New mailadress

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Hi

I've been using this adress for many years: "pon...@update.uu.se". But 
the club is now at risk of loosing the domain name. I'm therefore moving 
over to "pon...@dfupdate.se"

Sorry if this is of topic but I have made many acquaintances on this 
list that might not find out otherwise.

Regards,
Pontus.

New mailadress

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Hi

I've been using this adress for many years: "pon...@update.uu.se". But 
the club is now at risk of loosing the domain name. I'm therefore moving 
over to "pon...@dfupdate.se"

Sorry if this is of topic but I have made many acquaintances on this 
list that might not find out otherwise.

Regards,
Pontus.

Re: Large Scale Systems Museum

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Wow, my coffee has not kicked in yet :D

I meant to say: Update has cooling problems as well so I know how 
frustrating it can be.

Regards,
Pontus

On Tue, Jun 15, 2021 at 08:26:12AM +0200, Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk wrote:
> Hi
> 
> Donated a (small) amount. I know, from experience with, Update Computer 
> Club) knows what no cooling and big computers can be like :)
> 
> Will you keep us updated on progress?
> 
> Good Luck,
> Pontus
> 
> On Thu, Jun 10, 2021 at 06:56:49PM -0400, Mike Loewen via cctalk wrote:
> > 
> >https://www.mact.io/
> > 
> >Hi folks!  We've been away from Facebook for awhile, but we've been
> > staying busy here.  Now that things are starting to get back to normal from
> > the disruption of Covid19, we're doing tours again, and we're getting our
> > volunteer work days rolling again, restoring more and more vintage systems
> > for you to enjoy.
> > 
> >However, we're in a bit of a pickle, and we need your help.  Our main
> > floor air conditioning system has died, and is beyond repair.  It's a
> > 40-year-old power hungry system anyway, so it really just needs to be
> > replaced.  We have a quote in-hand from a local, reputable A/C contractor
> > for a brand new, ultra-efficient system, and we're trying to raise funds
> > for it, about $8500. We're already about halfway there from recent private
> > donations.  If we're unable to get the rest of the way there, we'll have no
> > choice but to close for the summer.
> > 
> >As an all-volunteer, donation-funded nonprofit educational organization,
> > we depend on your support to keep doing what we do.  Please help us if you
> > can. We accept donations via PayPal to donati...@mact.io, or via
> > check/money order made out to Museum of Applied Computer Technology, mailed
> > to the museum at 924 4th Avenue, New Kensington, PA 15068.
> > 
> >Any overage will be put toward our utility bills and other operating
> > expenses. LSSM/MACT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
> > 
> >  Thank you,
> >  -Dave McGuire
> >   President/Curator, LSSM/MACT

Re: Large Scale Systems Museum

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Hi

Donated a (small) amount. I know, from experience with, Update Computer 
Club) knows what no cooling and big computers can be like :)

Will you keep us updated on progress?

Good Luck,
Pontus

On Thu, Jun 10, 2021 at 06:56:49PM -0400, Mike Loewen via cctalk wrote:
> 
>https://www.mact.io/
> 
>Hi folks!  We've been away from Facebook for awhile, but we've been
> staying busy here.  Now that things are starting to get back to normal from
> the disruption of Covid19, we're doing tours again, and we're getting our
> volunteer work days rolling again, restoring more and more vintage systems
> for you to enjoy.
> 
>However, we're in a bit of a pickle, and we need your help.  Our main
> floor air conditioning system has died, and is beyond repair.  It's a
> 40-year-old power hungry system anyway, so it really just needs to be
> replaced.  We have a quote in-hand from a local, reputable A/C contractor
> for a brand new, ultra-efficient system, and we're trying to raise funds
> for it, about $8500. We're already about halfway there from recent private
> donations.  If we're unable to get the rest of the way there, we'll have no
> choice but to close for the summer.
> 
>As an all-volunteer, donation-funded nonprofit educational organization,
> we depend on your support to keep doing what we do.  Please help us if you
> can. We accept donations via PayPal to donati...@mact.io, or via
> check/money order made out to Museum of Applied Computer Technology, mailed
> to the museum at 924 4th Avenue, New Kensington, PA 15068.
> 
>Any overage will be put toward our utility bills and other operating
> expenses. LSSM/MACT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
> 
>  Thank you,
>  -Dave McGuire
>   President/Curator, LSSM/MACT

Re: The weird stuff I keep finding: 19 bit core memory?

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

I know for certain they had KL and KS machines but no KA.

It is possible they had a KI machine.

/P

On Thu, Oct 22, 2020 at 01:42:43PM -0400, Chris Zach wrote:
> Exactly. See:
> 
> http://www.crystel.com/pdp/DSC_0032.JPG
> 
> So which class of pdp-10 did QZ have? KA or KI?
> 
> CZ
> 
> On 10/22/2020 1:33 PM, Pontus Pihlgren wrote:
> > Does yours look like this:
> > 
> > https://digitaltmuseum.se/021026360851/ferritkarnminne
> > 
> > The one pictured should be from QZ which had PDP-10 machines.
> > 
> > On Wed, Oct 21, 2020 at 05:48:22PM -0400, Chris Zach via cctalk wrote:
> > > Very similar to mine, however this one has only one of the core mats
> > > un-woven. Want me to take a picture of it?
> > > 
> > > C
> > > 
> > > On 10/21/2020 1:33 PM, Richard Sheppard via cctalk wrote:
> > > > There’s a piece of core on eBay 
> > > > https://www.ebay.com/itm/DEC-Digital-H214-Digital-Equipment-Core-Memory-Litton-38540-1/111384040291
> > > >  which claims to be H214. The interesting thing is the label says 8K x 
> > > > 16 but the silkscreen says 8K x 19.
> > > > 
> > > > Sent from Mail for Windows 10
> > > > 

Re: The weird stuff I keep finding: 19 bit core memory?

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Does yours look like this:

https://digitaltmuseum.se/021026360851/ferritkarnminne

The one pictured should be from QZ which had PDP-10 machines.

On Wed, Oct 21, 2020 at 05:48:22PM -0400, Chris Zach via cctalk wrote:
> Very similar to mine, however this one has only one of the core mats
> un-woven. Want me to take a picture of it?
> 
> C
> 
> On 10/21/2020 1:33 PM, Richard Sheppard via cctalk wrote:
> > There’s a piece of core on eBay 
> > https://www.ebay.com/itm/DEC-Digital-H214-Digital-Equipment-Core-Memory-Litton-38540-1/111384040291
> >  which claims to be H214. The interesting thing is the label says 8K x 16 
> > but the silkscreen says 8K x 19.
> > 
> > Sent from Mail for Windows 10
> > 

Re: The weird stuff I keep finding: 19 bit core memory?

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Tue, Oct 20, 2020 at 11:26:22PM -0400, Chris Zach via cctalk wrote:
> > Or maybe a PDP-15?  18 bits plus parity.
> 
> Possible, did the pdp15 use that type of board?
> 

I have seen PDP-15 core memory and it is not that format. It looks like 
the memory modules from a PDP-8/I or -8/L

Admittedly, the PDP-15/XVM might have had something else.. not sure what 
model the core I saw came from.

/P

Re: FIRE SALE!

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Thu, Oct 15, 2020 at 01:41:11PM -0700, Josh Dersch via cctalk wrote:
> with a spare set of 11/70 boards.  What sold me though was that the 11/70
> has a PEP70 + Hypercache board set installed (which would be really cool,
> assuming anything in there can be made to work again).

Lucky bastard :) I hope those boards i salvagable. The PDP-11/70 that we 
run at update (http://magica.update.uu.se/) has seen it's fair share of 
trouble. Most often the PSU fails but after that it is memory and cache 
that has been causing the most issues.


Regards,
Pontus.

Re: Looking For Computer Automation LSI-3/05 Documentation

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Thu, Oct 08, 2020 at 11:57:01PM +, TangentDelta via cctalk wrote:
> Hello.
> 
> I have two card cages out of a pair of Linotron 202 phototypesetting 
> machines, and have been hunting for documentation for the Naked Mini systems 
> used in them for over a year now. The Computer Automation CPU boards in the 
> systems have been a complete mystery to me until recently. To make a long 
> story short, I happened to stumble across the patent for the machine 
> (https://patents.google.com/patent/US4254468A/en), which has the same bus 
> configuration as my card cages, and also provides some good evidence that 
> "Naked Milli" 3/05 CPU boards were used.
> I've found documentation for the LSI 3/05's instruction set and an 
> informative brochure, but nothing technical. Bitsavers has been a great help 
> in my efforts to uncover more information about this processor, but there's 
> still a lot of technical information that has eluded me (such as the autoload 
> ROM, and how its data is arranged). The LSI-series computer handbook mentions 
> a dedicated manual for the LSI 3/05, but I haven't found anything else about 
> it online.
> 
> If anyone has any information about the LSI 3/05, or where I might look for 
> the manual, it'd be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks.

Hi

This seems to be mostly about the Naked Mini 4. But perhaps you can find 
something useful:

http://www.update.uu.se/~pontus/CA-mirror/www.sdu.se/

or maybe here:

ftp://ftp.update.uu.se/pub/pontus/alpha_lsi

Regards,
Pontus

Re: XX2247 Corporate Status

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Thu, Jul 30, 2020 at 12:05:46PM -0700, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote:
> On 7/30/20 10:59 AM, Craig Ruff via cctech wrote:
> > FYI: XX2247, LLC is now listed with a "delinquent" status by the Colorado 
> > Secretary of State's office due to a failure to file required reports back 
> > in 2018.
> > 
> 
> That is not good. I hope Dave is OK.
> He lost his house in the big Colorado fires years ago
> and I haven't talked to him in years.
> 
> I wonder if Johnny has heard anything from him.

Which of the Johnnys?

/P

Charles Lasner [Was: Re: LINC-8]

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Mon, Apr 27, 2020 at 09:08:24AM -0500, John H. Reinhardt via cctalk wrote:
> Charles Lasner.  He passed the weekend of April 3rd due to 
> complications from the COVID-19 virus.  I'm fuzzy on his exact 
> biography, but he was big in the development of OS/8 for the PDP-8 at 
> DEC.  His current project was an update of OS/8 which he called 
> P?S/8.  Apparently he owned multiple LINC-8's according to comments on 
> the Facebook group.

He also worked onKermit-12, for instance the code that identifies which 
PDP-8 machine it is running on. It is quite fun to follow that code. It 
can, impressively, separate between a PDP-5, LINC-8, PDP-12, Straight-8, 
8/S, 8/I, 8/L, 8/E, 8/A, 6100 and 6120.

Here, search for "MACHINE,.-."
http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ftp/d/k12mit.pal

A lot of PDP-8 know-how and trivia went with him, sorry to see him go.

/P

Re: UniBone: Linux-to-DEC-UNIBUS-bridge, year #1

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Tue, Jan 28, 2020 at 08:06:09AM -0800, Josh Dersch via cctalk wrote:
> I'll add that I started working on RH11 emulation on the Unibone last week,
> i'm making steady progress (as of yesterday it's able to boot the 2.11BSD
> kernel before falling over).  16-bit only at the moment, 18-bit will
> require some infrastructure work but I'll leave that to Joerg :).
> 

I just ordered a UniBone from Joerg, and my KS10 seems to work ok to the 
extent that I can test it.

Is your code available somewhere? You will probably run circles around 
me while I get up to speed on what is what, but I would still like to 
set up a development environment.

/P

Re: Lars Hamrén / Computer Automation Museum Project

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

I'll make another effort to reach Lars.

/P

On Thu, Jan 02, 2020 at 11:06:17AM -0800, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote:
> I never heard anything more about this.
> It would be good to get the manuals back online
> 
> On 10/16/19 10:13 AM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote:
> > there was an email adr on the site, and I've asked if I can mirror the
> > contents on bitsavers
> > 
> > 
> > On 10/16/19 10:01 AM, Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk wrote:
> >> On Wed, Oct 16, 2019 at 07:00:55PM +0200, Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk wrote:
> >>> On Wed, Oct 16, 2019 at 06:42:15PM +0200, Stefan Skoglund via cctalk 
> >>> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> svensk datorutveckling i lund (swedish computer development in Lund)
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>> There is/was a Lars Hamrén at sdu. I know because I 
> >>> have met him when he picked up some CA computers from 
> >>> a friend.
> >>>
> >>> /P
> >>
> >> And I can reach out to him and ask bout the page.
> >>
> >> /P
> >>
> > 
> > 
> 

Re: UniBone: Linux-to-DEC-UNIBUS-bridge, year #1

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

This thread makes me very happy.

I have a KS10 that I'm working on (quite slowly). The PSU is checked out 
and working. Then console seems to work, I can deposit/examine to CRAM 
and RAM.

Next step will be to load micro code and I've been mentally preparing to 
tackle an RH11 emulator for the Unibone.

I'll buy one from Joerg as soon as the second batch is ready and me and 
my KS10 will happily be guinea pigs.

And if I can, I'll help with development.

Regards,
Pontus.

Re: Lars Hamrén / Computer Automation Museum Project

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Wed, Oct 16, 2019 at 07:00:55PM +0200, Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk wrote:
> On Wed, Oct 16, 2019 at 06:42:15PM +0200, Stefan Skoglund via cctalk wrote:
> > 
> > svensk datorutveckling i lund (swedish computer development in Lund)
> > 
> > 
> 
> There is/was a Lars Hamrén at sdu. I know because I 
> have met him when he picked up some CA computers from 
> a friend.
> 
> /P

And I can reach out to him and ask bout the page.

/P

Re: Lars Hamrén / Computer Automation Museum Project

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Wed, Oct 16, 2019 at 06:42:15PM +0200, Stefan Skoglund via cctalk wrote:
> 
> svensk datorutveckling i lund (swedish computer development in Lund)
> 
> 

There is/was a Lars Hamrén at sdu. I know because I 
have met him when he picked up some CA computers from 
a friend.

/P

Re: Computer Automation Naked Mini circuit boards

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

I have a Naked Mini, where are you located?

I couldn't see your images.. not sure if my vcfed account is still good. 
So I don't know what you have.

/P

On Wed, Oct 02, 2019 at 09:31:09AM +, Roland via cctech wrote:
> Hello,
> I was wondering if anyone has a Computer Automation Naked Mini.
> I have these boards and I have no clue what to do with it. So if anyoneis 
> interested please let me know. Pictures are in this vcfed topic:
> http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthread.php?68302-Computer-Automation-Naked-Mini-circuit-boardsAlso
>  interested in swap with omnibus material...
> 
> Regards, Roland

Re: One of the deeper dives into RISC vs CISC I've seen

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Sat, Jun 15, 2019 at 08:25:13AM -0700, Chuck Guzis via cctalk wrote:
> 
> It's difficult to say exactly, because of the constraints on the
> definition.   Or does something have to be RISC only if it came after
> the definition?
> 

I would say that one of the points he was making is that the definition 
is not very clear.

It was enlightning to see that there are properties and traits other 
than instruction count and addressing mode counts that make a design 
RISCy or CISCy

(I haven't read the whole thing yet, it requires some digestion: )

/P

Re: SGI IRIX 6.5 Screen Savers (emulated Indy w/ 24-bit XL graphics) running in MAME

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

That is impressive! Is it close to real time we are seeing?

/P

On Thu, Jun 06, 2019 at 10:38:35AM -0700, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote:
> pretty cool..
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6E0_qgfGGQ
> 

Re: Yes there is a PDP 10 front panel and Kenbak on Ebay

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Hi

Could you provide an URL. ebay search works (or not works) in mysterious 
ways.

/P

On Wed, Apr 03, 2019 at 02:51:41PM -0400, Bill Degnan via cctalk wrote:
> Yes there is a PDP 10 front panel and  Kenbak on Ebay
> 
> and no, a "best offer" of $250 for the front panel will not be accepted.
> :-)
> 
> Bill

Re: PDP-8 signed overflow detection

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

I thought about it during the bus ride home. I don't 
think I got it right. I'll try again after the kids 
go to bed.

/P

On Thu, Mar 21, 2019 at 04:37:26PM +0100, Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk wrote:
> Hmm, sounds like a fun thing to figure out. How about this for a start. 
> Naive, written five minutes before I have to catch my bus, untested.
> 
> I hope I understood the problem at least :)
> 
> /P
> 
> SATSUM,0
>CLA CLL
>TAD I SATSUM
>ISZ SATSUM
>TAD I SATSUM
>ISZ SATSUM
>SNL
>JMP I SATSUM
>AND (4000)
>SZA
>TAD (3777)
>JMP I SATSUM
> 
> On Thu, Mar 21, 2019 at 12:26:37AM -0700, Kyle Owen via cctalk wrote:
> > What is the shortest subroutine on a PDP-8 which will add two variables in
> > RAM and return the saturated sum (that is, returning 2047 or -2048 upon
> > overflow, otherwise the sum) in the accumulator?
> > 
> > Kyle

Re: PDP-8 signed overflow detection

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Hmm, sounds like a fun thing to figure out. How about this for a start. 
Naive, written five minutes before I have to catch my bus, untested.

I hope I understood the problem at least :)

/P

SATSUM,0
   CLA CLL
   TAD I SATSUM
   ISZ SATSUM
   TAD I SATSUM
   ISZ SATSUM
   SNL
   JMP I SATSUM
   AND (4000)
   SZA
   TAD (3777)
   JMP I SATSUM

On Thu, Mar 21, 2019 at 12:26:37AM -0700, Kyle Owen via cctalk wrote:
> What is the shortest subroutine on a PDP-8 which will add two variables in
> RAM and return the saturated sum (that is, returning 2047 or -2048 upon
> overflow, otherwise the sum) in the accumulator?
> 
> Kyle

Re: Looking for Limited Function Board

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Hi Paul

I have put pictures of the boards here:

http://pdp8.se/slask/LFB

have.jpg is the board I have and want.jpg is the one 
I'm looking for.

The identifying numbers are in aproximately the same 
place. But you can clearly see that the "want" board 
is much simplified and if I interpret the 
documentation correctly they are not compatible.

I'm happy to be proven wrong, maybe I should just try 
it.

/P


On Tue, Feb 05, 2019 at 07:54:39PM -0600, Paul Anderson via cctalk wrote:
> Hi Pontus,
> 
> I looked at my limited function front panels, and they were 54-11507s. I
> have not looked at any prints. Where did you find the 54-11165 number?
> Could it be for a Q-bus system?
> 
> The 50-X is the etched PCB. DEC usually added a 1 to that number to
> make it complete board.
> 
> Thanks, Paul
> 
> 
> 
> On Mon, Feb 4, 2019 at 9:41 PM Paul Anderson  wrote:
> 
> > I have a few of the limited function and programmers panels. I do not
> > recall either of them being dependent on particular backplane. I'll try to
> > pull a few a few later and check the part number on them.
> >
> > Remember, a 54-X number can become a 70-X with the addition of a
> > cable or something simple.
> >
> > Paul
> >
> > On Mon, Feb 4, 2019 at 12:51 PM Anders Sandahl via cctech <
> > cct...@classiccmp.org> wrote:
> >
> >> > Date: Sun, 3 Feb 2019 22:22:42 +0100
> >> > From: Pontus Pihlgren 
> >> > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
> >> >   
> >> > Subject: Looking for Limited Function Board
> >> > Message-ID: <20190203212242.gf24...@update.uu.se>
> >> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> >> >
> >> > Hi
> >> >
> >> > I'm restoring a PDP-8/a with the help of some
> >> > friends. The CPU is now passing the MAINDECs I've
> >> > thrown at it. The memory is a modern semiconductor
> >> > board my friend Anders Sandahl made.
> >> >
> >> > This machine is pieced together from several others
> >> > and the limited function panel I got does not match
> >> > the backplane I have.
> >> >
> >> > My theory is the DEC simplified the design of the
> >> > boardto cut costs and simpler design is not
> >> > compatible. Mine is labeled (on the PCB):
> >> >
> >> > "LIMITED FUNCTION BD.
> >> > 5411507
> >> > 5011506C-P2"
> >> >
> >> > And the one I need is:
> >> >
> >> > "LIMITED FUNCTION
> >> > 5411165
> >> > 5011167"
> >> >
> >> > However, the picture I have of the other is not so
> >> > good. I may have read the numbera wrong.
> >> >
> >> > I would very much like to buy one to finish this
> >> > project.
> >> >
> >> > /P
> >>
> >> Får du inget napp så ritar jag upp ett kort till dig, det borde gå att
> >> flytta över brytarna från det du har. Lite synd att scrappa ett
> >> originalkort bara, men är man försiktigt så man inte tar sönder det så går
> >> det ju att återställa...
> >>
> >> /A
> >>
> >>

Looking for Limited Function Board

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Hi

I'm restoring a PDP-8/a with the help of some 
friends. The CPU is now passing the MAINDECs I've 
thrown at it. The memory is a modern semiconductor 
board my friend Anders Sandahl made.

This machine is pieced together from several others 
and the limited function panel I got does not match 
the backplane I have.

My theory is the DEC simplified the design of the 
boardto cut costs and simpler design is not 
compatible. Mine is labeled (on the PCB):

"LIMITED FUNCTION BD.
5411507
5011506C-P2"

And the one I need is:

"LIMITED FUNCTION
5411165
5011167"

However, the picture I have of the other is not so 
good. I may have read the numbera wrong.

I would very much like to buy one to finish this 
project.

/P

Re: 11/70 - original or 570 model more desirable?

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Wed, Jan 30, 2019 at 10:49:12PM -0500, Bill Degnan via cctech wrote:
> Random question
> would you prefer having, if you had to pick only one, the original PDP
> 11/70 or the newer "blue cabinets" PDP 11/70, assuming both were complete
> configurations with racks of storage etc as they would have been sold, more
> or less.
> 
> Assume space and power are not issues, consider just the machine itself.

Luckily for me the local computer club has both the maroon model in a 
H960 as well as the blue corporate cab model. So while space is a bit 
tight I don't have to consider it :)

I have spent more time with the H960, so I might be biased. But ignoring 
any subjective preference for color I do prefer the H960 simply because 
it is easier to work with, less bulky metal panes to remove in order to 
gain access to the CPU. And it is easier to move arround.

This seems like a very pleasant problem to have, are you facing the 
choice?

/P

Re: IBM in TX

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Fri, Jan 11, 2019 at 10:20:43AM -0800, Fritz Mueller via cctalk wrote:
> I think I see an H960 with a couple DEC half panels stuck on it peeking out 
> of the very back there...

Those are definitely H960. the front rack has a big 
tape drive.

a quick google reveals that Atex made newspaper 
publishing tools with PDP-11

https://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/minicomputers/11/366/1944

There is potential for goodies in there.

Cindy, where you askin "who bought this?" or "who 
wants to buy this?"


/P

Re: off topic - capatob - saratov2 computer Russsian pdp8? HELP

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Hi again

Olafs also found this:
http://www.nedopc.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9778

Unless you know russian, maybe you can use google translate.

Regards,
Pontus.

On Tue, Jan 08, 2019 at 11:06:12AM +0100, Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk 
wrote:
> Hi Iain
> 
> I asked a guy from Latvia that I know, Olafs. He recognized the 
> transistors as KT315 A and B. Collector is middle pin.
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KT315
> 
> He might also be able to help with spare lights, contact me off-list. 
> Unfortunately he has no documentation.
> 
> /P
> 
> On Sat, Jan 05, 2019 at 06:36:56PM +, Dr Iain Maoileoin via cctalk 
> wrote:
> > Off topic, but looking for help and/or wisdom.
> > 
> > If you visit https://www.scotnet.co.uk/iain/saratov 
> > <https://www.scotnet.co.uk/iain/saratov>/ <https://www.scotnet.co.uk/iain/> 
> > you will see some photos and wire-lists of work that I have started on the 
> > front panel of a Capatob 2.
> > 
> > I plan to get the switches and lights running on a blinkenbone board with a 
> > PDP8 emulation behind it.  (I already have an PDP11/70 front-panel running 
> > on the same infrastructure)
> > 
> > I have been struggling for over a year to get much info about this saratov 
> > computer (circuit diagrams etc).  So I have started the reverse engineering 
> > on the panel.
> > 
> > Does anybody know anything about this computer?  online or offline it would 
> > be much appreciated.
> > 
> > Iain

Re: off topic - capatob - saratov2 computer Russsian pdp8? HELP

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Hi Iain

I asked a guy from Latvia that I know, Olafs. He recognized the 
transistors as KT315 A and B. Collector is middle pin.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KT315

He might also be able to help with spare lights, contact me off-list. 
Unfortunately he has no documentation.

/P

On Sat, Jan 05, 2019 at 06:36:56PM +, Dr Iain Maoileoin via cctalk 
wrote:
> Off topic, but looking for help and/or wisdom.
> 
> If you visit https://www.scotnet.co.uk/iain/saratov 
> /  
> you will see some photos and wire-lists of work that I have started on the 
> front panel of a Capatob 2.
> 
> I plan to get the switches and lights running on a blinkenbone board with a 
> PDP8 emulation behind it.  (I already have an PDP11/70 front-panel running on 
> the same infrastructure)
> 
> I have been struggling for over a year to get much info about this saratov 
> computer (circuit diagrams etc).  So I have started the reverse engineering 
> on the panel.
> 
> Does anybody know anything about this computer?  online or offline it would 
> be much appreciated.
> 
> Iain

Re: Working Ardent Titan on Youtube

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Mon, Nov 26, 2018 at 11:24:17AM -0600, Jon Elson wrote:
> On 11/26/2018 09:41 AM, Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk wrote:
> >Hi.
> >
> >Just restating what I said in another forum. This is
> >the coolest thing I've seen in a long while.
> >
> >Even though I'm an Ardent fan of sgi. SGI is left in
> >the dust by this machine.
> >
> >
> Well, not absolutely sure of that.  I had a cast-off SGI IRIS 2020
> here that I got running for a while with donor boards before it died
> again.  I think the old IRIS could at least get somewhere close to
> that level of performance.  Probably the IRIS CPU was less powerful,
> but the graphics engine was pretty decent.
> 

Certainly, SGI graphics was probably on par (I haven't looked closer), 
but the Cray like vector processor adds a level of performance not 
possible with contemporary SGI machines.

Also, do you mean the 3020 perhaps? Not sure if there was an IRIS 2020. 
The CPU in the 2000 and 3000 series was motorola 68k, it was with the 
"4D" product line that SGI introduced the MIPS and the first models was 
only single CPU systems.

Either way, do you have anything left of your IRIS? I have a 3120, which 
worked when last turned on.

Regards,
Pontus.

Re: Working Ardent Titan on Youtube

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Hi.

Just restating what I said in another forum. This is 
the coolest thing I've seen in a long while.

Even though I'm an Ardent fan of sgi. SGI is left in 
the dust by this machine.

/P


On Sun, Nov 25, 2018 at 03:42:53PM +0100, Camiel Vanderhoeven via cctech wrote:
> Now that my mousepad problem has been solved, and I have a fully working 
> Ardent Titan with some interesting software on it – the bundled version of 
> MATLAB, and BIOGRAF, a molecular modeling application – I decided to make a 
> short video about this system in which I show the hardware and demonstrate 
> some of the software: https://youtu.be/tMSnnt3iFz0
> 
>  
> 
> For those who haven’t heard of the system; the 1987 Ardent Titan (later 
> renamed the Stardent 1500) was the first system that combined vector 
> processors (as in a Cray-like architecture) and a graphics engine on the same 
> backplane, and was the highest-performing graphics supercomputer for a short 
> while. In the end, however, a longer than planned time to market and a forced 
> merger with Stellar Computer caused the premature demise of the company.
> 
>  
> 
> Cleve Moler, the inventor of MATLAB, worked at Ardent for three years, which 
> is one of the reasons the Titan was the only computer ever to come with 
> MATLAB as part of its bundled software. As I found out later – after creating 
> this video – the version of MATLAB on the Titan was unique, because it 
> included a “render” command, which would plot a 3D surface using the Doré 
> graphics library. On other platforms, MATLAB could only render mesh plots. It 
> wasn’t until 1992 that the mainstream version of MATLAB gained 3D surface 
> rendering.
> 
>  
> 
> Cleve wrote a number of articles on his blog about the Titan, one of which 
> (https://blogs.mathworks.com/cleve/2013/12/09/the-ardent-titan-part-2/) 
> describes how the Titan was used to create a video of a vibrating L-shaped 
> membrane. With a little help from Cleve, I’m trying to recreate this video. A 
> first effort – which isn’t quite right yet – can be seen here: 
> https://youtu.be/-XeabDqRAG8
> 
>  
> 
> I hope some of you enjoy these!
> 
>  
> 
> Camiel
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 

Re: cctalk/cctech

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Wed, Nov 21, 2018 at 06:18:25AM -0800, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote:
> On 11/21/18 6:06 AM, Noel Chiappa via cctalk wrote:
> >I thought cctalk was supposed to be a complete superset of cctech, but
> >looking at the cctech archives, I see a lot of posts that didn't make it
> >to cctalk. Does one need to do both to see everything?
> >
> > Noel
> >
> 
> Yes, unfortunately.
> Most of the "removing PVA" thread never made it to cctlk
> 
> I think it's time for cctech to die.
> 
> 

I agree!

/P

Re: VAX 9440

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

That is a behemoth!!

Did you ger that huge powerforming thingy that goes 
with it?

Are you crazy enough to atempt a power-up?

/P

On Wed, Nov 07, 2018 at 09:55:07PM -0500, Evan Koblentz via cctalk wrote:
> The VCF museum took delivery of a VAX 9440 today.
> 
> It arrived in two 28-foot trailers. Here's our forklift driver
> beginning to unload the first truck:
> 
> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E-Q5xrsYXyjrZEZh92xIBhlStvvNUcRV/view?usp=sharing
> 
> Here's a teaser picture of the main cabinet:
> 
> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bEpSMzBEeOvuDnzPQ9Npc7iYmDhjZq8c/view?usp=sharing
> 
> The full system is 30-40 feet long when it's all set up! It is in
> pristine condition and was in service at a defense contractor until
> a couple of months ago.
> 
> Rumor has it that we arranged for another one to land in Dave
> McGuire's Large Scale Systems Museum collection, and a third to be
> with Bob Roswell's System Source collection. :)  Perhaps they'll
> post updates too!

Re: Did anyone see Vintage Tech Hunters on Discovery Canada yet?

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Thu, Nov 08, 2018 at 05:13:20PM -0600, Jason T via cctalk wrote:
> On Thu, Nov 8, 2018 at 3:54 PM Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk
>  wrote:
> > And they walked tight by his VT05 :)
> 
> And I'd have told them to keep walking!  

:D

> But really, it's a video games/kitchy electronics 
> show; they're not hardcore computer collectors.  I 
> don't even know what a show about "us" would look 
> like. 

I'd rather not find out :) It was fun to watch 
though, close enough to my interrests to be 
entertaining.

> Probably nothing that would fit in 23 minutes 
> - it can take me that long just to tell the story 
> of how I acquired a single item.

Showing my computers to guests tends to turn in to 
storytelling :) If the gueat are into it of course.

> 
> I've always wanted to create an text adventure about computer
> collecting, though.  Seek out rare finds!  Evade goldbugs!  Avoid
> earning the "hoarder" label while still dying with the most toys!
> 

I would play it :)

> 
> > Entertaining show! Even though I suspect some of those "finds" are planted.
> 
> That's probably a safe assumption - it's TV, after all.  But I can
> say, in my case, all of the items they bought from me were part of my
> collection.  We may have moved them between rooms of the house to fit
> their narrative, but they were here well before I got involved with
> the show.


Oh, don't doubt that.. but the odyssey was to good to 
be true I think. Or they had many scouts.

/P

Re: Did anyone see Vintage Tech Hunters on Discovery Canada yet?

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

And they walked tight by his VT05 :)

Entertainng show! Even though I suspect some of those "finds" are 
planted.

/P

On Thu, Nov 08, 2018 at 10:18:48AM -0500, alan--- via cctalk wrote:
> 
> And of course, Jason T. would be in the very first episode :)
> 
> On 2018-11-08 05:23, Santo Nucifora via cctalk wrote:
> >I am sure this is not authorized in any way but here's a link to
> >the first
> >episode on Youtube.
> >
> >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iroAInAMfYo
> >
> >On Thu, Nov 8, 2018 at 5:19 AM Adrian Stoness via cctalk <
> >cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:
> >
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>On Thu, Nov 8, 2018 at 12:09 AM corey cohen via cctalk <
> >>cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Can’t see it yet in the states, but I was wondering if anyone here saw it
> >>> and what you though.  I was involved with the show.
> >>>
> >>> Thanks,
> >>> Cheers,
> >>> Corey
> >>>
> >>> corey cohen
> >>> uǝɥoɔ ʎǝɹoɔ
> >>> Sent from my iPhone
> >>

Re: Updates at retroarchive.org...

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Wed, Oct 31, 2018 at 05:01:18AM -0700, geneb via cctalk wrote:
> 
> Take it up with the Internet Archive.  Not my circus, not my monkey.
> 

I'm sorry for barking up the wrong tree :) I should know better than
to shoot at the messenger.

Cheers,
Pontus.

Re: Updates at retroarchive.org...

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Mon, Oct 29, 2018 at 01:53:18PM -0700, geneb via cctalk wrote:
> On Mon, 29 Oct 2018, Al Kossow wrote:
> 
> >
> >
> >On 10/29/18 12:54 PM, geneb wrote:
> >
> >>Here's the Walnut Creek collection: 
> >>https://archive.org/details/walnutcreekcdrom
> >
> >It sure would be nice if you could get a comma separated list of metadata 
> >instead of
> >a bunch of pretty pictures
> >
> >THAT is where IA is a colossal FAIL
> You realize that you can click a button and get a text list of those
> "pretty pictures", right?  Click the "Show Details" checkbox and
> you'll get a block of text that describes each one.
> 

It's very time consuming to browse through that though.

It would be nice if you could make the service more 
accessible. A csv export of a table including metadata for 
each entry shouldn't be so hard. It would probably save you 
some bandwith as well.

/P

Re: VT320 Fonts

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

I have Cyrillic fonts I used on a VT220 to play tetris.

Given to me by a listmember. Let me look for them. 
Remind me if I forget.

/P

On Thu, Oct 11, 2018 at 05:01:49PM -0500, Kyle Owen via cctalk wrote:
> Does anyone know of any more downloadable VT320 fonts and glyphs? This is
> about all I could find at the moment.
> 
> https://vt100.net/dec/vt320/fonts
> 
> Trying to find some Cyrillic fonts so that Tetris looks right. I suppose I
> can try to write my own, but that would take a good bit of effort to get it
> looking right.
> 
> Also, is there a way to dump the existing font on a VT320 in the DRCS
> format?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Kyle

Re: PDP-11 in russia?

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Hi

A small update.

On Wed, Oct 03, 2018 at 08:03:25AM -0500, Jay West via cctalk wrote:
> We may have found someone at least on the right continent ;)

That is my friend Olafs in Latvia. He passed the information to some 
actual russians that are into PDP-11's and it seems they are helping out 
the owner.

Here is a thread with pictures on their forum:

http://www.phantom.sannata.ru/forum/index.php?t=30884

The machine appears to be a DEC 11/23 with 128kW of memory, RD and RX 
drives and an I/O board hooked up to some measuring machinery.

Cheers,
Pontus.


> 
> For those interested, he sent a pic (but haven't looked at it closely to see 
> if the -11 is even in there):
> 
> http://www.ezwind.net/IMG_0223.JPG
> 
> J
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-boun...@classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Rod G8DGR 
> via cctalk
> Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2018 12:27 PM
> To: Holm Tiffe ; General Discussion: On-Topic and 
> Off-Topic Posts 
> Subject: RE: PDP-11 in russia?
> 
> There were plenty of real PDP-11’s that found their way to Russia.
> Often through front companies in say Vienna.
> 
> Rod Smallwood 
> Digital Equipment Corporation 1975 – 1985
> 
> 
> Sent from Mail for Windows 10
> 
> From: Holm Tiffe via cctalk
> Sent: 02 October 2018 18:01
> To: Jay West; General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> Subject: Re: PDP-11 in russia?
> 
> Jay West via cctalk wrote:
> 
> > Someone has contacted me about a pdp-11 that controls a "measuring machine
> > dea epsilon".
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > It appears that they want to replace the pdp-11 with a "ibm" (I'm guessing a
> > pc), and then they would give the pdp-11 as a gift.
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > That is all the info I have. Are there any listmembers in Russia who would
> > be able to take on a project?
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > J
> 
> 
> This for sure isn't a PDP11, it would be an "ELEKTRONIKA 60" I think.
> This is something like an 11/23 but with metric Connectors, PCBs are a
> little bit bigger as PDP11's.
> 
> I do own such a beast, that's a picture from the CPU:
> 
> https://www.tiffe.de/Robotron/PDP-VAX/E60/E60-01.jpg
> 
> Other pictures are in the same directory (directory index is allowed).
> 
> ..it's running RT11 from a 8" RX Floppy clone...
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Holm
> -- 
>   Technik Service u. Handel Tiffe, www.tsht.de, Holm Tiffe, 
>  Freiberger Straße 42, 09600 Oberschöna, USt-Id: DE253710583
> i...@tsht.de Fax +49 3731 74200 Tel +49 3731 74222 Mobil: 0172 8790 741
> 
> 
> 

Re: More CRAY, ETC

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Wed, Sep 26, 2018 at 08:30:08PM -0500, Paul Anderson via cctalk wrote:
> 
> There were probably 20 or more full CRAY folders. Also 6 or so CRAY
> "gifts", like a key fob, a semi circular blade and other items. He is not
> sure if he is going to keep them, and I have no idea what kind, if any
> offer I should make.
> 

The smallish lucite paperweights with cray computer models in them fetch 
between 50-250$ on ebay (maybe more on a sunny day). I'd happily pay 50$ 
for one.

scroll down here for a picture: http://www.chipsetc.com/cray-research.html

Not sure about the other things, but anything cray always seem to sell.

/P

IOCCC 2018 Best of show

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Hi

Sorry if this has been posted already. But some of you might get a kick 
out of this years "Best of show" winner of IOCCC:

https://www.ioccc.org/2018/mills/

Cheers,
Pontus.

Re: Fairly Extensive Singer/Friden "System Ten" Computer System for Rescue

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

I've made a temporary mirror here:

http://www.update.uu.se/~pontus/slask/Singer10/

I even tried to rotate some of the photos.

I believe this is the system that Singer sued DEC over the name 
DECsystem-10.

Perhaps LCM wants it for that reason :)

/P

On Wed, Aug 08, 2018 at 07:13:31PM -0700, Rick Bensene via cctalk wrote:
> Through my Old Calculator Museum website, I have been contacted by a
> gentleman that has a fairly substantial Singer/Friden
> System 10 that is located in a building that the business wants to clear
> out.
> 
> The computer system is slated to end up in a dumpster if it isn't
> rescued.
> 
> The place the machine was stored is indoors, in an office-like space in
> a larger warehouse style building.  The space was not temperature
> controlled, but there are no signs of water damage or serious corrosion.
> Some critters (probably mice) have been inside the cabinets of the
> system, but the contact said that there were no obvious signs that they
> chewed anything up.  The system is very dusty (it was not covered), and
> it appears that some panels on the cabinets may have been removed, but
> are probably with the system.
> Some stuff appears to be partly disassembled.  There also might be some
> spare parts, e.g., circuit boards.
> 
> The system consists of a CPU, probably a Model 20, two Model 80 Display
> Terminals, a line printer of some sort, and two Mode 40 disk-pack (aka
> dishwasher-sized) disk drives.   There are quite a few Model 41 disk
> packs there..   There also appears to be some documentation.  There may
> also be some kind of magtape drive with the system, as there is a rack
> full of 7 or 9-track tapes hanging in it.  Not sure if these are
> included with the system, though. 
> 
> Here is a link to some photos of the system:
> 
> http://pail.bensene.com/Singer10
> 
> Beware that the web host does not have much upstream bandwidth, and the
> photos are pretty high resolution, so downloading them may take some
> time.  Most of the photos are between 1.8 and 2.5 megabytes in size.
> 
> there is some documentation on the Singer System Ten up on Bitsavers at
> http://bitsavers.org/pdf/singer/systemTen .  Some of the documentation
> there is for the equipment that is available.
> 
> These systems aren't very common, and there likely aren't all that many
> of them left in existence.  Singer sold a lot of these systems into
> retail outlets as part of one of the first online Point-of-Sale systems.
> One notable account was Sears and Roebuck, who installed a huge
> networked (via Modem) environment using System Ten machines in stores to
> run Point-of-Sale systems, with modem links to larger systems that
> collected the information, and usually fed it to even larger systems
> (e.g., IBM mainframe) for inventory management, bookkeeping, and other
> large corporate-level reporting/management systems.  However, the
> system aged quickly, as other competitors came onto the Point-of-Sale
> scene very quickly, with systems that were less expensive, more
> reliable, and more easily maintained.  Many of the Singer systems in
> large retailers were replaced within a few years of being put into
> service.  There was little market for "used" systems, so most all of
> them taken out of service went for scrap.
> 
> The System 10 CPU was pretty unique in that it had "hardware"-based
> timesharing.   The system managed time-slicing between "partitions" in
> main memory (magnetic core) with hardware that provided a fixed
> timeslice to each partition, switching to the next either when the
> time-slice  ran out, or certain instructions (e.g., I/O) were executed
> that would trigger an immediate context switch. The system had hardware
> protection for the partitions to isolate the partitions from each other,
> allowing them to run independently.  There was a shared and a read-only
> system partition which could facilitate inter-partition communications
> and management functions.
> Pretty cool for a design done in the late '60's.   
> 
> It'd be a real shame for this system to end up in the trash, which is
> exactly where it will go if a home can't be found for it relatively soon
> (e.g., next couple of weeks).
> 
> The system is located in West Chicago, IL.   
> 
> It's all pretty sizable, so, you'd probably need a small
> commercial-style moving van with a lift-gate (the stuff is likely quite
> heavy, especially the disk drives) to haul it.  You would also probably
> need a heavy-duty hand-truck or two, and some strong straps.   You'd
> need some muscle, too.  I suspect it'd be more than a 1-man job.
> 
> My  contact wants it out of there.  You just have to come get it and
> haul it away.   
> 
> If you have any serious interest in rescuing this system, drop me an
> Email, and I'll put you in touch with my contact.
> 
> Hopefully someone out there can give this machine a new home.
> Email:  rickb .at. bensene .dot. com
> 
> 
> Rick Bensene
> The Old Calculator Museum
> 

Re: Australian Computer Museum - HELP

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Hi John

I seem to recall that the ACMS had a Display 340 from 
a PDP-6. Is this hardware safe?

I hope you can get the help you need.

Regards,
Pontus

On Tue, Jul 31, 2018 at 11:59:15AM +1000, John GEREMIN via cctalk wrote:
> The building housing the Australian Computer Museum is
> scheduled to be demolished in 2 weeks. Anyone in Sydney (or
> nearby) is invited to HELP preserve the collection by
> providing storage (for doco or big or small items) until we
> get a proper home. Please email i...@acms.org.au for more
> details, or call John 0427 10 20 60 in Australia.
> 
> -- 
> John GEREMIN, Honorary Treasurer, 0427 10 20 60.
> Australian Computer Museum Society Inc.
> PO Box 4005, Homebush, NSW, 2140.
> 
> 
> ---
> This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
> https://www.avast.com/antivirus
> 

Re: Nekochan has been shut down :(

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Fri, May 25, 2018 at 10:31:29AM -0400, devin davison via cctalk wrote:
> Ive been hanging around on nekochan since high school. Its been my go to
> forum for a while and im not sure what I will do without it. 

I haven't been there much lately but I'm saddened to see it go :(

> There was a
> discussion on the forum itself a while ago about setting up some kind of
> bot to scrape the forum posts and archive the content.

I hope that there will be an archive at least, there is some great 
information on that board.

> I never had direct contact with the site owner, does anyone know of 
> contact information for him? I would like to contact him, and if he is 
> deciding on closing up the site, i would like to try and work with him 
> to preserve some of the important discussion and documentation the 
> site provided.

Sorry, I don't have any mail adress for Pete. Perhaps you could try to 
get in touch with Ian Mapleson or other frequent poster.

http://www.sgidepot.co.uk/sgidepot/contact.html

/P

Re: Happy Armed Forces Day 2018

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Mon, May 21, 2018 at 03:31:32PM +, Johnny Eriksson via cctalk wrote:
> 
> On the other hand, the fight against the X86 architecture might be done
> with the help of arm forces...

Bringing Acorns to a flame war sounds RISCy

:-)

Re: Sparc Laptops

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Tue, May 08, 2018 at 03:21:21PM -0500, Electronics Plus via cctalk wrote:
> I have to laugh. The Sun dealers think these are absolute junk, and most
> have been destroyed. I was warned to avoid Sun laptops at all costs.
> If more are wanted than these 6 please let me know. Maybe I can scare up
> some more. I know the recyclers just kill them as useless old junk.

Let's hope that can change and we can save some of them. Anything 
non-x86 from Tadpole is interesting for many here I think. I would love 
an Alphabook!

http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/47766/Tadpole-Alphabook-1/


Thank you,
Pontus

Re: WeirdStuff going out of business

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Thu, Apr 05, 2018 at 09:31:01PM -0700, Chuck Guzis via cctalk wrote:
> 
> But how much stuff is actually manufactured in the Santa Clara valley
> now?  I suspect that the bulk of manufacturing is done elsewhere.
> 

A lot in China of course. I have visited the electronics market in 
Shenzhen. It is pretty amazing.

https://www.crowdsupply.com/sutajio-kosagi/the-essential-guide-to-electronics-in-shenzhen

/P

Re: Message Reply with quotation

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Wed, Mar 21, 2018 at 09:46:23AM +0100, GerardCJAT via cctalk wrote:
> Hello Guys,
> 
> It seems that YOU can reply to cctech message(s) with "quoting" the 
> answered message.
> 
> How do you do that ???

My mail client does it automatically for me. When I hit reply I get the 
message I reply to with the character ">" placed in front of each line.

It looks like you are using Outlook 6 to send mails and I don't know if 
quoting can be accomplished in an easy way. Perhaps copy and add 
">" manually.

/P

Re: Cray Origin 2000 From Indiana University Scaamp Project- Rescued

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Sat, Mar 10, 2018 at 12:58:52AM +, PhreakShow Telephone Company via 
cctalk wrote:
> I won an auction down at Indiana University for an SGI Origin 2000 System
> and 19 racks.

19 racks! Quite a few.

> Trip was an adventure. Rented a 26ft Penske Truck which was a junkheap in
> itself. Off we went. My gf and her best friend went along and had a blast.
> 7 Hour drive down from Michigan to Bloomington Indiana. In a rainstorm at
> dark. Waffle House outside of Indianapolis made for a very nice night.

Sounds like a great roadtrip

> 
> Got loaded up 9am yesterday morning. And headed home.
> 
> Here are pics of the SGIs. And my gf's find an IBM Selectric II. Shes a
> typewriter lover.
> 
> https://imgur.com/a/XzDXg

Looks like you have two CPU modules and one graphics module. Not a bad 
starter system.

> 
> Plan now is to start rounding up parts to fix it. It seems mostly cosmetic.
> Goal is to have it fully operational by VCFMW.

That would be cool, do you know of nekochan.net? It's a fairly active 
SGI forum with several Origin/Onyx owners (myself included)

> Eventually this belongs on display somewhere.  I plan to get an inventory
> of everything this week.  and Im looking for any extra parts that anyone
> has for this.

Anything in particular? Looks like you have enough to get a system going.

/P

Re: Hand-crafted beauty pays tribute to the dawn of home computing looks like a PET! but in walnut!

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Nice!

I've seen Loves other work, but not this..  Would have been even nicer 
if it was a real PET inside :)

/P

On Wed, Mar 07, 2018 at 07:43:37PM -0500, Ed Sharpe via cctalk wrote:
> 
> Hand-crafted beauty pays tribute to the dawn of home computing 
> https://newatlas.com/love-hulten-pet-de-lux/53608/ 
> 
> Ed#  www.smecc.org 

Re: Writing emulators (was Re: VCF PNW 2018: Pictures!)

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Wed, Feb 21, 2018 at 07:44:33PM +, Henk Gooijen via cctalk wrote:
> 
> Van: Paul Koning via cctalk
> Verzonden: woensdag 21 februari 2018 20:37
> Aan: Guy Sotomayor Jr
> CC: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic 
> Posts
> Onderwerp: Re: Writing emulators (was Re: VCF PNW 2018: Pictures!)
> 
> 
> > However, it is my belief (and I think others have also stated) that 
> > assuming infinitely fast I/O (e.g. no delays what so ever) can cause issues 
> > because in many cases the SW expects to be able to do some work between the 
> > time that the I/O is started and when it completes.
> 
> True, that is unfortunately a fairly common type of software bug.  And 
> because it is, emulators have to work around those bugs.  I make it a point 
> to call it a bug, though, because I don't want anyone to get the impression 
> that OS programmers who wrote such things were doing the right thing.
> 
> paul
> 
> Yeah, I found that out when I was working on the PDP8/e emulation running on 
> a 6809. OS/8 does that as well. After issueing the disk I/O it executes a few 
> more instructions, because it “knows” that the requested disk data cannot yet 
> have been loaded into memory. I solved that problem with a counter that can 
> be preset to some TBD value. The value defines the number of extra emulated 
> instructions before it jumps to the (now) loaded data from disk – at least, 
> that is how I remember it doing over 10 years ago. I have an extensive 
> webpage on pdp8 emulation on 6809. I succeeded in finishing it: booting OS/8 
> and running spacewr on it!
> Don’t ask how “fast” it ran …


While I too might consider it a bug and bad style. The OS/8 guys knew 
exactly what hardware they would support and probably gained some 
performance by doing it "wrong"

Do you have a link to your work?

/P

Re: Why don't you respect the mail threads?!

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Which part is it that bothers you? That the subject is not changed 
(which I did) or that the In-Reply-To: header is preserved which 
mucks up threading in my client.

anyway, this has been up for discussion before with little 
improvements..so I have given up and accept status quo.

/P

P.S. sorry if my emulator mail was booring. D.S.

On Wed, Feb 21, 2018 at 01:26:57PM +0100, Philipp Hachtmann via cctalk wrote:
> I have to say that I hate this email thread abuse so much...!
> Is it so difficult to leave the thread about PICTURES (fill in whatever
> topic it was about) intact? It would be so much better to start a new
> thread instead:
> 
> - Does not disturb original discussion.
> - Can be found and identified easily: Do you think that you will find the
>  easily in a few years if it's
> discussed under the caption "VCF PNW 2018: Picture!"?
> 
> And on the other hand there are those people who seem to be unable to
> create a prober reply to the list and therefore make threads appear
> scattered and broken into many many pieces...
> 
> Sorry for ranting, but I enjoyed the pictures and following discussion so
> much and now encountering that dumb emulator discussion in this place
> annoys me so much...!
> And yes, I know that I sent this message as a reply to another message.
> 
> Kind regards
> 
> Philipp
> 
> On 19.02.2018 15:44, geneb via cctalk wrote:
> >On Sun, 18 Feb 2018, Zane Healy via cctalk wrote:
> >
> >>What do they have up there for Honeywell?  Any DPS-8’s?  I know they
> >>should have at least a box of GCOS-8 manuals (in hindsight, the only
> >>manuals I regret sending up there).
> >
> >Zane, they've got a DPS-8 maintenance/operator/? panel sitting right out
> >front.  It's fully operational and is connected via some magic hardware
> >to a Raspberry Pi running a Multics emulator. The guy that wrote the
> >emulator gave a talk that should be the first one you watch once Erik has
> >a chance to get the video posted.
> 

Writing emulators [Was: Re: VCF PNW 2018: Pictures!]

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Mon, Feb 19, 2018 at 06:36:13PM -0600, Adrian Stoness via cctalk wrote:
> whats invovled in makin an emulator?
> i have a chunk of stuff for the phillips p1000

I would say it depends a lot on how complex your target machine is. But 
in essense you will have to write code for each device you wish to 
emulate mapping their functionality over to your host machine, the one 
running the emulator.

As a minimum you will write code for the CPU and some sort of output 
device, such as a serial console. For some machines you might need 
images of ROM code in order to be fully compatible with existing 
software.

I wrote a PDP-8 emulator for fun. The basic CPU and serial was done in a 
few hours. I then hardcoded the paper tape loader in memory and allowed 
input to be read from an image file.

Adding extended memory support and running conformance tests has taken 
the bulk of the time.

/P

Re: VCF PNW 2018: Pictures!

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

*gasp* Is that a PDP-6 front panel. I assume it's the one from 
wireless hill that found it's way there.

/P

On Sat, Feb 17, 2018 at 06:55:09PM -0800, Michael Brutman via cctalk wrote:
> For your viewing pleasure ...
> 
> https://photos.app.goo.gl/QPfZ4WXPdIdUo5gn2
> 
> 
> -Mike

Re: Help identify "multichip module"

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Mon, Feb 05, 2018 at 11:37:27AM +0100, Camiel Vanderhoeven wrote:
> 
> I have seen these before, in another life as an audio/video technician. 
> These plug into the video processor board on older Grass Valley 
> equipment, like the 100 and 200 series production switchers. I believe - 
> but this is where I enter the realm of speculation - they are ROMs 
> containing the code for different effects. The utility processor board 
> has a DEC J11 processor on it.
> 
> Camiel.
> 


Thank you Camiel. In the bag of chips was also a J11. I guess we now know 
what has been scrapped.

/P

Re: Help identify "multichip module"

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Mon, Feb 05, 2018 at 11:37:27AM +0100, Camiel Vanderhoeven wrote:
> On Sat, Feb 03, 2018 at 06:49:57PM +0100, Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk 
> wrote:
> > Hi
> > 
> > I got this picture sent to me with zero context. Does anyone recognize 
> > what it is?
> > 
> > http://www.update.uu.se/~pontus/slask/identify/mystery_chips.jpeg
> > 
> > Thank you,
> > Pontus.
> 
> I have seen these before, in another life as an audio/video technician. These 
> plug into the video processor board on older Grass Valley equipment, like the 
> 100 and 200 series production switchers. I believe - but this is where I 
> enter the realm of speculation - they are ROMs containing the code for 
> different effects. The utility processor board has a DEC J11 processor on it.
> 
> Camiel.
> 
> 
> 

It looks like a pretty neat toy to play with:

http://meci.com/electronics/grass-valley-group-video-production-switch-control-panel-100-n-frame-087610-00.html

If you happen to stumble upon one...

Cheers,
Pontus.

Re: Help identify "multichip module"

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Hi

I got some more, high res (and large size), pictures:

http://www.update.uu.se/~pontus/slask/identify/DSC_0394.JPG
http://www.update.uu.se/~pontus/slask/identify/DSC_0395.JPG
http://www.update.uu.se/~pontus/slask/identify/DSC_0396.JPG
http://www.update.uu.se/~pontus/slask/identify/DSC_0393.JPG

Thank you,
Pontus.

On Sat, Feb 03, 2018 at 06:49:57PM +0100, Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk wrote:
> Hi
> 
> I got this picture sent to me with zero context. Does anyone recognize 
> what it is?
> 
> http://www.update.uu.se/~pontus/slask/identify/mystery_chips.jpeg
> 
> Thank you,
> Pontus.

Help identify "multichip module"

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Hi

I got this picture sent to me with zero context. Does anyone recognize 
what it is?

http://www.update.uu.se/~pontus/slask/identify/mystery_chips.jpeg

Thank you,
Pontus.

Re: DECtape archeology.

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Fri, Jan 12, 2018 at 11:22:53AM +0100, Mattis Lind via cctalk wrote:
> DIR.BIN   003   17-NOV-71
> 
> DTCOPY .BIN   006   17-NOV-71
> 
> D0AA   .BIN   014   17-NOV-71
> 
> 
> What is DDP1-V001? Some early diagnostics monitor? The filesystem seems to
> be DOS-11 as RT-11 FILEX is able to read the directory with /S


As you probably already have thought, XXDP is the moniker for a group of
diagnostic packages on various media. TCDP for DECtape media, RKDP for
RK disk and so on. Don't know what the D in DDP1 would be..

D0AA seems to be a test suite for basic instruction tests on PDP-11:

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/archive.pcjs.org/pubs/dec/pdp11/diags/MAINDEC-11-DZQAB-B-D_User_Reference_Manual_Oct73.pdf

But you most likely already know this :)

/P

Re: DEC quad board rack

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Mon, Jan 01, 2018 at 01:58:57PM -0500, Noel Chiappa via cctalk wrote:
> 
> No, as long as you have either a radial arm saw (best), or a table saw
> (preferably with a 'sled' - if you don't have one, probably worth making one)
> to cut all the slots.
> 
> Like I said, if you want a drawing, let me know. A few data bits: the slot
> pitch (slot center to slot center distance) is 5/8"; I used 1/8" for the depth
> of the bottom slot (just enough to hold it in place), and 3/16" for the top
> (some extra, to allow for board size variation). The shelf-shelf spacing (i.e.
> bottom of one, to the top of the next) is 10-1/4" (i.e. the repeat distance is
> 11", when using 3/4" boards).
> 

Thank you for sharing Noel.

I'm going to do the same sooner or later. In retrospect are there any 
measurements you would do differently if you did it again?

E.g. Have you found any boards that need higher clearance to the next?

Thank you,
Pontus.

Re: Dec-10 Day announcement from Living Computers: Museum + Labs

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Mon, Dec 11, 2017 at 08:59:46AM -0500, Paul Koning wrote:
> > 
> > I am and possibly the Update computer club and some of it's members. 
> > However, I have very little experience with making hardware. How would 
> > we aproach this?
> 
> There are plenty of companies in the "prototype production" business; they 
> will make either blank printed circuit boards, or assembled boards, in small 
> quantities.  For our purposes a group build probably counts as "small 
> quantity".  One I can think of (and have used for blank PCBs) is PCB Pool.
> 
> Depending on the parts involved and the skill level of the consumers, it may 
> be reasonable to get blank boards and a parts bag and have the user assemble 
> it -- or it may be better to let professionals do the assembly.
> 

I'm quite confident with a soldering iron when it comes to through hole 
components. I haven't looked at the BOM for this project yet but I guess 
there are surface mount components.

Perhaps an opportunity to learn.

/P 

Re: Dec-10 Day announcement from Living Computers: Museum + Labs

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Sun, Dec 10, 2017 at 06:19:10PM -0500, Noel Chiappa via cctalk wrote:
> > From: Ethan Dicks
> 
> > I look forward to taking a stab at this.
> 
> I suspect there are a number of people who'd be interested in MASSBUS storage
> devices (e.g. me - suddenly all those RH11's I've got are no longer boat-
> anchors :-). We should try and organize an group build, to share the load.
> Anyone else interested?
> 

I am and possibly the Update computer club and some of it's members. 
However, I have very little experience with making hardware. How would 
we aproach this?


(This is very good news, the chance of getting my 2020 running by year 
2020 is now a lot bigger. Also, as I've stated elsewhere, thank you to 
LCM and everyone involved!)

Regards,
Pontus.

Re: List Problems?

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

I've said it before and I'll probably say it many times again. Thank you 
for your time, bandwidth, storage and CPU-hours!

Also thanks for the update.

/P

On Tue, Nov 07, 2017 at 04:12:57PM -0600, Jay West via cctalk wrote:
> Yes, I am aware of the list problems. Yes, it went down a couple weeks ago 
> and again about a week ago. The issue is that I've been migrating the 
> classiccmp server VM from an old falling apart cluster to a new one. Rather 
> than just migrate it, I decided to take the time to upgrade everything. All 
> software, all dependancies, OS, etc etc.
> 
> My approach was to create a new classiccmp server on the new cluster, and 
> then migrate one website/ftp site/repository/mailinglist at a time. This way 
> I could make sure things are running ok before just moving everything. What 
> that means is that as of this moment, some classiccmp related websites are on 
> the 'old' but running server, and some are on the 'new' but running server. 
> That is why - for just one example - that when the old (but still in 
> production) server went down a couple weeks ago (see below)... bitsavers 
> still stayed up and running. It had already been migrated.
> 
> So on the old falling apart cluster where the old server is, there is a 
> horrendous iscsi issue. This is partly a problem with freebsd and some silly 
> assumptions made by the developers, or at least lack of time to fix it. It's 
> also due to some bad network related items. But mostly it is due to the fact 
> that all of our production clients we moved off the old stuff a year ago and 
> that hardware isn't well maintained and targeted for decommission. That can't 
> happen until my hobby classiccmp list/site, and all the vintage computer 
> related sites that I host for free get moved.
> 
> Yes, there are active backups of everything. But whenever the iscsi issue 
> presents itself, I have to restore the entire VM, and that takes a long long 
> time.
> 
> So no Aaron - better hosting isn't needed. Nor is any donation. I just need 
> to find a bunch of roundtuits so I can finish the migration. Then it will be 
> stable again. This is a hobby, and life does intervene at times. About the 
> only thing I'll ask is if you ever meet me in person at an event, buy me a 
> glass of beer and I'll be happy.
> 
> J
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 

Re: Does anyone need any before I list them on eBay?

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Hi

Do you have a BA11-VA ?

Thank you,
Pontus.

On Tue, Oct 31, 2017 at 01:54:24AM -0500, Paul Anderson via cctalk wrote:
> I have several Q-bus boxes available:
> 
> BA11-M 4x4
> MA11-N 4x9
> BA11-S
> BA23- no cases right now, a few have rack mount kits, some I'll hang on to
> till I find the
>micro vax boards. Looking for offers.
> 
> MOST CAN BE SHIPPED! Probably under $100 in US.
> 
> All boxes can be configured within reason, but I am getting short of
> memory, in more ways than o
> one...
> 
> I might be leaving Illinois and going to Baltimore, maybe Virginia, then
> north to the Boston area, back through NY, through Canada, Detroit, and
> back to Illinois. I could be leaving as soon as next week.
> 
> There is another list member coming through here from the east coast and
> going to Denver and back. Hopefully he'll junk in here...
> 
> Thanks, Paul
> 
> On Tue, Sep 12, 2017 at 2:02 AM, Paul Anderson  wrote:
> 
> > I'm still trying to sell some extra Q-bus boards before I list them on
> > ebay, and I would rather they found a happy home here.
> >
> > Shipping is a flat $10 within the US for as many as you want. Please ask
> > for overseas shipping. If you need any others, or have a "wishlist" please
> > contact me off list.
> >
> > Thanks, Paul
> >
> > M3106 DZQ11   $40
> > M3107 DHQ1140
> > M8043 DLV11-J   60
> > M8186 11/23 CPU   60
> > M8189 11/23+ CPU 60
> >

HP 9845 complete system on auction in Sweden

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Hi All

There is a very nice looking HP 9845 with peripherals and documentation 
for sale in Sweden, on ebay owned auction-site Tradera:

https://www.tradera.com/item/340854/290566778/hewlett-packard-9845-datorsystem

The system was previously on "blocket", which is more like craigslist, 
for twice the asking price a few years ago.

I have no connection to the seller, I just hope that someone who knows 
how to value the system can take care of it. I think the number of 
potential buyers in Sweden is low :)

Regards,
Pontus.

Re: CPU meter Was: Honeywall mainframe CPU front panel ID?

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Thu, Jul 27, 2017 at 03:48:52PM -0400, Noel Chiappa via cctalk wrote:
> > From: Charles Anthony
> 
> > Gah. I saw a picture of one somewhere recently, but I can't remember
> > where.
> 
> Are you thinking of this one:
> 
>   http://ana-3.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/tech/jpg/SysConKAPanel.jpg
> 
> Meter closeup here:
> 
>   http://ana-3.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/tech/jpg/SysConMeter.jpg
> 
>   Noel

I gather it's for a KA10. I the maker "system concepts"?

/P

Re: Looking for PDP-11/44 / BA11-A rack slides.

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Thu, Jul 27, 2017 at 06:06:05PM +0200, Mattis Lind via cctalk wrote:

> I am a bit curious about what the rest of the low cabinet was used 
> for.
> 

Me too, bu I guess the answer is "cabling".

/P

Re: dd-equivalent for VMS

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Fri, Jun 16, 2017 at 12:00:00AM -0700, Chris Hanson via cctalk wrote:
> On Jun 15, 2017, at 11:30 PM, Rob Jarratt via cctalk  
> wrote:
> > 
> > Is there a dd equivalent for VMS?
> 
> I’m pretty sure PIP is the “dd” equivalent on DEC operating systems in 
> general.
> 

COPY can be used on raw devices as well if I recall correctly.

/P

Re: DEC archives

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Thu, Jun 15, 2017 at 06:27:57PM +, Rich Alderson via cctalk wrote:
> 
> More things have been accidentally damaged or destroyed by enthusiastic
> amateurs than have ever been preserved with proper provenance, cataloguing,
> and care.
> 

I've seen this first hand, it is quite depressing.

/P

Re: DEC archives

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Tue, Jun 13, 2017 at 05:40:14PM -0400, Mark Kahrs via cctalk wrote:
> In case you hadn't heard, the DEC archives at CHM are available and here's
> the PDF:
> 
> http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/finding-aids/102733963-DEC/102733963-DEC.pdf
> 
> Now, I wonder if it has Firefly docs...

Absolutely splendid! Perhaps one could set up some sort of voting system 
for what should be scanned. Given of course that someone is willing to 
do the scanning :)

I'm curious about the negative still labled "Swedish students" but I'm 
sure there are manuals and correspondence in there that would be much 
more usefull.

Thanks everyone who worked and financed this massive undertaking.

/P

Re: RC11 manuals / schematics online?

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Sat, Jun 10, 2017 at 10:59:14PM +0200, Mattis Lind via cctalk wrote:
> BTW. Speaking of dumping. Now that I have a TC11 / TU56 that seems to be
> working, what is the best way to dump 18 and 12 bit tapes? Is there some
> PDP-11 OS that can do it or is it assembly programming required? I had
> hopes that RT11 had such features but it doesn't seem like it could read
> all 18 bits.
> 
> Has this already been done? Maybe I can spend time on other things than
> re-inventing the wheel...
> 
> /Mattis

On OS/8 you have PIP10 which I think should handle 18 bit tapes. That 
doesn't really help you on a PDP-11 though.

/P

Re: KL10 backplane on eBay

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Tue, May 30, 2017 at 12:06:58AM -0700, Ali wrote:
> > 
> > How does one end up with a KL10 backplane anyway?
> 
> "This backplane used to be installed in one of two DECsystem 20 units we had
> deployed at Agfa Gevaert in Munich, Germany. I was the field service
> engineer in charge of this site. We had to replace this backplane with a new
> one back in the late 1980s due to some intermittent problems and I was able
> to keep the replaced item as a souvenir."
> 
> -Ali
> 

Ah, goes to show how much I expect from ebay descriptions..

/P

Re: KL10 backplane on eBay

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Mon, May 29, 2017 at 03:31:17PM -0400, Noel Chiappa via cctalk wrote:
> Another eBait wonder:
> 
>   http://www.ebay.com/itm/182597510806
> 
> The listing says "Local pick-up only", and it's in Denver, Colorado.  Someone
> should really save this (although the chances of finding all the boards to go
> with it is pretty slim).
> 

And power supply and front end computer and memory and peripherals and ..

How does one end up with a KL10 backplane anyway?

/P

Re: DEC terminals and classic server computing

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Mon, May 29, 2017 at 02:25:17PM +0100, Aaron Jackson via cctalk wrote:
> Hey Henry,
> 
> Nice to see you on the list :)
> 
> I was just doing a search and it looks like the VT510 has a DIN socket
> on the back. Is this just PS2? The earlier terminals used an RJ-11
> connector.
> 

I'm pretty certain vt510 use PS2, thought the layout of the keyboards 
are a little different compared to PC keyboards.

/P


> Aaron.
> 
> 
> Henry Bond via cctalk writes:
> 
> > It's a 510, cheap on eBay it is a bit new for what I was going for.
> >
> > Thanks for the link though :)
> > -H
> >
> > On 29 May 2017 00:19:05 BST, Toby Thain via cctalk  
> > wrote:
> >>On 2017-05-28 7:08 PM, Henry Bond via cctalk wrote:
> >>> I have long had an interest in server tech and "technology with
> >>character" I finally took the plunge and got a DEC and I am looking for
> >>something of a similar vintage to connect it to.
> >>> I have read about VAXstations, z80 based mainframes. This seems like
> >>the kind of devices I would like to acquire and learn the workings of.
> >>>
> >>> I also require a keyboard for my DEC terminal.
> >>
> >>If it's a VT100, there's a keyboard on ebay currently.
> >>
> >>http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Vintage-Digital-DEC-VT-100-Series-Computer-Keyboard-/302320158666
> >>
> >>--Toby
> >>(not affiliated)
> >>
> >>>
> >>> As this is my first post to the list, I am mostly looking for
> >>resources (UK would be preferable)
> >>> -- H
> >>> Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
> >>>
> 
> 
> --
> Aaron Jackson
> PhD Student, Computer Vision Laboratory, Uni of Nottingham
> http://aaronsplace.co.uk/

Re: In Hong Kong any old computing places to go?

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Fri, May 26, 2017 at 10:20:24PM -0700, jim stephens via cctalk wrote:
> 
> 
> On 5/26/2017 8:36 PM, Christian Liendo via cctalk wrote:
> >Im working in Hong Kong the next few weeks and I was wondering if there is
> >a place of interest I should check out
> https://shift.newco.co/what-50-buys-you-at-huaqiangbei-the-worlds-most-fascinating-electronics-market-f0384d9fca32
> 
> North of Hong Kong, but the guys who wrote the article work and have their
> operation in HK, and go there regularly.  Might check out seeed or those
> guys directly before you go.
> 
> Thanks
> jim
> 

thats the one. I went last year, pretty awesome.

/P

Re: In Hong Kong any old computing places to go?

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Fri, May 26, 2017 at 11:36:48PM -0400, Christian Liendo via cctalk wrote:
> Im working in Hong Kong the next few weeks and I was wondering if there is
> a place of interest I should check out

If you can pop over to Shenzhen, there is an amazing electronics market.

/P

Re: FTGH clear-out at Mesa Electronics, Richmond, CA, USA

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Wed, May 24, 2017 at 09:57:01AM -0700, Anders Nelson via cctalk wrote:
> To whomever wants that DECTalk, I live in San Francisco and could pick it
> up and ship it for you!

I guess I'm late to the game. But put me on the queue.

/P

> 
> --
> Anders Nelson
> 
> +1 (517) 775-6129
> 
> www.erogear.com
> 
> On Wed, May 24, 2017 at 9:49 AM, Peter C. Wallace via cctalk <
> cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:
> 
> > A few more things
> >
> > HP 1650A logic analyser
> > A couple Nova core memory boards
> > lots of random connectors/cables/SMT parts etc
> >
> >
> > The Dectalk is still here, for people that expressed an interest, I really
> > have no time to ship it as we are moving at the same time trying to keep
> > production/testing/shipping going so its pretty hectic, so if someone local
> > could pick it up that would be great
> >
> > Peter Wallace
> > Mesa Electronics
> >
> >

Re: FTGH clear-out at Mesa Electronics, Richmond, CA, USA

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

I'm surprised to see a swedish keyboard there :)

What is a PCM-12 ?

And I think that Datability VCP-1000 can do LAT to TCP/IP  translation.

/P

On Wed, May 24, 2017 at 01:24:37AM -0700, Steven M Jones via cctalk wrote:
> >> Link to some photos I took:
> >> https://www.flickr.com/...
> > 
> > The link is 404 for me.
> > will look for the other post.
> 
> 
> Sigh. Looks like default permissions weren't "public", but Flickr/Yahoo
> is also suggesting this heretofore alien URL format:
> 
> https://www.flickr.com/gp/smj_crash/4bgzj2
> 
> 
> Seems to work, though it looks like it's just a redirect to a more
> common format...
> 
> YMMV,
> --S.
> 

Re: Run/Stop switch from a Soviet S/370 clone

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

I think so. It would at least be nice to see a picture.

If it's smallish I might even pay postage for it :D

/P

On Fri, Apr 28, 2017 at 04:50:42PM +0200, Liam Proven via cctalk wrote:
> My flatmate has one of these. Just the small subassembly with the 2
> push-buttons and a red light between them. Is this something that
> would be of interest to anyone? I'm trying to persuade him to eBay it
> instead of throwing it away.
> 
> We've also got the plastic covers from a few disk packs, an empty
> metal chassis and a few other odds and sods. Sadly most of the machine
> was binned long long ago. :-(
> 
> -- 
> Liam Proven • Profile: https://about.me/liamproven
> Email: lpro...@cix.co.uk • Google Mail/Talk/Plus: lpro...@gmail.com
> Twitter/Facebook/Flickr: lproven • Skype/LinkedIn/AIM/Yahoo: liamproven
> UK: +44 7939-087884 • ČR/WhatsApp/Telegram/Signal: +420 702 829 053

Re: Directory of old computer collectors

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Hi

I don't think I'm on this list, and I prefer not to be.

Thanks,
Pontus.

On Mon, May 22, 2017 at 08:19:35PM +, steven stengel via cctalk wrote:
> Hi,
> In the past, I requested the email address and home city of old computer 
> collectors to a compile a list for my own purposes.
> Over 120 people had responded, which is great! Now I want to make this list 
> PUBLIC with a Google map showing everyones location, email, and collecting 
> preferences.
> Since I don't have anyone's explicit permission to publish their information, 
> I am now asking.
> Please let me know if I may, or may not, place your information on the public 
> webpage.
> Thanks-
> Steven Stengelhttp://oldcomputers.net/
> 

Re: FTGH clear-out at Mesa Electronics, Richmond, CA, USA

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Sun, May 21, 2017 at 07:40:18PM -0700, classiccmp--- via cctalk wrote:
>
> DECtalk DTC01

I've been looking for one of these for ages :) Someone should rescue 
it.

/P

Re: BBS software for the PDP 11

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Thu, May 18, 2017 at 06:07:03AM -0700, geneb via cctalk wrote:
> 
> I'd be surprised if you did.  This is however, an excellent opportunity to
> write your own. :)  (At least to me, it would be a fun project.)
> 

FACEBK-11

*ducks*

Re: BBS software for the PDP 11

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Wed, May 17, 2017 at 08:45:39PM -0400, devin davison via cctalk wrote:
> I have both a pdp 11/34 and 11/23 and am trying to find some bbs software
> to run. Preferably something that will run under an os and not monopolize
> the whole machine.
> 
> Any suggestions? i have not had much luck finding anything.
> 
> --Devin


Not PDP-11 but some might find it interesting nontheless. A group of 
Swedes ran a BBS on a VAX-11/730:

https://www.retrodatorer.se/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/bbs-1-CT-dmz-1-1986.jpg

/P

Re: PDP-8/a cleaning

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Tue, Apr 25, 2017 at 05:42:00PM +0200, Philipp Hachtmann via cctech wrote:
> Hi Pontus,
> 
> One sad thing about washing minicomputer pieces is that you most probably
> lose or at least damage any original paper labels.
> 

Yes :/ Some of the fall of anyway since the adhesive has lost it's 
adhesiveness.

Thanks for your insights.

/P

Re: PDP-8/a cleaning

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Tue, Apr 25, 2017 at 12:51:41AM -0700, jim stephens via cctalk wrote:
> 
> 
> On 4/25/2017 12:45 AM, ben via cctech wrote:
> >>
> >I would go for distilled water, tap water could have chlorine it it.
> >Ben.

I should hope not! Water comes from a well in my backyard. Perhaps I 
could take a short cut and use the water from the clothes dryer. (Or 
just get a gallon of distilled water.


> Good point.  Also with care, I've seen distilled water, then alcohol rinse
> (not
> rubbing, but pure of some sort), then air dry.  This is used on optics to
> get
> rid of water spotting.  The alcohol will flush out water that you could
> normally
> only wait out for evaporation, and rapidly evaporates itself w/o residue
> 
> main problem are fumes and flames, so care must be taken when using
> it.
> 

If I can get hold of it easily I might try it.

Thank you,
Pontus.

PDP-8/a cleaning

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Hi

My PDP-8/A is up for restoration. More specifically and 8A100 according 
to it's ID plate. It is in overall "ok" shape but oh so dusty.

I'd like to give it a good cleaning so I'm tearing it down. And I'm 
looking for suggestion to cleaning the backplane and regulator board.

I'm considering putting the Omnibus part under warm water and perhaps a 
bit of mild detergent. Should I get distilled water or will tap do? The 
water here is not very "hard"

The regulator backplane has a relay and a button which will never dry 
out if I soak it...

Thanks in advance,
Pontus.

Re: Genuine KM11 board

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Mon, Apr 24, 2017 at 10:35:13AM +0100, Tony Duell via cctalk wrote:
>  Are any DEC enthusiasts here jealous of this :
> 
> https://www.flickr.com/photos/tony_duell/33427116663/in/dateposted-public/
> 

A little bit. I like your key fob, although it must be quite 
uncomfortable in a pocket :) Perhaps the only place I'd favour a knuckle 
buster grant card over a full length one.

/P

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

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Fri, Apr 21, 2017 at 09:34:52AM -0500, Jay West via cctalk wrote:
> 
> But that being said... we should have had a party or something *grin*.
> 

You could argue that years are index starting from zero. Thus the 
20-year celebration is next year and we have ample time to prepare.

(It's what we did when we missed an anniversery for the computer science 
programme).

/P

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

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Fri, Apr 21, 2017 at 01:27:09PM +0200, Torfinn Ingolfsen via cctalk wrote:
> On Fri, Apr 21, 2017 at 7:26 AM, Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk
> <cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:
> > Congratulations to us all, even if a little late.
> >
> > It makes me wonder, what is the oldest still running mailinglist?
> 
> Still running, or still getting on-topic posts to it?

"Active"

I suppose there are more than one consumed by spam.

/P

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

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Congratulations to us all, even if a little late.

It makes me wonder, what is the oldest still running mailinglist?

/P

On Thu, Apr 20, 2017 at 09:09:01PM +, Shoppa, Tim via cctalk wrote:
> A FAQ in my old emails show the founding of the Classiccmp mailing list as 
> being 20 years and 1 month ago. March 13 1997 was when Bill Whitson first set 
> up the classiccmp list at the University of Washington.
> 
> Tim N3QE
> 
> 
> Sent from my VAX-11/780

Re: IBM AS400 questions

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

Hi Devin

Have you subscribed to MIDRANGE-L ? http://lists.midrange.com/

They might help you out. Also, if you would document your findings I 
would be very greatful. I have a model 170 on my todo-list.

/P

On Sun, Apr 09, 2017 at 12:21:17PM -0400, devin davison via cctalk wrote:
> Alright, it was quite a while back that I picked up my ibm AS400 model 170.
> I had asked some questions on the list, it was locked with a password and i
> could not get into the machine. I finally got around to getting into the
> machine and am at the main menu. Before i do anything, I want to back up
> the machine. I have a couple of tapes.
> 
> I am not familiar with os/400 at all, the intention is to backup the
> machine so in the event of a hardware failure I will be able to reinstall
> and still have a licenced install.
> 
> I come from the sgi land, usually from the prom there is the HINV command
> to give a nice hardware inventory of the machine, is there a similar
> command in the ibm world? I want to find what options are installed, cpu
> and memory details, etc.
> 
> Any advice on what to do from here is much appreciated. I just want to get
> the thing backed up and rest assured that if the drives fail i can
> reinstall the os and it have its license.
> 
> --Devin

Re: eBay: PDP-11/70 backplane?

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Thu, Mar 23, 2017 at 04:19:01PM -0400, Noel Chiappa via cctalk wrote:
> This:
> 
>   http://www.ebay.com/itm/252820125010
> 
> looks like it might be an -11/70 backplane, but I'm too lazy to look up the
> part number.
> 
>  Noel


The 11/70 backplane is wirewrapped. If that is an 11/70 backplane.. it 
requires some work :)

/P

CDC 1700 Fortran [Was: Architectural diversity - was Re: Pair of Twiggys]

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Fri, Mar 17, 2017 at 11:16:20AM -0400, John Forecast via cctalk wrote:
> 
> I just released a new version of the CDC 1700 simulator for SIMH. This 
> is a one’s complement, 16-bit machine and the Fortran compiler is now 
> functional in 16KW of available space (a smaller version (12KW) was 
> available but I don’t know if any copies survived). The source code 
> for the compiler is available on Bitsavers - it’s written mostly in 
> Fortran.
> 

How did you bootstrap the compiler? Or did you have a binary to start 
with?

/P

Android rumors [Was: Pair of Twiggys]

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Thu, Mar 16, 2017 at 10:49:56AM -0600, Warner Losh via cctalk wrote:
> On Thu, Mar 16, 2017 at 9:28 AM, geneb via cctalk  
> wrote:
> > On Wed, 15 Mar 2017, Warner Losh via cctalk wrote:
> >
> >> I'm waiting for the rise of cell phones to make it
> >>
> >> 202x All the world's an ARM running Android
> >>
> > on Linux. :)
> 
> Kinda... It's a forked Linux kernel today, but BSD / Java userland.
> And there's been persistent rumors of a next gen OS that will replace
> Linux that Google has been working on that's BSD licensed.
> 
> Warner

Plan9 rewritten in Go? that would make my day :)

/P

Re: Univac I memory tank

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Tue, Mar 14, 2017 at 05:41:57PM -0400, Noel Chiappa via cctalk wrote:
> > From: Dwight Kelvey
> 
> > I need on of those.
> 
> I think it belongs in a museum, actually. Provided they can make it work, of
> course! :-) I wonder how many working delay line main memories are left in
> the world?

CHM has one: http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/X976.89

It used to be on display, perhaps it still is.

/P

The fastest PDP-8 [Was: IBM S/32, PDP-11/60+RL01, PDP-11/34, East Lansing MI]

[Pontus Pihlgren via cctalk]

On Tue, Feb 28, 2017 at 06:50:53PM -0800, Ian S. King via cctalk wrote:
> 
> PDP-11/60 - the fastest PDP-8 ever built!  :-)
> 

I believe that work is lost though or could the microcode be floating 
around somewhere?

/P

(I think I've asked before.. sorry for the noise in that case)

Re: story of Mel

[Pontus Pihlgren]

On Thu, Feb 23, 2017 at 11:45:44AM -0800, Glen Slick wrote:
> On Feb 23, 2017 12:23 AM, "Pontus Pihlgren" <pon...@update.uu.se> wrote:
> 
> 
> (I'm just hoping I'l get lucky and find one.. I have an 11/73 with
> graphics, it would be nice to add sound to it)
> 
> 
> What do you have for graphics? I have a DEC VSV11 board set and a Matrox
> QC-640 board.

I have a few. A loose untested VSV90, a VTV01 in an 11/34 (also no 
tested), a loose VCB02, a Matrox boardset which I know little about, 
and VSV11 which should work.

/P

Re: Q Bus Music Board

[Pontus Pihlgren]

On Thu, Feb 23, 2017 at 01:25:24PM +, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
> I think IO have a couple of them but I never heard them play music. :-)

A couple of A6006 or a couple of Q Bus Music Boards?

(I'm guessing A6006, I think that even I have D/A boards lying 
around)

/P

Re: Sun E10000 Historical Enquiry

[Pontus Pihlgren]

On Wed, Feb 22, 2017 at 08:05:04PM -0700, Robert Ollerton wrote:
> Celerity Computing 6000  (multi processor scalar and vector;; San Diego, CA.
> bought out by Floating Point Systems.
> then bought out by Cray

then SGI bought Cray whic sold the "Superserver" part to SUN. SGI put 
their money into the Origin2k and didn't see the need/potential in 
Starfire which became the E10k

The rest of Cray became "Cray Research" which was sold to Tera Computer 
Company which was renamed Cray Inc.

(SGI was later bought by Rackable which was renamed to SGI)

/P

Re: Q Bus Music Board

[Pontus Pihlgren]

On Tue, Feb 21, 2017 at 11:02:08PM -0800, jim stephens wrote:
>
> That A6006 produces a hit in this document
> 
> http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/dec/qbus/EB-23144-18_QbusIntrfs_1983.pdf
> 
> AAV11-C ANALOG OUTPUT BOARD
> 
> Table 1, document page 18, PDF page 28 for the index entry
> AAV11-C document page 37 PDF page 47 for the description
> 
> Interesting board,  4 DACs, and a DC-DC converter.
> 


Definitely something else.

Thank you,
Pontus.

Re: Q Bus Music Board

[Pontus Pihlgren]

On Tue, Feb 21, 2017 at 12:28:55PM -0500, allison wrote:
>
> The board was called Gigilo.

Ah, another keyword to look for.

> I have one and last I tried it it was operational I also have a minor chunk
> of code to do
> some music under RT11.   Currently deeply buried and not in my easy search
> path.

Is both code and hardware burried? Preserving the software for reference 
might be valuable should I ever find the hardware.

> It was as believed at the time I worked for DEC that it was developed
> internally for
> things like DECworld.   Its never been clear if it was for QBUS PDP-11 use
> or MicroVAX.

I see, uhm.. what is/was DECworld?

> The number on the handle was the handle part number and not relevant to any
> product.

Ah, that explains the odd format (not an M-number).

> The AY-3 are the sound generator chips as it does two channels of sound.
> The EY-0105e may be a document (spec or drawing).

It certainly looks like a DEC document numbering scheme. In the ebay 
auction it was decsribed a an "A6006 Analog output board". I think that 
is something entirely different, or is it related?

Thank you for shedding some light on it.

/P