At 09:24 PM 8/26/05 +0100, you wrote:
It sounds like my house is similar to others on this
list....
Anyway, while extracting an off-topic device, I came across a ring
binder that I had labelled 'HP9831 Manual' Inside were the 2 volumes of
user documentation for that machine -- the Operating/Programming Manual
and the I/O Manual.
COOL! When are you going get it copied or scanned so the rest of us can
see it? :-)
[The HP9831 has similar hardware to the 9825, but has BASIC, not HPL, in ROM]
The 9831 is a 9825 with HP 9830 ROM code in it. I was told by one of the
it's developers that it had ALL the 9830 ROMs built into it and this is the
first time that I've heard that there were ROMs available for it. Do you
have any idea of the part numbers for them? I have seen a couple of
Flexible Disk ROMs that looked like they were for the 9825 but had
different part numbers so perhaps one of them was for the 9831.
A couple of things struck me from reading said documentation
1) There were 2 ROM modules made for the 9831 -- a Matrix/Plotter ROM
(which came in 2 versions to support either the 9862 or 9872 plotters)
and a Flexible Disk ROM. I have neither, alas. Has anyone ever seen them?
2) The I/O manual describes all the peripherals available for the machine
_including the 9877 External Tape Memory_. It appears that the 9831
firmware supports this device for loading/saving BASIC programs and data
files (although not for doing bit-level copies of tapes, etc).
Unfortunately it says nothing about the actually interface for the 9877
-- for all other peripherals (printers, card reader, paper tape punch,
paper tape reader), it says that the interface is a 98032 16 bit parallel
module with the approriate 'option' (cable and link settings). Does
anyone know if the 9877 _definietly_ connected via a 98032 as well?
Yes it does. I have (had?) a picture of one at one time.
Even
better, does anyone know the wiring?
No. There were a lot of modified 98032 interfaces available for
different peripherals and I've been looking for any of them but I've only
found a couple of them and I think I only have docs (and schematic) for ONE
of them. I SHOULD set up an automatic E-bay search for HP 98032 and see if
I can turn up more of the modified interfaces but I haven't done it.
Regarding the 9877, as you know I have two of them. Kennedy Space Center
also has one and we have both been looking for interfaces, docs and
software for them but with little luck. KSC does have an interface but they
weren't willing to let me examine it. They did sent me a picture of it but
it just looks like any other modified 98032. It's marked 98032 option 77.
KSC has tape with software but the media is flaking off of it and it's
unradable so they're looking for another one. I did find a 9877 tape at a
hamfest a couple of years ago but it's probably shot too. I've never tried
to read it. If some has a GOOD tape drive and the necessary knowledge and
equipment to try and reproduce it WITH ONE READ ONLY (that's probably all
you'll get) I'll send it to them and let them try to copy it. But I
definitely want it to go to someone that knows what they're doing since I
seriously doubt that anyone will ever find another copy.
Joe
-tony