25 May
2000
25 May
'00
3:13 a.m.
**************
I'm sending this again because my first attempt went to
classiccmp-classiccmp-org(a)jade.tseinc.com and was rejected.
If you are receiving a second copy of this,ignore it.
**************
Joe <rigdonj(a)intellistar.net> wrote:
I found this in a pile of surplus computers
yesterday. Can anyone tell
me what it is? It looks like an ordinary external 5 1/4" drive box but on
the back of the box it has a DB-25M connector marked "MODEM/CPU" and a
DB-25F connector marked "TERMINAL". There's also a rotary switch labeled
"RATE" with positions marked "10", "30", "120",
"240", "480", 960" and
"EXT". Then there's a toggle switch with positions marked "BIN CTRL
ON"
"ODD" and "EVEN". And another toggle switch with positons marked
"FULL" and
"HALF". It has a socket for a standard AC line cord. It's made by Techtran
Industries of Rochester, N.Y. and it's a model 950A. My guess is that it's
a disk drive that's made to go between a terminal and it's MODEM or
computer but I've never heard of one before. If that's what it is, then
how do you give it coomands?
Joe,
I don't think this is one of those file-system/data logger type
drives,I have one of those and it has a keypad on the front of the
drive you use to open a disk file before dumping serial data to it
and to close the file when you're done.
Instead, I think you have a CP/M computer. It sounds alot like
my PMC 101 "MicroMate".
http://www.best.com/~dcoward/ebay/micromat.jpg
The MicroMate is about the same size as and looks like a TRS-80
Model 1 disk drive. On the back it has DB-25s for "Terminal" and
"Modem". It weights only 10 pounds but when you open the case
there is a DSDD 400K floppy drive, a power supply and a board
that runs the length of the case, which is a 128K 4Mhz Z80A based
CP/M computer. If this is the "case" - you'll need a boot disk.
What is inside this box of yours?
--Doug
====================================================
Doug Coward dcoward(a)pressstart.com (work)
Sr. Software Eng. mranalog(a)home.com (home)
Press Start Inc. http://www.pressstart.com
Sunnyvale,CA
Curator
Analog Computer Museum and History Center
http://www.best.com/~dcoward/analog
====================================================
