HP2000

Well, I guess as a followup... if people are interested in running TSB.... here's a "watch list" of things to always grab if you ever see them: 13207 - this is a firmware board, mounts under the cpu in 21mx M (ONLY M, NOT E/F) series for the IOP. You only need this if you're trying to run Access, other flavors don't need it. If you have a E or F, you can run other flavors, but not access. However, keep in mind the only difference between an M and an E or F is the main cpu board. Find someone with an M that doesn't want it - or - I have had luck telling a couple commercial used HP dealers "I'll send you a perfectly working F series cpu board if you send me a perfectly working M series cpu board". Shipping for just the cpu board is dirt cheap, and they get a free upgrade to a more often sought after system commercially, and you get something compatable with the IOP firmware. Or, wait for somebody on the list to try and port the M series microcode to the E/F cpu's. 7900A - disc drive, works with pretty much all flavors of TSB. HP-IB drives don't work (maybe not, long story). For TSB, you are limited to 7900, 7905, and 7920 drives. Unsubstantiated rumor has it that 7906's will work, you just cant use all the space. Different versions of TSB had different drives which would work. 7900A is a safe bet with all versions. For 7900 drives you need a 13210 controller card and a 12315? power supply, for the 7905 and 7920 drives you need a 13037 controller card, and a 13037 disc controller subsystem (rackmount box). 12566 - GRD TRU +/- boards necessary for the interconnect kit, 4 total needed, if you want to run Access or C, C', or F. Not needed for E. 12920/12921 MUX controller - this is a 3 card set. It is a 16 port rs232 mux. This is required for every flavor of TSB, it's a must-have. Hard to find - at least to me. There were many other rs232 mux's made by HP, but the 12920/21 is the only one that works with TSB. Grab any of these you ever find. Then, if you're using 2100's instead of 21MX's... memory memory memory. Any memory boards are always needed. Access requires 32k in the main cpu, and anywhere from 16k to 32k in the IOP cpu depending on the software options configured. Core has never been easy for me to find either - especially the memory boards other than core - XYD boards, DC boards, etc. Please note! The above discussion totally ignores the A and B versions of TSB, which I suspect will be pretty difficult to run, I seem to recall they require magnetic drum, or they used fixed head discs, or some other "impossible" and "unlikely" to ever find cards. Plus, the A and B were very very very feature lacking anyways. There are other parts required to get a system running, like a 2748 paper tape reader (for 2100 cpu based systems only), but I'm just listing the above as a "watch list" for the really hard to find items. I'm at work, so don't have my docs handly, so anyone feel free to correct me on things above I said incorrectly! Jay West