> The Z80 is dead; long live the Z80.
They said that about the UX-201A...and every year hundreds or
thousands of new ones show up.
--
Will
> I'll bet the source was talking about large contemporary storage units that
> looked like drums or may have been called "drums" but were not actual 50's
> drum memory with tubes and such. There was no rotating drum storage, the
> media rotates in the PDP era.
>
> Take a look at any pdp 11
Ed has had his chance at kindness. He blew it LONG ago.
--
Will
On Tue, Apr 16, 2024 at 9:46 AM Eric Moore via cctalk
wrote:
>
> Sellam, that was unneccassarily cruel. Please try and exhibit some empathy
> if not kindness.
>
> -Eric
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Apr 16, 2024, 8:39 AM Sellam Abraham via
Oops, not meant to go to everyone...
--
Will
On Sat, Mar 16, 2024 at 2:13 PM William Donzelli wrote:
>
> Well...just as I am typing up an email to you...
>
> Anyway, I hope these get saved - it is quite a score. I wish I could
> take it, but I can not.
>
> But I could take part of it, the
Well...just as I am typing up an email to you...
Anyway, I hope these get saved - it is quite a score. I wish I could
take it, but I can not.
But I could take part of it, the System/370 model 125. It would be
nice to bring it back to the US, assuming it was US built.
Lets keep a channel open
How long do people with tagged items have beyond 1 January 2024 to
claim their items?
(clarifying, otherwise everyone will tag their items and the problem
will not be solved!).
--
Will
On Tue, Nov 7, 2023 at 9:17 AM Thomas G via cctalk
wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
> After 18 years of acquiring
All the VCFMW info is on the Discord server.
--
Will
On Wed, Aug 30, 2023 at 10:22 AM Jon Elson via cctalk
wrote:
>
> I know I was a little late in making a reservation for a
> vendor table at the VCF MW.
>
> But, last year they were able to fit me in. Now, I have
> made my request, and not
> I think some Ebay sellers simply overpriced an item when they know it's
> probably valuable but they're not sure how much to sell for. They will
> wait for people to contact and say, "your price is way too high, you might
> sell if you charged $n instead."
>
> It's not an illogical tactic.
The Synclavier I was commercially available in 1977, based off the
Dartmouth Digital Synthesizer of earlier times. The core was a New
England Digital minicomputer architecture (they did sell just the
minicomputer to the military, as a side).
The truth is that there were quite a few digital synths
This has sold!
--
Will
On Thu, Jun 29, 2023 at 9:23 AM William Donzelli wrote:
>
> This is on Discord.
>
> I have an HP 2100A with a paper tape punch (a HP labelled Facit), tape
> punch (HP), and an 7900A disc. The thing is in decent shape - full of
> cards. The keyswitch is out of the thing,
This is on Discord.
I have an HP 2100A with a paper tape punch (a HP labelled Facit), tape
punch (HP), and an 7900A disc. The thing is in decent shape - full of
cards. The keyswitch is out of the thing, but I am pretty sure I still
have it.
Right now, I have me hands on the 2100A and Facit paper
Plonk!
--
Will
On Wed, Feb 1, 2023 at 8:47 AM Chris via cctalk wrote:
>
> You stop being rude you big burly baby. Get a life. I'm not your hobby, as
> hard as you're trying to make me so.
>
>
> On Wednesday, February 1, 2023, 03:37:20 AM EST, Christian Corti via
> cctalk wrote:
>
> On
> Owe the local government a few bucks in unpaid tax? They steal your
> house (well, technically not - they put a lien on it and then foreclose).
Yes, if you do not pay you taxes (or rent) - you SHOULD lose your land
after some amount of time.
What I am talking about is Eminent Domain (in the
> All you need is a the local government to declare eminent domain and
> greater user for the public good.
Those would be the "significant barriers to cross".
--
Will
Don't be pedantic. You know what I mean.
Anyway, in the US, there are *significant* barriers to cross for
people taking your land.
--
Will
On Tue, Oct 18, 2022 at 10:15 AM Ethan O'Toole wrote:
>
> > Own your land.
> > Museum or individual.
>
> You never own your land. They can always take it.
Own your land.
Museum or individual.
--
Will
On Mon, Oct 17, 2022 at 7:13 PM Kevin Parker via cctalk
wrote:
>
> I remember that Sellam and I remember visiting your facility on a trip my
> wife and I did to the US. It was very impressive collection and that’s an
> understatement.
>
> It’s a
That is for configuring the initial setup for a gizmo tester
(semiconductor, cable, subassembly, etc.).
--
Will
On Fri, Oct 7, 2022 at 1:39 PM Cory Heisterkamp via cctalk
wrote:
>
> Hey Guys,
>
> I was curious if anyone recognizes this punched card reader. Marked: AMP
> Incorporated - SYSCOM
Prototypes don't count.
--
Will
On Thu, Jan 6, 2022 at 12:41 PM Chuck Guzis via cctech
wrote:
>
>
> Perhaps even rarer were the EBAM tubes that CDC worked with during the
> 1970s. I recall seeing a 6' rack of a complete assembly sitting in a
> hallway at ADL around 1974. If CDC followed the
139 is a "nickname" number. IBM used these nicknames for some reason,
instead of the full IBM part number.
A 139 is really an IBM part number 2414938, a silicon device in a TO-18.
Gee, it would be great if this list could take pictures so I could
just post one with all the specs...
--
Will
On
> > Unless, of course, you have a mainframe shop and figured all this shit
> > out back in the 1960s.
>
> Figuring things out accomplishes very little if what was figured out is not
> broadly applied.
That is correct. All the talk about this topic or archiving data that
starts with "We should"
> Unfortunately, we're just not doing enough. I don't have an answer, but for
> several years I worked for the LOCKSS project at Stanford University. Their
> software is open source, and is used to archive online academic journals in a
> distributed, fault-tolerant peer to peer network (their
Best, most concise answer of the week.
--
Will
On Tue, Nov 16, 2021 at 5:20 PM Al Kossow via cctalk
wrote:
>
> On 11/16/21 2:08 PM, Murray McCullough via cctalk wrote:
> > Did the 4004 chip start our interest in microcomputing?
>
> no
>
>
> That buyer's premium seems crazy steep.
It is not.
--
Will
> The large 3 phase input on it 3803 is likely overkill for even a controller
> and full string of 8 drives. It's easier to oversize things and have a 3x
> safety margin, then deal with running close to the limits and risk any
> problems from poorly installed site wiring.
It is overkill, but a
> And that like IBM still being able to run S/360 programs Unisys 2200
> can still run Univac 1100 programs.
And that MCP and OS2200 put everyone else to shame in the security arena...
Because they thought about it back in the 1960s.
--
Will
> z/OS runs on IBM Mainframes, there is also “IBM i”, which was previously
> called OS/400.
>
> Last I checked, GCOS-8 is still running, but with Itanium end-of-life, I’m
> not sure what on. It’s been a niche market for decades. I’d argue that it
> was a serious niche when I was using it in
I think those are IBM Q-Pacs, mil spec modules for the Informer computers.
--
Will
On Sun, Aug 1, 2021 at 1:53 AM Cory Heisterkamp via cctalk
wrote:
>
> Does anyone recognize these IBM modules? My gut says late 50’s based on the
> transistor packages and font. Perhaps for a contract or
> When cleaning out a 3rd party CDC dealer quite a few years back, he
> remarked that the CDC machines going way back all the way to the 800s
> were fantastically unpicky about how they were cooled.
So I just reread what I wrote, and see it is crap. What I meant is
that CDC machines going back
> Of course, nowadays, the old R22 systems are being refilled with
> purified propane, called R290. Cheap, with better thermal properties
> than R22, but probably not legal when LCM picked up the 6500.
When cleaning out a 3rd party CDC dealer quite a few years back, he
remarked that the CDC
Approximately zero people ever thought this guy was a museum.
--
Will
On Thu, Jun 17, 2021 at 10:28 AM Chris Zach via cctalk
wrote:
>
> Reason #1 why I am exceptionally loathe to donate things to "museums"
> these days...
>
> CZ
>
> On 6/17/2021 10:06 AM, Bill Degnan via cctalk wrote:
>
> > His
> While the mini-banana makes a passable (though expensive) modern
> substitute, I believe the originals were hollow crimp-on taper pins,
> #42107 or #42279.
Really? I have loads of taper pin patch cables. I should try one out.
The sockets just loom too big for taper pins.
--
Will
dimension.
--
Will
--
Will
On Sat, May 29, 2021 at 8:41 PM Ethan Dicks wrote:
>
> On Sat, May 29, 2021 at 10:58 AM William Donzelli via cctalk
> wrote:
> > Over on the Discord, I have posted a DEC Computer Lab H-500 for sale.
> > Needs cosmetic help, but will be priced accordingl
The ClassicCMP Discord.
--
Will
On Sat, May 29, 2021 at 1:54 PM Brent Hilpert via cctalk
wrote:
>
> On 2021-May-29, at 7:58 AM, William Donzelli via cctalk wrote:
> > Over on the Discord, I have posted a DEC Computer Lab H-500 for sale.
> > Needs cosmetic help, but will be
Over on the Discord, I have posted a DEC Computer Lab H-500 for sale.
Needs cosmetic help, but will be priced accordingly.
Offers? Off list...
--
Will
> I believe that enthusiastic and competent individuals will look after
> valuable items much better than most museums can.
As one who does estate cleanups professionally, I have a wildly
different opinion...
--
Will
> So ... you trust us enough to take our money, but you don't trust us.
The percentage of crooked and dishonest (and just plain stupid) buyers
on Ebay is far too uncomfortable. Ebay buyers generally often liken
themselves to gleaming polished white marble pillars of truth and
justice in the
> And that is why there are SNADs! :D
Yes, but remember that the S stands for "Significantly". In Noel's
case, yes, We DECnerds would call that a significant difference, but
probably not to the general computer techie crowd - they would likely
see two almostly completely identical tape readers.
As a very experienced Ebay (and now Etsy!) seller, I can say this...
> They sent a nice peply, but didn't alter their listing!
We don't trust you buyers.
Sellers of collectibles and antiques get bombarded with nitpicks and
corrections. Often these are right, but often they are wrong. And
most likely protected the boards from dangerous temperatures.
> Dwight
>
>
> From: cctalk on behalf of jim stephens via
> cctalk
> Sent: Sunday, October 11, 2020 6:49 PM
> To: William Donzelli via cctalk
> Subject: Re: FIRE SALE!
>
&
> I suspect much of the electronics is fine. It would be good for someone
> wanting backup cards.
You must be joking. Those cards are done. Any chip that is still
operational will likely fail upon or shortly after power is applied.
--
Will
The Motorola SC prefix means a custom or semicustom part. Good luck!
--
Will
On Wed, Sep 30, 2020 at 4:05 PM Josh Dersch via cctalk
wrote:
>
> I'm in the middle of working out the pinout for the power supply connector
> on the MDP-1000. I'm aided somewhat by a set of test points on the
>
> It appears to be a complete Data Translation data acquisition system
> including the software! Someone please rescue this!
I am not entirely sure if "rescue" is the right word here. The seller
seems reasonable and in no hurry.
--
Will
> Darn. "Worse for noise" probably means I won't find audio nirvana
> trying these in any of my amps.
Most computer tubes are pretty bad for audio, even though there are
plenty of snake oil tube dealers that proclaim them as audio gold.
--
Will
>
> Thanks! What is the secret decoder ring that tells you 188 means GE?
EIA manufacturer codes. These were often applied to private and house
branded labelled tubes. Other numbers are 274 for RCA, 280 for
Raytheon, 158 for DuMont, and so forth.
EIA codes were used for non-tube electronic
> They take up a lot of space.
Well, there is some circa 2005 thinking.
--
Will
> Ah, good ol' 5965s.
>
> These were a higher-spec version of ... some really common tube which I
> no longer remember. The Bendix G-15 was wholly based on them.
5965 is a computer rated 12AV7 with better balanced cutoff
characteristics, but generally worse for noise.
About 15 percent of the
They are indeed GEs! 188 is the clue.
--
Will
On Wed, Jun 17, 2020 at 11:14 AM Guy N. via cctalk
wrote:
>
> On Tue, 2020-06-16 at 11:04 -0400, William Donzelli wrote:
> > > Good question. They have an IBM logo and "Made in USA", along with the
> > > part number (5965 or 5963) and a bunch of
GE did not make many tubes for IBM except for some made for SAGE devices.
--
Will
On Tue, Jun 16, 2020 at 11:38 AM Camiel Vanderhoeven via cctalk
wrote:
>
> Mosyt likely GE.
>
> "IBM did the final assembly, but more than 400 companies supplied parts and
> subassemblies for its computers,
> Good question. They have an IBM logo and "Made in USA", along with the
> part number (5965 or 5963) and a bunch of numbers that might give a hint
> as to manufacturer. Any suggestions on how to decode them?
What are the numbers?
Details, man!
--
Will
> While going through my assortment of old vacuum tubes looking for audio
> treasures, I found a handful of IBM branded ones. Mostly 5965, but
> there's one 5963 mixed in.
Who made them?
--
Will
> You know, in general I don't disagree with this statement, but I'll go on
> record here and say that in my 5 years at LCM, I don't recall a single keycap
> going missing, or anything getting stolen.
Good fortune, maybe!
On another ship I sometime volunteer on (DE-766 SLATER), someone stole
a
> This is one of the things that disappointed me most about the Computer
> History Museum in Mountain View, CA. Sure you can’t let the public interact
> with *everything*, but since so much of computing since its inception has
> been about interaction with active systems, just displaying them
> Do tell.
"Normal" museums do not assign values to artifacts, and are very much
against (for the most part) buying artifacts directly, as doing so
basically assigns numeric values. This is to discourage "pot hunting",
named so after the looters of antiquities.
Art museums generally do not have
> Loans are standard practice in art museums, from other museums as well as
> from private collections. Perhaps not so much in science/technology museums.
Art museums work under a different set of rules and ethics than other museums.
--
Will
> Much of the effort of running a thrift store is disposal of
> donated material that has no rapid resale value.
And cost. Dumpsters ain't cheap.
--
Will
> If you want something nice, I can send you a few pallets of broken LCDs.
> They're all really rare - I've never seen ones with the same serial number
> on them.
>
> Don't worry, I won't ask first. ;-)
You pay for shipping, and I'll take them!
--
Will
> Why would I do that? I had something people said was rare.
Museums with a lot of "gravity" (like LCM) tend to get offered a *lot*
of REALLY RARE items, like broken C64s, Packard Bell desktops, boxes
of ten year old games on CD-ROM, dirty USB keyboards, 56K Sportsters,
and so forth.
Yeah,
> I once sent them some rather rare documentation (at the suggestion of
> other collectors). I got back a letter with a nasty tone stating they
> do not accept unsolicited items. I have no idea what that meant as to
> the continued existence of the item. It certainly did not come back
> to me.
> Anytime somebody with $20B dies it will take years to sort out the estate
> because of taxes and people lining up for money due (legit or not).
Yes, for people that had no "exit strategy", but somehow I think Paul
Allen did some sort of estate planning before he passed...
--
Will
> They've been closed to visitors since early March I think.
A lot of smaller museums are going into hibernation. Most are
confident they will reopen sometime in the future, but well past the
points that they are allowed to by government order.
It is unfortunate for the paid staff.
--
Will
> FOlks know about IBM,
> but most don't know they still make mainframes and midrange (OS400 or
> whatever it is called now) machines, and Burroughs,
Funny thing is that even many IBMers I come across do not realize that Unisys
is still in the mainframe business, and still actively develops
> Wow, those were fairly rare back when, and now there may
> only be a couple in existence.
At least eight I know of. Pretty high survival percentage, actually.
--
Will
> Wow:
>
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/353062352448
>
> I've read manuals for these, but I've never even seen a picture of one before.
"needs work"
That would be an understatement.
...and be careful with this deal...
--
Will
> I am desperately looking for two types I do not have been able to find a
> sample of:
> * Jacquard fabric/carpet loom cards. OK, not computer but the
> ancestor, for completeness of the history. There may be several formats of
> these.
I donated my Jacquard punch to Techworks in
1800.
--
Will
On Mon, Mar 2, 2020 at 7:40 AM Steve Malikoff via cctalk
wrote:
>
> I was watching this video on highway construction in the 1960's (as you do)
> and noticed what appears to be
> a System 360 console, that I couldn't place. Presumably it's some peripheral
> or CE maintenance
> > that is really sad
> > I hope you sold them to Will
> Why sad? Everybody had chance to say more, or ask to buy the whole drum.
I never heard back from the guy.
Yes, I could have used some heads, as I think I have one or two that are open.
The search continues...
--
Will
How did you end up with that?
Anyway, I forwarded your message to see if the Techworks! Binghamton
Bunch wants it.
--
Will
On Mon, Feb 10, 2020 at 6:35 PM Josh Dersch via cctalk
wrote:
>
> (resending as this appears to have gotten eaten last time...)
>
> Hi all --
>
> As the subject line says
> I think it was later they made an electron beam digitizer
> storage scope. The scope tube created a fan beam that was
> deflected by single-axis deflection plates. The target had
> patterns of stripes that decoded the beam into a binary code
> that was then recorded in a digital memory. So,
The description is not showing at all - no text.
This is one of those Ebay bugs that has been around for months, but
they do not fix. I have reported it several times - you should too.
--
Will.
On Tue, Jan 7, 2020 at 12:03 PM Al Kossow via cctalk
wrote:
>
> I just listed one of my TU55s on
> I've noticed prices going up on eBay a LOT, without even including obscene
> shipping charges AND sales tax
> and people parting out things, including attempting to sell individual disks
> of multi-disk sets.
I think much of this has to do with changes Ebay made in 2019. The
only sellers that
> You do what you have to using the best available resources. Sadly,
> local manufacturers and suppliers are no longer options.
And pretty soon, independent surplus dealers will also no longer be an
option. Most of them have lots of modern and vintage goodies - the
kind of stuff this thread is
> Should do; the 'CR11/CM11 system manual' (DEC-11-HCRMA-C-D) mentions it,
> although it doesn't provide extensive coverage.
>
My manual only mentions the M200, but it may be an early edition
(before the M600 came out?).
--
Will
Unfortunately I need to sell my VAX - an original 11/780, but with a
CSPI array processor hidden in a third matching DECcabinet. This was
used to control an xray crystallography machine years ago, so the VAX
itself is fairly minimal, but with quite a lot of number crunching
horsepower.
It has not
Can the DEC M8291 CR11/CM11 controller card work with a DEC branded
Documation M600 reader as well as the M200?
--
Will
> Short of outright replacing the CRT with one of the same type, is that
> still accepted practice - or in the years since has someone worked out a
> way of applying new sealant across the entire face without getting air
> trapped in there, thereby maintaining the structural integrity of the
>
> And IBM invented the Personal Computer.
No.
We already established that Steve Jobs did that. Please pay attention.
--
Will
> > You mean like how history says Columbus discovered America...
>
> And Edison invented the incandescent lamp.
And Digital invented the minicomputer.
...we are just as guilty...
--
Will
> Oh goody; when the "intranet" vs. "an internet" vs. "The Internet" discussion
> finally gets boring we can argue over the meaning and function of "switches"
> vs. "routers" vs. "hubs".
If we are lucky, maybe we can start a new holy war along the lines of
vi vs. emacs.
--
Will
> Does nobody remember AUTODIN?
Basically, no.
--
Will
> ARPANET wasn't the first large scale data network. I believe SITA HLN
> was world-wide by 1969. However it was a mix of switching technologies
> from fully automated to manual depending on what part of the world you
> were in. Frankfurt was the first SITA node to transition to fully
>
> 2019 - 60 = 1959. Yes, there were a few computers then, and
> serial communication over phone lines was possible.
> But, "Internet"?? Did they actually use TCP/IP? No, not
> invented yet.
Like most things, the colors of computer networking history get
extremely blurred and runny, like using
> I have seen multiple posts over time speculating about flooding in the
> warehouse. I would like to assure everyone that the warehouse has never
> flooded, and that any posts to the contrary are inaccurate or greatly
> exaggerated.
The very best way to convince people of the lack of water
> comma, ignoring IBM.
(correction)
--
Will
> Funny thing was DECnet was in 1983 the largest world wide network
> period.
comma, ignoring SNA.
--
Will
> The 1500 I worked with at the University of Texas School of Education was
> based
> on an 1800 (which is of course the same architecture as the 1130, but in
> highboy
> industrial cabinetry rather than a desk. Coursewriter II and APL\1500 for the
> educational software, FORTRAN II and
> You may want to reword that statement ("first inter-computer
> communication"). The SAGE Direction Center computers were talking to each
> other (cross-tell) in 1958, via Bell 101 modems.
"First" is a dangerous word, isn't it?
--
Will
OK, not the thing I thought it was.
--
Will
On Mon, Oct 28, 2019 at 11:28 AM Thomas Raguso via cctalk
wrote:
>
> This is a picture of the IBM 4505 display station.
>
> https://photos.app.goo.gl/iQXPGLS8zdD3JHyF8
>
> Thomas Raguso
PICTURES! PICTURES! PICTURES!
> I have been unable to find anything about the 4505 display station. Does
> anyone know any details about this item? It resembles an IBM 2260, but the
> keyboard is not built-in, as in the 2260.
I think it may be for an IBM 1500, the educational system based on an
> The 9300 used it, Donzelli says it wasn't very reliable
And I do not remember where I heard that. It may have been from a
Univac old-timer.
--
Will
> Do we know where the docs were before they hit the Free Pile? I took
> home a few boxes of Will D's DECdocs, which I can double-check to make
> sure yours didn't intermix. Otherwise, stuff flew off the Pile as fast
> as it was placed there.
This title does not ring a bell with me - I likely
> From a friend's estate I have a Motorola 24-pin 0.6" purple ceramic DIP.
>
> SCM44506L
> 7610 B
>
> Any idea what this can be?
Very likely a semi custom or custom memory device, due to the prefix.
--
Will
> What, isn't anyone going to speculate on the value of the gold here? :-)
Why bother? Everyone's opinion is completely accurate.
--
Will
> Keep in mind, this is a Classic Computing list, not all of us have a way to
> send Texts. :-) Hopefully you’re monitoring email for replies.
There are,of course, no email to text methods out there. None. Zip.
--
Will
> I assume these are the ones you were going to bring out
> here a few years ago?
Didn't you tell me you lost interest?
--
Will
RLs are spoken for!
--
Will
I have a pair of RL02 drives available, and can bring them to VCFmw in
about three weeks. Pretty cheap. Untested.
Contact me off list.
--
Will
I think this was a CE tool used with machines with the UC processor.
My info is pretty sketchy...
--
Will
On Wed, Aug 21, 2019 at 11:29 PM Benjamin Huntsman via cctalk
wrote:
>
> Anyone know anything about this??
>
>
that I ever wrote were on a CDC Cyber there (via a 300-baud
> acoustic coupler modem at Valdosta State College).
>
> alan
>
> On 8/12/19 11:09 AM, William Donzelli via cctalk wrote:
> > There is a Make Offer option, and it does look like the seller does
> > take offers
There is a Make Offer option, and it does look like the seller does
take offers fairly regularly. I will not be buying it.
If someone does, I have a huge amount of spares for 976x drives,
including refurbished heads. It might take a while to find them in my
mess, however.
--
Will
On Mon, Aug
I just received a pile of goodies from BT Federal, the last remaining
bit of Control Data. Part of the goodies included a complete set of
spare CPU boards for a Cyber 960. This means my extra Cy960 is surplus
to my needs - I bought it strictly as a source of spare parts.
So it needs to go. The
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