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

by jondjohnston＠hotmail.com

Just in time for her 50th birthday in November: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kko526UpHsM&feature=youtu.be www.hpmuseum.net

10 years, 2 months

5
6
0 0

DECmate II Questions

by robert.jarratt＠ntlworld.com

I have been looking at my DECmate II recently. I got an Italian version of WPS 1.0 for it and that works fine, except that I don't have an Italian keyboard so finding some of the characters is a bit tricky. :) The machine came with an RD51 hard disk. I can't many references to MFM disks in DECmate IIs. The disk will sometimes spin up and sometimes remains motionless. I checked all three of the Darlington transistors on the drive board and they seemed fine (I checked them out of circuit). However, unless I have any really persistent problems getting the disk to run, I am not going to bother trying to make it start reliably. My main question though is this. From what I can see the WPS software does not access the hard disk, the manual I have does not mention hard disks. I executed the function for listing files and it said it found nothing, whether that attempted to access the hard disk or not I don't know. Should WPS be able to access the hard disk? Might it have been a later version that used the hard disk? If not, then would one of the other OSs for the DECmate II be able to access the hard disk? I don't have any other OSs for it though, does anyone know where I might find copies? I also have a graphics option board for the machine, which software actually uses this option? Any recommendations for how best to image RX50 diskettes? I want to preserve the diskettes I have. Regards Rob

10 years, 2 months

3
5
0 0

VMS Software

by pete＠petelancashire.com

Pulled these out of the trash http://petelancashire.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=6062&g2_navId=x09e4617c The first picture are for VAX the yet to be check in the second photo are VMS for Alpha. Now that I have that little VAX 3100 I only want to get it configured. Is someone other there I should give these to, I want to make sure the contents are not lost. Bitsavers.org for example. -pete

10 years, 2 months

3
2
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Favorite Resolution && favorite monitor, sound, video, and capture (retro)

by swiftgriggs＠gmail.com

Since I doubt I'm the only one on the list with failing eyes. I thought I'd ask about monitors. Now, I'll preface this with the fact that I have some macular degeneration in my retinae. So, I prefer lower resolution monitors (so that fonts can't get too tiny). I also prefer as many NITs, CD/M2, candlepower, or whatever you like to call "brightness" as I can get (again, it's my eye issues). I was curious what folks liked? Since I mess with a lot of consoles and still occasionally play with the Amiga or MiST, I like to have the option to do composite video. Keep in mind is all geared toward retro users. I konw there is "better" gear than this, now. Favorite LCD Monitor line: NEC Multisync, Dell Ultrasharp Favorite CRT Monitor line: Iiyama (Sony Trinitron as a runner up) Favorite Video Resolutions: 1280x1024 4:3 and 1280x720 (16:9) Favorite display Devices: SGI O2 CRM graphics, The Voodoo3 for PC, The VillageTronic Picasso IV for the Amiga. Favorite retro NTSC/PAL Video capture devices: SGI Indy built-in composite/s-video, SGI O2 A/V option, Amiga Newtek Video Toaster Flyer, Quadra 880AV option for Macs, and the Matrox Rainbow Runner for desktop PeeCee. Favorite Retro Sound Cards: Gravis Ultrasound for PC, Sound Blaster emu10k ("Pro" PCI cards), Amiga Studio 16, SGI DM8 for SGI/IRIX, Pro Audio Spectrum for 68k macs. If we are going further back to the 90's I'd say I liked 640x480 for all the great artwork done in that res on various platforms and MCGA 320x200 for games (mainly because they finally got 8-bit color that way). The biggest downside to the NEC monitors is that few of them support composite or S-Video. The biggest upside is that most of them perfectly support sync-on-green. Another good monitor in terms of flexibility for retro use is the Dell 2007FP Ultrasharp. It's 20" I think, but has a plethora of ports and features. I also own a Sony Trinitron PVM-20M2MDU medical monitor for my Genesis, SNES, and Neo Geo MVS conversion system. It's around 50 pounds (22 kilos), but at 20" it's small enough to keep around. It's tough to beat these for any type of non-HD video. I'm getting interested in projectors, too. However, I'm doubting I'll find one that's bright enough and will do all the video modes I want (ie.. mix of sync-on-green with composite etc..) -Swift

10 years, 2 months

5
11
0 0

Britain's first mass-produced business computer is now on display

by wulfman＠wulfman.com

http://www.gizmag.com/britain-computer-mass-produced-first-public/42595/

10 years, 2 months

2
1
0 0

PCP11-E board

by jws＠jwsss.com

I have a PCP-11E board, which I'd like people to comment on, perhaps point me at some documentation if you know of any. Google is saturated with references for the three letter acronym for a controlled substance, nothing much has showed up, and the manufacturer was not very proud of the board, so that won't reduce ambiguity in searching for info. It has a z80, and a couple of Parallel I/O chips as well as a Zilog CTC on it, so it is smelling like some sort of equipment interface or perhaps a Laser printer or high speed printer board. Probably has a 2716 chip on it for code, would like to get it imaged and disassembled. http://jimsoldtoys.blogspot.com/2016/02/pcp11e-qbus-board.html I did a quick look at the thing and there are pictures of the overall board as well as closeups. I guess one could hope to play with CPM on it if nothing else. thanks Jim

10 years, 2 months

2
1
0 0

Looking for RSX-11M V4.2 images

by supervinx＠libero.it

I'm looking for RSX-11M V4.2, not plus. Thanks

10 years, 2 months

1
0
0 0

RSX-11M trouble

by mark＠matlockfamily.com

> The SYSVMR.CMD shows that the Indirect Command Processor is named ICP.TSK. > Sadly, ICP.TSK is one of the four tasks that have read issues... > > I need another info: BAD is destructive or not destructive? > BAD is destructive to the data on the disk! If there are only four tasks that have read issues you may be able to move just those tasks over from a good version of RSX-11M with Kermit which you mentioned you had. > Here I am! > RSX-11M V4.2 BL38B > > I have two RX50 disk units and Kermit. > 512kb and one RD51 fixed disk. > I planned to archive separately every [*,*] and image the disks. > I tried and can write back and read RX50 disks with a properly setup PC. > I need only RSX-11M installation disks images but I'm confident they can be found somewhere on the net. > I'll give a look to BRU... A RD51 drive holds about 10 MB which is about the minimum for a RSX-11M system. The RX50 disks could load a version of Micro RSX which was a pre-GENed RSX-11M system. I used it one time to recover a non-bootable RSX system disk where someone deleted the RSX11M.SYS file that the boot block pointed to. I have not seem those RX50 images of Micro RSX on the internet so far. Since you can read and write the RX50 disks with a PC. Get a copy of PUTR from John Wilson Dbit site http://www.dbit.com/pub/putr/ to be able to write RX50s in RT-11 which can be read in RSX-11M with FLX. Then get a copy of Simh >from the GitHub: https://github.com/simh/simh Once you have a working Simh PDP-11 emulator (e.g. pdp11.exe) then get a bootable baseline RSX11M disk image ftp://ftp.trailing-edge.com/pub/rsx_dists/rsxm70.dsk.bz2 (Note: this disk image is actually RSX11M V4.8 The Simh will need a configuration file (e.g. sim.ini) that describes the PDP-11 system it is emulating like this: sim> do sim.ini set console log=./console.log set cpu 11/23, 256K set cpu idle set tto 8b set rq0 rd54 attach rq0 rsxm70.dsk sim>show rq sim> show rq RQ address=17772150-17772153, no vector, RQDX3, 4 units RQ0 159MB, not attached, write enabled RD54, autosize, SIMH format RQ1 159MB, not attached, write enabled RD54, autosize, SIMH format RQ2 159MB, not attached, write enabled RD54, autosize, SIMH format RQ3 800KB, not attached, write enabled RX50, autosize, SIMH format sim> b rq0 and it will boot RSX11M where this will bring up a baseline RSX11M system. DU3 should be a virtual RX50 that will create a disk image that can be read with PUTR and moved to a real RX50 or you could use Linux DD to image the RX50. At any rate the emulated RSX11M system will have the tasks that should be compatible on your real PDP-11. You might also be able to kermit from the simulated to the physical PDP-11. At any rate having a virtual RSX11M system to experiment with will help you a great deal in getting your real system running. If this is too complicated, I could try sending you an RX50 disk image with the tasks you need, but I only have RSX11M V4.8 (I mostly use RSX11M+ V4.6) handy so we'd have to try those .TSKs to see if they might work. > Well, let me understand better... > > 1) VFY reports errors on some files (-4 and -101), but ELI DU0:/SH > reports no soft or hard errors. > I have a defective disk or the file system is broken? > > 2) No ICX.TSK. Only ICP.TSK, (-4 and -101 errors with VFY) > > 3) I've found only tape images for RSX-11M. I have no tape unit. If you are not getting errors on the disk, then the disk is probably ok and the file system has some corruption. Remember that an RSX11M system should be shut down by running shut up to make sure all files are closed etc. >RUN SHUTUP BRU can do disk to disk copies but with only one RD51 and no tape it won't help much. In my RSX work I use a SCSI disk controller like a Emulex UC07 with the SCSI2SD card that emulates unto 4 DU disks on one microSD card. This makes it very easy to move large disk images from Simh on a PC to be bootable RSX disks on the PDP-11. It is easy to back up and very reliable. The SCSI2SD card is only $65 but Qbus SCSI cards are a bit pricey. By the way which CPU is in the PDP-11, a 11/23? Good Luck, Mark

10 years, 2 months

3
4
0 0

USB on a TURBOchannel {VAX,DECstation,Alpha}

by abs＠absd.org

For anyone who has ever felt the urge to have a USB port on their VAX (or similar) http://www.flxd.de/tc-usb/ Now if only we could find someone who wanted to write a lot of VMS driver code.... :-p

10 years, 2 months

1
0
0 0

Original HP 2116A is running again!

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

I remember part of the history mentioning they wanted it to be known as an instrument controller at first.... Ed# _www.smecc.org_ (http://www.smecc.org) In a message dated 4/3/2016 12:12:19 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time, nw at retrocomputingtasmania.com writes: Good work on getting the 2116A working again. Anyone care to speculate on the initial low sales of the 2116A? was it because HP weren't well known for producing computers at the time or was the $22K asking price too high compared with say DEC's less than $10K for a PDP-8?

10 years, 2 months

1
0
0 0

Mac SE/30 pincushioning and flicker

by dave＠661.org

I recapped a Mac SE/30 a few months back and only just now put it back together. After a false start with dirty contacts on the ROM simm and resulting irregular vertical bars, the machine is working again. There are no more zipping sounds coming out of the speaker. Two problems remain: 1) There is slight pincushioning along the bottom of the CRT, about a third of the way in from the left. 2) The CRT produces a rather noticable and irritating flicker. I don't remember the one-piece Macs flickering like this. I think a cleverly-placed magnet might fix the pincushioning and recapping the analogue board would remedy the flicker. Can I get some thoughts, commentary, and suggestions on this? -- David Griffith dave at 661.org A: Because it fouls the order in which people normally read text. Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing? A: Top-posting. Q: What is the most annoying thing in e-mail?

10 years, 2 months

3
2
0 0

Original HP 2116A is running again!

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

hardware or software manuals Bill? Ed# _www.smecc.org_ (http://www.smecc.org) In a message dated 4/2/2016 3:23:55 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, billdegnan at gmail.com writes: On Sat, Apr 2, 2016 at 4:29 PM, Jon Johnston <jondjohnston at hotmail.com> wrote: > Just in time for her 50th birthday in November: > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kko526UpHsM&feature=youtu.be > > www.hpmuseum.net > > > Thanks for that. I could not find much about the 2116A (2114/15) software on Bitsavers or the HP museum site. Where else does one go for these manuals? -- @ BillDeg: Web: vintagecomputer.net Twitter: @billdeg <https://twitter.com/billdeg> Youtube: @billdeg <https://www.youtube.com/user/billdeg> Unauthorized Bio <http://www.vintagecomputer.net/readme.cfm>

10 years, 2 months

1
0
0 0

Original HP 2116A is running again!

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

Yahoo! congrats! In a message dated 4/2/2016 1:29:56 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, jondjohnston at hotmail.com writes: Just in time for her 50th birthday in November: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kko526UpHsM&feature=youtu.be www.hpmuseum.net

10 years, 2 months

1
0
0 0

Broken BA123

by david＠thecoolbears.org

If my house were on fire and I had to pick what to save, near the top of my list would be my MicroVAX in a BA123 enclosure. It is by FAR my favorite computer. Sadly, there was a tragic accident and the ventilation louver, just about the power switch got broken. I know, I know. How could this happen? I am overcome by guilt. I can't rest until my poor, sad VAX is fully repaired and back to it's perfect condition. I've tried to repair it, but not had satisfactory results. Is there anyone out there that would be willing to sell me a replacement?

10 years, 2 months

2
1
0 0

seeking EK-OLA30-OP - LA30 DECwriter User's Manual

by nw＠retrocomputingtasmania.com

Not an essential manual but for completeness I would like to find a copy. If anyone has one would they be willing to scan it please or I can arrange to get it done. The list of manuals for the DECwriter I LA-30 are: (missing) EK-OLA30-OPLA30 DECwriter User's Manual (online) DEC-00-LA30-DC1972-08LA30 DECwriter Maintenance Manual (online) LA30 Engineering drawings Nov-1973 (online) via Manx or bitsavers. If anyone has paper for these printers in the right size I'd be glad to have some (whatever would fit in an large envelope). LA30 is fixed sprocket position, needs 9-7/8 inch wide (1/2 inch pitch x 0.150 inch diameter feed holes) continuous paper.

10 years, 2 months

1
0
0 0

Olivetti M24 Mounting Bushes for Bus Converter

by robert.jarratt＠ntlworld.com

The M24 I got the other day has the bus converter, whereas the other M24 that I already had does not. I bought a bus converter for the "old" one, but then realised I didn't have any mounting bushes or spacers in order to install it. I thought of removing some of the bushes from the new one to share with the old one, it wouldn't be as good but at least I would be able to install the converter. It looks like I might need some kind of special tool to remove the bushes >from the new machine. Is there a way to do this with ordinary tools? Does anyone know if the mounting bushes are any kind of standard part that could still be bought somewhere? Thanks Rob

10 years, 2 months

13
21
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Need info for a VAX Station 3100 SPX / VS42A-DA

by pete＠petelancashire.com

Won the guy on the big auction site, put the minimum bid down and $50 later it showed up on the doorstop. http://petelancashire.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=6027 Sorry for the bad photo's but the sun was going down fast. Been trying to find the display interface specs, pinout, freqs, etc. but so far have been overwhelmed with just about everything else. Other things I guess I'll need are Also what keyboard should I be looking for ? What options do I have for an O/S ? The last time I logged into a VAX was one of many 11/780s the company I worked for was like 198? something. A LONG time ago .. -pete

10 years, 2 months

4
4
0 0

Looking for M865 serial card photo

by v.slyngstad＠frontier.com

Hi, I'm putting the finishing touches on my efforts to re-draw the M865 schematic for the website www.so-much-stuff.com (which has a collection of similar drawings). I am looking for photos of the front and back, reasonably square-on, with enough resolution and light to make out the traces easily. My intent is to "trace over the traces" with my CAD software (Eagle 6.6), to document the board while simultaneously verifying the work I've done to draw the schematic. Does anyone have photos of the component and solder sides of an M865? It's the older Omnibus serial card, with the current loop cable soldered in. Permission to use the photos on the website would also be great. The folks I've found so far who own boards can't get photos of them for a week or more, and I'd like to finish these drawings before my motivation fades. (I know from experience how long it can take me to get back to half-finished projects!) Vince -- o< The ASCII Ribbon Campaign Against HTML Email!

10 years, 2 months

2
1
0 0

Sun keyboards, yellowed

by sales＠elecplus.com

I collected some Sun keyboards for a customer, but some are too yellowed for him to use. They are all complete, including the cable, if it is supposed to be attached. I am asking $10 each plus shipping. They are not tested or cleaned. I don't have any Sun terminals left to test them on. Type 4, qty 2 (deeply yellowed) Type 6 USB, Unix, qty 10 (moderate yellowing) 320-1273 Type 6 USB Unix, qty 12 (no or very slight yellowing) 320-1273 asking $20 each plus shipping Cindy Croxton --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

10 years, 2 months

3
4
0 0

R: RE: RSX-11 trouble

by supervinx＠libero.it

Here I am! RSX-11M V4.2 BL38B I have two RX50 disk units and Kermit. 512kb and one RD51 fixed disk. I planned to archive separately every [*,*] and image the disks. I tried and can write back and read RX50 disks with a properly setup PC. I need only RSX-11M installation disks images but I'm confident they can be found somewhere on the net. I'll give a look to BRU... Thanks!

10 years, 2 months

1
1
0 0

RSX-11 trouble

by mark＠matlockfamily.com

> > Well... > REM ...AT. worked since an AT entry was present in the TAL output > INS $BIGIND not > INS -- File not found > > Disk (RD51) has 850 blocks free after some cleaning up. It had 738 before. > Thank for your answer. > I'll try your suggestions. > It's RSX-11 and I've found some troubles on the disk. > I ran VFY with the /RC option. > Some files can't be read (it reports -4 and -101 errors, parity error > and forced error mark). > INDEXF.SYS itself appears to have a bad spot. > So I'm tempted to backup all relevant data and reinstall. > > BTW there's no [3,54] on the fixed disk. Ok, if you don't have [3,54] then you must have RSX-11M not RSX-11M+. In that case you should have two versions of Indirect: [1,54]ICP.TSK [1,54]ICX.TSK ICP.TSK is the default, "full capacity" version and in V4.0 of RSX11M it shows up under TAS as: >TAS ...AT. ...AT. 1.0 GEN 64. 00060000 LB0:-00114253 so try removing it as you did above and then INS the ICX.TSK and try it. >REM ?AT. >INS [1,54]ICX.TSK >TAS ?AT. ...AT. 9.01 GEN 64. 00060000 LB0:-00114033 It would be good to know which version of RSX-11M you have and also a bit about the configuration. You mention backing up your data, what disks do you have? To back up a system disk sometimes it is best to use BRUSYS.SYS which on M should be in [1,51] It is a memory resident version of BRU (running under RSX11S) that you BOOT and then can copy disks. Good Luck! Mark

10 years, 2 months

1
0
0 0

MiST - Amiga ST FPGA + intro

by swiftgriggs＠gmail.com

http://lotharek.pl/product.php?pid=96 I recently picked up one of these devices. I'll apologize in advance if you folks have already had a discussion about the MiST. Basically, it's an FPGA that's capable of emulation (for lack of a better term) of many platforms on a hardware level. I only got mine about two weeks ago, and I'm still sifting through a ton of material and focused mainly on the Amiga and ST platforms (stuff I played with as a pre-teen and teen). I have to say, so far it's pretty awesome. The coolest feature in my opinion is the standard joystick ports on the side that "just work" with all the emulation targets. I always favored using Sega Genesis controllers in those (rather than the rinky-dink little "red joystick" of the time). They work oh-so-great with this rig. The only issue is finding a monitor that doesn't have a fit over 15Khz refresh rates. I use an NEC MultiSync with sync-on-green and all that fun stuff. I'm still busy getting AROS running on "my Amiga" (which is represented by an SD card with my ROM image from my A3000 and a metric crapton of floppy images). You basically hit a keystroke or joystick combo and you can swap floppies, reboot, etc.. If you are into any of these, I can recommend the MiST: * ST/STE (also on SCART 15KHz) * Amiga 500/600/1200 ( AGA CORE BETA core) * C64 (partially - still developed) * Atari 8bit ( 96%) * Collecovision * ZX81 * Atari 2600 * ZX Spectrum with AY, aslo with DIVMMC and ESXDOS * SEGA GENESIS * Apple II(x) * MSX * AMSTRAD CPC (BETA) * A few others, you'll want to check. BTW, I'm new to the list (1st post). So, I'll introduce myself. I'm just another IT worker with a background in Unix systems. I'm 41 and I started with HP-UX 10.x (high school) and branched out to every kind of Unix box I could get my hands on (Yes. I'm one of those Unix zealots, but that might be too gentle a description). I spent the 90's with SGIs (which I still collect, I have an O2+, two Indys, and a bruzin' Tezro fully built out). I spent the early 2k's coding for supper as a "security engineer" (read: writing exploits which I don't much care for now) and some stints as a Tru64 admin. On the in between gigs and contracts I've touched just about everything (and in the last 10 years a lot of new Unix hardware). I've professionally admin'd or coded for IRIX, Solaris, Linux, Tru64 (OSF/1 or Digital Unix for some), FreeBSD, HP-UX, UNICOS, and AIX. As a hobbyist, I've also tinkered greatly with NetBSD (maybe my favorite), OpenBSD, and Minix. Then of course there is the spacey or rare stuff I've put hands on. I'm talking about things like UnixWare, Xenix, SCO, SunOS, BSDi, DG/UX, NeXTStep/OpenStep, A/UX, and even non-Unix stuff like Sprite, L4, QNX, HURD, BeOS, Haiku, AROS, Genode, and others. I code fairly well in C, shell script, and TCL. I code not-as-well in AREXX, Python, Ruby, PHP, Lua, and a few other scripting languages. I'm pleased to be on this list, and to make your myriad acquaintances. -Swift PS: My spell checker needs and ex-lax after going insane over this email full of Unix variants and ancient platforms.

10 years, 2 months

9
26
0 0

R: Re: Subject: RSX-11 trouble

by supervinx＠libero.it

The SYSVMR.CMD shows that the Indirect Command Processor is named ICP.TSK. Sadly, ICP.TSK is one of the four tasks that have read issues... I need another info: BAD is destructive or not destructive? Thsnks!

10 years, 2 months

1
0
0 0

Old IBM and Apple computers, NIB

by sales＠elecplus.com

CCNY in NYC has old IBM computers, NIB. He usually sells for high prices on ebay, but I told him I have collectors who want them, but not at ebay prices. He usually sells 8025 with one floppy and 640K and monochrome monitor on ebay for $145, but he will do $125 off ebay, plus shipping. 8525 with two 8bit isa slots, 8086 proc model 25s, 30s, 56, 57, 76 and 77 8530's with hard disk and without <http://imgur.com/a/gLPa2> http://imgur.com/a/gLPa2 http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/fss/4e01ff8247d359c02237a965ea8f72af New in box IIc Too much other Apple stuff to list. send email to <mailto:lorenzo at nyce> lorenzo at nyceonline.net <http://online.net/> tell him Cindy sent you, and to be nice about the price! Yes, he will ship internationally. --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

10 years, 2 months

1
0
0 0

multinet 4.1 PAK

by billdegnan＠gmail.com

Anyone have the multinet 4.1 PAK checksum and install key info? I need to re-install my PAK and I don't have *doh!* the checksum value. I thought I did but...nope. ------- Product ID -------- ---- Rating ----- -- Version -- Product Producer Units Avail Activ Version Date Expires MULTINET TGV 200 F 0 0.0 31-JUL-1997 (none) A-10098-116512 issued by TGV thanks Bill -- @ BillDeg: Web: vintagecomputer.net Twitter: @billdeg <https://twitter.com/billdeg> Youtube: @billdeg <https://www.youtube.com/user/billdeg> Unauthorized Bio <http://www.vintagecomputer.net/readme.cfm>

10 years, 2 months

5
14
0 0

PDP8-i front panel font.

by rodsmallwood52＠btinternet.com

Hi Guys Does anybody know or can suggest what the font is on a pdp-8i? Rod (Panelman) Smallwood

10 years, 2 months

2
3
0 0

Subject: RSX-11 trouble

by mark＠matlockfamily.com

The ?AT. indirect command task will be found in LB:[3,54] and there are three versions of it (ICM.TSK, ICMFSL.TSK, and ICMRES.TSK) if this is a RSX11M+ system. This is the task image that is failing to load is probably ICMFSK.TSK. There is a text file in LB:[1,54]SYSVMR.CMD you can type to your screen: PIP TI:=LB:[1,54]SYSVMR.CMD a line in the file is: INS [3,54]ICMFSL/INC=10000 ! Indirect command file processor just above that line should be: INS [1,1]FCSRES/PAR=GEN/RON=YES ! FCS resident/supervisor-mode library if this is the case then then the ICMFSK.TSK is the one that is failing to load. So after the system boots and the ?AT. fails, you can: >REM ?AT. >INS LB:[3,54]ICM.TSK >@LB:[1,2]STARTUP.CMD which should bring the system up. It is likely that you could also use ICMRES.TSK which also uses the FCSRES library. To see if the library is loaded the command is CBD. If you see FCSRES displayed then ICMRES.TSK should also work. Once the system completes STARTUP.CMD, then you should make a change in the system image [1,54]RSX11M.SYS to use the ICM.TSK at the next boot up. To do this you need to use VMR which makes changes in the system image similar to the MCR commands on a running system. >SET /UIC=[1,54] >SET /DEF=[1,54] >INS $VMR >VMR Enter filename: RSX11M.SYS VMR>REM ?AT. VMR>INS [3,54]ICM.TSK VMR>^Z (Enter a control Z) This sequence should cause the next boot to come up and chain to [1,2]STARTUP.CMD cleanly. Then you can rebuild INDFSL with the SYSGEN procedure as described by the previous post. Mark Matlock >> -----Original Message----- >> From: supervinx [supervinx at libero.it] >> Received: Donnerstag, 24 M?rz 2016, 23:30 >> To: cctalk at classiccmp.org [cctalk at classiccmp.org] >> Subject: RSX-11 trouble >> >> Hi! >> Got a MicroPDP 11 plus. >> It seems to be misconfigured. >> It can't execute .CMD files, reporting >> Task "...AT." terminated >> Load failure. Read error >> >> No disk errors are reported with ELI DU0:/SH >> >> Disk seems to work: I can run .TSK files. >> The file STARTUP.CMD isn't read at all. >> >> Any hints? Which file is executed right before STARTUP.CMD? >> I see two RED commands and a MOU before it tries to read [1,2]STARTUP.CMD and reports the aforementioned error. >> >> Thanks >> > Well... no IND.TSK is present :( > May be they had space issues?

10 years, 2 months

2
1
0 0

WinWorld

by lproven＠gmail.com

Quote: ? WinWorld from the past, to the present, for the future WinWorld is an online museum dedicated to the preservation and sharing of abandonware and pre-release software, as well as any and all knowledge associated with such works. We offer information, media and downloads for a wide variety of computers and operating systems. Our collection includes abandonware operating systems (like Windows 3.1 or 95), beta operating systems (like Chicago, Whistler, and Longhorn), abandonware applications (like AfterDark, the epic screensaver software we all grew up with) and more. We offer all of our content free of charge to any interested party. Whether you're doing looking to go down memory lane and re-visit Windows 3.1, do some research on computing history, or repurpose an old system that can't run the latest and greatest, WinWorld is here to help by providing unrestricted access to our entire library at no charge. We do not accept donations, just download and enjoy. WinWorld provides you with large amounts of downloads and high quality information that BetaArchive FTP and Vetusware can't compare with! Get Windows Abandonware, Games, Macintosh old software and more from our software library right here at WinWorld! For news, support and discussion visit WinBoards. No registration is required to post, so why not drop in and say hi? ? Impressive assortment of OSes and apps for older PCs, Macs and broadly related systems -- CP/M etc. https://winworldpc.com/ -- Liam Proven ? Profile: http://lproven.livejournal.com/profile Email: lproven at cix.co.uk ? GMail/G+/Twitter/Flickr/Facebook: lproven MSN: lproven at hotmail.com ? Skype/AIM/Yahoo/LinkedIn: liamproven Cell/Mobiles: +44 7939-087884 (UK) ? +420 702 829 053 (?R)

10 years, 2 months

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Sun 4 disk images?

by tmfdmike＠gmail.com

I'm presently working on a couple of Sun 4/110 systems. To save time, does anyone have a bootable Solaris disk image for such - to use with SCSI2SD? Note sun4 architecture - not sun4c or sun4m. Also may be on the lookout for a colour frame buffer; mine may be terminally flaky. Anything that works with a 4/110 - VME or P4 bus. Thanks Mike http://www.corestore.org 'No greater love hath a man than he lay down his life for his brother. Not for millions, not for glory, not for fame. For one person, in the dark, where no one will ever know or see.'

10 years, 2 months

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Here's what happens when an 18 year old buys a mainframe...

by michael.99.thompson＠gmail.com

> > Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2016 22:07:37 -0400 > From: Brian Marstella <brian at marstella.net> > Subject: Re: Here's what happens when an 18 year old buys a > mainframe... > > I'm still kicking myself for passing up an IBM mainframe and a Sun 2000 > that my previous employer no longer needed. I reasoned that I didn't have > space or power for them; never let logic and good sense dictate your > actions :) > I brought the Sun 2000E home, and its still here. I have to thin the herd a little so I can make room for some DEC equipment. -- Michael Thompson

10 years, 2 months

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Apple at 40

by c.murray.mccullough＠gmail.com

I wish to congratulate Apple on its 40 anniversary today. An early pioneer in our cherished hobby. Happy computing. Murray :)

10 years, 2 months

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Random VGA question: 160x200 "high color" mode?

by derschjo＠gmail.com

Awhile back a "pre-alpha" version of the PC classic "DOOM" was unearthed (dated Feb 28, 1993), and it claims to support a "high color" VGA mode. >From the README.TXT: "Use High-color DAC (160 x200, but great color!) (Only newer VGA cards have this-if it looks OK, ya got it) (This may--okay, will--REALLY screw up the playscreen's graphics. Just look at the neat colors and don't worry.)" I've tried it on a number of machines (from the 386 era to a modern PC) and they all just end up showing garbage when this mode is enabled. I cannot for the life of me find a reference to this mode existing anywhere, but I assume it must have worked on *some* SVGA chipset of the era since ID programmed in support for it. I'm guessing it was cut because nothing else supported it (and because 160x200 must have looked awful, even with lots of colors...) Does this odd video mode ring any bells with anyone out there? Any idea what hardware to look for that might support it? At this point I'm more curious about the actual hardware than getting this pre-alpha to run with it... - Josh

10 years, 2 months

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WinWorld

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Fred Cisin > All this time, I thought that you had to be DEAD before they could take > your work. Actually, in most jurisdictions, it's death+N years. In the US, thanks to the sleaziness of Congress, and the spinlessness of the US Supreme Court, N is now 70. Noel

10 years, 2 months

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Here's what happens when an 18 year old buys a mainframe...

by geneb＠deltasoft.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45X4VP8CGtk It's pretty entertaining. :) g. -- Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007 http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind. http://www.diy-cockpits.org/coll - Go Collimated or Go Home. Some people collect things for a hobby. Geeks collect hobbies. ScarletDME - The red hot Data Management Environment A Multi-Value database for the masses, not the classes. http://scarlet.deltasoft.com - Get it _today_!

10 years, 2 months

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11/23+ going cheap on eBay

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

So here's an 11/23+ in a nice BA11 box: http://www.ebay.com/itm/322046582015 If I wasn't _already_ knee deep in the blasted things, I'd buy it myself! ;-) The other cards aren't too interesting - an MXV11-A, MRV11-C (I think), a 64KB memory card, and what looks like an off-brand DLV11-J; and some sort of disk. Still, not a bad price (so far) for the CPU, box, and a handfull of boards. Noel

10 years, 2 months

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R: Re: RSX-11 trouble

by supervinx＠libero.it

Well... REM ...AT. worked since an AT entry was present in the TAL output INS $BIGIND not INS -- File not found Disk (RD51) has 850 blocks free after some cleaning up. It had 738 before.

10 years, 2 months

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RC2014 homebrew computer

by lproven＠gmail.com

I confess it is in no way a classic machine, but I thought that this might be of interest to some people here. I had not heard of it before until a chance retweet from a ZX Spectrum-related account today: http://rc2014.co.uk/ ? RC2014 is a simple 8 bit Z80 based modular computer. It is inspired by the home built computers of the late 70s and computer revolution of the early 80s. It is not a clone of anything specific, but there are ideas of the ZX81, UK101, S100 and Apple I in here. Built mainly with parts donated to Nottingham Hackspace and components salvaged from random bits of equipment, it uses modern PCBs. It runs on a backplane that hosts the individual modules. This has standard 0.1? header sockets meaning new modules are simple and cheap to design and can use Veroboard or even jumper wires to breadboard. For resilience, most of the modules have been designed on to dedicated PCBs. In it?s typical basic form it has; 32k RAM, 8k ROM (running Microsoft BASIC), 3.7628Mhz Z80 processor serial communication at 115200 baud. Other modules include 8k x 8 bank switchable EPROM, SD card bootloader, ZX Printer interface, Blinkenlights, LED dot matrix display driver, LCD display driver ? (Errors in the source material.) More info and purchasing sources: https://www.tindie.com/products/Semachthemonkey/rc2014-homebrew-z80-compute… And a (for my money, insane, but) interesting peripheral: https://hackaday.io/project/9567-5-graphics-card-for-homebrew-z80 -- Liam Proven ? Profile: http://lproven.livejournal.com/profile Email: lproven at cix.co.uk ? GMail/G+/Twitter/Flickr/Facebook: lproven MSN: lproven at hotmail.com ? Skype/AIM/Yahoo/LinkedIn: liamproven Cell/Mobiles: +44 7939-087884 (UK) ? +420 702 829 053 (?R)

10 years, 2 months

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OT: was: Re: AT&T Uverse IPv6 vs. Mac OS X 10.(old)

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

Apologies all for the OT; just a few _brief_ replies. If anyone wants a serious discussion about this, the internet-history list would be the place to start it. > From: Charles Anthony > What they did was 'NAT plus IPV6 will solve everything.' Yes, but not explicitly; the 'official' IETF position was 'IPv6 will replace IPv4', and they pretty consistently refused to acknowledge that NAT would likely play a major role. I 'sort of' understand the second part - NAT is, architecturaly, very grubby (for a long list of reasons this is not the place to go into) - but it soon got the point of ostrich-like refusal to recognize reality - which meant that instead of an _architected_ approac to using NAT, it mostly got an utterly 'ad hoc' adoption. > From: Robert Johnson > So, I'm curious what your objections to v6 are It's different from IPv4 (i.e. old code can't understand it), but not different enough (i.e. it doesn't have enough new capabilities to make it worth switching to - IPv4 has many architectural issues, but that topic is too complex to go into here). > how would you solve the shortage of IP addresses? You have to start by realizing that IPv4 addresses serve at least three functions: i) identify the communicating device (in the sense that 'Noel Chiappa' identifies me), ii) says _where_ the thing is in the Internet (like a street address does IRL), and iii) is used by intermediate switching nodes to forward traffic. So the first step is to pull out ii) and iii), which can be done without modifying the hosts, and there are many designs that did so. Alas, a fuller discussion of this complex topic is not really appropriate here... Ask on internet-history, if you want to know more. Noel

10 years, 2 months

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PDP-11 M873 ROM card info?

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> Does anyone have a -YB we can dump? Can I repeat my plea for this? (And also a -YC?) > I have a -YA, and will dump that in a few moments OK, I'm mostly done with the disassembly; available here: http://ana-3.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/tech/pdp11/M873-YA.mac I haven't fully understood the TA11 code (and don't plan to), nor the DECtape/magtape code (might get to that some day), but the disk and paper tape code is completely done. (I'm currently loading over serial lines, for getting the machines running, etc.) The paper tape code is 'interesting'; it took me a while to figure out _exactly_ how it worked. It appears (to me, at least) that that code will not function correctly unless the abs-loader has at least one byte of '0' pad on the end of it, for two reasons. (See the comments on the listing.) Luckily, my copy of the abs loader binary has such; although real .LDA tapes have blank leader, of course, the .LDA files I'm generating don't. The serial line code in the M9301 (-YA at least, and probably the others too) uses the identical code, so it has the identical issue. Noel

10 years, 2 months

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RSX-11 trouble

by supervinx＠libero.it

Hi! Got a MicroPDP 11 plus. It seems to be misconfigured. It can't execute .CMD files, reporting Task "...AT." terminated Load failure. Read error No disk errors are reported with ELI DU0:/SH Disk seems to work: I can run .TSK files. The file STARTUP.CMD isn't read at all. Any hints? Which file is executed right before STARTUP.CMD? I see two RED commands and a MOU before it tries to read [1,2]STARTUP.CMD and reports the aforementioned error. Thanks

10 years, 2 months

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MEM11A update

by ggs＠shiresoft.com

I just finished laying out the board for the MEM11A. The last roadblock was figuring out where the last 3 unrouted wires were. EagleCAD didn?t make it easy to find them and I haven?t quite figured out how to use the autorouter on Eagle 7.5, so I did this all by ?hand? (at just under 2000 wires it took a while). I haven?t re-set the grid from all of the other boards (all thru hole parts) that I?ve done, so this board is probably not optimal (plus I was getting the hang of doing a 4 layer board). I ran into a lot of wiring congestion that caused me to reroute the entire board as I moved parts around. Even with a finer grid pitch it?s unlikely that the UMF11 will fit on a single SPC board. I?m going to check the board over for the next week or so before I send it out and about 4 weeks after that I?ll have the first boards that I can populate and try out! TTFN - Guy

10 years, 2 months

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Here's what happens when an 18 year old buys a mainframe...

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

reminds me of myself dragging him big racks of military comm surplus gear when I was in HD Keep it up Connor! we are proud of ya! Ed Sharpe archivist for SMECC _www.smecc.org_ (http://www.smecc.org) In a message dated 3/29/2016 4:28:17 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, jwest at classiccmp.org writes: Evan wrote... > Connor is a member of our user group here in the Mid-Atlantic. He's > been learning at an astonishingly quick rate! > He's been a member on this list for quite some time, and is a regular on the evening crew of the #classiccmp irc channel as well. He was working on a DG Nova 3 before the Z machine arrived, hope he gets back to it as well :) J

10 years, 2 months

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Old PC Boards and some Books to go

by pontus＠Update.UU.SE

Hi Some gems in there. Will you ship? How much do you want for the DECsystem-10 books? /P On Tue, Mar 29, 2016 at 12:08:28PM -0400, Dave Mitton wrote: > Guys, > still trying to clean out my basement... recently I've gathered a bunch > of PC cards from over the years. > and some of my old text and data books. Still working on listing some more > and some various kits of PC software. > I'm not assuming this is worth much, just rather pass it on, than dispose. > > I've put a list (so far) of the stuff on this web page. I have photos of > the PC cards if interested. > http://dave.mitton.com/computer_clearance.html > > Dave Mitton, > North Andover, MA > > > --- > This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. > https://www.avast.com/antivirus >

10 years, 2 months

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Seiko Wrist Terminal RC-1000 software ??

by dave＠mitton.com

Another old thing I've been interested in selling, is my SEIKO RC-1000 Wrist Terminal. This watch has a two line 12 character display, where you could also load text and alarm/reminder data. I used it for phone lists and meeting reminders. It comes with a DB25 cable that connects to the watch to download data. Example on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/RETRO-1980-s-SEIKO-WRIST-TERMINAL-S501-4000-RC-1000… I'd been trying to figure out where I misplaced the 5.25" floppy with the software, until this last weekend, I found it in a stack of old Infocom game floppies. Unfortunately, when I stick it in my one remaining working 5.25" floppy drive, it made a little noise and decided it couldn't detect formatting. Looking at the diskette, there seems to be some marks on the oxide. Possibly a head load problem. It's also possible that it's just an old format this system doesn't recognize. Anyone in the area (north of Boston) have a working old PC? This is labeled as an IBM/MS-DOS version. I used it once many years ago. Does anyone have this software archived or available? SEIKO PCDatagraph Data Manager circa 1984 Dave. --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

10 years, 2 months

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Old PC Boards and some Books to go

by dave＠mitton.com

Guys, still trying to clean out my basement... recently I've gathered a bunch of PC cards from over the years. and some of my old text and data books. Still working on listing some more and some various kits of PC software. I'm not assuming this is worth much, just rather pass it on, than dispose. I've put a list (so far) of the stuff on this web page. I have photos of the PC cards if interested. http://dave.mitton.com/computer_clearance.html Dave Mitton, North Andover, MA --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

10 years, 2 months

1
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PDP-11/04-34 Programmer's Console manual error

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: J?rg Hoppe > this is something every '34 owner must go through. Urrr, hadn't thought of that! Sigh. I wonder if it'd been mentioned here before, and I'd missed it because it was before I joined? Luckily, having that cable in backwards doesn't harm anything... Well, hopefully this: http://gunkies.org/wiki/KY11-LB_Programmer's_Console will save at least some other people... Noel

10 years, 2 months

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PDP-11/04-34 Programmer's Console manual error

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

So, something I just found out the hard way, while debugging another 'situation' with a PDP-11/04: The KY11-LB Programmer's Console maintainence manual contains a major error, in describing the configuration of the 20-conductor flat cable that connectors the front panel and the UNIBUS interface module (M7859). This is covered in Chapter 9, "Installation", which includes two figures, Figures 9-4 and 9-5. Those figures show the 20-conductor flat cable with the red edge stripe toward the outer edge of the front panel PCB (correct), and also toward the outer edge of the M7859 (WRONG). On the M7859, the red stripe edge needs to be oriented _away_ from the outer edge of the board. If it is plugged in as shown in these figures, the machine will not operate: the four 'RUN/SR DISP/BUS ERR/MAINT' lights will be on, but nothing else, and it will not respond to any keys. Fortunately, plugging the cable in reversed does not damage anything; simply reverse the cable. Noel

10 years, 2 months

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Z8-02 demo PCB (was Re: Running a Z8-02 MPD on a breadboard)

by spacewar＠gmail.com

On Tue, May 12, 2015 at 1:41 AM, Eric Smith <spacewar at gmail.com> wrote: > I designed a simple QUIP adapter for use with solderless breadboards, > and wired up a Z8-02 MPD along with a 28C16 EEPROM for the program > memory, a 62256 static RAM, address latch, and decoder. I programmed a > copy of the Z8671 Basic/Debug interpreter into the EEPROM. To my > amazement, it worked the first time. > > Photos: > https://www.flickr.com/photos/22368471 at N04/sets/72157652653732622 I had a PCB made of basically the same circuit, with a TLC7705 voltage supervisor/reset circuit added, and a stuff option for an actual RS-232 port. I've added photos to the album linked above. Unlike the solderless breadboard version, it did not work the first time, and I haven't yet figured out what's wrong with it. The reset circuit seems to work correctly. I should have added a bus connector for I/O expansion. I was in a hurry and it had to be under 100mm square to get the boards made inexpensively. Rather than soldering in the exceedingly rare 3M QUIP socket, I soldered down four 16-position single in line machined-pin sockets, and plugged the QUIP socket into those.

10 years, 3 months

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AT&T Uverse IPv6 vs. Mac OS X 10.(old)

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Jerry Weiss > Disabling IPV6 was the cure. I was _extremely_ amused to hear that. (Backstory: I'm a long-time detractor of IPv6 - I've always thought it's a rolling ball of digestive byproduct, to be blunt. In fact, if I had still been on the IESG when it came around, I'd have canned it. Unfortunately, I'd resigned a while before [for unrelated reasons], something that in hindsight I've greatly regretted, since it removed my ability to can IPv6. So to hear that IPv6 is _still_, all these years later, not that crucial to useful functionality, is very satisfactory to me - it says my assessment was right on the nose. Long may IPv6 fail to be successful! The single biggest/most expensive IT failure of all time?) Noel

10 years, 3 months

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OT RE: AT&T Uverse IPv6 vs. Mac OS X 10.(old)

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

TSIA -----Original Message----- From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Robert Johnson Sent: Monday, March 28, 2016 1:36 PM To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Cc: jnc at mercury.lcs.mit.edu Subject: Re: AT&T Uverse IPv6 vs. Mac OS X 10.(old) > > On Mar 28, 2016, at 7:32 AM, Noel Chiappa <jnc at mercury.lcs.mit.edu> wrote: > >> From: Jerry Weiss > >> Disabling IPV6 was the cure. > > I was _extremely_ amused to hear that. > > (Backstory: I'm a long-time detractor of IPv6 - I've always thought > it's a rolling ball of digestive byproduct, to be blunt. In fact, if I > had still been on the IESG when it came around, I'd have canned it. > Unfortunately, I'd resigned a while before [for unrelated reasons], > something that in hindsight I've greatly regretted, since it removed > my ability to can IPv6. So to hear that IPv6 is _still_, all these > years later, not that crucial to useful functionality, is very > satisfactory to me - it says my assessment was right on the nose. Long > may IPv6 fail to be successful! The single biggest/most expensive IT > failure of all time?) > > Noel So, I?m curious what your objections to v6 are (I know there are some very good technical objections, because v6 is unlike v4 enough to be a breaking change from a programatic point of view) - or rather, how would you solve the shortage of IP addresses? Robert Johnson -- Gtalk/Jabber:aloha at blastpuppy.com AIM:AlohaWulf Yahoo:AlohaWulf Skype:AlohaWolf Telephone:+1-562-286-4255 C*NET: 18219881 Email:aloha at blastpuppy.com Email:alohawolf at gmail.com -- "Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the danger of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of "crackpot" than the stigma of conformity." - Thomas J. Watson Sr.

10 years, 3 months

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