----- Original Message -----
From: "William Layer" <william.layer(a)comcast.net>
Thanks for the info so far.. here are the ugly details
on the 'kit'..
Dave wrote:
Btw - if you have an unassembled 8800 - it might
be a good idea to keep
it that way - I
would think unassembled ones would be more rare than assembled ones.
Sorry if I was confusing on this.. I was half-joking when I said 'kit
form'; the unit wasn't so much *unassembled* as *disassembled* :) The unit
is quite an interesting hodgepodge at the moment.. Here is a better
description of what I have:
Original 8800 Chassis, with early faceplate - dang I love that old 70's
computer typeface! A ding in the white topcover, but overall very nice
shape.
Display / Control board (rev 1) removed, and showing evidence of a burnout
in the lower left, 7400 chip I think. Someone has socketed every chip on
the board, with a collection of random colorful sockets. The board shows
some small rework with kynar, to fix lost pads/traces on one socket
pattern. Needs a couple of switches replaced. Marked "3421K" in black
Sharpie.
8080 CPU card (rev 1) removed and showing signs of modification (a mystery
chip has been added with glue & kynar), and CPU is missing. Marked "3423K"
in black Sharpie.
Motherboard replaced with a Processor Tech (?) MB-1 Mainboard - 16 slots.
The pullup/pulldown resistors look like they were installed by a small
child, and not a gifted one. I will rework this area.
Power supply replaced with beefy 8800B power supply, obviously to
accomodate all that extra hardware that the motherboard will hold. Large
fan is also added, without a grille. Watch your #&!$@ fingers, kid!
A card marked "MCT R30 ASSY 105510" (seems like serial or parallel I/O)
A card marked "SD Systems VersaFloppy II" (must be the disk controller)
A card marked "SD Systems Expandoram II" (must be the memory card, and
it's fully populated. No idea what the capacity is)
A card marked "SD Systems SBC-200" (has a Z-80A cpu, and what I think is
the matching Z-80 buss driver chip. Has 4 ROM sockets, two of which are
populated. One is clearly marked 'EDO BIOS'. Also has edge connectors
marked serial & parallel I/O. Seems like a multifunction card; CPU, ROM &
I/O)
A card marked "Signum Systems MICE-48" with a long ribbon cable leading to
an emulator probe, bearing an EPROM chip. (It's clearly an In-Circuit
Emulator device, my guess is that it was emulating an 8048 or similar)
A card marked "Vector 8800V", which is a complete and utter disaster of
Kynar and flying components. I wouldn't let this thing near a running
system. (seems like a generic breadboard card, which has been built into
some form of custom hardware, has a large device marked "Analog Devices
940", and about 12 other chips, plus a pile of discete components)
A large dual-floppy drive chassis, blue in color, with 8" drives. Seems
like generic Intel hardware of the mid-70's. No obvious markings.
A collection of 8" disks, some clearly CP/M based. I'm quite certain that
in light of the Z80 card, that this machine was running CP/M until it was
taken (or took itself) out of service.
A small board marked "John Bell Engineering Phoneme Synthesizer" with a
DIP connector, wall-wart power supply, and a few chips including a Votrax
SC-01 chip. (Ok, it's clearly a speech synth. Apparently, this thing could
talk at one point..)
Ok - I think that's pretty much all of it. If anyone can verify / correct
me on identification, or provide other info, it would be greatly
appreciated. Some of this stuff (like the ICE hardware) might be up for
trade.
Thanks for all of your time,
Bill