27 Aug
2005
27 Aug
'05
6:26 a.m.
At 01:27 AM 8/27/05 +0100, you wrote:
I wonder if they used the "combining stand" to put them together?
That's what they did with the (I think) 9830 and 9866 printer. I actually
found one of the "combining stands". It's just a C-shapped metal frame like
a printer stand except that it fits over the calculator and hold the
printer. It's nothing real special but it is an interesting accessory.
True. Obviously it's not an EXACT copy since it also includes the 9830
option ROMs. I should have said it was a functional+ copy of the 9830 OS
and option ROMs.
You can't, for example, use 9830
IIRC that the ones that I have a couple of and it's the one that I have
docs on and so I can't add anything new about the interfaces. Years ago I
did see one for a PT punch but I didn't buy it. Now I'm kicking myself!
Yes, but they were adamant about it! Not too hard to understand actually,
after all this was NASA. But OTOH I didn't go out of my way to help them
after that.
Joe
I have a hand-drawn schematic of the 9877 which
At 09:24 PM 8/26/05 +0100, you wrote:
Firstly, here are the exact titles of the 2 manuals I found :
9813A Operating & Programming (09831-90000)
9831A Peripheral Control (09831-90020)
The first of those lists 'related publications' which I don't have, but
which are as follows :
Basic Reference Boolklet (09831-90010)
System Test Booklet (09831-90031)
Fliexible Disk Operating and Programming Manual (09885-90050)
Matrix/Plotter ROM Programming Manual (09831-90021)
HP9896 System Installation Manual (09896-90030)
HP9896 System Operators Guide (09896-90000)
It sounds like my house is similar to others on
this list....
Anyway, while extracting an off-topic device, I came across a ring
binder that I had labelled 'HP9831 Manual' Inside were the 2 volumes of
user documentation for that machine -- the Operating/Programming Manual
and the I/O Manual.
COOL! When are you going get it copied or scanned so the rest of us can
see it? :-) From what I've read elsewhere (particularly on
http://www.hpmuseum.net),
the 9896 was a desk with a 9831 on top and a couple of
9885 8" drives in
the pedestal.
I can look into getting a friend to scan it sometime. It's a fairly thick
manual, and I don't want to lend it out (since it's not exactly common),
I understand that! I was very hestitant to ship my HP books to Al for
scanning. I seriously doubt I would have if it involved shipping them
across the pond. Hopefully someone in the UK can scan them and post them
somewhere on the net.
but I will see what I can do.
>
> >
> >[The HP9831 has similar hardware to the 9825, but has BASIC, not HPL,
in
ROM]
The 9831 is a 9825 with HP 9830 ROM code in it. I was told by one of the
Not exactly. The 9831 ran a BASIC which is compatible with the 9830
BASIC, but 2 machines have rather different processors, so the binary
contents of the ROMs are different. machine code programs or ROMs with the 9831.
Cool, I think I have one of those too but I don't remember if it's an A
or B ROM. I need to gather those things up and sort them out. I've found a
good number of 98X5 ROMs and interfaces over years and I've just thrown
them into the pile(s) and never sorted them out or done anything with them.
it's developers that it had ALL the 9830 ROMs
built into it and this is the
first time that I've heard that there were ROMs available for it. Do you
have any idea of the part numbers for them? I have seen a couple of
Sure :
HP98223A/B Matrix/Plotter ROM (-A for the 9862A plotter, -B for the 9872A
plotter).
HP98218A Flexible Disk ROM (controls up to 8 9885M
(Master) Flexible Disk
drives; if needed up to 3 9885S (slave) drives can be connected to each
master drice) [ Hang one, that's 32 disk drives ! -- ARD]
Yeap! I have a pile of 9885M and a couple of 9885S. But I've never
tried to hook one up and use it. I think Steve Robertson has. i should ask
him what success he's had with them. FWIW a LOT of the 9825s that I've
found have included 9885 drives. I remember a couple of years ago I found
SEVEN test stations that all had HP 9825Ts, 9885s, I/O Expanders, HP-IB
interfaces, RTC clocks and several other interfaces. That was a nice haul!
The manual claims there were also 'Tape cartridges and flexible disks
containtain programs for solving problems from many disciplines'. Alas no
list is given, just the instruction to contact an HP sales office.
Sounds like they didn't actually have anything available speciacly for
the 9831 but planned to intended to develope something. I don't know if
they ever did. If they did I never heard of it. I kind of doubt that they
did since it was only on the market for one year. I'd still like to know
the story behind that.
[9877 tape drive]
As I understand it (from the 98032 operating/service manual), the
modifications consisted of the correct connector for the peripheral, the
connections of the 98032 cable to that connector, a set of soldered links
on the cable connector PCB in the rear shell of the 98032 itself and
possibly a capacitor on that PCB to slow down the handshake. The 2 main
boards in the 98032 were not changed.
That's my understanding as well. But there are a lot of jumpers in the
interfaces. Plus the wiring and connectors are unique so that's going to
make it impossible to duplicate without a good set of docs.
Unfortunately it says nothing about the actually interface for the 9877
-- for all other peripherals (printers, card reader, paper tape punch,
paper tape reader), it says that the interface is a 98032 16 bit parallel
module with the approriate 'option' (cable and link settings). Does
anyone know if the 9877 _definietly_ connected via a 98032 as well?
Yes it does. I have (had?) a picture of one at one time.
Even
better, does anyone know the wiring?
No. There were a lot of modified 98032 interfaces available for
different peripherals and I've been looking for any of them but I've only found a couple of them and I think I only have
docs (and schematic) for ONE
of them. I SHOULD set up an automatic E-bay search for HP 98032 and see if
The only wiring I have details of is the Option 085 Flexible Disk one. I
buzzed out the wiring in mine.
I've posted a couple of times here and to MoHPC asking if anyone has the
docs for other Options (or the interfaces themselves that can be buzzed
out), but no response.
Ditto! I STILL need to set up that E-bay search. I'm sure it would turn
up some eventually.
I can turn up more of the modified interfaces but
I haven't done it.
Regarding the 9877, as you know I have two of them. Kennedy Space Center
also has one and we have both been looking for interfaces, docs and
software for them but with little luck. KSC does have an interface but they
weren't willing to let me examine it. They did sent me a picture of it but
it just looks like any other modified 98032. It's marked 98032 option 77.
OK, it is, presumanbly, just the wiring and links that I need. Pity you
can't take it apart :-(. gives the pinout of the connector on the back (50 pin
Blue Ribbon), all I
need to know is how to link that to the 98032.
-tony