26 Feb
1999
26 Feb
'99
2:47 a.m.
I have a couple of Mizar VMEbus Video boards, model 7710. Has anybody an
operator's/technical manual? Either an original or decent xerographic copy
will do. Has anybody written an OS-9/68K ver. 2.3 or 2.4 driver for this
thing? These are 1989 vintage.
I'm also looking for the following Motorola VMEbus Module manuals:
** MVME 236-1,2,3 (Publication number MVME 236-1 Dx ), DRAM memory module
(x = version or edition number. I'll take any version.)
** MVME 133-1 ( " " MVME 133-1 Dx ),
Processor module
** Support Docs manual for this processor: SIMVME133-1
** MVME134bug ( " " MVME134bug Dx ), debugger
manual for '134 processor module
** and finally the Support Documentation (schematics, etc.) for an
MVME147S which is publication number SIMVME147S. Already have the manual.
** I'm also looking for Xycom catalogs and any tech documentation from
back in the mid-80's.
Thanks for your help!
Regards, Chris
PS: Are there any of you out there who have VMEbus gear in your collection?
-- --
Christian Fandt, Electronic/Electrical Historian
Jamestown, NY USA cfandt(a)netsync.net
Member of Antique Wireless Association
URL: http://www.ggw.org/awa
26 Feb
26 Feb
3 a.m.
PS: Are there any of you out there who have VMEbus
gear in your
collection?
In our collection?!?!
Heck, VME bus systems are still being used for embedded system
development. We must have ten chassis (is that how it's spelled?
doesn't look right, anyway, boxes, card cages, whatever) in use
right now with various PowerPC, coldfire, 68K, etc. boards.
Bill Sudbrink
Integrated Chipware
4:45 a.m.
Upon the date 12:00 PM 2/26/99 -0500, Bill Sudbrink said something like:
Yep. In our collection.
VMEbus, as you may for sure know Bill, was created around 1984 jointly by
Motorola, Mostek and Philips/Signetics. It still is a popular system for
embedded systems with extensions like VME64 in use. VMEbus is a stable,
open standard.
There are indeed older VMEbus modules from various manufacturers still in
use after all these years. Many of those early modules, processor modules
especially, have long been obsoleted and therefore are in my gunsights, so
to speak. They can be had for fairly reasonable prices. Some time ago, I
spent big bucks for an OS-9/68k license from Microware and have a small
working MVME121 system. I've got several other processor modules.
I have an MVME147S module I need to try to get running if Microware will
sell me the OS-9 boot ROMs and software as an update to my '120 license (at
a reasonable price :( ). That's the most up-to-date module I've got. About
1988 the '147 series was released. I think they're still sold today
although with obviously updated hardware. Otherwise, I can probably write
my own drivers with some effort but I'm _real_ rusty with OSK at the
moment. I would still have to purchase NFS though to take advantage of the
Ethernet port as that would be above my s/w capabilities.
I also have an STDbus-based OSK system from XYZ Electronics. That was my
first real exposure to OS-9/68k. Still works too.
I'm into some of the industrial end of classic computing as that's what
I've had to work with occasionally. I think Allison and a few others here
know of this aspect of computing too and may even have a piece or two in
their collection.
I just got a Xycom XVME 682 which is a VMEbus PC/AT processor module.
Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it? The module is fully compatible with
PC/AT software, not the hardware except for a local AT bus which connects
with a sister I/O module that handles disks and video. So there's where the
module name isn't quite oxymoronic. It's a 10 MHz 286 with 4 meg of RAM and
CGA/EGA/MDA Herc. video. Gotta find a small VMEbus crate to get that thing
running sometime. Runs M$DOS like any other AT class machine.
Regards, Chris
PS: 'Chassis' is correct.
-- --
Christian Fandt, Electronic/Electrical Historian
Jamestown, NY USA cfandt(a)netsync.net
Member of Antique Wireless Association
URL: http://www.ggw.org/awa
PS: Are there
any of you out there who have VMEbus gear in your
collection?
In our collection?!?!
Heck, VME bus systems are still being used for embedded system
development. We must have ten chassis (is that how it's spelled?
doesn't look right, anyway, boxes, card cages, whatever) in use
right now with various PowerPC, coldfire, 68K, etc. boards. 
5:27 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
Novice guide to old stuff.
I disturbs me to think I have ever walked past something neat, and left it
to rot or be loaded into a scrap bin. Outside of a fairly narrow scope of
Apple products I don't know what I should be looking for. I would like to
see some sort of guide to old stuff, maybe a half or quarter of a doubled
sided laser printed sheet of paper, that ran down some of the items that
are hard to find, which I could fold up and put in my wallet. Is there a
short list, generic or specific?
8:33 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
On Fri, 26 Feb 1999, Mike Ford wrote:
I disturbs me to think I have ever walked past
something neat, and left it
to rot or be loaded into a scrap bin. Outside of a fairly narrow scope of
Apple products I don't know what I should be looking for. I would like to
see some sort of guide to old stuff, maybe a half or quarter of a doubled
sided laser printed sheet of paper, that ran down some of the items that
are hard to find, which I could fold up and put in my wallet. Is there a
short list, generic or specific?
Just from hanging around this list, you should be able to pick up what
machines are most generally coveted/respected/common/whatever. However,
you should bring home everything _especially_ if you can't identify it.
Remember, the stuff you can't identify is most likely to be something cool
that all of us will then respect you for. Well, maybe not, but you'll get
more hours of fun from it ;)
--Max Eskin (max82(a)surfree.com)
27 Feb
27 Feb
3:46 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
On Fri, 26 Feb 1999, Max Eskin wrote:
Just from hanging around this list, you should be able
to pick up what
machines are most generally coveted/respected/common/whatever. However,
you should bring home everything _especially_ if you can't identify it.
Remember, the stuff you can't identify is most likely to be something cool
that all of us will then respect you for. Well, maybe not, but you'll get
more hours of fun from it ;)
Max, I would not recommend picking up just anything if you are a novice.
You may end up bringing home plenty of unintersting PC clones.
For a novice collector, your best bet for getting good at identifying
computers you find in your excursions is to do web searches to see what
people are posting to their web "museums". A good place to start would be
http://www.vintage.org/vcf/vcflinks.htm which has links to hundreds of web
sites with pictures and details of many different computers.
View enough sites and you start to get an idea of what's out there and the
amazing number of things you haven't see yet. Armed with this knowledge
stored in your head, you can now go out and start to look for these
machines, or be able to better identify just what you are looking at when
you see it.
Its the best you have until a definitive compendium is made with pictures
and descriptions (an idea that has been tossed around over here among the
local SF Bay Area collectors for a while now).
Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Always hasslin' the man.
Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0
See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details!
[Last web site update: 02/15/99]
5:56 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
On Sat, 27 Feb 1999, Sellam Ismail wrote:
Max, I would not recommend picking up just anything if
you are a novice.
You may end up bringing home plenty of unintersting PC clones.
For one thing, most people can use the parts. For the other, PC clones
often have interesting features. For the third, the novice will learn
eventually. According to your recommendation, he might pass up something
interesting.
--Max Eskin (max82(a)surfree.com)
6:32 a.m.
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7:15 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
Just from hanging around this list, you should be able
to pick up what
machines are most generally coveted/respected/common/whatever. However,
you should bring home everything _especially_ if you can't identify it.
Remember, the stuff you can't identify is most likely to be something cool
that all of us will then respect you for. Well, maybe not, but you'll get
more hours of fun from it ;)
Max, I would not recommend picking up just anything if you are a novice.
You may end up bringing home plenty of unintersting PC clones.
7:28 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
On Sat, 27 Feb 1999, Lawrence LeMay wrote:
Well, considering some Apollo computers look like they
were built into
a IBM-AT metal case, sometimes its not easy to distinguish something
important from a PC clone.
Which simply means, carry a screwdriver with you at all times :) In fact,
PC clones sometimes have interesting software on them. I once saw a Compaq
Portable that had a network card and had apparently been used in some sort
of DEC network.
--Max Eskin (max82(a)surfree.com)
9:16 a.m.
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9:11 a.m.
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1 Mar
1 Mar
4 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
I think Max is right. When you're starting out, buy
anything that's cheap
and that could possibly be interesting. If it turns out to be a PC-clone,
well, either sell the parts on, or use it as a terminal, or something
like that.
OK, I took your advice, and its not a PC clone, but I am having a little
trouble explaining these 22 tea kettles to my wife. (hey, they are classics
with a power cord, thats on topic isn't it ;)
27 Feb
27 Feb
7:45 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
If it looks like a PC-clone (vertical metal strips for
the expansion
slots at the back), then it's either a boring PC-clone or one of the
_very_ interesting Whitechapel machines :-)...
It could also be one of the nice big-box Amiga's, though I think only the
A2000's match that specific description. Not sure about the layout of a
A4000.
Zane
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator |
| healyzh(a)aracnet.com (primary) | Linux Enthusiast |
| healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, |
| and Zane's Computer Museum. |
| http://www.dragonfire.net/~healyzh/ |
28 Feb
28 Feb
12:48 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
If it looks like a PC-clone (vertical metal strips for
the expansion
slots at the back), then it's either a boring PC-clone or one of the
_very_ interesting Whitechapel machines :-)...
Seriously, PC-clones shouldn't be too hard to recogise, particularly if
you can look inside the case.
PC clones I can avoid without regret, its the S100 chassis that litter some
swapmeets I wonder about. Or for example one of my friends recently
scrapped for gold a bunch of older Sun spares (out of the sealed static
bags and padded boxes, and into the scrap bins). Lots of those 2900 series
chips in that batch.
27 Feb
27 Feb
4:33 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
On Fri, 26 Feb 1999, Mike Ford wrote:
I suppose my wife should just be glad I don't collect trains.
I disturbs me to think I have ever walked past
something neat, and left it
to rot or be loaded into a scrap bin. Outside of a fairly narrow scope of
Apple products I don't know what I should be looking for. I would like to
see some sort of guide to old stuff, maybe a half or quarter of a doubled
sided laser printed sheet of paper, that ran down some of the items that
are hard to find, which I could fold up and put in my wallet. Is there a
short list, generic or specific?
Just from hanging around this list, you should be able to pick up what
machines are most generally coveted/respected/common/whatever. However,
you should bring home everything _especially_ if you can't identify it.
Remember, the stuff you can't identify is most likely to be something cool
that all of us will then respect you for. Well, maybe not, but you'll get
more hours of fun from it ;)
--Max Eskin (max82(a)surfree.com)
5:36 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
Mike Ford wrote:
I suppose my wife should just be glad I don't
collect trains.
Especially in the sense that some guy here in the Portland area does.
Although I've only heard of him having an Engine, still that takes up some
serious space in a Railyard :^) Still can't believe that.
Zane
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator |
| healyzh(a)aracnet.com (primary) | Linux Enthusiast |
| healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, |
| and Zane's Computer Museum. |
| http://www.dragonfire.net/~healyzh/ |
11:25 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
The late Jim Bradley of Stonington, CT used to collect Pullman cars. He
had six or 8, in his back yard right next to the main line. You could
see them from the train as it went by. After he died there was some talk
that some might be scrapped, but I think all have been saved now. One
was an open platform observation from "The Yankee Clipper", but it had
rusted very badly.
On Sat, 27 Feb 1999, Zane H. Healy wrote:
Mike Ford wrote:
M. K. Peirce
Rhode Island Computer Museum, Inc.
215 Shady Lea Road,
North Kingstown, RI 02852
"Casta est qui nemo rogavit."
- Ovid
I suppose my wife should just be glad I don't
collect trains.
Especially in the sense that some guy here in the Portland area does.
Although I've only heard of him having an Engine, still that takes up some
serious space in a Railyard :^) Still can't believe that.
Zane
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator |
| healyzh(a)aracnet.com (primary) | Linux Enthusiast |
| healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, |
| and Zane's Computer Museum. |
| http://www.dragonfire.net/~healyzh/ |
26 Feb
26 Feb
8:38 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
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27 Feb
27 Feb
3:56 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
On Fri, 26 Feb 1999, Tony Duell wrote:
My general method at radio rallies is 'if it looks
interesting, then buy
it' :-). I also have an reasonable memory for what parts fit most of the
machines that I own, so I can dig through a box of old PCBs and think
'hey - that's a DEC paper tape interface card'....
Another suggestion: if you are able to open up the box to look inside,
inspect the date codes on the ICs. If the oldest date code is less than
say 1981, its probably an interesting micro. Mini's are of course always
interesting, and mainframes speak for themself.
Dating the machine by its date codes is not infallible though. The oldest
IC may be one that was replaced much later with a much younger part (so a
machine that was really built in 1976 might have a 1984 dated IC that the
original owner put in when the original IC gave out). Also, you're not
always allowed to go disassembling machines you see for sale. Sometimes
the sellers get real uptight (I had a lady in a thrift store look at me
strangely when I found that IBM PCjr without the internal disk drive and,
wanting to know if this was a model that came from the factory like that,
started opening it up to examine it further...finally she exclaimed "can I
help you!?" and I of course replied "No, thanks" :)
Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Always hasslin' the man.
Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0
See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details!
[Last web site update: 02/15/99]
6:36 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
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26 Feb
26 Feb
8:40 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
Mike Ford wrote:
Novice guide to old stuff.
I disturbs me to think I have ever walked past something neat, and left it
to rot or be loaded into a scrap bin. Outside of a fairly narrow scope of
Apple products I don't know what I should be looking for. I would like to
see some sort of guide to old stuff, maybe a half or quarter of a doubled
sided laser printed sheet of paper, that ran down some of the items that
are hard to find, which I could fold up and put in my wallet. Is there a
short list, generic or specific?
Anything with "Ohio Scientific" written on it! If it turns out that you
don't want it, I'll probably pay you to send it to me.
Bill Sudbrink
9:01 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
Novice guide to old stuff.
I disturbs me to think I have ever walked past something neat, and left it
to rot or be loaded into a scrap bin. Outside of a fairly narrow scope of
Apple products I don't know what I should be looking for. I would like to
see some sort of guide to old stuff, maybe a half or quarter of a doubled
sided laser printed sheet of paper, that ran down some of the items that
are hard to find, which I could fold up and put in my wallet. Is there a
short list, generic or specific?
Anything with the word Terak on it, that isnt from Star Trek Deep
Space Nine, is a collectable. Anything with an 8" floppy drive is a
collectable. Anything you recognize, but looks a little strange (An
Apple ][ with a black case, for example) is a collectable.
Anything else, will be a collectable in a few years.
-Lawrence LeMay
27 Feb
27 Feb
3:50 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
On Fri, 26 Feb 1999, Lawrence LeMay wrote:
Anything with the word Terak on it, that isnt from
Star Trek Deep
Space Nine, is a collectable. Anything with an 8" floppy drive is a
collectable. Anything you recognize, but looks a little strange (An
Apple ][ with a black case, for example) is a collectable.
I've come across some pretty bland machines with 8" drives. 8" drives
do not a special machine make.
Anything else, will be a collectable in a few years.
Will a common 486/66 PC-clone ever be collectable? Maybe in a 1000 years.
Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Always hasslin' the man.
Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0
See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details!
[Last web site update: 02/15/99]
4:40 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
Anything with the word Terak on it, that isnt from Star
Trek Deep
Space Nine, is a collectable. Anything with an 8" floppy drive is a
collectable. Anything you recognize, but looks a little strange (An
Apple ][ with a black case, for example) is a collectable.
Anything else, will be a collectable in a few years.
-Lawrence LeMay
I ran across someone in AZ that collects Teraks. I still have a couple
boxes of 8" floppies from college (UC Riverside was supposed to be working
with UC San Diego on the Pascal stuff, but end results were about all we
saw).
I did see a black AC adapter for a Stylewriter last week, and I have some
granite round Apple microphones.
BTW strangely enough from the replies, I am getting a hint of an answer. ;)
Sorry it isn't going to be haul it all home, in SoCal I could fill a truck
every day of the week.
1 Mar
1 Mar
1:31 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
At 10:40 AM 2/27/99 -0800, Mike Ford wrote:
Lawrence LeMay wrote:
>Anything with the word Terak on it, that isnt from Star Trek Deep
>Space Nine, is a collectable.
Oh, you're just saying that to inflate the value of your Teraks. :-)
I ran across someone in AZ that collects Teraks. I
still have a couple
boxes of 8" floppies from college (UC Riverside was supposed to be working
with UC San Diego on the Pascal stuff, but end results were about all we
saw).
Ran across? You mean, in person? Or online? Terak Corporation
was founded in Scottsdale, Arizona.
- John
4:40 a.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
At 10:40 AM 2/27/99 -0800, Mike Ford wrote:
Well, they are historically significant too. They were the first true
microcomputers or something like that (by which I mean a complete
integrated graphics capable monitor & computer combination), and probably
the first to have a menu driven operating system (using single character
commands).
And yes, I realize I just opened myself up to about thirty replies,
each claiming Perq or SUN or Xerox, or whoever your favorite manufacturer
is, actually was the first to have feature XXX in their operating system ;)
-Lawrence LeMay
Lawrence LeMay wrote:
>Anything with the word Terak on it, that isnt from Star Trek Deep
>Space Nine, is a collectable.
Oh, you're just saying that to inflate the value of your Teraks. :-)
4:53 p.m.
New subject: Novice prospectors guide
I ran across
someone in AZ that collects Teraks. I still have a couple
boxes of 8" floppies from college (UC Riverside was supposed to be working
with UC San Diego on the Pascal stuff, but end results were about all we
saw).
Ran across? You mean, in person? Or online? Terak Corporation
was founded in Scottsdale, Arizona. 
28 Apr
28 Apr
7:13 p.m.
New subject: Simon, the First Personal Computer
John Foust blurted out:
So who owns a Simon today?
I haven't found one yet. There are a few people who have the Simon plans,
and at least one of them has made some progress in building one.
Have you tracked down the family or employees?
Yes, I've tracked down a couple of the employees and got some good info
from them, some of which is on my web site. I'm
also (slowly) working up
to contacting Ivan Sutherland, Simon programmer and
generally famous guy,
through a mutual friend. Berkeley's papers went to the CBI after he died,
so there's a ton of good info available about his work. Not to mention
his books, which are readily available at places like ABE.
*Working* at Haggle?
Formerly. Now working at Go2Net in Seattle. I haven't yet moved up to
Seattle, but will soon. Any Seattle collectors hang-out around 3rd and
Madison? Buy me lunch. Bring an umbrella.
-- Doug
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blinkenlights Archaeological Institute Featuring...
http://www.blinkenlights.com/ Nearly Forgotten Personal Computers
9369
days inactive
9431
days old
28 comments
11 participants
participants (11)
-
ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk -
at258＠osfn.org -
bill＠chipware.com -
cfandt＠netsync.net -
dastar＠ncal.verio.com -
doug＠blinkenlights.com -
healyzh＠aracnet.com -
jfoust＠threedee.com -
lemay＠cs.umn.edu -
max82＠surfree.com -
mikeford＠netwiz.net