On 10/06/2015 09:35 PM, Tothwolf wrote:
If you know the Softpaq number, I can see if I have the configuration disk
in my archives.
Thanks - I just found it last night on a vintage computer page for the
Portable III (but the II seems to use the same software).
It's booting from hard disk now
Afternoon all,
This may be forgotten knowledge - or perhaps more likely, something that
was never known in the first place - but are there any typical failure
modes of ST506/412-type drives (beyond the obvious mechanical damage
between heads and platters)?
I've seen quite a few dead drives o
On 10/12/2015 07:09 AM, Steven Hirsch wrote:
On Mon, 12 Oct 2015, Devin Monnens wrote:
Ok, correction to previous message. It's a Xebec 1410A with 1.0 Firmware.
Should be MUCH easier to find now that we have the correct model number!
This was in an IBM 5150 (original PC)? I'm still confused.
On 10/12/2015 01:58 PM, tony duell wrote:
This may be forgotten knowledge - or perhaps more likely, something that
was never known in the first place - but are there any typical failure
modes of ST506/412-type drives (beyond the obvious mechanical damage
between heads and platters)?
For the ge
OK, so it's sort-of computery. I snagged a JAMMA arcade board from a
recycling pile a couple of days ago (this is an m68k-based early 90's
board). Supposedly it's faulty, but I don't know the nature of the fault -
maybe it's just RAM or a reset problem or something, so I figured I'd put a
lit
On 10/18/2015 10:41 AM, Zane Healy wrote:
Google "Super-Gun", as that's how you typically hook one up outside of
an arcade cabinet.
Ah, totally overkill at this stage, though.
I think most arcade cabinets use CGA monitors.
My guess is that it's most likely all TV-rate signaling, and so the
On 10/18/2015 11:48 AM, Zane Healy wrote:
On Oct 18, 2015, at 9:20 AM, Jules Richardson
wrote:
It came from an Aero Fighters cab - board says "IT-19-02" in the corner. I've
no idea if it was a one-off for this game or if other games used the same board with
different fir
On 10/24/2015 09:14 PM, Fred Cisin wrote:
Are we really running short of "720K" floppies?
I went around all the local places that I could think of a couple of years
ago and bought up whatever stock of floppies that I could find (and picking
sure were slim). Quite a few boxes of 3.5" HD, a few
Can anyone confirm whether a Mac IIsi spits out sync-on-green (and only
sync-on-green) or not? I've found mixed info on the 'net so far.
I've got a system here which makes encouraging startup noises, but isn't
outputting any video to a VGA screen (adapter cable OK with my other Macs).
If it
On 10/27/2015 12:54 AM, Sean Caron wrote:
AFAIK there's nothing special about the video on the IIsi ... pretty sure
that if the adapter and monitor will work with i.e. a standard Mac II
640x480x8 NuBus board (or equivalent) it should work with the IIsi.
Hmm, looks like this one has issues, then
On 10/27/2015 07:27 PM, Al Kossow wrote:
On 10/27/15 4:42 PM, Jules Richardson wrote:
I don't know if
it's just some lowly service processor
nope, just the 68030.
Thanks, Al. I'm reasonably confident that it's alive and well, then, but
with no video output. Who
On 10/27/2015 08:36 PM, Al Kossow wrote:
On 10/26/15 8:30 PM, Jules Richardson wrote:
I've got a system here which makes encouraging startup noises, but isn't
outputting any video to a VGA screen (adapter cable OK with my other Macs).
The si and cx/ci are old enough that
On 10/27/2015 09:18 PM, Al Kossow wrote:
here is a mirror of the tech note that describes the pinouts and sense codes
https://web.archive.org/web/20040222182709/http://developer.apple.com/technotes/hw/hw_30.html
The RBV ASIC in the SI only knows about the original 8 sense codes.
I just got i
On 10/30/2015 11:21 AM, Corey Cohen wrote:
Well I finally setup a separate email address so I can receive
individual messages from cctalk instead of the daily digest which really
doesn't lend itself to posting back.
The only thing worse than digest mode on a mailing list is having to use a
web
Just dug my IBM 65sx out, which had already lost 2 of its original 6MB due
to a bad memory module - but it seems like the remaining 4MB is not very
happy, either, and it flakes out at 3.7MB or so.
Obviously I need to source some replacement RAM. Does anyone know if the
systems are picky abou
On 11/11/2015 10:03 PM, Gary Sparkes wrote:
My model 70 (386 version) wants 85ns 2MB modules. My blue lightning 70
(486) won't accept those. It demands 2MB 80ns modules.
Hmm, both of the ones that were originally in this machine (a 2MB and 4MB)
were 85ns. The 2MB was snafu, but now the 4MB has
As per subject line, does anyone know of any util that will back up an x86
PC running some variant of DOS (MS, Compaq etc.) via rs232 to a remote
system? (Linux preferable on the remote, but other options exist)
I'm not finding anything via Google, but it seems like the sort of thing
that s
On 11/12/2015 04:05 PM, Mouse wrote:
As per subject line, does anyone know of any util that will back up
an x86 PC running some variant of DOS (MS, Compaq etc.) via rs232 to
a remote system? (Linux preferable on the remote, but other options
exist)
Bring up a liveCD or moral equivalent and run
On 11/12/2015 05:52 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
On 11/12/2015 01:54 PM, Jules Richardson wrote:
As per subject line, does anyone know of any util that will back up
an x86 PC running some variant of DOS (MS, Compaq etc.) via rs232 to
a remote system? (Linux preferable on the remote, but other
On 11/13/2015 11:56 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
connected them with a Laplink parallel cable (I've still got a box of
them).
Roughly what length are the cables? And do you know if they do anything
special internally regarding shielding of the data lines?
I think I should probably wire one up, and
On 11/14/2015 06:12 PM, william degnan wrote:
I have a copy of the laplink software should anyone need it. If the cable
for parallel is just a null modem I suggest a person in this hobby
definitely add laplink to the bag of tricks available. You just fire it up
on both ends ll.exe ... and you'
On 11/17/2015 02:40 PM, Jay West wrote:
Yes, the two lists will be rejoined as one list. I haven't found a roundtuit
yet.
Combine the lists, then split them, one with prefixed subject lines and one
without ;-)
On 11/25/2015 12:19 AM, Mark J. Blair wrote:
I have the drive spinning up happily, though track alignment is still a
crap shoot. I've tried dumping it with the MFM Reader/Emulator, and its
software could not make sense of the track format or CRC. I dumped a raw
MFM transitions file for more analy
On 11/25/2015 03:56 PM, Robert Jarratt wrote:
£567 for a Research Machines 380Z. Suppose I will have to give up hope ever
getting one of those…. L
That's... insane! It looks like a stock 40-column machine, and the text
makes it sound like one of the drives is faulty.
On 11/30/2015 02:18 PM, Terry Stewart wrote:
Speaking of Schrodinger's feline, here are details of my recent Apple II+
repair for those who might be interested:
http://www.classic-computers.org.nz/blog/2015-11-29-more-repairs-to-my-appleII+.htm
Nice!
My II+ needs a new escape keyswitch, keycap
On 12/04/2015 02:48 AM, Mike Ross wrote:
Unfortunately we've hit a complete show-stopper right off the bat. My
machine has a complete set of compute node and I/O boards, but is
missing the crucial 'NX' board; the board in the CM that interfaces to
the front-end.
Ugh :( What's the nature of the
On 12/09/2015 10:12 AM, Mike wrote:
Are there any other Commodore 64 users out there?
Funny, I just picked up two boxed machines today, along with a 1541, docs,
cables, modem, and a VIC-1525 printer. I've not brought everything inside
to take a better look at it all yet, although I did notice
On 12/09/2015 06:03 PM, Joseph Lang wrote:
Anybody know how to bottom post on an iPhone? I've never been able to figure it
out.
Turn it upside down?
On 12/10/2015 03:19 PM, Oliver Lehmann wrote:
3 -> i already tried delays everywhere without success
I think you mentioned that you tried an old '486 machine and the drive was
OK there - how hard is it to compile your code for x86 and essentially try
testing your exact same code on the PC
On 12/11/2015 12:56 PM, Liam Proven wrote:
On 11 December 2015 at 19:47, Dave G4UGM wrote:
I have searched high and low for a decent e-mail client for Windows. All the
ones I have tried suck in some way. Outlook will no longer let me post
in-line on HTML mails. FreeBird won't look at calendars
On 12/10/2015 01:11 AM, Mike wrote:
WOW sounds like ya got a good haul hope ya did not have to pay to much!
No, I got a good deal, although (unsurprisingly) it just about all needs
work. One C64 is healthy, the other one gives a black screen. The Vic
printer is completely unresponsive, and th
I have four 1541's now, two of which seem to init OK, and two of which sit
there with the drive spindle constantly spinning and the access LEDs lit,
the latter behavior which I believe indicates a multitude of possible
microcontroller-related faults...
I've done the obvious, reseating socket
On 12/12/2015 08:27 PM, Mike van Bokhoven wrote:
Locked on LEDs and spindle motor would suggest VIA to me, though it's been
many years since I've looked at one. First thing I'd check is that there's
activity on the address/data buses.
I don't have a lot of test gear, but I suppose poking at A0
On 12/13/2015 09:22 AM, tony duell wrote:
I've done the obvious, reseating socketed ICs, checking the +12V and +5
rails, and checking the on-board CPU reset line. Does anyone have any tips
for what's best to try next?
Didn't at least some versions use 2114 RAM chips? If so, then check/change
t
On 12/13/2015 10:07 AM, Jim Brain wrote:
I'm considering it. It's a bit steep for a non working board per
se, but maybe this add-on is worth saving for posterity.
I kind of like it, just for it being a piece of networking technology
called "The Web" (and several years prior to TBL & co.) - f
Has anyone had any luck re-inking printer ribbons?
I spent a few minutes looking at this Vic 1525 printer that I got the other
day - turned out that the carriage was just gummed up and there was a blown
fuse in the PSU section (probably related to the former problem).
Of course the ribbon is
On 12/13/2015 12:37 PM, Warner Losh wrote:
One trick we used back in the day (I used it on my LA50 and also the
decwriter at school someone misdirected a print job to) was to spray a bit
of WD-40 into the ribbon spool.
Hmm, I'll give that a go and see what happens.
Is the VIC 1525 a dot-matri
On 12/13/2015 12:42 PM, Alexandre Souza wrote:
Had lots of 6522 and ROM failures here. I'd begin with rom replacement
Yeah, I did some swapping around. It seems that one faulty drive has ROM
problems, and the other has both a ROM fault *and* a dead 6522 in UC2.
cheers
Jules
On 12/21/2015 07:40 AM, Adrian Graham wrote:
Having typed that subject line I'm changing my attitude slightly
Can someone ask if those are Steve Jobs' dead skin cells still stuck to the
front pads?
On 12/29/2015 03:03 AM, Kevin Parker wrote:
May be of interest to some list members - appeared, of all places, in the
property section of a local newspaper - the Commodore 64 gets a good mention
But it's one of those new-fangled C64s, not the breadbin variety :(
I've wondered occasionally what
On 01/12/2016 05:19 PM, Jacob Ritorto wrote:
Man, I've not fired up my I2 R1 and Indy R5000 for a good decade.
My I2's just sort of sitting there are the moment because I could really
use something* to give it a purpose (it's a Max Impact system with 2 x 4GB
disks and 384MB of memory, so
On 01/22/2016 06:26 PM, Tothwolf wrote:
The translucent yellow Rifa (now owned by Kemet) class X/Y safety
capacitors in particular have a 100% failure rate and are on my
replace-on-sight list. They usually begin to show visible signs of cracking
in their outer casing before they finally go out wi
On 01/25/2016 12:29 AM, Mark J. Blair wrote:
To my surprise, I found something just barely old enough to interest me
on the e-waste pile at work: An IBM PS/2 85 from around 1993 or so.
Neat. Likewise here, I found a 65sx a couple of years ago and it's just
quirky and old enough to keep around.
On 02/26/2016 05:46 AM, Mattis Lind wrote:
When at Retrogathering in Västerås (Sweden) a month a ago we demonstrated
ASCII Mandelbrot (BASIC) on a VT100 generated by a PDP-11/03 . Takes quite
a while for it to do it.
http://i.imgur.com/v6FI5Cd.jpg
I like that. I just unearthed an ASCII Mandelb
Does anyone know the origins of the term 'motherboard'?
I've always associated it with computers and assumed that it started
appearing somewhere around 1980, with the fading out of passive backplane
systems and arrival of machines which put more functionality onto a 'core'
PCB into which othe
On 02/28/2016 06:50 PM, Jon Elson wrote:
Computers existed way before 1980, and had many boards plugged into
wire-wrapped backplanes or motherboards.
Backplane was certainly a term from way back, I just don't recall seeing
motherboard before somewhere around the 1980 timeframe. Maybe you're ri
On 02/28/2016 06:40 PM, Jason Scott wrote:
Stack Exchange entry which suggests it goes back to the 1950's.
http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/10386/why-motherboard-is-used-to-refer-to-main-board-of-computer
Thanks! It would be interesting to see the context there, and if there were
an
Does anyone recall an Olivetti ST506-interface drive with a colossal 3MB
capacity? Apparently a full-height 5.25" unit with 4 heads and two platters.
I'm just curious; I always thought that capacities either equaled or
surpassed the 5MB of Seagate's ST506 after they introduced it, so I was a
On 03/13/2016 01:15 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
Hard drives smaller than 5MB were not unusual. For example, the Rodime
RO-101 was only 3MB.
Interesting... I've had 'real' ST506's before, but I don't think I've ever
seen or heard of anything less than that (in a 5.25" f/f)
My list shows Olivetti
On 03/13/2016 03:12 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
On 03/13/2016 12:38 PM, Jules Richardson wrote:
These 3MB ones were definitely Olivetti - this was from an ex-Acorn
employee who worked on the drive project. 3MB to 20MB seems a big
jump - but it makes me wonder if they were working with drives that
On 03/18/2016 09:04 AM, Liam Proven wrote:
I've been asked about doing this for an exhibition.
From some cursory Googling, it seems that the Z88 has a terminal
emulator, and equipped with a suitable serial cable, you could just
run a cable to a host device with an Internet connection and have
On 03/21/2016 12:02 PM, Doug Ingraham wrote:
I was able to restore almost all the unbroken card guides on my 8a. A
couple of them had taken on a permanent bend due to excessive shrinkage.
Some had broken pins. A few of the pieces expanded too much and you could
plug them into the chassis but th
On 04/01/2016 11:07 AM, Swift Griggs wrote:
Favorite LCD Monitor line: NEC Multisync, Dell Ultrasharp
I think the only one I've got (out of seven or so) which will accept the
oddball-frequency VGA from some of Apple's old machines is a Dell, although
I'd have to check the model number.
Fav
... the style of AC power connector having three 1/8" diameter pins in
parallel on 5/16" spacing, with the center pin offset by 1/16" from the
outer two, and the rubber molding around the pins having rounded ends.
Is there an official/common name for such a connector so that I can try and
la
On 05/26/2015 09:27 PM, Kyle Owen wrote:
Yes, there does appear to be a name for them: the 163 connector.
http://www.cs.ubc.ca/~hilpert/e/powerConn/index.html
Thanks - that's the critter!
My modified calculator cable is probably the "Japanese calculator" type,
although it seems to work OK wi
On 05/27/2015 12:03 AM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
On 05/26/2015 08:28 PM, Brent Hilpert wrote:
Like wulfman and chuck and as described on my page, I replace the
chassis inlet whenever I can, although occasionally it's not possible
due to proximity of other chassis elements as the IEC inlet is
slightly
On 05/27/2015 04:18 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
I did a little checking today--I compared a male 163-type receptacle with a
C14 receptacle. The mounting ear holes appear to have the same spacing;
the C14 is about 3/4" thick, where the 163 (metal shell) is about 1/2"
thickness, so you'd need to enlarg
JOOI, does anyone know when Panaplex 7-segment displays started going the
way of the dodo, to be replaced with LED displays (and, on the back of
that, what were the advantages of a Panaplex-type display over an LED one?)
I just saved a few boards from a dumpster with such displays on (they'r
On 05/30/2015 10:19 AM, tony duell wrote:
JOOI, does anyone know when Panaplex 7-segment displays started going the
way of the dodo, to be replaced with LED displays (and, on the back of
that, what were the advantages of a Panaplex-type display over an LED one?)
It would appear that in the ea
On 05/29/2015 08:53 PM, Brent Hilpert wrote:
I'm almost certain that they're from old gas pumps - maybe the
displays are just more readable in bright sunlight than LED? (there's
a sticker on one of the PSU boards with a 'shipping date' in 1999)
Funny, I was about to mention that use. I remember
On 05/30/2015 05:00 PM, Brent Hilpert wrote:
If you look closely at the displays, esp. at an angle to the glass, you
can see the anode coating on the inside surface of the glass. If you see
a red/brownish non-uniform discoloration in that coating, or
discoloration around the ends of the segment b
On 06/23/2015 02:47 PM, Sean Conner wrote:
Several years ago a friend of mine bricked at CAR (BMW I believe---it was a
high end German car in any case). He was updating the firmware on the car
when the power cut out, leaving the firmware in an inconsistent state. The
fix required an engineer fr
On 06/22/2015 11:43 PM, Christian Kennedy wrote:
I think the hint is on the back. This is a story of Delaine Donohue
retiring from D&B where he created and ran the National Business
Information Center and the Central Data Collection Group between the
early 70s and early 80s. He retired in ’89,
On 07/03/2015 06:54 PM, m...@markesystems.com wrote:
In the late 80’s, I bought from a surplus/junk shop a (by then somewhat
obsolete) Unix computer, branded UniSys, I think. It had 10 serial
ports; one was the primary console, one was intended for a printer, and
the other 8 were regular user TT
On 07/03/2015 06:59 PM, Johnny Billquist wrote:
I find it hard to believe it was a plain 68K in there. That CPU have some
serious issues that makes it close to impossible to implement virtual
memory or proper usermode protection.
(Yes, it can be done, but the amount of hardware required means mos
On 07/17/2015 11:17 PM, tony duell wrote:
On the other hand if the +5V line did get too high it could have wiped out
just about every IC in the unit. Ouch!. I've only ever had this happen once, and
it was in a much lesser machine than a PDP11 (fortunately).
Many years ago, I managed to feed +12
On 07/28/2015 12:34 PM, Shaun Halstead wrote:
Unknown power supply module. Has NCR part numbers but google gives no love.
+5 (x2), -5, +12, -12.
Make offer. Photos: http://microfilmks.com/Ebay/UnknownPSU1.jpg and
UnknownPSU2.jpg
Hmm, possibly from a Tower machine. Mine had power input (d
On 07/31/2015 12:32 PM, Robert Jarratt wrote:
I remember the Research Machines 380Z and wouldn't mind getting one should
the opportunity arise. But I have no recollection of a "Special Control
Unit", so does anyone know what this is?
That's interesting... the case is typical of an early machine
On 07/31/2015 11:38 PM, tony duell wrote:
As Jules and Tony have said, that's not 380Z internals so if that puts you
off I'll have a punt just for the power supply ;)
... Which also may well not be RML original. The 380Z has a regulated PSU,
S100 has separate regulators on each board and an un
On 08/01/2015 09:49 PM, Benjamin Huntsman wrote:
Hi all! I recently acquired a SPARCclassic, which is my first bit of Sun
hardware. Having an awful time getting it to boot from the CD-ROM. I
have tried a bunch of different terminators and several different
cables, but whenever I try to boot I g
On 08/02/2015 01:55 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
Turning this discussion on its head, I wonder if I'm the only one to stash
manuals and setup CDs in the cases of my systems. Has anyone ever picked
up an old system and found system documentation inside?
I suppose that bad sector maps for ST506/412 ha
On 08/03/2015 09:04 PM, Toby Thain wrote:
Some of my drives have paper printouts of bad blocks that are folded and
fit into a plastic sleeve that's attached to the drive.
Don't have access to brands/models right now, sorry. These would be the
larger, full height, 80s vintage drives; possibly ear
On 08/01/2015 05:10 AM, Adrian Graham wrote:
I'm struggling to find anything that weighs exactly 25kg :)
25 things that weigh 1kg, obviously. :-)
On 08/09/2015 07:39 PM, Bill Newman wrote:
I have a vintage apollo question...
In the late 1980's when HP acquired Apollo Computer Inc, I recall there was
an HP root account, that shipped with every new machine. In many cases
this account was not removed.
I recently acquired a DN3000 and to my
On 08/16/2015 09:48 PM, drlegendre . wrote:
I placed a disk in Drive A and upon pressing RETURN the display immediately
stabilized and went into a loop printing "BOOT ERROR" on successive lines,
eventually scrolling the original boot message off the top of the display.
Hey,
I dug out that mach
On 08/17/2015 03:31 PM, drlegendre . wrote:
Hey Jules,
Ah, so your O1 also has the weird screen artifacts prior to hitting
'return'? Weird.. wonder what's up with that?
No, sorry! I meant the "boot error" scrolling up the screen (e.g. it's not
the result of some kind of stuck key fault or any
On 08/17/2015 06:25 PM, drlegendre . wrote:
Gents,
Do remember that I'm fairly confident this is a DD machine (the described
daughterboard and v1.4 ROM are present)
Indeedy... :)
so the ability to write +SD+ might
not be of concern. It would be nice if the PC could do both, though..
I've g
On 08/17/2015 08:54 PM, Terry Stewart wrote:
On Tue, Aug 18, 2015 at 1:45 PM, Fred Cisin wrote:
On Mon, 17 Aug 2015, drlegendre . wrote:
Terry & all,
To be clear - SD on a "360K" floppy is 180K? Yes?
NO.
Osborne SD was also single sided.
10 256 byte sectors per track. 100K.
"360K" was
On 08/19/2015 06:50 PM, William Donzelli wrote:
I have to disagree strongly with Will on this. There are quite a few "PDF
manual dealers" who honestly deserve to go out of business. Those "dealers"
tend to fall into two categories:
It does not matter. You can not scan ashes.
Well, you can, bu
On 08/21/2015 05:28 PM, Evan Koblentz wrote:
So, how does one de-yellow something? I have a VT-100 and some other
gear that could use that process.
Google for "Retr0brite".
I've never tried the stuff - but is it a permanent fix, or does the
yellowing gradually come back?
On 08/22/2015 07:48 AM, Tothwolf wrote:
On Sat, 22 Aug 2015, Jules Richardson wrote:
On 08/21/2015 05:28 PM, Evan Koblentz wrote:
So, how does one de-yellow something? I have a VT-100 and some other
gear that could use that process.
Google for "Retr0brite".
I've never
On 08/23/2015 03:28 AM, drlegendre . wrote:
Howdy gents,
Working away on the recently acquired Osborne 1. Seems there's something
wrong with the KB - and if I didn't know better, I'd say it's a case of
shorted contacts.
The KB connector is 24 pins, double row header like a short floppy or IDE
h
On 08/24/2015 09:13 PM, drlegendre . wrote:
On the bright side, I may be able to send you some bootable media, if you
still need it.
Thanks for the offer, but I definitely have it somewhere - I'm just not
sure where! Eventually I'll have the PC set up to write images again anyway
(I'm just re
Anyone know anything about this system? Someone on a vintage computer group
on Facebook has one (missing its keyboard[1]), and having seen some photos,
although it seems to be mostly a generic PC-compatible with 8-bit ISA, it's
notable for having a "video in" connector on the back, as well as
On 08/29/2015 01:39 PM, Sean Caron wrote:
But I think the OP is describing something that's significantly older;
maybe some kind of early near-PC-compatible x86 machine?
Yes, it's a desktop system. From what I can make out from the photos, IC
dates seem to be in 1987. I don't know what CPU it
On 08/29/2015 04:10 PM, Steve Hunt wrote:
I'm guessing this is it:
http://www.sekaimon.com/i361201143538
Scroll down to find the images of a desktop unit. The pics look just
like an FX31 that was advertised on ebay.co.uk earlier on this year.
Yes, that's the critter!
On 08/30/2015 08:54 AM, Adam Sampson wrote:
Jules Richardson writes:
Yes, it's a desktop system.
There's a news article about the FX series of machines in "Electronics
and Power", January 1983, p89:
Thanks for all the info - I've passed it on to the guy who has th
On 09/10/2015 08:32 PM, Jon Elson wrote:
So, I wonder if I can ask classiccmp members, especially in the US, to
check if they can view this page:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~daveb/simplex/simplex.html
It works for me here (northern Minnesota)
Jules
On 09/15/2015 03:39 AM, Adrian Graham wrote:
Morning folks,
I've been contacted by a teacher who's looking for any information about
12" floppies. Am I imagining that they really existed? I'm sure I've seen
one or seen adverts for them, maybe at Bletchley Park. Others he's
contacted think he's g
My Portable II uses a Miniscribe ST506/412 drive hooked up to a bridge
board that I'm told is IDE at the other side, back to the controller. The
original drive in my machine is toast - I had to pop the lid to free the
spindle. It spins up now, and might cough up some data (for a while), so
in
On 04/07/2016 12:12 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
I'll go one step further and state that if you hear your drive
squealing, throw the disk away and clean the heads before you insert
another disk.
If you even get the opportunity. I remember a disk - it was either Parrot
or Wabash, I loathe them in equ
On 04/07/2016 12:11 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
My water heater supposedly has a guarantee for replacement for as long
as I own my home. I haven't had to claim a replacement yet.
I wonder if that also covers parts - e.g. elements and thermostats - or if
they try and weasel out of it and only allow
On 04/19/2016 11:22 AM, Ian Finder wrote:
If we're rambling about SGIs now, my all time fav. is the Indigo 2 R1000
Max Impact. You see one, and it looks normal enough, but when you pop that
cover- there is so much logic packed into that box! It's one of the densest
machines I've ever encountered.
On 04/20/2016 08:57 AM, Toby Thain wrote:
Also going to mention the BBC Tube coprocessor here. Which had an ARM
version, iirc.
Yes, from Acorn: ARM, 32016, 6502, 65C102, Z80, 80186 and 80286.
Torch did a couple of different Z80 boards too, and a couple of different
Z80/68000 combo boards.
C
On 04/20/2016 10:00 AM, Toby Thain wrote:
Nice collection. I'd forgotten about the 32016! What software ran on these
respective processors?
OS-wise the 32016 ran something called Panos, with Pandora as the firmware
- mostly written in Modula-2. Acorn (working with Logica) attempted a
Xenix p
On 04/22/2016 01:03 PM, Swift Griggs wrote:
Remember all the accelerator boards for the Mac, Amiga, and even PCs in the
90's ? I've often wished that I could get something similar on my older SGI
systems.
Well, I seem to remember that some of the desktop SGI machines could take a
variety of
On 04/22/2016 01:51 PM, Eric Christopherson wrote:
I like the new types of peripherals but it makes me a little uncomfortable
knowing that e.g. in the case of the uIEC-SD for Commodores, the clock
speed of the peripheral is 16 to 20 times that of the original host CPU.
Honestly, I can't see the
On 04/23/2016 10:25 AM, tony duell wrote:
Now upgrades within the realm of what would have been possible during a
system's lifetime I can get on board with - using period components to
implement things such as Ethernet interfaces, accelerators, extra memory etc...
I'm with you on this, generall
On 04/23/2016 10:37 AM, Noel Chiappa wrote:
> From: Jules Richardson
> I can't see the point in modern upgrades .. At the point where people
> start adding emulated storage, USB interfaces, VGA display hardware
> etc. it stops being a vintage system and star
On 04/22/2016 11:59 AM, Liam Proven wrote:
The only BBC copro that could run GEM, AFAIAA, was the BBC Master 512
with the Intel 80186.
And the '286 copro for the ABC3xx machines, I expect; the '186 which ended
up in the M512 was essentially a cost-reduced version of that board (slower
CPU and
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