On Thu, 28 Apr 2016, Erik Baigar wrote:
On Wed, 27 Apr 2016, Sean Caron wrote:
I don't have any ROLM computers (not that I wouldn't love one) but I am
proud to say that I have a complete ROLM SCBX 8000. I've tried to take some
pictures and compile some information on my personal site:
http://wildflower.diablonet.net/~scaron/rolmfieldguide/index.html
Wow, that is a lot of PCBs to handle the telephone stuff!
Thanks for sharing the pictures - also interesting to see,
that they used a Z80 in there but never used microprocessors
in their MIL computers (even the later ones!)...
As a project you could design a VoIP PCB for the SCBX ;-)
Erik.
You're welcome! Mine is actually a relatively small example. It has 84
PCBs in total across six shelves and two conjoined racks with a little
disk and control panel between them.
If you've seen a picture of a lowboy PDP 11/60 ... I always use that as
something to relate the general dimensions. The ROLM is maybe a little
taller. I need to post some pictures of the complete system and rack.
I would love to get the ROLM running someday and get it hooked up to a
VoIP network... Another hobby of mine is collecting PBX systems and
telephones and I've already done this for a Definity as well as a Nortel
M1 and I have no doubt that the same could be done for the CBX [1].
The CBX (eventually) supported DS1 interfaces ... which would IMO be the
coolest way to connect the CBX to a media gateway ... but one day once I
get the PBX running, I should be able to get it routing calls again with
something like a Cisco box acting as an external media gateway ... while
designing a media gateway to sit on the ROLMbus would be a heck of a
project ;)
I find the design of the CBX really interesting. IMO, their appearance
belies that ROLM was a computer vendor first a a phone equipment maker
second. Not in a perjorative sense, just stylistically. Comparing them
against boards from WECo/ATT/Lucent/Avaya, Nortel and Harris.
Best,
Sean
[1] http://www.ckts.info
