4 Aug
2001
4 Aug
'01
8:10 p.m.
Went to the junkyard with a mate today and found (well, stepped on) an ugly HP
something. It's a HP 9000 (Yay!) 226 (?h?), which is a clumsy box with a small
CRT and a 5?" floppy as well as an integrated keyboard. This unit had been
retired from the telemonopoly (well, all the stickers date back to that time),
which ad apparently modified it into some kind of luggable workstation by
putting a biug brass handle which seems to have come off a door on one side of
the unit. Apart from the handle, it has been equipped with an RS-232 interface
and additional memory cards, adding up to roughly 1,7 MB.
The unit powers up fine, the screen looks nice, but the keyboard has been
massacred, with five or six keys missing. But now what? The system is looking
for a system. What system does it run, and is software obtainable anywhere?
--
En ligne avec Thor 2.6a.
Computer programmers know how to use their hardware.
6 Aug
6 Aug
10:46 a.m.
At 02:10 AM 8/5/01 +0100, Iggy wrote:
Went to the junkyard with a mate today and found (well,
stepped on) an ugly HP
something. It's a HP 9000 (Yay!) 226 (?h?),
aka 9826. It's a 8 MHz 68000 CPU baed system that runs HPL (HP's
version of APL), BASIC or Pascal. Most of the OS were disk based but you
could get them on plug in ROM cards. The really interesting thing about the
OS is that you canhave multiple OSs (and muiltiple versions of the same
one) on the same drive or even multiple drives and you can select the one
that you want it to boot. Very nice for tinkering. All in all, it's not a
bad machine. They're wided used as HP-IB instrument controllers.
which is a clumsy box with a small
CRT and a 5?" floppy as well as an integrated keyboard. This unit had been
retired from the telemonopoly (well, all the stickers date back to that time),
which ad apparently modified it into some kind of luggable workstation by
putting a biug brass handle which seems to have come off a door on one side of
the unit.
I wonder if the handle is original? There was an option for some kind
of handle from HP but I've never seen one.
Apart from the handle, it has been equipped with an
RS-232 interface
and additional memory cards, adding up to roughly 1,7 MB.
The unit powers up fine, the screen looks nice, but the keyboard has been
massacred, with five or six keys missing.
That's not a problem, the keys from most of 9000 200 series machi8nes
will fit it.
But now what? The system is looking
for a system. What system does it run, and is software obtainable anywhere?
Yes, software is available. I have it but it's almost impossible to
duplicate. You have to "build" the system from files on the distribution
disks, then you save it as a new system file. The problem is that the
system file is too large to fit on a floppy disk so there's no way to
distribute it except by shipping a complete hard drive with the system
installed on it or by making copies of the original distribution disks. I
have copies of a number of different versions of all three OSs that I've
picked up on hard drives but I've never been able to find ANY original
distribution disks. That leaves shipping complete hard drives as the only
way to distribute OSs for the moment. And we're not taling about just
shipping a bare hard drive. The drives use the HP-IB interface so you need
the entire unit which is about 13 inches square and 5 inches tall and they
weigh about 15 pounds. Your best bet would be to check the surplus
sources in your area and see if you can find any HP hard drives (7957,
7958, 9133, 9134, 9153 etc etc). I've found that frequently they still the
OS on them.
I used to have a long detailed article about the HP 9000 at my website
but my ISP deleted them. You may be able to find them in the cache at
google or one of the other search engines. Search for "HP 9000 200 series
computers".
Joe
--
En ligne avec Thor 2.6a.
Computer programmers know how to use their hardware.
7:31 p.m.
joe skrev:
At 02:10 AM 8/5/01 +0100, Iggy wrote:
>Went to the junkyard with a mate today and found (well, stepped on) an ugly
>HP something. It's a HP 9000 (Yay!) 226 (?h?),
aka 9826. It's a 8 MHz 68000 CPU baed system
that runs HPL (HP's
version of APL), BASIC or Pascal. Most of the OS were disk based but you
could get them on plug in ROM cards. The really interesting thing about the
OS is that you canhave multiple OSs (and muiltiple versions of the same
one) on the same drive or even multiple drives and you can select the one
that you want it to boot. Very nice for tinkering. All in all, it's not a
bad machine. They're wided used as HP-IB instrument controllers.
We were very impressed by the 68000 processor, both the fact that it used one
and the processor itself, since it's a bona-fide Motorola model, and an
expensive gold and ceramics one at that. Very pretty to look at, just like the
ROMs.
>which is a clumsy box with a small
>CRT and a 5?" floppy as well as an integrated keyboard. This unit had been
>retired from the telemonopoly (well, all the stickers date back to that
>time), which ad apparently modified it into some kind of luggable
>workstation by putting a biug brass handle which seems to have come off a
>door on one side of the unit.
I wonder if the handle is original? There was an
option for some kind
of handle from HP but I've never seen one.
As absurd as it seems, it may have been intended for certain portable
applications by design, what with the space for a battery pack in a
compartment in the bottom. OTOH, the handle and the small shock absorbing feet
both seem to come from a furniture shop, not a computer one. =)
>Apart from the handle, it has been equipped with an
RS-232 interface
>and additional memory cards, adding up to roughly 1,7 MB.
>The unit powers up fine, the screen looks nice, but the keyboard has been
>massacred, with five or six keys missing.
That's not a problem, the keys from most of
9000 200 series machi8nes
will fit it.
Oh, well, isn't that nice, I'll just go to the shop and buy some HP 9000/200
keytops then. ;-)
>But now what? The system is looking
>for a system. What system does it run, and is software obtainable anywhere?
Yes, software is available. I have it but it's
almost impossible to
duplicate. You have to "build" the system from files on the distribution
disks, then you save it as a new system file. The problem is that the
system file is too large to fit on a floppy disk so there's no way to
distribute it except by shipping a complete hard drive with the system
installed on it or by making copies of the original distribution disks. I
have copies of a number of different versions of all three OSs that I've
picked up on hard drives but I've never been able to find ANY original
distribution disks. That leaves shipping complete hard drives as the only
way to distribute OSs for the moment. And we're not taling about just
shipping a bare hard drive. The drives use the HP-IB interface so you need
the entire unit which is about 13 inches square and 5 inches tall and they
weigh about 15 pounds. Your best bet would be to check the surplus
sources in your area and see if you can find any HP hard drives (7957,
7958, 9133, 9134, 9153 etc etc). I've found that frequently they still the
OS on them.
I know of no surplus sources in my area. I'll have the check the university
cellar when the semester begins, though, they use some HP and HP-IB equipment.
I used to have a long detailed article about the HP
9000 at my website
but my ISP deleted them. You may be able to find them in the cache at
google or one of the other search engines. Search for "HP 9000 200 series
computers".
Riger will do.
--
En ligne avec Thor 2.6a.
Computer hackers do it all night long.
7 Aug
7 Aug
2:03 p.m.
At 01:31 AM 8/7/01 +0100, you wrote:
The battery in the bottom is for a battery operated real time clock
and for use in a controlled shut down in the event of a power lose. It
won't run the computer for more than a few seconds. It's optional and it's
sort of rare, I've only seen it in a couple of machines. FWIW it was only
available in the 9826 (aka 9000 226) and 9836 (aka 9000 236) I think both
of th em machines that I saw it in were 9836s.
joe skrev:
And all those gold circuit board traces. HP doesn't do things by halfs!
At 02:10 AM 8/5/01 +0100, Iggy wrote:
>Went to the junkyard with a mate today and found (well, stepped on) an ugly
>HP something. It's a HP 9000 (Yay!) 226 (?h?),
aka 9826. It's a 8 MHz 68000 CPU baed
system that runs HPL (HP's
version of APL), BASIC or Pascal. Most of the OS were disk based but you
could get them on plug in ROM cards. The really interesting thing about the
OS is that you canhave multiple OSs (and muiltiple versions of the same
one) on the same drive or even multiple drives and you can select the one
that you want it to boot. Very nice for tinkering. All in all, it's not a
bad machine. They're wided used as HP-IB instrument controllers.
We were very impressed by the 68000 processor, both the fact that it used one
and the processor itself, since it's a bona-fide Motorola model, and an
expensive gold and ceramics one at that. Very pretty to look at, just like the
ROMs. >which is a
clumsy box with a small
>CRT and a 5?" floppy as well as an integrated keyboard. This unit had been
>retired from the telemonopoly (well, all the stickers date back to that
>time), which ad apparently modified it into some kind of luggable
>workstation by putting a biug brass handle which seems to have come off a
>door on one side of the unit.
I wonder if the handle is original? There
was an option for some kind
of handle from HP but I've never seen one.
As absurd as it seems, it may have been intended for certain portable
applications by design, what with the space for a battery pack in a
compartment in the bottom. OTOH, the handle and the small shock absorbing feet
both seem to come from a furniture shop, not a computer one. =)
Do I detect a note of sarcasm here?
Joe
>Apart from the handle, it has been equipped
with an RS-232 interface
>and additional memory cards, adding up to roughly 1,7 MB.
>The unit powers up fine, the screen looks nice, but the keyboard has been
>massacred, with five or six keys missing.
That's not a problem, the keys from most
of 9000 200 series machi8nes
will fit it.
Oh, well, isn't that nice, I'll just go to the shop and buy some HP 9000/200
keytops then. ;-)
5:50 p.m.
joe skrev:
>We were very impressed by the 68000 processor, both
the fact that it used
>one and the processor itself, since it's a bona-fide Motorola model, and an
>expensive gold and ceramics one at that. Very pretty to look at, just like
>the ROMs.
And all those gold circuit board traces. HP
doesn't do things by halfs!
It's funny, but all other 68000 MPUs I've seen have been either Hitachi or
"ST" (?) models. Or plastic PLCC models.
> >>which is a clumsy box with a small
> >>CRT and a 5?" floppy as well as an integrated keyboard. This unit had
> >>been retired from the telemonopoly (well, all the stickers date back to
> >>that time), which ad apparently modified it into some kind of luggable
> >>workstation by putting a biug brass handle which seems to have come off a
> >>door on one side of the unit.
>
> > I wonder if the handle is original? There was an option for some
> > kind
> >of handle from HP but I've never seen one.
>
>As absurd as it seems, it may have been intended for certain portable
>applications by design, what with the space for a battery pack in a
>compartment in the bottom.
The battery in the bottom is for a battery
operated real time clock
and for use in a controlled shut down in the event of a power lose. It
won't run the computer for more than a few seconds. It's optional and it's
sort of rare, I've only seen it in a couple of machines. FWIW it was only
available in the 9826 (aka 9000 226) and 9836 (aka 9000 236) I think both
of th em machines that I saw it in were 9836s.
The compartment is far too big to operate any non-atomic RTC. And it features
a warning level about the high voltages. It measures something like 20?15?4
cm.
> >>Apart from the handle, it has been
equipped with an RS-232 interface
> >>and additional memory cards, adding up to roughly 1,7 MB.
> >>The unit powers up fine, the screen looks nice, but the keyboard has been
> >>massacred, with five or six keys missing.
>
> > That's not a problem, the keys from most of 9000 200 series machi8nes
> >will fit it.
>
>Oh, well, isn't that nice, I'll just go to the shop and buy some HP 9000/200
>keytops then. ;-)
Do I detect a note of sarcasm here?
No, the smiley is just there for decoration purposes. ;-)
--
En ligne avec Thor 2.6a.
Alle Verallgemeinerungen sind gef?hrlich, sogar diese.
--- Alexandre Dumas der ?ltere
8 Aug
8 Aug
7:14 a.m.
On 7 Aug 2001 23:50:1 +0100 Iggy Drougge <optimus(a)canit.se>
wrote:
It's funny, but all other 68000 MPUs I've seen
have been either Hitachi or
"ST" (?) models. Or plastic PLCC models.
ST = SGS-Thomson Microelectronics: http://www.st.com
The same French/Italian company that bought INMOS and the
transputer. They now build the ST6 range of
microcontrollers, and the CPU chip used in the Dreamcast,
amongst many others.
They also bought Mostek (not MOS Technologies), builder of
the NVRAM chips used in Sun workstations as real-time clock
chips. And now suffering from dead batteries.
--
John Honniball
Email: John.Honniball(a)uwe.ac.uk
University of the West of England
2:47 p.m.
John Honniball skrev:
On 7 Aug 2001 23:50:1 +0100 Iggy Drougge
<optimus(a)canit.se>
wrote:
> It's funny, but all other 68000 MPUs I've seen have been either Hitachi or
> "ST" (?) models. Or plastic PLCC models.
ST = SGS-Thomson Microelectronics: http://www.st.com
The same French/Italian company that bought INMOS and
the
transputer. They now build the ST6 range of
microcontrollers, and the CPU chip used in the Dreamcast,
amongst many others.
I thought the Dreamcast used a Hitachi.
I didn't know Thomson owned INMOS and Mostek, either.
They also bought Mostek (not MOS Technologies), builder
of
the NVRAM chips used in Sun workstations as real-time clock
chips. And now suffering from dead batteries.
Well, yes, we've been through that. =)
--
En ligne avec Thor 2.6a.
"I'm all man underneath my skirt."
Boy George
3:43 p.m.
And I thought that Thomson was now 50%+ owned by General Electric.
Peace... Sridhar
On 8 Aug 2001, Iggy Drougge wrote:
John Honniball skrev:
On 7 Aug 2001 23:50:1 +0100 Iggy Drougge
<optimus(a)canit.se>
wrote:
> It's funny, but all other 68000 MPUs I've seen have been either Hitachi or
> "ST" (?) models. Or plastic PLCC models.
ST = SGS-Thomson Microelectronics:
http://www.st.com
The same French/Italian company that bought INMOS
and the
transputer. They now build the ST6 range of
microcontrollers, and the CPU chip used in the Dreamcast,
amongst many others.
I thought the Dreamcast used a Hitachi.
I didn't know Thomson owned INMOS and Mostek, either.
They also bought Mostek (not MOS Technologies),
builder of
the NVRAM chips used in Sun workstations as real-time clock
chips. And now suffering from dead batteries.
Well, yes, we've been through that. =)
--
En ligne avec Thor 2.6a.
"I'm all man underneath my skirt."
Boy George
8:31 a.m.
At 11:50 PM 8/7/01 +0100, you wrote:
joe skrev:
It may be oversize but that's what it's for! I have the docs for it
somewhere.
Joe
>We were very impressed by the 68000 processor,
both the fact that it used
>one and the processor itself, since it's a bona-fide Motorola model, and an
>expensive gold and ceramics one at that. Very pretty to look at, just like
>the ROMs.
And all those gold circuit board traces. HP
doesn't do things by
halfs!
It's funny, but all other 68000 MPUs I've seen have been either Hitachi or
"ST" (?) models. Or plastic PLCC models.
> >>which is a clumsy box with a small
> >>CRT and a 5?" floppy as well as an integrated keyboard. This unit had
> >>been retired from the telemonopoly (well, all the stickers date back to
> >>that time), which ad apparently modified it into some kind of luggable
> >>workstation by putting a biug brass handle which seems to have come
off a
> >>door on one side of the unit.
>
> > I wonder if the handle is original? There was an option for some
> > kind
> >of handle from HP but I've never seen one.
>
>As absurd as it seems, it may have been intended for certain portable
>applications by design, what with the space for a battery pack in a
>compartment in the bottom.
The battery in the bottom is for a battery
operated real time clock
and for use in a controlled shut down in the event of a power lose. It
won't run the computer for more than a few seconds. It's optional and it's
sort of rare, I've only seen it in a couple of machines. FWIW it was only
available in the 9826 (aka 9000 226) and 9836 (aka 9000 236) I think both
of th em machines that I saw it in were 9836s.
The compartment is far too big to operate any non-atomic RTC. And it features
a warning level about the high voltages. It measures something like 20?15?4
cm.
3:49 p.m.
joe skrev:
> > The battery in the bottom is for a
battery operated real time clock
> >and for use in a controlled shut down in the event of a power lose. It
> >won't run the computer for more than a few seconds. It's optional and
> >it's sort of rare, I've only seen it in a couple of machines. FWIW it
was
> >only available in the 9826 (aka 9000 226) and 9836 (aka 9000 236) I think
> >both of th em machines that I saw it in were 9836s.
>
>The compartment is far too big to operate any non-atomic RTC. And it
>features a warning level about the high voltages. It measures something like
> 20?15?4 cm.
It may be oversize but that's what it's
for! I have the docs for it
somewhere.
Admit it, Joe, you're just pulling my leg. A battery that big for an RTC?
--
En ligne avec Thor 2.6a.
3:44 p.m.
Well, he said it could also be used for controlled shutdown in case of a
power failure.
Peace... Sridhar
On 8 Aug 2001, Iggy Drougge wrote:
joe skrev:
> > The battery in the bottom is for a
battery operated real time clock
> >and for use in a controlled shut down in the event of a power lose. It
> >won't run the computer for more than a few seconds. It's optional and
> >it's sort of rare, I've only seen it in a couple of machines. FWIW it
was
> >only available in the 9826 (aka 9000 226) and 9836 (aka 9000 236) I think
> >both of th em machines that I saw it in were 9836s.
>
>The compartment is far too big to operate any non-atomic RTC. And it
>features a warning level about the high voltages. It measures something like
> 20×15×4 cm.
It may be oversize but that's what
it's for! I have the docs for it
somewhere.
Admit it, Joe, you're just pulling my leg. A battery that big for an RTC?
--
En ligne avec Thor 2.6a.
9 Aug
9 Aug
10:42 a.m.
At 04:44 PM 8/8/01 -0400, you wrote:
Well, he said it could also be used for controlled
shutdown in case of a
power failure.
Right. I should have made that clearer. The way it works is that AC
power lose is detected and generates an error condition that can be
detected using an "On error xx. Goto yyyy" type statement in the user
program. Upon meeting that condition, the user can have the program jump to
any desired subroutine that does what ever file saves and shut down
procedures are necessary. Obviously the battery must keep the machine
running for some period of time for this to happen so it is a sort of UPS.
The manual doesn't say how long the battery will keep the machine running
but clearly they expect you to save your data and shut the system down as
quickly as practicle.
Joe
Peace... Sridhar
On 8 Aug 2001, Iggy Drougge wrote:
joe skrev:
>> > The battery in the bottom is for a battery operated real time
clock
>> >and for use in a controlled shut
down in the event of a power lose. It
>> >won't run the computer for more than a few seconds. It's optional
and
>> >it's sort of rare, I've only seen it in a couple of machines. FWIW
it was
>> >only available in the 9826 (aka 9000
226) and 9836 (aka 9000 236) I
think
>> >both of th em machines that I saw it
in were 9836s.
>>
>>The compartment is far too big to operate any non-atomic RTC. And it
>>features a warning level about the high voltages. It measures
something
like
> >> 20?15?4 cm.
>
> > It may be oversize but that's what it's for! I have the docs for
it
> >somewhere.
>
> Admit it, Joe, you're just pulling my leg. A battery that big for an RTC?
>
> --
> En ligne avec Thor 2.6a.
>
8553
days inactive
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days old
11 comments
4 participants
participants (4)
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John.Honniball＠uwe.ac.uk -
optimus＠canit.se -
rigdonj＠intellistar.net -
vance＠ikickass.org