28 Jun
2012
28 Jun
'12
2:39 p.m.
-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org]
Namens Tony Duell
Verzonden: donderdag 28 juni 2012 21:15
Aan: cctalk at classiccmp.org
Onderwerp: Re: HP 9885M troubleshooting tips
It is: http://www.hpmuseum.net/display_item.php?hw=559
Do you know what the later ROM's part number
is? Looks like this
might
I think it's an HP98228/.
There may stil lahve eben a system tape for it, I don't know. But I
believe it
doens't need any part of the OS on the disk, and
can therefore used
floppies
from other HP machines.
> be easier to track down than a working system tape or creating a new
> one at this point. Disk compatibility isn't a major concern at this
point.
I also have a working 9845, my understanding is that it'll work with
the 9885M as well, any ideas if it also needs a system tape?
I don;t think that does need a systemn tape. But it might well need some module.
>
> >> Any ideas if this has been archived anywhere? I haven't found it
> >> in my
> > Not that I know of. There was, IIRC< no way to copy binary programs
> > on the 9825 (well, you could with a 9877 external tepe memory unit,
> > but they are ridiculously rare, and the itnerfaces/software for them
even
rarer).
It would also require you to eb able to prgram the 9825 in machine code
-- there are no HPL commands to read the tape at a low enough level. And
good
So there
was no real way to archive this system cartridge :-(
That's a shame. I suppose, given enough spare time, that I could
write some software to talk to the 9825 over GPIB from a PC (there's
the HPDrive software which is primarily geared for the 9845 that I
suppose could be adapted...) and use it to write a tape out... but
that would require a tape image (or original tape) to copy -from-. luck trying to do that, or indeed, making sens of the
tape (the tape
controlleer
DMAs data from the tape in to the LSB (only) of
machine words, I guess
it's up to
the CPU to put 16 such words together to make valid
data). None of this
was
ever officially documented by HP, BTW.
Given a semi-infinite amoutn of time, you migth find it easier to use jsut
hte
drive and tape cotroller board from the 9825 and
(temporatily) link it to
a
microcontroller or soemthing. At least the I/O bus is
reasoably-well
docuemtned, and i nthe 9825 there are no custom ICs on the tape controlelr
board. Offical schematics don't exist, unofficial ones do.
But that would stil lrequire you to find a system tape. I don't have one.
Snip
I have two of them, both are stuck at the moment.
But if any one of you will take a chance getting it loose and make a backup,
let me know.
-Rik