3 Jun
2010
3 Jun
'10
7:37 a.m.
Hi,
a short time ago, i got hold of a C 900 (bare machine only, no
keyboard/monitor), that i want to get working again ...
I have already searched the Web for specs of keyboard and monitor but
without success.
The machine has an AT-type keyboard plug, but it's not clear (at least
for me), if a normal IBM compatible keyboard
will work. As i have the workstation version, the display resolution
should be 1024*800 which seems to be a bit
uncommon, so i'm not sure, which monitor could work ...
Can anyone provide some documentation, that would help to find a working
keyboard/monitor ?
Getting the software for the machine would be very helpful too ! ...
Thanks a lot
Bernd
15 Jun
15 Jun
8:45 a.m.
No help in sight ?? ...
Ciao Bernd
Bernd Kopriva wrote:
Hi,
a short time ago, i got hold of a C 900 (bare machine only, no
keyboard/monitor), that i want to get working again ...
I have already searched the Web for specs of keyboard and monitor but
without success.
The machine has an AT-type keyboard plug, but it's not clear (at least
for me), if a normal IBM compatible keyboard
will work. As i have the workstation version, the display resolution
should be 1024*800 which seems to be a bit
uncommon, so i'm not sure, which monitor could work ...
Can anyone provide some documentation, that would help to find a
working keyboard/monitor ?
Getting the software for the machine would be very helpful too ! ...
Thanks a lot
Bernd
12:30 p.m.
I assume most of us have never seen a C900. I need to google it, as I'm
curious as to what it actually is.
Zane
On Tue, 15 Jun 2010, Bernd Kopriva wrote:
No help in sight ?? ...
Ciao Bernd
Bernd Kopriva wrote:
> Hi,
> a short time ago, i got hold of a C 900 (bare machine only, no
> keyboard/monitor), that i want to get working again ...
> I have already searched the Web for specs of keyboard and monitor but
> without success.
> The machine has an AT-type keyboard plug, but it's not clear (at least for
> me), if a normal IBM compatible keyboard
> will work. As i have the workstation version, the display resolution should
> be 1024*800 which seems to be a bit
> uncommon, so i'm not sure, which monitor could work ...
>
> Can anyone provide some documentation, that would help to find a working
> keyboard/monitor ?
> Getting the software for the machine would be very helpful too ! ...
>
> Thanks a lot
> Bernd
12:43 p.m.
On Tue, Jun 15, 2010 at 2:30 PM, Zane H. Healy <healyzh at aracnet.com> wrote:
I assume most of us have never seen a C900. ?I need to
google it, as I'm
curious as to what it actually is.
I had to google it also. I found a page. It's a Z8000 based computer
that commodore was working on. They ditched it when they bought amiga
and sent all the prototype machines to a scrap company. So that would
make them very rare.
It also ran Coherent which was a pre-linux attempt to recreate a
non-unix unix. I used to run it on my 486 laptop. It worked great.
Good luck finding that software now. Although I'm sure a crazy
collector out there has it.
As for the keyboard, if a PC keyboard doesn't work, you might want to
try one from an amiga 2000. They had the same connector, but were not
PC compatible.
For the video, I'd just plug in any old VGA multi-sync monitor.
1024x800 just sounds like 1024x768 with some overscan.
As a side note, I'd love to have that case for a hacking project. But
such a thing would be unforgivable if the motherboard weren't a total
loss.
brian
12:48 p.m.
It also ran Coherent which was a pre-linux attempt to
recreate a
non-unix unix. I used to run it on my 486 laptop. It worked great.
Good luck finding that software now. Although I'm sure a crazy
collector out there has it.
A long time ago someone sent me some C900 disks, allegedly. I probably
should find them and image them (I didn't have the set up for that back
then and they're probably in the mess I call my stock closet). I don't
have a C900 myself, though, so I can't even guarantee that's what they're
for or that they work.
--
------------------------------------ personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ --
Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at floodgap.com
-- The son becomes the father, the father becomes the son, the uncle has a beer.
16 Jun
16 Jun
7:27 a.m.
Hi,
this would be very helpful ...
.... i don't know, if there were different versions for the server and
workstation versions, the only reference
i saw, mentioned 3 disks, version 0.7.3 (??).
Thanks Bernd
Cameron Kaiser wrote:
It also ran
Coherent which was a pre-linux attempt to recreate a
non-unix unix. I used to run it on my 486 laptop. It worked great.
Good luck finding that software now. Although I'm sure a crazy
collector out there has it.
A long time ago someone sent me some C900 disks, allegedly. I probably
should find them and image them (I didn't have the set up for that back
then and they're probably in the mess I call my stock closet). I don't
have a C900 myself, though, so I can't even guarantee that's what they're
for or that they work.
7:42 a.m.
Hi,
this would be very helpful ...
.... i don't know, if there were different versions for the server and
workstation versions, the only reference
i saw, mentioned 3 disks, version 0.7.3 (??).
Yes, 0.7.3 was the Coherent build for the 900. I'll dig around in my closet.
--
------------------------------------ personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ --
Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at floodgap.com
-- Do I look like I just fell off the turnip truck?! -- Ryoga, "Ranma 1/2" ----
7:22 a.m.
Hi,
i'm not familiar with all that Amiga and Commodore 8 bit stuff, but at
least,
it should be not too hard to get a Amiga keyboard :) ...
...as the C-900 predates the Amiga, i'm not sure, if the keyboard will fit
Ciao Bernd
Brian Lanning wrote:
On Tue, Jun 15, 2010 at 2:30 PM, Zane H.
Healy<healyzh at aracnet.com> wrote:
I assume most of us have never seen a C900. I
need to google it, as I'm
curious as to what it actually is.
I had to google it also. I found a page. It's a Z8000 based computer
that commodore was working on. They ditched it when they bought amiga
and sent all the prototype machines to a scrap company. So that would
make them very rare.
It also ran Coherent which was a pre-linux attempt to recreate a
non-unix unix. I used to run it on my 486 laptop. It worked great.
Good luck finding that software now. Although I'm sure a crazy
collector out there has it.
As for the keyboard, if a PC keyboard doesn't work, you might want to
try one from an amiga 2000. They had the same connector, but were not
PC compatible.
For the video, I'd just plug in any old VGA multi-sync monitor.
1024x800 just sounds like 1024x768 with some overscan.
As a side note, I'd love to have that case for a hacking project. But
such a thing would be unforgivable if the motherboard weren't a total
loss.
brian
7:36 a.m.
On Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 9:22 AM, Bernd Kopriva <bernd at kopriva.de> wrote:
Hi,
i'm not familiar with all that Amiga and Commodore 8 bit stuff, but at
least,
it should be not too hard to get a Amiga keyboard :) ...
...as the C-900 predates the Amiga, i'm not sure, if the keyboard will fit
It's certainly not at all clear whether an amiga keyboard will work.
But it looks as though this machine and the amiga 2000 might have been
designed at the same place in germany. The c900 case also looks very
much like an amiga 2000 case. If the same engineers were used for the
two projects, they could have easily taken the keyboard circuit from
the c900 and used it in the 2000, maybe even reusing the keyboards on
the 2000 that were originally intended for the c900.
2000 keyboards are as plentiful as the 2000. Getting a keyboard
should be easy, although you may have to buy a 2000 to go with it.
:-)
Does anyone know if the commodore colt PCs use standard PC keyboards
or something proprietary like the amiga keyboard?
brian
7:46 a.m.
As far as i know, the Amiga and the C-900 have different roots ...
... the Amiga was developed in the USA (Commodore bought the company
"Amiga"), whereas
the C-900 was developed mostly in Germany
Ciao Bernd
Brian Lanning wrote:
On Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 9:22 AM, Bernd
Kopriva<bernd at kopriva.de> wrote:
Hi,
i'm not familiar with all that Amiga and Commodore 8 bit stuff, but at
least,
it should be not too hard to get a Amiga keyboard :) ...
...as the C-900 predates the Amiga, i'm not sure, if the keyboard will fit
It's certainly not at all clear whether an amiga keyboard will work.
But it looks as though this machine and the amiga 2000 might have been
designed at the same place in germany. The c900 case also looks very
much like an amiga 2000 case. If the same engineers were used for the
two projects, they could have easily taken the keyboard circuit from
the c900 and used it in the 2000, maybe even reusing the keyboards on
the 2000 that were originally intended for the c900.
2000 keyboards are as plentiful as the 2000. Getting a keyboard
should be easy, although you may have to buy a 2000 to go with it.
:-)
Does anyone know if the commodore colt PCs use standard PC keyboards
or something proprietary like the amiga keyboard?
brian
7:55 a.m.
On Wed, 16 Jun 2010, Bernd Kopriva wrote:
As far as i know, the Amiga and the C-900 have
different roots ...
... the Amiga was developed in the USA (Commodore bought the company
"Amiga"), whereas
the C-900 was developed mostly in Germany
The Amiga 1000 was the first and designed in the US. The 2000 was designed
by Commodore Germany.
g.
--
Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
http://www.simpits.org/geneb - The Me-109F/X Project
ScarletDME - The red hot Data Management Environment
A Multi-Value database for the masses, not the classes.
http://www.scarletdme.org - Get it _today_!
7:55 a.m.
On Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 9:46 AM, Bernd Kopriva <bernd at kopriva.de> wrote:
As far as i know, the Amiga and the C-900 have
different roots ...
... the Amiga was developed in the USA (Commodore bought the company
"Amiga"), whereas
the C-900 was developed mostly in Germany
The amiga 1000 was developed by a startup company which commodore
bought. From that, they designed the amiga 500 and 2000 which were
very similar.
http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/a2000.html
The first version of the A2000 was designed by a group
in Germany. It shares much of the >A1000 design, integrating several parts of the
motherboard design.
It looks like commodore did a rework of the 2000 motherboard early on.
But I believe the keyboard interface stayed the same.
brian
7:59 a.m.
On Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 10:55 AM, Brian Lanning <brianlanning at gmail.com> wrote:
It looks like commodore did a rework of the 2000
motherboard early on.
?But I believe the keyboard interface stayed the same.
The A1000 and A2000 keyboard interfaces use the same voltages and
protocols. The difference is that the A1000 used a handset jack (like
a narrow RJ-11) and the A2000 used a DIN5. A simple mechanical
adapter cable allows you to use one keyboard on the other computer (I
have one that lets you use an A2000 keyboard on an A1000).
-ethan
8:03 a.m.
On Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 9:59 AM, Ethan Dicks <ethan.dicks at gmail.com> wrote:
The A1000 and A2000 keyboard interfaces use the same
voltages and
protocols. ?The difference is that the A1000 used a handset jack (like
a narrow RJ-11) and the A2000 used a DIN5. ?A simple mechanical
adapter cable allows you to use one keyboard on the other computer (I
have one that lets you use an A2000 keyboard on an A1000).
That doesn't bode well for being able to use a 2000 keyboard on the c900.
brian
11:55 a.m.
On Wed, 16 Jun 2010, Ethan Dicks wrote:
On Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 10:55 AM, Brian Lanning
<brianlanning at gmail.com> wrote:
A number of the Northgate OmniKey models had an Amiga personality built in
and switch-selectable.
I use one on my A4000.
Steve
--
It looks like commodore did a rework of the 2000
motherboard early on.
?But I believe the keyboard interface stayed the same.
The A1000 and A2000 keyboard interfaces use the same voltages and
protocols. The difference is that the A1000 used a handset jack (like
a narrow RJ-11) and the A2000 used a DIN5. A simple mechanical
adapter cable allows you to use one keyboard on the other computer (I
have one that lets you use an A2000 keyboard on an A1000). 
11:16 p.m.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steven Hirsch" <snhirsch at gmail.com>
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic Posts Only" <cctech at classiccmp.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2010 2:55 PM
Subject: Re: Commodore C 900 documentation and software required ...
On Wed, 16 Jun 2010, Ethan Dicks wrote:
A number of the Northgate OmniKey models had an Amiga personality built in
and switch-selectable.
I use one on my A4000.
Steve
Yea, I have an Ultra T model on my A2000. My 102 does not work in amiga
mode. Thing is in Amiga mode the key layout is slightly different so you
need to move a couple keys around , and there should be an Amiga kit
available at one time to have the Amiga keycaps.
7:20 a.m.
Hi,
the C 900 was planned as Commodores entrance to th 16 bit market.
There should have been a server version and a workstation version (the
one i own).
The server version had some additional serial ports whereas the
workstation included a hires graphics card.
The system was equipped with a Zilog Z-8001 (which i the main reason for
my interest), 512 kb Ram, a floppy
disk and a harddisk. The operating system was Coherent Unix.
Unfortunately, the development was killed in favour of the Amiga.
According to some rumors, about 500 prototype machines were build and
given to developers ...
Ciao Bernd
Zane H. Healy wrote:
I assume most of us have never seen a C900. I need to
google it, as I'm
curious as to what it actually is.
Zane
On Tue, 15 Jun 2010, Bernd Kopriva wrote:
> No help in sight ?? ...
>
> Ciao Bernd
>
> Bernd Kopriva wrote:
>> Hi,
>> a short time ago, i got hold of a C 900 (bare machine only, no
>> keyboard/monitor), that i want to get working again ...
>> I have already searched the Web for specs of keyboard and monitor
>> but without success.
>> The machine has an AT-type keyboard plug, but it's not clear (at
>> least for me), if a normal IBM compatible keyboard
>> will work. As i have the workstation version, the display resolution
>> should be 1024*800 which seems to be a bit
>> uncommon, so i'm not sure, which monitor could work ...
>>
>> Can anyone provide some documentation, that would help to find a
>> working keyboard/monitor ?
>> Getting the software for the machine would be very helpful too ! ...
>>
>> Thanks a lot
>> Bernd
16 Jun
16 Jun
7:28 a.m.
Hi,
will try to do so this weekend ...
... first i need to get hold of a digi-cam, not everything is digital
here :)
Ciao Bernd
Brian Lanning wrote:
On Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 9:37 AM, Bernd Kopriva<bernd
at kopriva.de> wrote:
Hi,
a short time ago, i got hold of a C 900 (bare machine only, no
keyboard/monitor), that i want to get working again ...
Can you post pictures somewhere? Especially the inside. :-)
brian
5304
days inactive
5318
days old
18 comments
8 participants
participants (8)
-
bernd＠kopriva.de -
brianlanning＠gmail.com -
ethan.dicks＠gmail.com -
geneb＠deltasoft.com -
healyzh＠aracnet.com -
snhirsch＠gmail.com -
spectre＠floodgap.com -
teoz＠neo.rr.com