10 Dec
2016
10 Dec
'16
8:58 a.m.
Hi,
I've got a card cage full of cards that seems to be a Megatek Graphics
Subsystem. I've found a board with coaxial connectors that seems to be
the Video Output Board, a CPU build out of two stacked cards, one with 8
pcs. AM2901BC and some Memory..
One fo the card(stacks) has front connectors looking like Unibus (or
QBus).
There is no PSU attached to the card cage.
After googeling around I think the thing is related to a Megatek 7250
graphics Terminal mentioned here an there..but no pictures could be
found.
Is there soemone that has more informations about that thing?
The megatek is an a bad shape, Crystal oscillators are heavyly corroded
on the outside, it sat for 20+ years somewhere on the Attic.
I'll make some Pictures next week ..
Regards,
Holm
--
Technik Service u. Handel Tiffe, www.tsht.de, Holm Tiffe,
Freiberger Stra?e 42, 09600 Obersch?na, USt-Id: DE253710583
info at tsht.de Fax +49 3731 74200 Tel +49 3731 74222 Mobil: 0172 8790 741
10 Dec
10 Dec
2:44 p.m.
On 2016-12-10 3:58 AM, Holm Tiffe wrote:
Hi,
I've got a card cage full of cards that seems to be a Megatek Graphics
Subsystem. I've found a board with coaxial connectors that seems to be
the Video Output Board, a CPU build out of two stacked cards, one with 8
pcs. AM2901BC and some Memory..
One fo the card(stacks) has front connectors looking like Unibus (or
QBus).
There is no PSU attached to the card cage.
After googeling around I think the thing is related to a Megatek 7250
graphics Terminal mentioned here an there..but no pictures could be
found.
Is there soemone that has more informations about that thing?
The megatek is an a bad shape, Crystal oscillators are heavyly corroded
on the outside, it sat for 20+ years somewhere on the Attic.
Nice. I've seen a Megatek running, at Royal Melbourne Institute of
Technology, Australia, circa 1982.
--Toby
I'll make some Pictures next week ..
Regards,
Holm
6:42 p.m.
I have a similar design and a monitor that I've promised to Richard
Mine is vector
Docs are hard to find.
On 12/10/16 12:58 AM, Holm Tiffe wrote:
Hi,
I've got a card cage full of cards that seems to be a Megatek Graphics
Subsystem. I've found a board with coaxial connectors that seems to be
the Video Output Board, a CPU build out of two stacked cards, one with 8
pcs. AM2901BC and some Memory..
One fo the card(stacks) has front connectors looking like Unibus (or
QBus).
There is no PSU attached to the card cage.
After googeling around I think the thing is related to a Megatek 7250
graphics Terminal mentioned here an there..but no pictures could be
found.
Is there soemone that has more informations about that thing?
The megatek is an a bad shape, Crystal oscillators are heavyly corroded
on the outside, it sat for 20+ years somewhere on the Attic.
I'll make some Pictures next week ..
Regards,
Holm
11 Dec
11 Dec
6:02 p.m.
On 12/10/16 10:42 AM, Al Kossow wrote:
I have a similar design and a monitor that I've
promised to Richard
Mine is vector
Docs are hard to find.
On 12/10/16 12:58 AM, Holm Tiffe wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I've got a card cage full of cards that seems to be a Megatek Graphics
> Subsystem. I've found a board with coaxial connectors that seems to be
> the Video Output Board, a CPU build out of two stacked cards, one with 8
> pcs. AM2901BC and some Memory..
>
Dug out my board set this morning and it's MUCH older. No bit slice parts at all.
6:16 p.m.
Al Kossow wrote:
On 12/10/16 10:42 AM, Al Kossow wrote:
On my set they are in the middle of a 2 boards sandwich ...
Regards,
Holm
--
Technik Service u. Handel Tiffe, www.tsht.de, Holm Tiffe,
Freiberger Stra?e 42, 09600 Obersch?na, USt-Id: DE253710583
info at tsht.de Fax +49 3731 74200 Tel +49 3731 74222 Mobil: 0172 8790 741
I have a similar design and a monitor that
I've promised to Richard
Mine is vector
Docs are hard to find.
On 12/10/16 12:58 AM, Holm Tiffe wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I've got a card cage full of cards that seems to be a Megatek Graphics
> Subsystem. I've found a board with coaxial connectors that seems to be
> the Video Output Board, a CPU build out of two stacked cards, one with 8
> pcs. AM2901BC and some Memory..
>
Dug out my board set this morning and it's MUCH older. No bit slice parts at all.
12 Dec
12 Dec
4:01 a.m.
Megatek was one of the main high end graphics vendors in the 1970s and early
1980s, the other one was Evans and Sutherland. They were both largely
knocked out of the market when SGI came along. I always wanted one, but my
employers could never afford something that high end. Internally they are
vector displays, they connected to a host computer to download the display
program to produce the graphics. One of the interesting features of some of
the later models is that they could be hooked up to a vector or raster
display. I think they could also support both from the same controller.
Megatek saw that the world was going raster, and they moved in that
direction a little too late. A very nice architecture. I believe one of
the early versions of Foley and van Dam has a high level description of the
architecture. I've searched the web multiple times looking for information
on them, but had little luck.
If the one that you have has raster output there is a good chance that you
could get a modern monitor to display the output. If it has vector output
you really need the display unit. They are less likely to survive than the
other components unfortunately.
By the way, if anyone on the list has Evans and Sutherland documentation I
would be very interested in talking to them. I have an E&S picture system
that I would like to get fully functional again, but I have no documentation
for it.
-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Holm Tiffe
Sent: December 11, 2016 1:16 PM
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Subject: Re: Megatek Series 7000 Graphics System?
Al Kossow wrote:
On 12/10/16 10:42 AM, Al Kossow wrote:
at
all.
On my set they are in the middle of a 2 boards sandwich ...
Regards,
Holm
--
Technik Service u. Handel Tiffe, www.tsht.de, Holm Tiffe,
Freiberger Stra?e 42, 09600 Obersch?na, USt-Id: DE253710583
info at tsht.de Fax +49 3731 74200 Tel +49 3731 74222 Mobil: 0172 8790 741
I have a similar design and a monitor that
I've promised to Richard
Mine is vector
Docs are hard to find.
On 12/10/16 12:58 AM, Holm Tiffe wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I've got a card cage full of cards that seems to be a Megatek
> Graphics Subsystem. I've found a board with coaxial connectors that
> seems to be the Video Output Board, a CPU build out of two stacked
> cards, one with 8 pcs. AM2901BC and some Memory..
>
Dug out my board set this morning and it's MUCH older. No bit slice parts
13 Dec
13 Dec
4:36 a.m.
It's a late model PS-300, I believe the model number is PS-340. It's one of
the few that they made with a colour vector display.
-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Al Kossow
Sent: December 12, 2016 11:07 AM
To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: Megatek Series 7000 Graphics System?
On 12/11/16 8:01 PM, Mark Green wrote:
I have an E&S picture system
that I would like to get fully functional again, but I have no
documentation for it.
PS-300 or earlier?
12 Dec
12 Dec
4:09 p.m.
On 12/11/16 8:01 PM, Mark Green wrote:
If it has vector output
you really need the display unit. They are less likely to survive than the
other components unfortunately.
Mostly because they are BIG CRTs
Megatek documentation is extremely difficult to find, which is why I never did
anything with the one that I have.
4:55 p.m.
Holm Tiffe wrote:
[..]
I made some pictures and currently uploading them to
http://www.tiffe.de/Robotron/misc/Megatek/
Caution: the images are 3072x2048 pixels JPGs, approx 1,5 Mbyte in size.
The 2 PCBs on the table are the "MP Microcontroller MAW 35-0066-00"
Sandwich disassembled.
W/o documentation I think it is very unlikly that I can get this beast
working again... The cards in the cage are placed in random order
and currently I don't have the PSU, but the former Owner will look for
it. The faceplate says 230V, 3A..
Regards,
Holm
--
Technik Service u. Handel Tiffe, www.tsht.de, Holm Tiffe,
Freiberger Stra?e 42, 09600 Obersch?na, USt-Id: DE253710583
info at tsht.de Fax +49 3731 74200 Tel +49 3731 74222 Mobil: 0172 8790 741
6:53 p.m.
On 12/12/16 8:55 AM, Holm Tiffe wrote:
Holm Tiffe wrote:
[..]
I made some pictures and currently uploading them to
http://www.tiffe.de/Robotron/misc/Megatek/
thanks! mine looks very similar. I guess I need to check the backs of
the boards to see if there are 40 pin DIPs hiding on the bottom board
I also need to dig out the chassis to see what model number mine is.
None of the boards have Unibus connectors out the top.
I also put up a couple of Megatek related documents and a product announcement
for the 7000 on bitsavers.
13 Dec
13 Dec
5:07 p.m.
On 12/12/16 10:53 AM, Al Kossow wrote:
I also need to dig out the chassis to see what model
number mine is.
None of the boards have Unibus connectors out the top.
I also put up a couple of Megatek related documents and a product announcement
for the 7000 on bitsavers.
I took another look at my boards, and they are also from a 7000 with a Unibus interface.
Yours looks like it supports two displays, and it has a lot of memory. Mine only has a
single 16k x 32 ram board, but has a rotation board (probably a matrix multiplier) and
a board with a microprocessor, probably for a keyboard.
I think that most of the backplane may just be bussed, with 16 bit adr and 32 bit data.
My memory board looks like yours with the row of 82s137s and 16K drams. If you look at
the edge connector, most of the wiring goes to buffers which obviously are adr and data.
I'm a little worried about how many bipolar proms are on these boards, and the
chances
of bit rot in them.
The functions of each of the cards and part number are etched on the edge opposite of
the edge connector. I'm wondering if your unit is for two raster displays, since it
seems
to have 4 coaxial connectors for each output.
There is probably microcode on the 2901 board for the basic instruction set, I notice
some number of bipolar proms arranged in a row on there.
I doubt that the prom/dram memory board would be for microcode.
14 Dec
14 Dec
8:56 a.m.
Al Kossow wrote:
a product spec for the 7000 is up now on bitsavers.
there are two busses, graphics and peripheral.
On 12/13/16 9:07 AM, Al Kossow wrote:
> I think that most of the backplane may just be bussed, with 16 bit adr and 32 bit
data.
>
Thanks Al for all the interesting documentation.
I hope I'll have some time left over this weekend and I'll try to cleanup
that thing a little bit and sort out wich cards I have.
I have the same toughts about that Microcomputer Sandwich, seems to be
an complete processor module including the microcode in the bipolar
proms.
As far as I understood, you now have found the AM2901 BitSlices in your
machine?
It where intersting to know in which order the boards in your system are
placed.
Regards,
Holm
--
Technik Service u. Handel Tiffe, www.tsht.de, Holm Tiffe,
Freiberger Stra?e 42, 09600 Obersch?na, USt-Id: DE253710583
info at tsht.de Fax +49 3731 74200 Tel +49 3731 74222 Mobil: 0172 8790 741
2:53 p.m.
On 12/14/16 12:56 AM, Holm Tiffe wrote:
As far as I understood, you now have found the AM2901
BitSlices in your
machine?
yes
It where intersting to know in which order the boards
in your system are
placed.
Unfortunately, the boards were separated from the chassis years ago, and after
a couple of days of searching I can't find the chassis. I really hope it didn't
get tossed in a purge last summer.
I found some bits of code on the net (mgdev.h in the BRL-CAD package) that describe
the instruction set, and a couple of people I need to try to try
contacting to see if they still have any documentation. There were drivers around
for V6 Unix, Purdue, MIT, UPenn and several other places wrote their own packages it
seems
for it
http://www.psych.upenn.edu/~saul/MAN3rev
https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/45177/08509887-MIT.pdf
https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/45178/09961685-MIT.pdf
I have the Purdue library on a DECtape image that I'll need to extract the files
from.
If you can look at the backplane, can you tell me if it is just bussed straight across?
It really seems like there were over the top card connectors for the peripheral bus and
just a bus arragement on the backplane.
It is a very modular system. In the case of the vector version, a minimum configuration
was the unibus interface, processor, memory, and vector generator cards. I think your
unit was raster, so there was an intermediate vector to raster converter, and frame
buffer
that took the display list memory and rasterized it.
My unit has additional cards (rotate, light pen, keyboard/peripheral interface cards)
This all makes a lot more sense once I was able to find some brochures in the CHM
collection
yesterday that hadn't been cataloged until recently.
Another rathole :-(
2936
days inactive
2940
days old
14 comments
4 participants
participants (4)
-
aek＠bitsavers.org -
holm＠freibergnet.de -
markwgreen＠rogers.com -
toby＠telegraphics.com.au