12 Aug
2018
12 Aug
'18
8:36 p.m.
My mother is moving and her spouse has a MicroVax I he bought new back in 1984 for some
crazy amount. I don?t see this model listed in your chart? Can you tell me if there is any
value to this machine? He also has two original monitors.
Sent from my iPhone
13 Aug
13 Aug
1:29 a.m.
Hi Robert,
Where is the machine located?
Thanks, Paul
On Sun, Aug 12, 2018 at 10:36 PM, robertbeauchamp33--- via cctalk <
cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
My mother is moving and her spouse has a MicroVax I he
bought new back in
1984 for some crazy amount. I don?t see this model listed in your chart?
Can you tell me if there is any value to this machine? He also has two
original monitors.
Sent from my iPhone
8:22 a.m.
On 8/12/2018 11:36 PM, robertbeauchamp33--- via cctalk wrote:
My mother is moving and her spouse has a MicroVax I he
bought new back in 1984 for some crazy amount. I don?t see this model listed in your
chart? Can you tell me if there is any value to this machine? He also has two original
monitors.
Sent from my iPhone
Could be quite interesting to this community depending on how it has
been stored since 1984 and is it complete and functional. Don't have any
expectations for hard disks to work.? What models are the monitors??
VT100's?? Do you have the keyboards?? Any software?
It is an antique and the condition, along with what's inside of the box
determine how much interest there will be.
As far as Vax and MicroVax systems the MicroVax I was probably the
slowest of them all, and least capable.? Their selling point was that
they didn't need an entire room, it could be placed in a normal office
environment.
Doug
8:35 a.m.
If it is in the UK then I would be interested in it.
Regards
Rob
-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Douglas
Taylor via cctalk
Sent: 13 August 2018 16:23
To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: MicroVAX I
On 8/12/2018 11:36 PM, robertbeauchamp33--- via cctalk wrote:
My mother is moving and her spouse has a MicroVax
I he bought new back
in 1984 for some crazy amount. I don?t see this model listed
in your chart?
Can you tell me if there is any value to this machine? He also has two original
monitors.
Sent from my iPhone
Could be quite interesting to this community depending on how it has been
stored since 1984 and is it complete and functional. Don't have any
expectations for hard disks to work. What models are the monitors?
VT100's? Do you have the keyboards? Any software?
It is an antique and the condition, along with what's inside of the box
determine how much interest there will be.
As far as Vax and MicroVax systems the MicroVax I was probably the slowest
of them all, and least capable. Their selling point was that they didn't need
an entire room, it could be placed in a normal office environment.
Doug 
8:48 a.m.
On Aug 13, 2018, at 8:22 AM, Douglas Taylor via cctalk
<cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
On 8/12/2018 11:36 PM, robertbeauchamp33--- via cctalk wrote:
Something that comes to my mind, what chassis were available for the MicroVAX I? I?m far
more familiar with the MicroVAX II. While traditionally I?ve preferred the BA123 chassis,
I?m rather partial to the BA23?s these days, as they take up about half the space.
Good point on the monitor question, I was trying to figure out how/why a MicroVAX I would
have two monitors. Two terminals makes perfect sense.
Zane
My mother is moving and her spouse has a MicroVax
I he bought new back in 1984 for some crazy amount. I don?t see this model listed in your
chart? Can you tell me if there is any value to this machine? He also has two original
monitors.
Sent from my iPhone
Could be quite interesting to this community depending on how it has been stored since
1984 and is it complete and functional. Don't have any expectations for hard disks to
work. What models are the monitors? VT100's? Do you have the keyboards? Any
software?
It is an antique and the condition, along with what's inside of the box determine how
much interest there will be.
As far as Vax and MicroVax systems the MicroVax I was probably the slowest of them all,
and least capable. Their selling point was that they didn't need an entire room, it
could be placed in a normal office environment.
Doug 
8:51 a.m.
I know speed wise this was the slowest VAX of the day, but mine came from a
former DEC engineer and was used as a CAD station - it had a socking great
Tektronix monitor with it that's now at TNMoC in Bletchley Park. Or at
least I hope it still is.
--
adrian/witchy
Owner of Binary Dinosaurs, the UK's biggest home computer collection?
t: @binarydinosaurs f: facebook.com/binarydinosaurs
w: www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk
On Mon, 13 Aug 2018 at 16:48, Zane Healy via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
wrote:
been stored
since 1984 and is it complete and functional. Don't have any
expectations for hard disks to work. What models are the monitors?
VT100's? Do you have the keyboards? Any software?
On Aug 13, 2018, at 8:22 AM, Douglas Taylor via
cctalk <
cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
On 8/12/2018 11:36 PM, robertbeauchamp33--- via cctalk wrote:
> My mother is moving and her spouse has a MicroVax I he bought new back
in 1984
for some crazy amount. I don?t see this model listed in your chart?
Can you tell me if there is any value to this machine? He also has two
original monitors.
Sent from my iPhone
Could be quite interesting to this community depending on how it has
It is an antique and the condition, along with what's inside of the box
determine how much interest there will be.
As far as Vax and MicroVax systems the MicroVax I was probably the
slowest of them
all, and least capable. Their selling point was that they
didn't need an entire room, it could be placed in a normal office
environment.
Doug
Something that comes to my mind, what chassis were available for the
MicroVAX I? I?m far more familiar with the MicroVAX II. While
traditionally I?ve preferred the BA123 chassis, I?m rather partial to the
BA23?s these days, as they take up about half the space.
Good point on the monitor question, I was trying to figure out how/why a
MicroVAX I would have two monitors. Two terminals makes perfect sense.
Zane
9:12 a.m.
On 08/12/2018 10:36 PM, robertbeauchamp33--- via cctalk wrote:
My mother is moving and her spouse has a MicroVax I he
bought new back in 1984 for some crazy amount. I don?t see this model listed in your
chart? Can you tell me if there is any value to this machine? He also has two original
monitors.
Wow, relatively rare. Other than historical interest,
there's pretty much no "value" in it. It was a performance DOG.
Jon
10:03 a.m.
yes,? but as a bit? of history.... quite? ?valuable if? you? want the entire? line up
especially! -Ed#
?
?
?
In a message dated 8/13/2018 9:12:53 AM US Mountain Standard Time, cctalk at
classiccmp.org writes:
?
On 08/12/2018 10:36 PM, robertbeauchamp33--- via cctalk wrote:
My mother is moving and her spouse has a MicroVax I he
bought new back in 1984 for some crazy amount. I don?t see this model listed in your
chart? Can you tell me if there is any value to this machine? He also has two original
monitors.
Wow, relatively rare. Other than historical interest,
there's pretty much no "value" in it. It was a performance DOG.
Jon
10:39 a.m.
On Aug 13, 2018, at 9:12 AM, Jon Elson via cctalk
<cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
On 08/12/2018 10:36 PM, robertbeauchamp33--- via cctalk wrote:
The VAX-11/725 and VAX-11/730 is equally bad performance wise. A MicroVAX I is 0.3 VUPS,
and a MicroVAX II is 0.9 VUPS.
http://www.people.vcu.edu/~agnew/MVAX/VAX-PERF.HTML
Zane
My mother is moving and her spouse has a MicroVax
I he bought new back in 1984 for some crazy amount. I don?t see this model listed in your
chart? Can you tell me if there is any value to this machine? He also has two original
monitors.
Wow, relatively rare. Other than historical interest, there's pretty much no
"value" in it. It was a performance DOG.
Jon
10:59 a.m.
Even though the 730 is also pretty slow, I would love to have one if anyone in the UK has
one going spare....
Regards
Rob
-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Zane Healy
via cctalk
Sent: 13 August 2018 18:39
To: Jon Elson <elson at pico-systems.com>; General Discussion: On-Topic and
Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Cc: General at ezwind.net; robertbeauchamp33 at yahoo.com
Subject: Re: MicroVAX I
Wow, relatively rare. Other than historical interest, there's pretty much no
"value" in it. It was a performance DOG.
On Aug 13, 2018, at 9:12 AM, Jon Elson via cctalk
<cctalk at classiccmp.org>
wrote:
On 08/12/2018 10:36 PM, robertbeauchamp33--- via cctalk wrote:
> My mother is moving and her spouse has a MicroVax I he bought new
back in 1984
for some crazy amount. I don?t see this model listed in your
chart? Can you tell me if there is any value to this machine? He also has two
original monitors.
Jon
The VAX-11/725 and VAX-11/730 is equally bad performance wise. A
MicroVAX I is 0.3 VUPS, and a MicroVAX II is 0.9 VUPS.
http://www.people.vcu.edu/~agnew/MVAX/VAX-PERF.HTML
Zane 
14 Aug
14 Aug
1:11 p.m.
On Mon, Aug 13, 2018 at 06:59:06PM +0100, Rob Jarratt via cctalk wrote:
Even though the 730 is also pretty slow, I would love
to have one if
anyone in the UK has one going spare....
I'd love to come across one needing a good home in my neck of the woods some
day myself, or even more so an 11/750. An 11/750 was my first exposure to a
system larger than a PC. Actually I probably wouldn't say no to any VAX in
need of a good home, including a MicroVAX I.
--
Kevin
http://www.RawFedDogs.net
http://www.Lassie.xyz
http://www.WacoAgilityGroup.org
Bruceville, TX
What's the definition of a legacy system? One that works!
Errare humanum est, ignoscere caninum.
2:12 p.m.
On Sun, Aug 12, 2018 at 11:36 PM, robertbeauchamp33--- via cctalk
<cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
My mother is moving and her spouse has a MicroVax I he
bought new back in 1984 for some crazy amount. I don?t see this model listed in your
chart? Can you tell me if there is any value to this machine? He also has two original
monitors.
There is some value, since it's in a BA23 and _is_ a VAX, even as slow
as can be. They are somewhat uncommon because they were only
available for a couple of years unlike most other DEC machines.
Having used one in the mid-80s when they were brand new (and $10,000),
they are quite slow and painful and limited to, I think, various
versions of MicroVMS and VMS 4.x, depending on disk size (MicroVMS
fits on a 30MB disk when the full version would not). I don't recall
if there is any support for them in VMS 5.x - the max RAM is 4MB
(unlike later Qbus VAXen, the RAM is _on_ the Qbus) but one could
easily put a newer disk controller in there other than the RQDX1 and a
larger disk. As shipped, though, I don't think the uVAX-I arrived
with a large enough disk for VMS 5.0, at least not without a very
manual, very painful install.
Where is this? (city? country? continent?)
I still have the one from work from 1984 so I'm not in the market, but
people here do want to know.
-ethan
3:40 p.m.
On 8/14/2018 2:12 PM, Ethan Dicks via cctalk wrote:
On Sun, Aug 12, 2018 at 11:36 PM, robertbeauchamp33---
via cctalk
<cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
Be aware that most (if not all?) QBus SCSI controllers appear to be
incompatible with the MicroVAX I.? I'm not entirely sure why this is,
but none of the Emulex, CMD, or Dilog controllers I've tried are listed
as compatible with the system -- they all state compatibility with the
II and later .I've tried using them in my MicroVAX I with no success.?
VMS fails to boot, and Ultrix kernel panics.? Not to hijack the thread,
but does anyone have any idea why this might be? I'd like to get the
system doing something interesting and not having to rely on very old
MFM disks would be nice...
- Josh
My mother is moving and her spouse has a MicroVax
I he bought new back in 1984 for some crazy amount. I don?t see this model listed in your
chart? Can you tell me if there is any value to this machine? He also has two original
monitors.
There is some value, since it's in a BA23 and _is_ a VAX, even as
slow
as can be. They are somewhat uncommon because they were only
available for a couple of years unlike most other DEC machines.
Having used one in the mid-80s when they were brand new (and $10,000),
they are quite slow and painful and limited to, I think, various
versions of MicroVMS and VMS 4.x, depending on disk size (MicroVMS
fits on a 30MB disk when the full version would not). I don't recall
if there is any support for them in VMS 5.x - the max RAM is 4MB
(unlike later Qbus VAXen, the RAM is _on_ the Qbus) but one could
easily put a newer disk controller in there other than the RQDX1 and a
larger disk. As shipped, though, I don't think the uVAX-I
arrived
with a large enough disk for VMS 5.0, at least not without a very
manual, very painful install.
Where is this? (city? country? continent?)
I still have the one from work from 1984 so I'm not in the market, but
people here do want to know.
-ethan
9:31 p.m.
On 8/14/18 5:40 PM, Josh Dersch via cctalk wrote:
On 8/14/2018 2:12 PM, Ethan Dicks via cctalk wrote:
No personal experience here, but the Emulex UC04 is listed as MicroVAX I
compatible. See
https://ia801902.us.archive.org/11/items/bitsavers_emulex1987_5921218/1987_…
page 27.
The UC07/UC08 is documented not to support the MicroVax I due to lack of
Scatter/Gather support.? See
https://ia801902.us.archive.org/11/items/bitsavers_emulex1987_5921218/1987_…
Section 1.6.3? Page 1-22.
Having no Scatter/Gather (aka Qbus IO Map) is not a surprise as the
MicroVax I only uses Qbus Memory directly.? Thus mapping to a larger
physical address space should not be needed? (micronote #22). However, I
don't follow what changed to lose support on the UC07/08.
Jerry
On Sun, Aug 12, 2018 at 11:36 PM,
robertbeauchamp33--- via cctalk
<cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
Be aware that most (if not all?) QBus SCSI controllers appear to be
incompatible with the MicroVAX I.? I'm not entirely sure why this is,
but none of the Emulex, CMD, or Dilog controllers I've tried are
listed as compatible with the system -- they all state compatibility
with the II and later .I've tried using them in my MicroVAX I with no
success.? VMS fails to boot, and Ultrix kernel panics.? Not to hijack
the thread, but does anyone have any idea why this might be? I'd like
to get the system doing something interesting and not having to rely
on very old MFM disks would be nice...
- Josh
My mother is moving and her spouse has a MicroVax
I he bought new
back in 1984 for some crazy amount. I don?t see this model listed in
your chart? Can you tell me if there is any value to this machine?
He also has two original monitors.
There is some value, since it's in a BA23
and _is_ a VAX, even as slow
as can be.? They are somewhat uncommon because they were only
available for a couple of years unlike most other DEC machines.
Having used one in the mid-80s when they were brand new (and $10,000),
they are quite slow and painful and limited to, I think, various
versions of MicroVMS and VMS 4.x, depending on disk size (MicroVMS
fits on a 30MB disk when the full version would not).? I don't recall
if there is any support for them in VMS 5.x - the max RAM is 4MB
(unlike later Qbus VAXen, the RAM is _on_ the Qbus) but one could
easily put a newer disk controller in there other than the RQDX1 and a
larger disk.
2321
days inactive
2323
days old
13 comments
12 participants
participants (12)
-
binarydinosaurs＠gmail.com -
couryhouse＠aol.com -
derschjo＠gmail.com -
dj.taylor4＠comcast.net -
elson＠pico-systems.com -
ethan.dicks＠gmail.com -
healyzh＠avanthar.com -
jsw＠ieee.org -
Kevin＠RawFedDogs.net -
robert.jarratt＠ntlworld.com -
robertbeauchamp33＠yahoo.com -
useddec＠gmail.com