Re: Next project: 11/24. Does it need memory?--Working-ish!
On 10/25/20 8:01 PM, Chris Zach via cctalk wrote: . Question: Can an RX02 boot an RX01 floppy formatted single density with the DY: driver? Can it read an RX02 floppy in one drive and an RX01 floppy in the other or do you have to set the switches and use the right controller card (that would be stupid, but so DEC!) Thanks everyone here and on the Discord for the help Getting there bit by bit. Well done on sorting this out. As to the RX02 questions An RX02 drive in RX02 mode can read either DEC single or double density media in either drive. If the RX01 media has a DY handler (RT11) configured as primary boot, it "may" be possible. It will definitely not work with the DX handler configured. To do this, you also need a different ODT/ROM bootstrap. I have pulled one I have in my files and pasted it below. I do not remember the source, but looks like someone has tried this before. Jerry RX02 Single Density Bootstrap Address Contents 001000 012700 001002 100240 001004 012701 001006 177170 001010 005002 001012 012705 001014 000100 001016 012704 001020 000401 001022 012703 001024 177172 001026 030011 001030 001776 001032 100437 001034 012711 001036 07 001040 030011 001042 001776 001044 100432 001046 110413 001050 000304 001052 030011 001054 001776 001056 110413 001060 000304 001062 030011 001064 001776 001066 100421 001070 012711 001072 03 001074 030011 001076 001776 001100 100414 001102 010513 001104 030011 001106 001776 001110 100410 001112 010213 001114 060502 001116 060502 001120 122424 001122 120427 001124 07 001126 003735 001130 012700 001132 00 001134 005007 001136 00
Re: Next project: 11/24. Does it need memory?--Working-ish!
Ok, so now the three old style 11/24 CPU boards seem to be working. Ish. The problem with the processor boards turned out to be the switches: On my original 11/24 board it would work only at 19200. This is because the switch pack is dirty and the contacts ain't working. Solution: Spray 95% isopropyl alcohol right into the switch housing from the top with all switches set to off. Then toggle the switches, then toggle again, spray again, and set them. Board 1 now works at 9600 baud. Board 3 was a bit more odd: It didn't do anything at any baud. So I set both switch packs to all off, then did the above cleaning, then set them properly and sure enough it comes up into ODT at 9600 baud. The last board is a new style 11/24 and it doesn't do anything but it does have three switch packs. So I just need to find the manual for it, set the switches, and give it a try. In the meantime the UNIBUS problem also appears to be fixed: The problem was that sure enough: One of the memory slot SPC's (4) did not have the DMA jumper. Found it pretty quickly with a continuity meter and checking slot C pins 1,3 (top) for continuity. On the good side slot 9 does have a DMA jumper, so I simply put the RX02 controller in slot 4, put the G727 in slot 7, then put the TS11 controller (hex) in slot 8, then a knucklebuster in slot 9 along with the 9302 terminator and all works great. Isn't UNIBUS simple! Sorry, Q-Bus doesn't need a terminator, doesn't have weird DMA stuff, and if you really need to put a card on a particular side you can always grab a DLV11 (everyone has these) and use it as a spacer. Anyone even know why Q-Bus doesn't need termination; they used to do it with say the BDV11 but they just stopped doing it after awhile. Next step is to put the 11/24 away for the week and order a good 10 feet of 40 pin ribbon cable so I can make an extension cable for the RX02. Then I should be able to plug that in, set the RX02 to RX02 mode on the drive (it's hooked to the 11/93's RXV11 now), key in a bootstrap from the console, and see if I can boot an RX02 RT11 floppy. Question: Can an RX02 boot an RX01 floppy formatted single density with the DY: driver? Can it read an RX02 floppy in one drive and an RX01 floppy in the other or do you have to set the switches and use the right controller card (that would be stupid, but so DEC!) Thanks everyone here and on the Discord for the help Getting there bit by bit. On 10/23/2020 8:07 PM, Chris Zach via cctalk wrote: And "in the meantime" I figured something was wrong on the Unibus, so I pulled all of the cards except CPU, memory, and the 9302 terminator. Still flunks in any memory references in ODT. Weird. Then I pulled the memory card so it was just the CPU. Same thing. Then I figured might as well put the memory back, and pull the terminator. Sure enough, memory board LED goes red But the CPU can now read and write to memory locations via ODT. Loading 100 into location 0 works, and I can read location 0 and now see 100. That's weird. It looks like the problem is using a 9302 terminator instead of a 9312. Is there differences between the 930, 9302, 9312, and other terminators by chance (yes, it's in the last slot in the AB slot). Weird. But getting closer every day... C
Re: R65F11
WOW!! I Have one of those ETI boards, and I based my final Electronics Engineering project on its big brother, the 65F12. >From memory, I spent days trying to understand why you had to issue a HEX 1800 MEMTOP command before using the disk. ETI Suggested that it was because the system had to know where the top of memory was, but it was because of a bug in that version of the kernel. The 65F11 had all of the headless primitive in kernel rom, and used a development ROM that contained the higher level words. I Loved the concept, but the silicon was expensive and as it turned out, rara. Nobody knows anything about these chips. At Uni, we hav Novix NC4016 dev boards with FDD support - they were FAST... One cycle could see the CPU read the next instruction, write a byte to the stack, and write a byte to I/O - all because it used three (or 4) separate busses. I'm here in Australia, and would merrily give it a home. :-) Kindest regards, Doug Jackson em: d...@doughq.com ph: 0414 986878 Check out my awesome clocks at www.dougswordclocks.com Follow my amateur radio adventures at vk1zdj.net --- Just like an old fashioned letter, this email and any files transmitted with it should probably be treated as confidential and intended solely for your own use. Please note that any interesting spelling is usually my own and may have been caused by fat thumbs on a tiny tiny keyboard. Should any part of this message prove to be useful in the event of the imminent Zombie Apocalypse then the sender bears no personal, legal, or moral responsibility for any outcome resulting from its usage unless the result of said usage is the unlikely defeat of the Zombie Hordes in which case the sender takes full credit without any theoretical or actual legal liability. :-) Be nice to your parents. Go outside and do something awesome - Draw, paint, walk, setup a radio station, go fishing or sailing - just do something that makes you happy. ^G ^G ^G ^G ^G ^G ^G ^G- In more laid back days this line would literally sing ^G ^G ^G ^G ^G ^G ^G ^G On Mon, 26 Oct 2020 at 05:41, Will Cooke via cctalk wrote: > > > On 10/25/2020 11:58 AM Guy N. via cctalk wrote: > > > > > > Anyone remember the R65F11? It's a Forth microcontroller: 6502 > > processor with a Forth kernel in ROM, from the mid '80s. > > > > Your hometown magazine, ETI, ran several articles about it at irregular > intervals. The first was a development board in May 85: > https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Electronics-Today/Australia/80s/ETI%201985-05%20May.pdf > > In Dec 85 they added a disk drive: > > https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Electronics-Today/Australia/80s/ETI%201985-12%20December.pdf > > Will >
Re: R65F11
> On 10/25/2020 11:58 AM Guy N. via cctalk wrote: > > > Anyone remember the R65F11? It's a Forth microcontroller: 6502 > processor with a Forth kernel in ROM, from the mid '80s. > Your hometown magazine, ETI, ran several articles about it at irregular intervals. The first was a development board in May 85: https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Electronics-Today/Australia/80s/ETI%201985-05%20May.pdf In Dec 85 they added a disk drive: https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Electronics-Today/Australia/80s/ETI%201985-12%20December.pdf Will
Re: R65F11
On 10/25/2020 10:58 AM, Guy N. via cctalk wrote: Anyone remember the R65F11? It's a Forth microcontroller: 6502 processor with a Forth kernel in ROM, from the mid '80s. I was going through some old stuff in storage (looking for something else) and found an R65F11 with the development ROM and some documentation for building a development board. Looks like a fun little project... I have plenty of projects. 6502.org may good place to place documents if you got them, after BitSavers. Ben.
R65F11
Anyone remember the R65F11? It's a Forth microcontroller: 6502 processor with a Forth kernel in ROM, from the mid '80s. I was going through some old stuff in storage (looking for something else) and found an R65F11 with the development ROM and some documentation for building a development board. Looks like a fun little project... I have plenty of projects. If anyone is interested, it's free for actual cost of shipping (could probably go in a U.S. Priority Mail envelope or small box, not sure about overseas options). The backstory: in 1984 I was working for a startup company, and we were looking at various microprocessors for use in a new product. Being a fairly skilled journeyman Forth programmer, I was advocating for the R65F11. I managed to talk the Rockwell sales rep into giving us the development ROM (usually not easily available). We ended up going with a 68000 for the project, and I ended up with the R65F11.
DEC RTM book
I've searched for this but couldn't find it... Does anyone know if the DEC book "RTM: Register Transfer Modules" published in 1973 is available online? It's an 8.5 x 11 book with red cover and has 50 pages. I think it came with their RTM kit. Don
