Emulex SC11 Documentation Wanted
I'm looking for documentation covering a board set which came with my new PDP-11/34A. It looks like an Emulex SC11 disk controller, but it appears to be a newer version than what is covered in the 1979 manual scan which I found on Bitsavers. I have pictures of the board set on my blog: http://www.nf6x.net/2019/06/emulex-sc11-disk-controller-documentation-wanted/ -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: Posting of set of boards from a data General nova 3 triple option
> On Jul 12, 2019, at 9:27 PM, Jeffrey Birkin via cctalk > wrote: > > I have a set of boards from a data General nova 3 triple option > Location: Vancouver Island Canada > If interested please email jeffreybir...@hotmail.com I have a Nova 3 system, but I am not familiar with what the triple option is. Is it something I should lust after? -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: Pertec Interface Cable Length
> On Aug 10, 2019, at 1:57 AM, Dave Wade via cctech > wrote: > >> >> I have a question about cable length - any electrical engineers in the house? > > Its electronics, rather than electrical engineering. Electrical Engineering > is power distribution. At least in the US, "Electrical Engineering" applies to both subfields. Same university department, same degree name, same generic title of "electrical engineer"; just different specializations. I presume from your remark that an "electrical engineer" in the UK would be an engineer who works in the field of power generation and distribution. What term is used there for an engineer who works in fields of general electronics? -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: TRS-80 Fireworks
> On Aug 28, 2019, at 2:07 AM, Guy Dunphy via cctalk > wrote: > An extremely common problem with all old electronics from around that era. > The mains filter caps are commonly 'RIFA' brand metalized polyester film, > encapsulated in a clear-honey-coloured resin. > The problem is that the resin embrittles and shrinks with age, resulting in > many small cracks. (And sometimes large pieces falling off.) > The cracks let in moisture, which absorbs into the insulating film. I suspect those notorious Rifa brand capacitors would not be so problematic if they had polyester film dielectric. But if I'm not mistaken, they don't; they have *paper* dielectric! Aside from that one correction, I agree with everything else you wrote about the likely failure mechanism of these evil little rectangles of compressed smoke and fire. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X http://www.nf6x.net/
Shugart-Interface 8" Floppy Diskette Drive Configurability
I've been contemplating a floppy diskette drive emulator with features to make it fit better into systems using 50-pin Shugart style floppy drive interfaces vs. the other emulators already on the market. Studying manuals for various 8" floppy diskette drives, I see that they generally provided a great deal of configurability. There are the myriad of jumper-selectable options which change drive behavior for compatibility with various computers. Then there are features like FM data separators which are present on some, but not all, drives. And then there are many documented "cut this trace, then bodge wire this signal to pin X of the edge connector" options for special purposes such as individual drive motor controls, simultaneous monitoring of all four drive ready signals, etc. Since fully supporting all of the options I've seen documented would have real hardware cost and add complexity to the design, I'm wondering just how much of that configurability is really necessary. Which non-default options are really needed for system still in use and/or in the hands of collectors? Which were only ever provided for some obscure industrial system manufacturer, with no surviving systems in existence? Which were included just in case somebody might need them, but were never used in practice? I'd appreciate it if anybody can provide insight into this, such as examples of systems which required non-omnipresent and/or non-default configuration options. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: Announcing Cadetwriter
> On Aug 1, 2019, at 9:15 AM, Dave Babcock via cctech > wrote: > > Cadetwriter is being released. [Cadetwriter is the official name of our > general-purpose, Wheelwriter-based Computer Terminal.] The public unveiling > will be at this weekend's VCF West at the Computer History Museum in Mountain > View, California. Attached is a flyer on the device. I don't think that the flyer made it into the mailing list posting. From the text of your email, this sounds pretty cool. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: Scotch 777 "blue label" tape blues confirmed
> On Jul 20, 2019, at 9:38 AM, Chuck Guzis via cctalk > wrote: > > your cleaning machine I do not have a cleaning machine. Do you suppose a cyclomethicone applicator fabricobbled into the tape path of a tape drive might work? I haven't encountered these sorts of issues in 9-track tapes yet, but I've certainly been frustrated with binder bleed and/or sticky shed when I tried to mess with a TK50 drive. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: DEC Purchase Specifications, particularly 23-000A9-01
> On Jul 17, 2019, at 1:20 AM, Paul Birkel wrote: > From some notes (origin misplaced!) you'll need a typical access time of > 40ns from address, or 20ns from /CS: Thank you! That rules out using a 70ns EEPROM, then. I think I have a line on most of the bootstrap PROMs that I will need, but I'm still interested in the general problem of replacing defective bipolar PROMs and making new ones, when I can't just order blanks from Digi-Key. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X http://www.nf6x.net/
DEC Purchase Specifications, particularly 23-000A9-01
I've been studying scanned documents for the M9312 UNIBUS bootstrap/terminator card because of reasons. They refer to Digital Equipment Corporation Purchase Specifications 23-000A9-01 and 23-000F1-01 for the PROMs, and I'm wondering whether those documents have been preserved anywhere? I'd love to see them. Ok, about the reasons: My PDP-11/34A has an M9301-YF bootstrap/terminator card, which doesn't have bootstrap code for a couple of the newer devices I'd like to use in the system such as RL02 and emulated TU58. The newer M9312 card looks more flexible for changing out bootstraps than the M9301 series. I'm working on getting my hands on an M9312, but I don't know yet whether I'll be able to get original PROMs for the specific bootstraps that I want. I haven't identified a trustworthy source for blank old-timey bipolar PROMs yet (and I'm not sure if I have a suitable device programmer for them), and I was thinking about making some sort of PROM emulations that I can swap around like they're going out of style. It would probably be helpful (and definitely interesting) if I could learn details about the original part specifications, such as what speed ratings DEC used. I don't have an M9312 in my hands yet, and I'm not yet sure about how rapidly the card performs its little 4-to-16 bit deserialization stunt. If 70ns access time parts are sufficient for the M9312's PROMs, then I may design an emulation with a 5V compatible 28 series EEPROM. If they need to be faster, then I may need to do something fancier. Or maybe I'll find the original PROMs that I need and then get distracted and wander off. It may well be easier to design a replacement for the entire M9312 card than trying to emulate the individual 512x4 bipolar PROMs, but since when do I do anything the easy way? I sure wouldn't be playing with 40 year old computers if I was concerned with practicality and ease of use! -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: DEC Purchase Specifications, particularly 23-000A9-01
At 70ns, I can make the design pretty simple by using an EEPROM. I did some trial synthesis targeting a Lattice MachXO2 part, and I think I could get the speed down into the 20ns range that way, at the cost of a more complex board design and needing to use Lattice's synthesis tool to prepare programming data. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: DEC Purchase Specifications, particularly 23-000A9-01
> On Jul 17, 2019, at 3:56 PM, Eric Smith via cctalk > wrote: > > I expect that 70ns doesn't meed the DEC purchase specification for > 23-000A9-01, but unless we turn up a copy of the actual purchase > specification, we won't really know. It seems likely that the purchase > specification would have required 55ns, as that was a very common "slow" > speed grade for bipolar PROMs. Also, while bootstrap PROMs may not necessarily need anything faster than 70ns (I seem to recall seeing a comment in the M9301 docs about 70ns being the minimum speed, but I may have made that up), faster PROMs may have been needed in other places where they were used as logic gates. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: WordPerfect 5.1+ for VMS
> On Jul 17, 2019, at 10:43 PM, Dave Wade via cctalk > wrote: > I think even if you have the key it fails today. There was a thread recently > on comp.os.vms > > Saying it expires after days and theirs had just expired... Oh, now that's just obnoxious. Requiring a license refresh every 27 years? It's ransomware, I say! -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: Tektrionix VAXBI board and DC100 training tapes?
> On Sep 19, 2019, at 12:45 PM, Mattis Lind via cctalk > wrote: > > Then there were some DC100 tapes in a huge heap of TU58 diagnostic tapes > for VAX-11/730 and VAX-11/750 that looked different. [...] > BTW. What are the status of various 11/730 and 11/750 diagnostics on TU58. > Are those already dumped? It takes some time to work with TU58 so if > someone already done all this I might skip dealing with them. > > I know of only one place that has TU58 dumps. > http://iamvirtual.ca/VAX11/VAX-11-software.html That's the only site that I know of, too. Please see to it that those tapes get archived! Especially the 730 ones, for my own selfish interests as a 730 owner. :) -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: Tektrionix VAXBI board and DC100 training tapes?
> On Sep 21, 2019, at 11:19 AM, Al Kossow via cctalk > wrote: > I've got over a hundred TU58s I need to look at some day as well. > Fixed the pinch rollers on some TU58s a year or two ago, just too many other > things to do. I have about a dozen TU58 cartridges which came with my VAX-11/730. I'd like to archive them (or even read them, for that matter), but so far I have had not had any success with repairing cartridge drive belts. I just hate those things. I have a feeling that I might have better results by building an open reel imaging drive where I transfer the tape media out of the original cartridge, abandoning the &$@#! drive belt concept. But that's going to be a fairly big project, so I haven't made progress on it beyond brainstorming so far. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X http://www.nf6x.net/
TU58 Archival (Was: Re: Tektrionix VAXBI board and DC100 training tapes?)
> On Sep 21, 2019, at 12:17 PM, Mattis Lind wrote: > > I dumped some 40 TU58 tapes a year ago. I replaced the band directly with 90 > mm plastibands without even trying to run the tape. This was my procedure: > Open up the tape cartridge. Then the old band was removed carefully by > heating it slightly with a heat gun (low temperature). Then I managed to > remove it without destroying the tape itself. One can see the tape changes > appearance on the surface, then it can be removed. (Thanks to Rik Bos for the > advice about heating) Thank you very much for your detailed instructions! I've tried using plastibands from a Baumgarten assortment once but it didn't work for me. I think the ones I used were the wrong size. They were very narrow once stretched into place, and they wouldn't stay on the tape reels without slipping off and terribly tangling everything up. Coincidentally, I just got a food dehydrator for baking magnetic media before archiving, to prevent oxide shedding. I'll be using it for 8" floppy diskettes first. Does it matter whether baking is done before or after unsticking the old band from the tape? > There are usually some residue from the band left on the tape. I used > isopropanol to remove this by gently rubbing the surface. Sometimes some kind > of salty residue has deposited on the back of the tape. Usually at the posts. > This was also cleaned gently using isopropanol. Failure to do the last step > usually caused the tape to stick during tape winding. Then cleaning the > backside helped out. Is cyclomethicone lubricant helpful for imaging old edge-driven cartridges like TU58, QIC, etc., or does it interfere with the belt drive? > The bands I used was the 90 mm baumgarten plastibands. The interesting thing > is that they are actually japanese made by Nisshinbo and are called mobilon > bands. > > It should be possible to buy from Misumi. > > https://us.misumi-ec.com/vona2/detail/223000860382/?KWSearch=Mobilon=results2products=%7b%22field%22%3a%22%40search%22%2c%22seriesCode%22%3a%3000860382%22%2c%22innerCode%22%3a%22%22%2c%22sort%22%3a1%2c%22specSortFlag%22%3a0%2c%22allSpecFlag%22%3a0%2c%22page%22%3a1%2c%22pageSize%22%3a%2260%22%2c%220161458%22%3a%22mig0001661601%22%2c%22fixedInfo%22%3a%22MDM0001617623122300086038211%7c12%22%7d=codeList > > > 460 bands for 18 dollars is far better than buying those assorted packs from > Baumgarten. > > Haven’t ordered myself since they want that you have a company to order. > Need to ask a friend to help out. I've ordered a bag of those Mobilon bands. I just typed in my name for the company name when I registered, and their site seemed happy with that. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: flux to imd
The list isn’t broken. This thread started off-list, and the Chuck CC’d the list late in the thread. -- Mark J. Blair http://www.nf6x.net
Re: PDP - 8 Front panels
> On Nov 28, 2019, at 2:40 AM, Rod Smallwood via cctalk > wrote: > > Hello Everybody > > After a two year pause due to my wife having been ill but now fully > recovered I am back to starting making pdp-8 front panels again Welcome back! -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: Unable to download Dave Dunfield's ImageDisk
> On Mar 25, 2020, at 9:22 AM, Seth Morabito via cctalk > wrote: > > On Wed, Mar 25, 2020, at 4:47 AM, Dave Dunfield via cctalk wrote: >> >> Should be fixed now - may have to refresh your browser if It cached >> the bad links. >> >> Dave > > By the way, Dave, I just wanted to say thanks for ImageDisk. I use it > constantly on my floppy archiving box and it's one of the most important > tools in my workflow. I've even used it to realign several floppy drives with > great success. I truly appreciate your work on it. Agreed! It's great. Even when I don't use it directly, the ImageDisk file format is good for a lot of stuff I do, such as archival of non-copy-protected disks for machines like the various Tandy/Radio Shack systems in my collection. I wrote Python code for working with the .IMD files on my Mac. -- Mark J. Blair http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: [HECnet] VAX/VMS 3.0 Distribution Available for Download --> Decnet
> On Mar 21, 2020, at 7:20 AM, R. Voorhorst via cctalk > wrote: > > It looks there is some decnet on the disk. > Exec list gives phase-III router: Which VMS release introduced DECnet Phase IV? -- Mark J. Blair http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: misc stuff - free
> On Dec 15, 2020, at 11:09 AM, Johan Helsingius via cctalk > wrote: > > This is one of the reasons why I miss good old USENET - with a public list > of groups, and a clear hierarchy. USENET is still around. But much like the rest of the infinite groups, it's not where everybody is. Sigh. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X https://www.nf6x.net/
Re: VT-320 interfacing
> On Nov 9, 2020, at 5:53 PM, Grant Taylor via cctalk > wrote: > >> The VT320 only has the DEC-423 MMJ, no RS-232. > > I /thought/ that Modified Modular Jack was simply a physical thing and > completely independent of Recommended Standard 232. DECconnect (aka MMJ) interface uses RS-423 electrical signaling, but it is compatible with RS-232 signaling aside from (I think) some reduced noise immunity over long lines when not using differential receivers. The official DEC H8571 DE9 to MMJ adapter is just a plain pinout adapter which grounds the TX- and RX- signals and doesn't bother with differential signaling. It drives DSR, CTS and CD on the PC-compatible end with DSR from the MMJ interface. At the moment, one of our friends here has one for sale on his Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/listing/875566987/dec-h8571-de9-to-mmj-terminal-serial Here's a page with details, including the wiring of that H8571 adapter: https://www.lammertbies.nl/comm/cable/dec-mmj#h71j -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X https://www.nf6x.net/
Re: DEC BA11-K KY11-L mounting brackets -- how?
I'm not at home with the machine now, but if I remember (or get reminded in the next day or three), I'll try to take some pictures of my PDP-11/34A to help you out. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X https://www.nf6x.net/
Re: Looking for VAXSET Software Engineering Tools for VMS 4.x
> On Apr 16, 2021, at 11:38 AM, Malte Dehling via cctalk > wrote: > > Whether VAXSET is on there or not, I would be very interested in ISOs of > both of these either way! If Antonio does not mind sharing them a bit more widely, I would also like to have ISOs of them. I'm interested in running earlier VMS versions on my 11/730. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X https://www.nf6x.net/
Re: PDP-11/44 gas struts
Like Steve, I don't know about the original application. My own 11/44 project pile has the slide out and rotate style of slides, to the extent that it has any slides at all. When I need gas struts and cannot identify a source for exact original replacements, I usually look at McMaster-Carr first: https://www.mcmaster.com/gas-struts/ -- Mark J. Blair Blog:https://www.nf6x.net Git: https://gitlab.com/users/NF6X/groups HECnet: DOGPAK::MBLAIR Twitter: @nf6x
Re: VAX 780 on eBay
The poles supplying my rural property just have one phase of 12kV on them, so even if SCE was willing to provide 3ø service to me, I bet it would be *expensive* to get the whole line upgraded to 3ø service all the way up to the last pole with all three phases present. I think that's probably within a mile or so, but that's still a bunch of poles to be upgraded. I use a rotary phase converter to feed my milling machine and lathe. If all three phases were on the pole already, I probably would have asked about getting 3ø service when I built on my property. But with just one phase on the poles, I didn't bother asking. They did just replace those overhead wires and some poles for fire prevention, and in the process they put in a whole great big pole-mounted switch that can be flipped from ground level just for my service disconnect, and another one for a neighbor's disconnect. It looks like they installed a regular 3ø disconnect switch, but only two of the wires are present and one switch pole is not connected. My service transitions from overhead to buried at that pole, and is buried for the last 100' or so to my ground-mounted transformer. Two of the poles they replaced were in the easement just on the other side of my property line. The contractors were happy with my cooperation in giving them access to my property so they could put trucks on both sides of the fence line. I also handed out 15 60mm ammo cans from my stash, since I like contractors on my property to be happy. So, they conveniently forgot to take the two old 45' poles they replaced with them at the end of the day, and I won't have to buy a new ham radio tower after all. ;) I am seriously lusting after that VAX-11/780 system on eBay, but I just don't have the available indoor space for it, or a big enough pile of cash to buy it and then spend enough to give it a good home. I'm glad that it's not in southern California, because if it was within an hour or two of driving I don't think I'd be able to resist the temptation. I do have my nice little 11/730 already. I'm eying the UNIBUS expansion bus from that seller to add to my 730, but I think should leave it available for the buyer of that 780. -- Mark J. Blair Blog:https://www.nf6x.net Git: https://gitlab.com/users/NF6X/groups HECnet: DOGPAK::MBLAIR Twitter: @nf6x
Re: 11/785 on ebay (2018) - was Re: VAX 780 on eBay
> On Jan 2, 2022, at 1:03 PM, Toby Thain via cctalk > wrote: > > On 2022-01-02 2:48 p.m., Noel Chiappa via cctalk wrote: >> > From: Jonathan Chapman >> > Last one that went auction-style on eBay went for $1,178.00 >> When was that? >> Do you have any details of the machine's config? >> That's a pretty good deal for a 780 (IMO). > > Someone I know won a '785, Feb 10, 2018, but it went for $1,000 (they bid > $1,178.50). HAHAHA! I love their bid amount. I can remember that I paid $1,575.42 (+tax etc.) for my T368C transmitter, because I was working in the GPS industry at the time, and I bid the GPS L1 frequency in MHz. The second bidder just missed outbidding me, and I got it for my maximum bid. -- Mark J. Blair Blog:https://www.nf6x.net Git: https://gitlab.com/users/NF6X/groups HECnet: DOGPAK::MBLAIR Twitter: @nf6x
Re: VAX 780 on eBay
> On Jan 2, 2022, at 4:20 PM, Chris Zach via cctalk > wrote: > > On 1/2/2022 6:21 PM, Mark J. Blair via cctalk wrote: >> I am seriously lusting after that VAX-11/780 system on eBay > I keep thinking about it, but no. The 780 was neat from a historical > perspective, and the 785 at UMBC (UMBC5) ran Ultrix (and was on the ARPANET, > not the crappy Bitnet the 8600's were on) but the 780 was really slow. I have > a Microvax II here that would equal it CPU speed-wise, and the running of the > main memory on the SBI was cool for the 782 option but was pretty slow. The VAX-11/780 may be very slow, but it is still still quite a bit faster than my 11/730. That being said, the 11/730 captures the look and feel of that era of VAX in a much smaller volume and with a lot lower energy cost. > Now a Vax 8600 or 8650 That would be interesting. Partially due to the > Jupiter angle, partially because it was the fastest MASSBUS system with true > pdp11 compatibility. Oh, heck yeah! I'd love to have an 8600 or 8650, and I would see them as the logical conclusion of the VAX-11/7xx line despite the model number change. -- Mark J. Blair Blog:https://www.nf6x.net Git: https://gitlab.com/users/NF6X/groups HECnet: DOGPAK::MBLAIR Twitter: @nf6x
Re: VAX 780 on eBay
In the unlikely event that I win the lottery before that 11/780 batch sells, I'm going to buy it, buy a box truck, go pick it up, and then leave the box truck parked outside while I build a new building to put it all in. :D -- Mark J. Blair Blog:https://www.nf6x.net Git: https://gitlab.com/users/NF6X/groups HECnet: DOGPAK::MBLAIR Twitter: @nf6x
Re: tamayatech let down
> On Dec 26, 2021, at 10:00 PM, Chuck Guzis via cctalk > wrote: > > I got a kick out of the eBay sellers flogging logic analyzers without > the pods, advertising them as "working". How can you tell? I guess that at least reveals sellers whose item condition statements cannot be trusted. -- Mark J. Blair Blog:https://www.nf6x.net Git: https://gitlab.com/users/NF6X/groups HECnet: DOGPAK::MBLAIR Twitter: @nf6x
