21 Dec
1998
21 Dec
'98
7:25 a.m.
(...or should that be: "on the horns of a dilemma?")
A VERY good weekend, with the possble exception of the 'Digi-Comp' that
got away (at least for the present...)
Santa dropped a whole back seat full of assorted S-100 boards and such my
way (and I drive a Suburban, so I've got a BIG back seat!) Some assembled
units and a number of unassembled (!) kits, some still in the original
shrinkwrap/baggies!
Now the dilemma: in trolling thru the garage archives (read that: rack
shelving) recently, I came across my collection of Cromemco games (on
paper tape) for Altair (or similar), Dazzler, D+7A, and joystick. All of
which I have in the collection except for the joystick. I've got the docs
on it, just not the physical unit... Until now...
And there you have the dilemma - the Cromemco joystick is one of the
(pristine) unassembled units that came in the stack! So now, do I follow
my initial thot of building/adapting a joystick to play the games, or warm
up the soldering iron and assemble the Cromemco unit? (which would
complete the original configuration)
Sigh...
And then there is the LOCI-2 and it's 'bed of nails' card reader...
(LOgarithmetic Computing Instrument I'm told)
...and the...
Heath H-10!!!
(hah!! I finally got one!)
<BIG GRIN>
All of these decisions just before I start my Christmas vacation...
-jim
---
jimw(a)agora.rdrop.com
The Computer Garage - http://www.rdrop.com/~jimw
Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174
21 Dec
21 Dec
8:16 a.m.
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11:31 a.m.
On Mon, 21 Dec 1998, Tony Duell wrote:
(...to build, or not to build, a Cromemco joystick kit)
If it was mine, I'd build the kit, but then I see
no value in usassembled
kits other than they're to be built.
Another possibility. How complex is this joystick (not very, I guess).
Could you make a clone using a PC joystick mechanism and the same
electronics (built on stripboard, or on a copy of the PCB)?
Minimal complexity. 2 axis joystick with pots, 4 buttons (keyswitches),
and a speaker... All of the real gutz are on the D+7A board...
Main reason for building the thing would be to have the complete original
configuration of items that were intended to run the software.
Just would not look (feel) the same with a mutant PC joystick... The
Cormemco unit is a big sucker! Sloped top metal project box... A good
two hander type unit. PC sticks would be way too small!
I feel a soldering iron session coming on!
-jim
---
jimw(a)agora.rdrop.com
The Computer Garage - http://www.rdrop.com/~jimw
Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174
22 Dec
22 Dec
1:20 p.m.
New subject: VAX/VMS Assistance Requested
Ok, here's the scoop. I actually have a MicroVax II on the net kinda
sorta via a terminal server. But my problem is that I've got no way to
get binaries on and off the machine. I have no file transfer capabilities
on it as far as I can tell. Usually such machines will have kermit when
you get them as freebies but this one was used in a custom application etc.
My understanding is that you can take any file, binary, text, etc and put
it in a share archive (IE .shar) extension, transfer it to the machine in
text mode (basically cut and paste in a terminal window or using an ASCII
transfer) and simply execute it using a @.
I'm not sure if what I'm asking makes sense, but could someone on the list
'.shar' up the binary distribution for kermit and email it to me? Then I
could ascii transfer it onto the vax, execute it, have kermit and
transfer binaries onto it, thus solving my problem.
Alternatively, everyplace I look kermit seems to be in a zip. This is
fine but I can't get zip onto the vax nor the zip archive itself.
I also have no compilers so I can't put source on there and compile
except for Macro-32. Does the kermit binary(ies) exist someplace via ftp
in a .shar archive?
Maybe I'm being completely ignorant here. Because I can reliably telnet
to the machine I'd like to clean it up, make a backup image on tape,
install some common utilities and make it available to folks on the list
via telnet. Is there some easier way to get binaries onto the machine?
Without having them on tape already, etc.
Thanks...
Anthony Clifton, kc0cue
1:42 p.m.
New subject: VAX/VMS Assistance Requested
Hmmm. If you can telnet into the machine have you tried ftping?
Otherwise the only solution will be to ask some kind soul with tk50s
to put kermit on a tk50 for you and mail it to you, I guess.
If you have any programming languages at all on the machine you could try
writing a uudecode utility and then uuencoding the kermit binary on another
machine, and doing the cut and paste you were talking about. You could
probably write a uudecode in DCL, but it would be slow, ugly, and nasty.
Ok, here's the scoop. I actually have a MicroVax II on the net kinda
sorta via a terminal server. But my problem is that I've got no way to
get binaries on and off the machine. I have no file transfer capabilities
on it as far as I can tell. Usually such machines will have kermit when
you get them as freebies but this one was used in a custom application etc.
How exactly is it conencted? Via serial port to the terminal server? If this
is the case, FTP is pretty much out of the question. You're back to the tk50
My understanding is that you can take any file,
binary, text, etc and put
it in a share archive (IE .shar) extension, transfer it to the machine in
text mode (basically cut and paste in a terminal window or using an ASCII
transfer) and simply execute it using a @.
never heard of this being done or working. Since terminals tend to like to
monkey with 8th bit stuff I'd not expect it to work, personally.
Alternatively, everyplace I look kermit seems to be in
a zip. This is
fine but I can't get zip onto the vax nor the zip archive itself.
I also have no compilers so I can't put source on there and compile
except for Macro-32. Does the kermit binary(ies) exist someplace via ftp
in a .shar archive?
Maybe I'm being completely ignorant here. Because I can reliably telnet
to the machine I'd like to clean it up, make a backup image on tape,
install some common utilities and make it available to folks on the list
via telnet. Is there some easier way to get binaries onto the machine?
Without having them on tape already, etc.
Thanks...
Anthony Clifton, kc0cue
Not sure I've helped any. I imagine Tim and Allison will have more helpful
replies. :)
--
Jim Strickland
jim(a)DIESPAMMERSCUMcalico.litterbox.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Vote Meadocrat! Bill and Opus in 2000 - Who ELSE is there?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
2:06 p.m.
New subject: VAX/VMS Assistance Requested
If you have any programming languages at all on the
machine you could try
writing a uudecode utility and then uuencoding the kermit binary on another
machine, and doing the cut and paste you were talking about. You could
probably write a uudecode in DCL, but it would be slow, ugly, and nasty.
This used to be a common problem, and "shar" (shell archive) was the
common answer. On Unix, it was a simple shell script that you could wrap
source code in. Under VMS, there was a DCL equivalent.
I just looked around for a VMS version of shar, and couldn't find one :-(
I also remember that KERMIT commonly came with a simple boot-strap
program, but I didn't find one of those for VMS either....
If you have a C compiler on the VMS box, I would just try getting the
kermit sources file-by-file onto your system via:
COPY SYS$INPUT file1.c
or whatever the DCL syntax is.
-- Doug
3:46 p.m.
New subject: VAX/VMS Assistance Problem Solved
As I said before, I spoke too soon. I found a copy of kermit in
one of the user directories. Should have known.
At any rate, it works great and I'm able to transfer files onto
and off of the machine.
(BTW, if that hadn't worked, I was preparing to write a little one-way
file transfer program in Macro. Oh well.)
My goal, of course, is to get the cmuip stuff and just put the machine
on the net via slip. My terminal server can do that too. At least
until I can afford a deqna etc.
BTW, the importance of this machine...aside from having a VMS box to play
with...is that I have a nice streaming 9-track tape drive and controller
that goes with it. That should allow me to do file/media conversions and
to explore all the nifty things on the 9-track tapes I seem to find
occasionally at second-hand stores. =-)
I'm gettin' happy.
Anthony Clifton, kc0cue
4:25 p.m.
New subject: VAX/VMS Assistance Problem Solved
Wirehead Prime wrote:
As I said before, I spoke too soon. I found a copy of kermit in
one of the user directories. Should have known.
At any rate, it works great and I'm able to transfer files onto
and off of the machine.
At _any_ rate? As I recall, I last needed to use kermit sometime in
1989 and the rate I used it at was 1200bps. (Well, it's the fastest
speed that the modem in the 3B1 supported). Damned if I can recall
what I was talking to. I just know it wasn't a Unix machine and it
didn't do [xyz]modem.
--
Ward Griffiths <mailto:gram@cnct.com> <http://www.cnct.com/home/gram/>
WARNING: The Attorney General has determined that Alcohol, Tobacco,
and Firearms can be hazardous to your health -- and get away with it.
4:28 p.m.
New subject: VAX/VMS Assistance Problem Solved
At any rate,
it works great and I'm able to transfer files onto
and off of the machine.
At _any_ rate? As I recall, I last needed to use kermit sometime in
1989 and the rate I used it at was 1200bps. (Well, it's the fastest
speed that the modem in the 3B1 supported). Damned if I can recall
what I was talking to. I just know it wasn't a Unix machine and it
didn't do [xyz]modem. from a Mac SE to a MicroVaxII in this case. That's
creepy.
Anthony Clifton, kc0cue
6:33 p.m.
New subject: VAX/VMS Assistance Problem Solved
Wirehead Prime wrote:
Oh geez. You know...come to think of it...oh no...
The last time I used kermit was to transfer files from my Mac SE that
I bought in 1988 to the Vax 8650 at acad.drake.edu. I'm transferring files
from a Mac SE to a MicroVaxII in this case. That's creepy.
At what rate? :-)}
--
Ward Griffiths <mailto:gram@cnct.com> <http://www.cnct.com/home/gram/>
WARNING: The Attorney General has determined that Alcohol, Tobacco,
and Firearms can be hazardous to your health -- and get away with it.
At any
rate, it works great and I'm able to transfer files onto
and off of the machine.
At _any_ rate? As I recall, I last needed to use kermit sometime in
1989 and the rate I used it at was 1200bps. (Well, it's the fastest
speed that the modem in the 3B1 supported). Damned if I can recall
what I was talking to. I just know it wasn't a Unix machine and it
didn't do [xyz]modem.
9350
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9 comments
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