Re: [M100] Backpack drive?!?1
I didn't know about the Backpack drive, either! It looks very much like a concept I CADed up and shared on Twitter for a 1x AA powered TPDD emulator quite a while back. But I ran out of gumption before making much progress. I'm very happy to see that somebody actually made such a beast. That also means that I can cross that project off my list of projects I'll never get around to finishing! LOL It looks lovely. I like how they designed the case. I think I'll order one, even though I already have a perfectly good NADS box. -- Mark J. Blair Blog:https://www.nf6x.net Git: https://gitlab.com/users/NF6X/groups HECnet: DOGPAK::MBLAIR Twitter: @nf6x
Re: [M100] NADSBox shipping
I hope you feel better soon, Ken! -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: [M100] NADSBoxes are ready (not on sale until Tuesday
Just for the record, I already have a NADSbox, so I won't be competing for one of these. I'm just happy to see a new batch of them venturing out to the world. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: [M100] NADSBoxes are ready (not on sale until Tuesday
That's a lovely sight! -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: [M100] Recovering in hospital still
Thanks for the update, and I hope your recovery is speedy! -- Mark J. Blair http://www.nf6x.net
Re: [M100] In the hospital
Good luck to both Ken and Mike! -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: [M100] forum vs mailing list
> On Sep 22, 2018, at 1:27 PM, Kevin Becker wrote: > > I’m in the CoCo Discord but I was unaware of a M100 one I didn't know about either of those. I'm on another vintage computer related Discord, but I'm not sure if its existence is supposed to be public knowledge. So please forget that I said that. I personally find forums to be more comfortable for this sort of hobby discussion stuff than other platforms, but I do participate in forums, mailing lists, Twitter, and chat-based things like Discord or Slack. But not Facebook. Grrr, I don't like Facebook. -- Mark J. Blair http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: [M100] Tandy 200 power button replacement
> On Jul 1, 2018, at 12:08 AM, Nickolas Nolan wrote: > > I find it easiest to do the ribbon cable when the screen is at ~45° I use a > box of cards to prop it open while I try to get the bottom back on. I figured out that it's a bit easier to make the final connection at the screen end after assembling the case, rather than trying to cram my big ham fist inside the case to make the connection at the motherboard end. The last piece of plastic to go back on is the plastic cover just below the screen, after connecting the cable. It's still a bit of a clumsy operation. -- Mark J. Blair http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: [M100] Tandy 200 power button replacement
I had an urge to take my Model 200 apart to remind myself of what the power button looks like. That display flex cable sure is annoying! I'd imagine that it already occurred to you to check at Digi-Key, but I wanted to take a look for myself anyway. Frustratingly, I could find several switches with very similar styling and functionality, but none with close enough pin or plunger dimensions. -- Mark J. Blair http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: [M100] M100 Digest, Vol 80, Issue 9
> On Aug 10, 2017, at 3:06 PM, Kurt McCullum <kurt.mccul...@att.net> wrote: > > Robert, > > Those early Zip drives were Parallel or SCSI, not serial. If your drive has a > male DB25 cable then that would be the cable that connected to a printer port > on a PC. The external Zip drives with SCSI interfaces also used a DB25 cable. The internal ones used a 50-pin ribbon cable header. I've never heard of a Zip drive with an RS-232 serial interface. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net> http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: [M100] 3.5" Media
> On Aug 8, 2017, at 1:38 PM, biggran...@tds.net wrote: > > Here is a copy I found on the internet looking for a PDD2 Software Manual. > The listing says PDD2 Software Manual, but it is the 26-3808 PDD1 Software > Manual (same as the one Kurt sent me). > > http://www.classiccmp.org/cini/pdf/Tandy/PDD2%20Software%20Manual.pdf > > http://www.classiccmp.org/cini/systems.htm Fantastic! Thank you very much. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net> http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: [M100] 3.5" Media
> On Aug 8, 2017, at 10:14 AM, Kurt McCullum <kurt.mccul...@att.net> wrote: > > The manual I have is 26-3808 which details the File mode and FDC mode of the > TPDD1. I don't know the number for the TPDD2. 26-3814 is the standard user > manual for the TPDD2 and I've got that. I'm not sure if Tandy ever published > something for the TPDD2 like the 26-3808 manual. If they did, I'd love to get > a hold of it. I would also appreciate a copy of that manual. It sounds like it might be very useful for my MicroTPDD project. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net> http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: [M100] New Movie
> On Aug 5, 2017, at 09:40, Lee Kelley <l...@3footed.com> wrote: > > OH yes I'm am in the movie > Actually a "Bad guy" in the movie has a laptop, it's a prop I set up, that is > an ASUS 10 inch convertible and I have Club 100 sticker, sent to me by Rick a > few years back, that is on the top covering the ASUS logo. That is a delightful and esoteric little Easter egg. Well-played! -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net <mailto:n...@nf6x.net>> http://www.nf6x.net/ <http://www.nf6x.net/>
Re: [M100] Super ROM/legs
> On Aug 1, 2017, at 09:52, Rob <aciph...@live.ca> wrote: > > One more thought, I wonder if the rubber end caps were 11/32 to fit, or 5/16 > to fit tight on the slick plastic. That sounds quite plausible. > > So the legs are cut from 11/32 rode. I'd said polyetheleyene, but as I recall > now it's very slick material. I'm thinking now it's more likely PTFE rod. It definitely does not feel like PTFE to me. It's harder, less slippery, and differently colored than PTFE. It feels like delrin, or possibly glass-filled nylon to me. Now that I think about it, they do feel pretty dense to me. That's making me lean more towards thinking that they're a glass-filled plastic. > > The length was likely meant to be cut to 2-1/8, as your measurement is 1/64th > short of that. That much could easily be lost with a quick buffing to smooth > the ends. That sounds quite plausible. They may have been hand-cut, perhaps against an end stop that wasn't adjusted with extreme care... after all, they're just feet that appear to have been made as an afterthought to be crammed into existing screw hole counterbores. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net <mailto:n...@nf6x.net>> http://www.nf6x.net/ <http://www.nf6x.net/>
Re: [M100] Super ROM/legs
> On Jul 31, 2017, at 23:07, Rob <aciph...@live.ca> wrote: > > Ray, > > I believe the legs are polypropylene rod with rubber feet on the ends. Alas, > my T200 is in storage right now, or I'd measure the legs for you. Good news, everybody! I happened to still be at home when I read this, so I can measure one of my M100 legs in the very brief window of time before something else distracts me. Mine are the white plastic variety with black rubber feet on the end. Rod diameter: 0.34" 11/32" 8.63mm Rod length (not including rubber foot): 2.115" 2-7/64" 53.7mm Rod length (including rubber foot): 2.325" 2-21/64" 59mm Rubber foot outer diameter: (installed): 0.5" 1/2" 12.7mm Rubber foot length: 0.842" 27/32" 21.4mm I'm not sure about the material, but it kind of feels like delrin to me. I can't tell if it's glass-filled. From the tool marks, it appears to be rod stock that was sawn to length. Sadly, it's not one of the standard plastic rod diameters carried at McMaster-Carr. It should be easy to print a functional replacement on a 3D printer, or turn a nearly identical reproduction on a lathe if suitable rubber feet can be found. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net <mailto:n...@nf6x.net>> http://www.nf6x.net/ <http://www.nf6x.net/>
Re: [M100] CP/M Expander
> On Jul 24, 2017, at 10:03, Ken Pettit <petti...@gmail.com> wrote: > > I was looking at using the ATWINC1500 module. This is WiFi only and no > Bluetooth. The module is *just* small enough that it can fit on a PCB within > the OptROM socket, provided it is a stacked PCB on top of the main Woolly PCB. Wow, that little guy is even smaller than the ESP-WROOM-32 module! -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net <mailto:n...@nf6x.net>> http://www.nf6x.net/ <http://www.nf6x.net/>
Re: [M100] CP/M Expander
I'm late to this thread because I tend to let my Bitchin100 folder sit ignored for long periods while my fickle obsessions shift to my other machines and hobbies. Boy, was this thread a pleasant surprise when I decided it's time to clear out old unread messages! The board that Ken is contemplating sounds like something I'd be likely to buy. I'm guessing that you probably envision using something like the ESP8266 or (better yet) the ESP32 for the WiFi feature, Ken? I also have some projects in mind for other vintage computers using the ESP32. Not that I'm likely to ever get around to completing them, though! :) Given the low availability of NADSboxes for new M100 collectors, I've contemplated making a NADS-inspired doodad that I coined "MicroTPDD". I've only done a bit of CAD modeling of the physical concept, though, and I don't know if or when it will bubble to the top of my delightfully bloated project list. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net <mailto:n...@nf6x.net>> http://www.nf6x.net/ <http://www.nf6x.net/>
Re: [M100] Announcing: CloudT emulator (EXPERIMENTAL)
It passes my Standard BASIC Test. Hooray!
Re: [M100] size of programs
> On Jun 4, 2016, at 22:58, eddie edwards <ven...@hotmail.com> wrote: > > does anyone know how much space the ADDRSS and SCHEDL programs on the m100 > take up? I think they're in ROM, and don't take up any RAM space by themselves. Each of them stores its data in a RAM text file (ADRS.DO and NOTE.DO, respectively), and those text files don't exist until you manually create them. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net> http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: [M100] New command line tool for TPDD and TPDD2
> On Jun 2, 2016, at 17:33 , James Zeun <james.z...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Hi guys > > Not sure if my email has been buried in all the recent messages. But I asked > about the recent command line software that's allowing access to the tpdd. > I'm very keen to try it out. Was just wondering where I should be looking. > > From the message that started this long thread a week or so ago: > The tool is written in Python and is available with documentation from > http://trs80stuff.net/tpdd/. > -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net> http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: [M100] New command line tool for TPDD and TPDD2
> On Jun 2, 2016, at 08:46, Mike Stein <mhs.st...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Originally you would use a program called LAPDOS to format, copy files > to/from a PC etc., but AFAIK it does not play well with modern versions of > Windows or Linux/Mac OS's.: Do any of the LAPDOS-like programs know how to perform sector-level copies of TPDD disks? If so, one of them might give us a way to image the utility diskettes. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net> http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: [M100] REX 4.9 builds (was: Re: New command line tool for TPDD and TPDD2)
> On May 31, 2016, at 08:50, Stephen Adolph <twospru...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Mark, you elect to refresh the backup to the active image whenever you > want...it does not happen automatically. Hmm, it was refreshing the image automatically for me. When I move the cursor to an image that I want to load and hit , it saves RAM contents to the image marked as current, then loads the image I selected to RAM. Am I doing something wrong? -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net> http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: [M100] New command line tool for TPDD and TPDD2
> On May 31, 2016, at 03:46, Stephen Adolph <twospru...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Hi, well ... 236 is not the most stable rex software load ever. I do > make use of more "hooks" now than in prior loads. you should have > been able to just uninstall rex manager though. No need to cold boot > (ideally). Which build would you recommend? -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net> http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: [M100] New command line tool for TPDD and TPDD2
> On May 30, 2016, at 22:29, Mark J. Blair <n...@nf6x.net> wrote: > > FLOPPY.CO was locking up my machine when I tried using it after doing a > bootstrap from the utility diskette, but maybe it's just incompatible with > having the REX hooks loaded? I haven't tried it without the REX installed yet. After uninstalling the REX hooks and doing a cold boot (but not unplugging the REX module), FLOPPY.CO now works. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net <mailto:n...@nf6x.net>> http://www.nf6x.net/ <http://www.nf6x.net/>
Re: [M100] New command line tool for TPDD and TPDD2
I replaced the stretched-out drive belt in my TPDD, made some backup copies of my utility diskette, and tried out the new TpddTool. The tool seems to work just fine on my Mac. Neat stuff! If the capability to load/save full diskette images is added later, then I'd be happy to image my utility diskette. I also upgraded my REX from 4.8 to 4.9 build 236 while I was at it. FLOPPY.CO was locking up my machine when I tried using it after doing a bootstrap from the utility diskette, but maybe it's just incompatible with having the REX hooks loaded? I haven't tried it without the REX installed yet. TS-DOS is certainly nicer; I'm just interested in archiving and spreading around the original utility diskette for purposes of preservation and sharing how things were done in the before time. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net <mailto:n...@nf6x.net>> http://www.nf6x.net/ <http://www.nf6x.net/>
Re: [M100] New command line tool for TPDD and TPDD2
> On May 27, 2016, at 08:39, Stephen Adolph <twospru...@gmail.com> wrote: > > I don't believe any fdd today supports the magnetic format of the tpdd. 'FM' > vs 'MFM'. > > So, TPDD disks are readable only on TPDD drives for electromechanical > reasons.. Tools like the Kryoflux record raw flux transitions, so they don't care whether the modulation is FM, MFM, GCR, etc. But they do need to be used with a drive whose track positions and head geometry are compatible with reading and/or writing the floppy disk in question. Whether a TPDD disk can be imaged and/or created with something like Kryoflux will depend on the track positions and track width used by the TPDD's mechanism. Is there any documentation available about the TPDD's physical track positions on the disk? If they happen to line up with track positions of common 40-track or 80-track drives, then there's a chance. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net <mailto:n...@nf6x.net>> http://www.nf6x.net/ <http://www.nf6x.net/>
Re: [M100] New command line tool for TPDD and TPDD2
> On May 25, 2016, at 12:20, Gary Hammond <ghamm...@hotmail.com> wrote: > > I don’t have any TPDD boot/utility disks so would be keen to get a copy of a > TPDD boot/utility disk. I am happy to pay for postage etc. If I can make a copy of the disk then I'll be happy to help. Of course, I also want to archive the disk and find a way to reproduce it from the image, so that others who have a TPDD without an original utility disk can create a new one. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net> http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: [M100] New command line tool for TPDD and TPDD2
I would like to be able to archive and reproduce the utility diskettes just on general principle, and I would enjoy contributing towards that in the case of the original TPDD, since I have a couple of them and a utility disk. I don't have a TPDD 2, so I can't help in that area at this time. Please forgive me for not having examined the new command line tool yet; it's on my radar, but I haven't gotten there yet. Does it (or any other tool I might be able to run on a Mac, or a Windows or Linux machine in a VM), allow block-mode access to TPDD disks? -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net> http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: [M100] New command line tool for TPDD and TPDD2
> On May 22, 2016, at 20:45, Mark J. Blair <n...@nf6x.net> wrote: > > > Ok, I have the TPDD 26-3808. My replacement belts and the utility disk are > missing in my pile, but I'm continuing to dig for them. :) I found my belts and utility disk, so I plan to try out the command line tool sometime this week. -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net> http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: [M100] New command line tool for TPDD and TPDD2
> On May 22, 2016, at 18:48, Mike Stein <mhs.st...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi Mark; forgot you had one of these among your many 'bigger irons'... ;-) > > I'm just surprised that the utility disk files aren't already out there > somewhere and that creating a disk seems to be an issue; I thought that when > this has come up in the past it was just a straightforward Format the disk > and (Wild)Copy the files to it... > > But it would be good to know which version you have, JIC; the disks are > different AFAIK. Ok, I have the TPDD 26-3808. My replacement belts and the utility disk are missing in my pile, but I'm continuing to dig for them. :) -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net> http://www.nf6x.net/
Re: [M100] New command line tool for TPDD and TPDD2
> On May 22, 2016, at 18:05, Mike Stein <mhs.st...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Are the files from the utility disk(s) really not archived anywhere? AFAIK > they're all ordinary files, i.e. no special boot sectors etc. so why would it > be a problem to copy them to a PC and make them available, and then recreate > the utility disk from them? I thought Steve had done that but I can only find > the FLOPPY.CO files. > > I don't have a TPDD so maybe I'm missing something but I didn't think this > was a big problem... I haven't been following this thread closely because I'm distracted by other things, but I do have a TPDD (or is it a TPDD 2? I have to check) so maybe I can help archive a utility disk? -- Mark J. Blair, NF6X <n...@nf6x.net> http://www.nf6x.net/
