28 Jun
2012
28 Jun
'12
12:14 p.m.
Do you know what the later ROM's part number is?
Looks like this might
I think it's an HP98228/.
There may stil lahve eben a system tape for it, I don't know. But I
believe it doens't need any part of the OS on the disk, and can therefore
used floppies from other HP machines.
be easier to track down than a working system tape or
creating a new one
at this point. Disk compatibility isn't a major concern at this point.
I also have a working 9845, my understanding is that it'll work with the
9885M as well, any ideas if it also needs a system tape?
I don;t think that does need a systemn tape. But it might well need some
ROM module.
Any ideas
if this has been archived anywhere? I haven't found it in my
Not that I know
of. There was, IIRC< no way to copy binary programs on
the 9825 (well, you could with a 9877 external tepe memory unit, but they
are ridiculously rare, and the itnerfaces/software for them even rarer).
So there was no real way to archive this system cartridge :-( I originally looked at the system boards and was
hoping that the HP
house numbers for the chips mapped to a more conventional microprocessor
/ microcontroller, but that's clearly not the case.
No, that is one of the few HP custom ICs in the unit. Most of the rest is
TTL.
And then there's that board with the HP
custom
'nanocontroller' and firmware ROms on it. AFAIK HP never docuemtned this
nanocontroller, the instruciton set is not known (I would love to be
wrogn about this) so tryign to disassabmble the firmware is a
non-starter.... And without knowimg what that firmware is doing you are
essentailly working blind.
So basically: this is going to be a pretty large challenge to get
running, assuming I can even find the software to make the 9825 work
with it in a useful fashion... :)