So what the heck did I just pick up? - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

bobalan＠sbcglobal.net

30 Aug 30 Aug

7:43 p.m.

On 8/30/2019 7:24 PM, John Ames via cctech wrote:

Ran into this at the electronics-surplus store just down the way from my workplace and grabbed it on the cheap. I don't actually know what it *is,* but the labels on the switches make it look a *hell* of a lot like a 16-bit general-purpose computer of some kind. Despite the claims of being "microprocessor-controlled," I looked at every board inside the thing and couldn't spot anything that looked like a 16-bit or even 8-bit CPU. Genuinely curious what this is, but I can't find much on it online - the name pops up in a few archived documents, but Bitsavers doesn't have anything for the company. Though the design is attributed to Stanley Kubota and Edward Corby - looks like Mr. Kubota still has an online presence at https://www.exsellsales.com/about-us/ so I'll have to drop them a line... Anybody heard of or encountered one of these before? http://www.commodorejohn.com/whatsit-front.jpg http://www.commodorejohn.com/whatsit-back.jpg

It's a piece of test equipment that generates bit patterns. The connectors on the back go to pods that output different logic levels like TTL or ECL. I used one to generate test patterns for testing parallel loaded video DAC's. It could be programmed to loop through sections of data loaded into it's internal memory and respond to input bits to change what it's outputting. It's main use was for testing IEEE 488 interfaces, but could be used as a general purpose data and timing generator. Bob -- Vintage computers and electronics www.dvq.com www.tekmuseum.com www.decmuseum.org

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dkelvey＠hotmail.com

9:35 p.m.

One wonders what the micro instructions were? It looks like a lot of circuit tracing ahead. Dwight ________________________________ From: cctech <cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org> on behalf of Chuck Guzis via cctech <cctech at classiccmp.org> Sent: Friday, August 30, 2019 7:57 PM To: John Ames via cctech <cctech at classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: So what the heck did I just pick up? On 8/30/19 7:24 PM, John Ames via cctech wrote:

...

Ran into this at the electronics-surplus store just down the way from my workplace and grabbed it on the cheap. I don't actually know what it *is,* but the labels on the switches make it look a *hell* of a lot like a 16-bit general-purpose computer of some kind. Despite the claims of being "microprocessor-controlled," I looked at every board inside the thing and couldn't spot anything that looked like a 16-bit or even 8-bit CPU. Genuinely curious what this is, but I can't find much on it online - the name pops up in a few archived documents, but Bitsavers doesn't have anything for the company. Though the design is attributed to Stanley Kubota and Edward Corby - looks like Mr. Kubota still has an online presence at https://www.exsellsales.com/about-us/ so I'll have to drop them a line... Anybody heard of or encountered one of these before? http://www.commodorejohn.com/whatsit-front.jpg http://www.commodorejohn.com/whatsit-back.jpg

Not surprisingly, the answer's on Bitsavers: http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/microcomputerAssociates/Microcomputer_Digest_v… PDF page 7. --Chuck

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aek＠bitsavers.org

4 Sep 4 Sep

12:31 p.m.

On 8/31/19 12:16 AM, Aaron Taylor via cctalk wrote:

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I have something from the same company that sounds like it might be the same type of device. It is an RS-670 40 MHz Digital Word Generator. Mine is obviously a decade or two newer. It includes a small CRT plus keypad/keyboard and is a general purpose computer. It includes 32 output lines (plus some misc) and the user can enter a program, either via floppy or by manual entry on the front panel. That program is played back over the output lines like a digital function generator. If you find any caches of manuals for Interface Technologies equipment, let me know. I don't have a manual for mine.

I just put up manuals on bitsavers for the model 660

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dkelvey＠hotmail.com

3:51 p.m.

How about some pictures of what was inside. A picture that is atleast good enough to see what is there. Dwight ________________________________ From: cctalk <cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org> on behalf of Brent Hilpert via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Sent: Saturday, August 31, 2019 1:25 PM To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: So what the heck did I just pick up? On 2019-Aug-30, at 7:24 PM, John Ames via cctalk wrote:

...

Ran into this at the electronics-surplus store just down the way from my workplace and grabbed it on the cheap. I don't actually know what it *is,* but the labels on the switches make it look a *hell* of a lot like a 16-bit general-purpose computer of some kind. Despite the claims of being "microprocessor-controlled," I looked at every board inside the thing and couldn't spot anything that looked like a 16-bit or even 8-bit CPU. Genuinely curious what this is, but I can't find much on it online - the name pops up in a few archived documents, but Bitsavers doesn't have anything for the company. Though the design is attributed to Stanley Kubota and Edward Corby - looks like Mr. Kubota still has an online presence at https://www.exsellsales.com/about-us/ so I'll have to drop them a line... Anybody heard of or encountered one of these before? http://www.commodorejohn.com/whatsit-front.jpg http://www.commodorejohn.com/whatsit-back.jpg

"couldn't spot anything that ... looked like a CPU" By what criteria? Were you just looking for 'large' chips? Might you have overlooked an 8008 or 4004? - they were in 'small' 18 & 16 pin DIPs. Given the mid-70's appearance (confirmed by Chuck's 1976 ref) those would have been possibilities for the task. If there's no single-chip microproc in there, there might be a minimal CPU built out of multiple chips. "Microprocessor" in that era was sometimes used in a wider sense than just single-chip-processor. ROMs or EPROMs for firmware could be another hint as to architecture.

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