29 Nov
2008
29 Nov
'08
4:42 a.m.
On 24 Nov 2008 at 22:41, Chris Elmquist wrote:
It came out of a Control Data maintanance console for
the Star-100, which
sadly, as a kid, I parted out. All I have left is the cool aluminum
suitcase that it was built in... and this paper tape reader.
The maintenance console, not the Star-100, right? That'd be a big
job even for an ambitious kid.
All I can say is that I remember the suitcase tape readers; they were
used to load code onto the drum of the MCU; they may have also been
used to load CPU microcode. They probably also had uses for running
diagnostic code on the stations.
They were also used for doing things like loading up firmware on tape
controllers and the like in non-Star applications. I'd be surprised
if any documentation survived on them, but maybe some CE squirreled
some away.
Cheers,
Chuck