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

by mark＠markesystems.com

>> Not sure why you have VARCHARs for primary keys, why not use the >> conventional auto-increment int so you can dispense with >> the LastGeneratedArtifactID table. >> > Because my artifact ID's are not always just numbers. In some cases > they may already be marked on an artifact (though typically not for > manuals - but this is just the first of a set of such projects, and they > *are* marked on many of my computer boards). You can still force the artifact ID VARCHARS to be unique, and index them as well, of course. There are at least a couple of reasons to have primary keys that are independent of the "visible" key. First, if the user-visible key ever changes (what if the inventory tag falls off and is lost?), that will break all the links that refer to that record (or else you'll need extra code to handle this). Also, there have been many times when some aspect of a key that's directly tied to an external bit of information needs to change format - numeric to character, or length change, or... This too will break things. > No, I don't need made up primary keys. The other tables have the keys > they need to guarantee uniqueness - in some cases the PK is made of up > two or more columns. I seriously dislike the current fad of inventing > such keys when they are not needed. I too used to develop new databases this way, figuring that since a certain bit of information is guaranteed to be unique (or that I want to guarantee its uniqueness), I'd use that for the primary key. After getting bitten more times than not, I now almost always create an auto-number key whose only purpose may be for internal linkage. (I recently developed a project using Zoho Creator, which was a learning experience to say the least. It's worth noting that an explicit ID field is part of *every* data table that you can create there - there's no way around it. And, it turned out that it was pretty darn helpful a lot of the time, too.) >> Another thing, although MySQL is fine but for this I think SQLite might >> be a better choice of db. Its access methods are all in-process ie. no >> external >> dbms service to bother with, just a library to link in and the physical >> database is a disk file (.s3db extension). It has a much 'lighter' db >> footprint. >> > As I mentioned in another response, I truly dislike SQLite, based on my > experience with it on my Garmin GPS. I'm still not sure why - my experience has been very good. What bad experiences have you had? ~~ Mark Moulding

10 years, 8 months

5
14
0 0

Interlisp-D (Medley) "display font" disks for the 1186?

by derschjo＠gmail.com

Hi all -- I've been working on getting a Xerox 1186 workstation up and running again, using the floppy images on Bitsavers. I have the "Medley" Interlisp-D software installed (after writing out and installing from ~25 floppies) and running and I'm attempting to load in the related libraries and software (another 10-20 floppies or so). Some of these libraries have dependencies on various font files, which I do not seem to have and haven't been able to track down. I see vague references in the documentation to a floppy disk set labeled "Display Fonts" but these do not appear to be on Bitsavers. From writing out a few floppies and looking at their contents on the 1186, I do not believe that these have any relationship to the Viewpoint Font disks (though if anyone knows differently, do let me know). Anyone out there have any experience with this? Anyone happen to have these floppies and/or images of them? Thanks as always, Josh

10 years, 8 months

3
9
0 0

Flexowriter

by billdegnan＠gmail.com

Anyone out in CALI (I think he said Santa Cruz) who is looking for a very nice condition Flexowriter with desk. I wish I could take it, but I have a moratorium on new stuff for a while. It's museum quality. Email me privately for more info. I have only seen the pictures, don't know the guy who contacted me to see if was interested (and also willing to buy it), but before it goes on Ebay someone here might be able to snag it. -- Bill vintagecomputer.net

10 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

Sources for Old ISA boards

by dj.taylor4＠comcast.net

I've seen the discussion here about sources for old IC's, ones that are out of production, mainly the DEC buss interface chips. Are there places where old PC cards can be found? I mean besides ebay. I'm looking for ISA interface cards that were for Bomem spectrometers, they are probably 20-25 years old.

10 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

One more try - Can you ID this S-100 Serial board?

by drlegendre＠gmail.com

(Months along, posts to several boards / lists, still no help on this one.. so I'm giving it another shot. I'd really like to use this board) Been trying to no avail to find any info on this 'MCT' S-100 serial card. I'm pretty sure the card works, as it came from a previously-working system - but all documents are missing, and without the info, I have no idea how to put it to use. Photos are here: https://nerp.net/~legendre/altair/mct_serial_01.jpg https://nerp.net/~legendre/altair/mct_serial_02.jpg Other than what I believe is an artwork / batch number on the rear, the only marking is "Assy 105510" on the front silk screen. My hunch is that this may have been a fairly generic 'OEM' type card which could have been re-badged and sold under one or more different names. So perhaps the docs exist under a name other than MCT? Any help greatly appreciated - thanks! -Bill

10 years, 9 months

12
27
0 0

update on IBM terminals

by sales＠elecplus.com

The terminals are models 3472 and 3477. The keyboards are Model M. The server is a 3174-11R He did not give counts. Cindy --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

10 years, 9 months

3
5
0 0

Wanted: BeBox front plastics, IO riser

by ethan＠757.org

Hello all, I have a BeBox 66mhz that is missing the front plastic parts and the IO riser that has all the ports on it. By any chance does anyone have these parts available for sale? - Ethan -- Ethan O'Toole

10 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

1985-1989 IBM terminals

by sales＠elecplus.com

Is anyone interested in IBM terminals from roughly 1985-1989? There is a complete system, probably no keyboards. Located upper Midwest US. Cindy Croxton --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

10 years, 9 months

2
2
0 0

Small glass capacitors polarized?

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: drlegendre > I'm not sure what you're describing. Can you link to a pic of one of > these caps? http://www.electrical4u.com/images/glass-capacitor.jpg > From: tony duell > Incidentally, what are you using those capacitors for? I'm taking a half-filled QBUS memory card and filling it. > Why not some other type? Because on that board, they fitted _underneath_ the DIP sockets, and nothing else will fit down there! > I am pretty sure they are not polarised, you can fit them either way. > In general capacitors under 1uF are not polarised > ... > Anything over 100uF is very likely to be polarised. Thanks, help much appreciated! Noel

10 years, 9 months

4
4
0 0

IBM 026 - Decision Data 8010 card punch on Ebay in

by marc.verdiell＠gmail.com

Henk, Congrats! What a buy. Gorgeous super-clean machine. The Juki looks almost like a copy of an IBM 029, down to the angled styling and stacker section. Except of course for the color. Marc ============================ From: Henk Gooijen <henk.gooijen at hotmail.com> Subject: Re: IBM 026 - Decision Data 8010 card punch on Ebay in Germany I picked up the Decision Data card puncher last Tuesday. Heavy stuff! I helped the seller move the orange colored card punch. It's a Juki. Also *very heavy*. BTW, the keyboard of the Decision Data puncher is connected with a cable; you can move the keyboard to a comfortable position. IIRC, the keyboard of the Juki is fixed placed on the desk. - Henk, PA8PDP

10 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

One more try - Can you ID this S-100 Serial board?

by drlegendre＠gmail.com

"My guess would be cost. Those headers back then were somewhat expensive due to the heavy (30) gold plating." Wow. I never even considered that a header could be more costly than a 74LSXXX chip - doesn't make sense. But then again, I wasn't in the field back in that day. On Thu, Oct 1, 2015 at 10:48 PM, Tothwolf <tothwolf at concentric.net> wrote: > On Thu, 1 Oct 2015, drlegendre . wrote: > > Also, I'm curious about the 50-pin headers.. why were they never >> installed? All of the other work was done, all the expensive parts (chips) >> are in-place - so why not a couple of cheap headers? Yes, a few resistor >> SIPs are gone, as is one chip missing, but still, you get the point. >> > > My guess would be cost. Those headers back then were somewhat expensive > due to the heavy (30) gold plating. > > I found out today that as of August 3M has discontinued their 3000 series > gray box headers and the last time buy on them was October 1st. They are > replacing them with the D3000 series made with black fiberglass reinforced > nylon instead of the gray nylon they've always used. (3000 series datasheet > attached) > > The part numbers for the 50-pin headers without eject levers for 1/16" > thick pc board would be 3433-5002. Mouser shows some stock, however their > system may or may not be correct and they might try to substitute the newer > D3000 series. > http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/3M/3433-5002/?qs=%2fha2pyFadugF4%2fyP%2… > > I also spotted some 3433-5402 on eBay at a reasonable price that might > work, however those use a roll pin to attach the eject levers, so they are > much harder to remove than the ones that used snap-in eject levers. > http://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-3433-Locking-Ejector-Header-50-pin-right-angle-g… > > Also, don't forget about C2. It and C1 were probably a matched set for the > crystal.

10 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

DEC handles

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Stephen Lafferty > When I bought the Omnibus prototyping board from Douglas Electronics by > phone a few years ago, the lady I spoke to offered to include handles > ... > I have not found the handles mentioned on their website but I might > have missed it. They do still have a few (~100) left, but you have to contact them, they are indeed not on the Web-site; $.55 each. Grab them while they're there! :-) Noel

10 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

Aresco Newsletters

by mikolaym＠yahoo.com

Hi all, Out of curiosity, did anybody on here subscribe to any of the newsletters published by a company called Aresco back in the late 70s and early 80s? These newsletters were VIPER (Cosmac VIP), Paper (Commodore PET), Source (Exidy Sorcerer), and Rainbow (Apple II). Aresco also published a series of books by Tom Swan titled PIPs for VIPs. I own several issues of VIPER, but I'm still looking for copies of the others. Does anybody have these newsletters in their collection? Matt

10 years, 9 months

3
2
0 0

Robotron K1840 .. (11/780 alike..)

by holm＠freibergnet.de

Hi, some people from the "Rechenwerk Halle" (http://9hal.ath.cx/usr/digital-ag/projekte/andere/museum/) ..a bunch of people that is interested in historical computing got an Robotron K1840 DEC 11/780 clone lately and they try to get it running again. (freinds of mine). Unfortunately a thing called SKR Busadapter (Massbuss adapter) and the entire console computer are missing. So far as I know is the main CPU 100% compatible to the DEC original using an UNIBUS System, PCBs are exchangeable, but the Console Computer is not. In The K1840 this is a K1620 Computer, the CPU is build from 8 Bit NMOS slices (U830) and ordinary EPROMs (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/U830C) using a mechanical different PCB System. The same system was used in the K1630 PDP11-alike (see below) which had an MMU (K1620 has none). The Main difference that's preventing unpatched OSes are the U834 Bus interface ICs, that must be software configured before the devices can be accessed from the QBUS-like System Bus. The U834 are containing the Bus drivers and all needed registers for interrupt and DMA and the entire address decoder logic needed for QBUS Systems which simplified the interfaces somewhat. Nevertheless of that progressive design, it was the worlds slowest PDP11.. In the K1840 ordinary TEAC FD55FV Floppies (2x) where used for the console System to boot up the system. So far so good (or bad). There are a few things that I want to know now.. I know that in the original 11/780 the Console CPU was an 11/03 with some interface to load the VAX Microcode in to the main CPU. Do you think it is possible to use an ordinary 11/23 instead? What Floppy Controller was used in the original, I know that there was a single 8" floppy drive in the 11/780 and don't think that the controller was the usual RX01 or RX02 System...? That's an article from the german magazine C't about the people which got the K1840: http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Rechnende-Schrankwand-Computermuseum… That's the K1840 on the left: http://9hal.ath.cx/usr/digital-ag/log/K1840_im_Rechenwerk.jpg and The K1630 .. PDP11 not so "clone" on the right. I don't think that the Tape drive was shipped with that machine, the bulgarian original looked different so far as I remember.. Is there someone that would help out them with missing hardware/software? Regards, Holm -- Technik Service u. Handel Tiffe, www.tsht.de, Holm Tiffe, Freiberger Stra?e 42, 09600 Obersch?na, USt-Id: DE253710583 www.tsht.de, info at tsht.de, Fax +49 3731 74200, Mobil: 0172 8790 741

10 years, 9 months

3
8
0 0

IBM 026 - Decision Data 8010 card punch on Ebay in Germany

by mattislind＠gmail.com

Not really a 026 but maybe contemporary with the 029: http://www.ebay.de/itm/Historische-EDV-Lochkartenstanzer-Card-Punch-von-197… Not mine.

10 years, 9 months

7
8
0 0

DEC handles

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> They still have them. They pulled the bin and put your name on it. Great, thanks very much! Just called them up and ordered the whole shebang. > It's about 100 (my guess) pieces Your guess was very accurate - actually, 105! > I already did a lifetime buy myself. If anyone needs a _few_ (between boards I already have that need them, and future needs, for some boards I am building, most of these are spoken for), let me know. Noel

10 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

DEC handles

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Joseph Lang > How many do you want? How many do I need, or how many do I want? :-) I'm tempted to buy the whole bin (unless it's like a 55 gallon barrel :-), and hold onto them for other CCTalk people who need them. Maybe this will work: if you find them, point them out to the store people, and tell them I'll call? Would that be the easiest thing for you? Thanks! Noel

10 years, 9 months

2
2
0 0

ESR Meter Recommendations

by seefriek＠gmail.com

I'm going to be working on my 11/730s power supply, so I'm in the market for an ESR meter. I've seen some (older) recommendations for the AnaTek 'Blue' and various 'Dick Smith' derivatives. However, eBay is flooded with knockoff Mega328 based ESR/Transistor/SCR/etc. testers all looking like: http://www.amazon.com/DROK-Multifunction-Mega328-Transistor-Capacitor/dp/B0… Anyone had any experience with one of these devices? KJ

10 years, 9 months

12
21
0 0

ESR Meter Recommendations

by marc.verdiell＠gmail.com

I have been using the BK Precision 879B: http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/bk-precision/lcr/879b.htm?ref=gbase&gclid= CKj82-uIoMgCFRNrfgodYOYOvA It's at a completely different price point ($250-ish), and much more than an ESR meter - but it's a bargain for a full R,C,L,Z meter. Very useful to know not only the ESR, but the actual value of the capacitance (which for big power supply caps could have diminished significantly over the years). It can measure components at 100Hz, 1000Hz and 10Khz. You could not justify it for a single power supply repair, but if you do a lot of old electronics restoration projects, it is a precious tool to have. I couldn't live without it now. You can see it in action in the middle of this video here, in this case exonerating a capacitor that I sure thought was the cause of my power problem, but turned out to be perfectly good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqD6xVI6qNs Marc ====================== From: Ken Seefried <seefriek at gmail.com> Subject: ESR Meter Recommendations I'm going to be working on my 11/730s power supply, so I'm in the market for an ESR meter. I've seen some (older) recommendations for the AnaTek 'Blue' and various 'Dick Smith' derivatives. However, eBay is flooded with knockoff Mega328 based ESR/Transistor/SCR/etc. testers all looking like: http://www.amazon.com/DROK-Multifunction-Mega328-Transistor-Capacitor/dp/B00 NKY3M1W/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1443561246&sr=8-16&keywords=esr+meter Anyone had any experience with one of these devices? KJ =====================

10 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

Ping to Tim Shoppa

by jhfinedp3k＠compsys.to

This post is for Tim Shoppa. This have seen your replies every so often on classiccmp, so you don't seem to be totally out of touch. If you are reading this, Alan Frisbie and I would appreciate some help. Allan can be reached at the address to which I sent a copy. Jerome Fine

10 years, 9 months

2
3
0 0

PDF for RT-11 V05.07 Release Notes

by jhfinedp3k＠compsys.to

This request is for Al Kossow. However, if anyone else knows where AA-5286M-TC is located as a PDF on the internet, it would be appreciated. I have downloaded the V05.06 PDF from one of the mirrors: AA-5286L-TC_RT-11_System_Release_Notes_Aug91.pdf http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/dec/pdp11/rt11/v5.6_Aug91/AA-5286L-T… THANK YOU very much for making this PDF available. However, I don't see the V05.07 PDF of the RT-11 Release Notes anywhere. If there is a copy, could you please provide the link? I presumed that if it existed, that PDF file would have been at: AA-5286M-TC_RT-11_System_Release_Notes_Aug98.pdf http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/dec/pdp11/rt11/v5.7_Aug98/AA-5286L-T… but that sub-directory does not exist. As I have mentioned in a previous post, the RT-11 DOC set manuals for V05.06 and V05.07 are IDENTICAL except for: AA-5286L-TC RT-11 Release Notes for V05.06 of RT-11 which was dated August 1991 and AA-5286M-TC RT-11 Release Notes for V05.07 of RT-11 which was dated October 1998. Does anyone else know if the V05.07 RT-11 Release Notes manual is available as a PDF? If so, could it be added to the bitsavers mirrors? Jerome Fine

10 years, 9 months

1
2
0 0

ESR Meter Recommendations

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

From: Eugene (W2HX) > to model this using ideal components, we show a resistor in parallel to > the capacitor ... This modeled parallel resistor represents the leakage > current. > ... > because it is not ideal, some power is dissipated. This dissipated > power is represented by a series resistance. Because an idealized > circuit with a cap and a resistor in series will not pass DC current, > this circuit must be tested at AC. So I'm slightly confused; you talk about the model being a parallel resistor (which I get), but then switch to a series resistor. Why the switch? Noel

10 years, 9 months

5
4
0 0

A new Lisp-based OS that hearkens back to the old days of comprehensible computers

by lproven＠gmail.com

A little offtopic but I hope of some interest. I rather miss the days of small, simple, 8-bit computers which a single non-specialist could really get inside and understand. The latest OS I've seen which addresses this longing is Interim. http://interim.mntmn.com/ This is most of the introduction from the explanatory paper: ? Computers, networks and the software running them today are shrouded in mysteries and corporate secrecy. As miniaturization progresses in the name of mobility and energy-efficiency, an increasing amount of complex functionality is crammed into ever smaller System-on-Chip dies. The so-called "Home computers" of the 1980s contained comparably larger and simpler circuit boards with blocky, easily discernible DIP (Dual in-line package) components and circuits that could be visually understood by the human eye. The central processing unit (CPU) was easily identified by its size and exposed placement. The separate memory chips were neatly arranged like terraced houses. The computers worked in pedestrian single-digit-Mhz speeds and memory was measured in kilobytes. They shipped with handbooks that taught a novice reader how to program the machine, and a circuit diagram of the whole machine ? useful for repairs ? was easily available. In the 1980s home computer era, operating systems where typically stored in read-only memory (ROM) chips. As in modern proprietary operating systems, the source code was not directly available, but this was not strictly necessary, as they were written in assembly language and not "compiled" from a higher level language. Commented "dis-assemblies", machine code listings, were available in printed book form [Schineis1984] for popular computers like the Commodore 64 and its "KERNAL" OS and BASIC language interpreter. Today, we have Linux, probably the most successful open source Unix-like operating system and the BSD family of OSes, but these systems and most of the platforms they run on (PCs, ARM-based telephones) are so complex and contain so many obscure components that no single book can describe their operating principles in full detail, and trying to understand and master them is a task that takes many years of study. With "Interim", I try to describe a computer and operating system that takes advantage of modern-day hardware technology while ideally being fully comprehensible in a couple of days. My strategy is to use minimalism and generic, reusable patterns wherever possible while learning from historical, ultimately unsuccessful but valuable attempts like Lisp machines or the operating system Plan 9 from Bell Labs [Pike]. The Interim system is supposed to be a pointer in the right direction, not a perfect blueprint, and a documentation of my own experimental attempts. Others may build upon these ideas. ? (Yes, it's Lisp-y.) The previous OS with this view being TempleOS: http://www.templeos.org/ This is a nice explanatory quote: ? The main reasons TempleOS is simple and beautiful are because it's ring-0-only and identity-mapped. Linux wants to be a secure, multi-user mainframe. That's the vision for Linux. That's why it has file permissions. The vision for TempleOS is a modern, 64-bit Commodore 64. The C64 was a home computer mostly used for games. It trained my generation how to program. It was simple, open and hackable. It was not networked. The games were not multimedia works of art, but generated programmatically with innocent, programmer (non-artist) quality graphics. It was simple and unsecure. If you don't have malware and you don't have bugs, protection just slows things down and makes the code complicated. ? Source: http://www.templeos.org/Wb/Home/Wb2/TempleOS.html -- Liam Proven ? Profile: http://lproven.livejournal.com/profile Email: lproven at cix.co.uk ? GMail/G+/Twitter/Flickr/Facebook: lproven MSN: lproven at hotmail.com ? Skype/AIM/Yahoo/LinkedIn: liamproven Cell/Mobiles: +44 7939-087884 (UK) ? +420 702 829 053 (?R)

10 years, 9 months

5
6
0 0

PDP8 Front panels

by rodsmallwood52＠btinternet.com

Hi Guys I think we are all set. The plexiglass blanks are at the silk screeners. The artwork for five different PDP-8 front panels is done. If all those who elected to wait even though prepaid would please request the latest file with all five designs in. The same goes for anybody who is interested in replacement panels for PDP8/e (both types of switch markings) PDP8/f , PDP8/m or industrial8. please contact me by email The 8/f and 8/m will be a few dollars more as we need an extra screen for the logos as they are colour as opposed to the 8/e which is white. If anybody spots an error on my part in any of the drawings please let me know. If you have any scanned images as opposed to photographs I'd love a copy. Regards Rod Smallwood -- Wanted : KDJ11-E M8981 KK8-E M8300 KK8-E M8310 KK8-E M8320 KK8-E M8330

10 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

PiDP8/I & ETOS

by fast79ta＠yahoo.com

I've been monkeying around with Oscars amazing PiDP8 replica the last few weeks, attempting to get a cool demo going for the local hackerspace, to show what computing used to look like. I've managed to this point to get 2 serial terminals (a DEC VT102, and a Morrow MDT-60) running at the same time on simh4 and ETOS. I do have the set tsc enabled, and .R ETOS is up and running. I've stumbled through enough of the config to add a second serial terminal on the KL8JA using IOTTAB. I can run basic, and a few other programs at the same time on either terminal, and watch it time share the limited resources (I have simh throttled to .5 Mips, which apparently is correct for an 8/I). The step I'm at now, is I'd like to copy a bunch of OS/8 games into either a public disk, or make an RK05 image available to either a single user, or as a public disk. I would be great to have advent.sv running on one terminal, or star trek on another. Maybe blackjack, or hangman. I'm running the etosv5b-demo.rk05 file from http://www.pdp8.net/os/etos/ (located in ftp://ftp.pdp8.net/images/etos/), configured for extra KL8JA terminals. I do have the user manual, and system managers guide for ETOS, that I've changed from multipage .tiff to a single PDF. I've read the SMG around 5.11 (Creating a public pack), but it references a cmd .R DSKINT, which doesn't appear on any of the available ETOS rk05 images. I also don't see (and I might be missing something obvious), a way to mount an RK05 disk so even a single user can access it at a time.. Thanks for reading. Joe

10 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

DEC handles

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Joseph Lang > There's a surplus place here in Orlando that has a bin full of dec > style handles in white. Google skycraft surplus. I just called them, but they couldn't find them? How long ago was it that you saw them? If recently, can you describe where it was in the place that you saw them? Thanks! Noel

10 years, 9 months

3
2
0 0

DEC handles

by steve＠tronola.com

Hi Noel, > Hi all, does anyone know of a source for the plastic handles on DEC > Flip Chip > modules (single, double and quad)? --- When I bought the Omnibus prototyping board from Douglas Electronics by phone a few years ago, the lady I spoke to offered to include handles for a small price. The board I ordered, by the way, was their part number 12-DE-8. I have not found the handles mentioned on their website but I might have missed it. The board product link is: http://www.douglas.com/index.php/12-de-8.html Steve Lafferty http://www.tronola.com/

10 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

DEC handles

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

Hi all, does anyone know of a source for the plastic handles on DEC Flip Chip modules (single, double and quad)? Magenta would be great, but really, any colour would be acceptable, if magenta's not available. (And no, I don't want to salvage them from otherwise useless cards!) Noel

10 years, 9 months

5
4
0 0

PDP-11/70 console panel for SimH

by j_hoppe＠t-online.de

Hi, I just finished a virtual PDP-11/70 panel for SimH. As always it's a BlinkenBone application; description and download is here: http://www.retrocmp.com/projects/pdp-11-70-panel-on-blinkenbone/243-simulat… After the PDP-11/40 and the PDP-10 KI10, this is the 3rd panel connected to SimH in a both a physical and a simulated version. I'll show this simulation, the physical PDP-11/70 panel and some more panels on VCFB in Berlin, october 3rd and 4th. http://www.vcfb.de/2015/index.html.en Have fun! Joerg

10 years, 9 months

5
6
0 0

PC8E interface to other tape readers?

by charlesmorris800＠centurytel.net

The 8/A's power supply, RL02's and RX01 is all working fine (knocking on wood)... so far, no return of the dreaded Power OK "flicker". Maybe it really is fixed this time.. Famous last words, I know! Now I am pondering my PC8E (M840) reader/punch control board, and a Slo-Syn TRP125 reel-to-reel 1" 8-bit paper tape reader that's been sitting unused in my other rack, probably for at least ten years when I got it very cheap. I'm thinking of interfacing them since I don't have a PC04 and no pressing need (or money) for one. The TRP125 can do 125 characters per second, not as good as the 300 of the PC04 but still much faster than the ASR-33 if I feel like messing with paper tapes... The drive just needs a pulse to move the tape. Data can be read/strobed into the PC8E register almost any time the tape is not actually moving. (A real PC04 has a stepper motor controlled by the PC8E, so one of those four step outputs will probably work as a move pulse). Doubt I'd ever need to back up the tape one character. Timing will probably need to be adjusted for some pulse widths and the rep rate which is slower. (1 byte is 8 ms on this one but 3.33 ms on the PC04. The no-tape timeout of the PC8E is 10 ms). One thing missing from the TRP125 is a tape-out indication and motor stop, though. The TRP125 reel drive motors keep spinning until the tension arms are manually raised to a detent position that actuates microswitches to turn the motors off. The ASR-33 stops automatically when the tape has run out, which would be useful. I suppose I could add a microswitch to sense the presence of tape, or perhaps an LED/photocell to read the sprocket holes and provide pulses as the PC04 does. Otherwise I'd have to "fake" the feed hole pulses and manually shut the reader off once the tape runs out. I'd like to hear from anyone who's done something similar to interface a non-DEC tape reader. thanks Charles

10 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

retro computers in your browser

by wulfman＠wulfman.com

http://hackaday.com/2015/09/28/roundup-retro-computers-in-your-browser/?utm… -- The contents of this e-mail and any attachments are intended solely for the use of the named addressee(s) and may contain confidential and/or privileged information. Any unauthorized use, copying, disclosure, or distribution of the contents of this e-mail is strictly prohibited by the sender and may be unlawful. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately and delete this e-mail.

10 years, 9 months

3
2
0 0

Small glass capacitors polarized?

by tshoppa＠wmata.com

These are the small 0.01uF or smaller capacitors with transparent edges and you can see foil in the innards? If so, I think you are talking about "polystyrene capacitors". Yes, they were extremely popular in UK/EU for at-chip decoupling capacitors in the 1970's and 80's. They are not polarized. I'm not sure why polystyrenes were so popular for bypass/decoupling in EU and not so popular on this side of the pond. Here in the US we were more likely to see polystyrene in audio filtering/coupling locations where the cheapest ceramics had odd piezo properties and low leakage of polystyrenes were desirable. I do remember seeing polystyrene bypass capacitors on at least a few DEC boards of the 70's so they did make some inroads. There are real glass capacitors used where zero leakage and zero soakage are uber-concerns.

10 years, 9 months

4
4
0 0

Video tour of 1985 home automation system

by ball.of.john＠gmail.com

>> I wanted to share this because it's pretty neat: >> >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BHIknNa6Eg >> >> It's a ~6 minute tour of a home automation system from the 1980s that >> features graphical floor layouts and touch screen programming. The system >> is built into the house. > >That screen looks so much like my HP 150 that I keep wondering if that?s what they used >to build it. The IR grid for simulating a touchscreen wasn't really HP exclusive. I got a frame and control board here from Dale Electronics out of Nebraska from probably the same time period that interfaces to anything that supports RS-232. I really am quite fond of the idea of some simple machine in your basement with an X10 controller and a bunch of serial ports for terminals. Didn't they phase out Minitel terminals in France and now a lot of them are scattered about for pretty much free? Imagine having one of those puppies with the fold-out keyboards built into the wall of every room in your house. That interface looks like it would be easy to replicate with the extended ASCII character set. -John

10 years, 9 months

3
2
0 0

Resetting/bypassing P/OS password on DEC Pro 3xx series?

by derschjo＠gmail.com

Anyone recall what the procedure is for resetting or bypassing the password on P/OS? I *know* I was able to find this out before (in 2008 or so) because I did it on another Pro 350 I have, but I cannot for the life of me find anyplace that documents the procedure (the FAQ (http://www.deccomputer.info/2012/05) has no useful suggestions). I recall it required booting from a special floppy that had a few filesystem tools that'd allow replacing the password file; I'm sure I still have the disk image but I have no idea which one it is. I guess I should have saved the instructions somewhere (or maybe I did and I simply can't find them!). I must be getting old. I have a new Pro 350 in my possession which has a PC compatibility card; I'd like to see if the hard drive contains software for it (or anything else interesting) before I wipe it... Thanks, Josh

10 years, 9 months

2
2
0 0

would like to find blue dg et head looking terminal to go with small ecli...

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

Pretty futile to restore until I have manuals and a load tape if needed in front of me. The previous owner said it powered up and did not blow smoke so that is a good thing... but even still that was many many years ago. Unlike you Jay that has a 'mountain' of DG stuff in front of you to *wicker basket something together from... all I have is this one lonely rack! I have no familiarity with DG op/sys at all.... never ran one .. I did had an orig NOVA ( lo s/n no other suffix after it... about the first year I was in the computer business sold it to someone... I did try to track it back but they guy has scrapped it... as I found out 30 years later. BUT! I figure DG sould have some sort of representation here... and if it attracts MORE DG so be it!Least case it needs a terminal to display with it and ... yes... A POSTER! This month's 'make computer work ' project is HP-3000 related. In a message dated 9/22/2015 12:04:36 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, jwest at classiccmp.org writes: Ed wrote... ---- Our Eclipse is not as grand as some photos ,,, and the tape drive is a small side by side reel unit that fits in the single rack here is a photo of ours.... http://www.smecc.org/data_general.htm ---- There's nothing non-grand about that. Nice non-blinken Eclipse with 6125 tape drive, and some type of disk unit in the bottom. Nice. And... ---- had it for years need manuals etc and maybe some sales lit. or scans of advertising material to display with it... but yea... it cries out to have a terminal with it! ---- No, it cries out to be restored and run rather than just sitting under a poster. But that's just me. J

10 years, 9 months

15
24
0 0

Looking for RX01/02 rack slides

by charlesmorris800＠centurytel.net

I just acquired an RX01 drive (and an RX8E) for my 8/A system. It wasn't too painful to get it going, as the RX8E had "only" one bad IC that was easy to find and I had a spare. Details on the DEC forum at vintage-computer.com. Then the RX01 started audibly working, but with new-old-stock 3M diskettes, showed 22 seek errors on the first pass to Drive 0, finding good headers with correct CRC but the wrong ones a track or two away. That cleared up promptly and 25 successive passes had no errors on either drive. So now I have two floppies with 487 free blocks each, built in OS/8 ;) However, the drive came only with the inner slides (that attach to the chassis), but not the outer rails that bolt to the rack. So I'm looking for either a complete pair of RX slides, or just the outer ones that I need. If they can't be had, I may have to find a heavy-duty rack shelf and set the drive on it. That would be inconvenient to service the drive but it should not need attention often. Can anyone help me find some? Thanks. -Charles

10 years, 9 months

2
1
0 0

PDP-11/05 restoration project - anyone has a M7810 or M781?

by mattislind＠gmail.com

Hello! I have started to work slowly with the PDP-11/05 I received a year ago. It is the big BA11-D chassis type machine. The power supply is now fixed and working fine. A few smaller capacitors were leaking. But also one of the big input filtering capacitors was bad and had to be replaced. The front panel have been cleaned and checked. The next step is to start looking into the the CPU itself. Unfortunately one of the CPU boards are marked "faulty" so there are certainly work to be done. The plan is to get it to work with the 8kW core memory, M7800 connected to a good old teletype and PC05 paper-tape reader / punch and then run paper tape BASIC on it or other paper tape software. The problem is that I am lacking in the M7810 board. Since I do have a M105 and M7821 a M781 could do as well. Does anyone has a M7810 or M781 to sell? http://www.datormuseum.se/computers/digital-equipment-corporation/pdp-11-05 BTW. Does anyone have a BA11-D chassis and could help me take a photo of the top and bottom covers? Those are missing on my machine and it seems impossible find a drawing for the BA11-D chassis itself. It is not in the PDP-11/05 Engineering Drawings which I already have. And if someone also have a G231 I would be interested because that would mean that the machine can be fully configured with 16 kWords! /Mattis

10 years, 9 months

5
6
0 0

Regarding Manuals

by pontus＠Update.UU.SE

Hi I have more manuals than I really have room for. Lots and lots of VMS binders and softcover books. And now my employer is throwing out box upon box of SUN, Ultrix, tru64 and various literature. I'm trying to save what I think is useful and/or worth preserving. But It's damn hard to decide and damn hard to motivate filling up every inch of precious space. At the moment I thinking about just looking the other way and throw what is not directly useful to me. What is a collector/hoarder to do? Anyone who wants to turn up with a truck and fill with dead trees? Regards, Pontus.

10 years, 9 months

12
35
0 0

Small glass capacitors polarized?

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

Hey, everyone: those little glass capacitors (well, the casing is glass - I'm not sure what's inside) that one often sees used as per-chip noise/spike supression caps (often 0.01 uF or some such size) on 1970s/1980s vintage boards: are those things polarized, or can I put them in either way around? I tried looking online, but didn't get an answer I was fully acomfortable with (some of the 'glass capacitor' listings I found seemed to apply to a different kinda 'glass capacitor'). As always, thanks in advance for any help! Noel

10 years, 9 months

5
4
0 0

Big Alphas available

by pontus＠Update.UU.SE

Hi I need to make room for new goodies. So I'm offering two Alphas: * AlphaServer 2100 5/300 - Untested by me, good physical appearance. * DEC AXP 4000 - Was running when I picked it up. http://www.pdp8.se/bild/sthlm_haul/axps.jpg I can ship them, the probably need to go on a pallet. Regards, Pontus.

10 years, 9 months

3
6
0 0

If you OCR, always archive the bitmaps too - Re: Regarding Manuals

by couryhouse＠aol.com

We keep the graphics files as archive and to print from f o r displays. ... to read and search the pdf with inlaid ocr is ? reference. ? Ed# www.smecc.org Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone -------- Original message -------- From: Toby Thain <toby at telegraphics.com.au> Date: 09/27/2015 11:07 AM (GMT-07:00) To: General at classiccmp.org, "Discussion at classiccmp.org:On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: If you OCR, always archive the bitmaps too - Re: Regarding Manuals On 2015-09-27 12:22 PM, Pontus Pihlgren wrote: > On Sun, Sep 27, 2015 at 04:08:07PM +0200, Johnny Billquist wrote: >> >> I don't have problems reading the current scans, as such. But when >> having ten of these open at the same time, and scrolling through >> them, it becomes obvious that the bitmaps are heavy. It can take a >> while for the screen to be updated. Not to mention the problems you >> sometimes hits with searching... >> > > It seems to me that a better tool could solve the issue. One that > could display the OCR:ed content only and the scanned content > only when desired, for instance when you suspect an error. > > Is there such a reader? Is the content organised to make it > possible. > > /P > Right, if the bitmaps aren't available, then it's not an acceptable archive. Personally I never, ever, want to see the OCR'd version. But that may be coloured by a career as typographer and finished artist. No software can apply the judgment that humans did in the print edition; it's only more or less degrading steps from that point on. And to be clear I'm not at loggerheads with Johnny because I am indeed talking about acceptable archiving practice, not some conversion of a particular text which might be useful for a particular person on a particular day. --Toby

10 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

Honeywell/Bull DPS-6 deskside info?

by michael.99.thompson＠gmail.com

> > > I put a few pictures up here: > > > > http://yahozna.dyndns.org/scratch/dps6/ > > > > Nice bitslice processor in there, an Ethernet controller, some memory > > (looks like 2MB) and as for the other boards, I'm not yet sure...) > > > > - Josh > The RICM had two DPS-6 systems. http://www.ricomputermuseum.org/Home/equipment/honeywell-dps-6 http://www.ricomputermuseum.org/Home/equipment/honeywellultimate-level-6 The second one is from the Ultimate Corporation, has a Pick processor (or microcode) and runs the Pick OS. In a prior life I managed the GCOS OS and communications on a Honeywell 6000. The first year I worked there we swapped the core for MOS memory, swapped the 120MB Ampex disks for 240MB MPI disks, swapped the Datanet 355 front-end and two 716 front-ends for two DPS-6 front-ends, and shrunk the size of the system by 30%. If I remember correctly, DPS-6 front-ends used the memory parity bits to make 18-bit memory, half of the 36-bit 6000 memory. We added a second I/O multiplexer, second CPU, more tapes, and more disks when it was upgraded to a Level-66. This was something like upgrading the architecture from NSA to NSB? We added a Honeywell Page Printer System. This was a really fast (for its time) printer that could perforate, hole punch, and collate the pages. I remember something about renaming the system to a DPS-8/70, but that was more marketing than technology. Eventually it was all replaced by a bunch of Tandem Non-Stop systems in a distributed network. -- Michael Thompson

10 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

Acquiring a bunch of Lisp Machines

by lproven＠gmail.com

Just stumbled across this. I don't know what more to the story there is. http://kremlin.enterprises/post/129364443055/your-code-is-so-bad-we-had-to-… -- Liam Proven ? Profile: http://lproven.livejournal.com/profile Email: lproven at cix.co.uk ? GMail/G+/Twitter/Flickr/Facebook: lproven MSN: lproven at hotmail.com ? Skype/AIM/Yahoo/LinkedIn: liamproven Cell/Mobiles: +44 7939-087884 (UK) ? +420 702 829 053 (?R)

10 years, 9 months

11
16
0 0

MARC

by aek＠bitsavers.org

http://www.loc.gov/marc/

10 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

Cloud-cuckoo land

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

I'm not sure which is more amusing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/191523958984 the price they expect to get, or calling it a 'mainframe'. Noel

10 years, 9 months

14
13
0 0

Regarding Manuals

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Jerome H. Fine > I have ... some PDP-11 hardware manuals, but probably most are already > in PDF files at bitsavers. Any chance you could check to see if you have something that's not online? If you have more than a few, you probably do have some that aren't online. If you whip up a list of what you've got, I'd be happy to check it for you. Noel

10 years, 9 months

3
3
0 0

Half an extra finger (DEC PDP-8/A G8018 regulator)

by charlesmorris800＠centurytel.net

As I've periodically posted, my 8/A has an intermittent power supply problem (Power OK light and signal line flickers, so the entire system is confused. Throwing the DC breaker and resetting it will often make the problem go away for the rest of the evening). It's slowly getting worse, to the point where tonight the Power light wouldn't come on at all. It's not the breaker itself. So I decided to put the G8018 regulator assembly on the extender card. However, when using the extender, the DC breaker would immediately trip! I tracked it down to the +5 volt crowbar being triggered. Careful examination of about four different schematic pages shows a connection on the backplane between edge connector pins BP2 & BR2 and the multiple +5 volt busses on edge conn C. If you look at the schematic, BR2 is a test point but BP2 goes to the anode end of the 5.7 volt zener that sets the crowbar voltage (its cathode is connected to +5) and through a 10 ohm resistor to the crowbar SCR gate with 100 ohms to ground. This makes *no* sense because that connection shorts out the zener, so as soon as the +5 comes up, 100/110 of the +5 is applied to the SCR gate, so naturally it fires! A close look at the G8018 provided the answer. There is half a finger etched on BP2 which is also fully connected to BR2. (See picture) Looks like a drafting mistake to me. The Douglas extender board has sufficient depth in its female connectors that the partial finger of BP2 made contact and caused the crowbar to trigger as described. Cutting the "web" between the fingers fixed the problem. Naturally the intermittent flicker is gone for now, and I doubt it was an "almost" connection to the SCR gate because once it fires, the +5 should drop to near zero and trip the breaker, which has not been the case (except with the extender card). But at least I have the regulator on the extender card so I can start measuring when it comes back! http://s1181.photobucket.com/user/DrCharlesMorris/media/PDP-8/P09-26-15_20.…

10 years, 9 months

1
0
0 0

cctalk Digest, Vol 15, Issue 26

by mark＠markesystems.com

>>> As I mentioned in another response, I truly dislike SQLite, based on my >>> experience with it on my Garmin GPS. >> >> I'm still not sure why - my experience has been very good. What bad >> experiences have you had? >> ~~ >> Mark Moulding >> > > My Garmin has had data integrity issues in its database. Plus, lack of > *convenient* tools, and having to rummage around here and there to find > them. > > On top of that, this will be part of an online web app some day, so > having the database in the address space of the web server is probably > not a Good Thing. I haven't used SQLite in an embedded environment yet. I wonder if it tends to thrash certain areas of the data file (which would cause flash wear problems). I appreciate the data point... And yes, SQLite was not intended for a high-volume multi-access environment, and my experience is definitely from embedded up through low multi-user local network applications. I'm sure there are many good reasons why MySQL has become the standard for web server applications. I originally understood - perhaps erroneously - that this was to be a smallish, local application, and for me (and the smallish types of systems I tend to build), I'd prefer to avoid the headache of administering the MySQL subsystem. But I stand by my statements about the separate, non-editable keys... :-) ~~ Mark Moulding

10 years, 9 months

3
2
0 0

Video tour of 1985 home automation system

by sellam＠vintagetech.com

I wanted to share this because it's pretty neat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BHIknNa6Eg It's a ~6 minute tour of a home automation system from the 1980s that features graphical floor layouts and touch screen programming. The system is built into the house. -- Sellam ibn Abraham VintageTech ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintagetech.com Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. The truth is always simple. * * * NOTICE * * * Due to the insecure nature of the medium over which this message has been transmitted, no statement made in this writing may be considered reliable for any purpose either express or implied. The contents of this message are appropriate for entertainment and/or informational purposes only. The right of the people to be secure in their papers against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated.

10 years, 9 months

4
3
0 0

DEC BA11K Fan repair

by lyokoboy0＠gmail.com

I have a BA11K power supply out of a pdp 11/34 that has frozen up fans. They are frozen up pretty bad. I heard from another list member here they are repairable, any advice on how to do so? --Devin

10 years, 9 months

5
8
0 0

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

test-drb