Cheap minicomputer (Tracor-Northern 1610) on Facebook Markeplace (Allentown, PA) 18 bit?
2 Nov
2019
2 Nov
'19
1:32 a.m.
Has anyone seen this? It looks like an 18-bit machine.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/736222363558907/
--Bill
2 Nov
2 Nov
8:35 a.m.
On 11/02/2019 03:32 AM, cctalk--- via cctalk wrote:
Has anyone seen this? It looks like an 18-bit
machine.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/736222363558907/
At least at one time,
these things contained PDP-11's. The
CPU at the bottom sure looks like a PDP-11,
I'm thinking it might actually be a Cal-Data CPU (PDP-11
clone) with a custom logo.
Jon
10:37 a.m.
Indeed. I was thinking since it was a 16 bit bus but 18 bit switches
that it might be an 11/35 or 11/40 inside there. Interesting.
On 11/2/2019 11:35 AM, Jon Elson via cctalk wrote:
On 11/02/2019 03:32 AM, cctalk--- via cctalk wrote:
Has anyone seen this?? It looks like an 18-bit
machine.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/736222363558907/
At least at one time,
these things contained PDP-11's.? The CPU at the
bottom sure looks like a PDP-11,
I'm thinking it might actually be a Cal-Data CPU (PDP-11 clone) with a
custom logo.
Jon
2:39 p.m.
Well, it's sold. I hope someone here hought it, and will post some better pics and
details.
If it had been near to me I'd have bought it instantly. A rack, a Tektronix XY
display,
a rack drawer, blanking panels, some neat mysterious instruments, two 8" floppy
drives,
and a probable PDP-something all for $45?
Bet the various items are on slide rails too. How rare is it to get both parts of
workable slide rails? Here in Oz, virtually unheard of. Separating slide halves and
losing
one half seems to be a near universal syndrome with people who part out test equipment.
Guy (Australia)
At 01:37 PM 2/11/2019 -0400, you wrote:
Indeed. I was thinking since it was a 16 bit bus but 18
bit switches
that it might be an 11/35 or 11/40 inside there. Interesting.
On 11/2/2019 11:35 AM, Jon Elson via cctalk wrote:
On 11/02/2019 03:32 AM, cctalk--- via cctalk
wrote:
Has anyone seen this??? It looks like an 18-bit
machine.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/736222363558907/
At least at one time,
these things contained PDP-11's.?? The CPU at the
bottom sure looks like a PDP-11,
I'm thinking it might actually be a Cal-Data CPU (PDP-11 clone) with a
custom logo.
Jon
3:56 p.m.
heck just the empty? rack? with? drawer is? worth that - -Yes Guy I know about the anguish
of half sets of rack? rails - we have that in Arizona also!? ?Ed#? ?SMECC
In a message dated 11/2/2019 2:40:15 PM US Mountain Standard Time, cctalk at
classiccmp.org writes:
Well, it's sold. I hope someone here hought it, and will post some better pics and
details.
If it had been near to me I'd have bought it instantly. A rack, a Tektronix XY
display,
a rack drawer, blanking panels, some neat mysterious instruments, two 8" floppy
drives,
and a probable PDP-something all for $45?
Bet the various items are on slide rails too. How rare is it to get both parts of
workable slide rails? Here in Oz, virtually unheard of. Separating slide halves and
losing
one half seems to be a near universal syndrome with people who part out test equipment.
Guy (Australia)
At 01:37 PM 2/11/2019 -0400, you wrote:
Indeed. I was thinking since it was a 16 bit bus but 18
bit switches
that it might be an 11/35 or 11/40 inside there. Interesting.
On 11/2/2019 11:35 AM, Jon Elson via cctalk wrote:
On 11/02/2019 03:32 AM, cctalk--- via cctalk
wrote:
Has anyone seen this??? It looks like an 18-bit
machine.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/736222363558907/
At least at one time,
these things contained PDP-11's.?? The CPU at the
bottom sure looks like a PDP-11,
I'm thinking it might actually be a Cal-Data CPU (PDP-11 clone) with a
custom logo.
Jon
3 Nov
3 Nov
12:33 p.m.
On 2019-Nov-02, at 2:39 PM, Guy Dunphy via cctalk wrote:
A rack, a Tektronix XY display,
a rack drawer, blanking panels, some neat mysterious instruments, two 8" floppy
drives,
and a probable PDP-something all for $45?
For what little it matters, the rack unit immediately below the CRT display is a NIM
(Nuclear Instrumentation Module) crate.
5:06 p.m.
On 11/03/2019 02:33 PM, Brent Hilpert via cctalk wrote:
On 2019-Nov-02, at 2:39 PM, Guy Dunphy via cctalk
wrote:
It appears to be a complete multichannel analyzer for
nuclear detectors. It takes an analog signal, detects the
peak value, runs that through an ADC and then increments a
memory location related to the ADC value, thus
producing a histogram of pulse heights. These are
equivalent to particle or Gamma ray energy. Then, the
computer software can analyze it and tell you what
isotope(s) produced that pattern. This was a late 70's to
early 80's system that was in use at a number of physics
labs and related research areas.
Jon
A rack, a Tektronix XY display,
a rack drawer, blanking panels, some neat mysterious instruments, two 8" floppy
drives,
and a probable PDP-something all for $45?
For what little it matters, the rack unit immediately below the CRT display is a NIM
(Nuclear Instrumentation Module) crate.
5 Nov
5 Nov
9:10 a.m.
New subject: Andromeda disk controller diag/format disk found
If anybody has an Andromeda Q-bus MFM hard drive/floppy
controller, I have dug up the diags/utilities disk for it.
This will boot from the floppy on an LSI-11 or MicroVAX-II
and allow you to format drives and run diagnostics.
Anybody need this? I have no idea if the floppy is still
readable, although it has been stored in good
conditions.
Jon
10:11 a.m.
New subject: Andromeda disk controller diag/format disk found
it would be good to get it archived.
I can do it if no one else volunteers
On 11/5/19 9:10 AM, Jon Elson via cctalk wrote:
If anybody has an Andromeda Q-bus MFM hard
drive/floppy controller, I have dug up the diags/utilities disk for it.
This will boot from the floppy on an LSI-11 or MicroVAX-II and allow you to format drives
and run diagnostics.
Anybody need this?? I have no idea if the floppy is still readable, although it has been
stored in good
conditions.
Jon
10:33 a.m.
New subject: Andromeda disk controller diag/format disk found
Agreed. I might have one of those controllers in my pile, information on
them is now exceptionally rare, and without things like those disks one
is sunk.
Also have an MTI ESDI Q Bus controller in my 11/73. It has its' own
serial port that allows you to configure if you know the "HELLO"
password, which is "MTI" (all caps). Without that bit of info it's
useless....
C
On 11/5/2019 1:11 PM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote:
it would be good to get it archived.
I can do it if no one else volunteers
On 11/5/19 9:10 AM, Jon Elson via cctalk wrote:
If anybody has an Andromeda Q-bus MFM hard
drive/floppy controller, I have dug up the diags/utilities disk for it.
This will boot from the floppy on an LSI-11 or MicroVAX-II and allow you to format drives
and run diagnostics.
Anybody need this?? I have no idea if the floppy is still readable, although it has been
stored in good
conditions.
Jon
7:08 p.m.
New subject: Andromeda disk controller diag/format disk found
On 11/05/2019 12:11 PM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote:
it would be good to get it archived.
I can do it if no one else volunteers
OK, you're on. It is a 5.25 " disk in RX50 format, RT-11
file structure, and bootable on both PDP-11 and uVAX-II.
let me know where to send it.
Jon
7:24 p.m.
New subject: Andromeda disk controller diag/format disk found
On 11/5/19 10:08 PM, Jon Elson via cctalk wrote:
On 11/05/2019 12:11 PM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote:
Really? I'd like to know how that was done as they are not the same.
You mean readable not bootable maybe?
Allison
it would be good to get it archived.
I can do it if no one else volunteers
OK, you're on.? It is a 5.25 " disk in RX50 format, RT-11 file
structure, and bootable on both PDP-11 and uVAX-II. let me know where to send it.
Jon
8:27 p.m.
New subject: Andromeda disk controller diag/format disk found
On 11/05/2019 09:24 PM, allison via cctalk wrote:
On 11/5/19 10:08 PM, Jon Elson via cctalk wrote:
I only did this on the uVAX-II, a LONG time ago, like
1986-88 or so, when I got rid of the MFM disks.
So, my memory ir really faded. But, I think there was a
console procedure where you entered a couple
lines of commands to read in certain blocks from the disk
and then run from some location, and
it would bring up the diag/utility from the floppy. I'm
pretty sure the procedure was in the manual,
which I think I sent to the guy who took the Andromeda
controller.
Jon
On 11/05/2019 12:11 PM, Al Kossow via cctalk
wrote:
Really? I'd like to know
how that was done as they are not the same.
You mean readable not bootable maybe?
it would be good to get it archived.
I can do it if no one else volunteers
OK, you're on. It is a 5.25 " disk in RX50 format, RT-11 file
structure, and bootable on both PDP-11 and uVAX-II. 
7:59 p.m.
New subject: Andromeda disk controller diag/format disk found
Where hey a blue board or handles? I think I have a few around here.
On Tue, Nov 5, 2019 at 11:10 AM Jon Elson via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
wrote:
If anybody has an Andromeda Q-bus MFM hard
drive/floppy
controller, I have dug up the diags/utilities disk for it.
This will boot from the floppy on an LSI-11 or MicroVAX-II
and allow you to format drives and run diagnostics.
Anybody need this? I have no idea if the floppy is still
readable, although it has been stored in good
conditions.
Jon
1648
days inactive
1652
days old
13 comments
9 participants
participants (9)
-
aek＠bitsavers.org -
allisonportable＠gmail.com -
bhilpert＠shaw.ca -
cctalk＠harlie.org -
couryhouse＠aol.com -
cz＠alembic.crystel.com -
elson＠pico-systems.com -
guykd＠optusnet.com.au -
useddec＠gmail.com