9 Dec
2004
9 Dec
'04
6 p.m.
I started inventorying the manuals a week ago, below is a bad
copy of the spreadsheet, in two parts (software and hardware). A
lot of it is common (Cromemco), maybe a few others are of
interest:
Phoenix Software PDOS. Manuals and software (pasm, plink, plib,
etc) but also linkable objects to make the operating system
(Z80, very high-perf (sic), CP/M-80 superset).
JRT Pascal, 8", CP/M-80, xeroxed manual, includes letter
mentioning the price drop from $250 to $25!
Microsoft BASIC Compiler, 8" flop, CP/M-80, xeroxed manual.
Software sucked then, probably amusing now.
I have enough boot disks to simply bring the machine up (assuming
the hardware doesn't catch fire, etc) and copy the files
off. I once had some weird EPROM burner, brand forgotten, that
wanted input as Intel hex, so I have a program called ZAPLOAD
that converts to hex; I'll convert (assuming it does files >
RAM) and send out the serial port as text using Telink, my old
XMODEM program (or at worst, PIP) to my linux laptop. Twice for
good measure, diff. It will have to wait until the rest of the
machine arrives.
I assume no one ever got an 8" flop going under DOS/Win/Linux?
If any manuals are not floating around, I'll scan and make
available.
quan manual software location
tomj TJ's mongrel computer (FIDO) hardware configuration 2/10/81 S1000
binder covered sheets; IO ports, boot/bugger manual
Phoenix Software Associates Ltd PDOS User's Guide 1.0 1 yes ? S1000
binder CSSN-labelled copy in S1000 binder
Phoenix Software Associates Ltd PDOS Programmer's Guide 1 yes ? S1000 binder 29227
Phoenix Software Associates Ltd PASM Users Manual 1 yes ? S1000 binder rev 1.0, 1 Feb 80
Phoenix Software Associates Ltd TEXT EDITOR User's Manual 1 yes ? S1000 binder 29202
Phoenix Software Associates Ltd LINK User's Manual 1 yes ? S1000 binder 29202
Phoenix Software Associates Ltd Plink II 1 yes ? S1000 binder 15 Jan 81, xerox, Lifeboat
Associates
Phoenix Software Associates Ltd BUG/uBUG 1 yes ? S1000 binder 29202
Computer Service Systems Network Inc (CSSN) Backup 1 yes ? S1000 binder written by tomj,
undated, includes 25 Nov 80 addendum larger than the manual
Microsoft, Inc MBASIC Compiler 1 yes probably, 8? flop Black binder
Digital Research CP/M 2.2 Users Guide 1 yes yes CPM80 binder xerox
Digital Research CP/M 2.2 Interface Guide 1 yes yes CPM80 binder xerox
Digital Research CP/M 2.2 Alteration Guide 1 yes yes CPM80 binder xerox
Digital Research CP/M Assembler (ASM) User's Guide 1 yes yes CPM80 binder original
looseleaf
Digital Research An Introduction of CP/M Features and Facilities 1 yes yes CPM80
binder original looseleaf
Digital Research CP/M Interface Guide 1 yes ? CPM80 binder 1.4 I think
Digital Research ED: A context editor for the CP/M disk system users manual 1 yes ? CPM80
binder 1.4 I think
Digital Research CP/M Dynamic Debugger Tool (DDT) User's Guide 1 yes yes CPM80
binder 1.4 I think
Digital Research CP/M System Alteration Guide 1 yes yes CPM80 binder 1.4 I think
Alloy Computer Products TIP (Tape Interchange Package) 1 yes ?
JRT ? JRT Pascal 1 yes yes blue binder 1982
quan manual software location
HARDWARE
Mountain Hardware Inc 100,000 day clock 1 yes Two manuals, different versions
Teletek FDC-1 1 yes
Scitronics Inc Real Time Clock 1 yes
Cromemco TU-ART 2 yes
Macrotech International Corp. SS256 1 ? 36ea HM4864P-2's
Alloy Engineering S100/DEI 1 yes yes tape interface
Central Data Corp. 64K RAM 1 yes
Measurement Systems and Controls Inc DM6400 1 yes 64K RAM; rev C
Cromemco 32K Bytesaver 1 ? no
Cromemco ZPU 1 yes fido Modified as per LITTLE FIDO
Cromemco 4FDC 1 yes yes fido Modified as per LITTLE FIDO
Cromemco 16FDC 1 yes
Cromemco RDOS ? yes EPROM on 4FDC card?
Seattle Computer Products 16K PLUS ? yes static memory
Industrial Micro Systems Inc Model 370 32K RAM ? yes
Data Electronics Inc The Funnel ? yes yes fits Alloy card
CMC Marketing Inc Model 2018R 1 yes fido notes for fromt panel in rear
Microft Inc EPROM board 1 yes yes fido TC's homemade board
Cromemco PRI 1 yes yes ?
Solid State Music Microcomputer Products Inc VB3A 80-char video 1 yes yes fido
TeleVideo Inc Operators Reference Manual 1 yes n/a Manual is for TVI-912B, 920B, 912C,
920C
TeleVideo Inc 912, 920 Operating Instructions 1 yes n/a
Shugart Associates SA800/801 Diskette Storage Drive yes n/a
9 Dec
9 Dec
6:19 p.m.
Tom wrote:
I assume no one ever got an 8" flop going under
DOS/Win/Linux?
You know what happens when you assume. :-)
Some PC floppy controllers can handle single density (FM) and others
can't. All can handle double density (MFM). I was lucky with both
motherboards I've used for this, an Asus P2B-F (Pentium 2/3 slot 1) and
an Asus A7M266-D (dual Athlon).
It's easy to get them working in Linux. You just need an appropriate
cable. If you just want a "raw" image, you can use the setfdprm utility
(from the util-linux or fdutils packages) to set the parameters (bytes
per sector, etc.). Then you can dd the contents of the floppy to a file.
I archive the contents of 8-inch disks into DMK format using a
program I wrote called rfloppy, which is part of my dmklib package:
http://dmklib.brouhaha.com/
It automatically figures out the characteristics of the floppy.
Eric
8:10 p.m.
On Thu, 9 Dec 2004, Eric Smith wrote:
Some PC floppy controllers can handle single density
(FM) and others
can't. All can handle double density (MFM). I was lucky with both
motherboards I've used for this, an Asus P2B-F (Pentium 2/3 slot 1) and
an Asus A7M266-D (dual Athlon).
Cool! My big (sic) home linux box is a 1998-vintage Asus board,
might even be a P2B variant.
It's easy to get them working in Linux. You just
need an appropriate
cable.
I can RTFM, but is this a handwired cable? Is there any vestigial
correspondence between floppy pinouts (3.5, 5.25. 8)?!
If you just want a "raw" image, you can use
the setfdprm utility
(from the util-linux or fdutils packages) to set the parameters (bytes
per sector, etc.). Then you can dd the contents of the floppy to a file.
I figured decoding CPM disks is pretty much done, and trivial
if I gotta cobble it up. I'll do it in Perl!
I archive the contents of 8-inch disks into DMK format
using a
program I wrote called rfloppy, which is part of my dmklib package:
http://dmklib.brouhaha.com/
It automatically figures out the characteristics of the floppy.
WIll go look at tonight!
8:34 p.m.
Tom asks:
If you want to decode CP/M disks, and you use my rfloppy program to
read them into DMK format, you can then use the included dmk2raw
program to extract just the actual sector contents from the DMK file,
which will then be easier to manipulate with other programs or
scripting languages.
Eric
I can RTFM, but is this a handwired cable? Is there
any vestigial
correspondence between floppy pinouts (3.5, 5.25. 8)?!
3.5 and 5.25 are the same, but 8 is completely different.
If you want to *write* 8-inch disks, you need something to generate
the TG43 (Track Greater than 43) signal that controls the write
current. Not necessary if you only want to read.
The D-Bit FDADAP floppy disk adapter can be used if you don't want
to wire up a random cable. It also has a PIC that generates the TG43
signal.
http://www.dbit.com/fdadap.html
I archive the
contents of 8-inch disks into DMK format using a
WIll go look at tonight!
10 Dec
10 Dec
12:27 a.m.
On Thu, 9 Dec 2004, Eric Smith wrote:
3.5 and 5.25 are the same, but 8 is completely
different.
As I thought!
If you want to *write* 8-inch disks, you need
something to generate
the TG43 (Track Greater than 43) signal that controls the write
current. Not necessary if you only want to read.
I remember that write-comp sniggle. And...
...that thing is totally great. I will get one of those if I
go that route. It's a bargain! Hopefully the CPM machine can
do what I want. I imagine I'll have a burst of energy and will
write a bunch of software on it to do this sort of thing.
5:34 p.m.
Tom asks:
> I can RTFM, but is this a handwired cable? Is there any vestigial
> correspondence between floppy pinouts (3.5, 5.25. 8)?!
On Thu, 9 Dec 2004, Eric Smith wrote:
3.5 and 5.25 are the same, but 8 is completely
different.
If you want to *write* 8-inch disks, you need something to generate
the TG43 (Track Greater than 43) signal that controls the write
current. Not necessary if you only want to read.
The D-Bit FDADAP floppy disk adapter can be used if you don't want
to wire up a random cable. It also has a PIC that generates the TG43
signal.
http://www.dbit.com/fdadap.html
if you don't need the TG43 signal, the rest of the pins are sequenced
relative to each other similarly enough that you can crimp a cable,
with just a few wires that need to be changed around.
--
Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin(a)xenosoft.com
9 Dec
9 Dec
8:56 p.m.
Tom wrote:
I figured decoding CPM disks is pretty much done, and
trivial
if I gotta cobble it up. I'll do it in Perl!
For Linux it's done:
http://www.moria.de/~michael/cpmtools/cpmtools-2.4.tar.gz
I haven't tried to use that on the output of my rfloppy->dmk2raw
programs, but if it doesn't work it should probably be fairly easy
to adapt it.
Reportedly "yaze" (now "yaze-ag"?) is a very good simulator for
running
CP/M software on Linux, but I have not yet tried it.
Eric
8:16 p.m.
On Thu, 9 Dec 2004, Eric Smith wrote:
I archive the contents of 8-inch disks into DMK format
using a
program I wrote called rfloppy, which is part of my dmklib package:
http://dmklib.brouhaha.com/
It automatically figures out the characteristics of the floppy.
(I took a quick look) wow, that's emulation!
BTW, I have on diskette (8") TRS-80 Model 1 C compiler stuff,
for that wacky 4300h TPA start business. I'll of course make
it available. I don't even recall who's compiler.
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