Re: Cassette Interface Assistance

On 02/28/2017 09:42 AM, Seth Morabito via cctalk wrote: > Synertek used an LM311 (an LM358 would work just fine) to build a > comparator circuit. I _think_ you could use this exact circuit to > take the analog output from the CoCo and turn it into a 5V sqauare > wave. I don't know a thing

Re: Full immersion emulation

On 03/01/2017 11:46 AM, Tony Duell wrote: > But presumably on an emulator there will be some kind of volume > control. Or even unplug the speaker(s) if you want silence... But then, what of the "realism"? Is the sound of a half-ton of dynamite going off realistic at 50 dB? Many aspects of

Re: I hate the new mail system

On 02/28/2017 03:18 PM, Torfinn Ingolfsen via cctalk wrote: > FWIW, reply and reply all in Gmail web interface now lists both > addresses (originator and mailing list). I don't know if this is a > change again. > > Also, I find it somewhat funny in a bizarre way that people on this > list who

Re: I hate the new mail system

On 02/28/2017 03:40 PM, Paul Berger wrote: > Well I am using Thunderbird 45.7.1 and I see this "Chuck Guzis via > cctalk <cctalk@classiccmp.org>" as "From" in your message. > Hmmm, this is very puzzling. Your message does indeed show up as being from "

Re: I hate the new mail system

On 02/28/2017 05:21 PM, Jon Auringer wrote: > > Chuck, > > I had the same display issue. Uncheck "Show only display name for > people in my address book" under Tools-Options-Display-Advanced. Jon, Thanks for the hint! I'm using the Linux version of Thunderbird, so the setting isn't under

Analog design: was: Cassette Interface Assistance

On 02/28/2017 03:05 PM, Noel Chiappa via cctalk wrote: > I seem to have some bizarre brain dysfunction where I have a very > hard time understanding even the simplest analog circuits. You, or > someone like Brent Hilpert (whose explanation of core memory drivers > I still remember :-) can explain

Re: Full immersion emulation

On 03/01/2017 07:21 PM, Jon Elson via cctalk wrote: > Well, we still had a Selectric (1050) on our 360/65 at Washington > University up until the end. I'm pretty sure it was the most > unreliable part of the machine. It seems about every two weeks it > would break the timing belt, which meant

Re: Extracting files off “unknown” 8 inch disks. Any thoughts…

On 03/23/2017 12:59 PM, Terry Stewart via cctalk wrote: > There will be a hiatus in the project while I get the connecting > hardware organised. Then we will see what we will see. Hopefully the > drive itself works. I don't know that for sure yet. For what it's worth, unless you're intent on

Re: Extracting files off “unknown” 8 inch disks. Any thoughts…

On 03/23/2017 01:32 PM, Mike Stein via cctalk wrote: > I was just going to suggest the same thing, but I see you (Tez) are > going the FDADAP route; more convenient for sure. > > But the majority of the 34- and 50-pin signals actually line up 1 to > 1 when aligned pin 34 to pin 50; as a matter

Re: Extracting files off “unknown” 8 inch disks. Any thoughts…

On 03/23/2017 04:53 PM, Terry Stewart via cctalk wrote: > One other question regarding using this MS-DOS 486 to run an 8 inch > floppy drive when attempting to read/imaging etc.of a god-knows-what > format. > > What should I set the BIOS to? Should it be the 1.2MB 5.25 setting? > Do I need to

Re: Extracting files off “unknown” 8 inch disks. Any thoughts…

On 03/23/2017 10:50 PM, Sam O'nella via cctalk wrote: > For the record, I and I'm sure lots of others look forward to this > blog of experience. Original message From: Terry > Stewart via cctalk One other question > regarding using this MS-DOS 486 to run

Re: [VideoMagia] Reparando um Vectrex

On 03/24/2017 08:34 AM, Alexandre Souza via cctalk wrote: > Well...there is some description in english, google translate is a > very useful tool and the post has a pertinent video. I cannot view it > as spam. Anyway...sorry for bothering :) I rather enjoyed the Vectrex story--and yes, Google

Re: For Sale: STM Pied Piper "Portable Computer"

On 03/24/2017 02:03 PM, Santo Nucifora via cctalk wrote: > What format are those disks in? I did find the software and manuals > but I have to image my disks too. I have not used them yet and have > never powered on my Pied Piper at this point. I hope to image them > this weekend (if they are

Re: Cross-talk square-wave?

I'll offer a suggestion that if your SD card *must* be a significant distance from its host, that you employ a small MCU at the SD card and use a more noise-immune protocol to transmit data to the host. Small MCUs today are very inexpensive. --Chuck

Anyone want a Sun T-shirt?

It's what, 27 years old... Trying to de-junk my clothes closet, I ran across an XL t-shirt bearing, on the front, a image of a ladybug with a red circle and bar across is and the legend "Getting out the last bugs". On the back, it has the Sun logo and "SunStruck 4.1.89 (Wanda)". It's in decent

Re: Cross-talk square-wave?

On 03/30/2017 01:21 PM, ben via cctalk wrote: > Well that does not solve the ring, but off loading the SD card is a > good idea, if you have the software time for a new cpu. Most of the > time upper managment drags thier feet, unless they want it > yesterday. Ben. Well, Noel has stated that this

Re: Extracting files off “unknown” 8 inch disks. Any thoughts…

On 03/22/2017 04:42 PM, Fred Cisin via cctalk wrote: > Once you've got sectors, speak up, and we'll give you more things to > look at. Fred, how about the image of a Compugraphic typesetter floppy I have? It uses Hebrew for its code set. Feel up to it? --Chuck

Re: Extracting files off “unknown” 8 inch disks. Any thoughts…

On 03/22/2017 03:49 PM, Terry Stewart via cctalk wrote: > Anyway, has anyone else faced this kind of challenge and what are > your thoughts? I don’t want to start unless I at least have some > chance of success. I’m not hopeful. The more I read the more you > seem to need real forensic skills

Re: Cross-talk square-wave?

On 03/29/2017 07:08 AM, Noel Chiappa via cctalk wrote: >> From: Dwight Kelvey > >> Is there any load resistance at the end of the line? > > Yes, 270K to ground (i.e. pretty large). How does that have an effect > on whether cross-talk can create a square wave? Sorry, I'm not > understanding. 1v

Re: Scrounging - was Floating point routines for the 6809

On 03/29/2017 09:05 AM, Fred Cisin via cctalk wrote: > It's amazing how isolated pockets of our cultures can be from each > other! "Multiple peoples divided by a common language" This is something that continually delights me, from the time that I was ridiculed by the downstate Hoosier farmers'

Re: PreOwned machine privacy - Was: Acclaim Entertainment Indy (with data, emails, etc) on eBay

On 03/28/2017 02:36 PM, JP Hindin via cctalk wrote: > But... eMails? I dunno. I've been pulling a lot of data off a Cray > J90 and I've had a lot of people ask me to release it to the public > and I just can't bring myself to do so. I'm _pretty sure_ that it > belonged to NASA, which might mean

Re: PreOwned machine privacy - Was: Acclaim Entertainment Indy (with data, emails, etc) on eBay

On 03/28/2017 06:21 PM, Fred Cisin via cctalk wrote: > When I did media conversion for people, I ignored their content, > other than monitoring for quality control. Same as when I used to do > photographic color printing, and did some for other people. Anything > else would be seriously unethical.

Re: Trip to CHM - Hotel/Restaurant Advice

On 03/30/2017 08:56 PM, Bob Rosenbloom via cctalk wrote: > Corporate Systems Center, and Martin, still exist, as Digital > Loggers, on Walsh Av. I still work there, 20+ years... I still have the manuals and software for his Fastcache and Fastecache 32 SCSI controllers. Got rid of the cards

Re: Extracting files off “unknown” 8 inch disks. Any thoughts…

On 03/22/2017 08:39 PM, Terry Stewart via cctalk wrote: > Chuck, in the highly likely event of the formats NOT being common > CP/M or DOS ones (i.e. ones I could probably manage), I'll give these > guys your email (-: Tez, Here's what I would do in your situation. If the disks are

Re: Architectural diversity - was Re: Pair of Twiggys

On 03/19/2017 08:04 AM, Bill Gunshannon via cctalk wrote: > FORTRAN. FORTRAN D (DOS/360), F and G (OS/360), which were FORTRAN > IV compilers (retronamed "Fortran 66"). VAX/VMS Fortran 77, except > most VAXen of the day you seem to be talking about ran BSD Unix and > Fortran was handled by f2c.

Re: CF cards as storage - wear leveling

On 03/19/2017 11:20 AM, Warner Losh via cctalk wrote: > Just about ANY CF card you buy today new will have wear leveling. > It's almost impossible without trying to be an ass to the card to > have it fail in a few weeks. I've run 64MB cards in Soekris boxes for > a decade w/o any problems. The

Re: Portability of Fortran - was Re: Architectural diversity - was Re: Pair of Twiggys

On 03/19/2017 02:14 PM, Toby Thain via cctalk wrote: > "The Fortran codes implementing the most effective methods are > provided in the included diskette. The codes are portable on virtually > any computer, extensively commented and---hopefully---easy to use." Take a look at early ACM CALGO

Re: Fwd: Re: Architectural diversity - was Re: Pair of Twiggys

On 03/17/2017 06:46 AM, Torfinn Ingolfsen via cctalk wrote: > On Fri, Mar 17, 2017 at 4:31 AM, Chuck Guzis via cctalk > <cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: >> On 03/16/2017 08:19 PM, Fred Cisin via cctalk wrote: >> >> >> Isn't "Valdtrep" a Norwegian marc

Re: Fwd: Re: Architectural diversity - was Re: Pair of Twiggys

On 03/17/2017 10:06 AM, Chuck Guzis via cctalk wrote: > Oh, I know--I was making a joke. It's a fine march and I've > performed it in convert bands many times. Er, make that "concert bands" --Chuck

Re: Fwd: Re: Architectural diversity - was Re: Pair of Twiggys

On 03/17/2017 11:09 AM, Fred Cisin via cctalk wrote: > and, although we don't know when YOU were playing it, the march had > been around half a century, so was probably playing on the radio to > inspire Backus. Does that mean that Dan. might be right about it > being the predecessor to FORTRAN?

Re: Architectural diversity - was Re: Pair of Twiggys

On 03/17/2017 11:41 AM, Paul Koning wrote: > Not quite true. ALGOL was the first choice for a couple of > architectures: Electrologica X8, and the Burroughs 48-bit mainframes. > And I supposed you could claim that status for Bliss in the case of > VAXen, though in a different sense there was a

Re: Architectural diversity - was Re: Pair of Twiggys

On 03/17/2017 11:41 AM, Paul Koning wrote: > Not quite true. ALGOL was the first choice for a couple of > architectures: Electrologica X8, and the Burroughs 48-bit mainframes. > And I supposed you could claim that status for Bliss in the case of > VAXen, though in a different sense there was a

Re: Architectural diversity - was Re: Pair of Twiggys

On 03/16/2017 02:54 PM, Ethan Dicks via cctalk wrote: > On Thu, Mar 16, 2017 at 5:42 PM, Cameron Kaiser via cctalk > wrote: >>> Porting to diverse architectures is still a great way to find >>> latent bugs. >> >> Too bad people can't be arsed to port merely to diverse

Re: Fwd: Re: Architectural diversity - was Re: Pair of Twiggys

On 03/16/2017 06:28 PM, ben via cctalk wrote: > But was FORTRAN that portable? Other than the IBM 1130 I cannot think > of a small computer that had ample I/O and memory to run and compile > FORTRAN. All the other 16 bitters seem to more paper tape I/O. I > suspect 90% of all university computers

Re: Introducing the UUCP/Usenet Project

On 03/21/2017 02:44 PM, Seth Morabito via cctalk wrote: > I would very much like to get one of my 3B2s up and running on this > new UUCP network. I still have a mostly fallow land line that I can > use. When I have some time in the next week or two, I'll try to get > things ready under SVR3 UNIX.

Re: Pair of Twiggys

On 03/15/2017 12:10 PM, Todd Goodman via cctalk wrote: > * Fred Cisin via cctalk [170315 14:48]: > [..SNIP..] >> >> Below the user interface, is Android very similar to Linux? > > [..SNIP..] > > I'd argue that the OS used by Android *is* Linux (with some small >

Mac HFS file recovery; was: Pair of Twiggys

Folks, I was asked to recover files from an old Apple Hard Disk 20 drive (Miniscribe 20MB SCSI). I've been able to read all but two widely-spaced sectors, but no Mac HFS file recovery tool that I've been able to find works. Anyone want to take a crack at it before I resort to extracting

Re: Pair of Twiggys

On 03/14/2017 10:02 PM, Sam O'nella via cctalk wrote: > This statement is hurting my brain. I was never an Apple (company) > user or fan but personally felt the Apple product line was hacker > friendly before the Apple II c threatened to void your warranty if > opened, then the Mac seemed to

Re: Fwd: Re: Architectural diversity - was Re: Pair of Twiggys

On 03/16/2017 08:19 PM, Fred Cisin via cctalk wrote: > In response to a question of who provided the Lisa FORTRAN, guy who > insisted that Valtrep was the predecessor of FORTRAN 'course he also > had OS/2 for the PDP-11, and a PROGRAM that could duplicate alignment > disks, . . . Oh jeez, not

Re: Stuffing boards with pulled QFP chips

On 04/01/2017 07:01 AM, Paul Koning via cctalk wrote: > > Before building my most recent project (which involves an > unpleasantly small-pitched TSOP package housing multiple RS232 level > converters) I asked experts at work (technicians who do a lot of fine > detail soldering) about RoHS. > >

Re: DCC-116 E / DATA GENERAL NOVA 2/10 / Nixdorf 620 - Restoring and restarting

On 04/01/2017 01:45 PM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote: > > > On 4/1/17 12:33 PM, Dominique Carlier via cctalk wrote: >> strange machine, there is a tape reader inside the printer. > > it is used to program vertical forms postioning. the format tape is > in a loop ...and whatever you do, don't

Re: Supercomputers, fishing for information

On 04/03/2017 08:31 PM, Chris Elmquist wrote: > The OS for the ETA -10 was installed from QIC tape because you put it > in through an Apollo DN3000 or similar service unit... pretty sure > that was THE way to get 'er done on that machine. Hmmm, on the STAR (CYBER 200), it was loaded from the

Re: Supercomputers, fishing for information

On 04/03/2017 01:29 PM, Cameron Kaiser via cctalk wrote: > I'm almost afraid to see if the one Jim Battle sent me a long time > ago still works. This points up to a common misunderstanding among vendors, I think. I question the use of QIC for *archival* storage; it certainly was less expensive

Re: RTX-2000 processor PC/AT add-in card (any takers?)

On 04/10/2017 11:41 AM, Dave via cctalk wrote: > I have a Harris RTX-2000 based system control board for a long > defunct system. The board worked when removed more than 20 years ago > in the mid 90's. The RTX-2000 is a stack-based processor designed > for running FORTH. I think it was designed

Re: RTX-2000 processor PC/AT add-in card (any takers?)

On 04/10/2017 04:47 PM, Jecel Assumpcao Jr. via cctalk wrote: > The 64KB segments in the 8086 were not a problem for Pascal (or > Smalltalk, as shown by the Xerox PARC Notetaker computer) because each > heap object and each proceedure can live in a different segment to take > advantage of the

Re: RTX-2000 processor PC/AT add-in card (any takers?)

On 04/10/2017 02:49 PM, Jecel Assumpcao Jr. via cctalk wrote: Thanks for the list--I was aware of the various Java engines and the WD P-code engine, but had never run into the SCAMP. > Some architectures that are considered general purpose have included > features to support specific languages.

Re: RTX-2000 processor PC/AT add-in card (any takers?)

On 04/10/2017 02:23 PM, Eric Smith wrote: > When the 432 project (originally 8800) started, there weren't many > people predicting that C (and its derivatives) would take over the world. That's the danger of a too-aggressive CISC, isn't it? I suppose that it's safe to say that if you look under

Re: RTX-2000 processor PC/AT add-in card (any takers?)

On 04/11/2017 10:05 AM, Paul Koning wrote: > > Back then it would have seemed a reasonable assumption that high > level, strongly typed, languages would continue to flourish. If you > assume Algol or Pascal or Ada, a machine like the 432 (or like the > Burroughs 5500 and its descendants) makes

Re: Supercomputers, fishing for information

On Mon, Apr 3, 2017 at 9:37 AM, AJ Palmgren via cctech < cct...@classiccmp.org> wrote: > Hi, Plamen & Al, > > I'm just catching up on some of these past threads involving QIC > cartridges. What ever became of these Paragon tapes? Were you able > to read them and archive the contents? I'm

Re: Trip to CHM - Hotel/Restaurant Advice

On 03/31/2017 11:17 AM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote: > > > On 3/30/17 9:29 PM, Chuck Guzis via cctalk wrote: > >> In the late 70s, on Evelyn in Sunnyvale, near Wolfe, I believe. > > That would be the original Halted location, Evelyn and Wolfe > > Halted moved t

Re: Stuffing boards with pulled QFP chips

On 04/01/2017 07:41 PM, John Wilson via cctalk wrote: > - I do QFPs (0.5mm and 0.4mm) using a cheap eBay binocular > microscope, Ameritronics solder paste, and a toaster oven controlled > by an Arduino with a homemade shield on it (with a MAX6675 for a > K-type Sparkfun thermocouple which I

Re: Cross-talk square-wave?

On 03/30/2017 09:07 PM, Tony Duell via cctalk wrote: > The fundamental rule is 'You can't change the voltage across a > capacitor instantly'. There is a related one 'You can't change the > current through an inductor instantly'. It (of course) doesn't matter > if said capacitor or inductor is an

Re: Trip to CHM - Hotel/Restaurant Advice

On 03/30/2017 08:04 PM, jim stephens via cctalk wrote: > As to recommendations, I like the Country Inn & Suites by Carlson in > Sunnyvale, which is at Ca 237 and Caribbean. If you run around by > the bay is Weird Stuff, and it is about 2 or so miles from the CHM. > At 237 Caribbean becomes

Re: Trip to CHM - Hotel/Restaurant Advice

On 03/30/2017 08:31 PM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote: > Phelen Ave in San Jose, which was before the larger place on Sycamore > in Milpitas. In the late 70s, on Evelyn in Sunnyvale, near Wolfe, I believe. I could check my old records. I recall when John Fry opened his store, the big seller was

Re: Stuffing boards with pulled QFP chips

On 04/02/2017 07:53 AM, Diane Bruce wrote: > Read this: > > https://nepp.nasa.gov/whisker/reference/tech_papers/2011-nasa-gsfc-whisker-failure-app-sensor.pdf There are problems with the site's certificate, but I was able to wget the paper using the --no-check-certificate option. Tin whiskers

Re: Stuffing boards with pulled QFP chips

On 03/31/2017 06:15 PM, Jon Elson via cctech wrote: > I have a project I do from time to time using 128-lead 14mm TQFPs > with 0.4mm lead spacing. I use a stereo zoom microscope with a > home-made LED ring light. First, I rub the pads with a pencil eraser > to remove oxidation caused by reflow

Re: dataflow

On 04/11/2017 06:24 PM, Jecel Assumpcao Jr. via cctalk wrote: > > I was not aware that there had been any out of order implementations > after the IBM ACS until the second half of the 1990s. Given Cray's > passion for simplicity, I would not expect any of his designs to use > o-o-o (specially

Re: RTX-2000 processor PC/AT add-in card (any takers?)

On 04/11/2017 04:47 PM, Eric Smith wrote: > Apparently there was little concern for either Fortran or COBOL, the > most widely used programming languages at the time. So FORTRAN/Fortran and COBOL are still with us and the 432 is dust. There's a lesson there somewhere... --Chuck

Re: RTX-2000 processor PC/AT add-in card (any takers?)

On 04/11/2017 04:53 PM, Jecel Assumpcao Jr. via cctalk wrote: > I consider the heart of any modern high performance CPU to be a > dataflow architecture (described as an "out of order execution > engine") with a hardware to translate the macrocode (CISC or RISC) to > the dataflow graph and tokens

Re: Does anyone here know Siemens STL?

On 04/11/2017 07:03 PM, Charles Dickman via cctalk wrote: > The Balkanized nature of programming is interesting. > > I make a comment about C and get a flurry of responses, but ask a > question about a programming language that is also very common for > machine control and get no response at

Re: Another language : SDL

On 04/12/2017 09:46 AM, Stefan Skoglund via cctalk wrote: > Anyone with access to a distribution of SDT (Telelogik's SDL > programming system) for old era SunOS 4 ? I have a SS10 which is a > beggar for SDT (or KEE or Frame.) Well, there you go--another reason for the tower of Babel. STL, at

Re: Does anyone here know Siemens STL?

On 04/11/2017 07:03 PM, Charles Dickman via cctalk wrote: > The Balkanized nature of programming is interesting. > > I make a comment about C and get a flurry of responses, but ask a > question about a programming language that is also very common for > machine control and get no response at

Re: If C is so evil why is it so successful?

I think a better question is "Why do you choose to write C (or any other language)?" I can speak for myself--I can't say for sure, but I've written at least hundreds of thousands of line of assembly (not "assembler", please!) language, much of it on mainframes, back when mainframes were fairly

Re: If C is so evil why is it so successful?

On 04/12/2017 03:17 PM, allison via cctalk wrote: > > What the heck its religion. So here's my stir... > > BASIC, why is that the most universal language implemented on nearly > every micro and many other systems. > > Seriously it is a suck language but it gets work done. No kidding. I'm

Re: WTB: DEC Rainbow Expansion Memory

On 04/12/2017 12:41 PM, Warner Losh via cctech wrote: > For you and me both. I was getting read errors on my RX-50, so I > tried to swap in a new drive, and now that's all I get as well. Guess > I'll have to figure out another way to get the Venix/86R disks > copied. Got a PC with a 5.25" HD

Re: Pass on (Was: APL and descendants - was Re: If C is so evil why

On 04/14/2017 10:05 PM, dwight via cctalk wrote: > I have a tiny APL that was written for the 8080 someplace. Just curious, has anyone saved the MCM/70 APL code? --Chuck

Re: If C is so evil why is it so successful?

On 04/13/2017 12:30 PM, Rich Alderson via cctalk wrote: > From: allison Sent: Wednesday, April 12, 2017 3:18 PM > >> BASIC, why is that the most universal language implemented on >> nearly every micro and many other systems. > > Because it was the language offered on the GEIS timesharing system

Re: Bitsavers size

On 04/20/2017 02:12 PM, Glen Slick via cctalk wrote: > What's the thoughput of a station wagon full of Blue-Ray discs > hurtling down the highway? Depends on the destination. For Tristan da Cunha, I'd say it was zero. --Chuck

Re: Bitsavers size

On 04/20/2017 02:35 PM, Fred Cisin via cctalk wrote: > It would only be a bit more than a million 8" SSSD floppies. Best to be period-correct. First 72 columns of an 80-colum punched card. Wonder if you could find a card punch that could do the deed before it broke down. --Chuck

Re: Bitsavers size

On 04/20/2017 10:49 AM, Shoppa, Tim via cctalk wrote: > I remember a PDQ Bach radio quiz show where the prize was The Wagner > Ring Cycle on convenient 45 RPM records. Not to throw a wet blanket on Prof. Schickele's gag, but there *were* (and still are--Standard Vinyl will cut them for you) 12"

Re: If C is so evil why is it so successful?

On 04/13/2017 02:19 PM, Brent Hilpert via cctalk wrote: > While one might argue the proliferation of BASIC on micros followed > from BG/PA & SW/SJ, I'd say their implementations were following a > trend rather than initiating it. BASIC was gaining prominence prior > to their implementations of

Re: If C is so evil why is it so successful?

On 04/13/2017 05:47 PM, Jerry Weiss wrote: > Then my dad got transferred to Chicago and that high school had > “access” to IITRAN. By access, that meant punching cards, and > waiting for the teacher to load in batch and waiting for the results. > > > Losing the interactive aspect overshadowed

Re: If C is so evil why is it so successful?

On 04/13/2017 09:05 PM, Don North wrote: > I especially liked the Spanish language version of IITRAN: > http://www.ak6dn.com/stuff/spantran.pdf That does look like a TTY session. But the use of "hacer" (infinitive) for "DO" is puzzling. I would have made it the imperitive "haga". --Chuck

Re: APL and descendants - was Re: If C is so evil why is it so successful?

On 04/14/2017 08:09 AM, Paul Koning via cctalk wrote: > For that matter, APL itself also still exists, the OpenAPL open > source implementation for example. Works nicely. ...but reduced to a marginal language. I wonder if there's any JOVIAL still in use... --Chuck

Re: Silent 700 thermal paper

My experience with thermal fax paper is that printed copy is best preserved. I discovered a couple of years ago, that manufacturers' faxed copies of data from the early 1990s have faded almost to unreadability. Not black, but faded, as with disappearing ink Storage was in a file folder in a

Re: Extracting files off “unknown” 8 inch disks. Any thoughts…

On 04/17/2017 09:20 PM, Fred Cisin wrote: > Is track 0 sector 1, formatted as 512BPS? If not, how does it even > come up with the idea to try 1024BPS? (in order to read it, to find > out that it should try it for reading it...) > > (at location 0Bh in the BIOS Parameter Block, is the bytes per >

Re: Did we miss the 20th anniversary of classiccmp?

On 04/21/2017 12:28 PM, Paul Koning via cctalk wrote: > Multi-user communication systems of a somewhat different architecture > are even older: "Notes files" on the PLATO system. AUTODIN and predecessors, such as ComLogNet extend into the 1950s. --Chuck

Re: Tape reel data recovery from MERA-400 polish computer

On 03/10/2017 10:58 AM, Paul Koning via cctalk wrote: > >> On Mar 10, 2017, at 1:39 PM, Al Kossow via cctalk >> wrote: >> >> >> The next extension is to track the tachometer values so that you >> can detect and compensate for tape stick/drag which is absolutely >>

Re: Tape reel data recovery from MERA-400 polish computer

On 03/10/2017 09:59 AM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote: > This is fsckin cool. Chuck and I were wondering how it turned out. > > On 3/9/17 7:10 AM, Liam Proven via cctalk wrote: >> http://museo.freaknet.org/en/recupero-dati-nastri-magnetici-del-computer-polacco-mera-400/ That's pretty amazing,

Re: Fluorescent lights (Was: Full immersion emulation)

On 03/06/2017 11:23 AM, Richard Cini via cctalk wrote: > I bought 4x2 (4', 2 bulb) replacement LED fixtures on Amazon to swap > out some of the fluorescent fixtures in my shop. You can get 3 color > temperatures (I got 2700k I think). Hard-wired, but an easy install > and the light is very

Re: Full immersion emulation

On 03/04/2017 01:27 PM, Mark J. Blair via cctalk wrote: > > I mostly remember the shop-vacuum-like whine of the vacuum pump, and > the fluttery thwack of the tape loops forming on load-up. The other > tape motion sounds didn't stick in my memory so much. I do remember > the buzzy grind of the

Re: Magtape write rings [Was: Re: Full immersion emulation]

On 03/05/2017 12:18 PM, Jon Elson via cctalk wrote: > > Mention above about the vacuum capstans. Some really old drives had > two continuously counterrotating capstans with slots in them. Valves > applied either air pressure, to make the tape float over the capstan, > or vacuum, to make the

Re: Full immersion emulation

On 03/04/2017 01:13 PM, Mark J. Blair via cctalk wrote: > Having experienced both 1980s computer rooms and passing kidney > stones, I would like to offer my opinion that visiting a noisy > computer room is something quite fun to do at least once, while one > could skip the experience of passing

Re: Full immersion emulation

On 03/05/2017 12:02 AM, Mark Linimon wrote: > On Sat, Mar 04, 2017 at 01:34:25PM -0800, Chuck Guzis via cctalk > wrote: >> terrible fluorescent lighting. > > There's another kind? The fixtures themselves were so high that they *did* make for some recreation. Bored oper

Re: Magtape write rings [Was: Re: Full immersion emulation]

On 03/05/2017 10:41 AM, Mark J. Blair via cctalk wrote: > > So, was the write enable state latched at some point in the loading > cycle on those drives? That surprises me, because I would have > expected the write enable sensor to interrupt write current as > combinatorial function on the drive,

Re: Full immersion emulation

On 03/01/2017 11:14 AM, Charles Anthony via cctalk wrote: > Part of the iconic mainframe experience is the cold room sounds; for early > Multics installations (and other systems) the sound of the Selectric > operator's console. There is no way that I'd wish anyone would have to put up with the

Re: Stuffing boards with pulled QFP chips

On 04/01/2017 08:28 AM, Jon Elson wrote: > On 03/31/2017 11:15 PM, Chuck Guzis via cctech wrote: >> I use pretty much the same method, but start off with just a >> binocular loupe and then finish with a stereo microscope for final >> inspection. > Oh, the trick for this is there are inspection

Re: interesting... hp-9000 in the news! - russian-hackers-used-backdoor-two-decades

On 04/03/2017 03:39 PM, Ed via cctalk wrote: > > interesting... hp-9000 in the news! - > russian-hackers-used-backdoor-two-decades > > https://www.wired.com/2017/04/russian-hackers-used-backdoor-two-decades/?mbi > d=nl_4317_p3=42833909 Indeed this: “This is a field that’s not

Re: Extracting files off “unknown” 8 inch disks. Any thoughts…

On 04/17/2017 07:01 PM, Terry Stewart via cctalk wrote: > Yes, the point is Fred, it didn't. So, if /N is 15, then it must > ONLY accept T:40 or 80, yea? WinNT/2K/XP will read Japanese PC98 MS-DOS 1024*8*2*77, but I don't know if it'll format that particular format (never tried). --Chuck

Re: Extracting files off “unknown” 8 inch disks. Any thoughts…

On 04/17/2017 05:43 PM, Terry Stewart via cctalk wrote: >>> It may also be that is just doesn't support 77 and can only do 80 >>> tracks. > >> I don't think it is this. I can format it fine with 77 tracks >> using 22DSK > and IMD. It has no problem reading or >writing to 77 track formatted >

Re: C, STL, primitive languages that live on and on ... Re: Does anyone here know Siemens STL?

On 04/17/2017 01:23 PM, Guy Dawson via cctalk wrote: > I think timing had a lot to do with C's success. > > It's a decent language and at the time powerful and flexible compared > to other languages. Universities picked up UNIX and C and taught a > lot of students. The went forth taking their

Re: What would cause a regular pattern of bad sectors?

On 04/24/2017 02:40 PM, Terry Stewart wrote: > Guys, you were on the right track. I looked carefully the disk > surface while rotating it. It's subtle but there is a radial > kink/distortion in the platter. You can only really see it if you > have strong light, like that from a bulb,

Re: The first CD

On 2017-07-28 4:31 GMT-03:00 jim stephens via cctalk : > >> >> Be the first on your block to own this one. I'm sure you can read >> it. >> >> The-First-CD-Vintage-One-Only/ >> http://www.ebay.com/itm/322349181899 Well, to start with, let's take the obvious: 14" is

Re: Cleaning a board slightly oxydized ??

On 07/31/2017 09:24 AM, Warner Losh via cctalk wrote: > And there's often impurities in household vinegar, so you have to be > a little careful which ones you use for cleaning. Balsamic Vinegar, > not a good choice :). Though most of the white vinegars or > concentrated vinegars work well enough

Re: Cleaning a board slightly oxydized ??

On 07/31/2017 10:18 AM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote: > has anyone ever determined what the real active ingredient is in that > stuff? The MSDS is an exemplar for industrial obfuscation: http://www.techni-tool.com/site/MSDS/218CH052.pdf Composition? It's all proprietary, so we can't tell you.

Re: Freight Shipping

On 08/01/2017 07:02 AM, Pete Lancashire via cctalk wrote: > Or find a place that ships a lot of stuff and do the same there. In my case, this. The outfit I use has a contract with a freight shipper and their price for packing, palletizing and shipping is often lower than my cost when dealing

Re: Stearns Computer

On 08/14/2017 10:40 AM, Chris Elmquist wrote: > Stearns Computer was here in Minneapolis (Minnetonka actually) and was > started by a bunch of former CPT guys. I'm not sure I ever heard any > history of the name but it may have ties to Stearns County which is > just to the NW of the Cities or

Re: Disk imaging with IMD - question

On 08/10/2017 01:29 AM, Christian Corti via cctalk wrote: > That really depends on the drive. Ok, I think the Qume is "smart" > enough to inhibit any write to side 1 on a SS media. But OTOH, many > other drives are just happy doing anything that you request (e.g. the > BASF drives I also use).

Re: Disk imaging with IMD - question

On 08/09/2017 10:57 AM, Richard Cini via cctalk wrote: > "DON'T ASSUME..." AS THEY SAY ON TV. I'M OK WITH THE ADDITIONAL CLARITY. > SINCE YOU HAVE A WORKING 242, WOULD YOU MIND CONFIRMING THE JUMPER SETTINGS > FOR ME? JUST TRYING TO ELIMINATE AS MANY POTENTIAL ERROR POINTS. I had a look and a

Re: Floppy Disk Images

On 08/11/2017 10:58 AM, Marvin Johnston via cctalk wrote: > I seem to recall this topic has been brought up a couple of times > over the past 20 years or so that ClassicCmp has been in existance, > but I can't find the info. And technology has advanced :). > > I have probably at least 10,000

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