16 Apr
2005
16 Apr
'05
1:16 p.m.
Hi Guys,
I've just posted my utility which allows you to make Cromemco BOOT disk
via a serial cable and RDOS to my site:
http://www.parse.com/~ddunfield/museum/index.html
Go to the very bottom of the main page, and select "disks and images",
the utility is called RT050410.ZIP (I'll think of a better name later).
I've also posted CROMDISK.ZIP which contains:
CDOS disk configured for dual 5.25" drives
(It's easy to make an 8" disk from this)
Cromix in both 5.25" and 8" formats.
Please refer to the RT.TXT file enclosed for information on how it
all works.
NOTE: So far this has been tested and found to work on only my one
Cromemco system, which is a System-3 with ZPU, 256KZ and 16FDC (plus
a bunch of Tuarts, PRI and WDI boards which don't matter for this).
This machine has dual Tandon 8" drives, and I've got a pair of Teac
5.25" drive attached externally ...
The RDOS on the 16FDC is version 2.52 ... it is possible/likely that
I have done things which may not be compatible with other versions
of RDOS, please report your findings to me.
I'm supposed to be picking up two more Cromemco systems next week,
one of which I know has a 4FDC (I think the other is another 16FDC),
so I should be able to verify/fix operation with the 4FDC shortly.
If anyone happens to have a spare 64FDC, I would love to have one
available so that I can get it working with the full set.
Regards,
Dave
PS: Mike S. reports that the CDOS/INIT problem with 32k occurs only
when you are running it in 64k - on a true 32k only system, he says
it works OK - if you have only 32k, you may be able to skip the
intermediate disk - hopefully we can dig up a version of CDOS & INIT
which will resolve this little oddity.
--
dave04a (at) Dave Dunfield
dunfield (dot) Firmware development services & tools: www.dunfield.com
com Collector of vintage computing equipment:
http://www.parse.com/~ddunfield/museum/index.html
30 Apr
30 Apr
8:09 a.m.
Thanks a bunch. I have been really busy the past couple of weeks, but hope
to fire up my Z-2 and give this a try over the next week or two.
Jay Jaeger
At 04:16 PM 4/16/2005 -0400, Dave Dunfield wrote:
Hi Guys,
I've just posted my utility which allows you to make Cromemco BOOT disk
via a serial cable and RDOS to my site:
http://www.parse.com/~ddunfield/museum/index.html
Go to the very bottom of the main page, and select "disks and images",
the utility is called RT050410.ZIP (I'll think of a better name later).
I've also posted CROMDISK.ZIP which contains:
CDOS disk configured for dual 5.25" drives
(It's easy to make an 8" disk from this)
Cromix in both 5.25" and 8" formats.
Please refer to the RT.TXT file enclosed for information on how it
all works.
NOTE: So far this has been tested and found to work on only my one
Cromemco system, which is a System-3 with ZPU, 256KZ and 16FDC (plus
a bunch of Tuarts, PRI and WDI boards which don't matter for this).
This machine has dual Tandon 8" drives, and I've got a pair of Teac
5.25" drive attached externally ...
The RDOS on the 16FDC is version 2.52 ... it is possible/likely that
I have done things which may not be compatible with other versions
of RDOS, please report your findings to me.
I'm supposed to be picking up two more Cromemco systems next week,
one of which I know has a 4FDC (I think the other is another 16FDC),
so I should be able to verify/fix operation with the 4FDC shortly.
If anyone happens to have a spare 64FDC, I would love to have one
available so that I can get it working with the full set.
Regards,
Dave
PS: Mike S. reports that the CDOS/INIT problem with 32k occurs only
when you are running it in 64k - on a true 32k only system, he says
it works OK - if you have only 32k, you may be able to skip the
intermediate disk - hopefully we can dig up a version of CDOS & INIT
which will resolve this little oddity.
--
dave04a (at) Dave Dunfield
dunfield (dot) Firmware development services & tools: www.dunfield.com
com Collector of vintage computing equipment:
http://www.parse.com/~ddunfield/museum/index.html
---
Jay R. Jaeger The Computer Collection
cube1 at charter.net
5 Sep
5 Sep
2 p.m.
New subject: Update: My Z2 (Re: Cromemco boot disk maker & images are available)
Normally following up on one's own message is probably a bit of bad taste,
however, this appeared to be the last message of the thread, and I have an
update.
FYI, I did manage, earlier this spring, to try and bring up my Z-2, but so
far not so good. I got the power on (and measured it for general
reasonableness). Once I hooked it up, it immediately blew a power filter
capacitor on one of the floppy drives (this was not really a shock -- I had
re-formed the main electrolytics, but didn't do that on each board or
drive), which I replaced.
So, I thought I might test the Z-2's floppy controller and CPU in my Altair
chassis. I did get that running, but then I got distracted -- it was an
obvious chance to snag the images of all of its disks (Micropolis-I,
Micropolis-II and 8"), which I did, though the old beast was a little
cranky from time to time. (Long ago I had written an imaging program I
called "XMT" which used a little protocol I developed to transfer files and
disk images reasonably reliably. All I had to do was write up the PC
side. Uses a serial port).
The system is not saying anything, but I was also short on docs, so after a
few hours I kind of gave up on it for a while late in April / early in May.
HOWEVER: I just stumbled on a big box full of stuff that came with my
Cromemco. (Happy, happy, joy, joy). I had had the inkling that I had
some stuff for the Z-2, but this spring I was looking just for a little
floppy box. Today I am doing some cleaning, as things had gotten pretty
out of hand in the finished part of my basement. After I got that cleaned
up to the point where there were some electonic hardware things (PIC
programmer, parts for a PIC project, etc.) that I wanted to put onto a
shelf, I turned my attention to a shelf I had stuck some stuff on while we
had some work done on our house *last* summer (over a year ago). On top of
that shelf was a "copier paper box" chock full of manuals, doc -- and
floppies -- all for the Z2!. So, now I guess I'll have to get motivated
later this fall (probably late October before I can get to it) and find out
what is making the Z2 unhappy and get it working again. Docs will make it
a lot eaiser. ;^)
And, of course, I may well still need the CDOS image -- I don't know if the
two boxes of 5" floppies I have for it are any good (though my recovery of
old Altair floppies was well over 95%, and most of the ones that were bad I
knew were bad years ago -- my basement is cool and dry so things tend to
keep remembering).
The moral of the story: House cleaning is a good idea once in a while. 8^)
At 10:09 AM 4/30/2005 -0500, Jay Jaeger wrote:
Thanks a bunch. I have been really busy the past
couple of weeks, but
hope to fire up my Z-2 and give this a try over the next week or two.
Jay Jaeger
At 04:16 PM 4/16/2005 -0400, Dave Dunfield wrote:
---
Jay R. Jaeger The Computer Collection
cube1 at charter.net
Hi Guys,
I've just posted my utility which allows you to make Cromemco BOOT disk
via a serial cable and RDOS to my site:
http://www.parse.com/~ddunfield/museum/index.html
Go to the very bottom of the main page, and select "disks and images",
the utility is called RT050410.ZIP (I'll think of a better name later).
I've also posted CROMDISK.ZIP which contains:
CDOS disk configured for dual 5.25" drives
(It's easy to make an 8" disk from this)
Cromix in both 5.25" and 8" formats.
Please refer to the RT.TXT file enclosed for information on how it
all works.
NOTE: So far this has been tested and found to work on only my one
Cromemco system, which is a System-3 with ZPU, 256KZ and 16FDC (plus
a bunch of Tuarts, PRI and WDI boards which don't matter for this).
This machine has dual Tandon 8" drives, and I've got a pair of Teac
5.25" drive attached externally ...
The RDOS on the 16FDC is version 2.52 ... it is possible/likely that
I have done things which may not be compatible with other versions
of RDOS, please report your findings to me.
I'm supposed to be picking up two more Cromemco systems next week,
one of which I know has a 4FDC (I think the other is another 16FDC),
so I should be able to verify/fix operation with the 4FDC shortly.
If anyone happens to have a spare 64FDC, I would love to have one
available so that I can get it working with the full set.
Regards,
Dave
PS: Mike S. reports that the CDOS/INIT problem with 32k occurs only
when you are running it in 64k - on a true 32k only system, he says
it works OK - if you have only 32k, you may be able to skip the
intermediate disk - hopefully we can dig up a version of CDOS & INIT
which will resolve this little oddity.
--
dave04a (at) Dave Dunfield
dunfield (dot) Firmware development services & tools: www.dunfield.com
com Collector of vintage computing equipment:
http://www.parse.com/~ddunfield/museum/index.html
---
Jay R. Jaeger The Computer Collection
cube1 at charter.net
7048
days inactive
7190
days old
2 comments
2 participants
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