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

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

I picked up an SE 4/20 for $5, but not getting any power at all. fan and hard drive wont spin, no image, nothing at all. i can verify that machine gets ac power, but nothing else. what else can i check? unfortunately, i dont have any electrical ability to test anything except for obvious problems. david

27 years, 6 months

4
3
0 0

Proper Diskette Usage and Care

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

Er, Ah, is based on your experience Pete or is the result of years of testing? Joe :-) At 09:28 PM 1/6/99 -0000, you wrote: >I think this is relevant to most classic machines :) > > > Proper Diskette Usage and Care > > >(1) Never leave diskettes in the drive, as the data can leak > out of the disk and corrode the inner mechanics of the > drive. Diskettes should be rolled up and stored in > pencil holders. > >(2) Diskettes should be cleaned and waxed once a week. > Microscopic metal particles may be removed by waving a > powerful magnet over the surface of the disk. Any > stubborn metal shavings can be removed with scouring > powder and steel wool. When waxing a diskette, make sure > the surface is even. This will allow the diskette to > spin faster, resulting in better access time. > >(3) Do not fold diskettes unless they do not fit into the > drive. "Big" Diskettes may be folded and used in > "Little" drives. > >(4) Never insert a diskette into the drive upside down. The > data can fall off the surface of the disk and jam the > intricate mechanics of the drive. > >(5) Diskettes cannot be backed up by running them through a > photo copy machine. If your data is going to need to be > backed up, simply insert TWO diskettes into your drive. > Whenever you update a document, the data will be written > onto both disks. A handy tip for more legible backup > copies: Keep a container of iron filings at your desk. When > you need to make two copies, sprinkle iron filings > liberally between the diskettes before inserting them into > the drive. > >(6) Diskettes should not be removed or inserted from the > drive while the red light is on or flashing. Doing so > could result in smeared or possibly unreadable text. > Occasionally, the red light remains flashing in what is > known as a "hung" or "hooked" state. If your system is > hooking, you will probably need to insert a few coins > before being allowed to access the slot. > >(7) If your diskette is full and needs more storage space, > remove the disk from the drive and shake vigorously for > two minutes. This will pack the data enough (data > compression) to allow for more storage. Be sure to cover > all openings with scotch tape to prevent loss of data. > >(8) Data access time may be greatly improved by cutting more > holes in the diskette jacket. This will provide more > simultaneous access points to the disk. > >(9) Periodically spray diskettes with insecticide to prevent > system bugs from spreading..... > >Regards >Pete > >Regards >Pete >

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

FWD: Large computer in the UK...

by Philip.Belben＠pgen.com

> Well, it is better than seeing the thing go to scrap! Most of us on this Well said! Hear, Hear! > list can say they are microcomputer collectors, maybe a third can say they > are mini or workstation collectors, a few of us can say we are mainframe > collectors, but I do not think anyone can claim to be a supercomputer > collector yet! AFAIK, Tony Duell has that honour, though his supercomputer (a DAP from 1989) is somewhat smaller - a largish desk-side IIRC. Tony, now your DAP is 10 years old, how about telling the list some more about it. Philip. PS In the UK, you need an LGV (light goods vehicle) driving licence for anything above 3.5 tons unladen, and an HGV driving licence for anything above 7.5 tons. Anyone know what you could put in a 3 ton truck? My own truck, 0.9 tons unladen, can carry 0.5 tons payload, but I imagine the ratio has improved since the 1940s... On the other hand, I know someone who is an HGV driving instructor so if these opportunities are going to come up, perhaps I should ask him for a few lessons... P.

27 years, 6 months

4
4
0 0

Message formats

by Watzman＠ibm.net

I am NOT sending in HTML format, but it is MIME encoded. Sorry, but I use my E-Mail client (Windows messaging) for more than just this discussion group, and I need the ability to send and receive formatted text for some of them, including my employer. I'm not going to change formats on a message-by-message basis just to eliminate the equals signs at the ends of the lines.

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

FWD: Large computer in the UK...

by kurtkilgor＠bigfoot.com

> I'm not sure I'd call it a supercomputer. A parallel machine, certainly. > A SIMD machine, certainly. What does SIMD stand for? What can this thing do? Does it have any permanent storage devices? How fast is it?

27 years, 6 months

3
2
0 0

Proper Diskette Usage and Care

by msteele＠joules.enterprise-plc.com

I think this is relevant to most classic machines :) Proper Diskette Usage and Care (1) Never leave diskettes in the drive, as the data can leak out of the disk and corrode the inner mechanics of the drive. Diskettes should be rolled up and stored in pencil holders. (2) Diskettes should be cleaned and waxed once a week. Microscopic metal particles may be removed by waving a powerful magnet over the surface of the disk. Any stubborn metal shavings can be removed with scouring powder and steel wool. When waxing a diskette, make sure the surface is even. This will allow the diskette to spin faster, resulting in better access time. (3) Do not fold diskettes unless they do not fit into the drive. "Big" Diskettes may be folded and used in "Little" drives. (4) Never insert a diskette into the drive upside down. The data can fall off the surface of the disk and jam the intricate mechanics of the drive. (5) Diskettes cannot be backed up by running them through a photo copy machine. If your data is going to need to be backed up, simply insert TWO diskettes into your drive. Whenever you update a document, the data will be written onto both disks. A handy tip for more legible backup copies: Keep a container of iron filings at your desk. When you need to make two copies, sprinkle iron filings liberally between the diskettes before inserting them into the drive. (6) Diskettes should not be removed or inserted from the drive while the red light is on or flashing. Doing so could result in smeared or possibly unreadable text. Occasionally, the red light remains flashing in what is known as a "hung" or "hooked" state. If your system is hooking, you will probably need to insert a few coins before being allowed to access the slot. (7) If your diskette is full and needs more storage space, remove the disk from the drive and shake vigorously for two minutes. This will pack the data enough (data compression) to allow for more storage. Be sure to cover all openings with scotch tape to prevent loss of data. (8) Data access time may be greatly improved by cutting more holes in the diskette jacket. This will provide more simultaneous access points to the disk. (9) Periodically spray diskettes with insecticide to prevent system bugs from spreading..... Regards Pete Regards Pete

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

Hayes closing its doors

by rcini＠msn.com

In case no one saw this in the paper this morning: "The Hayes Corporation, a company that once dominated the personal-computer modem business, is shutting down after failing to find a buyer. About 250 employees were laid off on Monday, leaving only a handful. The company sought protection from creditors in October, in its second trip to bankruptcy court in the 1990's, and attempted a reorganization under Chapter 11 on the United States Bankruptcy Code as it talked to potential buyers. But its primary lender notified the company that it would not continue efforts to keep Hayes alive. Hayes owes some $42 million ot creditors that includes NationsCredit, Lucent Technologies, and Rockwell Semiconductor Systems." Another one "bytes" the dust... ------------------------------------------------- Rich Cini/WUGNET <nospam_rcini(a)msn.com> (remove nospam_ to use) - ClubWin Charter Member (6) - MCP Windows 95/Windows Networking

27 years, 6 months

3
2
0 0

Available: cards for HP 9000/850 3000/950 3000/960

by sieler＠allegro.com

Hi, If anyone is interested in cards for the early PA-RISC machines: 9000/850 9000/860 (HP-UX) 3000/950 3000/960 (MPE/iX) let me know via email to: sieler(a)allegro.com The cards are HP-IB, HP-FL, and 802.3 interface cards. A friend has some, and I'll pass your name/email on to her. -- Stan Sieler sieler(a)allegro.com http://www.allegro.com/sieler.html

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

Xpost: PDP-6 ASM language manual available

by rhblake＠bigfoot.com

Clipped this from the Obsolete Computer Helpline - if interested contact Pat at the email address below, not me. Pat Stakem <stakem(a)loyola.edu> Columbia, MD usa - Tuesday, January 05, 1999 at 19:04:31 Does any one need a PDP-6 Macro-6 Assembly language manual? 1965, DEC-6-0-tp-mac-lm-act02 ..pat

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

FWD: Large computer in the UK...

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

At 10:42 AM 1/6/99 -0500, William Donzelli wrote: > >Dammit...why do all of the surplus supers turn up overseas and not on the >East Coast or Midwest? If this Hitachi was within 1000 miles or so from >Carmel, New York, I might just do something foolish. How the hell would you move 14 tons of computer??? > >Yes, I have the room for something this size. To do what? Move into it? :-)

27 years, 6 months

4
5
0 0

Looking for PolaPulse or equivalent

by mbg＠world.std.com

>>I've been busy making room for my newest haul... the pdp-8s. > >Tell us -8 owners more.... I don't actually have the machines yet... I have to make room for them first. I'll be getting pdp-8/a pdp-8/m pdp-8/e lab-8 (w/scope) pdp-11/34 (w/vt11, vr14 and light pen) manuals spares I'm going to be getting the manuals and spares and anything small I can fit in my car first. Then I'll get the 11/34 and one of the -8s, which are mounted in a DEC corporate short cab. Once this is in place at home, I'll go back for the two tall cabs which house the other three -8s and their devices. There are no connections between the tall cabs and the short cab, which is why that will be moderatly easy. I don't yet know if there are connections between the two tall cabs... I'll have to remove the systems to reduce the cab weight... so I'll be marking lots of cabling (i expect) to ensure it all goes back together successfully. I will admit that I am not going to keep it all... I do plan on keeping the 11/34, the lab-8 and the 8/e. One of the remaining -8s is destined for a friend, and the last one I will probably make available to someone from this list (please, NO mail at this time... operators are NOT standing by) once I figure out an equitable way to do so... First things first, however. I have to GET the stuff before I do anything else... :-) Megan Gentry Former RT-11 Developer +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ | Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com | | Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com | | Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' | | 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ | | Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler | | (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg | +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

27 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

y2k stuff

by mbg＠world.std.com

>What boggles the mind is that this is a problem at all. It seems hard to >believe (in retrospect) that people really did deliberately build >software with only 2 digit years. I know it saved a few bytes, and yes, >I remember when a byte of memory was a significant amount, but still. >How did standard programming practice come to be so short sighted as to >assume that software infrastructure would be thrown out and replaced on >a regular basis? The problem is that it isn't just one problem... it is a series of problems, some of which have already been addressed over the years. It isn't just that software only handled two-digit years. That is, at best, simplistic, and at worst, just plain wrong. The fact is that there are numerous levels to the problem. Let me enumerate some of them... o Boot code - Does the hardware have a calender/clock? How does it store the date? How does one set the date? How does it report the date? An example of this is the 11/93 o Adapters/controllers - Do they have an internal calendar/clock? How do they store the date? How is the date set? How is the date reported? An example of this is are the RF series DSSI disks... they seem to have a built in clock and can report dates/times and even when the device was last powered on. Also, some devices will report date information, but only once it is set by the host operating system - an example is the DELQA, which reports date/time in a MOP System ID packet. o The operating system - how does it store the date? How does it accept the date? How does it report the date? RT-11, for example, stored years in 5-bit fields and the base year was 1972... which would work to 2003, but there were other problems. This was upgraded to 7-bits worth of info, which increased the range from 1972 to 2099, but there were still problems with other parts of the system -- Mentec's V5.7 addresses this. What about pdp-8s? They have been through the end of their epoch several times over... What about tops-10? What about Unix, which breaks in 2038... o The on-disk directory structure - How is the date encoded? o Applications - Are they concerned with the date? Do commands allow date specifications? In what form? How is date info reported? o *DATA* - what about all those data files which have been recorded over the years? What form was date stored? And I'm sure others can come up with more levels... these were just those which I could come up in 5 minutes of thinking... Keep in mind that when many institutions report they are working on Y2k issues... it is probably only billing. What about hospitals and the embedded controls in, for example, patient-controlled analgesia? There are going to be more and more failures as we get closer. Last year, there was a report that an insurance company which normally issued 3-year policies could only do two-year. If they haven't fixed the problem, they're probably down to one year now... Megan Gentry Former RT-11 Developer (Not speaking for Compaq) +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ | Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com | | Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com | | Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' | | 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ | | Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler | | (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg | +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

27 years, 6 months

3
2
0 0

FWD: Large computer in the UK...

by kevan＠heydon.org

I found this on one of the uk news groups. It is out of my league but someone might be interested. -- Kevan Collector of old computers: http://www.heydon.org/kevan/collection/ ------- Start of forwarded message ------- From: nmm1(a)cus.cam.ac.uk (Nick Maclaren) Newsgroups: uk.comp.misc Subject: Decommissioning large computers Date: 5 Jan 1999 19:09:37 GMT Organization: University of Cambridge, England Message-ID: <76to1h$oet$1(a)pegasus.csx.cam.ac.uk> 25 years ago, this was a sufficiently common activity that there were companies specialising in it .... We are likely to want to decommission a large computer for scrap in the near future, and are trying to find a company that will do it most economically and with least damage to the machine room. It is about 14 tons (I think), and includes a lot of heavy copper cabling, and may have more salvageable materials in the main boxes. Any serious suggestions as to who to approach gratefully received; I won't ask if anyone has done this recently, for obvious reasons :-) Regards, Nick Maclaren, University of Cambridge Computing Service, New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QG, England. Email: nmm1(a)cam.ac.uk Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679 ------- End of forwarded message -------

27 years, 6 months

3
2
0 0

Y2K

by gregorym＠cadvision.com

A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 993 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.classiccmp.org/pipermail/cctalk/attachments/19990105/8c0c5690/at…

27 years, 6 months

2
1
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FWD: Large computer in the UK...

by Philip.Belben＠pgen.com

Kevan Heydon reported Nick Maclaren as haveing said: > We are likely to want to decommission a large computer for scrap in > the near future, and are trying to find a company that will do it > most economically and with least damage to the machine room. It is > about 14 tons (I think), and includes a lot of heavy copper cabling, > and may have more salvageable materials in the main boxes. I'm tempted to suggest the Cambridge University Computer Preservation Society, just to annoy them :-) I suspect that this is the old IBM 3084 that ran Phoenix. Any Cambridge people with more info? More to the point, what is to become of the software? Tapes? etc. I'd love it but I (a) have nowhere to put it and (b) have difficulty transporting anything over 1/2 ton. Philip.

27 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

IBM PS/2 P70-386 SIMM needed...+ a couple other things...

by roblwill＠usaor.net

Hi! I need a 2MB SIMM for an IBM PS/2 P70-386. I know they go in in sets of two's, but for some reason, I have a spare SIMM that I found. Does anyone know where I could find one for a reasonable price (under $10)? I also need a display hinge (right side) for the P70. The one is broken. It still works, but sometimes gets annoying when I try to fold it up (that's also the side with the latch). ****this one's off-topic**** Does anyone know where to find a replacement head assembly for a Mitsubishi MF355H-394MW 1.44" floppy drive? It's from a Compaq 5000 series laptop, and some how the lower head seems to have disappeared. Everything's there (wire coils, head mount etc.). I think the glue that held the pick-up (is that the right name?) came loose. ThAnX, ///--->>> -Jason Willgruber (roblwill(a)usaor.net) ICQ#: 1730318 <http://members.tripod.com/general_1>

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

External CD-ROM Needed

by roblwill＠usaor.net

Hello everyone. My school has an old PS/2 Model 70 (386-16, 4mb RAM). They want to install some software on it which is on CD-ROM. Being a PS/2, there is no room for an internal CD-ROM, so I told them I'd look into get an old external for them. What I'm looking for is either a parallel interface drive, or a drive with an MCA controller card (there's one free slot). Being that the computer is a 386-16, speed is not of importance, and even a single-speed would be sufficient. A parallel interface one would probably be best, since they could use it on a few of their other non-PS/2 systems (286's, 386's) that they don't want to spend money to put an internal drive in. I'm not looking for anything very expensive, since I'll be paying for it, then donating it to the school. ThanX in AdvancE, -- -Jason Willgruber (roblwill(a)usaor.net) ICQ#: 1730318 <http://members.tripod.com/general_1> PS>> Not having to do with the school, but does anyone know where I would be able to find a hinge for the display of a PS/2 luggable without going directly through IBM? -thanx.

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

Y2K

by geoffrob＠stmarks.pp.catholic.edu.au

-----Original Message----- From: Sam Ismail <dastar(a)ncal.verio.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Wednesday, 6 January 1999 18:45 Subject: Re: Y2K >On Wed, 6 Jan 1999, Computer Room Internet Cafe wrote: > >> about date useage outside America. I know there are 250+ million of >> you, but we're not the 53rd state. (Yet anyway) We "ain't gonna" > >That's interesting. I must've missed the news about the 51st and 52nd >states being added to the Union :) I was acting on the assumption that Puerto Rico and maybe American Samoa would get in before us. :^) Cheers Geoff Roberts Computer Systems Manager Saint Marks College Port Pirie South Australia. My ICQ# is 1970476 Ph. 61-411-623-978 (Mobile) 61-8-8633-0619 (Home) 61-8-8633-8834 (Work-Direct) 61-8-8633-0104 (Fax)

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

Y2K

by H.Davies＠latrobe.edu.au

At 09:08 PM 05-01-99 -0800, Sam Ismail wrote: >That's interesting. I must've missed the news about the 51st and 52nd >states being added to the Union :) A common mistake made by a number of us non-US assimilated citizens :-) Confusion with the number of weeks in the year me thinks.... Huw Davies | e-mail: Huw.Davies(a)latrobe.edu.au Information Technology Services | Phone: +61 3 9479 1550 Fax: +61 3 9479 1999 La Trobe University | "If God had wanted soccer played in the Melbourne Australia 3083 | air, the sky would be painted green"

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

Looking for PolaPulse or equivalent

by mbg＠world.std.com

>I couldn't find a picture of it on Megan's web page, but I'm fairly sure >that this was the hand-held "terminal" provided by Digital to FS >personnel to allow them to use the diagnostic serial port on RA disks. I >remember our FS guy having one, we used it for about 10 minutes before I >connected our GIGI up - so much easier to use... There's no picture yet because there aren't any pictures yet for anything... I've taken some (including the IXO terminal) but have not yet 1) developed them, 2) scanned them in, and 3) included the image code in the document. Maybe I should put this as one of my listed projects... I've been busy making room for my newest haul... the pdp-8s. Megan Gentry Former RT-11 Developer +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ | Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com | | Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com | | Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' | | 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ | | Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler | | (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg | +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

27 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

R.I.P. Hayes

by kurtkilgor＠bigfoot.com

> Any addresses to get more info? All I saw was a post Slashdot.org, which had a link to a C|Net article saying basically that Hayes is liquidating its assets and closed yesterday. There is also a little stock ticker that says: "Hayes: N/A" :)

27 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

Y2K

by Watzman＠ibm.net

I'm heavily involved with Y2K issues, and there are going to be plenty of real problems, and not all of them will be on January 1. There was a story in todays Wall St. Journal about an aluminum smelter that shut down because it couldn't handle the leap year in 1996 ! It did half a million dollars worth of damage. We have discovered access control systems (doors with electronic locks and swipe cards or keypads to gain entry) that have y2K problems -- they know the date, because they know which shifts and days of the week people work, and only allow access while a person is actually "on duty". When they get confused or detect any problem, they go to an "all-open" state, to prevent the possibility of locking someone up in a fire situation. Which is fine, but some of these systems are installed in hospitals (including mental hospitals) and prisons. We thought our printers didn't care about dates, but low and behold, we found a bank passbook printer that DID care about dates, and it malfunctioned when fed a y2k date. Admittedly only a cosmetic problem, but a problem none the less. The FDA has found seven medical devices that have malfunctioned in 1999 (already). Seems that "99" in the year field had a special meaning (we've found this in a LOT of systems). At first these looked like cosmetic problems only, the date is not functionally used, but is printed on a printer. Until it became clear that such printouts could cause a physician to conclude that a patient's blood pressure was going up instead of down. Or that his EKG was getting better instead of worse. According to a recent SEC filing by AT&T, the company acknowledges that they cannot guarantee that they will complete their y2k work in time, and they will not guarantee that some of the possibly unfixed issues will not cause service interruptions, possibly extended. The truth is, I can't tell you if any of the "nightmare" scenarios will happen or not, and y2k might indeed seem to have been hype if none of them do. Further, anyone who makes a prediction is doing nothing but guessing. But be aware that over half a TRILLION dollars will have been spent on this, so I can assure you that whatever happens on 1/1/99 (or later, in particular at the end of February of 1999), IT WAS NOT HYPE. Barry Watzman PS - and while we are spending the money to at least attempt to address it, bear in mind that Europe is WAY behind, and Asia Pacific has been too busy trying to survive to have even looked ahead to recognize that the end of the century is coming.

27 years, 6 months

3
3
0 0

5155 floppy fixed

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

turns out the reason for the post error on my 5155 was because the head was sticking and couldnt do the initial seek, thus causing the 601 post. tony was right! i didnt bother with greasing it and swapped out an identical floppy drive from an extra pcjr. anyone want a pcjr unit for the price of shipping? david

27 years, 6 months

8
10
0 0

y2k stuff

by adavie＠mad.scientist.com

I, for one, would like to see the discussion swing back to Classic Computer, not Y2K problems. A

27 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

y2k stuff

by KFergason＠aol.com

The 11 year cycle is the sunspot cycle, any ham radio guy knows of it. communications on the various bands are affected. and, i have read that is is possible for "cosmic rays" to affect electronics. apparently, its one of those 1 in a billion billion type of things. i was doing some research on memory and came across it. again, just not very likely. kelly In a message dated 1/5/99 3:15:27 PM Pacific Standard Time, ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk writes: > I have heard them all! This is going to have even less of an effect that > any software problems! > > > > > >>> > > Every 11 years the sun sends storms of cosmic rays which disrupt all sorts > > Cosmic rays are coming all the time. > > > of electrical devices. The last was in 1989, and they are due again in > > 2000. 1978 was also a year effected by mega cosmic rays and was > > coincidentally the first year of Expansion Interface manufacture. Could > > the rays have been the source of the EIs poor performance? I have a 1978 > EI > > Even if cosmic rays did have a major effect on computers (and AFAIK they > don't) then the date of manufacture wouldn't make any difference. What > would matter is the cosmic ray flux _now_. >

27 years, 6 months

3
2
0 0

Y2K

by mbg＠world.std.com

>And PLEASE turn off the Microtrash HTML nonsense, it's rude to send HTML >to a mailing list. Rememeber there are a lot of people that don't read >your messages because they are being sent in HTML. A lot/most people, >especially on this mailing list, are using software that doesn't cope >with HTML. Hear-Hear... Keep in mind that this is 'classiccmp' -- we're probably also using classic software... (and that includes unix, due to its age) :-) Megan Gentry Former RT-11 Developer +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ | Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com | | Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com | | Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' | | 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ | | Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler | | (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg | +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

TI99: SCSI devices

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<<Brainstorming mode on:> <Is IDE geared in any way to the MS-DOS filesystem? No. It's a device level interconnect similar to SCSI or other busses. In practice it's a 16bit data bus, several control lines and a few address bits. It was a result of putting the early PCbus MFM(or rll) card in the MFM hard disk to make it a single unit. The WD1003 MFM ISA16 (PC) bus card is a very similar interface when viewed from the ISA16(PC AT and later 386/486 sytems) bus. What IDE did was allowed the PC to offload one board (Disk controller) onto the disk drive (IDE= Integral drive electronics) and created a simple disk interface connector/cable that was cheaper than SCSI but offered many similar features of SCSI interfaced disks sans the greater cost. The drive and it's IDE interface is a series of registers for parameters and data transfer and it cares less what operating system is in effect. About the only difficulty is interfacing the 16bit wide(for data, 8bit for commands) bus to whatever the local CPU/BUS is in use. that logic is nearly the reverse of the 99/4a 16bit->8bit for the PEB. One could do a kluge and not use the high order bits as they are data only. However that means the default 512byte sector size would only hold 256bytes of data (with large drives dirt cheap this is not so bad!). I personally don't like that but it'd work. The interface is basically a series of registers that set up the transfer with data like command, head, sector, cylinder and number of sectors (transfer length). The interface does not have to keep up with the physical media as even the smallest ones have a 32k (up to 512k) cache ram on board so that if can feed data fast (or slow) as the host desires it. Most of the 60-100meg and later drives (quantum is known for it) have a LRU cache so that the drive can try to anticipate the next likely sector to transfer to avoid rotational latentcy. While the drives are hyped and speced for fast transfer rateds to their host system there is no requirement to use that speed as there is no lower limit. Because of the cache a polled interface is easy to do and there are no requirements for critical fast loops to avoid loosing data. I happen to use IDE with FreeBSD(on PC hardware) and also a Z80 CP/m system. Both are about as unDOS as they can get. DSR level issues are things like are there logical limits to how big a TI99/4a file system can be. Also how does one write a DSR that uses any one of several hundred differnt IDE drives of differnt sizes and configurations? IE: 20mb as 4 heads 615 cylinders of 17 sectors or 306 cylinders and 8 heads? PCs (CP/M and others) have the idea of a bios that translates differnt physical devices to look like one logical interface. Sadly most DSRs were not written that way. Having a differnt DSR for a WD 240mb and a shugart 340mb would be a real problem. Also the older drives are dumber and cannot tell the system what they are (configuration), the later (mostly over 200mb) drives added that functionality. So there would also have to be configuration tools and some amount of NVram(EEPROM) on the board to allow for whatever drive was available from the older 40mb up to the current 19gb drives. I'd point out that the drives in the 80-400mb range seem to be more inconsistant than the larger ones. Also drives over 512mb have additional fuctionality so that they can be addressed as block instead of cylinder, head, sector. So the driver (DSR) has to be a bit smart so that it know what class of IDE drive and what capabilities are available. That's a real tall order! So that is why I say the physical interface is trivial compared to the DSR. It can be done as many of the same problem occur with SCSI but the DSR will have a lot of differences at the lower levels of code. Judging from the SCSI dificulties reported here that wasn't easy either. Allison

27 years, 6 months

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y2k stuff

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<The story on cosmic rays affecting memory is well-known. It was proposed <as the reason why one of the early 4Kbit (I think) chips had a very high <error rate. It was later found (I think) that the real reason was alpha <particles from the radioactive decay of something in the (ceramic?) <package of the chip. it originated with the transiston from 16k Drams to 64kdrams as the feature size was small enough that an Alpha particle hitting a sense line or other die level feature could offset the charge on the capacitor(storage element). Also different refresh schemes, better logic, faster parts and fewer interconnects all contributed to this soft error rate going down rather than up. The source of the particale was the gold eutectic bond used to hold the die to the lead frame or the lide for the brazed lid cases. The solution was a overcoat of particle absorbing material on the die. Since there there has been a many fold(or greater) geometry shrink to get the current megabyte parts and we do not have the forcasted problem, though the potential exists. It's not to say the problem wasn't real but win95 crashes(on its own) more often than the probability of a actual soft error in practice. Allison

27 years, 6 months

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Y2K

by Watzman＠ibm.net

I'm sick of hearing that this proble occured because people were trying to save bytes. I was doing COBOL programming in the 70's, I probably wrote code that would have y2k problems, and saving bytes had nothing to do with it. The problem arises simply because people (programmers included) normally write dates in the format "mm/dd/yy", as in 12/31/99. Not just in computer programs, but in normal, day-to-day lives. It's that simple, and that is all that there is to it. Barry Watzman

27 years, 6 months

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That does not compute

by H.Davies＠latrobe.edu.au

At 07:21 PM 31-12-98 -0800, Sam Ismail wrote: >Well, certainly the '@' symbol was entirely useless until internet e-mail. >And how many people actually use function keys any more in the age of the >GUI and mouse? Apart from those Digital DCL users who have been using it to invoke command procedures for about 25 years and TOPS-10 users who used it for I/O redirection for even longer.... Huw Davies | e-mail: Huw.Davies(a)latrobe.edu.au Information Technology Services | Phone: +61 3 9479 1550 Fax: +61 3 9479 1999 La Trobe University | "If God had wanted soccer played in the Melbourne Australia 3083 | air, the sky would be painted green"

27 years, 6 months

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Looking for PolaPulse or equivalent

by mbg＠world.std.com

Thanks, I got the pointer for polaroid... I'm going to follow up on it. As for a vt100 clone -- 1 line of 16 characters? not much of a terminal... but I guess enough if there isn' t much data which has to go back and forth... Megan

27 years, 6 months

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Blue LCD displays

by Watzman＠ibm.net

The blue color of Zenith and some other monochrome LCD displays is caused by the backlight. These displays use an electroluminescent panel behind the entire LCD screen, and it gives off a blue light. Most current LCD displays use flourescent tubes either behind or on the sides of the displays, with a variety of optical diffusers. Flourescent tubes, of course, give off white light. Barry Watzman

27 years, 6 months

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Intel Prompt 48

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<I know next to nothing about it and had no time to play with it, but I <assume it's an 8048 SBC with hex keypad, 7-seg LEDs, PROM programmer, etc. <from around 1977. < <I don't suppose anybody has docs or specs for this, eh? Did I mention <RARE? Anything but rare. It was the development, pre-ICEand eprom version programmer for the 8048 and 8049 (also 874x) parts. It has asimple debug monitor and also download capability. Many are still in use as the 874x parts are still in manufacture and use for low end controllers. Allison

27 years, 6 months

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[Fwd: fwd: Y2K Computer Glitches Hit Sweden Taxis, Gas Pumps]

by wpe101＠banet.net

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: fwd: Y2K Computer Glitches Hit Sweden Taxis, Gas Pumps Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1999 15:33:30 EST From: "Willis Emerson" <wemerson(a)natick-amed02.army.mil> Reply-To: <wemerson(a)natick-amed02.army.mil> To: <wpe101(a)banet.net> ---------- Original Text ---------- From: AMSSCSIM@IMD@natick, on 1/5/99 2:40 PM: To: *@* Cc: AMSSCSIM@IMD@natick ---------- Original Text ---------- From: AMSSCSIM@IMD@natick, on 1/5/99 2:27 PM: To: AMSSCSIM@IMD@natick Y2K computer glitches hit Sweden taxis, gas pumps. STOCKHOLM, Sweden - For a while, some taxi passengers got unexpectedly cheap rides and some motorists had trouble buying gas due to computer glitches that accompanied the new year in Sweden. Stockholm's largest taxi service recently changed the way it calculates fares. But when 1998 became 1999, some of its computers didn't adjust properly and passengers were charged normal rates, instead of the higher holiday and late-hour fares. "The problem has been patched, and now we'll get to the root of the problem," Taxi Stockholm managing director Anders Malmqvist said in a telephone interview Saturday. Customers of Statoil, Norway's state oil company that operates about 600 gas stations in Sweden, couldn't use their credit cards Friday because pumps were programmed to accept them only through December 1998. "There was nothing wrong in the data technology, but rather it was we who programmed badly," Statoil spokesman Henrik Siden told the regional newspaper Oestgoeta Correspondenten. The day before, police at Stockholm's Arlanda international airport were temporarily unable to issue provisional travel documents to four travelers who had misplaced their passports, the Swedish news agency TT reported. When they attempted to input the date, some computers would not accept "99" and transmitted in response: "end of run" or "end of file."

27 years, 6 months

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R.I.P. Hayes

by roblwill＠usaor.net

Any addresses to get more info? -- -Jason Willgruber (roblwill(a)usaor.net) ICQ#: 1730318 <http://members.tripod.com/general_1> -----Original Message----- From: Max Eskin <kurtkilgor(a)bigfoot.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Tuesday, January 05, 1999 2:28 PM Subject: R.I.P. Hayes >Just so everyone knows, > >Hayes is gone. They closed down for good yesterday. >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- - >----- >Max Eskin | kurtkilgor(a)bigfoot.com | AOL: kurtkilgor >

27 years, 6 months

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Win95 in running very slowly shocker!

by gareth.knight2＠which.net

Russ Blakeman >As for the SX to DX thing, have you added a math coprocessor? I know when I >added a 487 to my wife's P70 portable that we chaged the 386DX-20 out with a >"Make It 486" processor it went from showing 486SX in MSD to a 486DX, probably >due to the presence of the FPU. No, the only change I've made is to add an IDE 2x CD-ROM drive and install a copy of Win95. -- Gareth Knight Amiga Interactive Guide | ICQ No. 24185856 http://welcome.to/aig | "Shine on your star"

27 years, 6 months

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Y2K stuff

by mbg＠world.std.com

>This is exactly the stuff I refer to. Whay would an elevator care what >year it is? Some do days of the week but their clock is not date but >_day_ so that say on sunday you need a pass key to get in a building that >would be open during the week. That as far as they go, very >minimalistic. It may only care about date, but depending on how the application was written, it may calculate the day of week based on the *date*, or it could simply count days 1-7 (rinse) and repeat. If the latter, no problem... if the former, then the programming will drift over the years, only getting it right again 28 years later... Megan Gentry Former RT-11 Developer +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ | Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com | | Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com | | Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' | | 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ | | Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler | | (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg | +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

27 years, 6 months

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Y2K stuff

by allisonp＠world.std.com

"rolls over" every 20 years, and the first such rollover will be during <August of this year. The problem is expected to cause problems in some <receivers, perhaps causing erroneous output (unlikely) or possibly "loss o <acquisition" when the receiver decides to listen to the wrong constellation The system does not lock if the geometry is poor or the required tests fail. It's designed to not give error filled results. I'd bet though it will ride through it with minimal problems as most aircraft GPS use multiple sats and the really big ones like on Commercial also have inertial systems to check against. None fly single system and the whiskey compas is still there to check the tube! Allison

27 years, 6 months

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Fw: y2k stuff

by roblwill＠usaor.net

Hey - It was on the comp.sys.tandy newsgroup.... -- -Jason Willgruber (roblwill(a)usaor.net) ICQ#: 1730318 <http://members.tripod.com/general_1> -----Original Message----- From: Sam Ismail <dastar(a)ncal.verio.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Tuesday, January 05, 1999 12:36 AM Subject: Re: y2k stuff >As Bill Gates would say, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of. If >cosmic rays were to blame for the EIs suckiness then every computer back >then would have had similar problems. No, you can't blame Radio Shack's >sorry-assed engineering on cosmic rays, but nice try. > >Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- >Always being hassled by the man. > > Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0 > See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details! > [Last web site update: 12/27/98] > >

27 years, 6 months

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(Fwd) BASIC+ on PDP11 porting

by dlw＠trailingedge.com

Can anyone help him? Email them directly. ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- From: BJones8nr(a)aol.com Date sent: Tue, 5 Jan 1999 16:48:43 EST Subject: BASIC+ on PDP11 porting Hi Do you know of any source code porting packages to get from BASIC+ to VMS BASIC or VB Cheers Bryn Jones --------------------End Forwarded Message---------------- ----- David Williams - Computer Packrat dlw(a)trailingedge.com http://www.trailingedge.com

27 years, 6 months

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y2k ramblings

by ddameron＠earthlink.net

At 02:56 AM 1/5/99 -0500, Ward wrote: >Tony Duell wrote: >> > > And if I hear one more person who claims the Millennium is the 31/12/1999 >> > >> > > - 01/01/2000 (as opposed to the correct date of 1 year later), I am >> > > liable to get out a very large LART.. >(Forget the argument when the 2nd millennium starts -- yes, there was >no Year Zero, but the majority of voters are impressed by the row of >zeroes in the coming year number -- democratically, we lose. Let them >celebrate their millennium, nick the booze from their parties, then we >can have a proper party a year later. Inviting those who can count.) >-- These conversations have made me think about time. The key word above, IMO, is the last one, _count_. Does one count or measure time? In an analog clock, a minute starts at 60 = 00 seconds, not one. It is measured. Once you get to hours, it is mixed. They are numbered 1 to 12, but the morning/evening starts at 12:00. I used to always be confused when, for example, 12:30 AM was. In early digital clocks, one had to somehow "adjust" the hours display as a mod 12 counter typically counts 0 ..11. Suppose an analog computer is made as a clock. Say using voltage ramps. If seconds were mV, the sawtooth would be reset at 60mV. Same for an index mark on revolving disks. This could also be for hours, months, years, etc. So for an counting computer it is 2001, but maybe for a measuring computer, it is 2000?? End of rambling. The issue I guess isn't the millenniun, but how computers handle the year 2000. Don't be surprised if next year my messages are dated 1980. -Dave

27 years, 6 months

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5155 floppy fixed

by amirault＠epix.net

Hi, When you say Jr unit, do you mean the complete CPU or just the disk drive? I am a PCJr collector and would be willing to pay shipping. Please Email me @ amirault(a)epix.net to make arrangements. Thank you. John Amirault -----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, January 04, 1999 1:08 PM Subject: Re: 5155 floppy fixed >> >> turns out the reason for the post error on my 5155 was because the head was >> sticking and couldnt do the initial seek, thus causing the 601 post. tony was >> right! i didnt bother with greasing it and swapped out an identical floppy >> drive from an extra pcjr. anyone want a pcjr unit for the price of shipping? > >Oh come on... We're supposed to be preserving classics and not stripping >them for parts unless there's a very good reason. > >Anyway, it probably took more time to find the jr, open it up, and remove >the drive than it would have done to put a couple of drops of oil (or >better still dry film lubricant) on the rails and work the head back and >forth a few times. > >> >> david >> > >-tony > >

27 years, 6 months

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y2k stuff

by roblwill＠usaor.net

I found this in a newsgroup. No telling how much of an affect it will actually have on computers, but something else to consider when talking about Y2k stuff... >>> Every 11 years the sun sends storms of cosmic rays which disrupt all sorts of electrical devices. The last was in 1989, and they are due again in 2000. 1978 was also a year effected by mega cosmic rays and was coincidentally the first year of Expansion Interface manufacture. Could the rays have been the source of the EIs poor performance? I have a 1978 EI and its never missed a beat, but I didn't own it in '78. Its all buffered, probably against cosmic onslaughts. >>> -- -Jason Willgruber (roblwill(a)usaor.net) ICQ#: 1730318 <http://members.tripod.com/general_1>

27 years, 6 months

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selling a blank floppy disk

by kurtkilgor＠bigfoot.com

> And if I hear one more person who claims the Millennium is the 31/12/1999 > - 01/01/2000 (as opposed to the correct date of 1 year later), I am > liable to get out a very large LART.. Whoever said anything about it being the Millennium? It's just the year 2000, and I think that's important enough!

27 years, 6 months

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Why you won't fly on 1/1/00

by netcafe＠pirie.mtx.net.au

-----Original Message----- From: Doug Yowza <yowza(a)yowza.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Tuesday, 5 January 1999 12:36 Subject: Re: Why you won't fly on 1/1/00 >All of my programming life, software developers have been >able to get away with shipping buggy software with >virtually no liability. Now companies are already being sued for this >particular bug by their customers. Having read the so called "warranty" on the Windows (and other) software packages, Microsoft is in big trouble if that is the case. It amazes me how they have gotten away with selling stuff that is essentially guaranteed only to take up disk space. >A new breed of lawyer is being hatched: >those who are trained to sue for software defects. They are going to be busy boys/girls. And get rich. >Prediction: the year 2000 will be the first year software malpractice >insurance is offered. In the USA, I wouldn't be at all surprised. Cheers Geoff Roberts Computer Room Internet Cafe Port Pirie South Australia. netcafe(a)pirie.mtx.net.au

27 years, 6 months

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Y2K stuff

by kurtkilgor＠bigfoot.com

> Is it? My current credit card has an expiry date after the end of this > year and I've never had any problems with it. I read that it has happened in one of those panicky articles. I guess it was fixed the day after someone became aware of the problem. > Sure. Nobody is saying that you shouldn't check things. Just as I don't > expect a power cut at the end of this year, but I'll have a working torch > (flashlight) in the house. I always do. Power failures can occur. I just > don't expect the date per se to be a particularly likely cause of one. I think that 'maintenance errors' could potentially occur in power plants, and what is more likely, some will be shut down just in case.

27 years, 6 months

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Y2K stuff

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<elevator to stop working when you're trying to make the appointment on the <40th floor, would you? Sure, it could fail for other reasons too, but this <is something that ought to be double-checked since we know about it. This is exactly the stuff I refer to. Whay would an elevator care what year it is? Some do days of the week but their clock is not date but _day_ so that say on sunday you need a pass key to get in a building that would be open during the week. That as far as they go, very minimalistic. Allison

27 years, 6 months

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selling a blank floppy disk

by Pjoules1＠cs.com

In a message dated 03/01/99 21:46:40 GMT Standard Time, ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk writes: > What's so interesting about 2000? It's not a power of 2 (:-))... Yes lets start a Y2k campaign for the correct year - 2048 ;-) Regards Pete

27 years, 6 months

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Why you won't fly on 1/1/00

by cswiger＠wilma.widomaker.com

>Yet another reason to prefer open-source tools whenever possible. Yeah - and be sure to check out the Unix 'cal' utility, it even gets Sept. 1752 correct ($cal 9 1752), actually, correct in Britain and the colonies, as well as 1 2000. http://home.earthlink.net/~aske/nature/calendar.htm Chuck cswiger(a)widomaker.com

27 years, 6 months

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Why you won't fly on 1/1/00

by cswiger＠wilma.widomaker.com

>This is my biggest fear of Y2K. All of my programming life, software >developers have been able to get away with shipping buggy software with >virtually no liability. Now companies are already being sued for this Gentelpersons - certainly have been enjoying the thoughts on y2k, pretty much matches my thoughts. As for the above, just look at the Microsoft y2k statements, which claim to be compliant, immediately followed by the big screaming-caps legal boilerplate saying "but if your business fails due to ANY bug in the SOFTWARE, you can't sue me, nyah nyah-nyah nyah nyah, nyah". I think the right to peddle buggy software must be protected by 1st amendment free speech. My elder brother works with credit card processing in San Jose' and last August he wrote: " I have cards that expire now in 06/01 and 05/00 I believe. Anyway, I have not had any problem using them. I know for a fact that this is one of the issues that had to be dealt with last year. In fact, for a while there, we had to ignore expiration dates in the processing." Chuck cswiger(a)widomaker.com

27 years, 6 months

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