24 Sep
2006
24 Sep
'06
3:15 p.m.
I've just come across a new vintage system.
I've been given a Heathkit H-89 computer with some documentation and one
bootable diskette.
Nice. I haev a Z90, which is essentially the same machine, except that it
came pre-assembled (and with a 'Zenith' nameplate) and came with 64K as
standard.
Its booting HDOS, but I don't have any HDOS specific documentation, just the
'Operation' and
assembly manuals (the 'Operation' manual is really theory of operation
material).
I hope you have the 3 large schematics sheets that go with it. Sheet 1 is
the video monitor section, sheet 2 the terminal logic, and sheet 3 the
CPU board.
The machine is really a serial termainal (H19/Z19) communicating by an
RS232 link to a computer in the same case. The display is not memory
mapped in the address space of the processor that runs your programs.
Does anyone have the ability to make a set of 'distribution' HDOS disks
(100K floppy)?
The first thing to determine is which disk controller(s) you have.
There's at least a hard-sectored one and a double-density soft sectored
one (I have both in my Z90), I believe there are others too. Needless to
say you need the OS disk appropraite for your controller.
Is the disk you have hard or soft sectored?
Is CP/M also available, or the Heathkit diagnostics disk?
THere is CP/M, I think I have it somewhere.
-tony