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

by teoz＠neo.rr.com

I finally got some terminals (VT525) and DEC MMJ cables for my MicroVAX 3100/85. I tuned it on expecting it to be dead and found a copy of OpenVMS V7.1 is installed on the MicroVAX (well after I tried both serial ports on the terminal and the screen came up at 9600 baud). I have never owned anything DEC or any computers that didn't have built in video, sound, keyboards so I have a few questions. What kind of reading material do I need to understand how these systems and software work? Is there a default login/password for OpenVMS V7.1 Is OpenVMS available for download? Is V 7.1 optimal for this old unit (I think it has the full 128MB but have to check, dual 2GB? drives and built in CDROM). I assume I can use some old PC or Mac software to login over the coax ethernet (does it do DHCP?) once I get some ethernet cables and I know what the heck I am doing. What kind of server was a MicroVAX 3100/85 anyway (files, applications, etc)? What are optimal setting for the VT525 to work with the MicroVAX (serial settings, color, lines, etc). Figured I would try some completely different systems last year and ended up finding the MicroVAX before it was turned into razorblades. Took me a while to get the other parts needed. TZ

15 years, 10 months

5
7
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speeding up computers (was Re: Terminals...)

by ethan.dicks＠gmail.com

On 8/23/10, Chuck Guzis <cclist at sydex.com> wrote: > But I've seen people ditch their desktop 2GHz P4 system for a new > desktop Core Duo box in the hope that it will make their dialup > connection faster. If you know any such people, they can ditch it at me. ;-) Personally, when I get asked "how can I make my computer go faster?", I tell people, "type faster. It's waiting on you." Then there's the old joke: How do you accelerate a Macintosh? Toss it out the window and it'll go 9.8m/s^2. -ethan

15 years, 10 months

21
42
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Should you correct production mistakes?

by ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk

When you are cleaning up and restoring a piece of classic computer hardware, would you correct any minor mistakes made in the original production? I have a particular exmaple in mind. In bits on myu bench at the moment is an HP2623 graphics terminal This was HP's response to the well-knwon Tektronix terminals, it is, however a raster scanned device. But it has a little state machine (or parhapes you could call it a very simple procesosr) to speed up line drawing. But wanyway... On the video monitor PCB (HP call it the 'Sweep' PCB), there is a 74LS221 dual monostable chip in the common HP horixontal drive circuit, The first half of the chip delays the sync pulse (and the delay time is controlled by the horizontal centering control), the second half is triggered from that and provides a pulse of known width to the horizontal drive transistor. But I digress. You don't need to know any of that... WHile cleaning the dirt off this PCB (HV attracts dust electrostatcally, of couse), I noticed that the ground pin of this IC never made it through the board. It's folded under the package, but has been effectively surface-mount soldered to the pad when the board was wave-soldered. It works, but I can't beeleive it's as good as a proper through-hole connection, and it's certian;y not what was intended. I could trivially desolder the IC, straighten the pin, and solder it back properly. But should I? What would others do? -tony

15 years, 10 months

13
30
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The reconstruction of the Konrad Zuse computing machine Z3

by wbblair3＠yahoo.com

Video link of the unit in operation at bottom of page: http://www.zib.de/zuse/Inhalt/Rep/Z3/Z3Rep/index.html Google translation: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.…

15 years, 10 months

1
0
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OT : The new Big Trak

by ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk

This is off-tipic for 2 main reasons : (1) the device in question is not even 1 year old yet and (2) it's not a computer. But I suspect many people here rememebr the MB Big Trak programmable toy tank from the early 1980s, and may even rememebr the Circuit Cellar article that involved modifying one. So anyway... You can buy a modrn version of the Big Trak in the UK now. To the user it's much the same as the origianl version (I will mention differences) later. Inside it's very different. The cheapest I've found it in a shop is \pounds 34.00 in Hawkin's Bazaar. I've sene it for a few 10's of pence cheapr on the web, but then youy have to add shipping. Anyway, I am sure you know what I did to mine first, even before puttign the batteryies in and trying it out.Yes, I took it apart. Given that many people here are like me, I;ll explain how to do that. 1) Remove the battery cover (2 screws) and batteris if you have fitted them. 2) Next take off the plastic strips joining the front and rear axles. There are held on by 2 scres each (self-tapping screws with integral washers). If you have put the optional stickers on, you have to peel them off to get to these screws.. Then slide off the front and rear wheels. the centre 9driving) wheels are held on to the gearbox output shaftes hy a cetnre screw. Take these off next. 3) The next bit is non-obvious and had me puzzles for a minute or so. At he back of the lower body thre's a gey plastic part the only purpose of which is to hide a coupleof fixing screws. It's held in place by 4 plastic 'barbs', one each side and 2 along the rear endge. Carefully free it and slide it out downards. 4) Ondo the tiny screw thus revealed. Ths holds the kybaord bezel in plaec on top. Carefully unclip the bezel. On the underside of it is a little pCB carrying the power switch and the IR (?) LED for the trailer interfae. Undo the fixing screw, free the PCB amd set the bezel aside. 5) Back on the uinderside undo the dozen or so screws that hold the upper body in palce. Put the Big Trak the right way up and carfully lift off the upper bod. It's still linked by the flexiprint from the keybaord. This is not pluged in, it's clamped agianst the control PCB by a plastic clamp. Undo the 2 screws and lift of the clamp, then lift the kayboard tail over the pillers. The upper body is not free, 6) Undo the 2 screws holdign the LED holder for the 'photon cannon' in palce. This alos releases the loudspeaker which is lightly glued in place under it. Free that too. 7) I should have deoslderesd the battery wires next, otherwise you hve the lower body hanging on them, which is a bit of a pain. But I didn't. Anyway, undo th 4 screws on the bottom of the gearbox. Remove the gearbox complete with the control PCB downwards. The front axle is now free, don't loose it. 8) It appears that the PCB can be removed by desoldering the motor connectios (ML+, ML-, MR+. MR-) and then taking out the 4 corner screws. I have not done this. 9) The gearbox is held together by 5 screws on top (and can be dismantled with the PCB in palce). Take these out, turn the gearbox over, andlift off the cover. You can now see all the gearing. When reasbmbling note that there are several sies of selt-tapping screwn. Don't get them in the wrong holes... OK, diffeernces from the origianl version It runs everyting (logic and motors) off a single 4.5V supply (3 D cells in series) ratehr than +/-3V (4 D cells) and 9V (pp3) of the original version The 'photon cannon' is now an LED (blue I susepct) not a filament lamp The interface to the trailer is another LED (IR?) not a jack socket. The cotnroller bvoard is totrally redesigned. There are 2 ICs. These are epxoy-capped chip-on-board devices iwth a difference. They are not on the main PCB, they are on little daugherboards which are then soldered to the main PCB. The only think on the daughterboard is the epoxy-capped chip. So in theory they can be replaced. The larger IC is clearly a microcontroller (but not the TMS1000 of the origjnal one) in a package which looks to have the smae footprintas a PLCC device, I am not sure what the smaller IC is yet. Also on the PCB are a fair number of transsitors, R's and Cs, etc. Mostly SMD devices. The gearbox is redeisgned too. It's a lot easier to take apart and reassmeble than the orignal one. The magnetic clutch between the 2 motors is still there. The optical feedback from the gearbox is still there too. In fact there are now 2 IR light bariers, one for each motor, senmsing slots in the next-to-last gear in the train. I beelive the origianl version only had one light barrier. For a fairly cheap toy it's well made. It can be taken apart and put together again withut damage. Most of it is held together by self-tapping screws, but the battery cover (which the average owner has to remvoe and rrfit serveral times( is held on by machien screws going into tapped inserts in the lower body. Nice!. I may well do a Circuit Cellar style modification to mine (that is, a serial interfce thart simulates keypresses. Or maybe repaec the microcontroller totally. -tony

15 years, 10 months

5
8
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Simulated telephone

by scheefj＠netscape.net

Hello all, I would like to play^H^H^H^H use some of my vintage portables the way they were intended. For example, the Radio Shack Model 100 and the HP 110 Portable have 300bps internal modems. I have several other modems thru which these machines could talk to a *NIX but I do not want to pay for multiple phone lines in my home. How can I simulate a POTS connection between these modems? I don't need a dial tone or ringing, etc., as I can just tell one machine to connect and the other to answer. Way back I heard that a few modems would work if the tip and ring wires of the modems were crossed and connected, but most need something more than that. Is there some simple circuit I could build? Surely I'm not the first to want to avoid phone bills for such play^H^H^H^H testing. Jim

15 years, 10 months

18
33
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Meet a Zuse Z23

by jkunz＠unixag-kl.fh-kl.de

Hi. This week I had the pleasure to visit a Zuse Z23 on display in my city. The Z23 is a first generation, discrete transistor and diode logic, drum based machine with a small "cache" of core memory. It is hosted at the Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering. Here is the Press release regarding the Zuse machine: http://www.iese.fraunhofer.de/de/presse/current_releases/PM-2010-16-210610z… Ohh, if you can't read german (at all we are talking about a german computer ;-) ) here is the english version: http://www.iese.fraunhofer.de/press/current_releases/PM-2010-16-210610z23.j… I took some pictures: http://www.unixag-kl.fh-kl.de/~jkunz/bilder/Zuse_Z23/ The machine is in very good, but not working condition. I suspect it would be a huge task to make it operable again, like the PDP-1 restoration. But it could be done. There is a complete set of documentation, schematics, some spare parts, ... A former user of that machine from the local university explained the machine and its inner workings in detail to us. In one word: Fascinating! :-) BTW: There is a tube based Zuse Z22 in working condition on display in the ZKM museum in Karlsruhe (Germany). The Z23 is kind of a transistor reimplementation of the Z22: http://www.zkm.de/algorithmische-revolution/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAG… Pictures only in the german version: http://www.zkm.de/algorithmische-revolution/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAG… -- \end{Jochen} \ref{http://www.unixag-kl.fh-kl.de/~jkunz/}

15 years, 10 months

2
2
0 0

Terminal servers (Xyplex 1600 series)

by tsw-cc＠johana.com

Help... I thought it would be "easy", just hook it up and let it go. I thought I had the proper load file (xpcsrv20.sys) in the /tftpboot directory. TCPDumps seemed to indicate that I should have a proper file with the last 6 digits of the MAC address. When I did that, I got the dump to indicate that something was transfering, but it looks like to petered out a ways through. It then goes into a silly arp sequence for a router in the 172.31... network while my network here is 192.168.0.. Questions: 1) What files should be in the /tftpboot directory? 2) Can I get access to the configuration through one of the serial ports (which one)? 3) Does anyone have one of these beasts "working" with a Linux host? I like to get it up and running. I seem to have LOTS of documents on this, but none seem to be of the "step-by step" variety using a Unix (Linux) as the RARP/TFTP host. I would prefer responses of list, but will read then here if you like. Yes, these things are a bit old. Nobody really uses terminal servers these days, and while 40 ports is a bit much, I do have a bunch of serial devices I'd like to connect to. It looked like this would be a nice thing to get working. Thanks, ...Tom Watson

15 years, 10 months

2
1
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Stan Viet passed away

by c.murray.mccullough＠gmail.com

I look back with great fondness in how Stan was such a help in digging up historical ?facts? that I used in my book?He will truly be missed. All my blessings. Murray :)

15 years, 10 months

1
0
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Burroughs core memory module <-> machine

by hilpert＠cs.ubc.ca

(I just mentioned this in the thread about Burroughs part numbers, but am putting it forth in a separate question in case it gets missed by some readers.) I have a core memory module from some Burroughs machine. It is a large plug-in PCB about 16 inches square containing address & inhibit drivers & such. Mounted to this is a near-same-size daughter-board containing the sense amplifiers and the folded planar array of cores underneath a metal shield. It is organised as 32 KWords, 20 bits wide. Any suggestions as to what machine this may have come from? The 20 bits is the raw-memory-word width, one could speculate that some of those bits were used for ECC and the machine-word-width is smaller, although I'm not sure off the top of my head whether 4 bits is enough for ECC on 16 bits (isn't it >log2(n) for 1-bit ECC on n bits?)

15 years, 10 months

5
4
0 0

OS/8 FORTRAN IV saving?

by hachti＠hachti.de

Hi, I seem to remember that it was possible to save a FORTRAN IV program together with the FRTS runtime system as a runnable .SV core image file. It seems that ADVENT does so... Any idea? (minor question: How does something like "R PROG ARGS" work?) Regards, Philipp -- http://www.hachti.de

15 years, 10 months

3
3
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Burroughs core memory module <-> machine

by dm561＠torfree.net

----------------------Original Message: Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:30:24 -0700 From: Paxton Hoag <innfoclassics at gmail.com> Subject: Re: Burroughs core memory module <-> machine To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Message-ID: <AANLkTik=GrMyH34cMQahxmPcSYoraFQ5+7bS=e2a=7dD at mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > I have a core memory module from some Burroughs machine. It is a large > plug-in PCB about 16 inches square containing address & inhibit drivers & > such. Mounted to this is a near-same-size daughter-board containing the > sense amplifiers and the folded planar array of cores underneath a metal > shield. > > It is organised as 32 KWords, 20 bits wide. > > Any suggestions as to what machine this may have come from? > Burroughs made several successful solid state accounting machines before branching to full computers. Some of these had core memory and were made in the 1970s. ... Paxton ------------------------Reply: Indeed, specifically a few models in the E series, but those memories were *much* smaller; I think I still have one somewhere. In the transition from mechanical base10 systems to solid state binary systems some early E models used an interesting device called a "core counter" which was effectively a non-volatile IC-sized solid state magnetic divide-by-ten counter that emitted a pulse for every ten pulses in, a logically direct replacement for the mechanical cams and 10-position gears that most adding and accounting machines had been built around up till then. 32K x 20 sounds like it'd be out of a Medium or Large system (B2xxx or greater).

15 years, 10 months

3
3
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Burroughs parts? (was Re: PROMS but from what ?)

by ethan.dicks＠gmail.com

On 8/25/10, MikeS <dm561 at torfree.net> wrote: > Are you sure that they're PROMs? > > They might be Burroughs numbers, but not PROMs (at least not the ones I > looked up). > > For instance: > > 1447 3581 7438 4x2 NAND gate > 1447 3540 7410 3x3 NAND gate > 1447 3797 9322 4x2to1 MUX > 2600 1495 7404 6xINV Hey! I think I've got a tackle box full of stuff like this. One drawer is marked "3581 '38" for example. I picked up the tacklebox and the chips from a vendor at Dayton some years ago. It's loaded with the following part numbers (dates listed are representative): 1447-3532 SN7404N 7909 (Nat'l Semi/Signetics/TI) 1447-3524 SN7408N 7650 (Nat'l Semi/Signetics/ITT/TI) 1447-3540 7410F 7915 (Nat'l Semi/Signetics/ITT) 1447-3565 7420 7907 (Signetics/ITT/TI) 1447-3607 SN7474N 7836 (TI/Fairchild/Signetics) 1447-3615 74107N 7912 (Nat'l Semi/Fairchild/Signetics) 1447-3557 74H11N 7738 (Nat'l Semi/ITT/Signetics) 1447-3581 7438N 7838 (Nat'l Semi/ITT/Signetics) 1447-3797 SN74157 7827 (Nat'l Semi/ITT/TI) 1447-3771 SN74161N 7701 (Nat'l Semi/TI/AMD) 1447-3755 74195 7644 (Signetics/TI/AMD) 1447-3722 74155 7709 (Signetics/TI) 1447-3714 SN74153 7832 (Nat'l Semi/Signetics/TI) ... plus a mish-mash in a bin marked "misc"... part numbers include 1447-* * == 3599, 3706, 3623, 3698, 3789, 3649 and several more Until this thread, I had no idea the 1447-* numbers were Burroughs. Is anyone restoring such equipment and looking for spares? My own interest are such that if I used these anywhere, it'd be to replace parts gone bad in DEC M-series modules for my PDP-8/i and PDP-8/Ls. In particular, I'm always hunting for 7474s since those seem to be favored to fail in the gear I have (along with 7440s, statistically). Is there a list of these part numbers? The ones I gave happen to be listed with both the 1447-* numbers _and_ 74-series TTL numbers. The misc drawer has numerous ones with only 1447-* numbers, and I'd like to know what's what. Cheers, -ethan

15 years, 10 months

2
4
0 0

Emulating a smart CRT display unit - ideas?

by Arno_1983＠gmx.de

"Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com> wrote: > For a really nice VGA display, check out the PICASO from SparkFun. > Coupled with a low-end microcontroller, that should give you pretty > much everything that you need, save for the differential receivers. ...and quite a lot I don't need, like colo(u)r and graphical "primitives" which aren't (drawing rectangles and circles,...), at a somewhat steep price. > Google "VGA microcontroller" for other ideas. I'll go looking for "BAS" (VBS) "Microcontroller", too, since that's probably the way I'm wanting to go in the long run (using a cheap portable TV as display), if the controller turns out to be intact after all. Thanks, Arno Kletzander -- GRATIS f?r alle GMX-Mitglieder: Die maxdome Movie-FLAT! Jetzt freischalten unter http://portal.gmx.net/de/go/maxdome01

15 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

GET LAMP is here

by ragooman＠gmail.com

GET LAMP is here =Dan -- --http://www.vintagecomputer.net/ragooman/

15 years, 10 months

27
121
0 0

In search of: DEC LP20 interface boards

by RichA＠vulcan.com

Folks, Does anyone on the list have any of the following DEC PDP-11 printer interface boards squirreled away? M8585 LP20 Translation RAM Module M8586 LP20 Line Printer Control Module M8587 LP20 Line Printer Data Paths Module or M8571 LP20 Line Printer Data Paths Module Please contact me if you have one or more of these. Thanks, Rich Rich Alderson Vintage Computing Sr. Server Engineer Vulcan, Inc. 505 5th Avenue S, Suite 900 Seattle, WA 98104 mailto:RichA at vulcan.com mailto:RichA at LivingComputerMuseum.org http://www.PDPplanet.org/ http://www.LivingComputerMuseum.org/

15 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

PROMS but from what ?

by dm561＠torfree.net

--------------Original Message Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:06:37 +0200 From: "Rik Bos" <hp-fix at xs4all.nl> Subject: PROMS but from what ? I aquired a lot of small DIL14/16 PROMS ceramic package with a 8 digit number on it some of the numbers are : 2584 0821 2574 6975 2571 5418 2600 1529 1447 3581 1447 3540 2600 1495 1447 3797 2600 1487 2603 2623 2625 5562 2554 0888 2600 1495 I can't find any reference about them, so if some one recognizes the numbers or can use them let me know (I've a few hundreds of them) If no one wants them I'm going to archive them in the big metal bin. -Rik -------------------Reply: Are you sure that they're PROMs? They might be Burroughs numbers, but not PROMs (at least not the ones I looked up). For instance: 1447 3581 7438 4x2 NAND gate 1447 3540 7410 3x3 NAND gate 1447 3797 9322 4x2to1 MUX 2600 1495 7404 6xINV mike

15 years, 10 months

5
5
0 0

Burroughs parts? (was Re: PROMS but from what ?)

by dm561＠torfree.net

---------------------Original Message: Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 01:09:00 -0400 From: Ethan Dicks <ethan.dicks at gmail.com> Subject: Burroughs parts? (was Re: PROMS but from what ?) On 8/25/10, MikeS <dm561 at torfree.net> wrote: > Are you sure that they're PROMs? > > They might be Burroughs numbers, but not PROMs (at least not the ones I > looked up). > > For instance: > > 1447 3581 7438 4x2 NAND gate > 1447 3540 7410 3x3 NAND gate > 1447 3797 9322 4x2to1 MUX > 2600 1495 7404 6xINV Hey! I think I've got a tackle box full of stuff like this. One drawer is marked "3581 '38" for example. I picked up the tacklebox and the chips from a vendor at Dayton some years ago. It's loaded with the following part numbers (dates listed are representative): 1447-3532 SN7404N 7909 (Nat'l Semi/Signetics/TI) 1447-3524 SN7408N 7650 (Nat'l Semi/Signetics/ITT/TI) 1447-3540 7410F 7915 (Nat'l Semi/Signetics/ITT) 1447-3565 7420 7907 (Signetics/ITT/TI) 1447-3607 SN7474N 7836 (TI/Fairchild/Signetics) 1447-3615 74107N 7912 (Nat'l Semi/Fairchild/Signetics) 1447-3557 74H11N 7738 (Nat'l Semi/ITT/Signetics) 1447-3581 7438N 7838 (Nat'l Semi/ITT/Signetics) 1447-3797 SN74157 7827 (Nat'l Semi/ITT/TI) 1447-3771 SN74161N 7701 (Nat'l Semi/TI/AMD) 1447-3755 74195 7644 (Signetics/TI/AMD) 1447-3722 74155 7709 (Signetics/TI) 1447-3714 SN74153 7832 (Nat'l Semi/Signetics/TI) ... plus a mish-mash in a bin marked "misc"... part numbers include 1447-* * == 3599, 3706, 3623, 3698, 3789, 3649 and several more Until this thread, I had no idea the 1447-* numbers were Burroughs. Is anyone restoring such equipment and looking for spares? My own interest are such that if I used these anywhere, it'd be to replace parts gone bad in DEC M-series modules for my PDP-8/i and PDP-8/Ls. In particular, I'm always hunting for 7474s since those seem to be favored to fail in the gear I have (along with 7440s, statistically). Is there a list of these part numbers? The ones I gave happen to be listed with both the 1447-* numbers _and_ 74-series TTL numbers. The misc drawer has numerous ones with only 1447-* numbers, and I'd like to know what's what. Cheers, -ethan ---------------------------Reply: Have a look at the cross-reference on Bitsavers: http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/burroughs/icData/ and if there are any that you can't find, send me a PM and I'll see what I can find; I have another list or two but no idea where they came from, as well as some dead-tree stuff from my days at BBM. mike

15 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

Should you correct production mistakes?

by shoppa＠trailing-edge.com

Eric writes: > Tony Duell wrote: >> I could trivially desolder the IC, straighten the pin, and solder it back >> properly. But should I? What would others do? > Had we found any problem analogous to that in the PDP-1 restoration, > where the machine operated correctly despite a manufacturing defect, I'm > sure we would have had a debate on whether to fix it. I think my own > opinion in that case would be that we should leave it alone, but tag the > module (paper tag attached with a short loop of string) and document the > issue in the system logbook. > For something that isn't considered a museum artifact, I'd be more > inclined to fix it. Whatever happened to "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"? The ability of a robust assembly and QA process to result in working systems, despite small manufacturing errors, is remarkable. If the board passed QC and was released into the wild and is still working decades later, that is a fact worth noting but I see zero reason to correct it. I don't doubt anyone's soldering skill but there is still a small and nonzero chance that any attempted "fix" would result in hassles. When I was in college decades ago, I got to help a civil engineer who had tried to build a Heathkit maybe 10 years before that but never got it working. I looked inside, found a few diodes he had reversed, and said that was the reason. He looked at me incredulously: "You mean a couple of incorrectly assembled parts will stop the whole receiver from working?". Yep. "If we designed bridges that way, there wouldn't be a single bridge standing in the world!" Tim.

15 years, 10 months

2
1
0 0

PROMS but from what ?

by dm561＠torfree.net

----------------------Original Message: Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:38:45 +0200 From: "Rik Bos" <hp-fix at xs4all.nl> Subject: RE: PROMS but from what ? <snip> > I aquired a lot of small DIL14/16 PROMS ceramic package with > a 8 digit number on it some of the numbers are : > 2584 0821 ... > -Rik > > -------------------Reply: > > Are you sure that they're PROMs? > > They might be Burroughs numbers, but not PROMs (at least not > the ones I looked up). > > For instance: > > 1447 3581 7438 4x2 NAND gate > 1447 3540 7410 3x3 NAND gate > 1447 3797 9322 4x2to1 MUX > 2600 1495 7404 6xINV > > mike > > > Mike, Thanks, to be honest no I'm not sure. I was told it were proms and some of the ic's did have labels on them. When I removed on it was a 74S571J which is a 2K prom. Do you have a xref list for Burroughs parts or know where I can find one If any one needs one or more of those let me know. -Rik -------------------------Reply: As Al mentioned, there is a partial list at bitsavers: http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/burroughs/icData/ There may also be more in some of the other manuals, and I have info on some more as well as a "parts catalogue" that I can't put my fingers on at the moment. If you do have some PROMs, I'd think that there's a good chance that they're already programmed and therefore not very useful (but worth checking JIC). mike

15 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

speeding up computers (was Re: Terminals...)

by woyciesjes＠sbcglobal.net

Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:54:39 -0400 From: "Jerome H. Fine" <jhfinedp3k at compsys.to> Subject: Re: speeding up computers (was Re: Terminals...) To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Message-ID: <4C75BB4F.7050409 at compsys.to> I have migrated from Netscape 4 email, all the way to Thunderbird3, and never had a problem with moving the mailfiles. I don't know the details, but the mailfile format hasn't changed. I've recently opened some mailfolder from Netscape 4 directly in TBird 2 without a hitch. I'd suggest going to 2.0.0.24 (or whatever is the most recent version of the 2 series). I tried TBird3 here at work, and didn't like it for the way I use it at work. The message folder search function to be specific. But TBird3 works good for me at home... -- --- Dave Woyciesjes --- ICQ# 905818 --- AIM - woyciesjes --- CompTIA A+ Certified IT Tech - http://certification.comptia.org/ --- HDI Certified Support Center Analyst - http://www.ThinkHDI.com/ Registered Linux user number 464583 "From there to here, From here to there, Funny things are everywhere." --- Dr. Seuss

15 years, 10 months

1
0
0 0

Simulated telephone

by dm561＠torfree.net

-----------------Original Message: Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 23:16:11 -0700 From: Brent Hilpert <hilpert at cs.ubc.ca> Subject: Re: Simulated telephone On 2010 Aug 25, at 9:02 PM, Fred Cisin wrote: > On Tue, 24 Aug 2010, Brent Hilpert wrote: >> If both modems in a given connection are older ('80s), lower-speed >> (300-1200/2400) it will likely work by simply connecting them together >> and commanding one off-hook in answer mode (ATA ?), then the other >> off-hook in originate mode (ATD ? ATH1 ?). I have successfully done >> this with particular modems up to 14.4Kbps but might be forgetting the >> commands. > > Many of my older modems are from BEFORE "Hayes Compatible" became the > standard for giving commands to the modem. Well, I was thinking of adding in that if you have a really old modem you might have to flip the originate/answer switch appropriately if it has one, but I think the OP indicated he was dealing with later stuff. (I have a couple of pre-'smart' modems, too.) --------------------Reply: I was going to make the same point; the M100 he mentioned as an example *does* indeed have an originate/answer switch (as well as a direct connect/acoustic coupler switch). I usually don't have any problem just connecting modems together without any fancy line simulators, etc. mike

15 years, 10 months

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ebay dec modules catalog

by legalize＠xmission.com

item # 280552484706 -- "The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline" -- DirectX 9 draft available for download <http://legalizeadulthood.wordpress.com/the-direct3d-graphics-pipeline/> Legalize Adulthood! <http://legalizeadulthood.wordpress.com>

15 years, 10 months

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Collection reduction, DEC list

by binarydinosaurs＠gmail.com

Folks, OK, this is my DEC collection minus the machines I'm keeping, MINC shipping is going to be interesting should anyone want it, see also the DECwriter III. I should keep the DECmate III too really. Most of these machines I used at work in the 80s/90s and rescued them when I was made redundant in 2001, Grey Wall included. I'd hate to recycle this as I've dragged the entire thing around the country and would like to see it go to someone who hates reading docs online like me :) Will I even pick up my VAX programming skills again and need to know the params for the $QIOW routine :/ Anyhoo. This is listed as I went by them on the racks and is by no means complete... VR319 monitor Alpha 3000-400 w/PMAGB Alpha 3000-400 w/PMAGB SZ12 VAX 3100 M38, bits of SZ12 SZ12 DECpc AXP150 Alpha 2000-300 RZ55 RZ55 DECpc XL590 Alpha 3000-400 w/PMAGB DECstation 5000-240 VR262 for DECstations, mono, 17" DECmate III DECwriter IV/LA100 DECwriter III/LA180 MINC-11 w/RX02 MicroVAX 3100-30 MicroVAX 3100-40 (might be a 20) DECserver 250 SZ12 DEMSB-A multi-protocol router x2, 1 1-port and 1 4-port Infoserver 150VXT (bought to netboot the VXT2000s) MicroVAX 3100-30 DECstation 3100 MicroVAX 3100-20 (might be a 40) MDS Fiche set x2 with reader Grey wall, VMS 5.0 and 5.5 updates, some still sealed?! VXT2000 (might be 2) RWZ52 worm drive DEChub90 in DEHUX with 3x DECrepeater 90T-16 DNSES-AA, NOS DECnet/SNA x2 NOS boxed Alpha 3000-400 motherboard, boxed DESPR single port repeater VT420 boxed DECmate II or II DECserver 200/M 3000-300 x3 BA350 in pedestal BA356-JA on its own, single port 16bit pm, RZ74-VW DECserver 300-16 VT1200, no monitor R215F DSSI expansion, narrow box MicroVAX II, BA213 'world' box Alpha 2000 4/233, dual CPU VAX 4000-505A (nice machine! Spare PSUs) VAX 3400 R400X DSSI expansion x2 MicroVAX 2000 x2 cables, boards, 3000-300PSU, *stuff* VT420 VAX 4000-200 CDDS boxes from mid 90s to late 90s Cables, boards, docs. Yes, I'm a hoarder. -- adrian/witchy Owner of Binary Dinosaurs, the UK's biggest home? computer collection? www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk

15 years, 10 months

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Emulating a smart CRT display unit - ideas?

by Arno_1983＠gmx.de

Hello listmembers, some of you will perhaps remember me being stuck with a problem regarding a Fujitsu FANUC "mate TG" CNC controller (rebadged as "Siemens Sinumerik"), of which I have the main unit but not the monitor. Thanks to a very nice guy living nearby, I was provided with some new information about the interface, which is rather uncommon in itself. I had already guessed that there is a significant amount of smarts in the monitor; the newly acquired documentation confirms this. The silicon brain (CRT controller) of the thing is called LSI HD46505. Integrated with a 12" monochrome CRT display, it features capabilities for a text mode with 64 columns * 24 lines (character size 7*9 dots in an 8*16 character cell), a magnified text mode with 16 columns * 14 lines (21*27 dots in a 32*27 cell) and a b&W bitmapped mode with a resolution of 512*384 dots. Text and graphics can be displayed alone or in combination. The supported character set seems to be a subset of ASCII from 0x20 to 0x5f. Text and raster graphics operations in absolute addressing are controlled by a unidirectional 12 bit parallel interface with strobe (AB0 - AB2, DB0-DB8, WP) in differential signalling, furthermore there are four more differential signals called +HP2, -HP2, +VP2, -VP2 that allow some kind of incremental (relative) graphics cursor positioning by pulse trains. The signalling diagrams indicate a minimum cycle time of 20 us for the parallel interface and 110 us for the counter channels. Does this ring any bells with anyone? Are there similar monitors out there that might be converted with little effort? Otherwise, the registers and instructions are described in enough detail so that making a replacement or some sort of emulation at least seems possible. What sort of hard- and/or software would one be looking at to accomplish this? I have some hazy memory of seeing a demonstration of a Pong game programmed in LabView(!) running on an FPGA based device which would directly generate VGA output, but that was a very expensive unit. For now I'm just looking for a cheap and simple way to give me some idea of what, if anything, the controller is trying to display. As I think the data will be coming in bursts (only e.g. when a new screen mask is displayed), a microcontroller with a suitable amount of buffer memory might be sufficient to translate the interface signals into serial data and send them to a PC, which would then generate and display the image. Thanks for your input, yours sincerely Arno Kletzander -- GRATIS f?r alle GMX-Mitglieder: Die maxdome Movie-FLAT! Jetzt freischalten unter http://portal.gmx.net/de/go/maxdome01

15 years, 10 months

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PROMS but from what ?

by hp-fix＠xs4all.nl

I aquired a lot of small DIL14/16 PROMS ceramic package with a 8 digit number on it some of the numbers are : 2584 0821 2574 6975 2571 5418 2600 1529 1447 3581 1447 3540 2600 1495 1447 3797 2600 1487 2603 2623 2625 5562 2554 0888 2600 1495 I can't find any reference about them, so if some one recognizes the numbers or can use them let me know (I've a few hundreds of them) If no one wants them I'm going to archive them in the big metal bin. -Rik

15 years, 10 months

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Emulating a smart CRT display unit - ideas?

by Arno_1983＠gmx.de

Hello guys, thanks for your quick replies! "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com> wrote: > why not post a note to this guy: > http://cncfanuc.blogspot.com/2009/04/fanuc-ac-servo-drive-system- > failure.html > Who seems to have a lot of information on his hands? You're joking, right? I don't even get what this guy is writing about in most of his half-finished malformed sentences. Even if he was willing to help, it might be quite a challenge to get anything useful out of him. > But you're going to need a fair level of detail on what actually goes > on over those 12 lines before you can get something going. That's provided in that latest manual I got, down to bit-level detail, e.g.: "Mode selection:" A A A D D D D D D D D D B B B B B B B B B B B B 2 1 0 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 ----------------------- 0 0 1 1 x x 0 1 1 x x x Set bit mode* 0 0 1 1 x x 0 1 0 x x x Clear bit mode* 0 0 1 1 x x 1 1 1 x x x Enable drawing by +/- H/V inputs* 0 0 1 1 x x 1 0 1 x x x Clear screen (takes approx. 40 ms) Operations marked * are latching and clear upon next selection." Pages and pages of such codes. > If you want a dedicated unit, an FPGA might still be your best bet, > if you have the skills (VHDL or Verilog). No, I never learnt either of the above. OTOH, some LabView programming once again would be a nice change, and there is that FPGA toolkit for it that we were shown then. > Alternatively, many faster > microcontrollers can directly generate video using nothing but > software. Hey, that also sounds seriously interesting. Might be the cheapest and simplest approach since b&w doesn't need much of a DAC or anything. Alas the raster size doesn't map nicely to TV standards... I'm also still all ears for comments on the "uC preprocesses, PC displays" idea. Dave McGuire <mcguire at neurotica.com> wrote: > I have a vague memory of doing a hack to an IBM PC CGA card that > enabled interlacing for a huge improvement in the readability of > character-based output. It involved running a wire, and *I think* > replacing the 6845 with a 46505. Does anyone else know about this? This mode is not used here, the manual states that this display is non-interlacing. Yours sincerely, Arno Kletzander -- GRATIS f?r alle GMX-Mitglieder: Die maxdome Movie-FLAT! Jetzt freischalten unter http://portal.gmx.net/de/go/maxdome01

15 years, 10 months

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What became of GRI Computer Corporation?

by t.holman808＠gmail.com

Googling online. Also have a share certificate. Did you find out any info. On GRI? Just want to know if I'm a millionaire and have been living life as a peasant Sent from my iPod

15 years, 10 months

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NEC "Advanced Personal Computer"

by mikelee＠tdh.com

I recently got my hands on a NEC Advanced Personal Computer. From what I read, it's a MS-DOS and CP/M capable machine. It's got dual 8" drives and about the size of a terminal. With that said, anyone have any more information on this system? Anything to boot it perhaps, and of course, the unit I have didn't come with a keyboard, and the connector appears to be some type of centronics connector. Any suggestions on where to find such a beast?

15 years, 10 months

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Terminals...

by dm561＠torfree.net

---------------Original Message: Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:30:39 -0700 From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com> Subject: Re: Terminals... In general, the public is still working on the "newer is better" theory. Why anyone would want to sit at home and type on a laptop keyboard is beyond me. --Chuck ----------------- You've got the best of both worlds; put it beside your desk, plug in your desktop LCD and adapter for your wireless kbd & mouse and you've got a convenient desktop; unplug it and take it on the road. What's wrong with that? m

15 years, 10 months

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Craigslist post of "Retro Computers" in VA

by mikelee＠tdh.com

Somewhere near DC appears to be someone selling a large collection of vintage micros. Not mine but in case people were interested and nearby: http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/sys/1915650636.html

15 years, 10 months

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Needed: Funny pdp8/e (plotter) demo software!

by hachti＠hachti.de

Hi folks, we'll have an event here in Kiel on Friday night ("Museumsnacht") where my bosses decided (to be fair... I steered into that direction as best I could) to present a snippet of the Kiel collection. I'll be standing around in a corner with a pdp8/e. Equipped with 2 RK05, TU56, VT05, PC04, and CalComp 565 (0.1mm/step variant). I'm still looking for funny stuff to present. I'm running short on time and would be very happy to get some hints to nice graphic programs and other toys. I have some BASIC games from the net. That's not too much. There *must* be funny software involving the plotter somewhere out in the world! The best would be something that allows me to create little souvenirs for the more interested people. And something that draws complex stuff and takes long time. I have no clue about BASIC plotter support. I can use PAL sources (if there's no need for extra plotter code), BASIC, and FORTRAN IV. I have the plotter routines installed and working. Everything is installed and working. BTW the local VT05 didn't come up today. No high voltage. I looked around a bit and gave it up. But I needed the VT05 to blindly command the 8/e while doing file transfers from my notebook. And after some two hours - it started. And is running stable since then - with better image than before. I really hope that this isn't the "clear mind before dead"... Best wishes, Philipp :-)

15 years, 10 months

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OT - sort of

by csquared3＠tx.rr.com

Kind folks, I'm pretty sure that some here restore and use vintage computers at least in part in order to be able to play vintage computer games, which is the only thing that makes this post on topic at all. After a bit of research on the web, I find that I'm at least 5 or 6 years behind the times based on some forum discussions of something I just became aware of just yesterday! What triggered all this was that our daughter showed up at the house with this little game controller which she says was bought at WalMart for about USD $20.00. It says "namco" on the front, "PLUG it in & PLAY TV GAMES" on the back. Says 6VDC on the back too, so probably 4 AA batteries. It came with batteries, and I haven't opened it up to explore the insides at all - yet. On the bottom next to the list of games are copyright dates from 1960 to 1983, the best I can tell. There is also a copyright notice on the bottom dated 2004 for JAKKS Pacific, Inc. and a reference to www.jakkstvgames.com. This little gadget has a joystick, a few pushbutton switches, and composite video and a sound output. It allows one to play vintage Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Pole Position, Mappy, and Xavious by connecting it to a standard TV's video and audio inputs. I mention this here because I just thought it was really cool to be able to play these vintage games, and some might be in the same uninformed group with me. :-) FWIW, my daughter says there are a number of other similar units with different games, and the web seems to confirm this. Wanting to see if the web site is WOT approved, I googled jakkstvgames.com and it seems to only be referred to by other web sites. I finally got brave and typed it in to the Firefox URL entry and was rewarded with "403 Forbidden" and "You don't have permission to access / on this server." Sounds pretty scary to me. BTW, I have absolutely no connection with this company - whatever it is - Jakks Pacific? It says it is made in China, of course. The thing is plastic, but seems to be remarkably well made for something that only costs 20 bucks. Of course the possibility of hacking it for other purposes never crossed my mind. ;-) Later, Charlie C.

15 years, 10 months

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Troubleshooting a 5V Apple III

by mmaginnis＠gmail.com

I have a 5V Apple III that won't boot and could use some troubleshooting advice. When I power it up, the LED at CR7 on the motherboard and the keyboard lamp both light up and I get a brief flash on the internal floppy light and nothing else. No video or activity of any kind. When I hit CTRL-RESET, I do get the expected clicks from the internal speaker, so I know there's some life there. I've swapped out the floppy drive and cables, and the power supply with known good units, and reseated all the socketed ICs and get the same results. There are no expansion cards or other peripherals attached to the machine. Can anyone suggest a starting point for tracking this down? Thanks. - Mike

15 years, 10 months

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speeding up computers (was Re: Terminals...)

by dm561＠torfree.net

---------------Original Message: Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 07:38:46 -0700 From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com> Subject: Re: speeding up computers (was Re: Terminals...) >XPLite gets a big <shrug> from me. It fronts XP's control panel's >add/remove Windows components and settings, deletes update rollback >and temp files mostly. All of which can be accomplished manually. >What I wish it would do: Automate moving key files to other >partitions and prune the registry of unnecessary entries. >--Chuck ---------------Reply: Some good tips here: http://technical-issues-tips.blogspot.com/2007/08/tips-reduce-size-of-windo… Back up first and use at your own risk of course. m

15 years, 10 months

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DEC "Prime to VAX tape/conv utilities"

by tshoppa＠wmata.com

Dennis writes: > Stumbled across a reference to what looks like two old DEC products - > QS-HG1A9-NZ PRIME TO VAX TAPE UTILITIES > QS-HG0A9-NZ PRIME TO VAX CONV UTILITIES > while poking at MANX. I would very much like to find documentation > and/or the actual software. Anyone have further info? Nearby DEC part numbers seem to fall under QS-HFKA9-NZ "Migration Assistance Service". E.g. QS-HFKA9-NZ MIGRATION ASSISTANCE SERVICE QS-HFLA9-NZ SYSTEM/36 MIGRATION UTILITIES QS-HFMA9-NZ CDC/FORTRAN CONVERSION FILTER QS-HFNA9-NZ CDC/FORTRAN CONVERSION TOOL QS-HFPA9-NZ DG/COBOL CONVERSION FILTER QS-HFQA9-NZ HP/FORTRAN CONVERSION FILTER QS-HFRA9-NZ HP/BASIC CONVERSION FILTER QS-HFSA9-NZ HP VPLUS DECFORMS CONV FILTER QS-HFTA9-NZ HP IMAGE TO RDB CONV FILTER QS-HFUA9-NZ HP IMAGE TO RMS CONV FILTER QS-HFVA9-NZ HP/3000 TO VAX/VMS CONV UTILT QS-HFWA9-NZ WPP-WANG COBOL CONV FILTER QS-HFXA9-NZ WDE WANG DOCUM CONV TOOL QS-HFYA9-NZ VSTAPE WANG DOCUM CONV TOOL QS-HG0A9-NZ PRIME TO VAX CONV UTILITIES QS-HG1A9-NZ PRIME TO VAX TAPE UTILITIES QS-HG2A9-NZ PDP-11 BASIC CONV FILTER QS-HG3A9-NZ PDP-11 MACRO CONV FILTER QS-HG4A9-NZ HP/COBOL CONV FILTER It seems extremely likely that these were tools developed as part of migration assistance services, but companies have always struggled with the line between a "product" and a "service" so it wouldn't be surprising to see in-house tools get turned into products with part numbers etc. Tim.

15 years, 10 months

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VAXstation 2000 video

by ball.of.john＠gmail.com

Thanks you guys. I'll poke around and see what I can dig up, otherwise I'll use those pinouts and just make a video cable. It does not look too hard.

15 years, 10 months

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speeding up computers (was Re: Terminals...)

by dm561＠torfree.net

--------------Original Message: Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:02:45 -0400 From: Dave McGuire <mcguire at neurotica.com> Subject: Re: speeding up computers (was Re: Terminals...) To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Message-ID: <4C72F005.9060602 at neurotica.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 On 8/23/10 5:55 PM, Doc Shipley wrote: >> Microsoft is not the only company whose design policies are predicated >> on an assumption of Moore's law. But it is one of the most obvious. > > It's very odd to me that Apple's OS X needs at least as much CPU, RAM, > and disk as current Windows, but nobody beats on it for being bloated. It's not slow. =) -Dave --------- Well, you did show remarkable restraint up to this point... ;-) m

15 years, 10 months

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DEC "Prime to VAX tape/conv utilities"

by drb＠msu.edu

Stumbled across a reference to what looks like two old DEC products - QS-HG1A9-NZ PRIME TO VAX TAPE UTILITIES QS-HG0A9-NZ PRIME TO VAX CONV UTILITIES while poking at MANX. I would very much like to find documentation and/or the actual software. Anyone have further info? De

15 years, 10 months

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Collection reduction time, advice please

by binarydinosaurs＠gmail.com

Folks, First off, apologies to those who've asked me about the DSSI drive sleds etc I mentioned a while back, fret not, I still have them. Reason for the above not happening - my landlord wants his house back. This is a problem because I really fell on my feet when I found this place and managed to squirrel away my entire collection. 3.5 years later this town is home, my girlfriend is here, my friends are here so I don't want to up sticks and move the whole lot again. Also there's now no way I can afford a house with this much garage space. So. As much as it pains me I have to come to the realisation that I'll never actively use 90% of my DEC stuff, my CBM PET stuff, IBM PC compatibles or the 'middling' Apple stuff like LCs, Mac IIs, Quadras etc I haven't extensively catalogued anything for years, but given that I only have a month and a bit it's time to get my skates on. I'm guessing nobody will be interested in my SUN and Cisco kit, or Research Machines early PCs. Over the weekend I'll catalogue the big DEC and Apple stuff and post it here. Any advice or offers of collecting stuff from me gratefully received. I can ship big things from work on receipt of money, even on pallets. Cheers, -- adrian/witchy Owner of Binary Dinosaurs, the UK's biggest home?computer collection? www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk

15 years, 10 months

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Terminals...

by bqt＠softjar.se

Dave McGuire <mcguire at neurotica.com> wrote: > On 8/11/10 11:21 PM, William Donzelli wrote: >>> >> Of course, shipping for, say a hundred VT520s is significantly higher than for those modern replacements - even when you add in the (now LCD) screen. Oh that's right, you can just go down to Best Buy (which rarely is) to buy the screens.... >> > >> > I doubt shipping costs would be so much of an issue - VT520s, if they >> > are anything like VT420s, are not very heavy. If company X needs >> > several hundred dumb terminals spread around in their system, I bet >> > they would have enough of their own shipping going on, and the VTs >> > could hang on the sides of the trucks for free. >> > >>> >> That's not to say I don't have a personal preference for the originals - I have mostly VT420s at home, and we're refurbishing a bunch of VT100s and VT52s here at work. -- Ian >> > >> > OK, I will say it - VT420s suck. > > What don't you like about VT420s? They're my favorite of the line, > followed closely by VT320 then VT220. I don't like VT520s at all. I like the VT5xx series, just as I like all other VT-terminals. However, I've had problems with power supplies of VT320, and VT340 terminals, and have had problems with the displays going weak on VT420 terminals. In a way, I think the VT525 is pretty optimal. External screen with VGA connection, so I can use any PC screen, including flat screens. The fact that the VT5xx terminals use a PC keyboard connection sucks some, but I can live with that, since I atleast have proper DEC layout keyboards anyway. And color, in addition to that. The only thing missing is ReGIS and SIXBIT graphics. But, to make a comment on the original topic here - I don't really think that new VT terminals are more expensive than buying a PC. Yes, the initial cost is larger, but I definitely expect a VT520 to last way longer than a PC, and buying two or three PCs, and additionally to have to service, update, install, and work on the machines will make them cost way more than a new VT520 within just a year or two. Johnny -- Johnny Billquist || "I'm on a bus || on a psychedelic trip email: bqt at softjar.se || Reading murder books pdp is alive! || tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol

15 years, 10 months

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VAXstation 2000 video

by ball.of.john＠gmail.com

So I picked up both a MicroVAX 2000 with 120mb MFM drive and MMJ terminal adapter and a VAXstation 2000 with 40mb ST-251, keyboard, mouse, and some little breakout box for the latter two. Both systems power up and the drives don't make any nasty noises (though both are blank so they won't be booting anything until I get VMS on them) but in both cases I have no way to communicate with them. The MicroVAX I can't talk to simply because I lack an MMJ cable but the more interesting VAXstation with it's 4-bit framebuffer simply because I don't see how on earth you connect up a monitor to it. The keyboard and mouse break out box connect to the monitor port but the box itself has no connections for a monitor to be plugged in. How did this work and what types of monitor were compatible? I might have access to a VR201 if I want to pay shipping from MA to western canada.

15 years, 10 months

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1970s TTL specs and prices

by dm561＠torfree.net

--------------Original Message: Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 12:21:49 -0700 From: John Robertson <pinball at telus.net> Subject: Re: 1970s TTL specs and prices MikeS wrote: <snippage> > ---------------- > FWIW, approx. Canadian 100-1000 prices in 1977: > Gates: .28 > F-F's etc: .48 > SRs, adders, etc: 1.50 > > 16Kx1 SRAM: $113.74 > > mike > I do have an Electrosonic catalog (Canada) from the mid 1960s. It is very handy as it covers things like CDS cells, Germanium items (ratings, etc) and other odds and ends of industrial electronics where there are no other sources of information. John :-#)# ----------------------------------- Umm, that's where I got the prices; as a matter of fact I used to work for Electrosonic in the 60s in industrial sales, still around after all these years... mike

15 years, 10 months

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PDP-1 movies

by csquared3＠tx.rr.com

Kind folks, I was just wondering if anyone else is able to view the 3 movies near the bottom of http://pdp-1.computerhistory.org/pdp-1/index.php?f=theme&s=2 For me, each one runs for a bit and then just stops. Windows task manager shows no internet activity at that point. If I bring up some other page and then go back there, the video gets a bit further each time before seizing up again. Perhaps if I had infinite patience I could eventually see them all the way through. Any idea what might cause this? Thanks, Charlie C.

15 years, 10 months

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Image of Digital van

by fjkraan＠xs4all.nl

Hi, Does anyone have an image of an Digital Equipment Corporation van? A friend and DEC fan wants his new white van to look as much as possible as original DEC vans. There seems to be an image of a large number of vans parked for a corporate building in some DEC brochure. Fred Jan

15 years, 10 months

2
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SDK-85 ROM Image?

by thrashbarg＠kaput.homeunix.org

Hi, I have an Intel SDK-85 System Design Kit here (single board computer) which doesn't want to turn on. After some debugging, I'm fairly confident it's the ROM that's dead, but I can't find an image for it on the Internet. If someone has a copy of the ROM image, or is willing to dump it, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks, Alexis.

15 years, 10 months

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cctalk Digest, Vol 84, Issue 41

by dm561＠torfree.net

Message: 13 Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 12:49:19 -0700 (PDT) From: Fred Cisin <cisin at xenosoft.com> Subject: Re: Origin of the term minicomputer (was Re: PDP-1 as minicomputer To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Message-ID: <20100821124828.V87695 at shell.lmi.net> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Sat, 21 Aug 2010, William Donzelli wrote: >> Pretty much, yes. I suppose the "youngest" mini architecture is the >> RS/6000, since it originally was made of multiple gate arrays (seven >> maybe?). >ISTR the RS/6000 (68000?) being called a microcomputer. But it was out of >my price range. ----------- Gee, I just offered a nice classic RS/6000-520 that you coulda had for free ;-) Lots o' 40-bit memory, 32 ports, SCSI HD & tape; really hated to see it go to the dump. m

15 years, 10 months

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1970s TTL specs and prices

by dm561＠torfree.net

Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 11:24:47 -0700 From: Brent Hilpert <hilpert at cs.ubc.ca> Subject: Re: 1970s TTL specs and prices To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Message-ID: <17dbd76df89836d82320a900dd3576a1 at cs.ubc.ca> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed On 2010 Aug 20, at 11:23 AM, Tom Gardner wrote: > For some Computer History Museum work I need information on 7400 > series Flip > Flops (S and Normal, DIPs) circa 1973 (anything 1970-75). Anyone have > any > maximum clock speed and OEM volume pricing information on parts such > as 7473 > thru 79 or 74106-116? > > I must be getting old because I remember the 7474 well but I thru out > my > Yellow books years ago :-) Well, just to add to the list, I have the 1969, 1973 and 1981 TTL databooks from TI, as well as a 1965 TI component catalog listing some TTL devices (also various from Fairchild, National and Moto). As with others though, I haven't managed to dig up any prices. ... ---------------- FWIW, approx. Canadian 100-1000 prices in 1977: Gates: .28 F-F's etc: .48 SRs, adders, etc: 1.50 16Kx1 SRAM: $113.74 mike

15 years, 10 months

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Racal (was: Terminals...)

by dm561＠torfree.net

---------------Original Message: Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 12:51:32 -0400 From: Dave McGuire <mcguire at neurotica.com> Subject: Re: Terminals... On 8/22/10 9:52 AM, dwight elvey wrote: > There was a RACAL that I liked a lot as well ( can't recall the name > but I do recall almost being killed by one that I was tuning the > IF strip ). Mmm, just mentioning RACAL reminds me of (what was) my RA6790/GM. Sadly I had to sell it to pay the mortgage a couple of years ago, plus I felt kinda guilty having such a great receiver but not having much time to use it. Its CPU is a Mostek F8 as I recall, at least on the earlier ones (and mine). -Dave --------------- Speaking of Racal, I still have a Technical Manual for a model 9521 'Computing Counter'; is there a group/forum/site out there somewhere that would be interested (if it isn't already out there)? mike

15 years, 10 months

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Coherent 3.1.0...

by mdavidson1963＠gmail.com

Woo-hoo! Just bought a copy (sealed, apparently) of Coherent 3.1.0 on EBay! That made my day... Mark

15 years, 10 months

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