> Why all this discussion about the iPad? For the stated purpose
> (reading PDFs) would not a similar-form-factor _designed specifically
> for that purpose_ serve much better? By now there are a bunch of
> "e-readers" with e-ink displays - which one of those is currently best
> for scanned PDFs (which is what in this context is the primary
> application!)?
>
> I know that many of the current ones have (fairly) low pixel density
> (thus bad for scanned text even if adequate for OCR'd documents) and
> many suffer from bad PDF support; but I'd expect that at this stage
> _someone_ has made one that is of a good size with high resolution.
>
> At least most of these now support slapping an SD card full of files
> into them, right? This way you're not tied to a network (wireless or
> wired).
While the iPad doesn't have an SD slot there is an adapter from Apple that acts as an SD card reader and USB connecter. Next time I'm at the Apple store I plan to pick one up.
Mark
--
Mark Dodel<madodel at ptd.net>
sent by ibisMail on my Apple iPad!
Also had trouble reading the images with Evince.
Here's a copy I could read:
The *BYTE* 6809 Articles (Jan?February
1979)<http://tlindner.macmess.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/byte_6809_articles.p…>
http://tlindner.macmess.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/byte_6809_articles.p…
30. Re: 6809 transistor count? (CSquared)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> Message: 30
> Date: Mon, 31 May 2010 18:23:07 -0500
> From: CSquared <csquared3 at tx.rr.com>
> Subject: Re: 6809 transistor count?
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic Posts Only <cctech at classiccmp.org>
> > I get about 40K transistors as ball park figure.
> > Ben.
> >
> Thanks for that link; I love reading stuff like that. I'll admit I've
> not diligently researched all the possibilities, but of all the
> 8-bitters I've ever encountered, the 6809 is definitely my favorite.
> The only problem I have with that pdf file is, with my Foxit reader
> anyway, all the pictures are blank. I need to go try it with Adobe to
> see if that matters. Any one else have that problem?
> Later,
> Charlie C.
>
>
>
> End of cctech Digest, Vol 82, Issue 1
> *************************************
>
Hi,
If anyone wants a Macintosh IIcx motherboard (free, and allegedly "new"),
please email me offline at sieler at allegro.com.
Board was found in the estate of a friend, box is marked as "new".
Board was unopened until I broke the seal so I could get the
model number:
Macintosh IIcx Apple Computer
820-0230-B (c) 1988
Preference goes to anyone who can pick it up in Cupertino, CA.
Otherwise, cost of shipping Fed-Ex is needed.
thanks,
Stan
My 2 pennorth,
The business of listing "4 systems you have had experience of" is a
little odd & seems to hint at an administration that don't know one end
of an electrolytic from the other, it's rather like choosing a builder
based upon "what type of housing stock he's worked on". ("Door
sticking?, No mate, I only do victorian terraces & 1930s semis")
Personally I was musing with the idea of volunteering when the kids are
both in school, as I'm 44 and have been doing electronics for about 42
years, and I'm not a million miles away, but it's going to kill me
seeing stuff rot, and not being able to get my hands dirty for the sake
of a piece of paper.
To Ethan Dicks,
7 years ago, you posted in an electronics forum, asking about how to install a composite video input into a cheap, 5 inch, 12 Volt b/w TV set. I've discovered how to do so, and if you're still interested but haven't found out, Let me know and I'll send you the info. I know this message may seem strange, coming to you so very looong after you first posted the question, but oh well...
Here is the link to the forum where you posted the question.
http://www.classiccmp.org/pipermail/cctalk/2003-March/020120.html
Sincerely,
Justin Newman
NewmansKnight at bellsouth.net
Hi All,
Cool TI Micro terminal on ebay for the 990 family
Item # 300432266833
Rob
Rob Borsuk
email: rborsuk at colourfull.com
Colourfull Creations
Web: http://www.colourfull.com
> I have brought my SWTPC 6800 system back to life that I built as a kid
> in 1976. It is pretty heavily loaded with RAM cards, floppy controller,
> etc. and the 8V power supply rail was never really able to hold its own.
> It sits at about 6.5V now... driving many 5V regulators on the various
> cards. No where near enough margin going into those.
>
> So, I am contemplating the following,
>
> 1) rebuild entire power supply using three switchers, 7.5v unit nudged
> up to 8V and two 12V units to supply ?12 on the backplane. <snip>
>
> 2) add a new transformer to the existing supply just for the 8V rail.
> <snip>
> 3) scuttle the legacy RAM cards, most of which are 4K in size built
> with 2102's... and one 16K built with 2114... and replace them with a
> single homebrew RAM card using one 32Kx8 SRAM drawing almost no power
> in comparison to these old cards.
>
> Any recommendations on the best choice?
>
> Chris
>
>
Chris,
If you're planning on using the system somewhat frequently I suggest
making the newer RAM card, keeping the power supply as-is, and saving
the old RAM cards for the future in events where you want the original
system intact. Best of both worlds.
Bill Degnan
On 5/31/10 10:54 AM, Rob Jarratt wrote:
> Why is the graphite pad needed? What would happen if I
> removed it?
>
static charge builds up, and zaps the read preamps.
On 31/05/2010 18:54, Rob Jarratt wrote:
> Thanks to the people on this list and one other (thanks Matt!) I have got my
> RD53 working reliably now. I currently have it installed in a MicroVAX 2000
> with 6MB of memory running MicroVMS 4.6 and DECnet.
>
> I had to remove the old bumper which had become sticky. But to make the disk
> work I had to replace the bumper, so I used some folded over post-it notes
> taped to the top of the head assembly. This seems to work for now, but I
> fear a better solution is needed.
You could try a thin bump-on rubber foot, as used on some small
electrical equipment.
> I also get a grinding noise which becomes
> apparent after the disk has warmed up. I think this comes from the graphite
> pad underneath. I plan to loosen the mounting bolts a little more to see if
> that gets rid of the noise, but I am wondering if there is any other way to
> get rid of it. Why is the graphite pad needed? What would happen if I
> removed it?
It's an antistatic measure for the spindle. Try bending it a little.
It's unlikely to do any harm running with it bent right our of the way
for a while, so you can find out if that's what's making the noise.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York
> apparent after the disk has warmed up. I think this comes from the graphite
> pad underneath. I plan to loosen the mounting bolts a little more to see if
> that gets rid of the noise, but I am wondering if there is any other way to
> get rid of it. Why is the graphite pad needed? What would happen if I
> removed it?
The graphite pad is an earthing contact for the spindle/disks. The idea
is that if the spindle is insulated from the chasis, static build-up
could cause data errors (or even damage to the read amplifier). I've seen
plenty of dissk runnign without the earthing contact, so it is probably
not essential to have it.
Often if you bend the mountign spring so a different bit of the pad
touches the spindle, the noise will go away. Another trick is to stick
something (foam tape is good) on the spring to deaden the sound.
-tony
Thanks to the people on this list and one other (thanks Matt!) I have got my
RD53 working reliably now. I currently have it installed in a MicroVAX 2000
with 6MB of memory running MicroVMS 4.6 and DECnet.
I had to remove the old bumper which had become sticky. But to make the disk
work I had to replace the bumper, so I used some folded over post-it notes
taped to the top of the head assembly. This seems to work for now, but I
fear a better solution is needed. I also get a grinding noise which becomes
apparent after the disk has warmed up. I think this comes from the graphite
pad underneath. I plan to loosen the mounting bolts a little more to see if
that gets rid of the noise, but I am wondering if there is any other way to
get rid of it. Why is the graphite pad needed? What would happen if I
removed it?
Thanks
Rob
At 03:14 PM 5/30/2010, William Donzelli wrote:
>The Roman merchants and engineers had a fairly standard abacus thing,
>so math for them was not as bad as one might think.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_abacus
Similar to the Japanese soroban, it says... and "undeniable proof that Romans
were using a device that exhibited a decimal, place value system, and the
inferred knowledge of a zero value as represented by a column with no beads
in a counted position. Furthermore, the bi-quinary nature of the integer
portion allowed for direct transcription from and to the written Roman
numerals. No matter what the true usage was, what cannot be denied is that
these instruments provide very strong arguments in favour of far greater
facility with practical mathematics known and practised by the Romans."
- John
Does anyone know a reason why I can't remove the G8018's and G8019 and
replace them with newer OEM power supplies? I know that one G8018 supplies
5V @ 25a, +15V @ 2a, -15V @ 2a and +20V @ 4a. I believe the 20V is only used
for core memory. So.a 5v supply @ 50a should be sufficient, and a 2 dual
output +/- 15v supply @ 2@ each should be a reasonable substitute. I am
aware of the functions of the G8019 and that I would be defeating the "dead
fan shutdown" and battery backup feature.
OR.
Does anyone have a written procedure for troubleshooting the backplane,
specifically the SC260m triac, the opto isolator, the 2n6531 transistor and
what causes the 47 ohm resistor to burn. With all boards removed I know how
to defeat the removal of the two G8018's and on a good backplane by adding a
jumper between two pins on the G8018 connectors. I can apply 3v to a pin on
the G8019 connector to get the triac to fire. But this is not enough for
troubleshooting a bad backplane.
All help will be greatly appreciated.
Thom
Melbourne Florida
> Josh wrote:
> I was working on software to dump 4051 tapes over a serial port or the
> GPIB bus, as well as an emulator. Both are still works in progress
> (progress being very slow at the moment) based on disassembling the
> system ROMs and going through the service manuals. I recently came
into
> possession of the actual source code for the 4051's ROMs on
microfiche,
> which I've passed on to Al for archiving. Looking forward to reading
> through those once he's done!
>
> I'm hoping that once I work out enough to write a basic emulation,
I'll
> know enough about the hardware to write some assembly code for the
real
> 4051 to allow raw dumps of 4051 tapes (and hopefully writing them
> back!). But I have a few other things stealing time from me at the
> moment, so it won't be in the near future...
I found some of my notes to "un-secret" the programs on the 4051. You
need to load a string variable with 6800 program code and execute it to
clear the secret flag. This is what I found:
You can execute at the command line:
L$="7?008039"
CALL "exec",L$
The string is code for the hexadecimal equivalent, where A through F is
replaced with a=":", b=";" c="<", d="=", e=">", f="?"
Or the real hex codes are: 7F,00,80,39
Which represent the 6800 instructions:
CLR 00 80 ; clear memory at 0x8000
RTS ; return from subroutine
I have one tape that came with the 4051 I recently acquired. After
replacing the broken band I borrowed from another cartridge I have been
able to read parts of it. It gets a read error part way through the
first file. My question is, how long will old tapes and disk media
remain readable? This tape was written about 20 years ago, and I have
tapes & disks for other systems that are much older. Other than
keeping media in a cool, dry climate away from magnetic fields, what is
the best way to preserve them? How long can the magnetic encoding
survive?
> As to the 8 egg holders in the fridge, perhaps it is
> related to why hot dogs are sold 10 to a pack, and hot
> dog buns are sold 8 to a pack.? One cynical answer to
> that would be a deliberate attempt to force you to buy
> 40 at a time.? Or maybe it is due to the same cause
> for number of appetizers tending to be realively prime
> with the number of diners?
This is an critical, longstanding problem that needs to be addressed. Here is an attempt to do so:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhXzM70CNrw
This is a longshot but I know this list reaches far and wide, so I'll
give it a try. I am looking for a Bulgarian Apple ][ clone known as
the Pravetz (or Pravets) 82:
http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=956&st=1
They were sold (or attempted to be sold) outside of the Eastern Bloc,
I believe in the UK and mainly. Maybe one of them defected during
this time or remained hiding in an attic somewhere in the Motherland.
If you know of one already in the US, that would be great. Otherwise
leads on one (working, preferred!) to be shipping stateside are
appreciated as well.
(And to those with experience with Eastern Euro machines, what is
needed to run them on US power? Just a 220v->110v converter, or does
the video have to be processed from PAL->NTSC as well?)
-j
--
silent700.blogspot.com
Retrocomputing and collecting in the Chicago area:
http://chiclassiccomp.org
I just found an interesting sales pamphlet in some of the stuff from
the January Commodore delivery. It was mixed in with a bunch of
non-Computer books that I also got, so I hadn't noticed it when I
went through the Commodore stuff from that load.
Has anyone heard of, or seen, a series of sensors, electrodes and
cartridges from an outfit called "Bodylog, Inc."? It looks like you
plugged the "Bodylink" into the cartridge slot, which had its own
cartridge slot, microprocessor, and I/O channels for various sensors
and electrodes. Pretty wild, I've never seen anything like this for
a Commodore Computer.
One of the most interesting things is a "Micromem Cartridge", a solid
state storage device for storing Bodylink BASIC programs.
Zane
--
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Administrator |
| healyzh at aracnet.com | OpenVMS Enthusiast |
| | Classic Computer Collector |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, |
| PDP-10 Emulation and Zane's Computer Museum. |
| http://www.aracnet.com/~healyzh/ |
Hi at all,
in the newsgroup comp.os.cpm, more than 10 years ago, there has been a
little discussion about the varying of SBC Ferguson BigBoard 1.
Below i indicate where to find all topics availabe also at this address:
http://elazzerini.interfree.it/FERGUSON BIGBOARD's Daughters.doc
The folks were: Alastair S. Preston, bill_h, David Tweed, Don Maslin, Holger
Petersen, Max, O. Alan Jones, Paul Lenz, and Scott Marti.
I'm interested to know better those SBC varying: schematics, layout,
pictures, EPROM listing, experiences, and so on to try to assemble those
info in my website: http://elazzerini.interfree.it even with link to other
materials across internet. Here you can find the entire discussion in word
format in my website.
Those SBC were:
- JLS Computers (aka Vidtek). produced in Toronto similar to SBC BB1
supported through the Micro/Access online BBS system;
- California something or other name: Bill Sigmund and another
fellow who got Ferguson to 'fix' most of the shortcomings of the original BB
and the Xerox 820 from the SBC BB1;
I'm interested also to get contact with who have or had BBII came with
VARBIOS and ZCPR3... Twente Digitaal in the
Netherlands.
Some info seems to be on a magazine called Computing Now!, the Canadian
computing magazine.
Is anybody who could help to find some issues (already scan on internet)??
At this moment I prefer to leave out from my searches the Kaypro and the
Xerox 820 already WELL documented on Internet.
Bigboard motherboard
1 O. Alan Jones 8 Feb 1998
2 David Tweed 9 Feb 1998
3 timolmst 9 Feb 1998
4 Don Maslin 9 Feb 1998
5 Alastair S. Preston 9 Feb 1998
6 bill_h 9 Feb 1998
7 Paul Lenz 11 Feb 1998
8 bill_h 12 Feb 1998
9 Max 13 Feb 1998
10 bill_h 13 Feb 1998
11 Don Maslin 13 Feb 1998
12 Paul Lenz 14 Feb 1998
13 Alastair S. Preston 12 Feb 1998
14 Max 13 Feb 1998
15 Max 13 Feb 1998
16 Holger Petersen 10 Feb 1998
Thanks for any kind of support.
Regards
Enrico - Pisa - Italy
On Fri, 28 May 2010 21:02:27 -0400, Patrick Finnegan <pat at computer-refuge.org
> wrote:
> km signs indeed do exist. I-19 from Tuscon, AZ south to the Mexico
> border is an example.. distances and exit numbers are given in km. I
> can't remember for sure if speed limits are give in km/h at all, but I
> think they aren't.
>
> Pat
> --
They were for a while (mph and kph) until someone beat a speeding
ticket claiming that he mistook the kph posting to be mph...
CRC
Hi at all,
in the newsgroup comp.os.cpm, more than 10 years ago, there has been a
little discussion about the varying of SBC Ferguson BigBoard 1.
Below i indicate where to find all topics availabe also at this address:
http://elazzerini.interfree.it/FERGUSON BIGBOARD's Daughters.doc
The folks were: Alastair S. Preston, bill_h, David Tweed, Don Maslin, Holger
Petersen, Max, O. Alan Jones, Paul Lenz, and Scott Marti.
I'm interested to know better those SBC varying: schematics, layout,
pictures, EPROM listing, experiences, and so on to try to assemble those
info in my website: http://elazzerini.interfree.it even with link to other
materials across internet. Here you can find the entire discussion in word
format in my website.
Those SBC were:
- JLS Computers (aka Vidtek). produced in Toronto similar to SBC BB1
supported through the Micro/Access online BBS system;
- California something or other name: Bill Sigmund and another
fellow who got Ferguson to 'fix' most of the shortcomings of the original BB
and the Xerox 820 from the SBC BB1;
I'm interested also to get contact with who have or had BBII came with
VARBIOS and ZCPR3... Twente Digitaal in the
Netherlands.
Some info seems to be on a magazine called Computing Now!, the Canadian
computing magazine.
Is anybody who could help to find some issues (already scan on internet)??
At this moment I prefer to leave out from my searches the Kaypro and the
Xerox 820 already WELL documented on Internet.
Bigboard motherboard
1 O. Alan Jones 8 Feb 1998
2 David Tweed 9 Feb 1998
3 timolmst 9 Feb 1998
4 Don Maslin 9 Feb 1998
5 Alastair S. Preston 9 Feb 1998
6 bill_h 9 Feb 1998
7 Paul Lenz 11 Feb 1998
8 bill_h 12 Feb 1998
9 Max 13 Feb 1998
10 bill_h 13 Feb 1998
11 Don Maslin 13 Feb 1998
12 Paul Lenz 14 Feb 1998
13 Alastair S. Preston 12 Feb 1998
14 Max 13 Feb 1998
15 Max 13 Feb 1998
16 Holger Petersen 10 Feb 1998
Thanks for any kind of support.
Regards
Enrico - Pisa - Italy
I'm thinking of heading over to frys this weekend to pick up an LCD TV
for use with a few classic computers and maybe classic gaming
consoles. I'd like something that will have good image quality for
use with things like Amigas and c64s. I'd like to avoid things like
submarining mouse pointers, ghosting around letters (ringing?) and
aspect ratio problems.
A VGA port would be nice also. Bonus for being able to use the NTSC
frequencies when the signal is coming from the VGA port so I can
attach the amiga right to that. Obviously, I'd want a composite and
svga input also. Even coax would be useful in case I pick up a 2600
or colecovision.
Can anyone suggest a make and model that has all of this?
brian
I have a set of cards installed in a PDP-11/24 I am readying for sale,
and I can not ID them. They are a pair of quad heights, linked by a
ribbon cable, and the etch says M-215 INTERFACE. The logo is a B with
eight arrows coming out, sort of forming a square. The logo looks
familiar, but I just can not place it. There is a place for an
external cable or two to connect.
Any ideas? M215?
There is also a mystery hex height CDC card in this thing - possibly
the mythical Unibus Cyberchannel card.
--
Will
Search for item 200305540332. The listing includes some very clear photos, including terminal, desk, manuals and floppies.
I hope it works!
Regards,
John
_________________________________________________________________
http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/197222280/direct/01/
Do you have a story that started on Hotmail? Tell us now
On 5/28/2010 1:01 AM, Eric Smith<eric at brouhaha.com> wrote:
>
> On 05/27/2010 10:30 AM, Dave McGuire wrote:
>> > Especially by it's being an attached processor, nearly all Cray-1
>> > software (save for things like libraries) would be specific to whatever
>> > front-end system was in use.
> Not usually. The operating system needs to know a little bit about
> what's connected to the I/O channels (including the front-end systems),
> but user-space software, including applications, normally relies on
> operating system services from COS or UniCOS running natively on the
> main CPU. Application software didn't normally interact directly with
> the front-end systems any more than than application software on IBM
> mainframes interacts with the mainframe's service processor. The
> front-end systems were there to boot and manage the system and provide
> I/O services for the operating system. Usually when sites upgraded from
> a Cray-1 to an XMP they didn't have to change their application software
> at all, even though the front end was completely different.
Eric is correct, at least in my experience on the XMP-48 that was at
PSC. VAX/VMS front ends were used to edit programs and submit them to
to the Cray (running COS), and some time later the results would return.
I sent code to someone else on a different front end, and as I
understand, all he had to do was mod the script to submit the jobs for
the local toolset. No changes to the code.
KJ
Hi All,
I was chasing some links this morning when I got wondering if anyone reverse engineered / upgraded the superpet add on board for the 8032 PET? 8032 PET's are pretty common and it would be pretty cool to get an upgraded add on board to turn it into a Superpet. Maybe with an SD slot on it or a networking port.
Rob
Rob Borsuk
email: rborsuk at colourfull.com
Colourfull Creations
Web: http://www.colourfull.com
> Waiting for people to volunteer will not get you the right people at the
> right time.
But how do you find them?
> If you have a system that needs fixing then find somebody who
> has experience and will help. Don't waste their time with travel to BP or
> anywhere else.
Can't do that with Germanium giants like mine, anyway the volunteer would need 700 square feet to install it and then wire wrap tens of thousands of connections to get back to where it was when it left its home.
> Get it in a vehicle and deliver it and collect it when done.
And another three months to reassemble it.
>
> The two major issues most restorers have are space and transport.
Agreed.
> They would
> save more systems if they had the right transport and space to work. So if
> you want to be a working computer museum get yourself a big van and some
> hefty volunteers. Then make friends with known restorers. Horse trade parts
> they may need for their work on your systems. Don't be afraid to exchange
> items in storage for something a collector ahs and you would add to your
> display. The old 'the donor wouldn't like it' excuse is nonsense.
Well if I do eventually donate my mainframe it will be on the proviso that it remains my property until I die so that they cannot do that even if the machine is in storage in the hanger in Dorset. If I didn't mind it being messed with I could sell it for a lot of money myself.
Spare parts I donate with the machine are a slightly different matter, provided they are swapping for things to be used on my machine.
I am still amazed at the price of punched cards on eBay. I've got enough we make notes on them and that horrifies some people, but I bought 110,000 of the for 11 pounds back in the late '70s, though I did break the suspension on my father's Daimler transporting them.
Roger Holmes
ICT 1301 5 ton / 13kVA mainframe from 1962
After getting another inquiry about the P112 kits, I started wondering
how many people would be interested in putting down money for a
pre-order before I actually order the parts and boards. That's
partially the way it ran for the run of 100 I did a few years ago. More
recently, I made an expensive mess running a prepaid group order for
FP-6120 toggle switches, so I'm bit shy about taking preorders again.
If anyone out there has deep pockets to help me finance something like
this, I'd be glad to get the help. I could use the business too.
Unless and until I get a new job, this is probably the only way I can
get P112 kits made.
See me at 661.org if you have any questions.
--
David Griffith
dgriffi at cs.csubak.edu
A: Because it fouls the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
A: Top-posting.
Q: What is the most annoying thing in e-mail?
Hi guys,
Just out of curiosity, is anyone planning to attend the UK Vintage
Computer Festival this year? The one that's running on the 19th and 20th
of June at Bletchley Park?
I'm toying with the idea of booking some time off work and going down on
the train for either the Saturday or the Sunday; I'd rather like to see
the talks by Sophie Wilson and Tony Sale, although it'd be nice to meet
up with a few of the UK-based classiccmp'ers as well. The mailing list
is fine, but it'd be nice to put names to faces :)
I also figure the "VCF Flea Market" might be a good way to get my sticky
paws on some 8-inch floppy drives, discs and possibly an MFM hard drive
and controller pair or two. I still don't have a working 8in drive to
test the DiscFerret with...
Speaking of which, I could be persuaded to bring the current "circuit
test" prototype down with me, though booking a table will probably be a
real pig at this late stage, and I'm willing to wager it's probably
going to be too expensive for my budget anyway (I'm saving my last ?150
to get a run of prototype PCBs made!)...
Cheers,
--
Phil.
classiccmp at philpem.me.uk
http://www.philpem.me.uk/
Date: Wed, 26 May 2010 11:40:05 +0100
From: Andrew Back <andy at flirble.org>
Subject: Re: Anyone off to VCF-UK?
On (05:45 26/05/10), RodSmallwood wrote:
<snip>
>> Will somebody who knows these people explain what they have done and at
>> least get an apology for Tony.
>What an absurd suggestion and one that speaks volumes.
>Regards,
>Andrew
-----------
Yes, that a suggestion to hear an actual reasoned response to Tony's (and
others') observations and experiences instead of just dismissing them with
childish name-calling, word-twisting and insults is considered "absurd" does
indeed speak volumes....
I was wondering if anyone here has access to a CNC machine. The thing is a
smooth elongated toroid about the size of a little finger with a small
side hole.
--
David Griffith
dgriffi at cs.csubak.edu
A: Because it fouls the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
A: Top-posting.
Q: What is the most annoying thing in e-mail?
> Message: 5
> Date: Wed, 26 May 2010 15:01:21 -0400
> From: William Donzelli <wdonzelli at gmail.com>
> Message-ID:
> <AANLkTik3IF6D3zdmI22zLpME9I0kH5bNp_8jVpF37VKt at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> > ? ? ? ?Really? Must've missed that part.
>
> Recall that Tony has a history of being an ungrateful schmuck when it
> comes to VCF. Go back in the archives maybe five or six years - it was
> with one of Sellam's events. There is also a history of BP museum
> bashing.
Okay, I'll amend my comment to "I don't recall" him coming across as
ungrateful; and I don't remember an incident regarding VFC Sellam &
Tony.. Maybe before I joined the list?
> > ? ? ? ?Perhaps, he may have; but after being a member of this list
> > for a few
> > years now, I highly doubt that what is happened. I have never seen
> > _any_
> > evidence on this list of Tony being an ego-maniac, as you seen to
be > > trying
> > to paint him as.
>
> Hmm...
I'll take that as a disagreement... There may have been a message or 3
where he was egotistical, but I don't remember the messages exactly.
They must've been few & far enough in between for them to not give me a
bad opinion of him. I try to judge people on thier overall history
average. Good people do stupid things occasionally, and I'm sure even
Charles Manson was nice once.
> > ? ? ? ?Enough is enough already.
>
> Yes, if the museum bashing were to stop and some certain people just
> came clean, it would be great.
>
> Not going to happen...
Unfortunately, you are right. Humans are imperfect, and amazing
creatures of habit.
--
--- 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
The degradation of this whole thread highlights _exactly_ why email is
a horrible communication method when you need to convey opinions,
emotions, intent, and other subjective information.
Tony, please don't go. Even though I only read here, and only
contribute the odd link to a classic computing article; I ( and I
guarantee many others) enjoy and appreciate everything you contribute
here. That's very likely why people offered to get you to the event.
Now for some comments & observations, placed inline:
> Message: 2
> Date: Tue, 25 May 2010 19:08:59 -0400
> From: Evan Koblentz <evan at snarc.net>
> Message-ID: <4BFC588B.6010102 at snarc.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
>
>> But my original message asked how others would benefit from having me there.
>
> That is exactly what I * said * that you said! And my point is, if you
> have the attitude "What will others benefit from MY attendance," then
> you're looking at it all wrong. You should go to VCF for * your own *
> benefit. But the event certainly won't succeed or fail because of any
> one attendee.
That may be what he wrote, but you seem to have taken it all wrong.
>> Ah, I see, SO the reason to attend a VCF is for what you can take, not
>> what you can offer.
>
> No, but your attitude seems to be all about yourself.
It may be for this particular topic; but not in any ego-centric way. It
seems he was saying (in a round about way) 'Why do you want me to go?'.
> Message: 3
> Date: Tue, 25 May 2010 19:18:01 -0400
> From: Evan Koblentz <evan at snarc.net>
> Message-ID: <4BFC5AA9.7000108 at snarc.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
>> I think Tony's just humbly asking why it's so important to these folks
>> to persuade him to go.
>
> I think Tony's being an ungrateful schmuck.
And honestly, your usage of alternate names & descriptions does nothing
good for your image.
>> he said that in his judgement it is not aimed at somone like him any
>> more than a dog show or exhibition of the latest sex toys might be
>
> "There might be common, non-serious collectors present! I'm too good
> for THOSE people!" Ugh .... spare us.
Hmm, nope. I'd say he thought (being a very intelligent person who
knows quite a bit about this) was more like 'The displays there probably
won't go into enough detail for my (Tony's) interest.' What's wrong with
that?
>> He might be wrong of course and if he had attended he might well have
>> enjoyed it, but it is his choice after all; why does that offend and
>> upset so many people?
>
> It offends and upsets me because he's not just saying, "Thanks, but no
> thanks;" instead he's insulting the entire VCF franchise, all computer
> museums, and all people who attend such things.
Really? Must've missed that part.
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 14
> Date: Wed, 26 May 2010 01:13:22 -0400
> From: Evan Koblentz <evan at snarc.net>
> Subject: Re: Anyone off to VCF-UK?
> Message-ID: <4BFCADF2.1090102 at snarc.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
>
>> he had already gone there, volunteered and been insulted, charged for entry and given no respect whatsoever. They clearly know even less about the community of computer restorers than they do about computers.
>>
>> Will somebody who knows these people explain what they have done and at
>> least get an apology for Tony.
>
> None of us can speak for TNMoC or explain their (alleged) rudeness.
> But, if they know nothing and don't care about the community of
> collectors/restorers, then they wouldn't be hosting a VCF, nor would
> Sellam allow them to do so.
>
> I'm going to speculate: perhaps Tony showed up, waltzed in, and
> proclaimed that he knew better than all of them. In any group or
> company, that sort of person would be treated rudely. He's doing the
> same thing now: "The only reason to attend a VCF is to privilege
> everyone else with MY presence, but those people aren't worthy MY time."
Perhaps, he may have; but after being a member of this list for a few
years now, I highly doubt that what is happened. I have never seen _any_
evidence on this list of Tony being an ego-maniac, as you seen to be
trying to paint him as.
> I see a trend here.
Would that be the one of you not reading his messages correctly?
> ------------------------------
Evan - I'm not picking at just you; it's only that this last digest
got me to thinking that Tony is getting beat up over nothing, correction
- misinterpretation.
Enough is enough already.
--
--- 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
Hello all,
I just got a nice Baseball shaped Hannspree 9.6 inch tv from ebay. My
problem is that I want to use the svideo input but this is only available at
their 10 pin mini-din connector. The 10 pin proprietary 4-in-1 cable that
has to be used for svideo wasn't included in the auction. I found out that
Hannspree support is useless for technical questions like this. I couldn't
find any pinout info from google etc. so I'm wondering if anyone here has a
link or has a cable that they could check with an ohmmeter and supply me
with this info. The 4-in-1 cable has connections for svideo, composite
video, and left & right audio. This info should be posted somewhere because
these tv's make nice monitors (800 x 600) for projects and are easy to remove from the
original shell. TIA.
Ralph
Date: Tue, 25 May 2010 00:42:20 -0400
From: Evan Koblentz <evan at snarc.net>
Subject: re: Anyone off to VCF-UK
> I didn't read any of this thread until tonight, when I read the whole
>thing ... and now I have a headache. :)
--
Maybe from the mental effort of finding new ways to twist other
peoples' words and reply as judgementally and rudely as possible?
--
>>Tony wrote: >>> What benefit would there be to the rest of the classic
>>computer community if I visited such an event
>...VCF attendees (and most exhibitors) don't attend with the attitude,
>"Everyone is there to see ME" -- they go with the attitude of, "I'm there
>to see everyone else." ... Anyone non-celebrity who thinks their
>personal attendance is for others' benefit -- well, such people won't
>be missed.
--
I don't think Tony said or suggested anything of the sort; apparently
his reason for attending would not be to "see everyone else," but to
see (and perhaps share some of his) interesting computer items.
But you value only the knowledge, experience, etc. of "celebrities"?
I suspect that if everyone who attends these affairs primarily in order
to give others the possibility to see and/or learn about their interesting
items or experience stayed away then they would be sorely missed.
Apparently others on this list *would* have valued his attendance and
were even prepared to pay his way, and I think Tony's just humbly
asking why it's so important to these folks to persuade him to go.
--
>Tony wrote, ...
>> I do have sufficient reservations about ... who it appears to be
>>aimed at that I will not be attending.
>It's aimed at all the same kinds of people who attend every other VCF.
>you're saying you won't attend because you don't like "those" kind of
>nerds?
--
He said nothing of the sort; he said that in his judgement it is not
aimed at somone like him any more than a dog show or exhibition
of the latest sex toys might be, and he is choosing not to spend his
time and money (especially others' money) in order to attend.
He might be wrong of course and if he had attended he might well
have enjoyed it, but it is his choice after all; why does that offend
and upset so many people?
--
>>> I do hope the event is a success, though.
>Gee ... thanks.
--
Most ungracious, but hardly surprising considering the source...
mike
Does anyone have any tech info on EECO paper tape reader?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360166759118
Looked through my pile, and I don't seem to have anything on them.
They're interesting because the tape guide can be set to 5/6/8 level
I didn't read any of this thread until tonight, when I read the whole
thing ... and now I have a headache. :)
Some thoughts:
Tony wrote: >>> What benefit would there be to the rest of the classic
computer community if I visited such an event
Having attended five VCF events (four California, one Boston) and
personally organized four more (East 3, 4, 5, and 6), I can say this
with complete confidence: VCF attendees (and most exhibitors) don't
attend with the attitude, "Everyone is there to see ME" -- they go with
the attitude of, "I'm there to see everyone else." VCF is a * community
* event. Even some of the most name-brand keynote and panel speakers at
past VCFs were excited to see the rest of the show, despite them truly
being brought in for others to meet. Anyone non-celebrity who thinks
their personal attendance is for others' benefit -- well, such people
won't be missed.
Rod wrote: >>> it would appear that computer museums are groups of
donation funded, unpaid volunteers
That part is true. In the MARCH computer museum @ the InfoAge Science
Center, here in New Jersey, we're all volunteers and our group is solely
donation-funded.
>>> who seek to aquire as many inanimate examples as possible.
False. We're not out for quantity. We turn away quite a lot -- and so
do professional well-funded museums like the CHM. Here in NJ, sometimes
we do take in more examples of Computers Brand X than we really need,
but usually that's because the alternative is the owner throwing it away.
>>> Systems are made to work only to attract visitors and hence revenue.
We make systems work for the art, education, fun, and history of it. *
Of course * that also includes attracting visitors -- how is that a bad
thing!? I can't speak for other museums, but we're a not-for-profit, so
any "revenue" we make is solely for the purpose of operating the museum
and hosting events like VCF, certainly not to line anyone's pockets.
>>> The members of the groups would much rather the space was used to
store even more non working equipment and keep it out of sight and
accessible only to the select few.
That's not only wrong, it is offensive. Small museums like ours, and
big museums like CHM, have "visible storage" and frequently arrange
behind-the-scenes tours -- expressly because we want to * show * people
what we have in our collections. In our case here at MARCH, it's also
because we hope the visitors will become members and help us restore
ever-more systems to working condition.
Pat wrote: >>> At all of the VCF/Midwest events I ran, I never had any
problem with any of the public doing anything to harm exhibits, and the
exhibitors have complete control (within reason anyhow) of their own
exhibit.
That is universally true at all U.S. VCFs, and it's true at Europe, from
what Hans has told me. Sellam, not Patrick, nor myself has ever had a
security problem at a VCF. Here in NJ, our security is extra-safe,
because we host VCF at our own venue -- so we're the ones who lock the
doors at the end of the day.
Will wrote: >>> I would encourage all our UK and European members to
give this show a chance. Go. You will have fun. Go to any VCF you can.
Yes !!!
>>> Go to the MARCH VCFEast, so you can pick a fight with me.
But take it outside, please. :) No fighting in our buildings!
>>> There seem to be some assholes ... but they can be ignored, and fun
will be had by all attending. I wish I could be there
+1
Tony wrote, in another reply: >>> from what I've heard from talking to
people who've attended the VCF in the States or in Germany, it appears
it will be a somewhat different sort of event.
I haven't heard that.
>>> I do have sufficient reservations about ... who it appears to be
aimed at that I will not be attending.
It's aimed at all the same kinds of people who attend every other VCF.
you're saying you won't attend because you don't like "those" kind of nerds?
>>> I do hope the event is a success, though.
Gee ... thanks.
Free Kaypro 2x
Working when last used a 3 years ago.
Looks great.
Believe there is a system disk with it.
Can drop off between Toronto, ON and Kingston, ON, or come pick it up in
Cobourg.
Contact me off-list.
Oops, looks like in my previous post I attributed one of the quotes to Tony
instead of Rod and although it doesn't really change anything, apologies
anyway if either of them was offended; perhaps one or both might indeed have
enjoyed a dog show or sex toy exhibition... ;-)
mike
In case you've not already heard, I have just been told that Martin
Gardner has passed away.
He was, of course, responsible for many excellent books of mathematical
puzzles. He had a defintie knack of being able to make something simple
enough to understand but still keeping enough mathematics there to be
worthwhile.
The world is certainly a poorer place without him.
He certainly inspered me to love mathemaitcs. Had I not read his books
some years ago, my life would have been very different. I don't think I
am exagerating if I say that without his books I would not have passed
A-level mathematics...
True story : Many years ago I was given a couple of his books as a
Newtonsday presnet. Once contained a chapter on base -2 arithmeatic. I
spent the next day or so designing a base -2 full-adder circuit and
soldering it up. Never found any practical use for it, but...
-tony
> I know they have created a new one recently demoing the PDP11 based system
> used at the UK Air Traffic Control centre until a few years ago, but they do
> not seem to have published it yet.
FWIW, the write-up of the 'restoration' of that machine in Computer
Resurraection was quickly retitled by some of my friends 'What not to do
with a PDP11'
And for all it was written up in 'Computer Resurraction; which seems to
be related ot the CCS, and for all when I joined the CCS I listed the
PDP11 as one of the mahcines I had knowledge of, no questions ever came
my way. So I am wondering what the point of lisitng the machines i had
knowledge of was...
-tony
Some of you may recall that I had posted almost a year ago with an HP 64110A portable logic analyzer station. At the time I was only interested in selling the whole thing as a set, but now I am willing to part it out, since a buyer for the whole thing hasn't really surfaced.
I have the following parts:
HP 64110A- all stock parts present and fully functional, including CRT, dual disk drives, video RAM board, main processor board, keyboard, power supply.
HP 64110A "backpack" vinyl pouch, in good condition. Some faded ink smudges on the front from wet dot matrix printer paper.
HP 108338 networking cable, in excellent condition
Some misc. floppy disks, including boot disk, disk utils., timing disks, and a few with no labels.
I have 5x HP 64604A 8 channel timing probe pods, with a plethora of probes. I also have 3 connecting cables for said pods which can run to the timing analyzer boards inside of the station.
I have tons of probes, including some special probes that come with a DIP chip clamp. All these are still in their original HP branded ziploc bags.
I also have two timing analysis boards, and the main control board for them, along with all associated cables. So that's two 64602A's and one 64601A.
I don't have any firm prices, since I don't know what these things are worth. I also haven't had the opportunity to fully test all this gear, since I am not versed in operating it. If you'd like anything tested I'd be happy to do so for you, provided you can walk me through it. I'm also happy to take pictures of anything you'd like, but I already have some uploaded to Picasa if you'd like a look: http://picasaweb.google.com/arf.at.sjv/HP64110APortableMainframe
If you need any of these things, please feel free to email me at arfink at sdf.lonestar.org or to call me at 763-789-1285.
Thanks very much, and have a nice day!
-Tony Fink
Just wondering if anyone has the pinout for the NCR 53C400 SCSI
controller (68 pin PLCC).
FWIW, I have the "NCR 5380 53C80 SCSI Interface Chip Design Manual"
as well as the NCR "SCSI Engineering Notebook", if anyone cares to
form a collection of information for early NCR SCSI chips.
--Chuck
Rob Jarratt wrote:
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-
>> bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of allison
>> Sent: 20 May 2010 20:13
>> To: General Discussion: On-Topic Posts Only
>> Subject: Re: RD53 Restoration
>>
>> Tony Duell wrote:
>>
>>>> Yes, this drive did have a sticky bumper. I resolved it by putting a
>>>>
>> very
>>
>>>> thin sliver of tape over the sticky bit. I did not loosen any bolts,
>>>>
>> but
>>
>>> I wonder if that bumper is no the wrong size, and that is what's
>>>
>> causing
>>
>>> the problems.Maybe the heads have to be able to find something o nthe
>>> disk for hte drive to not find an error.
>>>
>>> -tony
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> I've outright removed the bumper with no ill effect. Reason for that
>> is unsticking it once didn't work as it would stick again. Only
>> solution
>> was remove the offending material. Result was a reliable working drive
>> that when powered off emitted a noticeable "clunk". That has had no
>> impact on reliability, least not for the last 10 years.
>>
>>
>
> After putting back the original boards the disk worked again for a bit. But
> it is not working again now and I have determined that I have not completely
> cured the sticky bumper because when I placed a very small screwdriver in
> front of the bumper the heads moved again.
>
> I am curious about your solution of removing the sticky material entirely, I
> can't see how to do that without what looks like some serious dismantling,
> something which you recommended against on an earlier thread, maybe there is
> an easy way I cannot see. If anyone can tell me how do this I would really
> appreciate it (if anyone has a photo showing how this is done that would be
> great).
>
> Thanks
>
> Rob
>
>
>
I did it by grabbing the offending material with a very fine and long pair
of forceps and pulling it out. At the time I was quite annoyed and had
other more pressing things on my todo list and that was, in the way,
and I needed that drive working. No disassembly short of removing
the cover.
FYI: the head positioner has very low torque so any sticky will trap
the head.
Allison
i went to school in fullerton,ca with charlie marbury on the 4118 we were trained by the hughes engineers i helped install and maintain the 4118 at keesler i retired in 1973 my email address is wfp1934 at bellsouth.net my name is fred panter. we were trained in 1970