OK, this is starting to get interesting. I've got a box labled VT100
boards, and it's definitely part of the guts of this terminal (the terminal
works as a terminal).
The terminal has had it's front nameplate removed (probably doesn't mean
anything, they were all this way). On the back is a Digital tag declaring
it to be a VT100-AA. Next to that is a ARC (Agency Records Control, Inc.
of Bryon, Texas) declaring to be a Model ART 01.
The box has the following:
M7270 - KD11-HA - 11/03 CPU Board (dual)
M8021 - MRV11-BA - UV ROM/RAM (dual)
M7949 - LAV11 - LA180 Line Printer Interface (dual)
_Another_ Xebec controller (Wierd disk I think) (Quad)
ARC DFV-11A (Quad)
ARC EIA Switch two 2x5 connectors, 2 switches (RUN/HALT and OVRD/NORM)
1 Vector Plugboard (prototyping board) unused, though the bag has been opened.
I the ARC EIA goes in the options slot on the VT100 board. I think it's
third party version of the card that Megan mentioned in a post today. It
has one of the cables and it's 2x5 pin a connector on both ends.
I don't know if all these board belong to this system or not, I'm pretty
sure that the plug board doesn't.
The MRV11-BA has 256 words of RAM, and 2 1k ROMS
I dug through the manuals I've got, but couldn't come up with anything on
what on earth a DFV-11A is.
Off the top of my head I'd say I'm missing a SLU, and I need a disk controller.
Zane
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator |
| healyzh(a)ix.netcom.com (primary) | Linux Enthusiast |
| healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, |
| and Zane's Computer Museum. |
| http://www.dragonfire.net/~healyzh/ |
At 08:45 PM 8/9/98 -0700, Sam Ismail wrote:
>That said, I'm no Tandy 1000 expert, but something tells me you missed
>where the serial port is on the back.
Errr, I was pretty thorough. That's why I set it back down, because I saw
no way to hook a modem to it.
-
- john higginbotham ____________________________
- webmaster www.pntprinting.com -
- limbo limbo.netpath.net -
I'll be unsubscribed for a few days to get Linux up and running on my
rebuilt workstation. I'll be back as soon as I get the dialup and E-mail
client running.
Nobody kill anyone while I'm gone, OK? ;-)
May you always have sun to play in and money to play with.
> From: "kroma" <kroma(a)worldnet.att.net>
> Subject: Commodore 64 Returns???
>
> Check out this article at ZDNet
> http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/zdnn_smgraph_display/0,3441,2128102,00.ht…
I don't think ZDNet will post my comments, as mine started with:
Piracy YES. Commodore 64 NOT!
This computer is a lame attempt of a failing PC clone manufacturer to
monopolize on the nostalgia of users and an internet fiasco.
I summed up how not a 64 it was given it has NO 64 interfaces (save for the
keyboard) so you cannot hook any 64 peripherals on it (joysticks, light pens,
REUs, not even 1541 disk drives). And it was merely an encouragement for
owners to download pirated commercial Commodore-64 disk images off of the internet.
Also I added: it may run 64 software, but in no way will it give the owner the
reassurance or feeling that they actually 'own' a Commodore 64.
---
I think this company is gonna have legal problems from places such as
Broderbund and Eletronic Arts (or more likely CMD, who has alot of ownership
of 64 licenses) if they actually do sell some of em...
--
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Larry Anderson - Sysop of Silicon Realms BBS (300-2400bd) (209) 754-1363
Visit my Commodore 8-Bit web page at:
http://www.goldrush.com/~foxnhare/commodore.html
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
At 11:40 PM 8/16/98 -0400, you wrote:
>On Sun, 16 Aug 1998, Tony Duell wrote:
>> > A quick question... How many people know how to work on their cars? How
>> > many drive older vehicles without as much "black-box" stuff?
> - - -
>> When I learn to drive I intend to get a car with (as R.A. Pease said)
>> 'the right number of computers controlling the engine - none' !
>
>I'm kind of surprised to hear that attitude around here! ;) I've never
>been able to touch a carburetor without f**ing it up. Fixing, let alone
>tuning one, seems to be black magic.
>
>EFI on the other hand is logical; if you can follow directions and run a
>DVM, you can fix it!
So are carburators. You just have to study how they work and learn what
part does what and when. I can make a Carter AFB do anything including
sing. You should hear two of those on a 426 Hemi at WOT!
And if you tweak the engine for more efficiency,
>many of them automatically compensate -- no need to swap out jets and
>other mechanical parts by trial end error.
Yes but I can still swap a jet faster than I can burn an EPROM! The big
advantage of the EFI is that it's more precise than a carburator, can
monitor and adjust for more conditions and employs feed back sensors for
even more precise control.
>
>And if you want to get hard-core and do your own mods, those "black boxes"
>are just embedded microprocessors with a relatively small program. Many
>are off the shelf chips w. documented instrution sets. A few talented &
>adventuresome folks have even reverse-hacked some proprietary ones; like
>Clark Steppler of Jim Wolf Technology who can make a Nissan EFI computer
>do almost anything.
>
>So back to the original question: cars are my main hobby, and I'm all for
>electronics. My 122 cubic-inch Nissan econo-box turns mid 14 second runs
>at the drag strip; akin to getting a MIP out of one of 'dem Altairs. Yee
>ha :)
Yeah, just stuff in a P II mobo!
Another motor-head!
>
> -wayne
>
>
>
>
>At the risk of turning you into more of an appreciator, here is how to
run
>Trek80 on your SOL:
>
>1. Assuming that you have your cassette player properly attached to the
SOL,
>press the "play" button - the tape won't start until the SOL tells it
to.
>2. Make sure your CAPS LOCK in on. Then at the '>' prompt enter XEQ
><return>.
>3. Alternatively, enter GET. After a few moments the SOL will respond
with
>something like 'TREK80 0000 23AB' (the beginning and end addresses).
Then
>enter EX 0 and you are aboard the Enterprise.
>
>BTW, I would make a copy of the tape rather than using the original.
Old
>tape literally get flakey, and I've had to replace the pressure pad on
>several of my original PT tapes.
>
>And if you like Trek80 as an arcade game, you must try TARGET by Steve
>Dompier. It was almost always used as an attention getter in its demo
mode
>by PT dealers. You fire missles at 'airplanes' and if you play an AM
radio
>nearby, you can hear the sound effects of missle launches, explosions,
and
>falling debris.
>
>email me with your address if you would like xerox copies of Trek80,
Target,
>or most SOL documentation (though I don't have FOCAL docs or a copy of
that
>tape - are you listening, Frank?)
>
>Bob Stek - Keeper of lost SOLs
>
>bobstek(a)ix.netcom.com
Thanks, Bob. Looks like you may be getting me aboard the
Starship Enterprise after all. I will give it my best shot.
I have the SOL docs somewhere in this nightmarishly cluttered
and disorganized museum I live in. May have TARGET too.
I will take your advice and copy the Trek 80 cassette.
I am curious about one thing. Is the Trek 80 among the
very earliest examples of game software for microcomputers?
Bob Wood
>
>
>
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
Yesterday I picked up an Osborne 1 from the dump. It seems to be in
relatively good physical condition apart from a missing CAPS LOCK key
(which I luckily found nearby). Unfortunately, it had been rained on. The
keyboard was separate from the main unit, and it was full of water. The
main unit seems to be slightly better off (at least water didn't pour out
of it when I picked it up). I haven't pulled either apart yet, so I
haven't seen what condition the internals are in.
Can anyone give me some hints on restoring this machine? What's the best
way to clean mud off circuit boards and electronic components? I'm going
to check the power supply separate disconnected from the main unit, so will
it need a dummy load? Is there anything in particular I should check on
the Osborne 1?
Finally, is it possible to make a boot disk using a PC to CP/M program like
Alien or 22Disk? Where can I find a boot disk image?
Thanks in advance.
| Scott McLauchlan |E-Mail: scott(a)cts.canberra.edu.au |
| Network Services Team |Phone : +61 2 6201 5544 (Ext.5544)|
| Client Services Division |Post : University of Canberra, |
| University of Canberra, AUSTRALIA | ACT, 2601, AUSTRALIA. |
I just grabbed a portable terminal called an Informer. It says its from
Los Angeles and is model #207P Serial #55861 -4055
Anyone know anything about it before I try to fire it up?
colan
I am wondering if anyone knows of a good source of Radio Shack
TRS-80 Pocket Computer information. I just picked up a Pocket
Computer (presumably the 'model 1', as it doesn't say Pocket
Computer II, etc.). It is catalog 26-3501.
Anyway, it came complete with the Printer/Cassette Interface
unit.... which you snap the computer into, and the 'expansion unit'
has cassette interface plugs, as well as a small calculator-like
printer. Pretty snazzy little unit. Looks like it has never been
used, and works like a charm. Also, I got the little guy for free!!
Here's my question: It starts up to BASIC. And there are several
modes of operation.... DEF, RUN, PRO, RESERVE. With a little
tinkering, I have managed to figure out that the PRO mode is to
program in BASIC programs. And, the RUN mode is to run them, etc. I
am curious for full information on these modes. I also am wondering
how to access the printer. Say, listing a BASIC program to it, or
printing messages, etc., to the printer. On first guess, I figured
it might use the LLIST and LPRINT type commands such as other early
TRS-80 BASICs did (back in my days of adventure game making :-) ....
but, I have been unable to get them to work. It seems whenever I
enter those commands (or other incorrect commands), I get a
1................................ up on the screen, this seems to be
some type of syntax error.
I guess I just don't know much about this part of the TRS-80
timeline and am looking for any help. Accessing the printer, error
codes, mode explainations, cassette commands in BASIC, etc.
Thank you,
CORD COSLOR
--
____________________________________________________________
| Cord G. Coslor : archive(a)navix.net |\
| Deanna S. Wynn : deannasue(a)navix.net | |
| on AOL Instant Messenger: DeannaCord | |
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|____________________________________________________________| |
\_____________________________________________________________\|
At 04:32 PM 8/16/98 -0500, Doug wrote:
>One of the earlier better-known microcomputers was the Scelbi-8H (1973).
>Scelbi stopped making hardware in 1974, and supposedly went into the
>software and book-writing biz. I know he wrote a book on games for the
>8008, but I don't know the year.
>
It was 1976 and the games were "Space Capture", "Hexpawn", and "Hangman".
Of course the 8008 code was written earlier, in 1976 Scelbi was in the book
biz as you said, not hardware. The book has 8080 code added for each game,
looks like a translation mostly of the 8008 code with a few exceptions. The
games were not real time, (of course).
All the other magazines and newsletters sound interesting! At least "The
Computer Hobbyist" I think I have found all of them. Hal Chamberlin had a
vector CRT display, and "pong" was one of the games. Steve Ciarcia
redesigned it in an early issue of BYTE. Will also be interested in the VCF
2 program on these!
-Dave
At 09:34 AM 8/16/98 -0400, you wrote:
>Wow, I've thrown out a couple dozen VT100/102/131s in the last 5 years at
>work. I guess they were pretty nice 20 years ago coming from a VT52 ;) If
>anyone has fondness for them, I've got a bunch more that will probably be
>hitting the dumpster soon.
>
> -wayne
So... the obvious question for the shipping challenged, where would these
be starting from?
-jim
---
jimw(a)agora.rdrop.com
The Computer Garage - http://www.rdrop.com/~jimw
Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174
Try do search for information about the CASIO PB100 I believe they were the
same machines. The PB100 was my first pocket computer, I sold it to buy a
Sinclair ZX81 back in 1985 and I've missed it greatly since then.
Francois
-------------------------------------------------------------
Visit the desperately in need of update
Sanctuary at: http://www.pclink.com/fauradon
-----Original Message-----
From: Cord Coslor & Deanna Wynn <archive(a)navix.net>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Sunday, August 16, 1998 9:31 PM
Subject: TRS-80 Pocket Computer questions....
>I am wondering if anyone knows of a good source of Radio Shack
>TRS-80 Pocket Computer information. I just picked up a Pocket
>Computer (presumably the 'model 1', as it doesn't say Pocket
>Computer II, etc.). It is catalog 26-3501.
>
>Anyway, it came complete with the Printer/Cassette Interface
>unit.... which you snap the computer into, and the 'expansion unit'
>has cassette interface plugs, as well as a small calculator-like
>printer. Pretty snazzy little unit. Looks like it has never been
>used, and works like a charm. Also, I got the little guy for free!!
>Here's my question: It starts up to BASIC. And there are several
>modes of operation.... DEF, RUN, PRO, RESERVE. With a little
>tinkering, I have managed to figure out that the PRO mode is to
>program in BASIC programs. And, the RUN mode is to run them, etc. I
>am curious for full information on these modes. I also am wondering
>how to access the printer. Say, listing a BASIC program to it, or
>printing messages, etc., to the printer. On first guess, I figured
>it might use the LLIST and LPRINT type commands such as other early
>TRS-80 BASICs did (back in my days of adventure game making :-) ....
>but, I have been unable to get them to work. It seems whenever I
>enter those commands (or other incorrect commands), I get a
>1................................ up on the screen, this seems to be
>some type of syntax error.
>
>I guess I just don't know much about this part of the TRS-80
>timeline and am looking for any help. Accessing the printer, error
>codes, mode explainations, cassette commands in BASIC, etc.
>
>Thank you,
>
>CORD COSLOR
>
>--
> ____________________________________________________________
>| Cord G. Coslor : archive(a)navix.net |\
>| Deanna S. Wynn : deannasue(a)navix.net | |
>| on AOL Instant Messenger: DeannaCord | |
>| http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Vista/4395 | |
>|------------------------------------------------------------| |
>| PO Box 308 - Peru, NE - 68421 - (402) 872- 3272 | |
>|------------------------------------------------------------| |
>| If you don't have AOL (like us) but want a great instant | |
>| chat feature, just go to http://www.aol.com/aim | |
>|____________________________________________________________| |
>\_____________________________________________________________\|
>
>
If I remember right, NeXT computers are not that expensive. I think mine
was $450 including computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and sound box
(NeXT Station Color Turbo W/400MB hd and 8mb of RAM)
Tony
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Adam Jenkins [mailto:adam@merlin.net.au]
> Sent: Friday, August 14, 1998 2:31 PM
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
> Subject: Re: Altair - A different perspective
>
>
>
> >Exactly, the Altair helped kick-off the hobbiest movement by
> being cheap.
> >The Mark-8 did this earlier, but it was so slow and buggy that it was
> >pretty much a non-starter. The Altair was an improvement,
> but it was also
> >pretty much a non-starter that fizzled after about 10,000 units. The
> >Altair was the grandfather of the S-100 bus and CP/M, both of which
> >fizzled and left only a minor mark on MS-DOS, which didn't fizzle.
>
> I think that to say that the S-100 Bus and CP/M "fizzled" is
> to seriously
> understate the value of both. :) I'm sure you don't mean to
> suggest that
> they were without value, but keep in mind that 6 years of
> dominance (which
> is probably the minimum that one would give to CP/M and the
> S100) is an
> incredibly long time in the fledging personal computer
> field. True, it
> doesn't stand up that well to 15+ years of Microsoft, but it was the
> dominate architecture on teh market.
>
> >Low prices, enabled by the microprocessor, is one of the
> elements that got
> >us to where we are today. A high-degree of interactivity is another.
> >Computer graphics is another. The desktop form-factor is
> also a strong
> >survivor. So, if somebody were really looking at collecting
> Altairs as the
> >machine that "started it all", I think they have been misled
> and would be
> >better off collecting the IBM PC, early Apples, early HP
> desktops, the
> >PDP-8, and all of the PDP-1's they can find :-)
>
> I don't support these high prices, and I'm another of the
> collectors who
> wants to save and use, rather than simply buy and store their
> systems. I
> don't have, nor do I particularly desire, an Altair (but I do
> really want a
> NeXTCube), but the significance of the Altair and the
> hobbiest movement
> should not be measured in terms of computers sold. :) My view
> is that the
> Altair made it clear to hobiests that they could own a
> computer, and so
> even if they didn't buy one it started them dreaming about
> one. (And yes,
> I know it was not the first). This is much the same as with
> the Lisa -
> people didn't necessarily buy them, and indeed they ignored
> them in great
> numbers - but without the Lisa then I doubt the Macintosh
> would have been
> as successful. First you have the great implementation of a
> grand concept
> that you can never own, and then you follow it with an
> affordable version.
> Anyway, the point is that the Altair led to the hobbists, while the
> hobbists pushed the tech both in hardware and software, creating the
> potential for personal computers to move into new markets.
> True, this was
> a marketing dream of many of the computer companies before
> the Altair, but
> the Altair is definitly one of the most important systems. That's my
> opinion, anyway.
>
> As to prices, well I come form a number of collecting backgrounds, and
> prices are never increased so much by rarity or actual value, but by
> perceived value. When people started thinking Teddy Bears were worth
> money, the prices lept ahead - but only in the brands which
> the collectors
> recognised. The Altair is recognised as significant, is relativly
> uncommon, and every article on computer history sings it's
> praises. You
> could almost guarentee that the prices would go up.
>
> If only Apple IIc's were worth a fortune - then I could
> finally get my NeXT. :)
>
> Adam.
>
>
>That paddleboard connector on the VT100 is one of the cleverest pieces of
>design I've seen from DEC. The pins are supposed to short between the 2
>sides when there's nothing in the connector, thus linking the terminal
>logic signals to the DB25 on the back. Insert a paddleboard, and you
>disconnect them, allowing the paddleboard to connect separately to the
>VT100 logic and the outside world.
It is neat... I used that info to create my own sort of paddleboard
attachment which allowed me to have the terminal EIA/20ma
switch-selectable... I mounted a DPDT switch in the plastic panel which
goes on the back of a VT100 20ma option and wired it so it either routed
the signals through to the EIA port or shunted them off to the 20ma
option... only needed to intercept 4 signal lines, if I remember
correctly.. (or was it three).
I still have the 'option' in a drawer at work...
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 |
+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
I came to own a scanner made by The Complete PC, Inc. Natrually there
isn't any software with the device do anyone here know where I could
find a program to use this thing?
Okay. I have debated over and over, whether to say what I'm going
to say next. But I can provide a tidbit of interesting info.
Look: no flames... I feel bad enough as it is. Be *gentle*.
More than twenty years ago... in '75. I had an E-type Jaguar. I
paid about $2K for said car (4 years earlier) while serving in The
Glorious and Omnipotent Soldiers of His Majesty King Richard the
Nixon. I **loved** that car, lusted for it as a child, finally got
one. (poignant note: nice ones are now going for $40-60K)
Well. Back then, I was Very Poor, and the Jag was up on blocks
deteriorating and I was taking busses and bumming rides. One of the
regular customers at the little surplus shop I worked for came in
one day describing this *computer* he had gotten, and didn't really
want. At that time... computers were the one item I would have glady
traded spiritual equity to the Dark Side to have...
"I'll trade ya my old Jag for it!!" I blurted.
"Deal." he said. (O! to be young again!) [NOT!!!!]
What he had was a 1962 Bendix G-15, with all the docs and
everything. A real, vacuum-tube, hybrid, drum machine....
The previous owner, seeing the standard 220V plug, had run a long
cable from an outlet, around the building, over the roof, and in the
window. The Bendix was *actually* a 110V device... but someone had
installed the heftier plug due to the 175KVA the thing drew starting
up. Well, my 'friend' got it home, trundled it into the garage,
plugged it into the clothes-dryer outlet, and, thanks to ignoring Mr.
G. S. Ohm, blew out %70 percent of the thousands of germanium glass
diodes it used for passive logic.
I lived in an upstairs apartment... 900lbs of computer was out of
the question. One of the other guys at work volunteered *his*
garage, and we went to work changing diodes. Some weeks later, we
fired it up... no good. More (hidden) diodes. Again. Nothing...
ooops, drum clamped and motor disconnected... and clock track on
the drum...
Then it worked! My, were we happy!! it was about 5:30 am on a
sunday, we had worked through the night.. and there it was.. the OS
signed on to the console typewriter.. and it *was* a typewriter..
and IBM Executive that Bendix had fitted solenoids under.. the keys
looked like a ghost was typing when output was taking place.
Which gets me to the topical thread of this post: even *it* had
two games (on 5-level paper tape).. one was called Nim, and the
other was a version of Tic/Tac/Toe.. which re-drew the whole game
(on the s l o w typewriter) with every move.
Then, the lights dimmed, all the power supply meters dropped into
low-margin red zones, and the breakers snapped out. Fifteen seconds
later, my friend's sleepy wife stumbled into the Computer Room
(garage) and asked if we wanted some fresh coffee. You can guess
which circuit the coffee-maker was on.
Sigh. Five years later, he moved to a different state, and we gave
the G-15 to one of the Burroughs divisions for a lobby display. I
lost track of it in the rush of time and career.... what I'd give
to have it back. ((What I'd give to still have my Jag!))
sniff, sniff... One of these days, maybe I'll find another, on
it's side in some junk yard.... who am I kidding?
Anyway... just a little bit of history on Computer Gaming.
Cheers
John
>> Might this cabling 'trick' apply to the Apple III as well?
>>
>> And if so, does anyone know what's special about the cable? That might be
>> the source of my Profile problems with my III.
Doug, as I said, there's definitely nothing amazing about the cables for
the ///, at least not with the controller cards I have (I don't know if
anyone ever made any third-party controller boards?). They're either
straight through or complete crossover, but there's no odd connections
or anything.
cheers
Jules
>Yesterday I picked up an Osborne 1 from the dump. It seems to be in
>relatively good physical condition apart from a missing CAPS LOCK key
>(which I luckily found nearby). Unfortunately, it had been rained on. The
>keyboard was separate from the main unit, and it was full of water. The
>main unit seems to be slightly better off (at least water didn't pour out
>of it when I picked it up). I haven't pulled either apart yet, so I
>haven't seen what condition the internals are in.
I doubt the raid did much damage. Two years ago I bought a bunch of
Apple II systems from a school disctrict that had set out during a storm
the night before. The monitors were damp, water just poured out of the
Apple IIe's upon picking them up, cards were laying on the damp ground,
splattered by mud.
Everything worked perfectly, and was entirely dust-free.
Tom Owad
--
Sysop of Caesarville Online
Client software at: <http://home.earthlink.net/~tomowad/>
Indeed, Dos 2.11 was the Dos version packaged with the PCjr (as well as
other systems, I think).
Cliff Gregory
cgregory(a)lrbcg.com
-----Original Message-----
From: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
To: Cgregory <Cgregory>
Date: Friday, August 14, 1998 11:52 AM
Subject: Dos 2.1 and 2.11
>
>Someone posted saying that there in fact was a 2.11 which I've not been
>able to find reference to. By any chance was that what came with a PCjr?
>
>
>colan
>
One of the cover pieces to my PDP-8 has seperated in the one corner where
the top teal plactic piece joins the translucent plastic side. What kind
of glue would you recommend I use to fix this? I don't want to do any
damage to the cover by using the wrong type of glue.
Thanks.
Tom Owad
--
Sysop of Caesarville Online
Client software at: <http://home.earthlink.net/~tomowad/>
> The TD-800 were CRT based terminals some based on 6800 micros others on
> 8086 (yes indeed) Burroughs claimed that they were the first to use the
> 8086 processor and helped Intel debug it. When the IBM PC came out
> Burroughs were using substantially more powerful hardware just as dumb
> terminals.
One of the fun things about the TD-800 was that it was possible to read
and write the micro's memory. I wrote a Cobol program (the only programming
language I had) on a B800 to let me monkey about with the TD-800's
innards. The ones I was using had a 6800 in them.
Roger Ivie
ivie(a)cc.usu.edu
<It has a drive apparently loaded with some version of VMS but I have to
< put together a console cable to find out. Then of course, the big trick
< will be the fact that I don't have VMS on tape or the passwords to the
Not a problem. VAX/VMS has very high security IF you can keep people away
>from the boot console.
The proceedure is simple and in the VMS doc set.
Set halt enable toggle on console connector pannel.
hit halt, then reset
the machine should count down to 2 and Give the >>> prompt.
Then it's >>>B/1 DUA0 (assumes first MSCP drive)
when SYSBOOT> happens...
SYSBOOT>>> SET UAFALTERNATE 1
SYSBOOT>>> SET STARTUP_P1 "MIN"
SYSBOOT>>> CONT
then you see a normal vms boot proceed.
When it gives the process terminated hit return a few times.
LOGIN: SYSTEM
PASSWORD: {only give a return}
PASSWORD: {again ONLY RETURN}
you are now logged in to the system account in single user mode.
change the passwaord to something safe.
$ DEFINE SYSUAF SYS$SYSTEM:[SYSEXE]SYSUAF.DAT
$ SET DEFAULT SYS$SYSTEM
$ RUN AUTHORIZE
UAF> MOD/PASS=system system {SYSTEM account now has password SYSTEM}
UAF> exit
$@sys$system:shutdown
when shutdown prompts for action taken hit return {take default}.
When it says it's all done and you can halt the system hit the halt button
and we do it again thins time with a real password.
>>>B/1 dua0
SYSBOOT>>> SET UAFALTERNATE 0 {use the noew password}
SYSBOOT>>> SET STARTUP_P1 "" {normal system start}
SYSBOOT>>> CONT
after it does its things
LOGIN: SYSTEM
PASSWORD: SYSTEM {FYI, ccase insensitive and notmally not echoed}
Your in and have system managers prives. HELP at the $ prompt gets help.
Also there are four OSs that run on it, BSD unix, netBSD, Ultrix (DEC)
and VMS(DEC). The first will be hard to get. The second sorta works
and ultrix I ahve no idea on the license. VMS is available on CD or any
media you can find. VMS V5.4 through 6.1 are on the CD and all are under
the same DECUS free hobbiest license. The versions on the CD are standard
releases and DECnet runs. The CD and many archives have CMUip (TCP/IP
stack) and a few other neat things.
Have fun.
Allison
At 10:27 PM 8/15/98 -0500, you wrote:
>As long as I'm getting physics lessons, I figure now's a good time for
>chemistry.
>
>I've got a bunch of portables, most of them with batteries. The batteries
>are clearly the weak-points of these systems in terms of long-term
>viability. First, is there any way to ensure the batteries live forever?
>If not, what's the best way to preserve them, how long should I expect
>them to last, and what can I do now to prepare for the inevitable
>repair/replacement down the road?
>
>My current plan is to remove all batteries and store them in the fridge,
>but I'm not crazy about the idea. Do some battery types store better than
>others? I have to deal with NiCd, Li+, NiMH, and Lead-acid.
>
>-- Doug
>
The battery life times should range as Lead-Acid, NiCad, NiMH, Li+ from
shortest to highest. Lead Acid batteries will be ruined if you let them
sit dead. Even as short a time as overnight can ruin them. It doesn't
appear to hurt NiCads to let them sit dead. I'm not sure about the other
two. NiCad and LA will both go bad with age even it they're not used so you
may as well use them.
For maximum life of NiCads DO NOT discharge them all the way or use a
rapid charger on them. These discharge then rapid chargers that are all
the rage with toy car owners are not only a waste of money, it's also
ruining their batteries.
Almost all battery packs use standard cells inside and there are plenty
of places that will rebuild your old battery packs so they shouldn't be a
big problem. I rebuild LOTS of them for HP and TI calculators.
Joe
A C128D running at 20MHz with 20MB of RAM plus a 2GB Hard Drive and a 1.6MB
floppy drive is one extraordinary system.
It is sure worth more than a "coupla bux", although I would have fallen out
of the bidding by now. Note that most of these accessories are quite new and
some are useable on other systems.
Phil Guerney
-----Original Message-----
From: Doug Yowza <yowza(a)yowza.com>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Monday, August 17, 1998 5:33 AM
Subject: C64 for $800
>I'm no Commodore expert, but is there really anything in this lot that's
>worth more than a coupla bux, or is this just the alex-factor at work
>again?
> http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=25343674
>
>-- Doug
>
>
At 06:19 PM 8/15/98 -0500, you wrote:
>Hey, Apple weenies, I just picked up a dignostic ROM for the Mac LC, LCII,
>and CLSII. It includes trouble-shooting docs. $12000 or best offer :-)
>
>-- Doug
Ok $.50 . That's my best offer.
Oh, you said Apple weenies. Well that leaves me out.
Joe
>
>What you have there is a VT103... it has a 4x4 backplane (Q/Q) and a
>more gutsy power supply than a standard VT100. Yes, you can build
>a working pdp-11 into it... One of my 'workhorse' machines when I was
I have some VT100 lookalikes lying around, a VT101 and a VT131.
Any chance that these also can be turned into PDP11's?
>I thought the VDP-40 was that all-in-one computer that
IMSAI came out with in the same timeframe that was so bug-ridden that
most
were returned to IMSAI and hardly any are in existence anymore?
Except for the floppy drive/controller the machine ran ok. I never had
a memory or CPU failure. Unfortunately, the floppy drives didn't work
so well, and the controller seemed to work only during certain phases of
the moon.
Are they rare? Okay, list bargain, I'll part with mine (no, don't thank
me) for a mere $5000 (US or CDN, hey, i'll absorb the arbitrage
difference). Cash of course, small unmarked bills, delivered by courier
overnight.
Jack Peacock
Well, I certainly wasn't disappointed on my first trip to the MIT flea
market this weekend. I went there with childish entusiasm and $200 in my
pocket and left with:
1 Atari 800 - Not working but I can fix it (needs a new 6502 wich I got
tons of)
1 Vic-20 - Working
1 TI99/4A (Cream Colored) - Working
1 Macintosh Portable - Needs some work
1 Osborne 1 - Needs work but I got the technical manual with it
1 Osborne Executive - Powers up but I need a boot disk
1 Kaypro 1 - Powers up, need boot disk
1 Kaypro 2 - Powers up, need boot disk
1 Kaypro 4 - Powers Up and boots (came with Wordstar, Microplan,
Basic-80, and CP/M 2.2)
and $65.00 or so of my original cash.
I also was able to nab a CoCo2 at a local flea for $5
Tony
I got this somewhat neat plotter today made by 3M circa 1984. Its a
portable dealie that can be programmed for different types of bar and pie
charts and plots, plus has text capabilities. It has a keyboard with an
integrated LCD matrix display that slides off the front. It prompts you
for the type of chart you want, then asks you to enter all the data points
in. It then plots it for you. I also got a separate unit that has a
micro-cassette storage drive and a carthridge slot for some type of modem
option.
So anyway, there's a reason why I'm talking about this relatively boring
relic. Last week I was out of town on a project and was going home for
the weekend. On my way to the airport I stopped off at a thrift store.
One of the things I came across was this 3M plotter. It was marked at
$29.99, but this is one of those shops that slashes prices every couple of
days as the thing doesn't sell. I wanted to take it, more so because I
was curious as to what it was, thinking it might be a computer with the
keyboard and micro-cassette storage and all. But I didn't want to spend
$30 on it and I certainly couldn't take it with me on the plane, and
didn't have enough time to grab it, haul it back to the local office, then
high-tail it back to the airport. So I figured when I returned on Monday,
I'd head back to the shop confident it would still be there.
When I got in Monday I missed the store closing by a minute. I came back
in the morning of the next day to find it gone. I asked one of the store
clerks if he knew what happened to it and he said that it was tossed out
the night before. AAGGH!!! I was bummed, only because I thought it might
have been something really neat but didn't have the chance to find out.
Also, I'd failed to write down the model number and thus couldn't do a
useful web search.
I figured one day I would run into one again and would just have to be
patient until then. Well, I would have never thought that day would be so
soon. The best part is the one I got today was cheaper ($7), had a hard
plastic carrying case, came with a (photocopied) manual, and some plotter
paper and pens. And it works (I'm playing with it right now, its actually
really cool, and useful!!) Plus the one I saw last week was on the east
coast, this one was on the west, at a flea market near where my parent's
live that I haven't been to in ages.
So what is the purpose of this long rambling? Uncie Sam's story has a
moral: there's (almost) ALWAYS one more out there, so if you don't get it
the first time, don't fret (and certainly don't pay $12,100 for it).
Serendipity will prevail someday and you'll get one too, but you have to
be out there looking to make it happen.
Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ever onward.
September 26 & 27...Vintage Computer Festival 2.0
See http://www.siconic.com/vcf for details!
[Last web site update: 08/09/98]
Hello, all:
Part of the haul this weekend was a DEC RX02 floppy drive and RX211
controller (for my 11/34a). I don't have any data on the controller, so how
do I set it up properly? What are the default settings and what do the
switch positions mean?
Also, the cable that I got seems to have one contuctor broken (the pin-1
designator/red stripe). Is there any magic to the length of the cable? Can I
create a new one of the same length using standard 40-pin IDC connectors and
ribbon cable? Can I shorten it to the break point or should I just patch it?
Any tips here are appreciated.
Rich Cini/WUGNET <nospam_rcini(a)msn.com>
- ClubWin/CW7
- MCP Windows 95/Windows Networking
- Preserver of "classic" computers
<<<< ========== reply separator ========== >>>>>
OK, I've spent around 8 hours today going through the pile of PDP-11 stuff
that I got. In doing so I've made a disturbing discovery. Of the 4 RL02
disk packs that contain the media kit for RSX-11M 4.1, 3 of them have red
markers. You know the ones that say don't use if marker is red.
What I want to do is transfer the data off of those packs onto disk images
using one of my MV2's. This isn't a problem as I've done it before, what
concerns me is the safety of doing it since the packs are "Red".
Secondly, can a RL01 be read in a RL02 drive, or will I have to get one of
the RL01's that I got today up and running in order to archive the RL01
packs. I want to get one of them archived ASAP as it has Whitesmith C on
it (and I think Pascal).
None of the RL01's have white/red markers so I've no idea how safe they are.
Zane
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator |
| healyzh(a)ix.netcom.com (primary) | Linux Enthusiast |
| healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, |
| and Zane's Computer Museum. |
| http://www.dragonfire.net/~healyzh/ |
Hello, all:
I made *another* trip to Temple University this weekend, so here's a
rundown on the haul:
- Magazines: the remaining Radio-Electronics and Popular
Electronics issues. I have most issues from mid-1976 to 1982. Byte
Magazine -- 1978 to 1981, scattered issues. I still have to get mid-1981to
1987 (they have to 1993, but Byte
stopped being Byte around 1987 I think). Interface Age -- a handful of
issues. Kilobaud -- a handful of issues. A+ -- random issues.
- some random PC/XT/AT cards (CGA video, floppy cards with a DB37
external port)
- SWTP dual external floppy drive with interface card. This one, plus
two SWTP motherboard units (which I did not take), were under a pile of
new-looking RA81
drives. This is up for trade, since I have no SWTP stuff.
- RX02 and interface card
- Small Houston Instruments flat-bed plotter. Once I get the model#
off of it, I'll be asking for info :-).
I will have go back one more time for the rest of the Byte's :-). After
that, I think that I'm through there.
Rich Cini/WUGNET <nospam_rcini(a)msn.com>
- ClubWin/CW7
- MCP Windows 95/Windows Networking
- Preserver of "classic" computers
<<<< ========== reply separator ========== >>>>>
Unfortunatly the subject line describes how a bunch of the PDP-11/03 boards
that I got today came. What is the chance that they are operational?
Zane
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator |
| healyzh(a)ix.netcom.com (primary) | Linux Enthusiast |
| healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, |
| and Zane's Computer Museum. |
| http://www.dragonfire.net/~healyzh/ |
At the risk of turning you into more of an appreciator, here is how to run
Trek80 on your SOL:
1. Assuming that you have your cassette player properly attached to the SOL,
press the "play" button - the tape won't start until the SOL tells it to.
2. Make sure your CAPS LOCK in on. Then at the '>' prompt enter XEQ
<return>.
3. Alternatively, enter GET. After a few moments the SOL will respond with
something like 'TREK80 0000 23AB' (the beginning and end addresses). Then
enter EX 0 and you are aboard the Enterprise.
BTW, I would make a copy of the tape rather than using the original. Old
tape literally get flakey, and I've had to replace the pressure pad on
several of my original PT tapes.
And if you like Trek80 as an arcade game, you must try TARGET by Steve
Dompier. It was almost always used as an attention getter in its demo mode
by PT dealers. You fire missles at 'airplanes' and if you play an AM radio
nearby, you can hear the sound effects of missle launches, explosions, and
falling debris.
email me with your address if you would like xerox copies of Trek80, Target,
or most SOL documentation (though I don't have FOCAL docs or a copy of that
tape - are you listening, Frank?)
Bob Stek - Keeper of lost SOLs
bobstek(a)ix.netcom.com
>On a separate note, I ended up with 3 more VT100's with this, and one of
>them had a loose top, so I took a look inside, and noticed that it has
>what looks to be a Q-Bus backplane. What is the story here? Can I put
>some cards in here and have a working PDP-11? (I know figure the odds)
>I took a look through the VT100 tech manual I got today, but couldn't
>find anything about the backplane.
What you have there is a VT103... it has a 4x4 backplane (Q/Q) and a
more gutsy power supply than a standard VT100. Yes, you can build
a working pdp-11 into it... One of my 'workhorse' machines when I was
in the RT-11 development group was a VT103 with an 11/73 (KDJ11-A),
256kb and a DSD880/20 controller. I did lots of RT development and
testing on that machine... I still have the machine in my office
in Nashua, even though I am doing Alpha work nowadays.
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 |
+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
I was surprised by an ad for a "PDP 11 plus plotter, monitors, disc units,
printer $20" and I did a half-hour drive across town to see it this morning.
What I found was a hotch-potch of branded components stacked inside a
garage, but nothing from Digital apart from the RT-11 and other software
manuals. The processor cage, or at least a separate "spare" cage, was badged
General Robotics Corp Microcomputer GRC 11/X3 and contained boards marked on
the tabs M8192, M7504 and two M8043 as well as others without marked tabs. I
guess this was a PDP clone? This computer is in the Comprehensive Computer
Catalog I last downloaded (Dec 97 date) on the "undated list".
The "in use" processor cage was mounted in the front of a steel cabinet
about 2-3' deep, about 3' high and 2' wide with a Cipher brand tape drive
(Magnetic Peripherals Inc) above it. Separately boxed was a Control Data
Drive CDC-CMD and to top it all off there was a BIG plotter, a Nicolet Zeta
3653sx (if I can read my scrawled notes correctly) about 4' wide and 18"
high. A Compaq brand monitor went with it. The folder of documentation
contained a manual for a F880 Magnetic Tape Transport but the present owner
said he sent a 5-6' high tape unit to the tip a year ago so that might have
been it. He also dumped a printer. Other documents referred to a M224X
Fujitsu 51/4" 31-86MB drive and a SRQ011 Winchester Drive Controller but I'm
not sure if they were there. There were certainly other boxes mounted in the
main cabinet.
There were two cardboard boxes full of manuals for SCO Xenix System V, LP1
Fortran, RT11 Fortran IV, RT11 Macro-11 and something called TSX-Plus V6.01,
the RT-11 User Guide and many other fat folders of RT-11 stuff.
There was heaps of irrelevant stuff stored on top and around these units so
it was difficult to see everything, and as I was not going to take it away
myself, I couldn't hang around keeping the owner away from what he was doing
any longer. He said it all came from a geophysical company office and was in
working order two years ago. All he had done is store it, but it appears to
have suffered some damage - some panels were hanging loose, and there was a
large old TV stored on the CDC drive causing the metal top to be bent in.
If any Australians (or others?) are interested in this gear, you can contact
me and I will put you in contact with the owner directly. He says he wants
the space cleared, but will keep the gear for a little while yet - he does
seem to want it to go to someone who can do something with it - and he is
not asking much money. But remember, to take it all away, you will need at
least a 1t truck!
It's out of my league to get this going - I really only collect micros! The
day wasn't wasted - I did pick up a CoCo3 128K system with a Tandy dual
floppy disk drive and Tandy monitor plus manuals, heaps of Rompacks,
magazines etc for $40, and all in perfect working order.
Phil Guerney
Brisbane - Australia.
guerney(a)uq.net.au
At 03:00 PM 8/14/98 -0500, you wrote:
>My point is that the Altair's significance has been way overstated. The
Whether that is true or not is completely irrelevant to the pricing of
Altairs as collectibles.
For example, Beanie babies are neither new in concept, well made, or even
terribly uncommon. Yet they sometimes sell for ridiculous prices.
Meanwhile, quality toys, which are far more uncommon, and were, in their
time, ground-breaking, often sell for much less. Collector value is a
function of perceived importance and perceived rarity. It may or may not
have any basis whatsoever in actual fact.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- O-
Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad
roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know."
Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates
San Francisco, California http://www.sinasohn.com/
< Unfortunatly the subject line describes how a bunch of the PDP-11/03 boa
< that I got today came. What is the chance that they are operational?
Ok, I'll guess.
You got some PDP-11 board for an older 11/03.
They arrived wrapped in aluminum foil.
Are they any good?
Well, I don't know. However, wrapping them in foil is a excellent way
to protect them from static damage. REALLY! If they were good that
will insure they stay that way assuming no mechanical damage occurs.
Allison
>From: ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell)
>
>>
>> Hi everyone...
>>
>>...
>> the mouse (MO100) is totally dead...it only moves horizontally...I tried
>
>So, first open up the mouse, and clean the dirt out of the sensors....
While it's open, I also recommend you check continuity of the wires in the
cable. I've had a mouse fail because there was a serious kink in one of the
wires in the cable. That cable gets a lot of flexing and the kink
eventually broke that wire. I got an intermittent fault so I could localize
it by bending the cable manually and fix it by slitting the cable open,
splicing the wire, and taping it back up. That's not a very elegant fix,
but it worked. A whole new cable with a new connector at the end would be
nicer.
- Mark
would you take $2.4000 ?
Francois
-------------------------------------------------------------
Visit the desperately in need of update
Sanctuary at: http://www.pclink.com/fauradon
-----Original Message-----
From: Doug Yowza <yowza(a)yowza.com>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Saturday, August 15, 1998 6:21 PM
Subject: Apple TechStep CPU Tests
>Hey, Apple weenies, I just picked up a dignostic ROM for the Mac LC, LCII,
>and CLSII. It includes trouble-shooting docs. $12000 or best offer :-)
>
>-- Doug
>
Maybe I'm thinking of all the 9600/14.4 modems I have worked with. Most of
the 2400 I came across were internals.
At 04:23 AM 8/15/98 -0400, Ward Donald Griffiths III wrote:
>Odd. An awful lot of the external modems I've dealt with were 12-24
>VAC power supplies. Just about anything by Tandy comes to mind from
>the bad old days when 1200 bps was considered "fast", but I'm pretty
-
- john higginbotham ____________________________
- webmaster www.pntprinting.com -
- limbo limbo.netpath.net -
>That's why the Altair affair is so disturbing for lots of us.
>We've suddenly and quite violently been told that some of the more
>interesting and curious junk is now off limits, unless you have a
>fairly fat wallet. It's very hard to get used to, and it makes me,
>at least, very uncomfortable.
Well said... I agree entirely. It makes me really sad and somewhat
angry to think that some of this stuff can now only be bought by
people with deep pockets -- people who probably don't have any
contact with the computer field other than possibly using a PC... people
who will probably just have the thing on display, never used, or
people who's only interest is waiting for the price to climb yet
again so they can make their money back.
They essentially closes the door on the hobbyists, without whom the
home PC might never have existed.
I remember working on helping to build, and then later program one of
these machines when I was in college (1974-1978)... I've always wanted to
get one for the sake of memories, but that'll never happen now...
No, I don't want to see you kicked off the list either, but I can't
say that I will look forward to your posts either, especially if they are
about latest acquisitions/sales...
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 |
+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
Hello again, everyone.
I'm looking for a power supply for a WANG WLTC laptop. It doesn't
necessarily need to be a WANG power supply. Just as long as it's 18V DC,
and at least 2 Amps.
I'm also looking for manuals for the WANG WLTC:
- Installation instructions
- Fundamentals Guide
- DOS Command Processor Guide
- Troubleshooting Guide
- Printer Software Administration Guide
- BASIC Language Guide
Again, they don't need to be originals. They can be copies.
As always, ThAnX in advance,
--
-Jason
(roblwill(a)usaor.net)
ICQ#-1730318
Marvin <marvin(a)rain.org> wrote:
> There have been several comments so far about higher prices reducing the
> availability of older computers/radios/etc. As a point of discussion,
> what can be done about it? If the intent is to work on and find out how
> things work, I don't see *any* difference between an existing older
> machine, and a new one built from existing schematics. Yes, I do
> realize that some of the electronics are unavailable easily anymore.
That's a darn good question. That's actually the sort of thing that
got me into collecting computers -- I wanted to learn something
practical about hardware. (Did I? No, not really; now I collect
because I'm an addict.)
The fundamental problem with the answer is that most of us are
cheap/spoiled. Me too. We've got used to being able to pick up
hacker toys for cheap. What can you do in the way of a new machine
built from existing schematics for say $50?
(Cue Tim Shoppa to tell us how much it would cost to build an IMSAI
today.)
Well, OK, maybe you don't need all that casework, it just gets in the
way when you want to do serious hardware hacking anyway.
Here's where I end up following this line of thought: hackable
singleboard kits. Personally I'm partial to something like a cross
between a microprocessor trainer or eval kit and the Morrow Micro
Decision (a Z80 with 64KB DRAM, floppy disk controller w/34-pin
connector, couple of serial ports), maybe y'all have other ideas.
-Frank McConnell
"Bob Wood" <altair8800(a)hotmail.com> wrote:
> Let me say one other thing in passing to all the people
> who have pointed out that I have missed out on something
> by never learning the fun of poking around in these computers
> to see how they tick. You are right! I am sitting here with
> a Proc Tech factory made copy of Star Trek on cassette.
> Being a very serious video arcade game buff it is just
> about killing me that I cannot see it work. I have
> no earthly idea how to get my SOL to show it to me. And
> I want to see it bad, bad, bad! I am extremely fortunate
> enough to have both it and all the hardware to allow
> me to see it. But because I never tinkered around inside
> these computers I may never be able to see it play.
Here you are on this mailing list, you make a statement like that, and
you don't past the statement of ignorance to asking for help? What
kind of idjit are you? Could it be that you're afraid you might start
learning things and thus end up like us? BWAHAHAHA!
Here's the kind of idjit that I am: been there, done that (well, it
was FOCAL, not Star Trek), and I can't remember what you have to type
at the SOL monitor prompt to load and run the program off tape. LO?
Do you have to give it load addresses, and tell it where to start
execution (EX?) after loading? I've got the documentation (for FOCAL)
but it'd be an afternoon of work to get to it right now. Bah.
-Frank McConnell
Hi:
If you don't know the password to the system account under VMS, this isn't
much of a problem. Contact me on email for the bypass procedure.
At 02:58 PM 98/08/15 -0500, you wrote:
>
>Finally got around to looking inside the MicroVax II I acquired. It's in
>the short squat rolling enclosure (BA123?) and has the following boards
>
> <snip>
>
>It has a drive apparently loaded with some version of VMS but I have to
>put together a console cable to find out. Then of course, the big trick
>will be the fact that I don't have VMS on tape or the passwords to the
>machine itself. :( And I can't call the company that gave it to me
>because several layers of red-tape were bypassed to get it to me for free.
>
>Hmmm...a friend of mine says I should find a variant of Unix for it but I
>used to be big into VAXen (at least on the user end) and having a VMS
>machine amuses me.
NetBSD would be good for this machine. I run it on my Microvax II.
Kevin
---
Kevin McQuiggin VE7ZD
mcquiggi(a)sfu.ca
What is a Burroughs TD-700 display? Picked up two of them in pretty bad
shape, unknown if working or not(and don't know how to test), for free.
What are they, what do they do, how do they do it, etc... Lucky me, I got a
big book with the schematics! Kinda useless if you don't know what they
hook up to, though.
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