Age & Intro (Long Winded)

After reviewing the last month's messages on the cctech archive web site, thought I should introduce myself. I'm racing up to 63 - wish it went slower, but that's life. My first computer was in the Army in 1960 - an analogue manual input job on a mortar tracking radar. That was at Ft. Monmouth; after that, I was transferred to Restone Arsenal, Alabama and trained on the "Jukebox". It was a vacuum tube computer with a fixed disk main memory used in targeting the Redstone Missile. (I think it was made by Autonetics, but 45 year old memories aren't reliable.) Right after learning the Jukebox, was transferred to the Pershing and trained on a transistor drum memory targeting computer made by Martin Marietta in Orlando. It was exciting, learning all this "new" technology. Transistors were just getting accepted for mil spec programs. We even had a class from RCA for something they called Integrated circuits - the first commercial family of ICs. Was RTL. I still have the data sheets they gave us some place in the garage. After Uncle Sam, I went to Minneapolis to work for Control Data. That was mid-1963 - was trained on the 160-A and 1604. At that time, CDC didn't make its own peripherals, so we used IBM 523s, 088s and Ampex tape units. The first 160s used Ferranti paper tape readers (with thyrotrons) and Teletype punches. The typewriter was a model B IBM with a Soroban encoder. A few months later, Normandale Ops came up with the 606 tape units, followed by the 405 card reader, 415 card punch and 350 paper tape reader. More equipment to learn and support. They also repackaged the 160 in an industrial cabinet and called it the 8090. A smaller division called IDP (Inductrial Data Products) created a tiny 8 bit version called the 8092 for some telecommunication systems they were doing for ARPA. Used teletypes and 101 Bell modems. (Some arguments abput it being the first PC like computer.) They also sold it to a company called Rabinow who made the first commercial OCR scanners. (Biggest customer was the IRS - who had a policy of auditing anybody who worked on their equipment.) Since I was a customer engineer in the Minneapolis area, I had to support all of these new products. I started a new way of life - new product training every few months, then working on the buggy new products from the prototype on. Eventually, I logged more than 5000 hours of class room training on CDC and other vendors products! All the CDC peripherals, plus IBM for unit record, Ampex tapes, Analex printers, Holly Printers, Bryant Drums, IBM 1311 and 2311 disks, flexowriters, Selectrics, Teletype readers, punches, Model 32, 33 and 35 I/O printers, Bell 101 and 301 modems, etc. As CDC grew, they bought out other computer operations. So those of us in the field were also expected to support the Bendix G-15, RPC-4000, LPG-30, etc. It seemed inpossible to stay current - there were just so many systems coming out. For example, in 1964, I had training on the 6600. And a few months later, trained on the 3600. Said training consisted of weeks in the classroom followed by working on the assembly line debugging the systems after they were built. One bright light manager even had the idea to save money by using us to support software since we were already in the field. That way, his programmers didn't have to deal with customers. It didn't take long for this brainstorm to crash; but a bunch of us were also trained on the software, especially the 3300 MSOS and MOS. Over the next 12 years, I stayed in field support, first as an engineer then Tech Support. Was moved around constantly: Atlanta; Huntsville; Houston; The Hague, Holland; London, England; Detroit; Mississauga, Ontario Canada. At this point, I left field support and was in R&D on a machine called the Star-65. It was to be a smaller model of the Star 100. The development was in Canada (Mississauga). When the Star was killed, we did a rush program called Cyber 170, CDC's first all IC machine. After 4 years in the lab, I longed to get back to the field side, so transferred to Oklahoma City and worked on the Magnetic Periphersals' 14" cartridge drives. Then the 8" Lark; the 940X floppies; and finally on the 5" inch Wren series. After 23 years at CDC, I hired on with Fujitsu and moved to Silicon Valley. Managed a group of enginers who supported the peripheral products at OEM sites, primarily Sun and Tandem. My area was disks, tapes, MOs, printers and scanners. Fujitsu faded away, so after 8 years I moved over to Quantum. Again working on disks. Supported all the top 10 OEMs, but primarily Apple and Compaq. It was a matrix style company, so I was also on new Product Teams, getting new drives through the qualification process. Most of these were SCSI-2 and SCSI-3 3.5". Though we did have one 5.25" called the BigFoot. (A infamous legend in its own right.) Finally, a chance came up to get away from hard drives. I joined Philips and managed a group supporting their OEM customers using Philips CD and DVD recorders and media. This was sheer joy - new technology with fun applications. The design work was in Eindhoven, Holland and Hasselt, Belgium so there were some great trips. Initially, the manufacturing was in Gyor, Hungary which was also a fabulous place to visit. Even had to set up lab full of Xboxes and test all the new games to see that they worked on the DVD-ROM! Eventually, Philips exited the designing and manufactuing end. All that is left is a small sales force. The rest of us in the Sunnyvale group scattered. And now some of us old timers are relaxing and thinking of the past. Time for grand children and travel. It was fun being on the cutting edge for 45 years. I miss it. Need something to keep my mind busy. --------------------------------- So that's it for the classic side. Except to add that I saved all of the manuals on equipment I worked on. Eventually, I had to thin them out and dumped a lot of the wire lists, software manuals, periperal manuals, SPAM boxes and general papers. Excepting the 160-A/8090/8092/5101 systems. I always loved them, so kept all the hardware, software, listings, tapes, cards, etc. I think I still have schematics of every computer I worked on, but my garage is a solid mass of books and electronics. Before I can retire and move, it has to shrink by 90%. So I've been looking for a home for it. --------------------------------- I always wanted to have a home system, so in the late 60's I designed a TTL 160-A. There were already several amateur computer groups active - ACS was the most productive. They had a newsletter out that had several designs using TTL and DTL. One used some DEC modules. And then came the famous Radio Electronics article on the Mark 8. It was a great milestone - a real home computer. I promptly sent off for it. Bought an 8008, for $160! But we had started our family that year, so hobbies were put on hold. 30+ years later, 4 kids are raised, through University and raising their own families. Time to play again. I still have the virgin Mark 8 PCBs. In fact they are still in the box they came in! Along with all the components, bought new and never used. I would occasionally pick up micro computers and PCs as they came out, but most are now long gone. I kept a few just because they were small: Kim, Sym, Ebka, PAIA, MicroProfessor, etc. I think I still have all the manuals and software too. I dumped the TRS-80s, Amigas, Ataris, and early PCs. There is still a little of SWTP 6800 stuff left, including some of the TV Typewriters. And most of the assembly manuals. I also keep most of the books, magazines and newsletters from that era. But my PDP-8s are in the Oklahoma City landfill, along with all the discarded CDC manuals, and half a dozen other minis of that era. At that time, I made a little money on the side by rebuilding Teletypes. When we moved, my spare parts and extra 33s went to the highest bidder: $100 for 10 machines and several hundred pounds of spare parts. The calculator collection went too, sadly. I had two working Friden 130/132s. I still mourn their loss. I had picked up a lot of data manuals, parts and ICs, but also dumped them at OkCity. And then started again in California. But it wasn't organised collecting so there is only a hodge podge of products and books filling the garage. Promised my wife I'd clean it out this year, a chore I'm really dreading ----------------------------- I apologise for the long message. Some other people not on the list will also get this. Billy