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

by Philip.Belben＠pgen.com

>> Runs AIX, based on the Power2 Processor (a PPC varient, or maybe it came >> out before the PPC). > > Very similar, but the PowerPC has much of the good floating point > hardware stripped out. Power2 has very good floating point performance - > probably the best of any microprocessor ever made until very recently. I'll second that. Not too long ago we were looking for a replacement for our RS/6000 models 320 and 375. The only RS/6000 of a sesible size and price with comparable floating point performance was the model 397. Why? It still used a Power2SC processor. All the more modern ones use PPC and it slows, er, shows! (we bought Sun in the end. With luck I'll get the 375 or both 320s. I don't think I'll get all 3 machines :-( ) Philip

27 years

1
0
0 0

Sun 3/60

by ethan_dicks＠yahoo.com

--- LordTyran <a2k(a)one.net> wrote: > You burned your own ROMs? What for? > According to one of the Sun 3/60 pages, different ROMs were installed in various units, depending on what the bootstrap needs were (boot from tape, CD, with framebuffer, without, etc.). I don't have that information handy, but since I was assembling a 3/60 from several parts (CPU, external shoebox with 150Mb SCSI tape, 200Mb SCSI disk, no CD), I wanted to make sure that the ROMs I had would work with my configuration. Starting an intact 3/60 is not that complicated. I'm essentially building one from scratch. -ethan _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

27 years

1
0
0 0

chips

by edick＠idcomm.com

There have, in recent years come to be other manufacturers offering the PALCE version of the popular LATTICE GAL's. Cypress is, indeed, among them. As for the feedback, if you use pins 1 or 11 as something other than CLOCK or /OE, as they were used in the 16-series PALs, then the input path from them preempted the feedback from these end macrocells. I wouldn't remember that, except that PALASM slapped my wrist for it a couple of times early in my experience with them, so, like the dog who once pee'd on the electric fence, I remember that. There are other little "gotchas" with the various versions of these parts. Dick -----Original Message----- From: Pete Turnbull <pete(a)dunnington.u-net.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Tuesday, June 29, 1999 12:52 AM Subject: Re: chips >On Jun 28, 17:41, Richard Erlacher wrote: >> Subject: Re: chips >> SInce these are electrically eraseable it's of no consequence what the >> previous program was. These parts can be viewed as a relplacement for >the >> entire 16xN series where x=L or R and N ranges from 4 to 8. They can >> effectively emulate/replace 16L8, 16R4, 16R6 and 16R8 with a few >exceptions. >> The macrocells associated with pins 19 and 12 have no feedback path of >their >> own, i.e. it must be via the adjacent macrocell. The data book (these >are >> AMD/Vantis parts) for the Lattice GAL parts will explain it adequately if >> you can't lay hands on an AMD databook. > >They're not necessarily AMD; they could be Cypress parts, or one of a few >other manufacturers. Unfortunately, not all use the same erase or >programming algorithms (Lattice, National Semiconductor, and SGS Thomson > use one algorithm; AMD, Texas, Cypress, Altera and ICT use others). > >Why do you say that pins 12 and 19 have no feedback path of their own? > They do in my data sheets... > >-- > >Pete Peter Turnbull > Dept. of Computer Science > University of York

27 years

1
0
0 0

VAX-BI (was Re: Local bus schedule)

by ethan_dicks＠yahoo.com

--- blstuart(a)bellsouth.net wrote: > In message <199906271535.AA28999(a)world.std.com>, Allison J Parent writes: > >BI is open but, was designed for high speed and multiple processesors. > >The bus requires a chipset to communucate over it and while it was supposed > >ot be widely available it was never widely adopted. > > It was open? I could swear I remember a really big stink in > the DEC press when the BI was introduced. Of course, this > wouldn't be the first time bit-rot affected my historical > claims. It was licensed. I worked for a "third-party vendor" back in those days. We were denied a license in 1984 when we first applied (when it would have done some good) and were granted one in 1989, long after the VAX-BI was relevant. We sold a handful of boards, only part of our prototype batch (compared with hundreds of Q-bus boards and a couple thousand UNIBUS boards). Because DEC never really opened up the licensing program until later (unless you made a board that they didn't care about, then it was easy), the market never really took off for them. Once the VAX-4000 line came out, it was easier and cheaper to buy a couple of 4000's to replace aging 11/7xx and other mid-range VAXen than it was to jump up to a 6xxx or 8700/88xx. We had more UNIBUS->Q-bus upgrade sales than anything->VAXBI. I still have most of that first run of board. If I ever have far too much time on my hands, I'll write some new code for it - 68010 @ 10Mhz, Z8530 SIO, 2Mb RAM, 64kb ROM, DMA interface, timer. I suppose I could turn it into an intellegent PPP interface or make it do Localtalk (with a change in line drivers) -ethan _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

27 years

1
0
0 0

IBM 5100 sought

by Anthony.Eros＠COMPAQ.com

<< Apologies if this was posted twice... >> Gang - I know they're highly sought-after, but I'd really love to snag an APL-capable IBM 5100 and thought I'd throw the question open... There's something about those systems I always liked (even though I didn't use one more than a couple of times in high school.) Is there any chance that I might be able to tempt one of you elusive 5100 owners with some combination of the following? > DEC PDP-8/L > Teletype ASR-33 Apple Macintosh Portable (with case) > NeXTstation Turbo Color (minus monitor and sound box) > HP 85 with a variety of ROM drawers > HP 9825A with 8" floppy drive > There'd be some shipping issues, but I'd even be open to parting with an IBM 1130 (missing keyboard, power supply and drum disk.) Any interest? > -- Tony Eros Mid-Atlantic Computer History Museum

27 years

1
0
0 0

Local bus schedule

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<KIM bus - used on the KIM believe it or not also the SYM-1! <The book also includes a few x to S-100 translator designs. KIM to s100 would be useful. <VAX BI - hmm, that nomenclature doesn't look right, but you may < remember this move by DEC to use a non-open bus design BI is open but, was designed for high speed and multiple processesors. The bus requires a chipset to communucate over it and while it was supposed ot be widely available it was never widely adopted. There was also CI (cluster interconnect) for multiple vaxen and storage. Allison

27 years

3
5
0 0

Seeking a ZX80

by Mark.Ambrose＠RebusGroup.Com

I am looking for a Sinclair ZX80, any condition, even spares or repair... Mark

27 years

1
0
0 0

FW: Vintage computers

by jrkeys＠concentric.net

anyone on the list interested in this equipment ? contact the seller direct. -----Original Message----- From: Eric Stechmann [mailto:estechmann@abivest.com] Sent: Monday, June 28, 1999 7:29 AM To: John R. Keys Jr. Cc: estechmann(a)abivest.com Subject: Re: Vintage computers John, Well, here's a list put together last night. Some of these are in a storage unit and I didn't get over there to take inventory. As a result, the list might be incomplete, but should give you an idea: 1 - Amiga 500: w/ 'Insider' (1 MB) add-on. Hard disk & color monitor. Books and software. 2 - Atari 512(?): 1 w/ Hard disk, ext. floppy, 2 or 3 monitors (1 color, as I recall). Books and software. 3 - Zenith(/Heathkit?) Z-89: These machines can run CP/M or MSDOS. Each has both an Intel 8085 and an 8088, I believe. Two are "lowboys" with dual floppies and detached monitors. The other is an "all-in-one" with a hard disk and a floppy. The monitors are monochrome. They came from a business, and have appropriate software (I don't remember just what and it's packed away) Books and software. 1 - Zenith(/Heathkit) Z-19(?): This is an "all-in-one" Z-80 CP/M machine. It has an external dual floppy drive and an external 8-inch floppy. Books and software. 1 - Zenith laptop: This needs a battery. I think this is an 8088 system. It has a hard drive and 3.5" floppy. A couple of Epson printers. Assorted spare and salvaged parts for the various machines. Is there anything of interest to you or others? Eric -- Eric Stechmann Direct: +1 (651) 234-1217 Software Critter Fax: +1 (651) 490-1484 American Biosystems, Inc. E-mail: estechmann(a)abivest.com 20 Yorkton Court URL: www.abivest.com St.Paul MN 55117 The program said "Requires Windows 9* or better" so I bought a Macintosh.

27 years

1
0
0 0

Other list???

by Glenatacme＠aol.com

In a message dated 6/28/99 11:57:18 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Philip.Belben(a)powertech.co.uk writes: > Greetings everyone on both lists: Will some kind denizen of this listserv please enlighten me concerning the other list? Am I missing half the fun??? TIA Glen Goodwin 0/0

27 years

2
1
0 0

chips

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Jun 28, 17:41, Richard Erlacher wrote: > Subject: Re: chips > SInce these are electrically eraseable it's of no consequence what the > previous program was. These parts can be viewed as a relplacement for the > entire 16xN series where x=L or R and N ranges from 4 to 8. They can > effectively emulate/replace 16L8, 16R4, 16R6 and 16R8 with a few exceptions. > The macrocells associated with pins 19 and 12 have no feedback path of their > own, i.e. it must be via the adjacent macrocell. The data book (these are > AMD/Vantis parts) for the Lattice GAL parts will explain it adequately if > you can't lay hands on an AMD databook. They're not necessarily AMD; they could be Cypress parts, or one of a few other manufacturers. Unfortunately, not all use the same erase or programming algorithms (Lattice, National Semiconductor, and SGS Thomson use one algorithm; AMD, Texas, Cypress, Altera and ICT use others). Why do you say that pins 12 and 19 have no feedback path of their own? They do in my data sheets... -- Pete Peter Turnbull Dept. of Computer Science University of York

27 years

1
0
0 0

VCF Announcement

by dastar＠ncal.verio.com

Note: some of the links referenced are broken at present...under construction and all that. Parallax Inc. and Dr. Dobb's Journal proudly present... The Vintage Computer Festival 3.0 October 2nd & 3rd Santa Clara Convention Center Santa Clara, California www.vintage.org For the third year in a row, the Vintage Computer Festival is back to thrill and amaze you with the history of one of the greatest inventions in all of mankind, the computer! This year: * More great speakers! * More great exhibits! * More great vendors with Cool Stuff to sell! * More fun games and contests, including the Nerd Trivia Challenge! * Tour The Computer Museum History Center! * And of course, FREE STUFF!! In short, plenty of stuff to indulge all your SENSES: HEAR the speakers! SEE vintage computers! TOUCH them too! SMELL their electronics! But please don't TASTE them! "The mission of the Vintage Computer Festival is to promote the preservation of 'obsolete' computers by allowing attendees to experience the people, stories and technologies that embody the remarkable tale of the computer revolution." Register Early and $AVE! Register by June 30 and pay only $15 per person (or $20 per person by September 15). That includes access to the entire event all weekend, including the speakers, the exhibit and the flea market. Kids 17 and under are admitted free, and as always, parking is free too! To pre-register, send a check or money order to: Vintage Computer Festival 4275 Rosewood Drive #29-161 Pleasanton, California 94588 Or visit the VCF website for more information and a handy registration form ready to print (http://www.vintage.org/vcf/register.htm). The Speakers Horst Zuse Horst, the eldest son of early digital computer pioneer Konrad Zuse, will be giving a lecture on his late father's machines and will focus on the computer businesses that Konrad later founded to market his ideas. Jon Titus Who can forget one of the earliest of kit microcomputers, the Mark-8? Jon designed the Mark-8 around Intel's 8008 microprocessor and wrote a construction article which appeared in the July 1974 issue of Radio Electronics. Todd Fischer Todd bought the assets of IMSAI after their bankruptcy and continued to manufacture and sell IMSAI products under the Fischer-Frietas Corporation. Todd consulted with MGM for the movie _War Games_ and, as a treat, will be bringing along for show and tell the actual IMSAI 8080 computer that co-starred in the film. Stan Veit Stan is an early chronicler of the microcomputer revolution, and also a participant. Stan started one of America's first computer stores in New York, and in the process forged relationships with some of today's revered pioneers, including Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, whom he shared a booth with at the first West Coast Computer Faire where the Apple ][ was debuted to the world. Jim Willing Our admired and beloved VCF Celebrity, Jim will wax philosophic on various themes of stupendous relevance. Eugene Kim Eugene is a writer for Dr. Dobb's Journal (a VCF sponsor!) and will be giving a lecture on the history of free software, a very relevant topic considering the free-software movement is in full force in today's computing arena as evidenced by the escalating adoption of GNU/Linux. Curt Vendel Curt is the founder of the Atari Historical Society (check out his great website at http://www.atari-history.com) and has amassed an amazing collection of Atari artifacts and company history, including some one-of-a-kind Atari prototypes. Curt will be bringing along some of these prototypes for show and tell. Roger Sinasohn Roger is an avid collector of early portable computers and will be giving a talk on the history of the Kyocera 85, a.k.a. the Tandy Model 100, a.k.a. the Olivetti M10, a.k.a. the NEC PC-8201A. Doug Salot Doug's research has uncovered what he believes to be the first "personal computer". Forget the Apple ][, the Altair or even the Alto. Doug's pick as first PC goes all the way back to the 1950's. Designed by Edmund Berkeley, an unsung hero of computer history, Doug intends to win Berkeley the prominance and praise that he feels is much deserved by this virtually unknown computer visionary. Plus! Workshops by Parallax on their amazing little BASIC Stamp. Get a preview of this cool little device by visiting their website at http://www.parallaxinc.com. More speakers to be announced soon! Check the VCF website for updates. The Vintage Computer Faire and Exhibition This year, the Vintage Computer Festival exhibit will feature the exhibits of individual collectors, all vying to win first, second or third place in eleven categories, plus the coveted "Best of Show" award. The winner of the "Best of Show" ribbon will also win fabulous prizes. This year, we want YOU to exhibit the pride of your collection. What better way to demonstrate your enthusiasm for your hobby than to be an exhibitor at the Vintage Computer Festival. Exhibitor information can be found on the Vintage Computer Festival website (http://www.vintage.org/vcf/exhibit.htm). The Vintage Computer Flea Market Every year the best deals on vintage computer items can be found at the Vintage Computer Flea Market. Here are only a few of the amazing items sold at last year's flea market: * Apple 1 (no, we're NOT kidding!) * SWTPc 6800 * A rare computer by "the digital group" * Morrow Decision 1 (S-100) * California Computer Systems (S-100) * Apple Lisa 2 * And much, much more!! If you've got old computer stuff that you'd like to sell, there's no better place than the Vintage Computer Flea Market at the Vintage Computer Festival. Please visit our website for rates and regulations (http://www.vintage.org/vcf/vendor.htm). The Nerd Trivia Challenge! Hey trivia fans! Think you got what it takes to survive the Nerd Trivia Challenge? If you qualify, you'll be pitted against two other players in a battle to determine who is the undisputed master of computer history trivia. Answer the most questions correctly and you could walk away with $50 in cash plus some other nifty prizes. Lightweights need not apply, this contest is geared towards the serious computer history enthusiast. For contest rules please visit http://www.vintage.org/vcf/ntc.htm. Tour The Computer Museum History Center! The Computer Museum History Center boasts the largest collection of historic computer artifacts in the world. Their collection includes rare, one-of-a-kind computers and artifacts that date back to the early part of the century and beyond. A tour of the History Center's "Visible Storage" warehouse will be organized on Sunday, October 3. Tickets are limited and so advanced registration is recommended. FYI: The History Center is on the move, and is thrilled to announce plans to build a permanent museum to be dedicated by 2007. You can help the History Center achieve its goal by becoming a member. Information about becoming a member of the History Center can be found at http://www.computer-history.org. Meet Fellow Computer Collectors! The VCF is the premier gathering for collectors of vintage computers. What better way to enjoy your hobby than by meeting other like-minded individuals to share stories and information about your computer collection. Register now! http://www.vintage.org/vcf/register.htm Visit our Sponsors! Without our sponsors, the Vintage Computer Festival could not be a reality. It is our wonderful sponsors that enabled us to bring you the Vintage Computer Festival year after year. Demonstrate your appreciation by visiting them on the web: Parallax, Inc. http://www.parallaxinc.com Parallax manufactures the BASIC Stamp, a versatile microcontroller with a built-in BASIC language that is suitable for most any electronics and computer hobbyist project. Dr. Dobb's Journal http://www.ddj.com Dr. Dobb's Journal is the oldest continually running microcomputer journal, in existence since 1975. It features monthly articles and columns geared towards the computer programming professional. EOF 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]

27 years

2
2
0 0

PC's Limited (1986 on topic)

by bill＠chipware.com

I grabbed, out of a pile of various PC clones being trashed, a PC's Limited Turbo PC whose serial number sticker says it was manufactured in Sept. 1986. Could this be one of the machines actually assembled in Mr. Dells college dorm room? Bill

27 years

4
5
0 0

Bliss, $5

by therunk17＠earthlink.net

I'm definately interested in these manuals. The shipping would be to ma zip code 01581 Ron ---------- >From: Mike Ford <mikeford(a)netwiz.net> >To: "Discussion re-collecting of classic computers" <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> >Subject: Bliss, $5 >Date: Mon, Jun 28, 1999, 8:21 AM > > My wife is clearing out some old manuals, first up is a four volume set of > Bliss stuff from DEC. Bliss primer vol 1, 2, and 3, plus some kind of > Digital Bliss reference or something. The whole jolly group, $5 and postage. > > please email me directly, not the whole list. > > > >

27 years

2
1
0 0

Bliss, history

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.com

>The Bliss books lasted less than 3 minutes. Sorry to those who now lack >Bliss, but you missed it. ;) I'd like to point out that the Bliss compilers, and the documentation, are now in the "freely distributable" category. See ftp://ftp.wku.edu/vms/fileserv/ for "bliss-article-ps.zip" and "bliss-intro.zip" for the documentation. Tim.

27 years

1
0
0 0

New toy..

by a2k＠one.net

Today a friend of mine gave me a TRS-80 Daisywheel printer.. this sucker is HUGE, really heavy, loud, and fairly fast. I got 5 daisy wheels and 23 ribbons (!!). Some seem to be dried up but begin to print darker and darker the longer they're run.. anybody know how I can rejuvinate (sp??) the cartridges? Thanks, Kevin ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "It's you isn't it? THE BASTARD OPERATOR FROM HELL!" "In the flesh, on the phone and in your account..." -- BOFH #3

27 years

7
11
0 0

chips

by edick＠idcomm.com

SInce these are electrically eraseable it's of no consequence what the previous program was. These parts can be viewed as a relplacement for the entire 16xN series where x=L or R and N ranges from 4 to 8. They can effectively emulate/replace 16L8, 16R4, 16R6 and 16R8 with a few exceptions. The macrocells associated with pins 19 and 12 have no feedback path of their own, i.e. it must be via the adjacent macrocell. The data book (these are AMD/Vantis parts) for the Lattice GAL parts will explain it adequately if you can't lay hands on an AMD databook. Dick -----Original Message----- From: Tony Duell <ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Monday, June 28, 1999 5:40 PM Subject: Re: chips >> >> I found some 20 pin DIP chips, 8 chips in a plastic chip tube. I have no >> idea what they are, so i though i'd mention it here. maybe someone can >> use these. >> >> PALCE16V8H-15 >> PC/4 9545ABA L > >They're PALs. The number can be decoded as follows : > >16 - 16 inputs to the 'AND' matrix >V - 'Versatile'. Each output comes from a configurable block that allows >it to be either a normal output or a flip-flop >8 - 8 outputs > >What they are, and if they're useful, depends on whether they've been >programmed, and if so, with what. > >-tony >

27 years

1
0
0 0

chips

by lemay＠cs.umn.edu

I found some 20 pin DIP chips, 8 chips in a plastic chip tube. I have no idea what they are, so i though i'd mention it here. maybe someone can use these. PALCE16V8H-15 PC/4 9545ABA L -Lawrence LeMay

27 years

2
1
0 0

chips

by edick＠idcomm.com

These parts aren't PAL chips FOR a specific application. They're about 10-year-old electrically eraseable and reprogrammable GAL (generic arraly logic) parts, intended to become lower-cost replacements for the bipolar PALs. In the latter purpose they have been quite successful, in that I seldom even see a bipolar part in boards less than 15 years old. The advantage, of course, is that these have a more flexible architecture and variable macrocell design than the original PALs, say, from MMI, had. Of course there are only a few of them that are asynchronous, and those, typically, are just copies of the 20RA10 in more current technology. Dick -----Original Message----- From: Jay West <jlwest(a)tseinc.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Monday, June 28, 1999 3:31 PM Subject: Re: chips >I haven't looked up the numbers, but these almost sound like PAL chips for >the Digiboard PC/x boards. There is a 4 port model (PC/4) that is actually a >lobotomized 8 port card. > >Jay West >-----Original Message----- >From: Lawrence LeMay <lemay(a)cs.umn.edu> >To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers ><classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> >Date: Monday, June 28, 1999 4:06 PM >Subject: chips > > >>I found some 20 pin DIP chips, 8 chips in a plastic chip tube. I have no >>idea what they are, so i though i'd mention it here. maybe someone can >>use these. >> >> PALCE16V8H-15 >> PC/4 9545ABA L >> >>-Lawrence LeMay >> >

27 years

1
0
0 0

IBM 5100 sought

by Anthony.Eros＠COMPAQ.com

Gang - I know they're highly sought-after, but I'd really love to snag an APL-capable IBM 5100 and thought I'd throw the question open... There's something about those systems I always liked (even though I didn't use one more than a couple of times in high school.) Is there any chance that I might be able to tempt one of you elusive 5100 owners with some combination of the following? > DEC PDP-8/L > Teletype ASR-33 Apple Macintosh Portable (with case) > NeXTstation Turbo Color (minus monitor and sound box) > HP 85 with a variety of ROM drawers > HP 9825A with 8" floppy drive > There'd be some shipping issues, but I'd even be open to parting with an IBM 1130 (missing keyboard, power supply and drum disk.) Any interest? > -- Tony Eros Mid-Atlantic Computer History Museum

27 years

1
0
0 0

chips

by jlwest＠tseinc.com

I haven't looked up the numbers, but these almost sound like PAL chips for the Digiboard PC/x boards. There is a 4 port model (PC/4) that is actually a lobotomized 8 port card. Jay West -----Original Message----- From: Lawrence LeMay <lemay(a)cs.umn.edu> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Monday, June 28, 1999 4:06 PM Subject: chips >I found some 20 pin DIP chips, 8 chips in a plastic chip tube. I have no >idea what they are, so i though i'd mention it here. maybe someone can >use these. > > PALCE16V8H-15 > PC/4 9545ABA L > >-Lawrence LeMay >

27 years

1
0
0 0

Goo on my Teletype print head

by PB14＠leicester.ac.uk

On 24 Jun 99 at 18:52, Tony Duell wrote: > Yes, it is/was. Not sure if it was really rubber, but it was some > flexible material, and it does go sticking after a number of years. The > problem (beyond clogging the type cylinder) is that if the stud on 180540 > that 180502 goes on to is exposed, it will damage the surface of the type > cylinder. > > I wonder if you could cast one using that stuff that classic car > restorers use to make rubber parts [an aside : Anyone know where to get > that in the UK?]. Making the mould would be fairly easy, I think. A well known brand name is Flexane. Try http://www.frost.co.uk/016frost.html (this is an orphaned frame...) or have a look at the classifieds in Practical Classics. Woolies in East Anglia are always very helpful. I also found a spec sheet at http://www.netherlandrubber.com/adhesive/mainrepr/flexspec.html. Phil ************************************************************** Phil Beesley -- Computer Officer -- Distributed Systems Suppport University of Leicester Tel (0)116 252-2231 E-Mail pb14(a)le.ac.uk

27 years

2
1
0 0

British Science Museum needs a lesson in history

by dastar＠ncal.verio.com

Here's an interesting announcement from the British Science Museum that might interest some of the folks in the UK (Tony, now you can get a job!) OPERATE THE BABY COMPUTER Would you like to work on the rebuilt 'Baby' computer? This rebuild of the original which ran for the first time on 21 June 1948 is on display in the Futures gallery at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. The Museum needs help to keep the computer in working order and to demonstrate it to visitors. You should have some experience in and knowledge of electronics. An interest in the history of computing would be desirable. You should also be available once during the week for training and, if possible, at the weekends for demonstrations. You will join the Museum's volunteer programme and will receive training on the computer's operation and maintenance, on its background history and on talking about the computer to Museum visitors. The Museum is the only place where you can have this opportunity to work with the first computer. You will be able to learn from the people who rebuilt the computer and benefit from the experience of explaining it to visitors. If you are interested in helping, please contact Jenny Wetton at the Museum, telephone 0161-832-2244, or email: j.wetton(a)msim.org.uk --- What's funny is the state in the second to last paragraph: "The Museum is the only place where you can have this opportunity to work with the first computer." Konrad Zuse might have a problem with this. 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: 04/22/99]

27 years

4
5
0 0

BI Bus

by IVIE＠cc.usu.edu

Ack! How could I miss a discussion of the BI bus? I'd better pay a bit more attention when I'm glancing through the subject lines... > It was open for a minimal definition of the word open. > DEC owned the chip set and protocol and would sell you the chip set > if your board was not a competitor to a DEC board. I can vouch for this. The company I used to work for did a couple of VAXBI interface boards: a quad IEEE-488 board and an interface to a custom shared memory. DEC had to be convinced where product was complementary before it gave you the right to buy chips. > A number of outfits purchased the older lowest priced DEC board > available to pull the chips for the BI bus to make disk controllers > and such since DEC wasn't going to let anyone reverse engineer the set > without a major patent fight. There was a memory company that reverse engineered the BI bus, at least enough to build memory cards. Clearpoint, perhaps? I don't recall which. IIRC, they were bought by an I/O company (Emulex, maybe?) primarily to gain access to their reverse-engineered BI chip. > DEC cut it's own throat on this one and the BI bus never took hold. There's also the fact that for the average bus transaction it really wasn't any faster than the UNIBUS. You had to _always_ do octaword transactions to outperform the UNIBUS (at least, the theoretical max of the UNIBUS; and by the time the VAXBI appeared, it was starting to be possible to get the theoretical max out of the UNIBUS. I once did a processor module that did the UNIBUS mapping during the settle(?) (the one that was after the deskew time) time; once that 75ns was up, the processor module knew that the adders had had enough time to map the address and didn't need to add any extra delay for the mapping. The processor module could support a J-11 running full bore while simultaneously outperforming the PDP-11/84 on DMA throughput. And it looked enough like a PDP-11/84 to run RSX-11 out of the box). > who left DEC around the time of the BI bus release... and has NO > proprietary data on 'em. I've still got a couple of copies of the VAXBI manual. Roger Ivie ivie(a)cc.usu.edu

27 years

1
0
0 0

PC's Limited (1986 on topic)

by jeff.kaneko＠juno.com

Actually, my understanding was that at least one of the 1st PC's limited machines were unique: 386PC's design using multiple megabytes of *static* memory to keep up with the *blazing* 386-16 then in use.

27 years

1
0
0 0

Local bus schedule

by ethan_dicks＠yahoo.com

--- James Willing <jimw(a)agora.rdrop.com> wrote: > At 09:25 PM 6/26/99 -0400, Max Eskin wrote: > >Hi, > >I'd like to know about the various famous, complete local bus standards. > >I've heard of: > >ISA > > Posibus and Negibus from the pre-Omnibus PDP-8 series machines... I thought about adding those, but I wasn't sure they qualified as local busses, especially if you have a DW08 bus converter on your machine. -ethan _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

27 years

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Sun 3/60

by ethan_dicks＠yahoo.com

--- Aaron Christopher Finney <af-list(a)lafleur.wfi-inc.com> wrote: > Kevin, > > Do you have an extra type 4/5 keyboard? I have an adapter I could give > you. Ooh! Where can I get one of these? I have this 3/60 that I burned new ROMs for, I have the older SunOS tape images, the 150Mb drive, a spare monitor, an external shoebox (with several older SCSI and ESDI disks), but no keyboard. I started to make an adapter, but got distracted. I've used this machine with a VT220 hung off the console, so I know it mostly works. I've never booted an OS on it, though. -ethan _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

27 years

2
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Heads up: Vax 3400 for disposal

by Philip.Belben＠powertech.co.uk

Greetings everyone on both lists: I have a lead on a microvax near Birmingham, UK. All items in good, working condition unless marked "not checked". I am interested in people's comments, but the person to make offers, answer queries, etc. is Martin Poole, martin.poole(a)pgen.com Closing date for tenders Noon (British Summer Time) 12 July 1999. System: Microvax 3300/3400 Computer System 32Mb MOS memory, 3*381Mb DSSI ISE, Std Kbd., Mono Term. Expansion Cab, ?" Cartridge Tape Drive Spare Microvax 3400 Computer System (backup m/c.) (Not checked) Printers and peripherals:- LA324 -AE 24 pin Dot Matrix Printer (Three off) LA210 -A3 Letterprinter (Three off) Oki Microline 393C 24 pin Dot Matrix Printer (Three off, of which two not checked) Assorted tapes and ribbons for above The machines are now decommissioned but were in continuous use from new in 1989 till April 1999. They have always been supported by a maintenance contract, originally with Digital but in recent years a company called ICM Team had the contract. There are three cabinets, all desk-side size (28" tall x 14" wide x 20" deep) being (I think) the main CPU, the backup CPU and the expansion box. Since I (still!) haven't signed the lease on a storage unit of my own (local council not replying to letters), I shall probably not be bidding, but what do people know about these machines? How fast / reliable / compatible / easy to set up are they? Good luck, one and all. Philip. PS Enquiries and offers to Martin, just in case you'd forgotten. ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept for the presence of computer viruses. Power Technology Centre, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Nottingham, NG11 0EE, UK Tel: +44 (0)115 936 2000 http://www.powertech.co.uk **********************************************************************

27 years

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ZX81

by peter＠joules.enterprise-plc.com

I think I may hve missed out on a bargain yesterday. I was walking around Surbiton, yesterday and in one of the charity shops they had a ZX81 complete with original manuals and a black and white TV for 15UKP. I left it there becuse I could not have carried the TV all the way to the car about a mile away. Perhaps I should have told them that I would give them 15 quid for the computer and they could have the TV. If any of our UK members are nera Surbiton and would like to see if it still there then the shop is and educationaal charity, I can't remember the name. It is about opposite Sainsbury's and is the second charity on the left hand side of the road if walking up from the traffic lights towards Surbiton railway stastion. Regards Pete

27 years

2
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Available: IMSAI Chassis

by jimw＠agora.rdrop.com

For Sale/Trade/Whatever... IMSAI 8080 chassis and CPU board. Why 'chassis' rather than 'computer'? It's missing the front panel. I had been considering rebuilding it into a replica of an IMSAI dual-floppy sub-system, but it looks like I may have finally tracked one of those down, so now this piece is (somewhat) surplus. It does have the power supply and full card cage, so there is potential. Mayhaps someone has one of the third party 'smart' front panel boards that they want to play with? Any which way... I'm entertaining offers, lest I decide that I really need the room (and $$) and offer it up to the vultures on ePay... B^} -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!

27 years

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Local bus schedule

by edick＠idcomm.com

At the time BI came out we (I then was working for a military/aerospace contractor) were developing a portable military workstation based on a microvax-II. We briefly considered building our own version on the VME bus as opposed to Q-bus, when we learned that the BI-bus interface chipset was the microVax processor set. This would have saved lots of dough and let us use current generation hardware in place of the obsolete rubbish for which DEC charged so much dough. Politics doomed that notion, however. The KIM didn't have a way to float the processor's address bus, nor did it support prioritized interrupts, both of which were a little-used "big-deal" on the S-100. The fact that it also didn't support I/O instructions was a real limitation, though. Dick -----Original Message----- From: allisonp(a)world.std.com <allisonp(a)world.std.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Monday, June 28, 1999 6:25 AM Subject: Re: Local bus schedule >On Sun, 27 Jun 1999 blstuart(a)bellsouth.net wrote: > >> In message <199906271535.AA28999(a)world.std.com>, Allison J Parent writes: >> ><The book also includes a few x to S-100 translator designs. >> > >> >KIM to S100 would be useful. > That would not be terribly difficult, depending on which direction you wanted to go. Unfortunately, the KIM didn't produce the appropriate signals for about half the functions on the S-100. (Neither did many of the CPU's offered for the S-100) This stood in the way of a successful commercial product along these lines. Nevertheless, it would have been nice to buy rather than build a memory card or controller for the KIM. > >> The book includes the schematics and a brief technical description >> of the KIMSI, a commercial KIM to S-100 product. It's covered in >> Chapter 15, "6502/6800 to S-100 Conversion." > >Would it be possible to get a copy of the schematic and minimal text? > >> It was open? I could swear I remember a really big stink in >> the DEC press when the BI was introduced. Of course, this >> wouldn't be the first time bit-rot affected my historical >> claims. > >It was open but DEC was the sole source for the interface/protocal >chipset. Hence the stink. It' was never actully locked as a few years >later there was both a second source and a "open" spec available. The >fact of the matter is most vendor specific buses tend to be somewat >closed if by virtue of lack of adoption by third parties. > >Allison >

27 years

1
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Why does my Apple IIe run so _fast_ ?

by guerney＠uq.net.au

I have just played with an Apple IIe (Model A2S2128X) I was given. It is obviously "souped up" as everything runs so _fast_. Most games are impossible to play on it. I just tried a pinball simulation and the ball just bounces around at 100mph! I ran a BASIC graphics extension demo and the bits which were supposed to show "slow" drawing to the screen were real fast, and the "fast" draw was instantaneous. It is not hard to guess that a chip called the "ZIP CHIP Model 8000" plugged into the lower left of the motherboard has something to do with it! I came into microcomputers through the Commodore line, and have never known much about Apples, and I have not accumulated enough reference material to find something about this add-on. Another thing with this unit is that it happily runs DOS 3.3 but any ProDos disks are greeted with a "UNABLE TO LOAD PRODOS" banner. So it will not run Apple Works etc. There is also a PlusRAM II 1MB RAMCARD which is fully populated with 1MB RAM. I suspect that card must have cost $$$ in its day. What do I need to access this memory?Another slot holds a tiny card called a Berkely Softworks IRQ Manager. The centre slot contains a AIIE 80col/64K Memory Expansion card. The remaining slots are the more common Disk II Interface, Mouse Interface and "AII Parallel Interface" cards. Anything anyone can tell me about what makes this IIe run like it does? Phil in Brisbane, Australia.

27 years

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What is an IBM PowerServer 370?

by steverob＠hotoffice.com

> > HP's offering FREE HP-UX 10.something for the 9.x customers > to get past the y2k problem. > Don't know if it applies to all the HPUX 9.X platforms but, I did receive the upgrade for my 9000/840. I just filled out the online form (sorry I forgot the URL) and they sent me a complete package. It included all the CDs (16 of em), installation instructions, and licenses. Very Cool! Steve Robertson - <steverob(a)hotoffice.com>

27 years

3
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Laser-50 "educational computer"

by mranalog＠home.com

Sellam Ismail <dastar(a)ncal.verio.com> said: > Yes, I added one to my collection in 1997. Basically a simple little > computer with maybe 4K of memory and built-in BASIC. Made by Vtech > (Video Technology), the same guys that make all those educational toy > computers for kids, as well as the oft discussed Laser 128 (Apple //c > clone). And the Laser Compact XT (IBM XT clone). This is the specs from the manual: Model Laser 50 Educational Computer OS Basic - built-in Ram 2192 bytes expandable to 18K Rom 8K x 12bits Display 5x7 Dot matrix LCD, 16 chars/line 1 line/screen Interface Built-in cassette port,buzzer,parallel printer port Features Auto power off (2 1/2 minutes) without losing program. Auto LCD contrast adjustment. Program capacity - 10 programs (P0 - P9) Scientific calculator mode Power UM3x4 (4 "AA") or 6VDC adapter 15mA 22mW --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 ====================================================

27 years

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3 computers looking for homes

by peterutz＠worldnet.att.net

For your list, Radio Shack TRS80 Model 1 with monitor, dual disk drives, 48K memory, manuals, documents, software. MacIntosh Classic MO-420 (made 1990) with HD, cables, manuals,software, and Imagewriter 2 if you want it. Swan 286 with dual floppies and hard drive, manuals, software, monitor. Make an offer plus shipping and contact peterutz(a)worldnet.att.net directly. Pete

27 years

1
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Local bus schedule

by ethan_dicks＠yahoo.com

--- Max Eskin <max82(a)surfree.com> wrote: > Hi, > I'd like to know about the various famous, complete local bus standards. > I've heard of: > ISA > S-100 > PCI > VLB > EISA > NuBus > Unibus (don't know anything about this besides that it's by DEC) If this is on the list, then you should also have BI bus (32-bit bus used as the processor bus in 8200/8300 "Scorpio" class VAXen), Q-bus (16-bit bus going back to the early 1970's), Nautilus bus (32-bit system bus for VAX 85xx and 87/88xx machines) and XMI (eXtended Memory Interconnect) bus, the primary path on 6xxx/7xxx VAXen. > PDS > Apple ][ bus > > Does anyone know about any others? The Netronics Elf-II bus COSMAC VIP (1802) expansion slot? VME (68K and old, large SPARC servers used this) Multibus (favored of Intel, found in older Cisco products and the NCR Tower) Microchannel Zorro II/III (16/32-bit Bus used in Amigas) OMNIBUS (PDP-8/e/f/m/a - lots of batches of 12-bit signals) C-64 expansion bus \ VIC-20 expansion bus - 6502 signals and memory decode stuff, like the Apple ][ PET expansion bus / I guess it just depends on how you are using the term "local bus". If you mean direct access to processor signals, these should all count. Some of these appear as a local bus in some machines (BI bus in the 8200, etc.), and a peripheral bus in others (BI bus in 85xx/87xx/88xx/6xxx...) Same goes for the UNIBUS (main bus in older PDP-11's (11/20, 11/05...) but one of several busses in later models (11/70, 11/84, etc.) -ethan _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

27 years

1
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Fw: Museummy Computer

by jfoust＠threedee.com

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27 years

2
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Laser-50 "educational computer"

by ckaiser＠oa.ptloma.edu

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27 years

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VAXstation I questions

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<So if you're excluding the FP stuff, the MicroVAX I has more instructions <than the MicroVAX II. And its still the slowest of the lot... ;) Allison

27 years

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Free HP 9000 340s in the UK

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

Contact the owner. Joe In comp.sys.hp.misc, Richard Atkinson <96rga(a)eng.cam.ac.uk> wrote: >That's right, free to anyone who can collect or pay the postage. > >HP 9000/340 workstations >HPIL keyboards > >Email for more details. > > >Richard >

27 years

2
1
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Local bus schedule

by max82＠surfree.com

Hi, I'd like to know about the various famous, complete local bus standards. I've heard of: ISA S-100 PCI VLB EISA NuBus Unibus (don't know anything about this besides that it's by DEC) PDS Apple ][ bus Does anyone know about any others? --Max Eskin (max82(a)surfree.com) http://scivault.hypermart.net: Ignorance is Impotence - Knowledge is Power

27 years

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Grid and other pen PDAs FS

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

FYI. Joe In comp.sys.handhelds, tcbordp(a)vbbusnw1.tc.cc.va.us (Peter W. Borders) wrote: > Pen / PDA Garage Sale > >I have the following pen related systems and software for sale. All >systems work correctly, pens function and all accessories work. These >systems have mostly been in storage so batteries are in unknown >condition and no guarentees are made with regards to ability to hold a >charge. All I can say is the last time I used them they worked but that >could be a couple of years for a few of these. All systems are in very >good to excellent condition, all doors and covers are in tact and the >only dislay scratch is listed in the descriptions. I will not sell parts >seperately and if something is not listed I don't have it. Resonable >counter offers on prices welcomed, lowball offers ignored. Not really >interested in trades unless you have somehting unusual, I am trying to >clear out some space. Prices include insured shipping via UPS ground >within the lower 48 states, for prepayed orders, anything else is at the >expense of the buyer. Buyer prepays with a money order or I can do UPS >COD but then the shipping, insurance and COD charges are the >responsibility of the buyer. For references check any amatuer radio >callbook (information available on the web) I have been at the same >address for over 10 years and the previous address (6 block away) for >over 20, I am not going to steal from someone and move after all this >time. > >Pete Borders - WB4TKA > >tcbordp(a)vbbusnw1.tc.cc.va.us > > >Pen Systems: > >Toshiba T200 $200.00 > 486dx, 8M memory, 80M HD > Windows for Pen 3.1 > 640x480 grayscale VGA backlit > Pen, Battery, AC adaptor > Built in IO ports (serial, parallel, floppy, vga, ps/2 keyboard) > 1 type II and 1 type III pcmcia slot > >Gridpad 2050sl $150.00 > 1/4 inch scratch on display, left of center near top > 386sl, 4M memory, 60M HD > Windows for Pen 3.1 > 640x480 grayscale VGA backlit > Pen, Battery, AC adaptor > Built in IO ports (serial, parallel, floppy, vga, ps/2 keyboard) > Built in modem (probably 2400 baud) > External 1.44M low profile floppy drive > >Grid Palmpad 2350 $150.00 > NEC V20, 1M memory, 10M pcmcia flash card > MS-DOS 5.0 with pen extensions > 640x400 dualscan grayscale CGA backlit > Pen, Battery, AC adaptor > Serial/power adaptor cable > Battery recharge cable > Custom case > >Pen PDA Systems: > >Motorola Envoy $125.00 > Magic Cap > Grayscale display > 2 Stylii, 2 batteries, AC adaptor > 2 PCMCIA slots > Wireless modem (Ardis) > External battery charger > Some manuals > >Peter W. Borders > >Network Support Technician >Tidewater Communty College >tcbordp(a)vbbusnw1.tc.cc.va.us

27 years

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VCF Announcement: Nerd Trivia Challenge

by dastar＠ncal.verio.com

Nerd Trivia Challenge Official Rules and Regulations http://www.vintage.org/vcf/ntc.htm 0. The Nerd Trivia Challenge is a game-show like event geared towards the computer history enthusiast. Questions concering computers, their inventors, their technologies, and their software are relevant. The questions are carefully selected by a panel of amateur computer historians and are researched as thoroughly as possible to ensure the correct answer is associated with each question. Only questions with unambiguous, undisputed answers are used in the game. 1. To be considered as a player you must first pass a pre-qualifying quiz given when you arrive and register at the VCF. This is a series of 10 free-form answer questions, with each question being worth a point. The pre-qualifying quiz will be given on days one and two of the VCF (Saturday, October 2 and Sunday, October 3). The top ten scores will then qualify to move on to the final qualification quiz. 2. If you qualify then you must be available on day two of the event (Sunday, October 3) at 2:00pm to take the qualifying quiz. This quiz consists of a series of ten questions, each worth a point. The top three scorers on the qualifying quiz will be chosen to play the Nerd Trivia Challenge. In the case of a tie, a tie-breaking question will be asked in a "sudden death" format. The first person to respond with the correct answer to the tie-breaking question will be chosen as the final player. 3. The contest consists of two rounds with 25 questions each round in five different categories (five questions per category), plus a final round consisting of one question. Each question in each category is progressively more challenging than the last. 4. Scoring is in "bits". In round 1, the questions at the top of each category are worth 5 bits and increment by 5 bits so that the last question is worth 25 bits. In round 2, the questions start at 10 bits each and increment by 10 bits so that the last question is worth 50 bits. Scores will be displayed in the Octal numbering system. 5. Before the game begins, a player will be selected at random by a computer to be the first to choose a question from the game board. 6. The game is played thusly: each player's score starts at 0 bits (or NULL). The game is controlled by the Master Nerd. Each player has a hand signalling switch. The player who was chosen to go first will pick a question from the game board. The question will then be read by the Master Nerd. Once the question has been read, the player who signals quickest will be called upon to answer the question. 7. The player who is in control of the board may pick any question of any category they desire. There is no requirement to pick the questions in order, and there is no requirement to stay with a category until all its questions are exhausted. In other words, the questions may be picked in any order the contesant who is in control of the board desires. 8. A question may not be answered until the Master Nerd has read the question in its entirety. Once the question has been read, a player must signal within 3 seconds to answer the question. If no player signals before the 3 seconds have elapsed then the question is withdrawn, and the correct answer will be read. 9. The player signalling has 5 seconds to produce the correct answer. If the time elapses before the player successfully answers the question then the question is considered answered incorrectly by that player and the question is then re-opened to the remaining players. 10. If the question is answered correctly the bit value of the question will be added to the player's score. An incorrect answer will result in the bit value of the question being deducted from the player's score. The question is then re-opened to the remaining players, with the same time constraints as outlined in 8 and 9. 11. Round one includes a special Nerd question, and round two includes two special Super Nerd questions, which are found only upon a player selecting the question where these special questions are hidden. When a player selects a Nerd or Super Nerd question, they will be allowed to wager any amount (greater than 0) that they will produce the correct answer to the question. In other words, the player will be able to determine the point value of the question. The amount wagered may be up to the player's score, or the value of the question, whichever is greater. If the question is answered correctly, the bits wagered will be added to the player's score. If the question is not answered correctly, the bits wagered will be deducted from the player's score. In such a case, the question will not be opened up to the other players. 12. There is no time limit on rounds one and two. The rounds will continue until all questions on the board have been selected. 13. The final round consists of one question which all three players will have the opportunity to answer. The players will first be told the category of the question. The players must then secretly record a wager that they will produce the correct answer. The wager can be any amount from 0 bits to their current total score. Once the players have recorded their wagers, the final question will be read. The players then have 30 seconds to secretly record their answer. Once the 30 seconds have elapsed, each player will be asked to reveal the answer they recorded. The players producing the correct answer will have the amount they wagered added to their score, while those producing an incorrect answer will have the amount they wagered deducted from their score. 14. The player that has the highest number of bits at the end of the game is declared the First Place Winner. The players with the second and third highest scores are considered the Second and Third Place Winners respectively. In the case of a tie between any players, a tie breaking question will be asked. The first contestant to successfully answer the tie-breaking question will be awarded the place they are competing for (i.e. First or Second). The process will be repeated in the event of a three-way tie. 15. Any questions or comments concerning these rules or the Nerd Trivia Challenge in general may be directed to ntc(a)vintage.org. EOF 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]

27 years

2
1
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Data General

by jonas＠coyote.org

Hi, I just got a Data General machine. It's marked with product ID MV/1000 DC. Could someone identify the year of this machine? It's not marked with the production year, but I get the impression that it's one of the newer Data General machines. I'd love to learn more about it. Jonas

27 years

1
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Need photographs of vintage computers for magazine article.

by kstumpf＠unusual.on.ca

Ladies and gentleman if you have your own photographs of a Poqet or a Portfolio, a Hyperion, IMSAI, or of early word processing software like Electric Pencil, Wordstar, Samna, Multimate, or scenes from a Hamfest and Goodwill-type store that show vintage computer gear please contact me privately. I have written an article on collecting computers for Antique Trader and we need these photographs to go with the article. You will receive the photograph credit, be mentioned in the caption, and receive a copy of the issue the article appears in. Please contact me privately. Thank you. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------- 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 .

27 years

2
1
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New Finds Today

by museum＠techniche.com

Stopped at the local surplus store today and found a double wide 7' tall HP rack full of old equipment. Out of it I pulled an HP 21mx, HP 9-track tape drive, HP pizza oven disk drive with a removeable pack installed and finally an HP Paper Tape reader. These were all still hooked up so I also picked up the connecting cables and the equipment slides. I left the rack since I have an empty one empty and waiting and it's alot cleaner then the one I took these out of. Cost -- $50. and a couple of hours time to disassemble and move it all (the disk drive is incredibly heavy). I had to put this all into storage immediately because I'm leaving on business so I didn't have time to note peripheral model numbers or inventory the cards in the CPU (however every I/O slot on the back was populated. On another topic, can anyone tell me exactly what the Morrow ADM-20 was? I have a lead on one, I understand that it is a CP/M machine. Is this one of the S-100 boxes?

27 years

3
2
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Forwarded request for help: uts40

by jimw＠agora.rdrop.com

If anyone can help this guy, please contact him directly. I have no clue what a 'uts40' is... -jim ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- >Date: Thu, 24 Jun 1999 10:12:34 +0000 >From: Dominique Carlier <dominique(a)best.be> >Subject: uts40 > >Hello, > >i have a little question about a Sperry Univac computer, you know the >UTS 40 (universal terminal) and his subsystem (2x 8' drives) ? >This big neolithic computer, an old fellow for me, make a long beep when >i turn terminal on, the POC test do not initiate, black screen... >if you have an information about this, that was great, Help ! :) >(sorry for my bad english but i'm a frensh guy) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- --- jimw(a)computergarage.org The Computer Garage - http://www.computergarage.org Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174

27 years

1
0
0 0

Founder of Sphere surfaces

by dastar＠ncal.verio.com

Michael Wise, the founder of Sphere, has surfaced. His website is at http://www.users.uswest.net/~mwise/index.html. He's another one claiming title to inventor of the "Personal Computer", plus claims of other "firsts" that you can find on his website. I'm sure there will be plenty of debate. I'm trying to get him to speak at the VCF so you can heckle him in person. See also http://ibnd.net/old_days/sphere/ 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]

27 years

1
0
0 0

Local bus schedule

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<>ISA <>S-100 <>PCI <>VLB <>EISA <>NuBus <>Unibus (don't know anything about this besides that it's by DEC) It is the bus used for PDP11 and early VAX based (7xx and some 8xxx) systems. The related bus is Qbus used on smaller PDP-11s and MicroVAXen. <>PDS <>Apple ][ bus < <Duh! I left out MCA. Boy, am I in for it now... Multibus, mostly intel based/biased sytems. STDbus, Zilog z80 based systems SCSI and the earler version called SASI GPIB/HPIB general purpose instrumentation bus IEEE485 lowspeed networking for instrumentation and controllers. Omnibus DEC PDP-8E/F/M/A series computers. Eithernet, serial bus. Token ring, serial bus MassBus, used on large dec system for interconnecting disk farms. IDE, a 16bit wide bus for storage devices on PCs Hexbus, used on some TI consumer Machines. USB and firewire, serialbuses for interconnect (PC and?). And Parallel port... who says a bus has to talk both ways! Allison

27 years

1
0
0 0

Local bus schedule

by edick＠idcomm.com

Well, There Multibus-I, Multibus-II, STD bus, VME bus, Omnibus, Q-bus, B-I Bus, KIM bus, Exorcisor bus, FastBus, and that doesn't even scratch the surface. If I could focus I could probably come up with another dozen or so, not that they matter that much. Dick -----Original Message----- From: Max Eskin <max82(a)surfree.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Saturday, June 26, 1999 8:31 PM Subject: Local bus schedule >Hi, >I'd like to know about the various famous, complete local bus standards. >I've heard of: >ISA >S-100 >PCI >VLB >EISA >NuBus >Unibus (don't know anything about this besides that it's by DEC) >PDS >Apple ][ bus > >Does anyone know about any others? > >--Max Eskin (max82(a)surfree.com) > http://scivault.hypermart.net: Ignorance is Impotence - Knowledge is Power >

27 years

1
0
0 0

Apple //e OS

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Jun 26, 16:20, Sellam Ismail wrote: > On Fri, 25 Jun 1999, Pete Turnbull wrote: > > > > Actually, it can run any version of DOS (3.2 or 3.3) but for 3.2 you need > > > the 3.2 controller. > > > > Um, Sellam, are you sure you've not got 3.2/3.3 compatibility round the > > wrong way? > Oh yes, you are quite correct. I forgot about that. I remember now that > to boot 13-sector disks on a 16-sector controller required the 13-sector > pre-boot disk that Apple supplied with DOS 3.3. Yes, the BASICS disk, or the BOOT13 utility on the System Master. I figured what you wrote was just a typo, and you meant it the other way round, which would make sense. -- Pete Peter Turnbull Dept. of Computer Science University of York

27 years

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test-drb