RE: the value of old test and repair equipment

[tony duell]

> Though I have some background in Telcom, I'd never heard of the HP 3370(B)
> so had to check it out.  Here are a couple of take-away quotes from a
> thread at: http://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?p=866814

Did you also notice that one of the contributors to that thread goes 
by the username of 'tonyduell'? That's where mine came from :-)

> "The A suffix boxes were designed to test phone lines for modems for CCIT
> standards (UK & Europe), the B suffix (B-for-Bell) were the for the
> American market. Designed and built in South Queensferry.

Yes and I don't believe it. Mine is a -B. I got the manual -- Keysight
(was Agilent, was HP) have what they claim is the operating manual to
download. Well the first 50 pages are the operating manual. The rest
is the service manual with full schematics [1]. Anyway, it's the manual
for the -B. But there is an option (A44 assembly) to add the extra
protection zeners and fuses that was only fitted to UK models (and mine
has it). Since a Bell modem would cause a lot of problems on an old
UK phone line, I do not believe the -B version was US only.

[1] Well, schematics of everything (all the PCBs, PSU, etc) apart from the
rotary encoder used on the manual tuning knob. And guess what, my 
rotary encoder is not giving any outputs. One line is stuck high (I think), the
other seems to be floating. Still, there are not that many bits inside it. At 
least
I have schematics of the 30-odd plug-in PCBs.

> You use a pair of 3770s one at each end of a leased phone line connection.

You can use a single 3770B to transmit to itself if you have access to both
ends of the line in the same room. Or if you want to test a simulated line,
repeater amplifiers, etc.

The use of 2 instruments, one effectively controling the other, requires a
factory option in them. Mine has it, but it was not standard.

> "They were around 12 kilobucks each back in the day. I think the 3770 did
> level, flatness and distortion, I think the 3771 did group delay come to
> think of it. My pilot tone filter probably did go in the 3770."

I've not looked at all the features yet (I am still reparing it) but there is
certainly some delay-measuring feature in the 3770B


> As I was assuming, they are used in pairs at opposite ends of the line.
> Neat device.

Oddly, there's a lot of digital circuitry in there (the transmit 'oscillator' is
a digital direct synthesiser with a couple of HP tricks, for example) but there
is no HPIB (or other digital) interface on the unit. 

-tony

Re: the value of old test and repair equipment

[dwight]

It must be a IT-28. It has a 500V leakage check.

It is not a high precision device but it will be useful.

I do have a precision LRC bridge made by Marconi

that I can use for those purposes. It has a quick

check type large range scales. It is more useful for

quick checking.

My main issue right now is to glue a broken

switch wafer. I tried some super glue but it didn't

hold. I'm going to try JB weld next.

Dwight



From: cctalk  on behalf of drlegendre . 

Sent: Friday, August 5, 2016 9:55:27 PM
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
Subject: Re: the value of old test and repair equipment

"I've been restoring a HeathKit capacitor checker."

Which one, the IT-28? Those are really handy for finding leakage in
high-voltage caps, as they have a crazy-high (like 600V ?) power supply.
Unlike modern SS units, the IT-28 can test at practical working voltages.

There's data out there on how to finely calibrate those units, but I don't
see much point in it.. It's a lot of fiddly work and for what - to have the
best 40-year-old LCR meter? If you want a better than ballpark measure of L
or C, get one of the cheap uC-based swiss knife testers. A set of 1% metal
film resistors are cheap, though, and will improve stability.

If you ever feel the need to do semi-precision work with a device like the
IT-28, you're best off running it as a comparator and keeping a set of
precision value caps for reference. In that case, you only need to make
sure you have well matched resistor pairs in the bridge circuit.

On Fri, Aug 5, 2016 at 10:47 PM, dwight  wrote:

> I've been restoring a HeathKit capacitor checker.
>
> I also have a couple HP counters with Nixies.
>
> I even have a 10 channel printer ( need to repair the
>
> roller ). I've found that one doesn't need the expensive
>
> ink roller ( though I'd love to have one, used or not ).
>
> I use the two layer impact paper.
>
> Dwight
>
>
> 
> From: cctalk  on behalf of Ian S. King <
> isk...@uw.edu>
> Sent: Sunday, July 31, 2016 3:46:13 PM
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> Subject: Re: the value of old test and repair equipment
>
> I really like my old test gear and yes, it just seems right to be restoring
> vintage computers with vintage instruments.  HP scopes, logic analyzers,
> DVMs; function generator; Tek scope, frequency counter; as well as just
> 'sundry'.  But I did break down and buy a DDS frequency generator to work
> on my VHF/UHF ham gear.
>
> On Sat, Jul 30, 2016 at 6:07 PM, drlegendre . 
> wrote:
>
> > In fact, the value of old test gear varies tremendously..
> >
> > Vacuum tube testers of certain makes & models are near the top of the
> food
> > chain, with clean, working examples pulling $1500+ (USD) on a very
> regular
> > basis.
> >
> > There's also a strong following for much 'classic' audio analysis gear
> (HD
> > meters, ID meters, spectrum analyzers, etc.) some very fine multi-meters
> > and anything really hi-end like General Radio, Breull & Kejjr, HP, and so
> > forth.
> >
> > Some very early examples from the 1910s to 30's also pull good value
> simply
> > for visual appeal. Much of this gear is resplendent with embossed,
> enameled
> > panels, sculpted Bakelite knobs, large meter movements and an overall Art
> > Deco styling.
> >
> > Seen a nice Supreme Diagnometer recently? Or any of the 40s-70s era
> English
> > made tube testers, like the AVO? Hickok also made a series of bench VTVMs
> > with massive chromed meters, designed to be large enough that they can be
> > read from many feet away.. those are beautiful for display, and guess
> what
> > - they work great, too!
> >
> > On Thu, Jul 28, 2016 at 5:24 PM, Dale H. Cook 
> wrote:
> >
> > > At 03:52 PM 7/28/2016, Electronics Plus wrote:
> > >
> > > >... does as-is old test and repair equip that won't be particularly
> > cheap
> > > have interest to you guys?
> > >
> > > It depends entirely on the make and model of equipment. I always have a
> > > laundry list of stuff I am looking for - one of the reasons why I bring
> > my
> > > tablet to meets.
> > >
> > > Dale H. Cook, GR / HP Collector, Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA
> > > http://plymouthcolony.net/starcity/radios/index.html
> > >
> > >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Ian S. King, MSIS, MSCS, Ph.D. Candidate
> The Information School 
> Dissertation: "Why the Conversation Mattered: Constructing a Sociotechnical
> Narrative Through a Design Lens
>
> Archivist, Voices From the Rwanda Tribunal 
> Value Sensitive Design Research Lab 
>
> University of Washington
>
> There is an old Vulcan saying: "Only Nixon could go to China."
>

6800 memory addressing

[Brad H]

So I have the 6800 almost fully working, however I've hit one snag.  
I loaded some of the memory diags as a first test, from txt files posted 
online.  The first couple worked ok, but the third kept hitting an error 
immediately on start.  
I thought little of it and was eager to try a bigger program.  I tried 
Blackjack.  However I noticed when it was loading.. instead of just the cursor 
remaining beside my L until loaded, it began dumping random stuff out.
So that's when I went back to that RAM test.  I noticed it has having the same 
issue with a certain range.  I realized then that my single RAM board was only 
covering from (I think) A000 up to but not including C000. 
So I used the jumpers on my DRC 16k boards to fill in the blanks, so to speak.  
But I'm stuck on the last one.  The memory check now crashes at address 8000.  
Because my last MPM board was modified, I'm not sure how to get that particular 
range.  I'm also wondering why I only get from A000 to C000 on my other MP-M 
board.  The 16k boards can be set for wide ranges.. say 8000 through I think 
 (can't look at the docs as SWTPC.COM went down tonight).  I'm assuming the 
smaller RAM boards cover less?  With three of the four installed, I can load a 
program via txt file without error but cannot run it.. if I hit G it just 
freezes there.  So I'm not sure if I need to configure a ram board for $8000 up 
to $A000 or if I potentially have another problem.  And because the MP-M boards 
are both modified.. I don't know what they are/were set up to do.
Brad



Sent from my Samsung device

Re: the value of old test and repair equipment

[drlegendre .]

"> Though I have some background in Telcom, I'd never heard of the HP
3370(B)
> so had to check it out.  Here are a couple of take-away quotes from a
> thread at: http://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?p=866814

Did you also notice that one of the contributors to that thread goes
by the username of 'tonyduell'? That's where mine came from :-)"

Not sure how I missed that, Tony, but yes - you're second from the top.



On Sun, Aug 7, 2016 at 1:01 AM, dwight  wrote:

> It must be a IT-28. It has a 500V leakage check.
>
> It is not a high precision device but it will be useful.
>
> I do have a precision LRC bridge made by Marconi
>
> that I can use for those purposes. It has a quick
>
> check type large range scales. It is more useful for
>
> quick checking.
>
> My main issue right now is to glue a broken
>
> switch wafer. I tried some super glue but it didn't
>
> hold. I'm going to try JB weld next.
>
> Dwight
>
>
> 
> From: cctalk  on behalf of drlegendre . <
> drlegen...@gmail.com>
> Sent: Friday, August 5, 2016 9:55:27 PM
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> Subject: Re: the value of old test and repair equipment
>
> "I've been restoring a HeathKit capacitor checker."
>
> Which one, the IT-28? Those are really handy for finding leakage in
> high-voltage caps, as they have a crazy-high (like 600V ?) power supply.
> Unlike modern SS units, the IT-28 can test at practical working voltages.
>
> There's data out there on how to finely calibrate those units, but I don't
> see much point in it.. It's a lot of fiddly work and for what - to have the
> best 40-year-old LCR meter? If you want a better than ballpark measure of L
> or C, get one of the cheap uC-based swiss knife testers. A set of 1% metal
> film resistors are cheap, though, and will improve stability.
>
> If you ever feel the need to do semi-precision work with a device like the
> IT-28, you're best off running it as a comparator and keeping a set of
> precision value caps for reference. In that case, you only need to make
> sure you have well matched resistor pairs in the bridge circuit.
>
> On Fri, Aug 5, 2016 at 10:47 PM, dwight  wrote:
>
> > I've been restoring a HeathKit capacitor checker.
> >
> > I also have a couple HP counters with Nixies.
> >
> > I even have a 10 channel printer ( need to repair the
> >
> > roller ). I've found that one doesn't need the expensive
> >
> > ink roller ( though I'd love to have one, used or not ).
> >
> > I use the two layer impact paper.
> >
> > Dwight
> >
> >
> > 
> > From: cctalk  on behalf of Ian S. King <
> > isk...@uw.edu>
> > Sent: Sunday, July 31, 2016 3:46:13 PM
> > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> > Subject: Re: the value of old test and repair equipment
> >
> > I really like my old test gear and yes, it just seems right to be
> restoring
> > vintage computers with vintage instruments.  HP scopes, logic analyzers,
> > DVMs; function generator; Tek scope, frequency counter; as well as just
> > 'sundry'.  But I did break down and buy a DDS frequency generator to work
> > on my VHF/UHF ham gear.
> >
> > On Sat, Jul 30, 2016 at 6:07 PM, drlegendre . 
> > wrote:
> >
> > > In fact, the value of old test gear varies tremendously..
> > >
> > > Vacuum tube testers of certain makes & models are near the top of the
> > food
> > > chain, with clean, working examples pulling $1500+ (USD) on a very
> > regular
> > > basis.
> > >
> > > There's also a strong following for much 'classic' audio analysis gear
> > (HD
> > > meters, ID meters, spectrum analyzers, etc.) some very fine
> multi-meters
> > > and anything really hi-end like General Radio, Breull & Kejjr, HP, and
> so
> > > forth.
> > >
> > > Some very early examples from the 1910s to 30's also pull good value
> > simply
> > > for visual appeal. Much of this gear is resplendent with embossed,
> > enameled
> > > panels, sculpted Bakelite knobs, large meter movements and an overall
> Art
> > > Deco styling.
> > >
> > > Seen a nice Supreme Diagnometer recently? Or any of the 40s-70s era
> > English
> > > made tube testers, like the AVO? Hickok also made a series of bench
> VTVMs
> > > with massive chromed meters, designed to be large enough that they can
> be
> > > read from many feet away.. those are beautiful for display, and guess
> > what
> > > - they work great, too!
> > >
> > > On Thu, Jul 28, 2016 at 5:24 PM, Dale H. Cook 
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > > At 03:52 PM 7/28/2016, Electronics Plus wrote:
> > > >
> > > > >... does as-is old test and repair equip that won't be particularly
> > > cheap
> > > > have interest to you guys?
> > > >
> > > > It depends entirely on the make and model of equipment. I always
> have a
> > > > laundry list of stuff I am looking for - one of the reasons why I
> bring
> > > my
> > > > tablet to meets.
> > > >
> > > > Dale H. Cook, GR / HP Collector, Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA
> > > > http://plymouthcolony.net/starcity/radios/

RE: Mall directory computers

[Kevin Parker]

Now that you mention it, it came out of a Harvey World franchise Chris



Kevin Parker
P: 0418 815 527

-Original Message-
From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-boun...@classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Chris Pye
Sent: Saturday, 6 August 2016 18:11
To: General Discussion: On-Topic Posts 
Subject: Re: Mall directory computers


> On 6 Aug 2016, at 5:49 pm, Kevin Parker  wrote:
> 
> As suggested I have removed the top cover  - there was nothing accessible 
> inside the black side cover.
> 
> It's quite clever how its put together but what did surprise me was the TV 
> remote control hardwired in under the Amiga.
> 
> I've added some more photos so if anyone has any commentary or info it would 
> be most welcome - I have yet to power it up.
> 
> http://koken.advancedimaging.com.au/index.php?/albums/shop-mall-commodore-64/

Hi Kevin, it appears as though the company that made that setup is still in 
business.   http://multiscreen.biz/au/about-us

I would have though that the TV/VCR remote would have had it’s IR LED close to 
a hole in the metal case.

Do you know which travel agent it came from? If it was a major chain one, then 
there were probably heaps of these units around Australia.

Cheers,
Chris=

ISO: HP 110 AC Adapter

[Josh Dersch]

Hey all --

Picked up some lovely junk at the VCF consignment table today, amongst
which was an HP 110 with carrying case, floppy drive, thinkjet, and manuals
(including the service manual!).  Not included was a means to power this
thing up.

Anyone have a power supply going spare?  (Maybe even someone coming to VCF
tomorrow? :)

Thanks as always,
Josh

RE: HP 110 AC Adapter

[Rik Bos]

Josh,

The HP 110 uses the same ac adapter (8V AC) as the hp 41, 71b and 75 series. 
Those are also used for some hp peripherals. I got lots of them but am on the 
wrong side of the big water. But it shouldn't be too difficult to get one. The 
batteries of the hp 110 are sealed lead acid types, they have a very long 
lifespan (when keeping charged) but are sensitive to longtime storage without 
charge.

-Rik

Van: Josh Dersch

Re: 6800 memory addressing

[Chris Elmquist]

sorry for top post-- coming from Android thing.

you definitely do not want RAM at $8000 because it will collide with the I/O 
block that is decoded there.  If you have mp-b back plane as you stated then 
i/o occupies $8000 to $9fff and so RAM needs to start at $a000.

The modified mp-m is to make it decode at $a000 or above because the stock 
circuit decoded on 4k boundaries from $ to $7000 only.

Chris


On August 7, 2016 1:56:14 AM CDT, Brad H  
wrote:
>
>
>So I have the 6800 almost fully working, however I've hit one snag.  
>I loaded some of the memory diags as a first test, from txt files
>posted online.  The first couple worked ok, but the third kept hitting
>an error immediately on start.  
>I thought little of it and was eager to try a bigger program.  I tried
>Blackjack.  However I noticed when it was loading.. instead of just the
>cursor remaining beside my L until loaded, it began dumping random
>stuff out.
>So that's when I went back to that RAM test.  I noticed it has having
>the same issue with a certain range.  I realized then that my single
>RAM board was only covering from (I think) A000 up to but not including
>C000. 
>So I used the jumpers on my DRC 16k boards to fill in the blanks, so to
>speak.  But I'm stuck on the last one.  The memory check now crashes at
>address 8000.  Because my last MPM board was modified, I'm not sure how
>to get that particular range.  I'm also wondering why I only get from
>A000 to C000 on my other MP-M board.  The 16k boards can be set for
>wide ranges.. say 8000 through I think  (can't look at the docs as
>SWTPC.COM went down tonight).  I'm assuming the smaller RAM boards
>cover less?  With three of the four installed, I can load a program via
>txt file without error but cannot run it.. if I hit G it just freezes
>there.  So I'm not sure if I need to configure a ram board for $8000 up
>to $A000 or if I potentially have another problem.  And because the
>MP-M boards are both modified.. I don't know what they are/were set up
>to do.
>Brad
>
>
>
>Sent from my Samsung device

-- 
Chris Elmquist

Re: Video From VCF West

[jim stephens]

6 videos from saturday, youtube playlist

On 8/6/2016 5:59 PM, Kirk Davis wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjf3WkYDaEk 


Carl Claunch at Vintage Computer Festival West, Mount View CA 2016

Re: ISO: HP 110 AC Adapter

[Fred Cisin]

On Sat, 6 Aug 2016, Josh Dersch wrote:

Hey all --
Picked up some lovely junk at the VCF consignment table today, amongst
which was an HP 110 with carrying case, floppy drive, thinkjet, and manuals
(including the service manual!).  Not included was a means to power this
thing up.

Anyone have a power supply going spare?  (Maybe even someone coming to VCF
tomorrow? :)


Sorry, can't help.

But, while you're at it, if you also find a 20VAC brick, you could connect 
a wide carriage HP QuietJet to it.



--
Grumpy Ol' Fred ci...@xenosoft.com

TRS-80 Trash Talk - Live Episode

[Peter Cetinski]

We’re going to be recording a live episode of TRS-80 Trash Talk next Saturday, 
Aug 13th at 9pm EDT.  If you’re into any of the machines from Tandy Radio Shack 
then stop by and join the fun.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1044642265619305/

Re: TRS-80 Trash Talk - Live Episode

[COURYHOUSE]

be sure to send a reminder  right  before  too!sounds  great! I never 
owned one in the old  days  but  cure  saw them around and  we do have them  
at  SMECC museum project in  the  collection. 
 
 
In a message dated 8/7/2016 9:01:17 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time,  
p...@pski.net writes:


https://www.facebook.com/events/1044642265619305/

RE: 6800 memory addressing

[Brad H]

One other thing I'm trying to understand is the addresses themselves.   As it 
stands right now I have:

Heavily modified MP-M covering $A000-BFFF
DRC 16k covering $-3FFF
DRC 16k covering $4000-7FFF

Again I don't know what I'm talking about here -- but the DRC table says you 
could config one more for $C000-.  Is that worth doing?  I do have this 
last 4K MP-M board here.  It is slightly modified with a couple of cut/changed 
traces.  Right now it is, at least by the documentation, set as board #5, which 
according to this: 

http://www.swtpc.com/mholley/MP_M/MP_M_AssemblyInstructions.pdf

is 5000-5FFF?  I'm not sure how these addresses correspond to what's in the DRC 
guide.  Could this board cover $C000 somehow?

Brad

Re: Video From VCF West

[jim stephens]

On 8/7/2016 7:36 AM, jim stephens wrote:

6 videos from saturday, youtube playlist

once more with the link

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5NK70kdq3-JGwb_8GXFN5SqDtbTKtLi7

Re: Video From VCF West

[COURYHOUSE]

Folks! in the opening  part of this movie Jim pans past a large   white 
front panel with  leds and switches  looks   like   form a Honeywell series... 
more  details or a close up and  ask the owner more about it please?
 
Looks  like a  good  show  but  I  do  not  travel a lot #ed#
 
In a message dated 8/7/2016 10:41:21 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time,  
jwsm...@jwsss.com writes:



On 8/7/2016 7:36 AM, jim stephens wrote:
> 6 videos  from saturday, youtube playlist
once more with the  link

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5NK70kdq3-JGwb_8GXFN5SqDtbTKtLi7

PDP-11 prices

[Noel Chiappa]

So that most recent PDP-11/20 (well, technically, a /15) on eBay went for
$2200:

  http://www.ebay.com/itm/191933305000

which was a lot less than the other one _but_ this was only one drawer, only
one ME11 memory, no H960, no documentation, no software, no KT11-B, etc, etc.

It looks like the high bidder was the under-bidder on the previous one.

Noel

Re: Video From VCF West

[Charles Anthony]

I

On Sun, Aug 7, 2016 at 10:48 AM,  wrote:

> Folks! in the opening  part of this movie Jim pans past a large   white
> front panel with  leds and switches  looks   like   form a Honeywell
> series...
> more  details or a close up and  ask the owner more about it please?
>
>
It's part of Jim Stephens' collection, and was lent to me for VCF. It is a
maintenance panel off a 6180 series machine, like the panels in your
collection.

The roller is missing.

The text in the upper left reads "ADDRESS/SAMPLE TALLY CONDITIONS"

I'll take some pictures and send you a link.

-- Charles

Re: PDP-11 prices

[COURYHOUSE]

good  to hear this assures  me of the  sanity of trading one of our  77 
dx microphones  for one and   some other odd things
 
 
In a message dated 8/7/2016 11:02:22 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time,  
j...@mercury.lcs.mit.edu writes:

So that  most recent PDP-11/20 (well, technically, a /15) on eBay went  for
$2200:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/191933305000

which  was a lot less than the other one _but_ this was only one drawer, 
only
one  ME11 memory, no H960, no documentation, no software, no KT11-B, etc,  
etc.

It looks like the high bidder was the under-bidder on the previous  one.

Noel

Re: Video From VCF West

[COURYHOUSE]

OK!   thanks Charles!  appreciate it! 
 
Thanks  to  all   for the videos and photos !
 
Ed#
 
 
In a message dated 8/7/2016 11:09:58 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time,  
charles.unix@gmail.com writes:

I

On Sun, Aug 7, 2016 at 10:48 AM,   wrote:

> Folks! in the opening  part  of this movie Jim pans past a large   white
> front panel  with  leds and switches  looks   like   form a  Honeywell
> series...
> more  details or a close up and   ask the owner more about it please?
>
>
It's part of Jim  Stephens' collection, and was lent to me for VCF. It is a
maintenance panel  off a 6180 series machine, like the panels in your
collection.

The  roller is missing.

The text in the upper left reads "ADDRESS/SAMPLE  TALLY CONDITIONS"

I'll take some pictures and send you a  link.

-- Charles

Re: Video From VCF West

[jim stephens]

Photos of the panel and the entire set from the Atlanta machine are here.
thanks
Jim


On 8/7/2016 11:28 AM, couryho...@aol.com wrote:

OK!   thanks Charles!  appreciate it!
  
Thanks  to  all   for the videos and photos !
  
Ed#
  
  
In a message dated 8/7/2016 11:09:58 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time,

charles.unix@gmail.com writes:

I

On Sun, Aug 7, 2016 at 10:48 AM,   wrote:


Folks! in the opening  part  of this movie Jim pans past a large   white
front panel  with  leds and switches  looks   like   form a  Honeywell
series...
more  details or a close up and   ask the owner more about it please?



It's part of Jim  Stephens' collection, and was lent to me for VCF. It is a
maintenance panel  off a 6180 series machine, like the panels in your
collection.

The  roller is missing.

The text in the upper left reads "ADDRESS/SAMPLE  TALLY CONDITIONS"

I'll take some pictures and send you a  link.

-- Charles

Re: PDP-11 prices

[jim stephens]

On 8/7/2016 11:02 AM, Noel Chiappa wrote:

So that most recent PDP-11/20 (well, technically, a /15) on eBay went for
$2200:

   http://www.ebay.com/itm/191933305000

which was a lot less than the other one _but_ this was only one drawer, only
one ME11 memory, no H960, no documentation, no software, no KT11-B, etc, etc.

It looks like the high bidder was the under-bidder on the previous one.

Noel


I had my pockets cleaned (and still cleaning) at the consignment tables 
by Pavel and Vince S so far an 11/34 and Microdata paper tape reader punch.

Re: PDP-11 prices

[COURYHOUSE]

do you collect microdata?   we may have extra of their   computer handbook.
Ed#  www/smecc.org 
 
 
In a message dated 8/7/2016 11:45:01 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time,  
jwsm...@jwsss.com writes:



On 8/7/2016 11:02 AM, Noel Chiappa wrote:
> So that  most recent PDP-11/20 (well, technically, a /15) on eBay went for
>  $2200:
>
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/191933305000
>
> which was a lot less than  the other one _but_ this was only one drawer, 
only
> one ME11 memory, no  H960, no documentation, no software, no KT11-B, etc, 
etc.
>
> It  looks like the high bidder was the under-bidder on the previous  one.
>
> Noel
>
>
I had my pockets  cleaned (and still cleaning) at the consignment tables 
by Pavel and Vince  S so far an 11/34 and Microdata paper tape reader  
punch.

those unable to attend VCFhere is traffic '72 listen while watching videos..

[COURYHOUSE]

For those unable to attend  VCF here is a  Traffic '72   live concert  from 
Santa Monica  to listen  to while  watching videos..  Ed#
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocjSc7v83pk

Re: PDP-11 prices

[Adrian Stoness]

didnt help it was local pickup

On Sun, Aug 7, 2016 at 1:44 PM, jim stephens  wrote:

>
>
> On 8/7/2016 11:02 AM, Noel Chiappa wrote:
>
>> So that most recent PDP-11/20 (well, technically, a /15) on eBay went for
>> $2200:
>>
>>http://www.ebay.com/itm/191933305000
>>
>> which was a lot less than the other one _but_ this was only one drawer,
>> only
>> one ME11 memory, no H960, no documentation, no software, no KT11-B, etc,
>> etc.
>>
>> It looks like the high bidder was the under-bidder on the previous one.
>>
>> Noel
>>
>>
>> I had my pockets cleaned (and still cleaning) at the consignment tables
> by Pavel and Vince S so far an 11/34 and Microdata paper tape reader punch.
>

Re: Yard sale goodies

[Glen Slick]

On Sat, Aug 6, 2016 at 3:18 PM, Joe Giliberti  wrote:
> Supposedly the guy has a full COSMAC system that he'll have for me
> tomorrow.
>

If you pick up the rest of the COSMAC system and if it has a CDP18S651
floppy disk controller board to go along with the floppy disk drives
you picked up it would be great if you could do a high resolution scan
of the CDP18S651 board.

I have a completely bare CDP18S651 floppy disk controller board. I
haven't found a copy of the manual and/or schematic anywhere yet. With
a high resolution scan of a complete board maybe at least I could
figure out what components I need to populate it.

-Glen

Re: Yard sale goodies

[william degnan]

On Aug 7, 2016 12:42 PM, "Glen Slick"  wrote:
>
> On Sat, Aug 6, 2016 at 3:18 PM, Joe Giliberti 
wrote:
> > Supposedly the guy has a full COSMAC system that he'll have for me
> > tomorrow.
> >
>
> If you pick up the rest of the COSMAC system and if it has a CDP18S651
> floppy disk controller board to go along with the floppy disk drives
> you picked up it would be great if you could do a high resolution scan
> of the CDP18S651 board.
>
> I have a completely bare CDP18S651 floppy disk controller board. I
> haven't found a copy of the manual and/or schematic anywhere yet. With
> a high resolution scan of a complete board maybe at least I could
> figure out what components I need to populate it.
>
> -Glen

There are many sugars and qume drives in the consignment area of vcf west
Bill Degnan
twitter: billdeg
vintagecomputer.net

Old High-Noise-Immunity Logic for swap/trade

[Noel Chiappa]

Hi, I have a small stack (~60) of assorted "High-Noise-Immunity Logic" (HNIL
or HINIL) chips that I have no use for, and would like to trade for something
I do have a use for.

These run off like +16V; numbers are 3xxCJ (for xx=03, 21, etc); they were
made by Teledyne (the line was later bought out by ITT, whose part numbers for
these are ITT3xx; also, at some point passed through Telcom, whose part #'s
for the series are TSC3xx).

If anyone's interested, let me know, I can send you a list of what I've got.

Noel

New photorealistic PDP-15 panel simulation for SimH

[Jörg Hoppe]

Hi,

here are some updates to the virtual Java panels for SimH ("BlinkenBone 
project"):


* New PDP-15. This rare 18 bit machine is a dream in White & Blue!
  Now we have PDP-11/20, 11/40, 11/70, PDP-8/I, PDP10/KI10 and PDP-15.

* Merged with official SimH 4, timestamp 2016-06-16

* Bugfix for light patterns on the PDP-11/70 panel in "DATA PATH" knob 
position.

  Now the "running snake" idle pattern of IAS is shown correctly.

* Added a 2.11 BSD UNIX installation for PDP-11/70 (yet another idle 
pattern!)


There are precompiled distribution for Win32, Ubuntu x86 & x64, 
Raspberry Pi and Beaglebone.

Just unzip and start.


Downloads: https://github.com/j-hoppe/BlinkenBone/releases

Web start page: http://www.retrocmp.com/projects/blinkenbone

And direct to the PDP-15: 
http://www.retrocmp.com/projects/blinkenbone/simulated-panels/255-simulated-pdp-15-panel


Enjoy,

Joerg

Re: VCF West - going?

[Paul McJones]

Here are some photos from Saturday at VCF West:

https://goo.gl/photos/GToKuQ33XwBenMJJA

RE: SWTPC 6800

[Brad H]

Yes I believe $A000 is covered by that heavily modded MP-M board.

I think the machine is basically working optimally (except for the odd time
I power up and it gives me garbage, not sure what that's about.. have to
fiddle with boards a bit and then it's fine again).  I ended up successfully
loading TSC Basic and making little programs in it.  I tried the Altair
BASIC with the special load file they give you but all it does is spill
stuff into the prompt.  

I've seen a video where the fellow loaded it, and then somehow entered a
command of MM in the process of setting certain things up to run it.  But if
I hit M it just takes me straight into changing a register the usual way.

Basically I think I have to educate myself a bit here on loading, etc.  I'd
love to find out more about this Newtech sound card too.. I've seen it in
use in some videos but strangely no documentation on it at SWTPC.COM.

-Original Message-
From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-boun...@classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Brent
Hilpert
Sent: Friday, August 5, 2016 10:47 PM
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts 
Subject: Re: SWTPC 6800

Do you have some RAM at $A000+ yet?
That's all that should matter as far as required RAM goes.

Presuming this is the holley page you were referring to:
http://www.swtpc.com/mholley/HiTerm/Test6800_Index.html
he does mention RAM needed at A000 for the BUGs, as Chris and I have been
saying.

Without RAM there there's no stack for return addresses for subroutines
executed in the BUGs, so execution could head off to wherever.


On 2016-Aug-05, at 10:23 PM, Brad H wrote:
> Okay so.. I decided to try the MP-C board out, just for kicks.  No change.
> Then I decided to add one of the RAM boards.. the next one up in
addresses.  Got a little bit when I powered on.  Added one of the old MPM
boards.. one that has memory chips all piggybacked on one another.  Now when
I powered up, the system was sending four or five characters at a time,
linefeed, four or five characters at a time, linefeed ad infinitum.  I added
the final MPM board.. zero.
> So.. I think we do have some ram problems.. most likely.  I'm thinking it
would be easiest to concentrate efforts on the socketed RAM boards.. test
all the RAM out.  I'm going to read up on addressing and try to understand a
bit better what is going on.  I'm thinking maybe I need to reconfigure the
addressing on one of the boards to match whatever that overstuffed MPM board
is set to.
> Until I get an oscilloscope.. fooling around is about all I can do here.
> 
> Sent from my Samsung device
> 
>  Original message 
> From: Chuck Guzis 
> Date: 2016-08-05  3:55 PM  (GMT-08:00)
> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" 
> 
> Subject: Re: SWTPC 6800
> 
> On 08/05/2016 02:15 PM, Brad H wrote:
>> I think I will have to figure out how to do that.  Additionally I 
>> have one of those PC based oscilloscopes on the way.  I don't know 
>> how to use them 100% but I'm about to learn I guess. :)
>> 
>> I have one more question for you guys -- I have a few CT-1024 
>> terminals and would really like this system to work with one of 
>> those.  However, all of the CTs are quite delicate and are set I 
>> think for 7, E, 2 @ 110 baud via soldered jumpers.  I'm a bit 
>> reluctant to try pulling them apart to get in there and fix that.  Is 
>> there a way to change the parity, etc settings on the SWTPC to match 
>> the terminal?  Is it necessary?
> 
> Well, 110 bps is a bit on the slow side--great for teletypes, not so
> much for video terminals.   But you'll have to change the hardwired
> jumpers--the UART used in the CT1024 is not software-programmable.
> 
> If this were my unit, I"d probably solder some pins into the pad holes 
> and then either use slide on jumpers or wirewrap to set the 
> characteristics.  That way, when changing things around, you won't be 
> stressing the PCB.
> 
> Something like this:
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/10PCS-20CFemale-to-Female-1-Pin-Plug-Jumper-Ca
> ble-Wires-Multicolor-K-/262158878688?hash=item3d09e307e0:g:B-MAAOSwwE5
> WVLR6
> 
> Search on "female jumper wires"

Re: TRS-80 Trash Talk - Live Episode

[drlegendre .]

What sort of stuff do you tend to cover? My interest in Tandy / RS machines
is mostly limited to the Model 100/102 machines, with which I have some
familiarity.

The Model 100 line are my "favorite" of the early pre-PC / DOS portables.
The dang things are just so friendly and usable.. and what kind of modern
laptop / netbook boasts a full-stroke keyboard and 30+ HR battery life?
They have some seriously practical features, and the small screen & RAM
space isn't really all that limited with the programming conventions and
ethos of that era.

On Sun, Aug 7, 2016 at 11:01 AM, Peter Cetinski  wrote:

> We’re going to be recording a live episode of TRS-80 Trash Talk next
> Saturday, Aug 13th at 9pm EDT.  If you’re into any of the machines from
> Tandy Radio Shack then stop by and join the fun.
>
> https://www.facebook.com/events/1044642265619305/
>
>

Re: TRS-80 Trash Talk - Live Episode

[COURYHOUSE]

I am up for some  100/102  talk!  That unit is actually  a big interest as 
not only 
are they vintage computers, but  they  fit in another of   our  displays, 
"The tools of the journalist" . As a matter of   fact  we are  looking  for 
another
to go in the display in our  university's  journalism college we have 
offsite..
It  does not need to  work  just  look nice!  There  RS Computers were a 
great tool  to remotely post stories... and the 100  fit in any  carry on 
bag!
 
let us  know if there  is a unit  you can share!
 
Ed Sharpe Archaist  for SMECC  _www.smecc.org_ (http://www.smecc.org)  
 
In a message dated 8/7/2016 4:49:13 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
drlegen...@gmail.com writes:

What  sort of stuff do you tend to cover? My interest in Tandy / RS machines
is  mostly limited to the Model 100/102 machines, with which I have  some
familiarity.

The Model 100 line are my "favorite" of the early  pre-PC / DOS portables.
The dang things are just so friendly and usable..  and what kind of modern
laptop / netbook boasts a full-stroke keyboard and  30+ HR battery life?
They have some seriously practical features, and the  small screen & RAM
space isn't really all that limited with the  programming conventions and
ethos of that era.

On Sun, Aug 7, 2016  at 11:01 AM, Peter Cetinski  wrote:

> We’re  going to be recording a live episode of TRS-80 Trash Talk next
>  Saturday, Aug 13th at 9pm EDT.  If you’re into any of the machines  from
> Tandy Radio Shack then stop by and join the fun.
>
>  https://www.facebook.com/events/1044642265619305/
>
>
 

Re: TRS-80 Trash Talk - Live Episode

[Peter Cetinski]

> On Sun, Aug 7, 2016 at 11:01 AM, Peter Cetinski  wrote:
> 
>> We’re going to be recording a live episode of TRS-80 Trash Talk next
>> Saturday, Aug 13th at 9pm EDT.  If you’re into any of the machines from
>> Tandy Radio Shack then stop by and join the fun.
>> 
>> https://www.facebook.com/events/1044642265619305/
> On Aug 7, 2016, at 7:49 PM, drlegendre .  wrote:
> 
> What sort of stuff do you tend to cover? My interest in Tandy / RS machines
> is mostly limited to the Model 100/102 machines, with which I have some
> familiarity.
> 

We’ve tended to focus mostly on the Model I/III/4 and some on the Model II/16 
so far.  Randy Kindig is a co-host and he’s been the most active about bringing 
in the 100 ideas.  He has a few news items in our last show covering the 100.  
Our goal is to be inclusive of all the TRS-80s, including 100, PC-1, Coco, etc. 
as well.  ie. I’d love to have a Model 100 Buyer’s Guide show in the future.

This first live show itself is somewhat of an experiment to see how well it can 
be done, how well we can engage with the audience, how many people are 
interested, etc.  
   

Livingston PortMaster 2e

[Jim Brain]

No questions, and nothing of interest, but a quick story of success.

Not sure if PortMasters are on topic or not, but I picked a 20 port unit 
up at VCF-SE #2 in 2014 and it has sat on my shelf for 2 years as I 
tried to find a large block of time to get it working.  Having never 
used a unit in the past, I somewhat dreaded the learning curve.


Circumstances forced it to be moved, and I thought last night, instead 
of just putting it back, I'd try to get it going.  Grabbed a null modem 
cable, gender changer, plugged into port 0, fired it up, started a term, 
and almost immediately got to a prompt!  A quick dload of the PortMaster 
config guide, logging in as !root without a password, and I was in.


Some of it was luck (the Port 0 was in console mode, and my term just 
happened to be at 9600 bps, 8N1), but having the docs easily accessible 
and not requiring a special Windows App or some other nonsense was half 
the battle.  20 minutes later, I had the unit configured to accept 
incoming direct connections from old equipment, with my userid set to no 
password with functionality to prompt for the server name upon login.


That was awesome.

On the other hand, after the 2e was up, I started investigating the AWAN 
3883 Terminal Server I had lying here.  Web sources and config guides 
kept pointing me to a Windows App to configure, and it looks to need 
adapters to connect to RS232 (not as big a deal, but still a irritant), 
so I put it in my pile to give away.


Jim

--
Jim Brain
br...@jbrain.com
www.jbrain.com

Re: Livingston PortMaster 2e

[Jerry Kemp]

My experience with Livingston PortMasters was a great experience.  PortMasters, 
Cisco 2511 w/Octopus cables, and lots of US Robotics modems encompassed my early 
ISP experiences.


If I recall correctly, Livingston came up with the RADIUS authentication 
protocol, and open-sourced it for us all to enjoy.


Lots of fun with RADIUS and TACACS in its various forms.  I have not had the 
opportunity to work with the DIAMETER protocol yet.


Thanks for sharing.

Jerry

On 08/ 7/16 10:28 PM, Jim Brain wrote:

No questions, and nothing of interest, but a quick story of success.

Not sure if PortMasters are on topic or not, but I picked a 20 port unit up at
VCF-SE #2 in 2014 and it has sat on my shelf for 2 years as I tried to find a
large block of time to get it working.  Having never used a unit in the past, I
somewhat dreaded the learning curve.

Circumstances forced it to be moved, and I thought last night, instead of just
putting it back, I'd try to get it going.  Grabbed a null modem cable, gender
changer, plugged into port 0, fired it up, started a term, and almost
immediately got to a prompt!  A quick dload of the PortMaster config guide,
logging in as !root without a password, and I was in.

Some of it was luck (the Port 0 was in console mode, and my term just happened
to be at 9600 bps, 8N1), but having the docs easily accessible and not requiring
a special Windows App or some other nonsense was half the battle.  20 minutes
later, I had the unit configured to accept incoming direct connections from old
equipment, with my userid set to no password with functionality to prompt for
the server name upon login.

That was awesome.

On the other hand, after the 2e was up, I started investigating the AWAN 3883
Terminal Server I had lying here.  Web sources and config guides kept pointing
me to a Windows App to configure, and it looks to need adapters to connect to
RS232 (not as big a deal, but still a irritant), so I put it in my pile to give
away.

Jim

Re: dfitoimd: decoding Intel M2FM floppy flux images (was Re: Intel 432 floppy flux images for decoding)

[Eric Smith]

On Sat, Aug 6, 2016 at 5:12 PM, Eric Smith  wrote:
> My ADPLL data separator has parameters to control the proportions of
> frequency adjustment and instantaneous phase adjustment that are done
> at each flux transition. I've experimented with the parameters quite a
> bit, but it's still not good enough to reliably recover all sectors
> from the disk images that started this thread. The default parameters
> are currently 0.5% frequency adjustment and 10% instantaneous phase
> adjustment. I was actually fairly surprised that I didn't get better
> results with more frequency adjustment and less instantaneous phase
> adjustment. It's entirely possible that my algorithm isn't very good.

Of the four Intel M2FM disk images I've tried, which are single-sided
77 track 52 sector 128 byte, for a total of 4004 sectors, I get 3990,
3981, 4004, and 3976 sectors read apparently correctly (without CRC
error). That's more than 99.3%, which isn't good enough.

Can anyone share a sample DiscFerret image (.dfi) of a normal
double-density (MFM) disk?  I don't think my data separator
performance should be much different for MFM vs. Intel M2FM, but it
would be nice to give it a try.

I've built my own floppy imager hardware, but I haven't yet written
firmware for it:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/22368471@N04/26782411256/
It's a daughterboard for an Artix 7 FPGA board that Emanuel Stiebler
made. The only thing wrong with his FPGA board is that it isn't
readily available.  The daughterboard just has SN7438 drivers and
SN74LS14 Schmitt triggers, terminators, and series resistors for 5V
tolerance.

There's also a SMC FDC92C39B data separator on the daughterboard, but
it's not actually in the floppy data path. All of its I/O signals go
to the FPGA. It's there to serve as a reference for comparison.