16 Sep
2005
16 Sep
'05
6:14 p.m.
Up at Apex today, this is what I saw, part 1:
http://wps.com/temp/CMC1.jpg
http://wps.com/temp/CMC2.jpg
http://wps.com/temp/CMC3.jpg
It's a 12-bit machine, but big odd non-DEC-looking boards. It's
7400 TTL, with 1974 and 1973 dated-coded chips.
Both machines are ruined. Sacked in mud, probably for a decade.
Little rust though, looks like damp, then blown-in dust or silt.
Boards are possibly recoverable.
No memory or any accessories within 10 feet, I think they were
buried under junk and just unearthed (Don is going through the
yard).
The switch register is 12 bits, and a LINK light, so I assume
it's a pdp8 clone. Could be wrong of course.
16 Sep
16 Sep
6:36 p.m.
--- Tom Jennings <tomj at wps.com> wrote:
It's a 12-bit machine, but big odd
non-DEC-looking
boards. It's
7400 TTL, with 1974 and 1973 dated-coded chips.
Hi, Tom.
These are the machines I told you about a couple
of weeks ago. They are relabelled Digital Computer
Controls D-112, clones of the PDP8/I. Bruce Ray has
a few pictures up on his website:
http://www.simulogics.com/nostalgia/DCC/dcc.htm
When I examined them, I didn't see any memory,
indeed, my suspicion was that only the proprietary
CMC boards remained.
--Bill
17 Sep
17 Sep
12:37 p.m.
On Fri, 16 Sep 2005, William Maddox wrote:
These are the machines I told you about a couple
of weeks ago. They are relabelled Digital Computer
Controls D-112, clones of the PDP8/I. Bruce Ray has
a few pictures up on his website:
http://www.simulogics.com/nostalgia/DCC/dcc.htm
D'OH! Sheesh, am I getting senile already!?
Yes, you did, and I now recall. How weird.
16 Sep
16 Sep
7:55 p.m.
Up at Apex today, this is what I saw, part 1:
OK, what am I missing? What/where is Apex?
Nice front panel!
File Missing...
Both machines are ruined. Sacked in mud, probably for
a decade.
Little rust though, looks like damp, then blown-in dust or silt.
Boards are possibly recoverable.
If nothing else, it might be worth trying to recover the front panels, since
they look to be in surprisingly good shape.
Zane
8:18 p.m.
It was written....
> Both machines are ruined. Sacked in mud, probably
for a decade.
> Little rust though, looks like damp, then blown-in dust or silt.
> Boards are possibly recoverable.
From what I saw.... those are definitely restorable. At
least the cosmetics
sure are. I believe there's a KB article on how to mold
replacement switches
;)
Jay
8:50 p.m.
New subject: Computer Machinery Corporation? --> DCC on back of one photo
If you go to Tom's site, you will find that there is a CMC3 photo
http://wps.com/temp/CMC3.jpg
which shows a label Digital Computer Controls Inc.
I wonder if this is the DCC that produced the Nova clone?
The CMC machines were used not for anything like control
purposes, but for business machines, at least when they were
broken up.
And they were not clones of novas, but rather of PDP8s
Jim
"Zane H. Healy" wrote:
9:45 p.m.
On Fri, 16 Sep 2005, Zane H. Healy wrote:
What, is your telepathy broken? Sheesh!
Sorry, Apex Electronics, Sun Valley CA, just N. of Los Angeles.
Up at Apex
today, this is what I saw, part 1:
OK, what am I missing? What/where is Apex? If nothing else, it might be worth trying to recover
the front panels, since
they look to be in surprisingly good shape.
Actually, even those are weather-bleached, scratched, broken
switches, lifting laminate... what a shame.
10:01 p.m.
What, is your telepathy broken? Sheesh!
Sorry, Apex Electronics, Sun Valley CA, just N. of Los Angeles.
One can not be a true surplus hound if they have never been to Apex. Or
Fair Radio Sales.
I am not counting the legions of surplus haunts that are no more...
William Donzelli
aw288 at osfn.org
9:51 p.m.
Subject: Re: Computer Machinery Corporation?
Does anyone know anything about them? My sorry ass can't find
anything on them via Google, but it's a terrible name to search
for.
There's a "CMC" that made a lot of electronic instrumentation and
process-control counters (dekatrons, counters, etc). Could even be
the same company with a slight name change.
10:17 p.m.
-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org
[mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Tom Jennings
Sent: Friday, September 16, 2005 8:52 PM
To: General Discussion: On-Topic Posts Only
Cc: cctalk at classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: Computer Machinery Corporation?
They just went by CMC. My earlier post gave a link or two re the key-to-disk
business. Try searching for that phrase.
Gil
Subject: Re: Computer Machinery Corporation?
Does anyone know anything about them? My sorry ass can't find
anything on them via Google, but it's a terrible name to search for.
There's a "CMC" that made a lot of electronic instrumentation
and process-control counters (dekatrons, counters, etc).
Could even be the same company with a slight name change.
10:20 p.m.
On 9/16/2005, Tom Jennings wrote:
Looks like it's one of the companies that Pertec bought back in the 70's at about
the same time it picked up MITS:
http://www.krsaborio.net/research/1970s/770516.htm
I think I even remember scavenging IC's from a surplus CMC CPU board back around then
(the old "hold your nose and apply propane torch to the back of the board"
approach).
Cheers,
Chuck
Subject: Re:
Computer Machinery Corporation?
Does anyone know anything about them? My sorry ass can't find
anything on them via Google, but it's a terrible name to search
for. 
17 Sep
17 Sep
1 p.m.
Hint: they are DCC-112 computers. Search for Digital Computer Controls, or
DCC, Fairfield New Jersey; PDP-8, PDP-11 and Nova look-alikes. Eventually
involved in lawsuit(s) for copyright violations and bought by Data General
in the '70s.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Jennings" <tomj at wps.com>
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic Posts Only" <cctech at classiccmp.org>
Cc: <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Sent: Friday, September 16, 2005 7:51 PM
Subject: Re: Computer Machinery Corporation?
Subject: Re:
Computer Machinery Corporation?
Does anyone know anything about them? My sorry ass can't find
anything on them via Google, but it's a terrible name to search
for.
There's a "CMC" that made a lot of electronic instrumentation and
process-control counters (dekatrons, counters, etc). Could even be
the same company with a slight name change.
16 Sep
16 Sep
9:35 p.m.
CMC sold "key-to-disk" data entry systems back in the '70s and later. Not
sure when they disappeared. They competed in this with Four Phase Systems,
among others. They OEMed the box. You are apparently right about the PDP8
clone thing:
http://www.simulogics.com/nostalgia/DCC/dcc.htm
The cmc2.jpg file is 404.
Gil
-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org
[mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Tom Jennings
Sent: Friday, September 16, 2005 5:14 PM
To: General Discussion: On-Topic Posts Only
Subject: Computer Machinery Corporation?
Up at Apex today, this is what I saw, part 1:
http://wps.com/temp/CMC1.jpg
http://wps.com/temp/CMC2.jpg
http://wps.com/temp/CMC3.jpg
...
17 Sep
17 Sep
12:37 a.m.
On Fri, 16 Sep 2005, Tom Jennings wrote:
Up at Apex today, this is what I saw, part 1:
http://wps.com/temp/CMC1.jpg
http://wps.com/temp/CMC2.jpg
http://wps.com/temp/CMC3.jpg
It's a 12-bit machine, but big odd non-DEC-looking boards. It's
7400 TTL, with 1974 and 1973 dated-coded chips.
Hmm, front panel is definitely PDP-8-ish-looking. Worth saving regardless
of condition, if you think you might be able to restore it (certainly
possible with the right amount of time and inclination).
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
[ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ]
[ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]
10:35 a.m.
Hmm, front panel is definitely PDP-8-ish-looking.
Worth saving regardless
of condition, if you think you might be able to restore it (certainly
possible with the right amount of time and inclination).
Or as parts to keep the few survivors going.
William Donzelli
aw288 at osfn.org
12:42 p.m.
I will "soon" go back and reevaluate the CMC machines. I most
definitely do NOT want such a project, not in a million years, but
if they look salvagable and cheap I will drag home the carcasses,
hose them off, and expect one of you other turkeys to take them
off my hands.
4:16 p.m.
On the other hand, there's something to be said for taking a beat-up piece of
trash and getting it going again.
... go for that post-apocalypse look.
You mention that there is no memory, however if you look at the brochure/advert:
http://www.simulogics.com/nostalgia/DCC/DCC112H_03.jpg
the circuit board complement (4 or 5 boards) looks similar to what is in your photo:
http://wps.com/temp/CMC-2.jpg
And the text at the bottom of the brochure/advert of the fast model:
http://www.simulogics.com/nostalgia/DCC/DCC112H_01.jpg
says semiconductor memory was used in that model.
Could it be there was semicon memory there instead of core?
Maybe there is a chance (?) it is a 'complete' processor.
(I like the tube/valve tossed into the bottom of one of them.)
Tom Jennings wrote:
Up at Apex today, this is what I saw, part 1:
http://wps.com/temp/CMC1.jpg
http://wps.com/temp/CMC2.jpg
http://wps.com/temp/CMC3.jpg
It's a 12-bit machine, but big odd non-DEC-looking boards. It's
7400 TTL, with 1974 and 1973 dated-coded chips.
Both machines are ruined. Sacked in mud, probably for a decade.
Little rust though, looks like damp, then blown-in dust or silt.
Boards are possibly recoverable.
No memory or any accessories within 10 feet, I think they were
buried under junk and just unearthed (Don is going through the
yard).
The switch register is 12 bits, and a LINK light, so I assume
it's a pdp8 clone. Could be wrong of course.
6879
days inactive
6880
days old
16 comments
11 participants
participants (11)
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aw288＠osfn.org -
bkr＠WildHareComputers.com -
cclist＠sydex.com -
gilcarrick＠comcast.net -
healyzh＠aracnet.com -
hilpert＠cs.ubc.ca -
jwest＠classiccmp.org -
jwstephens＠msm.umr.edu -
tomj＠wps.com -
vcf＠siconic.com -
wmaddox＠pacbell.net