StyleWriters FTGH

[Tapley, Mark B. via cctalk]

All,
next thing to go from my pile is a set of Stylewriters.

2 ea. StyleWriter (1st generation)
2 ea. Color StyleWriter 1500
1 power supply for Stylewriter (condition very iffy)
1 power supply for Color StyleWriter 1500 (condition believed to be good)
1 spare circuit board (Stylewriter I believe, not certain)
3 spare ink cartridges (StyleWriter).

Caveats:

All printers believed to be operational when last stored. Some paper guides 
missing. I think I can plug in the CSW 1500’s and check power - on, at least. I 
*may* be able to plug in the SW’s and check power on, but I worry about that 
power supply (see below). I have not done any of the above, nor tried to plug a 
computer in to any of them, anytime this millennium.

At least one ink cartridge I think has a short which breaks printers. All ink 
cartridges are likely bricks by now, having been stored (climate-controlled, 
but …. ) for ~2 decades, so I’m pretty reluctant to try printing with any of 
them.

The StyleWriter power supply was worked on by someone rather ham-fisted 
(CoughMeCough) and is somewhat the worse for wear - structural parts rattling 
around inside, etc. (Is there a good name for those things? *Way* too big to be 
a wall-wart - wall-growth? wall-turret? wall-obstacle?)

All "Free to a Good Home", shipping from Texas, USA (Zip 78254) and I’ll split 
shipping costs with you (as before, I want space and I don’t want to add these 
to landfill). Partial orders filled in the order they come in.

I have checked with Operator Headgap and tried to check with the Mac rescue 
place in Denver, not interested in the first place and no response in the 
second.

Respond to (preferably) mtapley(at)swri.edu, or phone below. 
I’ll be travelling the next couple of days, but will try to get back to you 
ASAP.

- Mark
210-522-6025 office
210-379-4635 cell

Re: Another old phart trying to clean out the house

[John H. Reinhardt via cctalk]

On 1/13/2020 10:46 AM, Jack Rubin via cctalk wrote:

I'm in the process of "cleansing" before putting our house on the market in the near 
future. I've been eBaying lots of things over the last couple of years (thanks to all here who have 
been good customers!) and have more to sell, but also lots of "stuff" with little or no 
market value that could be useful to people who build/repair/tinker with the old machines that we 
value.

If there is anyone in the greater Chicago area (or anywhere else) who'd like to 
drive over and take away anything from a carton to a carload of old stuff, from 
docs to chips, please let me know. No inventory list, no shipping - just a 
walk-through and carry out.

In another two weeks (end of January), I'll be trashing most of it.

Reply to me directly (off list) if you want to come by.

Jack


I just last week fired up the PDP-11/53 I bought from you last April.  Works 
great!  I wish I wasn't down in Fort Worth or else I'd be over looking and 
probably aggravating my wife (What?? More junk??).  Actually she's pretty 
understanding.  ;)

--
John H. Reinhardt

Re: pdp11 MicroPower/Pascal

[Matt Burke via cctalk]

On 11/01/2020 04:45, Jacob Ritorto via cctalk wrote:
> Hi,
>   Would anyone still have a copy of latest pdp11 MicroPower/Pascal?
> I'm trying to have a retro programming contest / party at my house and
> want to feature Pascal along with Macro-11 and maybe c on a real 11/23
> with RL02s under TSX.  Hoping to hang like ten users at once on the
> 'ol girl and make 'em really feel the speed. I might let up a little
> and run the contest on my 11/73 with scsi if it's too terrible :)
>
>   Anyway, looked around the net for hours and can't find a copy of
> MicroPower/Pascal, so if anyone can help, I'd be grateful.
>
>
> Found TSX-Plus, though!  Big Thanks again to Lyle and whomever's
> running the classiccmp site these days!
>
> --jake

I don't know if it will help you with TSX, but here is MicroPower/Pascal
for RSX

BB-AK05E-BC  MP/P-RSX V2.3 BIN 16MT9  1986
http://www.9track.net/bits/dec/pdp11/BB-AK05E-BC.zip

BB-AK05G-BC  MP/P-RSX V2.5 BIN 16MT9  1988
http://www.9track.net/bits/dec/pdp11/BB-AK05G-BC.zip


Matt

Re: Another old phart trying to clean out the house

[alan--- via cctalk]

On 2020-01-13 11:46, Jack Rubin via cctalk wrote:


I'm in the process of "cleansing" before...

Jack


1 Tbsp psyllium husks
1 Tbsp bentonite clay
1 Tbsp caproil
1 Cup water

After consuming sludge, drink at least 8 oz water to push it through!  
You'll feel and look 20 again!  It might even cure your collecting 
habits!


Oh, what's that?  Wrong cleanse?

-Alan

Re: Another old phart trying to clean out the house

[Anders Nelson via cctalk]

Interested in pictures of piles!
--
Anders Nelson

+1 (517) 775-6129

www.erogear.com


On Mon, Jan 13, 2020 at 2:04 PM Ethan Dicks via cctalk <
cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:

> On Mon, Jan 13, 2020 at 11:46 AM Jack Rubin via cctalk
>  wrote:
> > If there is anyone in the greater Chicago area (or anywhere else) who'd
> like to drive over and take away anything from a carton to a carload of old
> stuff, from docs to chips, please let me know. No inventory list, no
> shipping - just a walk-through and carry out.
> >
> > In another two weeks (end of January), I'll be trashing most of it.
>
> Unfortunately, I am 400 miles away and not going to be in the area
> until mid-February.
>
> -ethan
>

Re: Another old phart trying to clean out the house

[Ethan Dicks via cctalk]

On Mon, Jan 13, 2020 at 11:46 AM Jack Rubin via cctalk
 wrote:
> If there is anyone in the greater Chicago area (or anywhere else) who'd like 
> to drive over and take away anything from a carton to a carload of old stuff, 
> from docs to chips, please let me know. No inventory list, no shipping - just 
> a walk-through and carry out.
>
> In another two weeks (end of January), I'll be trashing most of it.

Unfortunately, I am 400 miles away and not going to be in the area
until mid-February.

-ethan

Re: Another old phart trying to clean out the house

[John Foust via cctalk]

At 10:46 AM 1/13/2020, you wrote:
>If there is anyone in the greater Chicago area (or anywhere else) who'd like 
>to drive over and take away anything from a carton to a carload of old stuff, 
>from docs to chips, please let me know. No inventory list, no shipping - just 
>a walk-through and carry out.

OK no inventory list, but how about pictures of piles?

And "greater Chicago" is a very large area.  Where are you in slightly
more specific terms?

- John

Another old phart trying to clean out the house

[Jack Rubin via cctalk]

I'm in the process of "cleansing" before putting our house on the market in the 
near future. I've been eBaying lots of things over the last couple of years 
(thanks to all here who have been good customers!) and have more to sell, but 
also lots of "stuff" with little or no market value that could be useful to 
people who build/repair/tinker with the old machines that we value.

If there is anyone in the greater Chicago area (or anywhere else) who'd like to 
drive over and take away anything from a carton to a carload of old stuff, from 
docs to chips, please let me know. No inventory list, no shipping - just a 
walk-through and carry out.

In another two weeks (end of January), I'll be trashing most of it.

Reply to me directly (off list) if you want to come by.

Jack

RE: Hello All - new member in the UK

[Salik Rafiq via cctalk]

I have sent the vendor of this item questions on ebay what you asked.

It includes the keyboard x 2, mice x 2, CPU and monitor as well as those 
manuals. My offer was going to be £350 = €408

Vendor does not know which Solaris it is. So perhaps not familiar with Unix? It 
might be he inherited from a family member.

Bit of a toy - only meant for a university project of mine which I did on a 
Sparcstation 2 to show my kids that Xbox was not the beginning of time with 
computers! LOL

Thanks.
Salik.

-Original Message-
From: Stefan Skoglund  
Sent: 13 January 2020 03:59
To: Salik Rafiq 
Subject: Re: Hello All - new member in the UK

sön 2020-01-12 klockan 21:12 + skrev Salik Rafiq:
> I have seen this one on eBay.
> 
> https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sparcstation-5/192930718968?hash=item2ceb91
> 24f8:g:VZ0AAOSwYbpc7EhK
> 
> What do you think about the price. It seems to be booting and running 
> with Solaris.
> 
> Salik.
> 

Is it a plain SS5 (those two SS10s was upgraded a fair/very bit) ?

Compared with them (the two SS10 in Germany) this one is slower, but it is in 
the UK and probably close to you and it isn't heavy so the whole system and the 
kbd will fit inside a bag so it's a nice but somewhat expensive 
amusement/reason (and a bit better than that) to sit on the train a few hours.

It is SCA-2 equipped so it is a fair bit easier getting disks for it.
Pitty, i wonder if the machine (SS5) has the builtin flex disk and the cd-rom ?
The seller didn't include photo of the right side and no word about the CPU (or 
photos of the inside) but it boots !
Is the IDPROM replaced ??? The battery in the original one is probably toast so 
but less of a problem.

Still that 5 is from 1995 or so and the SS10s 1993 or so but the CPUs (the 
machines in germany) is a little bit newer but 500 pound vs 400 euro ???

If i went and bough one of the machines in germany - the difference is so large 
that if i took 150 pound or so to pay for fuel, driving to them to pick up them 
and then home - that would even up (i'm about 9 hour by car from them.)

How is the SS5 equipped (if it is a machine with internal floppy and
cdrom) and with the fact that it is SCA-2 and it boots, well then it looks 
better.

Stefan N S

Re: Transformer Fault in a PSU?

[Holm Tiffe via cctalk]

Rob Jarratt via cctalk wrote:

> The PSU in my VAXmate failed recently and I think I have found a problem
> with one of the windings on the transformer not ringing when I test it with
> a ringing tester. The technical description of the VAXmate says that one
> winding is operated in flyback mode and I wonder if that has any bearing on
> the ringing test. Also, one of the pins appears not to be connected to
> anything else, so possibly a broken (melted?) wire.
> 
>  
> 
> Can anyone help with the following questions:
> 
>  
> 
> Does the fact that one winding is operated in flyback mode have any bearing
> on the ringing test?
> 
> Can a transformer fail with a bad smell with no outward sign of damage?
> 
> Can this transformer be replaced (see picture in blog)? - I suspect not
> unless I find a donor PSU.
> 
> Where should I look for a possible cause of the transformer to fail (if
> indeed it has failed?).
> 
>  
> 
> I have posted more details here:
> https://robs-old-computers.com/2020/01/12/possible-cause-of-vaxmate-h7270-ps
> u-failure/
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks
> 
>  
> 
> Rob
> 
>  

The startup of the PSU is working as this:

after switching on the mains, the voltage over C12 rises, thre is a
startup Pulse generated with C14. After the Voltage reaches 8-12V
the UC3842 is starting up, switching the Transistor.
At this point the Voltage generated in P1, rectified with D6,D7
has to take over the supply for the UC3842 for the normal run.
If that doesn't happen, the UC3842 gets out of Supply and stops.

I don't think that your schematics are correct, specially around
C12 and C14.

A Ring test for an Transformer will pass or not, there are no windings
where it would pass, when other not pass, since the windings are
magetically coupled, so losses from shorts are coupled too.

Connect the PSU with a light bulb of approx 60Watts in series to the
mains (for 110V) 100-200W for 220V. This is functioning as an cold
conductor (PTC) so that the PSU doesn't explodes when something goes
wrong.

Supply the UC3842 with 12Volts from an external source trough an diode
(1N400x) (danger, life circuit!) and see what happens. (first switch
on the mains, later the 12V) Mostly the fault is on the secondary side,
bad rectifier diode or a bad cap.

Regards,
Holm




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