1 Apr
2013
1 Apr
'13
7:39 p.m.
None of my
links are working anymore. Just gives a 503 error. I
need me some disk images.
Apparently no one has heard from Dave in a while.
3 Apr
3 Apr
4:30 p.m.
New subject: What's this 88000 based qbus cpu about ?
Anyone know what these are from http://www.ebay.com/itm/150407824254 ?
It looks like a Motorola 88000 based cpu board. I was able to find some
mentions of a few 88000 floating point boards for use in MicroVAX II
but, can't find anything about Avalon A7Q. If these were replacement cpu
what did they run ?
8:51 p.m.
New subject: What's this 88000 based qbus cpu about ?
If it's anything like the one I have, it's a co-processor board
used for number-crunching. My recollections point towards imaging
applications, but I fergit where I heard that.
I used to have the name and number of someone who knew where the
drivers and stuff were located; but I'm afraid that these have been
lost to us now. Bummer.
The folks auctioning these off say they test them. I'd like to
know how they do this.
-----Original Message-----
From: mc68010 at gmail.com
Sent: Wed, 03 Apr 2013 16:30:01 -0700
To:
Subject: What's this 88000 based qbus cpu about ?
Anyone know what these are from http://www.ebay.com/itm/150407824254 ?
It looks like a Motorola 88000 based cpu board. I was able to find some
mentions of a few 88000 floating point boards for use in MicroVAX II
but, can't find anything about Avalon A7Q. If these were replacement cpu
what did they run ?
____________________________________________________________
FREE 3D MARINE AQUARIUM SCREENSAVER - Watch dolphins, sharks & orcas on your desktop!
Check it out at http://www.inbox.com/marineaquarium
10:21 p.m.
New subject: What's this 88000 based qbus cpu about ?
On 4/3/2013 8:51 PM, N0body H0me wrote:
If it's anything like the one I have, it's a
co-processor board
used for number-crunching. My recollections point towards imaging
applications, but I fergit where I heard that.
Those are the only boards I could find either but, Avalon came up
nothing. 4mb ram seems seems like a lot of ram for a qbus fpu board.
Image processing might make more sense. It does say CPU right on it the
label though.
The folks auctioning these off say they test them.
I'd like to
know how they do this.
I've bought stuff from the people selling this before. They are out of
Texas and seem to have everything ever for PDP-11 but, in very limited
quantities. I got the feeling they were an ancient DEC VAR. Maybe they
did test 20 years ago before it got stuck in a bag and filed away.
Seems like they may be winding down now and just trying to move stuff.
They seem to take most best offers I've thrown at them. It is fairly
random though. They turn down offers they should take and take ones they
shouldn't. I also got the feeling there may not be a lot of people
working there that actually know a lot about what they are selling
anymore. Calling them is a lot like calling an auto-parts store staffed
by florists.
10:27 p.m.
New subject: What's this 88000 based qbus cpu about ?
On 04/04/2013 01:21 AM, mc68010 wrote:
I've bought stuff from the people selling this
before. They are out of Texas
and seem to have everything ever for PDP-11 but, in very limited quantities.
I got the feeling they were an ancient DEC VAR. Maybe they did test 20 years
ago before it got stuck in a bag and filed away. Seems like they may be
winding down now and just trying to move stuff. They seem to take most best
offers I've thrown at them. It is fairly random though. They turn down
offers they should take and take ones they shouldn't. I also got the feeling
there may not be a lot of people working there that actually know a lot about
what they are selling anymore. Calling them is a lot like calling an
auto-parts store staffed by florists.
That's JT Computer. They've been around for a very long time. I wouldn't
say they're "winding down", but they are very reasonable with offers. They
recognize hobbyists and preservationists, and they try to help out when they can.
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA
10:49 p.m.
New subject: What's this 88000 based qbus cpu about ?
On 4/3/2013 10:27 PM, Dave McGuire wrote:
That's JT Computer. They've been around for a
very long time. I
wouldn't say they're "winding down", but they are very reasonable with
offers. They recognize hobbyists and preservationists, and they try to
help out when they can. -Dave
What's their story ? Were they big players in the DEC arena ? How do
they have so much stuff left after all these years ? I understand the
guys out there that charge insane money for stuff having things left on
the shelf waiting for that call from corporate purchasing but, these
guys are really reasonable. Some stuff way cheaper than ebay. Some
things not so much. Their shipping isn't always fair or make sense.
They charged me $13 to ship a 3oz kdj11 console panel.
4 Apr
4 Apr
5:57 a.m.
New subject: What's this 88000 based qbus cpu about ?
On Apr 4, 2013, at 1:49, mc68010 <mc68010 at gmail.com> wrote:
On 4/3/2013 10:27 PM, Dave McGuire wrote:
Bear in mind that that's probably what UPS charged. If it's
calculated on eBay's page, that's a calculation straight
That's JT Computer. They've been around
for a very long time. I wouldn't say they're "winding down", but they
are very reasonable with offers. They recognize hobbyists and preservationists, and they
try to help out when they can. -Dave
What's their story ? Were they big players in the DEC arena ? How do they have so
much stuff left after all these years ? I understand the guys out there that charge
insane money for stuff having things left on the shelf waiting for that call from
corporate purchasing but, these guys are really reasonable. Some stuff way cheaper than
ebay. Some things not so much. Their shipping isn't always fair or make sense. They
charged me $13 to ship a 3oz kdj11 console panel. from the shipping company.
I've had great experiences with them on eBay. I made a very
discounted offer on an MSV11-QC (burst-capable, 4MB
QBUS RAM, very nice item) for less than half the asking
price and mentioned that I was a hobbyist without
deep pockets; the offer was accepted.
I find that their prices seem pretty reasonable to me;
they'll charge a premium for genuinely rare items like an
11/93 CPU, but that's their prerogative. Meanwhile, they're
charging $120 for an 11/83 CPU, which is something I really
should get on.
- Dave
10:18 a.m.
New subject: What's this 88000 based qbus cpu about ?
On 4/4/2013 5:57 AM, David Riley wrote:
On Apr 4, 2013, at 1:49, mc68010 <mc68010 at
gmail.com> wrote:
Oh their shipping is fine when you buy stuff from them on ebay. Ebay
controls that. They have a nice collection of little odd parts like
cables and panels you can only find through their outside website and
by calling them to order. That's when there shipping hasn't always been
kind.
Their website http://www.jtcomputer.com/index.asp is what always made me
wonder what their backstory was. It is such a generic off the shelf
e-commerce site that makes them seem more like a PC servicing business
not a big DEC parts shop. It really makes it look like they are a
really small firm. Like two people in a office somewhere and a storage
locker full of old DEC parts.
Their shipping isn't always fair or make
sense. They charged me $13 to ship a 3oz kdj11 console panel.
Bear in mind that
that's probably what UPS charged. If it's
calculated on eBay's page, that's a calculation straight
from the shipping company. 
1:36 p.m.
New subject: What's this 88000 based qbus cpu about ?
On Thu, Apr 04, 2013 at 10:18:27AM -0700, mc68010 wrote:
Their website http://www.jtcomputer.com/index.asp is
what always made
me wonder what their backstory was. It is such a generic off the
shelf e-commerce site that makes them seem more like a PC servicing
business not a big DEC parts shop. It really makes it look like they
are a really small firm. Like two people in a office somewhere and a
storage locker full of old DEC parts.
J.T. goes way back and they're definitely the real thing, no matter what
size they are nowadays. I've gotten a few odds and ends from them but the
winner was a working RM80. IIRC shipping from TX to NY was $200 which
seemed *very* reasonable, but this was ~21 years ago. Still have it (with
ITS installed).
John Wilson
D Bit
2:21 p.m.
New subject: What's this 88000 based qbus cpu about ?
On Apr 4, 2013, at 1:18 PM, mc68010 <mc68010 at gmail.com> wrote:
[JT Computers]
Their website http://www.jtcomputer.com/index.asp is what always made me wonder what
their backstory was. It is such a generic off the shelf e-commerce site that makes them
seem more like a PC servicing business not a big DEC parts shop. It really makes it look
like they are a really small firm. Like two people in a office somewhere and a storage
locker full of old DEC parts.
I'm sure they had a website consultant build it for them. Lots of
computer stores don't have a clue how to build a website, and it's
easier to hire someone to make one. That someone then builds it
from a template that makes it look like any other
e-commerce site
(as you described). Two people in an office somewhere and a
storage locker (or warehouse, more likely) of computer parts is
probably exactly what it is; you don't need a whole lot of staff
to do what they do, and they do it fairly well.
Website builders like that are responsible for this atrocity:
http://www.baynesvilleelectronics.com
Baynesville Electronics is one of the few remaining "real"
electronics stores in the Baltimore area. It's pretty much the
only place I know where I could go and buy resistors, diodes,
ICs, transformers, etc. for the past decade or so. But from
the website, you wouldn't have a clue what they really were.
- Dave
5 Apr
5 Apr
6 a.m.
New subject: What's this 88000 based qbus cpu about ?
On 4 April 2013 22:21, David Riley <fraveydank at gmail.com> wrote:
But from
the website, you wouldn't have a clue what they really were.
Apart from the bit that says:
WELCOME TO BAYNESVILLE ELECTRONICS!
LOCATED IN TOWSON MD.
1631 E. JOPPA RD. BALTIMORE MD. 21286
TEL (410)-823-0082 FAX (410)-321-1912
--
Liam Proven ? Profile: http://lproven.livejournal.com/profile
Email: lproven at cix.co.uk ? GMail/G+/Twitter/Flickr/Facebook: lproven
MSN: lproven at hotmail.com ? Skype/AIM/Yahoo/LinkedIn: liamproven
Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 ? Cell: +44 7939-087884
6:52 a.m.
New subject: What's this 88000 based qbus cpu about ?
On Apr 5, 2013, at 9:00, Liam Proven <lproven at gmail.com> wrote:
On 4 April 2013 22:21, David Riley <fraveydank at
gmail.com> wrote:
I suppose I should clarify that over here, "electronics
store" usually means a place where you buy a stereo, not a
place where you buy diodes. That's what I meant by
"what they really were".
- Dave
But from
the website, you wouldn't have a clue what they really were.
Apart from the bit that says:
WELCOME TO BAYNESVILLE ELECTRONICS!
LOCATED IN TOWSON MD.
1631 E. JOPPA RD. BALTIMORE MD. 21286
TEL (410)-823-0082 FAX (410)-321-1912 
9:38 a.m.
New subject: What's this 88000 based qbus cpu about ?
At 9:52 AM -0400 4/5/13, David Riley wrote:
On Apr 5, 2013, at 9:00, Liam Proven <lproven at
gmail.com> wrote:
I'd personally try "Oregon Electronics" first if I needed to buy some
diodes. I tend to avoid places with "electronics" in the name or
description when buying Stereo Equipment.
Zane
--
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Administrator |
| healyzh at aracnet.com | OpenVMS Enthusiast |
| | Photographer |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| My flickr Photostream |
| http://www.flickr.com/photos/33848088 at N03/ |
| My Photography Website |
| http://www.zanesphotography.com |
On 4 April 2013 22:21, David Riley
<fraveydank at gmail.com> wrote:
I suppose I should clarify that over here, "electronics
store" usually means a place where you buy a stereo, not a
place where you buy diodes. That's what I meant by
"what they really were". But from
the website, you wouldn't have a clue what they really were.
Apart from the bit that says:
WELCOME TO BAYNESVILLE ELECTRONICS!
LOCATED IN TOWSON MD.
1631 E. JOPPA RD. BALTIMORE MD. 21286
TEL (410)-823-0082 FAX (410)-321-1912
1:30 p.m.
New subject: What's this 88000 based qbus cpu about ?
On Apr 5, 2013, at 12:38 PM, "Zane H. Healy" <healyzh at aracnet.com>
wrote:
At 9:52 AM -0400 4/5/13, David Riley wrote:
Sure, if you already knew what that was. But if I'm in a new area
and look in the Yellow Pages (or Yelp, or Google, or whatever) for
an "electronics store", I'm going to find Best Buy or some local
equivalent thereof. If I'm lucky(ish), I'll find MicroCenter,
which at least sells SOME serial cables. But I'm not likely to
find a place where I can ask for a 2N3904 and expect to get
something other than a blank look.
- Dave
I suppose I should clarify that over here,
"electronics
store" usually means a place where you buy a stereo, not a
place where you buy diodes. That's what I meant by
"what they really were".
I'd personally try "Oregon Electronics" first if I needed to buy some
diodes. I tend to avoid places with "electronics" in the name or
description when buying Stereo Equipment. 
7:37 a.m.
New subject: What's this 88000 based qbus cpu about ?
-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org]
On Behalf Of David Riley
Sent: Thursday, April 04, 2013 4:22 PM
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
Subject: Re: What's this 88000 based qbus cpu about ?
On Apr 4, 2013, at 1:18 PM, mc68010 <mc68010 at gmail.com> wrote:
[JT Computers]
Their website http://www.jtcomputer.com/index.asp is what always made me
wonder
what their backstory was. It is such a generic off the shelf
e-commerce site that makes them seem more like a PC servicing business not a
big DEC parts shop. It really makes it look like they are a really small
firm. Like two people in a office somewhere and a storage locker full of old
DEC parts.
I'm sure they had a website consultant build it for them. Lots of computer
stores don't have a clue how to build a website, and it's easier to hire
someone to make one. That someone then builds it from a template that makes
it look like any other e-commerce site (as you described). Two people in an
office somewhere and a storage locker (or warehouse, more likely) of
computer parts is probably exactly what it is; you don't need a whole lot of
staff to do what they do, and they do it fairly well.
This website was poorly done; the designer did not even allow for the
copyright year to be updated!
You are correct, most computer parts dealers have no clue about websites.
JT Components is about 5 hours from me, and I have dealt with them for
years. They are honest people who seem to know what they are doing.
Cindy
-----
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2013.0.3267 / Virus Database: 3162/6224 - Release Date: 04/04/13
12:50 p.m.
New subject: What's this 88000 based qbus cpu about ?
David Riley wrote:
http://www.baynesvilleelectronics.com
Baynesville Electronics is one of the few remaining "real"
electronics stores in the Baltimore area. It's pretty much the
only place I know where I could go and buy resistors, diodes,
ICs, transformers, etc. for the past decade or so. But from
the website, you wouldn't have a clue what they really were.
Holy smoking pile of crap, Batman!
Peace... Sridhar
3 Apr
3 Apr
10:44 p.m.
New subject: What's this 88000 based qbus cpu about ?
At 10:21 PM -0700 4/3/13, mc68010 wrote:
Calling them is a lot like calling an auto-parts store
staffed by florists.
This just might be one of the best comments I've ever read on CLASSICCMP! :-)
Zane
--
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Administrator |
| healyzh at aracnet.com | OpenVMS Enthusiast |
| | Photographer |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| My flickr Photostream |
| http://www.flickr.com/photos/33848088 at N03/ |
| My Photography Website |
| http://www.zanesphotography.com |
5 Apr
5 Apr
12:30 p.m.
New subject: Interesting ebay Northstar system
Who would have thought there would be a Nortstar Horizon in there.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261090432601
3:23 p.m.
New subject: Interesting ebay Northstar system
In article <515F2654.90302 at gmail.com>,
mc68010 <mc68010 at gmail.com> writes:
Who would have thought there would be a Nortstar
Horizon in there.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261090432601
$75K with a feedback score of 27? Seems pretty risky. Looks like the
seller bought it from gsaauctions.gov and is reselling it on ebay.
There is a bunch of NASA/Shuttle stuff regularly showing up on
gsaauctions.gov.
Pretty orange and yellow keybaords, though. They look like ADDS
terminals judging from the badge on the keyboard in the main photo.
--
"The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline" free book
<http://tinyurl.com/d3d-pipeline>
The Computer Graphics Museum <http://computergraphicsmuseum.org>
The Terminals Wiki <http://terminals.classiccmp.org>
Legalize Adulthood! (my blog) <http://legalizeadulthood.wordpress.com>
4282
days inactive
4285
days old
18 comments
11 participants
participants (11)
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dave13＠dunfield.com -
fraveydank＠gmail.com -
healyzh＠aracnet.com -
legalize＠xmission.com -
lproven＠gmail.com -
mc68010＠gmail.com -
mcguire＠neurotica.com -
n0body.h0me＠inbox.com -
ploopster＠gmail.com -
sales＠elecplus.com -
wilson＠dbit.com