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

by tshoppa＠wmata.com

Keith writes: > I'd like to just plug my ipod into my Windows PC, and copy my .mp3's to > it. It seems absurd to me that you can't do this. Forget the huge > bloated management application that is constantly advertising and trying > to sell you something. You can do that... you just don't use the Apple iTunes software to do it. I use GNUpod under linux, but I'm sure it'd work under Windows too. What's ironic is that I use a Microsoft VFAT file system under linux Gnupod to write To an apple device. When mish-mashes of hardware, filesystems, etc., occur Like that in fact it's hard to even think in terms of religious wars anymore. You just plug everything together and it's ugly but it works. It's not as ugly As the Apple iTunes software! There's a lot of generic music devices out there too that don't need the gnupod layer at all. Tim.

16 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

General machine cleaning

by jfoust＠threedee.com

At 10:03 AM 1/25/2010, you wrote: >Not sure how it is about taking goo off, but for cleaning up old machines in >general, I like those Magic Erasers from Mr Clean. I haven't looked into >the ingredients, but whatever's in it, they hit the nail of the head. If >you have some machines that have marker writing in stead of an asset tag, >this might take it off. For me, it's worked in some cases and not others. >It will take those general hard to remove scuffs off also. I start cleaning >new machines by first scrubbing them with baby wipes, then a magic eraser. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melamine_foam "In the early 21st century it was discovered that melamine foam was an effective abrasive cleaner. The open cell foam is microporous and its polymeric substance is extremely hard, so that when used for cleaning it works like extremely fine sandpaper, getting into tiny grooves and pits in the object being cleaned." - John

16 years, 5 months

2
1
0 0

Large pdp-8/i on eBay

by v.slyngstad＠verizon.net

Tim put his 8/i up on eBay a couple of hours ago. It's worth a look. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320475395861 Vince -- o< The ASCII Ribbon Campaign Against HTML Email!

16 years, 5 months

7
7
0 0

museums

by js＠cimmeri.com

> Keith M wrote > > My computer of choice is the Amiga. ... [entire essay] ... Once > something becomes obsolete, it's not often preserved because it seems > to have no value, and then you're posting on goofy forums and paying > $300 years later to get your hands on one. Extremely nice writeup, Keith. The more I think about the subject, the more complicated it is. There's just a lot of factors that go into something having meaning for us, and those factors are going to be different for every person, as well as changing as the person matures or learns more. For instance, I started out collecting machines I had as a young guy -- Apple II, S-100, Mac. But because of the internet, delving into those led by chance into learning about others... never imagined I'd end up with a PDP-11 in my house. You are so right about soul. I will never collect one of my Dell laptops, even though I love them as an appliance.. and I really can't tell you why. Maybe if my first machine ever had been a Dell laptop? For me, at some point machines evolve from being magical to commonplace. Computers when they first appeared in my life really did seem magical... Remember the feeling of your first car vs. buying cars now? Perhaps it is precisely that initial awe of something new is what inures us to certain machines and not to others... Machines that don't wow us now because our initial exposure has passed, might wow others. Or maybe, kids growing up with them will see them as like a toaster -- so ordinary as to be nothing more than a tool... who knows. More, it's being able to comprehend the machine. The machines I collect are ones I can service and fairly comprehend the entire picture of (even if not all the options and variations). Machines today.. whether they be cars or computers... are beyond my currently ability to service or fully understand the innards of... therefore, I'm forced to just accept them as tools that work. John Singleton

16 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Znner diode data

by ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk

The quick versions : Does anyone know of a book or website which gives brief characteristics of zemer diodes? The ones we use in Europe tend to have the zener voltage given as a suffix to the part number, but the US ones have 1Nxxxx numbers which tell me very little. The actual device I am looking for info on is a 1N5365 , but knowing where to look in future would be useful. The long version : I've got an HP2631 printer (wide carriage dot matrix with an HPIB interface). When I extracted it from my junk pile, it gave a power-on error (according to the service manual on hpmuseum.net) that was a RAM error. After pulling the case and CPU board, I was amused to see the RAMs were our old friends, 2114s. So I desoldered the RAM that the error code said had failed and fitted a new one. Next time I ppowered on, all hell broke loose. The carriage rammed into the right side plate and the carriage motor breaker tripped. Then the 2 fuses on the PSU board for the +/-20V rails blew, and the status LEDs for the +/-12V regulated supply rails went out. THe last is not too suprising, those rails are regualted down from the 20V ones. Replacement fuses blew at swtich-on Quick checks have indicated that both carriage motor drive transsitors (a 2N5844 and a 2N5886) are shorted all ways round. So is the overvoltage protection zneer between the -20V line and ground -- this is the 1N5365 I mentioned. I obviosuly need to replace these parts -- after finding out what caused the transistors to fail. -tony

16 years, 5 months

10
12
0 0

Catweasel support for Intel M2FM working!

by snhirsch＠gmail.com

I'm pleased to announce that the maintainer of Linux cwtool has implemented working support for reading and writing Intel M2FM "DD" diskettes as used with the Intellec development systems :-). Karsten did some analysis of raw bit images I sent him and produced a working driver within a week! As a "smoke" test (my MDS800 is not functional at the moment), I duplicated the ISIS-II system diskette and sent the copy to a person with a working system. It boots, catalogs and otherwise looks fine. I have about 20-25 original distribution diskettes for the MDS800 and will get busy imaging them ASAP. Who would be willing to host these? They are "cooked" images, so it would be possible to extract the files >from them with a bit of work. However, they're obviously of the most use to folks with access to a Catweasel board (and an Intellec system). Steve --

16 years, 5 months

8
19
0 0

General machine cleaning (was Re: Recurring subject: Goo removal)

by brianlanning＠gmail.com

Not sure how it is about taking goo off, but for cleaning up old machines in general, I like those Magic Erasers from Mr Clean. I haven't looked into the ingredients, but whatever's in it, they hit the nail of the head. If you have some machines that have marker writing in stead of an asset tag, this might take it off. For me, it's worked in some cases and not others. It will take those general hard to remove scuffs off also. I start cleaning new machines by first scrubbing them with baby wipes, then a magic eraser. brian

16 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Museums

by wdonzelli＠gmail.com

> Apparently the distinction is headed for the scrap heap. Interesting that "scrap heap" is mentioned. A real museum should have some formal mechanism so stuff does not end up in the scrap heap after the museum fails. Failure can be the loss of funding, loss of space, death of "the main guy", divorce, apathy, or a million other reasons. Recall about a week or so ago I had an informal survey concerning wills, and taking care of collections after the collectors have passed. Results were better than last time - barely. Two. I guess this means there are going to be a lot of Straight-8s and Apple Is scrapped in the next 20-30 years. -- Will

16 years, 5 months

7
10
0 0

Museum for sale

by js＠cimmeri.com

----- Rich Alderson wrote: I would consider Robert Krten's pdp12.org to be an on-line museum, ----- Dan Roganti wrote: Such a collection is quite admirable and valuable. But using the term "online museum" just *continues* to depreciate the meaning of a museum. Anyone can make a website, take photos, copy documentation, etc, etc, and then call it an online museum. Then who's to say that you ever have to own the equipment anymore in the first place ? =Dan -- mu?se?um (my?-z???m) n. Abbr. mus. 1. A building, place, or institution devoted to the acquisition, conservation, study, exhibition, and educational interpretation of objects having scientific, historical, or artistic value. {American Heritage} By this def, Robert's home (a "place") and website qualify collectively as a modest museum. I think it's better to argue over the aspects of his museum -- such as quality, size, rank amongst others, etc -- rather than what word Robert has likely casually ascribed to his purpose. Evan, when I invite others into my house, I often joke, "welcome to the museum" or if I don't, they call it that. There's casual usages of words, then there's serious ones. John Singleton

16 years, 5 months

3
2
0 0

PDP 8A value?

by vax9000＠gmail.com

I saw the talk about PDP 8/L and found a 8A locally. It comes with a paper tape punch. What is the value of it? Does it worth it to bring to ebay, and offer the list member 10%-20% off?

16 years, 5 months

4
4
0 0

Free in Seattle - SGI Personal Iris 4D/35 & Iris File

by derschjo＠mail.msu.edu

Local pickup only, these things are huge. I have a 4D/35 in non-working condition. It doesn't power on but is complete (well, ok, it's lacking drives and sleds) with 64mb memory and if I recall, a full complement of video hardware (GR 1.2, bitplane, z-buffer, turbo.) I can take it apart again if you want to know for 100% sure. It's in decent cosmetic condition, but it could use some TLC. A fun machine when working, especially if you want to play around with older versions of IRIX. Comes with an Iris File (external SCSI enclosure the same size as the Iris itself). Again, no drives or sleds. I'm in the Seattle area. If you want it, come and get it in the next week or it's off to RE-PC in Tukwila... Thanks, Josh

16 years, 5 months

4
4
0 0

scandoubler/flicker fixer etc. recommendations

by emu＠e-bbes.com

Hi all, as we had the thread before about good LCD panels which would work on our old machines, I thought of a different approach : Why not use the semi-standard good quality lcd panels with 1600x1200 (4:3) format, and use some flicker/fixer scan doubler as converter ? Is there actually one, which would really work ? I mean, from the old 512x256 resolutions up to the 1024x768 would scale up nicely, accepts BNC, SOG, and whatever we else use on our lovely boxes ? Cheers

16 years, 5 months

7
14
0 0

Museums

by js＠cimmeri.com

William Donzelli wrote: Recall about a week or so ago I had an informal survey concerning wills, and taking care of collections after the collectors have passed. Results were better than last time - barely. Two. I guess this means there are going to be a lot of Straight-8s and Apple Is scrapped in the next 20-30 years. Will ------------------------------------------- One problem I see is that the general population views old computers as just a bunch of old office equipment. When my friends come over, they tease me about all the effort I put into this stuff, saying, "Why bother with all this old crap? You realize that when you die, it's just all going into a dumpster?" And that's precisely what's going to happen if those not knowledgeable are left with your collection in their hands and not knowing what to do with it. It's just too hard to sell for most people. So, seems like "old office equipment collectors" could use a safe, central place to register... a place that they or their heirs can contact when it's time for the collection to go.. an organization that either handles dispensing of the collection, or that merely alerts others in the collecting world that the collection is available. Another question is whether old computers will have the same popularity as they have now (whatever that level of popularity is now). Will interest go up over time, or will it go down as the people that grew up with those models are replaced by people who did not? I would hazard the guess that most people are most fond of the machines they grew up with.. and then second, those that at least existed during their lifetimes, and then lastly, a sharp drop off for those that existed prior to their lifetimes. That pattern could change some due to machines having gotten so much smaller starting in the 70's. The prior question has much bearing on how much goes to dumpsters. If you others are contacted about a collection, will they even come? What is the best thing, today, that I can tell my family about what to do with this collection if I were to check out? I really don't know the answer to that question. John Singleton

16 years, 5 months

7
7
0 0

Museum for sale

by RichA＠vulcan.com

> From:Rob Jarratt > Sent: Friday, January 22, 2010 10:26 AM > My dictionary says a museum is "A building used for storing and exhibition > of objects...". Not much exhibiting going on in this "museum". I think a > museum is only a museum if the public can go there and see the physical > objects. I don't think a web site can be a museum, unless the "objects" are > software or other purely digital artefacts. Here's what the American Association of Museums, the accrediting organization for museums in the U. S., has to say about that: http://www.aam-us.org/pubs/mn/snapshot.cfm Anyone who studies museums in a serious way will quickly encounter a few hurdles. First, you can't really define museums; at least, there is no definition that can be used consistently to include or exclude organizations from the ranks. A number of such groups as the International Council of Museums have written definitions that they use to determine membership. Others, such as the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, use a definition to determine funding eligibility. The definitions agree on a few key points: museums are educational in nature and are open to the public at least part of the year. But consensus quickly breaks down. Most definitions prominently feature preservation and exhibition of collections, but our survey reveals that a fifth of museums report that they do not own, care for or use collections. Most definitions cite museums as being nonprofit entities working in service to the public, although there is a small but growing number of for-profit museums in the U.S. Increasingly, there are museums that exist only in such virtual locations as Second Life. What does it mean for these museums to be "open to the public"? It continues, but that's pretty definitive right there. Speaking as the holder of a certificate in museology from the University of Washington, I would consider Robert Krten's pdp12.org to be an on-line museum, and not at all unique even within this community. 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/

16 years, 5 months

7
7
0 0

starting my relay computer project

by rdawson16＠hotmail.com

Hi Group, After years and years of interest in this, way back to the sci am 'Ameteur Scientist' articles, I am beginning this project. I have a unique and amazing resource, I work for a semiconductor company in test engineering, and we use tons of those little TO-5 Teledyne relays in our IC test boards. I have scavenged >1000 or so for the project, so its not going to be a giant machine like Harry Porters: http://web.cecs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay/ I envision a small stack of cards, ALU, instruction decode, sequencer like Harrys machine. There are a few other relay CPUs on the web, and it looks like I will follow suit and use semiconductor RAM for program storage. To be a purist, I suppose I should go core, and I have bought an array or two off ebay, but the chances of me getting them up and running right away are nil, but would be the next thing. Code? Well I was thinking the whole thing will be small enough for a tabletop game, like 3d tic tac toe or such, with a nice stacked up plexiglass of the game board with red and green neon for the moves. Im anticipating a nice click click click for the search as it examines the board, shifts rotates, compares etc for the move checks. my CPU clock will probably be 25 Hz or more, these little relays are fast. I found some simple asm here: http://webster.cs.ucr.edu/AsmTools/MASM/TicTacToe/ttt1_1.html I welcome a conversation and dialog with any of similar interests in computing the hard way... Randy _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Free, trusted and rich email service. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/196390708/direct/01/

16 years, 5 months

5
6
0 0

Stripping green soldermask? coating from pc-boards.

by geoffr＠zipcon.net

The exact term is slipping my mind, but I have a PC-board I want to scan the traces on and see about making a transparency of to make some single sided pc-boards of, but am kind of stuck at how to strip the green coating off of it.

16 years, 5 months

2
1
0 0

Another batch of manuals / brochures that must go

by ka6gsu＠arrl.net

Hi Joe, Am I correct in assuming that the Precision Standard Time Inc brochures for models 1020 & 1030 are gone? Rod Austin

16 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Part Number for a MicroVAX II Fan

by ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk

> > > Is there something special about this fan? Or will any fan of the right > > dimensions and operating voltage work? DEC rarely used strange fans > > (the > > 11/44 being the obvious exception!), so you might get a generic > > replacement that will drop straight in. > > I had thought of this, it has a connector that I have not seen before, I > don't know what sort of fan I would need (voltage etc), I probably ought to > take > a look and see if I can replace it as you suggest. Is this connector fixed on he fan chassis, or on the end of a piece of cable? If the latter, you can probalby find a way to move the connector and/or cable to the new fan. Most built-in connectors on fans are just the solder tags that you could solder the power leads too. There ware sockets made for some fans that would push onto these (ot you could use small faston terminals -- DEC were fond of this trick). Are there any marking at all on the old Fan? -tony

16 years, 5 months

2
1
0 0

PROMAC 2A Eprom Programmer

by elazzerini＠interfree.it

Hello at all, i have the programmer from many years in a box. Its firmware make work it in automatic way so it is not possible (or almost this is aall i know) to drive it from its buttons. When i power on it, it trys to send somenting via its serial RS232 to the host computer. I checked the serial port for a null modem way to work and if i load hyperterminal i see some unknow characters on the screen, and if i push a key on the keyboard i see that something goes via serial to the programmer. If i try to change the serial speed or character lenghts or its parity the characters on the screen not become intellegible. At the end if i try to load its original DOS program (not in a window of windows XP, but making a DOS 3.3 boot!) after done the check i said, neither the DOS software can drive the eprom programmer. Here all information i found across internet: <http://elazzerini.interfree.it/Promac%20Model%202A.htm> http://elazzerini.interfree.it/Promac%20Model%202A.htm Here you can find the software i had for this programmer: <http://elazzerini.interfree.it/PROMAC2A.zip> http://elazzerini.interfree.it/PROMAC2A.zip Thanks for any suggestions. Enrico

16 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Computer speed over time [Was: Re: PDP-8/L value]

by dm561＠torfree.net

------------------Original Message: Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:38:50 -0800 (PST) From: David Griffith <dgriffi at cs.csubak.edu> Subject: Re: Computer speed over time [Was: Re: PDP-8/L value] On Tue, 19 Jan 2010, Dave McGuire wrote: > Consumers in our society are extremely well-trained. > > I am regularly offered 2+GHz Pentium-4 machines because it has gotten around > that I'm into "vintage computing". Scary. What kind of people offer such machines? -- David Griffith dgriffi at cs.csubak.edu ------------------Reply: Well, those well-trained/brainwashed consumers 'upgrading' of course. And large users who find it cheaper to just replace all the existing boxes with preconfigured new ones instead of upgrading and cleaning up the (often messy) existing installed systems. How many would you like? I think I have a couple of dozen left after foisting another dozen or so off on various friends, relatives & casual acquaintances. m ***************************************************************************************

16 years, 5 months

15
18
0 0

Museum for sale

by jws＠jwsss.com

On 1/22/2010 10:25 AM, Rob Jarratt wrote: > My dictionary says a museum is "A building used for storing and exhibition > of objects...". Not much exhibiting going on in this "museum". I think a > museum is only a museum if the public can go there and see the physical > objects. I don't think a web site can be a museum, unless the "objects" are > software or other purely digital artefacts. > > Regards > > Rob > > I know of a number of people who have collections such as this that refer to them as a museum. I don't think the fact that you have to know them, or arrange for admission by appointment with them to view the artifacts is a problem that makes the term incorrect here. And as pointed out elsewhere in the thread, the artifact information is actually available on a website, which is more than I can say for a lot of museums. Many art collections are this way as are collections of antiquarian books, the latter which I guess could be called a library. Each collector has their own perspective on what is unique about their collection, and whether it is rare, and what the significance is vs. just a random selection of parts. As to the definition above, I do not know that that "exhibition" means that the public can just walk in. One is required to purchase a ticket to most museums now, and knowing the person with the collection is not a lot different of a restriction than having to buy a ticket.

16 years, 5 months

2
1
0 0

Museum for sale

by trixter＠oldskool.org

On 1/22/2010 12:25 PM, Rob Jarratt wrote: > I don't think a web site can be a museum, unless the "objects" are > software or other purely digital artefacts. I would disagree, being a software collector. Some of the historical relevance of a piece is the packaging and other materials that come with the software. -- Jim Leonard (trixter at oldskool.org) http://www.oldskool.org/ Help our electronic games project: http://www.mobygames.com/ Or check out some trippy MindCandy at http://www.mindcandydvd.com/ A child borne of the home computer wars: http://trixter.wordpress.com/

16 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

DEC RF drives and a few misc

by useddec＠gmail.com

Sorry about the previous message. I just unloaded from storage several boxes of drives that I don't need. 8 RF31T $50 4 RF35 50 1 RF71 50 2 RF72 75 10 RF73 100 The following are field service spares sealed in static bags I purchased >from a maintence company. Feel free to make an offer. Tandon TM-100-2a floppy (2) TM-502 (1) Magnetic Per. RR8B1A Shugart SA-712 HP 35470-20150 Will sell or possibly trade. Located in Illinois. If you need anything else or have interest in these, please contact me off list. Thanks, Paul

16 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

DEC RF drives

by useddec＠gmail.com

I just unloaded from storage several more boxes of toys that I don't need. 1

16 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Part Number for a MicroVAX II Fan

by ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk

> > I have a fan in my MicroVAX II which sometimes does not start without a > push, which means that I can't really put the machine back in its external > enclosure. I have been unable to find an illustrated parts breakdown to give > me a part number for the fan, so I was wondering if anyone here knows the > part number, or has a suggestion for how to get the fan to work properly Is there something special about this fan? Or will any fan of the right dimensions and operating voltage work? DEC rarely used strange fans (the 11/44 being the obvious exception!), so you might get a generic replacement that will drop straight in. As regards repairing the fan, I've done this many times (time I have plenty of, money to buy replacement fans I don't :-)). I can give you some pointers.. Firstly, with the machine off (and the fan power wires disconnected if possible), try rotating the fan by hand. Check there's no 'catch' at any point of the revolution, which may point to bad bearings. Most of the time a fan that will only start when flicked is a DC fan. The ones I am used to have a 2-phase stator, a permanent magnet rotor, and a simple circuit using a hall effect device (to sense the rotor position) and a few transistors (to switch the windings). A fan that will only start when flicked normally means that one widing isn't being driven, this is either because the power transsitor driving it is dead or the widing is open (most often the latter. The bigest problem is getting to it. Oftne you have to peel back or cut away the label on the fan housing to reveal either secrews or the end of the spidnle. If the latter, theyre's a circlp to remove, then assorted washers, and the rotor slides out the other side. If it's bad bearings you can now get to them (either to replace the ball races, or make new sleeve bearings as applicable). If it's an electronic fauly, yo may have to remove the stator lamination stack from the bearing tube to get to the control PCB -- it's often stuck in place. Gentle heating with a soldering iron may get it free. Then you can test the windings and transistors. It's not hard to rewind one of these stators if you have to, BTW. -tony

16 years, 5 months

2
1
0 0

HP-IB Medusa chip

by cc＠informatik.uni-stuttgart.de

I'm trying to repair a HP260/30 which fails self-test at step 9 (HP-IB Programmed I/O test). It seems that the HP-IB interface card is the cause. There's a 1TL1-0001 HP-IB controller IC and I'd like to know if it could be replaced with a 1TL1-0006. The other ICs are all standard TTL (apart >from the 74F403 FIFO memories and the HP-IB bus drivers). I know I've seen a pinout of the 1TL1 IC somewhere, but can't remember where... Christian

16 years, 5 months

3
5
0 0

Museum for sale

by root＠parse.com

Hi all, Apparently, I was not clear :-) I'm hoping to sell the museum in *one lot*, and that's what the end of February deadline applies to. If I haven't received an acceptable offer by then, then I will certainly consider selling individual pieces... Please ping me after the end of February if you are interested in individual pieces. Hope that clarifies things :-) Cheers, -RK Forwarded message: > From root Wed Jan 20 16:14:46 2010 > Subject: Museum for sale > To: cctech at classiccmp.org > Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:14:46 -0500 (EST) > X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.5 PL6] > Content-Length: 1108 > > > I am selling the pdp12.org museum. Major pieces include: > PDP-12 > PDP-8/L > PDP-8/I > PDP-8/E (3) > PDP-8/F > PDP-8/M (2) > 7 H960 cabinets > 1100+ spare modules (1000+ single, rest dual and quad) > Shelves for modules > Dual TU56 drive > 3 x 8" floppy drives > 40+ square feet of parts drawers (TTL, discretes, other semis, connectors, etc) > 8 linear feet+ of documentation > 100+ DEC handbooks > 100+ 8" floppies > DECCassette unit > Several expansion chassis (some empty, some with full card sets) > Paper tapes > Drawings > plus a ton more stuff > > I'll be entertaining serious offers until the end of February. > > Shipping would be on a local pickup basis -- I will be available for > up to 5 days get it packed up and loaded onto your truck. > > If you need a more detailed inventory, send me an email; I'm working > on putting everything together. Due to the sheer volume of stuff, it > will be almost impossible to be 100% accurate (except for the big > things, of course :-)) > > The pdp12.org website is back up for a few days to allow browsing. > The 11/20, 11/R20, ML11, are sold. The pdp12.org address can be > included if you like. > > -- > Robert Krten > -- Robert Krten

16 years, 5 months

9
8
0 0

VSV11 on pdp11

by bqt＠softjar.se

"Zane H. Healy" <healyzh at aracnet.com> wrote: > On Thu, 21 Jan 2010, Pontus Pihlgren wrote: > >> I'm curious though, what software took advantage of the VSV11? > > I know support exists for RSX-11M+, but that is about all I know. > > I have one 3rd party PDP-11 video card, and while most likely have RSX-11M > software for it, I lack the means to actually hook it up to anything (or > anything to hook it up to). I can fill in a few details. More later, if there is interest... The VS11 and VSV11 are graphic subsystems for the Unibus and Qbus (the VS11 is a VSV11 and a bus adapter, ISTR). I have never played with one, but have some basic documentation that mentions it. It is definitely supported under RSX. The follow up product was/is called VSV21. This thing can do 640x480 with 16 colors (out of a palette of 4096). It has a very intelligent graphic processor, which can do all kind of operations in hardware. The VSV21 was atleast used by mass spectrometers, which is where I got mine from. A few are probably still in use around the world. I do have the RSX software for this thing (unfortunately not the latest version, though), and the manuals (but only for the software, not much hardware info, unfortunately). So I can't tell how the low level interface works between the graphics system and the PDP-11. What I do know is that the graphic system has it's own memory, and also use DMA. So graphic objects can reside either on the PDP-11, or on the praphic system, and be drawn by the graphic processor from either source. They can also be copied back and forth. The VSV21 can also act in a VSV11 compatible mode, by loading other microcode (that's where all my VSV11 knowledge comes from). As I remember the differences are that the VSV11 have lower resolution, less colors, and a simpler hardware accelerator for graphics. From a user application point of view, they are interchangeable. The VSV21, loaded with VSV11-compatible microcode, can be used by programs written for the VSV11, since all the operations goes through a device driver and (normally) a library as well. I've been meaning to write some fun software to play with the VSV21, but haven't had time yet. If someone needs some information, or wants to talk more, just ask ahead. Johnny

16 years, 5 months

4
4
0 0

Museum for sale

by IanK＠vulcan.com

Well, it says right here [in a book in my personal collection] that the propagation of light is accomplished through a medium called the "ether". :-) -----Original Message----- From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Rob Jarratt Sent: Friday, January 22, 2010 10:26 AM To: 'General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts' Subject: RE: Museum for sale My dictionary says a museum is "A building used for storing and exhibition of objects...". Not much exhibiting going on in this "museum". I think a museum is only a museum if the public can go there and see the physical objects. I don't think a web site can be a museum, unless the "objects" are software or other purely digital artefacts. Regards Rob > -----Original Message----- > From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk- > bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Joe Giliberti > Sent: 22 January 2010 17:04 > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts > Subject: Re: Museum for sale > > The website is the museum > > On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 11:59 AM, Ian King <IanK at vulcan.com> wrote: > > > And it's kind of rude to call his statement "dumb". > > ________________________________________ > > From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] > On > > Behalf Of Evan Koblentz [evan at snarc.net] > > Sent: Friday, January 22, 2010 7:22 AM > > To: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts > > Subject: Re: Museum for sale > > > > > Hi all, > > > > > > Apparently, I was not clear :-) I'm hoping to sell the museum in > *one > > lot* > > > > Nice collection, but it's kind of dumb to call it a "museum". > > > >

16 years, 5 months

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Museum for sale

by jules.richardson99＠gmail.com

Rob Jarratt wrote: > My dictionary says a museum is "A building used for storing and exhibition > of objects...". Not much exhibiting going on in this "museum". I think a > museum is only a museum if the public can go there and see the physical > objects. I don't think a web site can be a museum, unless the "objects" are > software or other purely digital artefacts. At once point in time it was 'virtual museum', but folk seem to be increasingly dropping the 'virtual' bit these days...

16 years, 5 months

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LCD Panel recommendations

by john_finigan＠yahoo.com

silvercreekvalley wrote: > I'm looking to upgrade my current LCD panel 'collection' > to something that will cope a bit better with the various > classic systems I have. > > The main thing is that the panel should be able to sync to > a very wide range of signals. I have a 2+ year old Sceptre X9G-NagaV which understands signals >from both a Sun GX framebuffer and a SGI Indigo2 framebuffer. This is through my particular 13W3 adapter; I don't know if it would be true with every 13W3 to VGA pinout. It's a 1280x1024 LCD, and the SGI looks good, but the GX looks nasty because the GX can only do 1152x900, as far as I can tell, and the scaling is hard to look at. I also have an slightly newer Acer AL2216W widescreen, 1680x1050 native. Surprisingly, it understands the GX output and looks better than the Sceptre scaling from 1152x900. Never tried it with the SGI. John Finigan

16 years, 5 months

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Museum for sale

by mwichary＠gmail.com

> > My dictionary says a museum is "A building used for storing and exhibition > of objects...". Not much exhibiting going on in this "museum". I think a > museum is only a museum if the public can go there and see the physical > objects. I don't think a web site can be a museum, unless the "objects" are > software or other purely digital artefacts. > However, definitions change, and dictionaries will lag behind technology almost by definition. Is Amazon a store? Marcin

16 years, 5 months

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Museum for sale

by feedle＠feedle.net

On Jan 22, 2010, at 10:25 AM, Rob Jarratt wrote: > My dictionary says a museum is "A building used for storing and exhibition > of objects...". Not much exhibiting going on in this "museum". I think a > museum is only a museum if the public can go there and see the physical > objects. I don't think a web site can be a museum, unless the "objects" are > software or other purely digital artefacts. So, buy the collection and make one. Problem solved.

16 years, 5 months

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PROMAC 2A Eprom Programmer

by enrico.lazzerini＠tiscali.it

Hello at all, i have the programmer from many years in a box. Its firmware make work it in automatic way so it is not possible (or almost this is aall i know) to drive it from its buttons. When i power on it, it trys to send somenting via its serial RS232 to the host computer. I checked the serial port for a null modem way to work and if i load hyperterminal i see some unknow characters on the screen, and if i push a key on the keyboard i see that something goes via serial to the programmer. If i try to change the serial speed or character lenghts or its parity the characters on the screen not become intellegible. At the end if i try to load its original DOS program (not in a window of windows XP, but making a DOS 3.3 boot!) after done the check i said, neither the DOS software can drive the eprom programmer. Here all information i found across internet: <http://elazzerini.interfree.it/Promac%20Model%202A.htm> http://elazzerini.interfree.it/Promac%20Model%202A.htm Thanks for any suggestions. Enrico

16 years, 5 months

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Altair 680, up and running

by billdeg＠degnanco.com

Bill, You could port VTL (very tiny language) "BASIC" into 1K, the code and the address instruction listing is in The Altair Yahoogroup files section ((I think)), or I may have the machine instructions handy if you need them. You can burn VTL onto the remaining 3 PROM slots on the board and then use a serial connection to dump programs into the computer at the VTL Prompt. THere are also sample programs from the Yahoo group. Or you can make a 8K board for the 680 so you can load MS BASIC for the 680 >from tape. Bill > > With the 4702 replaced, the monitor is active on the serial > port. Now to find some _SMALL_ programs to push to it. > > Thanks to all for the power supply help. > > > > End of cctech Digest, Vol 77, Issue 24 > **************************************

16 years, 5 months

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Altair 680, up and running

by wh.sudbrink＠verizon.net

For anyone interested, after the power supply referb and chip reinstall the 680 was not fully functional. The front panel seemed to work properly, but examining page zero revealed that one of the 2102 RAMs was dead. This wasn't surprising and a quick replacement had front panel deposit and retrieval to RAM fully operational. Examining the contents of the 1702 EPROM with the front panel showed that the monitor code was in tact, but nothing was coming out of the serial port when the unit was reset. Looking around on page zero with the front panel after a reset revealed that the monitor code was running, so probably something was wrong with the serial port. I put a scope on the chip select lines of the UART and could see the monitor code polling for inbound characters. Was the UART dead? On a lark I put a probe on the receive clock pin of the UART. Nothing. I put it on the crystal. It was making a good signal. Turns out the 4702 bit rate generator was dead. It seems to me that that is a very odd component to fail. What surprised me even more was that I happened to have a tube of 4702s in my "random chips" box. I have no idea where I got them. I've never worked with a 4702 until now. The only small drawback is that the date codes on these 4702s are 1982. All of the other chips in the 680 have 1975 and 1976 date codes, including the 2102 I replaced. With the 4702 replaced, the monitor is active on the serial port. Now to find some _SMALL_ programs to push to it. Thanks to all for the power supply help.

16 years, 5 months

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DEC RZ drives

by useddec＠gmail.com

If anyone needs some DEC RZ drives please contact me off list. Thanks, Paul

16 years, 5 months

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Part Number for a MicroVAX II Fan

by emu＠e-bbes.com

Rob Jarratt wrote: > I have a fan in my MicroVAX II which sometimes does not start without a > push, which means that I can't really put the machine back in its external where are you located ? I probably could find a spare (used) one ...

16 years, 5 months

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VSV11 on pdp11, was : Re: OLPC [Was: Something completelydifferent]

by dlwfanservice＠sbcglobal.net

-----Original Message----- From: Henk Gooijen <henk.gooijen at hotmail.com> Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 13:06 To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: VSV11 on pdp11, was : Re: OLPC [Was: Something completelydifferent] From: "Zane H. Healy" <healyzh at aracnet.com> Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 6:52 PM To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: VSV11 on pdp11, was : Re: OLPC [Was: Something completelydifferent] > > On Thu, 21 Jan 2010, Pontus Pihlgren wrote: > >> I'm curious though, what software took advantage of the VSV11? > > I know support exists for RSX-11M+, but that is about all I know. > > I have one 3rd party PDP-11 video card, and while most likely have RSX-11M > software for it, I lack the means to actually hook it up to anything (or > anything to hook it up to). > > Zane Yes, memories are coming back. The 11/23+ to which the VSV11 was hooked up ran RSX-11M+. Later I regretted giving the system away. I never got a copy of RSX-11M+. The system also had a DEC-made joystick with 2 push buttons on top, one at each side (left and right) of the joystick. I still have that joystick, but it is in bad shape. The covers over the push buttons are badly worn. The VSV was connected to a heavy BARCO monitor (metal housing) with R-G-B BNC connectors. The system was used for typesetting and graphics design work in a company that printed (offset press using ink) customer envelopes. - Henk.

16 years, 5 months

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Part Number for a MicroVAX II Fan

by robert.jarratt＠ntlworld.com

I have a fan in my MicroVAX II which sometimes does not start without a push, which means that I can't really put the machine back in its external enclosure. I have been unable to find an illustrated parts breakdown to give me a part number for the fan, so I was wondering if anyone here knows the part number, or has a suggestion for how to get the fan to work properly again. The machine is in a BA23 enclosure and it is the front fan which does not work well. Thanks Rob

16 years, 5 months

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LCD Panel recommendations

by silvercreekvalley＠yahoo.com

Hi, Thanks for the ideas. I already have a CRT which works great but its totally massive (33Kg) and takes up a whole desk. I use LCD panels mainly to save deskspace. The iiyama is pretty good, and will sync on green, etc, but seems to loose horizontal sync with some older framebuffers.

16 years, 5 months

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VSV11 on pdp11, was : Re: OLPC [Was: Something completely different]

by emu＠e-bbes.com

Pontus Pihlgren wrote: > Argh.. I'm slipping far from topic here, maybe I should write something > about the PDP-11/73 with VSV11 videocard I got to play with yesterday. That would be actually refreshingly on topic ;-)

16 years, 5 months

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Canon Cat collection

by dkelvey＠hotmail.com

Hi I'm forwarding this for a friend. This is probably the most complete Canon Cat collection I've seen. He has items that I've never seen from anyone else. If you are interrested please contact Ted at accentontravel at juno.com Later Dwight I am offering for sale, the following complete Canon Cat system: 1. Canon Cat V777 Work Processor, S/N R1201 2102, Software Version 1.74 2. Canon PR100 Cat 180 Daisy Wheel Printer, S/N F42012 926, w.Print Wheel 3. Canon Cat Reference Guide, 153 pages 4. Canon Cat How-To Guide, 150 pages 5. Canon Cat 180 Daisy Wheel Printer Manual, 28 pages 6. Canon Cat Catfile Manual for Application Software For Mail Merge Printing and Name and Address List 7. Canon Cat Catform Manual for Application Software For Line/Line Typewriter Mode and Stop Position Formats 8. Disc 1: Welcome to the Cat, a Tutorial 9. Disc 2: Canon Cat Form 1.1 Quick Ref for Forms and Line/Line Typewriter Mode 9. Disc 3: Canon Cat Secretarial Work Station and Calender 10. Disc 4: Canon Cat Mailmerge 11. Canon Cat 8 page Quick Reference Guide. Print wheels available are: 1. Prestige 10 2. Courier 10 3. Pica 10 4. Script 12 5. Gothic 12 For high speed printing, the Canon BJ-200e is a plug and play printer for the Cat. You may still be able to find one on eBay. If not, I can add a BJ-200e to this system for an additional charge. I would like to offer this complete system to a knowledgeable member of our group, before listing it on eBay. If you are interested, please reply with an offer. All components are working perfectly. This is a one of a kind offer and should do very well on eBay. Regards, Ted Blishak, Train Travel Consulting at Accent on Travel. accentontravel at juno.com NAMED ONE OF THE WORLD'S TOP TRAVEL SPECIALISTS BY CONDE NAST TRAVELER MAGAZINE SINCE 2002. 3939 S. Sixth St. #331, Klamath Falls, OR 97603 Phone: 541 885 7331 Fax: 1 309 276-3460 _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/196390710/direct/01/

16 years, 5 months

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LCD Panel recommendations

by silvercreekvalley＠yahoo.com

I'm looking to upgrade my current LCD panel 'collection' to something that will cope a bit better with the various classic systems I have. The main thing is that the panel should be able to sync to a very wide range of signals. My current iiyama will cope with a fair range (eg older style VGA through to the more unusual Sun resolutions), but struggles to lock onto some signals and gives a scrolling picture. As there is no way of adjusting the H V hold like the older monitors, its awkward, and means swapping to a regular CRT. Any recommendations?

16 years, 5 months

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Museum for sale

by root＠parse.com

I am selling the pdp12.org museum. Major pieces include: PDP-12 PDP-8/L PDP-8/I PDP-8/E (3) PDP-8/F PDP-8/M (2) 7 H960 cabinets 1100+ spare modules (1000+ single, rest dual and quad) Shelves for modules Dual TU56 drive 3 x 8" floppy drives 40+ square feet of parts drawers (TTL, discretes, other semis, connectors, etc) 8 linear feet+ of documentation 100+ DEC handbooks 100+ 8" floppies DECCassette unit Several expansion chassis (some empty, some with full card sets) Paper tapes Drawings plus a ton more stuff I'll be entertaining serious offers until the end of February. Shipping would be on a local pickup basis -- I will be available for up to 5 days get it packed up and loaded onto your truck. If you need a more detailed inventory, send me an email; I'm working on putting everything together. Due to the sheer volume of stuff, it will be almost impossible to be 100% accurate (except for the big things, of course :-)) The pdp12.org website is back up for a few days to allow browsing. The 11/20, 11/R20, ML11, are sold. The pdp12.org address can be included if you like. -- Robert Krten

16 years, 5 months

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Licensing FAT file system?

by cclist＠sydex.com

I ran across this curious squib on one of the embedded development sites: "Important: FAT file system is owned by Microsoft and must be licensed from them if you intend to sell a product that uses it. More information can be found on Microsoft's web site." Is this really true? There's so much (public domain) prior art to the FAT filesystem that I find it hard to believe that it would be patentable. --Chuck

16 years, 5 months

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Cromemco Series-3 avail. in Burnie Australia

by nigel.d.williams＠gmail.com

Thanks Dave, contact has been made and pickup arranged. cheers, nigel. www.retroComputingTasmania.com

16 years, 5 months

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Cirrus Logic SH260, SH360 Application Manual

by thomas.gardner＠sbcglobal.net

Hi: Anyone happen to have copies of Cirrus Logic SH260 or SH360 application manuals or other controller chips of the same families (265, 365, etc). I seem to recall the application manual and specification was one large document. Tom

16 years, 5 months

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slightly OT: replacing ebm papst fan

by keithvz＠verizon.net

I've got a piece of equipment where a single ebm-papst fan has failed on a fan tray that contains 8 fans. The manufacturer wants $2500 for a new fan tray. This seems like a waste of money to me and I'd like to fix it myself. The entire equipment refuses to stay powered up with one bad fan. The fan is made by ebm-papst, part number 3214J/2H4F-191, 24V DC, 1.2 amp, 29w. I'm pretty sure it's a "VerioFan" which implies it can be variably controlled for RPMs, and then it has a tach output. These feed back to a motherboard. Is anyone familiar w/ how the signaling works between the PCB and the fan? Maybe PWM? I believe there are 4-pins on one connector (molex style 2x2), and then another 2-pin header which is glued (epoxied) in place. Is it possible to fake out the tach feedback by simply connecting those wires to another working fan? I'm in the process of searching for datasheets, but I believe this model is discontinued. Thanks Keith

16 years, 5 months

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Cromemco Series-3 avail. in Burnie Australia

by dave09＠dunfield.com

Hi Everybody, I've been corresponding with a guy in Burnie Australia who rescued a Cromemco Series-3 machine from going to the dump, and would like to find a home for it ... I don't have any other detail... if someone in that area is interested, please me email me and I'll forward his contact info. Regards, Dave -- dave09 (at) Dave Dunfield dunfield (dot) Firmware development services & tools: www.dunfield.com com Collector of vintage computing equipment: http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/index.html

16 years, 5 months

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