IBM PT-2

[Connor Krukosky]

Yea the PT-2 was a CE tool used for TONS of devices, I have a write-up 
on IBM storage from the 3370 days and the PT-2 was mentioned for 
diagnostics on the 3370, even remotely to a customer site over landline 
I would suppose.
So a pretty neat thing but this and all later devices had tapes you'd 
run on them to do the diagnostic packages. So there are tons of these 
devices and very few tapes floating around, even within IBM I have only 
seen a few tapes floating around anymore but a few of these machines 
still sit tucked away in corners...
Tapes get lost over time, thrown out, whatever, assets and physical 
machines stick around.
I do know one of the types of tapes ran to run some kind of test was a 
"SCAM" it was called, someone I talked to said he liked to joke it ran 
"SCAM"s at IBM.

I also bet there was tons of internal documentations because I assume 
the programs don't just give out straight answers to problems, probably 
give ref codes and things that you'd need documentation or knowledge to 
know what is failing or whats doing what. So sadly these things are 
quite the mystery unless your a CE who kept all of their stuff.

That is what I know of anyway from my perspective. I probably know 0.1% 
what some others know so take everything with a grain of salt :)

-Connor K

On 8/22/2019 08:12, Paul Berger via cctalk wrote:
> I can confirm that this is a CE tool.  From what I remember they where 
> used mainly by CEs in the GSD division.  The large grey lump to the 
> left of the PT-2 is a channel adapter used for monitoring 370 
> channels.  The black box on the lower right is a coax switch and not 
> part of a PT-2.  They where mainly used for monitoring communication 
> lines and at the time when I saw one in use for that, 40 years ago, it 
> had the advantage of being able to decode the Bisync or SDLC protocol 
> right on the machine rather than having to send the data off to have 
> it analyzed.  I recall that there was an attachment with multiple 
> types of connectors for communication lines along with indicator 
> lights for important signals.  Missing from the pictures is the 
> external monitor and tape cartridges that contained the programs for 
> the machine. There was also a later version of this machine that had a 
> built in LCD display.
>
> Paul.
>
> On 2019-08-22 12:37 a.m., William Donzelli via cctalk wrote:
>> I think this was a CE tool used with machines with the UC processor.
>> My info is pretty sketchy...
>>
>> -- 
>> Will
>>
>> On Wed, Aug 21, 2019 at 11:29 PM Benjamin Huntsman via cctalk
>> <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
>>> Anyone know anything about this??
>>>
>>> https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vtg-1980-IBM-PT-2-Computer-Hall-Effect-Magnet-Keyboard-w-Program-Test-Manuals/253997593352?hash=item3b236fb308&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&enc=AQAEAAADIKvsXIZtBqdkfsZsMtzFbFsbX3WcW5fmB%2Fx7ZbaZTyexIhK7W9VLgW%2BiANqra5tcLfLUvucq%2FWwy3JSlehkVi0H0TnsZ9x3lnT4M%2FNK0I23zl7BNBUVztS8698RExuOgZcHXO6v7FRUK%2BTMxC2BELPLkgdRvpFWMB9BbXQW1zu7SXs5SoLJrm3aR8m2kIhrt1aHBf3njB7KD9d70jXprDh7LYyoD6BlZOSFKMSelULNCkR06EvKg4bm5Hlj2kT9gzHObAbHnS4Dy725pF6f0MSjGs0nuvyw3P701B8pbREOy%2BFwa7KynI7p%2F%2FDZSd3NLb8aiylmIQvuIxdA2jf9NKjtjNK4OtBGLPK1kCinJtpG3edC%2Bg3zcgF%2BfyYqsWzgdaR5BLc7eWvxDvDJVYrc9GagH52%2BXriCUj815vLusAYJ4MLBZEf4SumlXsAzKamOO1YHDdAY5XcZWlbJj4%2BbUDYGiVYVey5jbU4p6AR07GBD1NZ9VxtZLXu3%2BrEvbDjS062zfupJn1OsyqxjkXo4S94QVavnXzvg%2BlbUU6igkijeh8tFnsqvD9YBuGYX5BkjQbg7rxOMS9orHpRd28wEsc%2BFknJ71Lz6aCnlB4RpAZbiHprxzhMYckTqYLMAMhmYF92p5vdMYFd9gFN7jkUHKQPMgwjpZpGHrg3UeEEMrPI%2FlDEtwSC0tQBwpD4phxoid3H8rPCpQ3eavJ7UwJUNfXV5k5unTOHwY%2BxT0TTtCCfqMJXqRNMNJkokBK375vCSohk1GexkbC7vvHsB2jB6fh6sjqYTUk4JuzulLDCGrCvZaKBAW9PF8L4%2F%2BDs1N20TwMxOhigqK0TPCWMRT0CPP5lk%2BiqRoJcY0jxsLoQ%2ByEoxMik5Mf5jqeAbaFw6Sg9lXG45gGwa7JiO3kQ7W6reG3LKEMsC2kmLq8q%2BtL%2FvK9aA0gP9in9SIXNZr%2Bh40fnoMD4rS%2Bpki8If24eqaAsA75pDMYNjIgFr85VGRhiHR3g7ymKQ3%2BHET6pyCnW0pt677L6Ggah3K%2BrNu1BSYjdMm3dfFPTWvNtdFRfaBNIweNSEM&checksum=25399759335250961bc599bf4c1a8a1422d41778b250 
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>