
><that the easiest way to do this thing is to take a Z-80H from the selected
><12MHz capable ones I have, team it up with a 64Kx8 SRAM, and a set of the
>
>The number of mods to get a LB to run at 12mhz would be better invested in
>building a new board from scratch.
>
Since this is something that's only got to work once, I thought I'd put the
SRAM on a small scrap of perf, along with a PAL to fiddle with the timing.
The reason for not fiddling with the nWAIT line is that it doesn't time
right with the instruction fetches, such that the peripherals will see the
RETI opcode. If this gets too involved, I'll simply have to suffer through
doing it from the parallel port on the PC, but I already have some code
written many years ago (in BASIC) which does the job nicely, and I'll
probably never use it again.
I'm working on restoring a dozen or so 8" floppy drives which malfinction in
one sense or another, to the extent that I can't verify/adjust their
alignment until these repairs are effected. The code was written for an
S-100 box I used back in the '80's which ran a 12MHz (hand-picked) CPU
together with some fast SRAMS. I don't want to fire up the S-100 stuff
right now, and the AMPRO provides sufficient packaging to allow me to
install a mezzanine board on the processor socket. My HDC adapter sits
there anyway, and the code is on that drive. It steps through the process
of troubleshooting the logic on Shugart 800/801 boards, Siemens 100-8's, and
a few others I don't have to deal with today. The timing probably isn't
even that critical, but I prefer to handle the job this way since I've given
away the hardware I previously used. The thing I have to build is just a
port in and a port out, to monitor and control the signals to/from the drive
without having to read and write. This also allows monitoring of the
signals at various test points in the circuit without having to use the
'scope, which only does half the job.
>
><'A' type peripherals, provided I switch the clock to 4MHz each time I see
a
><IORQ* or an (M1* & I/O*) or a RETI on the data bus during M1*, resetting
th
><higher speed on the next M1*.
>
>there is a wait line for this kind of stuff. I'd upgrade to faster
>peripherals 6 or 8 mhz ones are still available.
>
I found that the wait line doesn't work for this sort of thing. It's got to
do with the way the peripherals work. Switching the clock rate does work,
though.
>
>The FDC, SIO, CTC, RAM(and timing chain) all have Tacc that are way to slow
>for even 6mhz.
>
>I hacked one to 8mhz and then put it back, it was never as solid in
>operation.
>
Their RAM timing was stupid.
>
><Have you ever tried something like that? What am I overlooking here?
>
>Basic design. Many of the utilities are timing sensitive. Catch TCJ and
>order some back issues for the 8mhz mod. The back issues are still
>available.
>
What's a TCJ?
>
>Also get issue 79, the P112 board may really be what you want.
>
><I used to do things like that with the 65xx and 68xx parts all the time,
bu
><never with a Z-80 because of the peripherals and the mode-2 interrupt,
which
><the AMPRO board probably doesn't even use.
>
>The ampro does use mode 2, otherwise there is little point to using z80
>peripherals.
>
I never saw much advantage in using Z-80 with mode-2 interrupts anyway. I
guess it's just a matter of style. I like simple interrupts, and if it gets
too complicated, use another system to handle the I/O that makes it
complicated. It's much easier to use three computers than to figure out how
to use one with three interrupts. I guess I'm lazy . . .
>
>allison
>
>
<I've got a little job to do which would be easy with an AMPRO Little-Board
<like the REV-0 boards I have got, except that it's too slow. I was thinkin
<that the easiest way to do this thing is to take a Z-80H from the selected
<12MHz capable ones I have, team it up with a 64Kx8 SRAM, and a set of the
The number of mods to get a LB to run at 12mhz would be better invested in
building a new board from scratch.
<'A' type peripherals, provided I switch the clock to 4MHz each time I see a
<IORQ* or an (M1* & I/O*) or a RETI on the data bus during M1*, resetting th
<higher speed on the next M1*.
there is a wait line for this kind of stuff. I'd upgrade to faster
peripherals 6 or 8 mhz ones are still available.
The FDC, SIO, CTC, RAM(and timing chain) all have Tacc that are way to slow
for even 6mhz.
I hacked one to 8mhz and then put it back, it was never as solid in
operation.
<Have you ever tried something like that? What am I overlooking here?
Basic design. Many of the utilities are timing sensitive. Catch TCJ and
order some back issues for the 8mhz mod. The back issues are still
available.
Also get issue 79, the P112 board may really be what you want.
<I used to do things like that with the 65xx and 68xx parts all the time, bu
<never with a Z-80 because of the peripherals and the mode-2 interrupt, whic
<the AMPRO board probably doesn't even use.
The ampro does use mode 2, otherwise there is little point to using z80
peripherals.
allison
Basically what I meant is banks of two. There's two SIMMS in a bank, with 2
banks, totaling 4 SIMMS.
If you install three 2 MB SIMMS, instead of getting a 6 MB memory reading,
you'll get a 4 MB reading and a memory error.
///--->>>
-Jason Willgruber
(roblwill(a)usaor.net)
ICQ#: 1730318
<http://members.tripod.com/general_1>
-----Original Message-----
From: Olminkhof <jolminkh(a)nsw.bigpond.net.au>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Friday, August 06, 1999 2:11 AM
Subject: Re: IBM PS/2 P70-386 SIMM needed...+ a couple other things...
>
>
>Jason Wrote:
>>I need a 2MB SIMM for an IBM PS/2 P70-386. I know they go in in sets of
>>two's, but for some reason, I have a spare SIMM that I found. Does anyone
>
>
>I've never heard of this "sets of 2" stuff on these.
>They use the same simms as the desktop model 70 . . ie with presence
>detect circuitry.
>
>Hans
>
>
Have a box of assorted manuals for sale: (binder)Sequoia PICK/UNIX
Admininstrator manual, covers TOPIX, PICK, system maintenance; Systematics
General Corp., Natl. Sci. Labs Div., Reference Manual: Model T-5101
Interactive Display Terminal (has some schematics also); Centronics Model 306
Printer Tech Manual; Centronics Series 300 Printer Operator Manual; Centronics
RS-232 Tech Manual; and finally, three binders of Honeywell mainframe info
relating to GCOS 8 (list of system commands for console operator, printer
manuals, etc.
Selling whole shebang as one lot. Price: Seven dollars, plus shipping from
Laurel, Maryland. USA only please.
Dan S.
____________________________________________________________________
Get your own FREE, personal Netscape WebMail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com.
...a few days ago I scribbled...
> ...And hopefully (if Murphy does not interfere) by the end of the weekend
yet another > item will be struck from the list! Stay Tuned!!
Well, it happened! Ducking 'Murphy' vibes all the way, (deal was a bit
shaky right up until the end) but another one falls from the list!
An early Altair 680 with full front panel joined the collection tonight.
No docs or software (see a request coming on?), but it is pretty good shape
and appears to be reasonably coherent. I'll be able to tell a bit more
once I find some basic specs on it and can figure out how the serial port
is configured.
It has been a good week! (quality over quantity) Pictures on the web site!
-jim
---
jimw(a)computergarage.org
The Computer Garage - http://www.computergarage.org
Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174
Hi Don and other ListErs,
I have been working on a similiar problem... I have the original DEC
distributions for a few things (including Ultrix 3.1, looking for
UWS 3.0), and I want to make archival copies of them...
I discovered the TK-50Z (both FA and GA) will work with FreeBSD and
an old Adaptec SCSI controller. This allows me to read (and copy) the
TK50 onto my PCs hard disk, but I haven't quite got the format right
to write a new tape (still playing with file marks)...
NOTE: I tried a 2940 and a 1535 and neither of them worked. I was
successful with a AHA-1542B scsi adapter.
I also have a SCSI adapter for my uVAX II, and have copied tapes
>from TK50 to 4mm DAT, but it seems quite a waste to put 95MB on a
4GB tape.
Finally, if none of these options appeal to you (and you don't
have other success), I have a uVAX II with a TK70, TK50, SCSI
adapter for the 4mm DAT, and a 9-track tape drive, and can copy
them for you (contact me off list for this).
Laters,
clint
PS My 11/750 is up and running!!! The dead power supply turned out
to be two pins shorted on the backplane... Sometimes my debugging
skills leave something to be desired...
PPS What is a Fujitsu Eagle worth used? I am going to upgrade the
11/750 to a SCSI controller and 3.5" drive as soon as I get two
nickles to rub together :)
>
>I have been tinkering around with my VaxStation 2000 and a couple of
>TK-50Zs that I have. One is an FA and the other a GA so I am able to set
>them at differing SCSI node values.
>
>My thought was that I could use both on the VaxStation and use them to
>duplicate some tapes that are save_set(s). Apparently it cannot be done
>on the VS. Either unit is recognized when connected alone, but when both
>are connected the FA is always recognized as MUA0 and the GA is ignored.
>Does anyone have an explanation for this, or am I just doing it wrong?
>
>Assuming failure on the two tape approach, how might I make the duplicate
>tape(s) without wiping out the contents of my hard disk? It is at the
>moment fairly lightly loaded and may hold the save_set. The HD is an RD54
>by the way and I am running VMS 5.5.
>
>Thanks!
> - don
In case you didn't read this column in the SJ Mercury...
the columnist lists many sites dedicated to the history
of early software developers and their products -
Visicalc for instance.
http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/columns/gillmor/docs/dg080399.htm
Yours in good faith.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------
Kevin Stumpf * Unusual systems * www.unusual.on.ca
+1.519.744.2900 * EST/EDT GMT - 5
Collector - Commercial Mainframes & Minicomputers from
the 50s, 60s, & 70s and control panels and consoles.
Author & Publisher - A Guide to Collecting Computers &
Computer Collectibles * ISBN 0-9684244-0-6
.
Hi,
I am looking for all the various INMOS tram part numbers and their
purpose. I am not interested in the compute trams, just the special
purpose ones. Here is what I have so far:
IMSB420 - VecTRAM (transputer + zoran array processor)
IMSB421 - GPIB Tram
IMSB422 - SCSI Tram
IMSB431 - Ethernet Tram
What are the others (ROM, DACs, Graphics, etc)?
Thanks
Ram
--
,,,,
/'^'\
( o o )
-oOOO--(_)--OOOo-------------------------------------
| Ram Meenakshisundaram
| Senior Software Engineer
| OpenLink Financial Inc
| .oooO Phone: (516) 227-6600 x267
| ( ) Oooo. Email: rmeenaks(a)olf.com
---\ (----( )--------------------------------------
\_) ) /
(_/
G'day,
<URL:http://mail-index.nice.ru/classiccmp/wgindex.html>
Built with Glimpse and WebGlimpse: <URL:http://glimpse.cs.arizona.edu/>.
There may remain some rough edges (i.e. bugs :-) -- report them, please.
I'm aiming to make INFO-VAX archive search engine available on the same
site (well, it's already there, but only half of year 1988 data is
indexed).
--
Sergey Svishchev -- svs{at}ropnet{dot}ru
I got a bit of spare time to go through some of the documentation I received
with my recent HP 2100 systems. I have found an incredible item in there!
The notebook is about 3 inches thick. It is a training manual along with
hundreds of pages of handwritten notes on the Internals of HP Timeshare
BASIC. Not only does it describe all the byte by byte formats of OS tapes,
SLEEP and HIB tapes, OS and user disc layouts on a sector by sector basis,
but it also has diagrams of every data structure in RAM and on disc related
to the internal operation of the OS. In addition, it even has over a hundred
pages of detailed flowcharts on how every system module operates. These are
not general flowcharts, but flowcharts written from a datastructure
standpoint. These flowcharts give blow by blow descriptions of exactly what
fields in every data structure are modified when that module runs and why.
Not just the system modules, but every BASIC statement, user command,
operator command, etc all the way down to the scheduler, mux driver, etc.
With this information, one could very easily (albeit time consuming) write
TSB from scratch. I'll have to scan all this and put it online for
interested parties!
Jay West
Still trying to find a DOS driver to use my newly acquired Sydos Puma 88
Drive
I found this information of Syquest's web site but was not able to find
the drivers they mentioned.
Does anyone have one of these units or know where I can find the drivers
and manuals ?
Thanks.. Phil
http://www.syquest.com/support/tb8010.html
TB8010 - SyDOS PUMA Subsystems
The SyDOS PUMA 44 and 88 MB units were produced for
the PC
marketplace by the SyDOS division of SyQuest. SyDOS
was a
division of SyQuest located in Florida. Its
function was to provide
products for the DOS marketplace. Some of its
parallel port products
used the SyQuest SQ555 and SQ5110 SCSI drives in a
subsystem
with a parallel to SCSI adapter card, power supply,
etc. This hardware
interface card with the SyQuest drivers installed
the SQ drives into the
DOS 3.0 through 6.22 operating systems.
The manufacturer of the hardware PP to SCSI
interface is no longer in
business. With the release of Win'95 requiring some
additional
hardware interface support, the PUMA units can not
be updated to be
Win'95 compliant. This additional hardware
requirement makes the
update to Win'95 real mode drivers unavailable. On
some systems the
PAR driver can install the PUMA unit in the DOS
Compatibility mode.
This greatly depends on the hardware in your PC
system.
The PUMA unit was developed before the release of
Win'95 and the
ECP/EPP hardware. Some older 486 class PCs should
be able to
install the PUMA units in the DOS Compatibility
mode. The newer the
PC, the less likely the installation will be
successful. SyQuest drivers,
utilities, and readme files are in our download
section or
ftp.syquest.com.
The PUMA1.ZIP and PUMA2.ZIP files are the two files
containing the
driver and utilities for these units. You must use
PKUNZIP to extract
the driver and utilities.
Jim; did you get my previous message about how we should settle up on the
shipping on the 2nd platter? I think there was also another question in that
particular email to you, but I don't recall at the moment. Just to want you
to think I'm a deadbeat!
Jay West
-----Original Message-----
From: James Willing <jimw(a)agora.rdrop.com>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Friday, August 06, 1999 5:40 PM
Subject: Re: HP Timeshare BASIC OS - cool find!
>On Fri, 6 Aug 1999, Jay West wrote:
>
>> I got a bit of spare time to go through some of the documentation I
received
>> with my recent HP 2100 systems. I have found an incredible item in there!
>>
>> The notebook is about 3 inches thick. It is a training manual along with
>> hundreds of pages of handwritten notes on the Internals of HP Timeshare
>> BASIC....
>>
>> ...With this information, one could very easily write
>> TSB from scratch. I'll have to scan all this and put it online for
>> interested parties!
>
>That's massively cool! Far too much information like this has been
>lost to obscurity. Looking forward to seeing it!
>
>-jim
>---
>jimw(a)computergarage.org
>The Computer Garage - http://www.computergarage.org
>Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174
>
>>>> Coming soon to www.computergarage.org - the CBBS/NW on-line archives
>
>>>> Coming to VCF III (2-3 October 1999) - CBBS/NW live!
>
>
Hi Roger,
>Are the IBM/XT, IBM/AT and PS/2 computers hardware Y2K
>compliant?
According to a recent thread in the PS/2 newsgroup, all PS/2s should be broadly
Y2K compliant, though some machines may need their times resetting on 1/1/2000
depending on the OS they're running.
PC/XT class machines generally have no clock hardware in them as standard.
DOS/whatever simply use a regular interrupt to update a software clock, so you
need to know if the OS you're using is compliant.
All AT class machines have a clock chip inside, a 14818 (or something similar,
I forget), or an emulation of one. The chip only stores the last two digits on
the year, so it will correctly roll over to "00" for "2000". However, what your
operating system will make of that is another matter....
In each case, it all boils down to your OS. The easiest way to find out if it's
compatible is to set your clock to a few minutes before midnight, December 31st
and wait and see what happens when the time rolls over past midnight.
TTFN - Pete.
--
Hardware & Software Engineer. Sound Engineer.
Collector of Arcade Machines, Games Consoles & Obsolete Computers (esp DEC)
peter.pachla(a)virgin.net |
peter.pachla(a)vectrex.freeserve.co.uk |
peter.pachla(a)wintermute.free-online.co.uk | www.wintermute.free-online.co.uk
--
3Com's 3C300 was their 1st PeeCee NIC, it was a big card, contrast to
their later 503's and 509's which had a much higher level of
integration.
I'm told 3Com's very first product was a MultiBUS NIC (of which I have
two). Can't seem to find the docs for it, though.
OKay, for 100 bonus (bogus?) points:
What were the three Com's of 3Com?
Jeff
On Fri, 06 Aug 1999 11:27:07 -0700 Chuck McManis <cmcmanis(a)mcmanis.com>
writes:
> >Oldest PC ethernet cards?
> >-------------------------
> >Drifting slightly back on topic, which companies made the earliest
> ethernet
> >cards for PCs? How much did they originally cost?
>
> I've seen Ungerman-Bass AUI ethernet cards that were approximately
> $900
> new. There was also a company that got bought be 3COM that had an
> early
> NIC. Perhaps one of the cooler ones would be a 3 mbit card used at
> PARC to
> talk to their network.
>
> --Chuck
>
___________________________________________________________________
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.
Hi,
Recently I picked up a load of Ethernet cards (some nicer PCI bus mastering
ones -- excellent for Linux etc. -- are for sale, btw).
NE1000 & NE2000
---------------
Amongst these are what I believe to be Novell/Eagle Technology NE1000 and
NE2000 cards. Now, I have found jumper info for these two, and got them to
work on a simple two-computer peer-to-peer Windows 95 network.
The NE2000 works fine. The NE1000 seems to also, except when trying to copy a
40MB file to the computer which contains the NE1000, it hangs part-way through
(this happens every time). Either this is a fault, or simply a deficiency --
perhaps the other computer is sending data too fast for the NE1000 to keep up,
and it gets confused?
Anyway, I'd like to get the official/original drivers, documentation and
diagnostic programs for these cards. I looked at http://www.novell.com/, but
there seemed to be nothing there. Eagle Technology don't seem to exist any
more, or don't have a web site. There appeared to be some NE1000/2000 stuff at
ftp.microdyne.com, but it turns out that this is for the NE2000+, whatever
that is.
Does anyone know if there is some other Novell web or FTP site that has info on
their ethernet cards? Here's some info about my two cards.
NE1000: 8-bit ISA card. Novell warranty label has date code 2789. Text
silk-screened on PCB reads BD.# 738-160-001 REV. C ASSY.# 810-160-001 REV. C
NE2000: Warranty label on rear has data code 5092, says manufactured by Eagle
Technology. Text silk-screened on PCB reads BD.# 738-149-002 REV. C ASSY.#
810-149-002 REV. C
IBM Ethernet card FRU 48G7170
-----------------------------
I also got a couple of these. They seem quite nice, having BNC, RJ45 and AUI
connectors plus two indicator LEDs. A label on the PCB reads FRU 48G7170. Both
cards have boot ROMs fitted, on which a label reads 60G3312. If anyone need to
make a boot ROM for this type of card, I have dumped the data from them.
This card is configured using a DOS setup program. The only jumper on the card
is labelled J5. Does anyone know what the purpose of the J5 jumper is?
Oldest PC ethernet cards?
-------------------------
Drifting slightly back on topic, which companies made the earliest ethernet
cards for PCs? How much did they originally cost?
-- Mark
>> >Am I correct in assuming that when a PDP-11/44 finds that it has more than
>> >one controller in it that it can boot off of, that it drops you into the
>> >monitor, so you can select the device you wish to boot from?
>
>> I think that you're asking "Does the 11/44 have a sniffer boot?" The
>> answer to that is no. The boot device (or "boot to console") is
>> selected by DIP switches near the actual physical boot ROM's
>> on the M7098. See
>>
>> http://metalab.unc.edu/pub/academic/computer-science/history/pdp-11/hardwar…
>>
>> specifically, the file "1144.boot.roms", for very detailed information
>> on identifying the boot ROM's present and how to set the DIP switches
>> to select the appropriate one.
>Good job of interpreting a question when I wasn't even to sure what I was
>asking.
You ought to see what some of my customers come to me asking :-).
> The worst part is I knew about those switches, but had forgotten
>about them. Somewhere I've got written down which boot ROMs it has
>installed, I know for a fact it's able to boot DL:, it has the ROMs
>for DU:, and I believe it also supports TU58 and RX02, but might be wrong on
>one of the last to.
The URL I mention above lists all the DEC part numbers for the boot
ROM's, so if you can read them off you'll figure out which ROM's you
have.
>So the next question would be do I have to go in and change the switch
>settings on the board in order to boot something other than DL:?
To *auto* boot something other than DL:, yes, you'll have to change
the switch settings. From the console (">>>") prompt, you can boot
any device that you have boot ROM's for (or key in the bootstrap
for any device.)
>Wait a minute, I see a problem here. Since the boot device is based on
>switch settings, even with controllers for other devices that it can boot,
>it shouldn't be dropping me to ODT should it? With just the RL controller
>in the system it boots off one of the packs without skipping a beat.
What did you change in the system that caused it to go from "auto boot
to DL:" to its current behavior? A break in backplane continuity can
make it look like the RL11 isn't present in the system, and that'll
drop you out to the console prompt.
--
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
G'day,
While searching for existing searchable archives of classiccmp, I found
<URL:http://epainotes1.rtpnc.epa.gov:7777/r10/owcm.nsf/recycle/pcrecycle>:
[...]
Computers and electronic equipment that still work, but are obsolete, may
be suitable for reuse. Check with local schools, training institutions, or
non-profit organizations to find out if they accept donations of this type
of equipment, or use the list of recycling options to obtain the names of
organizations that will repair, consolidate, or reassemble the equipment
before donating or selling it.
There are a growing number of hobbyists interested in very old computers.
Any machine that is "so obsolete that it can't be reused" may actually be
of great interest, and potentially worth much more than its value in scrap
metal. Older is better here. There is a "classic computer" mailing list at
classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu , and more info can be found at any of these
web pages:
http://www.yowza.com/classiccmp/faq.txthttp://www.cs.unc.edu/~yakowenk/classiccmp/
[...]
--
Sergey Svishchev -- svs{at}ropnet{dot}ru
Hi Group:
Having gotten the 11/45 in my basement operational :-) , I'm on to the
next step, the attached RK05.
As I start towards the next milestone I am wondering if there is anyone on
the list that has a working RK11/RK05 combination going. I will likely
have questions!
Kevin
--
Kevin McQuiggin VE7ZD
mcquiggi(a)sfu.ca
Am I correct in assuming that when a PDP-11/44 finds that it has more than
one controller in it that it can boot off of, that it drops you into the
monitor, so you can select the device you wish to boot from?
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/ |
<> Something about the unit suggests that the previous owner ran CP/M on it
<> but as to just what that clue is I will leave without explaination. (tha
<> way you have to look at the pictures) <G>
Whyy not all the needed items are there... at least 20k of ram, IO, a
disk system and the 8080 or z80 cpu. Common crate to run cpm on as it was
solidly built.
<> Hmmm... I wonder if there is a copy of IMSDOS buried around here
<> somewhere??? <BG>
Good luck!
Allison
>Am I correct in assuming that when a PDP-11/44 finds that it has more than
>one controller in it that it can boot off of, that it drops you into the
>monitor, so you can select the device you wish to boot from?
I think that you're asking "Does the 11/44 have a sniffer boot?" The
answer to that is no. The boot device (or "boot to console") is
selected by DIP switches near the actual physical boot ROM's
on the M7098. See
http://metalab.unc.edu/pub/academic/computer-science/history/pdp-11/hardwar…
specifically, the file "1144.boot.roms", for very detailed information
on identifying the boot ROM's present and how to set the DIP switches
to select the appropriate one.
--
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
>
> This is really great Sergey! I tried a few quick searches and was very
> pleased.
Very nice...
Why do all of the posting show "Jun 26, 1999" for the date?
Steve Robertson - <steverob(a)hotoffice.com>
In einer eMail vom 8/6/99 3:31:33AM, schreiben Sie:
<<
Having gotten the 11/45 in my basement operational :-) , I'm on to the
next step, the attached RK05.
As I start towards the next milestone I am wondering if there is anyone on
the list that has a working RK11/RK05 combination going. I will likely
have questions! >>
I do have a 11/34a with RK05Js operational, and I am in the process of
attaching
a Plessey drive to it, hopefully RK05 compatible. Maybe we run into
similar problems soon !
So far, apart from a defective blower motor which needs replacement, I did
not encounter any problems with the drives or the packs or the controller.
John G. Zabolitzky
>] Dumb huh, it's at least secure!
>] Ok go to the netbsd site and nose around, the proceedure for breaking into
>] VMS is there...
>Is it just me, or do those two sentences not belong so close together? :-)
The procedures involve having physical access to the machine's hardware.
Despite what the laptop makers try to tell folks, if you've got physical
access to the hardware, you can do anything you please with the data present!
--
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
Jason Wrote:
>I need a 2MB SIMM for an IBM PS/2 P70-386. I know they go in in sets of
>two's, but for some reason, I have a spare SIMM that I found. Does anyone
I've never heard of this "sets of 2" stuff on these.
They use the same simms as the desktop model 70 . . ie with presence
detect circuitry.
Hans
Thanks Sellam, that would be great. It was an exciting find and I'm
looking forward to getting on line with this. Hopefully I can change my
Karma around modems in portables. Other than my Kaypro's, I've yet to get a
modem in a portable or luggable to work.
colan
colan
____________________________________________________________________
Vintage Computer Collectors List and Info: http://members.xoom.com/T3C
Mail us at: T3C(a)xoommail.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Sellam Ismail <dastar(a)ncal.verio.com>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Thursday, August 05, 1999 11:38 PM
Subject: Re: Morrow Pivot AC adapter- what Voltage??
>On Thu, 5 Aug 1999, Colan Mitchell wrote:
>
>> I found a Morrow Pivot at a thrift shop and it gives conflicting
information
>> as to the voltage needed to run it. One spot says 12 and the other says
15.
>> What is the Volt/amp needed?
>
>I believe its 15V but 12V should work fine too. I don't know the amperage
>or the polarity however. I have a supply that I use on my Pivot that's
>not original and has no labelling, but if I can dig it out I'll test it
>and let you know what the pertinents are.
>
>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: 05/25/99]
>
>
Hi Tony,
>Thought so. I can't remmeber what my Nimbus has in it, and it's
>not easy enough to get to it to find out. I _think_ it's a 186, though.
Yes, they're right buggers to take apart.
We had a few 286, 386SX and 386DX machines too....though I think there was only
1 machine on the site which was a DX.
ISTR there was a set of patches included with DOS which you had to run on the
'186 machine to switch it to operate in IBM compatible mode.
>And what's wrong with Beebs or Apples? For a lot of applications
>they're more useful than most PCs.
Nothing....they're great machines. Just that with the way PCs have come into
fashion in colleges' I was surprised to see them still in use.
They were replaced just before I left there....luckily for my collection. ;-)
TTFN - Pete.
--
Hardware & Software Engineer. Sound Engineer.
Collector of Arcade Machines, Games Consoles & Obsolete Computers (esp DEC)
peter.pachla(a)virgin.net |
peter.pachla(a)vectrex.freeserve.co.uk |
peter.pachla(a)wintermute.free-online.co.uk | www.wintermute.free-online.co.uk
--
For anyone in the Portland, Oregon area this Saturday...
=============================================================
>>Insert drumroll.wav here<
>Announcing...
>
>The Last Tailgate Swapmeet of the Millennium!!!*
>
>Saturday, August 7, 1999
>The North parking lot of Oregon Electronics.
I found a Morrow Pivot at a thrift shop and it gives conflicting information
as to the voltage needed to run it. One spot says 12 and the other says 15.
What is the Volt/amp needed?
Any other info on it would be appreciated.
TIA
colan