30 Sep
2008
30 Sep
'08
9:30 p.m.
On Tue, Sep 30, 2008 at 09:26:37PM -0600, Richard wrote:
I would be interested in one of the VT100s with the
graphics options:
models VT105, VT125, VT240, VT241, VT330, VT340, VT340+, retrographics
or other 3rd-party add-in boards providing graphics or other
interesting video processing functions.
I have some experience with a few of those - I got a VT105 with a MINC
long ago, and I once got a VT241 base in exchange for repairing a pair
of them (bad power switch on the front, and bad EIA receivers inside).
IIRC, the difference between the VT240 and VT241 was which monitor you
hung off of it. A VR201 made it a VT240, and a VR241(?) made it a VT241.
Both of those monitors are compatible with the Rainbow, IIRC, and the
VR201 was quite common since it also came with DECmates and Professional
machines.
I have little experience with newer terminals, but the one I've wanted
for a while is a GiGi (VK100?).
Lately I was wondering what it would be like to take a
mini ATX PC and
mount it inside a VT100 case, using the VT100 itself as the serial
port console with linux.
A modern version of one of my old projects - take a VT103 (which I have),
and stuff a MicroVAX + SCSI interface into it to make it a self-contained
VAX. I suspect some backplane fiddlery would be required, since a BA23
has CD slots at the top for either the CPU interconnect (uVAX-I) or
PMI (uVAX-II). A PDP-11 would be much a much easier fit, I'd say
(but I've already done that, with external disks and the internal
TU58s).
With the mini-ATX board in there, you could run simh and turn your
"VT100" into any one of a number of DEC machines (my choice would be
a PDP-10, but I'd use klh10 and the "Panda Distribution" for that).
I don't know if the PSU in a VT100 has enough spare amps for an
internal PC, but the VT103 should, especially if you use a laptop
hard disk and a processor that uses less than 36W - i.e., not a P4).
What would make it really handy is if you got a motherboard that
could be set up for serial console - it's possible with some, but I
don't know if any Mini-ATX (or other small format) boards can do it.
Worst case, I suppose, is that it boots up headless and you know it's
up when the login prompt shows up on the screen.
-ethan
--
Ethan Dicks, A-333-S Current South Pole Weather at 1-Oct-2008 at 03:50 Z
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Ethan.Dicks at usap.gov http://penguincentral.com/penguincentral.html