21 Jan
1999
21 Jan
'99
8:33 a.m.
At 10:01 AM 1/21/99 -0800, you wrote:
One thing I find interesting is that I rarely find
anyone talking about
their finds on ebay; why not?
okay, I was waiting until I was able to do more research, but...
For $5 and shipping, I got (on eBay!) a Sharp PC-5000 laptop. No biggie
you think? Well, for starters, from what I can tell, it beats the Gavilan
out for second place in the Clamshell laptop race (GRiD Compass was first).
On top of that, it beats the Gavilan for: removeable program/data
cartridges (uses Bubble Memory carts) clamshell with a built-in portable
printer, and something else I forget at the moment.
It's pretty cool, and a lot cheaper than some of the commoner stuff I've
gotten. Other eBay scores: V-Marc 88a portable computer, NEC PC-8201 (not
the 8201A), I'm sure there are more, but I have to go pick up my dad.
eBay can be useful, but it's takes time to look for old computers. Try
doing a search on "Donald Duck" (with the quotes) -- that's a piece of
cake. Look for computer and you get a lot of junk. Look for "vintage" and
you miss a lot.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- O-
Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad
roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know."
Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates
San Francisco, California http://www.sinasohn.com/
21 Jan
21 Jan
8:41 a.m.
On Thu, 21 Jan 1999, Uncle Roger wrote:
For $5 and shipping, I got (on eBay!) a Sharp PC-5000
laptop. No biggie
you think? Well, for starters, from what I can tell, it beats the Gavilan
out for second place in the Clamshell laptop race (GRiD Compass was first).
On top of that, it beats the Gavilan for: removeable program/data
cartridges (uses Bubble Memory carts) clamshell with a built-in portable
printer, and something else I forget at the moment.
Are you sure this isn't just a re-branded Gavilan? Sounds an awful lot
alike.
Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Always being hassled by the man.
Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0
See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details!
[Last web site update: 01/15/99]
8:58 a.m.
New subject: Sharp PC-5000 (was Re: eBay Finds (was: Ebay Posts was...)
On Thu, 21 Jan 1999, Sam Ismail wrote:
Are you sure this isn't just a re-branded Gavilan?
Sounds an awful lot
alike.
Definitely not. Sharp was one of the early portable innovators. I think
they also produced the first handheld computer sold in the US (around
1979).
-- Doug
9 a.m.
Sam Ismail wrote:
On Thu, 21 Jan 1999, Uncle Roger wrote:
The Sharp PC-5000 looks similar to the Gavilan, but comparing mine to the
picture, they are not the same. Nice find Roger!!!
For $5 and shipping, I got (on eBay!) a Sharp
PC-5000 laptop. No biggie
you think? Well, for starters, from what I can tell, it beats the Gavilan
out for second place in the Clamshell laptop race (GRiD Compass was first).
On top of that, it beats the Gavilan for: removeable program/data
cartridges (uses Bubble Memory carts) clamshell with a built-in portable
printer, and something else I forget at the moment.
Are you sure this isn't just a re-branded Gavilan? Sounds an awful lot
alike. 
9:04 a.m.
New subject: eBay Finds pc-5000
On top of
that, it beats the Gavilan for: removeable program/data
cartridges (uses Bubble Memory carts) clamshell with a built-in portable
printer, and something else I forget at the moment.
2:44 p.m.
Sam Ismail wrote:
On Thu, 21 Jan 1999, Uncle Roger wrote:
No way, Gavilan machines were never sold under any other name (or under
the Gavilan name for that matter ;-) I know, I was there!
Regards,
_---_--__-_-_----__-_----_-__-__-_-___--_-__--___-__----__--_--__-___-
Hans B Pufal Comprehensive Computer Catalogue
<mailto:hansp@digiweb.com> <http://digiweb.com/~hansp/ccc>
For $5 and shipping, I got (on eBay!) a Sharp
PC-5000 laptop. No biggie
you think? Well, for starters, from what I can tell, it beats the Gavilan
out for second place in the Clamshell laptop race (GRiD Compass was first).
On top of that, it beats the Gavilan for: removeable program/data
cartridges (uses Bubble Memory carts) clamshell with a built-in portable
printer, and something else I forget at the moment.
Are you sure this isn't just a re-branded Gavilan? Sounds an awful lot
alike. 
9:29 a.m.
I also have a Sharp PC-5000 with manuals, portable printer for same, and
HEAPS of magnetic bubble memory cartridges. Also a carry case for this
thingy. I was going to bring it up earlier when bubble memory was being
discussed, but decided it was too off-topic.
Now, it's not :)
A
--
adavie(a)mad.scientist.com <mailto:adavie@mad.scientist.com>
visit the Museum of Soviet Calculators at
<http://www.comcen.com.au/~adavie/slide/calculator/soviet.html>
http://www.comcen.com.au/~adavie/slide/calculator/soviet.html
?
?
-----Original Message-----
From: CLASSICCMP-owner(a)u.washington.edu
[mailto:CLASSICCMP-owner@u.washington.edu]On Behalf Of Uncle Roger
Sent: Friday, January 22, 1999 9:34 AM
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
Subject: Re: eBay Finds (was: Ebay Posts was...)
At 10:01 AM 1/21/99 -0800, you wrote:
One thing I find interesting is that I rarely find
anyone talking about
their finds on ebay; why not?
okay, I was waiting until I was able to do more research, but...
For $5 and shipping, I got (on eBay!) a Sharp PC-5000 laptop. No biggie
you think? Well, for starters, from what I can tell, it beats the Gavilan
out for second place in the Clamshell laptop race (GRiD Compass
was first).
On top of that, it beats the Gavilan for: removeable program/data
cartridges (uses Bubble Memory carts) clamshell with a built-in portable
printer, and something else I forget at the moment.
It's pretty cool, and a lot cheaper than some of the commoner stuff I've
gotten. Other eBay scores: V-Marc 88a portable computer, NEC
PC-8201 (not
the 8201A), I'm sure there are more, but I have to go pick up my dad.
eBay can be useful, but it's takes time to look for old computers. Try
doing a search on "Donald Duck" (with the quotes) -- that's a piece of
cake. Look for computer and you get a lot of junk. Look for
"vintage" and
you miss a lot.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- O-
Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad
roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know."
Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates
San Francisco, California http://www.sinasohn.com/
3:24 p.m.
The two near to hand just say
SHARP CE-100B Magnetic Bubble Memory.
The rest are in the garage - probably the same, though I could check more
closely should there be any real need.
Cheers
A
--
adavie(a)mad.scientist.com <mailto:adavie@mad.scientist.com>
visit the Museum of Soviet Calculators at
<http://www.comcen.com.au/~adavie/slide/calculator/soviet.html>
http://www.comcen.com.au/~adavie/slide/calculator/soviet.html
?
?
-----Original Message-----
From: CLASSICCMP-owner(a)u.washington.edu
[mailto:CLASSICCMP-owner@u.washington.edu]On Behalf Of Eric Smith
Sent: Friday, January 22, 1999 11:27 AM
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
Subject: Re: eBay Finds (was: Ebay Posts was...)
"Andrew Davie" <adavie(a)mad.scientist.com> wrote:
I also have a Sharp PC-5000 with manuals,
portable printer for same, and
HEAPS of magnetic bubble memory cartridges.
So which manufacturer and size of bubble memory do these use?
6:43 p.m.
The two near to hand just say
SHARP CE-100B Magnetic Bubble Memory.
The rest are in the garage - probably the same, though I could check more
closely should there be any real need.
Yes, but I wonder whose actual bubble memory part is inside the cartridge.
Do you have a broken one to sacrifice for the quest for arcane knowledge?
I wonder whether they put the bubble controller inside the cartridge.
Probably not, since there was no sense in duplicating that cost.
The only manufacturers that I heard of were:
vendor capacity capacity
(bits) (bytes)
------ -------- --------
Intel 1M 128K
Intel 4M 512K rare?
Rockwell ??? ???
TI ??? 92K
Although it's certainly possible that other companies might have tried
their hands at it. There was a time when everyone was convinced that
bubble memory was the next big thing.
Bubble memories had a rated capacity based on a maximum number of
defective loops. The Intel parts had a dot-matrix printed label with
a long hexadecimal map of the good loops. I think they might have also
come with a small PROM containing that data.
Intel's 1Mbit bubble memory controller was the 7220. Unfortuantely NEC
made a somewhat popular graphic display controller/processor that also
is a 7220.
22 Jan
22 Jan
12:30 a.m.
New subject: Bubble Memeory was Re: eBay Finds (was: Ebay Posts was...)
At 08:43 AM 1/22/99 -0000, Eric S. wrote:
Yes, but I wonder whose actual bubble memory part is inside the cartridge.
Do you have a broken one to sacrifice for the quest for arcane knowledge?
I wonder whether they put the bubble controller inside the cartridge.
Probably not, since there was no sense in duplicating that cost.
The only manufacturers that I heard of were:
vendor capacity capacity
(bits) (bytes)
------ -------- --------
Intel 1M 128K
Intel 4M 512K rare?
Rare? Probably not. That's what Intel put on their bubble memory cards
for the PC. I have one right here, it's an Intel iPCB-75 PC-BUBBLE(tm)
Card. It uses an Intel 7114 Magnetic Bubble Memory (MBM). They only came
with one MBM but the manual says that the card can hold two of them. One of
the neat things about this card is that even though it has an 8-bit ISA
connector it also has a connector on the rear of the card that lets it be
used in other machines. Hmm, I wonder how it would work in my Altair.
Joe
21 Jan
21 Jan
10:50 p.m.
New subject: Bubble Memeory was Re: eBay Finds (was: Ebay Posts was...)
Yes, but I
wonder whose actual bubble memory part is inside the
cartridge.
>Do you have a broken one to sacrifice for the quest for arcane knowledge?
22 Jan
22 Jan
3:54 a.m.
New subject: Bubble Memeory was Re: eBay Finds (was: Ebay Posts was...)
At 11:50 PM 1/22/99 +1100, you wrote:
Well I attempted a sacrifice, but no luck.
There's a 1" square (approx) metal shield there around the chip.
Peelable label on the top simply labeled E top right corner, 7 bottom left
corner, A somewhere near lower right middle, and 018543 in the center at
bottom. Lots of evenly spaced dots ... hang on I might as well copy the
whole thing... monospace font ON...
...............E
................
................
................
........
................
................
.........A......
7...............
........
018543
strange :)
Under that label is handwritten... 10/25 -9 KL60 S18543
The board itself is marked Hitachi.
I can't get to the bubble memory chip because it has a metal shield
spot-welded around it. Wrapped around 4 of the 6 sides, so to speak. I've
tried removing this sort of thing before - nigh impossible without a chisel,
and I'm not about to do that.
Chip has 12 pins/side, for a total of 24, if that helps.
A
Sounds SIMILAR to my Intel one but different. Mine has 10 pins per left
and right sides. The metal shield on it starts at the top edge next to the
circuit board and wraps over the top of the MBM and down the bottom side.
It has a flange that sticks out at each corner. Each flange has a hole in
it and looks like it was intended for a screw to go in it.
The top says"
intel(r) (m)
7114-4 S9512B
03LUT 8552
FF7FFFFF5FFFFBFFFF7F
etc {too lazy to type it all out}
etc
etc
etc
etc
etc
AAAAAA00000000000000
I think the matrix of As, Bs, 0s and Fs is some sort of mapping of the
bad magnetic domains.
Joe
Yes, but I wonder whose actual bubble memory part is
inside the
cartridge.
>Do you have a broken one to sacrifice for the quest for arcane knowledge?
5:22 a.m.
New subject: Bubble Memeory was Re: eBay Finds (was: Ebay Posts was...)
The board itself is marked Hitachi.
Now that you mention it, I think I do recall that Hitachi had announced
bubble memory devices. I've never seen one.
I can't get to the bubble memory chip because it
has a metal shield
spot-welded around it. Wrapped around 4 of the 6 sides, so to speak. I've
tried removing this sort of thing before - nigh impossible without a chisel,
and I'm not about to do that.
The shield is part of the chip packaging, not something that was added for
the cartridge. I'm surprised that the label on the top didn't have an
obvious manufacturer name or logo.
9468
days inactive
9469
days old
13 comments
9 participants
participants (9)
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adavie＠mad.scientist.com -
dastar＠ncal.verio.com -
doug＠blinkenlights.com -
eric＠brouhaha.com -
hansp＠digiweb.com -
jim＠calico.litterbox.com -
marvin＠rain.org -
rigdonj＠intellistar.net -
sinasohn＠ricochet.net