6 Apr
1998
6 Apr
'98
4:56 a.m.
Hello all...
A couple of weeks ago, I put out an e-mail to the List that mentioned that
a friend had given a DEC PDP-11/70 (or so he thought) to me that had been
'hardened' by Schlumberger for use in the oil patch. The machine supposedly
works and weighs close to 200 lbs. The oldest board claims, I think, to
have been built in late 1978.
I know practically nothing about the PDP series and so don't have the
foggiest as to what I really have.
Finally, over the weekend, I was able to open the box (1/4" armored steel
ugly thing) and take a look at the boards -- there are a total of ten as
follows: (Keep in mind that I don't know what typical DEC parts numbers
look like -- I think that a lot of the numbers that I wrote down are
actually production lots etc):
(1): Obviously a CPU board -- AH13Z-06. Also claims DEC P/N 1216988. Has a
15MHz crystal and is 15.5x8" in size. It has edge connectors (as do all of
the boards).
(2): 'Bootstrap Terminator' - DEC-81. 5013263C-P2. 8x5".
(3): 'Flip Chip" 5008691 PCC-1Vo. 2.5x2". This is some sort of jumper
board.
(4): 4MB(?) DRAM. DEC P/N 1216988 (notice that this is the same p/n as the
CPU board -- that is, I suppose?, the system part number), A88D30824
RA1-RA3: RM8-3.3Kx3 (probably a component label for a resistor pack but not
sure); C:TD104/5DX92 AH12Z-12. 15.5x8".
(5-9): H-236341 EXT BRD 10.5x8". These appear to be extendor boards that
bring +15VDC and a few timing signals out to the edge of the cage -- why
there are five, I cannot imagine...
(10): "FLIP CHIP". FEB 78 SCO/R1L OPTION M7856 H236602 -01048. 10.5x8"
This appears(?) to be possibly an I/O controller board of some sort...
Does anyone have any idea of what these things came out of?
They are free to a good home -- preferably someone that can actually use
them and put them back to work (can you imagine how boring it would be to
madly process seismographic data for 20-years -- I bet they would like to
try something different for a change) (postage + packing costs).
Regards
Jack Harper (Friend to all things Symbolics)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Jack Harper Bank Systems 2000, Inc.
303-277-1892 Golden, Colorado USA
"21st Century Financial Applications"
Optical Cards for Bank, EBT, and Medical Applications
Visit our Web Page: http://www.bs2000.com/talos (Last Update: 970902)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
6 Apr
6 Apr
6:41 a.m.
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8:53 a.m.
On Mon, 6 Apr 1998, Tim Shoppa wrote:
Can you at least look at some of the date codes on the chips? (Would
it be useful if I prepared a brief lesson on "how to read date codes"?
I have to admit that it's pretty obvious to me, and I often don't
understand how someone can look at a board and not just innately know
how old it is because of the date codes blatantly stamped on most
of the chips.)
Things like that should be part of the faq.
Aaron
7 a.m.
Hi:
Date codes are stamped on just about every IC, and some other parts too.
They are generally a four digit number of the form YYWW, where YY is the
last two digits of the year in which the chip was munfactured and WW the
week number, from 01 through 52.
Examples would be "7830" for the 30th week of 1978, and "8101" for
the
first week of January 1981.
Generally for the old machines we talk about on this list, the chip type
code is easy to differentiate from the date code, because of the
prevalence of 7400-series TTL chips. Any 74xx or 54xx number will be the
chip type, while the other number will be the date code.
This helps to determine a general time frame for manufacture of the board,
at least you can tell generally within a small time frame when it was
manufactured, as big manufacturers like DEC didn't stockpile chips before
stuffing boards with them.
Hope this helps. If someone wants to snip this and add it to the FAQ then,
barring a more complete response, this would help other new users!
Kevin
On Mon, 6 Apr 1998, Tim Shoppa wrote:
--
Kevin McQuiggin VE7ZD
mcquiggi(a)sfu.ca
Can you at least look at some of the date codes on the chips? (Would
it be useful if I prepared a brief lesson on "how to read date codes"?
I have to admit that it's pretty obvious to me, and I often don't
understand how someone can look at a board and not just innately know
how old it is because of the date codes blatantly stamped on most
of the chips.)
Things like that should be part of the faq.
Aaron
6:37 a.m.
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5:53 p.m.
And the Vff .vs. Iff graph, complete with
burn-out just after 6.3V....
I wonder what fraction of new EE graduates today would recognize the
significance of 6.3 VAC?
Tim. (shoppa(a)triumf.ca)
7 Apr
7 Apr
4:16 a.m.
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4:24 a.m.
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1:26 a.m.
New subject: FW: Y2K
Anybody want to take a crack at this one?
bob massey <masseyr(a)washpost.com>
- Monday, April 06, 1998 at 20:02:43
hi-
i'm working on a piece here at the Washington Post about the Year
2000 bug, and
although there is plenty of info about what it is and how to combat
it, there is very little
history available.
specifically, i'm trying to find out 1) who were the co-authors of
the COBOL language
along with Grace Murray Hopper, 2) who decided to use two digits for
the year
instead of four, and 3) who discovered the Y2K problem?
i'm not sure if you would have that kind of information available in
your archive, but
any leads you can give me would be a great help.
please reply to:
thanks in advance,
bob massey
5:14 a.m.
New subject: DEC 11/24????...
At 07:41 4/6/98 -0800, you wrote:
That makes sense -- this guy is nowhere near that size -- it is *not* a
PDP-11/70 (rats).
<snip
>If the machine is - as I guess - a 11/24, the machine dates from the
>early 80's. But the bus it uses goes a decade further back than this,
>so there certainly may be older things hooked in.
>If it's an 11/04, then it might be from
the late 70's.
>Can you at least look at some of the date
codes on the chips? (Would
>it be useful if I prepared a brief lesson on "how to read date codes"?
>I have to admit that it's pretty obvious to me, and I often don't
>understand how someone can look at a board and not just innately know
>how old it is because of the date codes blatantly stamped on most
>of the chips.)
The date codes on the IC's claim that the processor board was built no
earlier than mid-1987...
<snip> >I don't
recognize most of the part numbers below, I have to admit.
>The numbers that are most useful are the numbers stamped on the module
>handles, and are usually of the form Mnnn or Mnnnn, where "n" is a
>decimal digit.
>> (1): Obviously a CPU board -- AH13Z-06.
Also claims DEC P/N 1216988. Has a
>> 15MHz crystal and is 15.5x8" in size. It has edge connectors (as do all of
>> the boards).
>I think this is a PDP-11/24 CPU board. If
the number on the handle
>is "M7133", then my guess is right. It might also be a 11/04 CPU
>board, in which case it'd be a "M7263".
Tim -- I have looked for the stamped numbers as you mention and see
absolutely nothing on the handles -- considering that I have never looked
at DEC PDP boards before -- I am not sure what I am looking at. The
'handles' on this board are two metal handles each at the end of the board
-- you pull up and the handle pries the board out of the connector -- I see
no stamped numbers at all. I wonder if there are supposed to be plastic
thingies with the stamped numbers on the end of the metal handles that
someone removed -- there are none. Comments?
> <snip
>I wouldn't exactly describe what you
have as a "working system"; without
>a disk/tape subsystem, you'll be limited to console I/O and at most
>one of the older paper-tape operating systems.
I actually have, which I have not mentioned, a large DEC-TAPE(?) drive
which weights a good 120lbs and is perhaps 3' square -- my friend claimed
that everything worked well when Slumberger removed it from service(?). I
do not have, however, any tapes.
I would like, if possible, to positively identify this computer before I
give it away to someone on the list that can provide a good home...
All help is appreciated...
>Tim. (shoppa(a)triumf.ca)
Regards to all..
Jack (Friend to all things 'Symbolics')
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Jack Harper Bank Systems 2000, Inc.
303-277-1892 Golden, Colorado USA
"21st Century Financial Applications"
Optical Cards for Bank, EBT, and Medical Applications
Visit our Web Page: http://www.bs2000.com/talos (Last Update: 970902)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
A couple of
weeks ago, I put out an e-mail to the List that mentioned that
a friend had given a DEC PDP-11/70 (or so he thought) to me that had been
'hardened' by Schlumberger for use in the oil patch. The machine supposedly
works and weighs close to 200 lbs.
Well, a real 11/70 with memory box is closer to 1000 pounds, so it can't
be a real 11/70.
7:14 a.m.
New subject: DEC 11/24????...
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5:53 a.m.
New subject: DEC 11/24????...
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9609
days inactive
9610
days old
14 comments
7 participants
participants (7)
-
aaron＠wfi-inc.com -
ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk -
erd＠infinet.com -
jharper＠bs2000.com -
mcquiggi＠sfu.ca -
shoppa＠alph02.triumf.ca -
yowza＠yowza.com