FTGH (you come get): VAXstation 100 terminals

[Cameron Kaiser via cctalk]

I picked these up as part of an estate liquidation, but I don't have a
Unibus setup to run them off, and they are large and taking up space. They
now need to be gone. The condition is unknown but they are intact.

If you know what one is, you probably know how to hook it up and use it. If
you don't, they are NOT VAXen -- they're more like overgrown graphics
terminals that connect over Unibus. They are not like other VAXstations.

Take as many as you like (greater Los Angeles area). However, units that
are not spoken for, or haven't made other arrangements regarding, will go
to the recycler this weekend. E-mail me offlist if you are interested.

-- 
 personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ --
  Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckai...@floodgap.com
-- rm -rf /bin/laden --

Re: I the new mail system

[Tor Arntsen via cctalk]

On 4 March 2017 at 17:40, CuriousMarc via cctalk  wrote:
> For what it's worth, I'm OK with it too. It correctly shows that this is a 
> message relayed by a list sent from a person. I can easily choose whether I 
> want to respond to the list or to the person or both, I had to make that 
> choice before anyhow. If bounces are fixed that's great.

It's a good fix, in my opinion. Nothing has changed for the worse with
respect to replying, and it solved the bounce problem. All's good.

Re: I hate the new mail system

[Alfred M. Szmidt via cctalk]

And for what it is worth, continued bounces.

From: cctalk-requ...@classiccmp.org
To: a...@gnu.org
Subject: confirm 
Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2017 14:28:13 -0600

Your membership in the mailing list cctalk has been disabled due to
excessive bounces The last bounce received from you was dated
05-Mar-2017.  You will not get any more messages from this list until
you re-enable your membership.  You will receive 3 more reminders like
this before your membership in the list is deleted.

Another batch of tapes, 9845C, Tek 4051, VAX, Tek Misc

[Pete Lancashire via cctalk]

https://goo.gl/photos/nTH55jvTqC9Mc2Uq8

Many of the DC300 size carts have broken bands.

and a Tek 4041 PROM tray.

-pete

Re: Rack-mounting a TU56

[Jay Jaeger via cctalk]

> 
> Speaking of which - I'll put out a call again for if anyone wants to get a 
> group purchase on the motor run caps for a TU55/56
> 

I need some.  I have been working on my system, and just discovered that
all four of my drives have leaking motor run capacitors.

I have found some online, but they are a bit too tall (probably
workable), and specified as 1/4" too large a diameter.

Four drives x 4 caps each == 16.

JRJ

Model 16 Keyboards

[Bill Gunshannon via cctalk]

I have a pair of Model 16 Keyboards for sale.  If interested make an offer.
Allow at least $10 additional for Priority Mail with the USPS.

bill

Re: PDP-11/34 rails?

[Steve Malikoff via cctalk]

 Original Message 
Subject: Re: PDP-11/34 rails?
From:"Todd Goodman via cctalk" 
Date:Mon, March 6, 2017 1:48 am
To:  "Noel Chiappa" 
 "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" 

--

> * Noel Chiappa via cctalk  [170304 22:34]:
> [..SNIP..]
>> Anyway, I've seen BA11-K boxes with several different kind of mounting
>> slides.
>>
>> The tall, grey-coated ones are made by Chassis Trak, a division of General
>> Devices of Indianapolis. The 4 I looked at, all idential looking (except for
>> handedness), all had different numbers on the CT sticker, so I don't know 
>> what
>> the model number is! This one says '060RH'.
> [..Snip..]
>> BTW, does anyone know that they grey coating is? Is it some sort of phosphate
>> plating, or perhaps some sort of early powder coat, or what? Mine are rusty,
>> and I'd like to blast them and get them re-coated, but I can't figure out
>> what that coating is.
>>
>>  Noel
>
> The gray phosphate/nitrate coating sounds like Parkerizing.
> (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkerizing)
>
> Gun parts places have home kits for doing the same (such as Brownell's
> http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/metal-prep-coloring/parkerizing/benchtop-parkerizing-kit-prod22737.aspx)
>
> But there are other coatings that might be easier to use such as
> Cerakote
> (http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/metal-prep-coloring/paint-finishes/air-cure-non-aerosol-paints/cerakote-ovencure-ceramic-coatings-prod26563.aspx)
> or even easier might be Duracoat
> (http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/metal-prep-coloring/paint-finishes/air-cure-non-aerosol-paints/duracoat-paints-prod44374.aspx)
>
> I haven't seen the coating you're talking about so I could be way off
> base too...
>
> Todd
>

Looking at the one pair of Chassis-Trak rails I acquired by chance, and am 
modifying for
the 11/15, the phosphate grey surface does indeed look like Parkerizing to me.
Although I have yet to find a script 'F' stamped on them (Todd would know :-)

Steve.

WTB HP 98036A serial I/O card

[pdaguytom . via cctalk]

I recently acquired a HP 9825 and have a project planned that will need
serial i/o.  If anyone has one of these interfaces they'd care to sell, I
would be interested in visiting about it.

Thanks,
Tom

Re: What's the rarest or most unusual computer-related item do you own?

[william degnan via cctalk]

On Sun, Mar 5, 2017 at 3:28 PM, Bill Gunshannon via cctalk <
cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:

> I've gotten rid of a lot of wierd stuff in the past.
>
> BUt toiday, I still have some QBUS M68K boards.  And I still have Terak
> boards (should
> qualify as rare I imagine) no Terak boxes but they work OK in any QBUS
> backplane.
>
> I'm sure if I thought about it there is more.
>
> bill
>

I have an original copy of the New York Weekly Messenger 2-13-1833
newspaper announcing Charles Babbage's "Calculating Machine".

Here is a link to download the PDF:
http://vintagecomputer.net/babbage.cfm

Bill

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

[Chuck Guzis via cctalk]

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

Doesn't feel "really old" to me, at least. :)

In the CDC drives, there was a voice-coil type valve for switching the
vacuum around.  I understood that the 65x units had a "cost reduced"
version of the valve, from the 60x units.   All in all, I much preferred
the big orange 60x drives to the gray metal and blue glass of the 65x
one--the 60x drives just felt more sturdy.

--Chuck

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

[Mark J. Blair via cctalk]

That all makes perfect sense now. Thanks!

-- 
Mark J. Blair, NF6X 
http://www.nf6x.net/

RE: What's the rarest or most unusual computer-related item do you own?

[Bill Gunshannon via cctalk]

I've gotten rid of a lot of wierd stuff in the past.

BUt toiday, I still have some QBUS M68K boards.  And I still have Terak boards 
(should
qualify as rare I imagine) no Terak boxes but they work OK in any QBUS 
backplane.

I'm sure if I thought about it there is more.

bill

From: cctalk [cctalk-boun...@classiccmp.org] on behalf of Pete Lancashire via 
cctalk [cctalk@classiccmp.org]
Sent: Sunday, March 5, 2017 12:22 PM
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
Subject: Re: What's the rarest or most unusual computer-related item do you own?

Here is what comes to mind, it may not qualify as a computer. A
Westinghouse Numa-Logic PC700. It is an early PLC. uses a Sinetics 8X300
bit slice. Unfortunately Westinghouse only started to invest in PLCs about
the time the they merged with CBS and in a few years
all of Westinghouse became history.

BTW Looking for parts, manuals, software, the "lug-able" CRT based
programmer, IDE PC interface etc. etc.

Also will get my Allen Bradly PLC with core memory running someday.

-pete

On Thu, Jan 12, 2017 at 11:49 AM, Rick Bensene  wrote:

>
> A selection of some of my more unusual computer-related stuff:
>
> - A Tektronix 4132 Unix workstation  using a National 32016 CPU and a
> 4.2bsd port called UTek
>
> - A Digital Equipment PDP 8/e system with 2 RK05 drives, high speed paper
> tape reader/punch, RX01 Dual 8" floppy drives, 16K of DEC core
> memory(commonly runs with a 32K NVRAM board), 2 serial ports, EAE, RTC,
> Memory Extension/Timeshare board, Diode boot board (RK05 boot)
>
> - Wang 300-series calculator field service parts kit (two wooden
> briefcases)
>
> - Friden 6010 Computyper Diagnostic Console
>
> - Friden Electronics Training Course manuals (1960s)
>
> - Wyle Laboratories WS-02 punched card programmable electronic calculator
> (1964)
>
> - Busicom 207 punched card programmable electronic calculator
>
> - Altair 8800 with Altair dual 8" disk drives
>
> - IMSAI 8080 kit built in high school as a school project in 1976/1977
>
> - Televideo Personal Terminal
>
> - GE transistorised current loop acoustic coupler modem (110 baud)
>
> - Hewlett Packard 9100A and 9100B programmable electronic calculators
>
> - Tektronix mini-Board Bucket computer and many boards for it (EPROM
> Blaster, TI TMS9918-Based Video Board w/RTC, SASI Interface, 6809 CPU, 6809
> ICE CPU. 32K Static and 64K Dynamic RAM Boards, 300-Baud Modem Board, 5
> 1/4" Floppy Controller
>
> - SWTPC TV Typewriter
>
> - A large format (4'x5') Summagraphics digitizing tablet with GPIB
> interface
>
> - A Tektronix 4052 desktop computer (bit-slice implementation of Motorola
> 6800 CPU) with very rare RAM Disk module installed under keyboard
>
> - Wang Laboratories dual-cassette drive for 700 series calculator
>
> - An old fluorescent-lighted, two sided sign advertising Denon electronic
> calculators
>
> - Some original Digital Equipment System Modules (Used by DEC for making
> some of their early computers)
>
> ---
> Rick Bensene
> The Old Calculator Museum
> http://oldcalculatormuseum.com
>
>
>

RE: Still Looking For AT 3B2 Internals Docs

[Bill Gunshannon via cctalk]

Somewhere, probably in a box in the attic, I have a xerox of a preliminary 
document on the WE32000.  I really liked that processor.

bill


From: cctalk [cctalk-boun...@classiccmp.org] on behalf of Pete Lancashire via 
cctalk [cctalk@classiccmp.org]
Sent: Sunday, March 5, 2017 12:08 PM
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
Subject: Re: Still Looking For AT 3B2 Internals Docs

One i've had luck with is posting on Craigslist and putting ads in local
newspapers to where the manufacturing was done. Use to work better when
people read newspapers, but even last year I got an e-mail back from an
advertisement in a paper with an offer of just pay the media mail rate for
a full bankers box of docs.

-pete

On Mon, Feb 27, 2017 at 7:33 PM, Seth Morabito  wrote:

> Hello everyone,
>
> It's been about a year since I last asked around, so I figure it's
> time for me to put out another call for help.
>
> My AT 3B2 emulator sits unfinished due to lack of internals
> documentation. If you or anyone you know might have access to
> internals documents -- schematics, timing diagrams, etc. -- please let
> me know.
>
> These docs are very hard to find, and may never have been released by
> AT Maybe you know a former AT engineer who managed to squirrel
> some away?
>
> I have many resources already, so I'm NOT looking for user manuals,
> SVR3 source code, or the IO Bus specification.  These are pretty
> easily available online, and they've given me their all.
>
> Many thanks in advance,
>
> -Seth
> --
> Seth Morabito
> w...@loomcom.com
>
>

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

[Jon Elson via cctalk]

On 03/05/2017 12:41 PM, Mark J. Blair via cctalk wrote:

On Mar 5, 2017, at 09:49, Chuck Guzis via cctalk  wrote:

I don't recall many who used those yellow rings for their intended
purpose.  It was just too easy to forget to remove one.  You mounted
tapes without and reached around the back of the reel with a punch card
and tripped the "finger" that detected the ring.

So, was the write enable state latched at some point in the loading cycle on 
those drives? That surprises me, because I would have expected the write enable 
sensor to interrupt write current as combinatorial function on the drive, 
and/or pass sensor status up to the formatter a combinatorial signal.


On a number of drives, there was a pneumatic latch!  When 
the vacuum motor started, there was a little air pump there 
that produced air bearing air (or in the REALLY bad old 
days, air pressure to blow the tape away from the vacuum 
capstans).  That air pressed a finger against the write 
ring.  if the write ring was present, the finger was 
blocked, and then retracted, and the write was enabled.  if 
the finger was not blocked (no write ring present) then the 
finger extended and locked out as long as air pressure was 
present (until the vacuum motor shut off.)


Some other drives had a ring that was forced back when the 
write ring was present.  The ring had reflectors on it, and 
a photocell read the reflector during the tape load sequence 
to set the write enable FF.


You couldn't just leave a probe against the write ring all 
the time as it would cause the write ring to work out of the 
groove and jam the reel hub.


Mention above about the vacuum capstans. Some really old 
drives had two continuously counterrotating capstans with 
slots in them. Valves applied either air pressure, to make 
the tape float over the capstan, or vacuum, to make the 
capstan grab the tape.


Jon

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

[Brent Hilpert via cctalk]

On 2017-Mar-05, at 11:27 AM, Chuck Guzis via cctalk wrote:
> On 03/05/2017 10:41 AM, Mark J. Blair via cctalk wrote:
>> 
>> So, was the write enable state latched at some point in the loading
>> cycle on those drives? That surprises me, because I would have
>> expected the write enable sensor to interrupt write current as
>> combinatorial function on the drive, and/or pass sensor status up to
>> the formatter a combinatorial signal.
> 
> Yup.  You loaded the tape, then bumped the "finger".   As I mentioned,
> this worked on 60x and 65x drives.  Since the autoloaders closed the
> door as part of the cycle, this probably didn't work for 66x.
> 
> This actually worked pretty well--you never ran the risk of leaving a
> ring in inadvertently.  The consequence of forgetting to enable write
> was usually far less dire than mistakenly writing to a tape that was
> supposed to be read-only.


In my limited experience of drives, but I expect it's typical, the write enable
is electro-mechanically latched: if the write ring is present at load, a 
solenoid
is activated which pulls the sense finger further in to hold the finger off the 
write ring,
so it won't be a friction and wear point while running.
The solenoid is released at unload.

Re: What's the rarest or most unusual computer-related item do you own?

[Pete Lancashire via cctalk]

Here is what comes to mind, it may not qualify as a computer. A
Westinghouse Numa-Logic PC700. It is an early PLC. uses a Sinetics 8X300
bit slice. Unfortunately Westinghouse only started to invest in PLCs about
the time the they merged with CBS and in a few years
all of Westinghouse became history.

BTW Looking for parts, manuals, software, the "lug-able" CRT based
programmer, IDE PC interface etc. etc.

Also will get my Allen Bradly PLC with core memory running someday.

-pete

On Thu, Jan 12, 2017 at 11:49 AM, Rick Bensene  wrote:

>
> A selection of some of my more unusual computer-related stuff:
>
> - A Tektronix 4132 Unix workstation  using a National 32016 CPU and a
> 4.2bsd port called UTek
>
> - A Digital Equipment PDP 8/e system with 2 RK05 drives, high speed paper
> tape reader/punch, RX01 Dual 8" floppy drives, 16K of DEC core
> memory(commonly runs with a 32K NVRAM board), 2 serial ports, EAE, RTC,
> Memory Extension/Timeshare board, Diode boot board (RK05 boot)
>
> - Wang 300-series calculator field service parts kit (two wooden
> briefcases)
>
> - Friden 6010 Computyper Diagnostic Console
>
> - Friden Electronics Training Course manuals (1960s)
>
> - Wyle Laboratories WS-02 punched card programmable electronic calculator
> (1964)
>
> - Busicom 207 punched card programmable electronic calculator
>
> - Altair 8800 with Altair dual 8" disk drives
>
> - IMSAI 8080 kit built in high school as a school project in 1976/1977
>
> - Televideo Personal Terminal
>
> - GE transistorised current loop acoustic coupler modem (110 baud)
>
> - Hewlett Packard 9100A and 9100B programmable electronic calculators
>
> - Tektronix mini-Board Bucket computer and many boards for it (EPROM
> Blaster, TI TMS9918-Based Video Board w/RTC, SASI Interface, 6809 CPU, 6809
> ICE CPU. 32K Static and 64K Dynamic RAM Boards, 300-Baud Modem Board, 5
> 1/4" Floppy Controller
>
> - SWTPC TV Typewriter
>
> - A large format (4'x5') Summagraphics digitizing tablet with GPIB
> interface
>
> - A Tektronix 4052 desktop computer (bit-slice implementation of Motorola
> 6800 CPU) with very rare RAM Disk module installed under keyboard
>
> - Wang Laboratories dual-cassette drive for 700 series calculator
>
> - An old fluorescent-lighted, two sided sign advertising Denon electronic
> calculators
>
> - Some original Digital Equipment System Modules (Used by DEC for making
> some of their early computers)
>
> ---
> Rick Bensene
> The Old Calculator Museum
> http://oldcalculatormuseum.com
>
>
>

Re: Still Looking For AT 3B2 Internals Docs

[Pete Lancashire via cctalk]

One i've had luck with is posting on Craigslist and putting ads in local
newspapers to where the manufacturing was done. Use to work better when
people read newspapers, but even last year I got an e-mail back from an
advertisement in a paper with an offer of just pay the media mail rate for
a full bankers box of docs.

-pete

On Mon, Feb 27, 2017 at 7:33 PM, Seth Morabito  wrote:

> Hello everyone,
>
> It's been about a year since I last asked around, so I figure it's
> time for me to put out another call for help.
>
> My AT 3B2 emulator sits unfinished due to lack of internals
> documentation. If you or anyone you know might have access to
> internals documents -- schematics, timing diagrams, etc. -- please let
> me know.
>
> These docs are very hard to find, and may never have been released by
> AT Maybe you know a former AT engineer who managed to squirrel
> some away?
>
> I have many resources already, so I'm NOT looking for user manuals,
> SVR3 source code, or the IO Bus specification.  These are pretty
> easily available online, and they've given me their all.
>
> Many thanks in advance,
>
> -Seth
> --
> Seth Morabito
> w...@loomcom.com
>
>

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

[Chuck Guzis via cctalk]

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

Yup.  You loaded the tape, then bumped the "finger".   As I mentioned,
this worked on 60x and 65x drives.  Since the autoloaders closed the
door as part of the cycle, this probably didn't work for 66x.

This actually worked pretty well--you never ran the risk of leaving a
ring in inadvertently.  The consequence of forgetting to enable write
was usually far less dire than mistakenly writing to a tape that was
supposed to be read-only.

--Chuck

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

[Mark J. Blair via cctalk]

> On Mar 5, 2017, at 09:49, Chuck Guzis via cctalk  
> wrote:
> 
> I don't recall many who used those yellow rings for their intended
> purpose.  It was just too easy to forget to remove one.  You mounted
> tapes without and reached around the back of the reel with a punch card
> and tripped the "finger" that detected the ring.

So, was the write enable state latched at some point in the loading cycle on 
those drives? That surprises me, because I would have expected the write enable 
sensor to interrupt write current as combinatorial function on the drive, 
and/or pass sensor status up to the formatter a combinatorial signal.


-- 
Mark J. Blair, NF6X 
http://www.nf6x.net/

FW: More 8085a oddities

[Adrian Graham via cctalk]

Hi folks,

I didn't see the message at the bottom of this one arrive since I think I
sent it JUST as the list software was being changed over.

Gah, having just looked again I realise I've sent it from not the address
I've subbed with. PEBCAK there :)

Since then I discovered the -5V rail for the 4116s had dropped to -4.2V
which was out of spec for both types of RAM on this box so on Chuck's
suggestion I swapped the 560ohm resistor/zener combo that was powering this
rail for a 79L05 regulator and the DRAMs now have all 3 voltages steady.

No change in behaviour though. I'm baffled as to why the upper address bus
doesn't blip once RESET goes high. HOLD is permanently pulled low so it's
not that.

Any suggestions?

Cheers!

-- 
Adrian/Witchy
Binary Dinosaurs creator/curator
Www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk - the UK's biggest private home computer
collection?

-- Forwarded Message
From: Adrian Graham 
Date: Sun, 26 Feb 2017 23:34:50 +
To: "Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" 
Conversation: More  8085a oddities
Subject: More  8085a oddities

Hi folks,

After a few days break I came back to my 8085a-powered phone system this
weekend and it's decided to go on strike. By that I mean the processor locks
up after only a few cycles so doesn't get as far as attempting to read
anything, when it freezes the S0/S1/WR status lines are all high which
shouldn't be possible since S0/S1 high should be 'Fetch' according to the
manual, not WRITE.

Vcc, RESET and clock are good and I can't see any other external signal
which might hold the CPU. The PSU is good and putting out +5/+12/-12 as it
should. CPU checks out in another 8085 system I forgot I had.

Interestingly my analyser shows the upper half of the address bus doesn't
change while the lower half manages a single transition, as does the ALE
signal. From the CPU both halves of the address bus go directly to a 74LS373
each which both check out OK on a breadboard circuit I made up earlier.

ROMs are all OK and the lines themselves back to the LS373 and CPU check out
with little resistance.

I'm stumped and can't help but think this is something stupid which I'm
overlooking. Maybe more sleep will help.

Cheers!

--  
Adrian/Witchy
Binary Dinosaurs creator/curator
Www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk - the UK's biggest private home computer
collection?

-- End of Forwarded Message

Re: Full immersion emulation

[Chuck Guzis via cctalk]

On 03/05/2017 12:02 AM, Mark Linimon wrote:
> On Sat, Mar 04, 2017 at 01:34:25PM -0800, Chuck Guzis via cctalk
> wrote:
>> terrible fluorescent lighting.
> 
> There's another kind?

The fixtures themselves were so high that they *did* make for some
recreation.   Bored operators would engage in late-night "ring toss"
with magtape write rings to see who could land the most on top of the
fixtures.

I'm sure that the maintenance people detested getting the big ladder out
and clearing them off the fixtures, but they weren't around at 2AM to
observe the evil deeds.

I don't recall many who used those yellow rings for their intended
purpose.  It was just too easy to forget to remove one.  You mounted
tapes without and reached around the back of the reel with a punch card
and tripped the "finger" that detected the ring.   So the things
accumulated in great piles.

This probably changed (I don't recall) when the 66x auto-loaders came
into the picture.

--Chuck

RE: PDP-11/34 rails?

[Bill Gunshannon via cctalk]

From: cctalk [cctalk-boun...@classiccmp.org] on behalf of Noel Chiappa via 
cctalk [cctalk@classiccmp.org]
Sent: Sunday, March 5, 2017 12:05 PM
To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
Cc: j...@mercury.lcs.mit.edu
Subject: Re: PDP-11/34 rails?

> From: Pete Turnbull

>> I'm not the sure BA11-K (10-1/2" box) mounted 11/34's could do the
>> rotate thing

> The two I've had .. both rotated.

Ah, right you are - brain fade, late at night.

I went looking in my BA11-K collection, and found a couple that do have the
rotate - the part that bolts to the box has a huge 3/4 circular plate, and a
metal strip that runs to the front of the box with a huge (~3") handle bar at
the front, which releases it to turn.

I have this bit set that the outer slides (the parts that bolt to the 19"
rack) are the same for the rotating inners, and the non-rotating ones (as
used on, e.g., the RK05 and the BA11-F).

> I've also seen BA11-K's with narrower (height-wise) slides, in some
> sort of bright metal finish. I don't know who made those.

I went and had a look at some, but there is no name, or number, anywhere on
them.

BTW, these also rotate.



It's sad and too late now but a few years ago when I was leaving the old house
I couldn't give that stuff away.  I had 4 complete sets of rails for BA-11's 
that
went to the recycler because I couldn't find anyone to take them.  Also a bunch
of those funny rails for RL drives.

bill

Re: PDP-11/34 rails?

[Noel Chiappa via cctalk]

> From: Pete Turnbull

>> I'm not the sure BA11-K (10-1/2" box) mounted 11/34's could do the
>> rotate thing

> The two I've had .. both rotated. 

Ah, right you are - brain fade, late at night.

I went looking in my BA11-K collection, and found a couple that do have the
rotate - the part that bolts to the box has a huge 3/4 circular plate, and a
metal strip that runs to the front of the box with a huge (~3") handle bar at
the front, which releases it to turn.

I have this bit set that the outer slides (the parts that bolt to the 19"
rack) are the same for the rotating inners, and the non-rotating ones (as
used on, e.g., the RK05 and the BA11-F).

> I've also seen BA11-K's with narrower (height-wise) slides, in some
> sort of bright metal finish. I don't know who made those.

I went and had a look at some, but there is no name, or number, anywhere on
them.

BTW, these also rotate.

Noel

Re: Full immersion emulation

[Paul Koning via cctalk]

> On Mar 5, 2017, at 3:02 AM, Mark Linimon via cctalk  
> wrote:
> 
> On Sat, Mar 04, 2017 at 01:34:25PM -0800, Chuck Guzis via cctalk wrote:
>> terrible fluorescent lighting.
> 
> There's another kind?

Well, there are "daylight" type fluorescent bulbs.  Those are quite good.  
We've had them around the house (my electronics workshop and our home office) 
for years now.

The more modern replacement would be daylight (5500 K) LEDs, and in fact you 
can get LEDs that fit in fluorescent fixtures, either as is or (probably a 
better choice) with the ballast removed.  Something to be considered in the 
future...

paul

Re: PDP-11/34 rails?

[Todd Goodman via cctalk]

* Noel Chiappa via cctalk  [170304 22:34]:
[..SNIP..]
> Anyway, I've seen BA11-K boxes with several different kind of mounting
> slides.
> 
> The tall, grey-coated ones are made by Chassis Trak, a division of General
> Devices of Indianapolis. The 4 I looked at, all idential looking (except for
> handedness), all had different numbers on the CT sticker, so I don't know what
> the model number is! This one says '060RH'.
[..Snip..]
> BTW, does anyone know that they grey coating is? Is it some sort of phosphate
> plating, or perhaps some sort of early powder coat, or what? Mine are rusty,
> and I'd like to blast them and get them re-coated, but I can't figure out
> what that coating is.
> 
>   Noel

The gray phosphate/nitrate coating sounds like Parkerizing.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkerizing)

Gun parts places have home kits for doing the same (such as Brownell's
http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/metal-prep-coloring/parkerizing/benchtop-parkerizing-kit-prod22737.aspx)

But there are other coatings that might be easier to use such as
Cerakote
(http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/metal-prep-coloring/paint-finishes/air-cure-non-aerosol-paints/cerakote-ovencure-ceramic-coatings-prod26563.aspx)
or even easier might be Duracoat
(http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/metal-prep-coloring/paint-finishes/air-cure-non-aerosol-paints/duracoat-paints-prod44374.aspx)

I haven't seen the coating you're talking about so I could be way off
base too...

Todd

Re: Full immersion emulation

[Paul Berger via cctalk]

On 2017-03-05 4:19 AM, Mark Linimon via cctalk wrote:

On Wed, Mar 01, 2017 at 05:22:10PM -0500, Christian Gauger-Cosgrove via cctalk 
wrote:

Don't forget what a machine room and the equipment looks like.

I think everyone has forgotten the most important part of the recreation.

There simply *must* be someone standing in the room to scream

   DON'T TOUCH THAT

mcl
That reminds me of a couple cases where a distracted operator operator 
told someone unfamiliar with the room, that to get out they press the 
button by the door, only to glance around and see the persons hand going 
for the room EPO, and scream "NOT THAT BUTTON"  In one case iot was 
too late and the room went quiet.


Paul.

Re: Still Looking For AT 3B2 Internals Docs

[Jerry Kemp via cctalk]

Hello Seth,

Fingers crossed that you already have what you need.

Given the possibility that you don't, my comment here is that your request for 
internal documents are somewhat vague.  Can you be somewhat more specifics?


The reason specifically I'm asking, is I was reviewing an old Unix book/document 
earlier, "Life with Unix" by Don Libes & Sandy Ressler.  The document makes a 
lot of comments about both Berkeley/BSD and AT, and how AT was using Unix 
internally all over the place.


It is of no direct value here, but the book is available to the public in pdf 
format here in case you are interested:




During my time in the military, I spent most of the early 1990's in the Pacific 
theatre, and although at the time I was not wearing a Unix admin hat, I was 
reminded by the book that I observed AT 3b2 systems in Japan on base that were 
part of the telco system, and had no IT usage.


And to be more specific, I'm wondering out loud here if possibly, the 
documentation you might need may not be directly accessible, but that 
information might be available in a round about way, possibly thru the telco 
side of things.


If nothing else, food for thought.

Wishing you luck,

Jerry


On 02/27/17 09:33 PM, Seth Morabito wrote:

Hello everyone,

It's been about a year since I last asked around, so I figure it's
time for me to put out another call for help.

My AT 3B2 emulator sits unfinished due to lack of internals
documentation. If you or anyone you know might have access to
internals documents -- schematics, timing diagrams, etc. -- please let
me know.

These docs are very hard to find, and may never have been released by
AT Maybe you know a former AT engineer who managed to squirrel
some away?

I have many resources already, so I'm NOT looking for user manuals,
SVR3 source code, or the IO Bus specification.  These are pretty
easily available online, and they've given me their all.

Many thanks in advance,

-Seth

Re: Full immersion emulation

[Mark Linimon via cctalk]

On Wed, Mar 01, 2017 at 05:22:10PM -0500, Christian Gauger-Cosgrove via cctalk 
wrote:
> Don't forget what a machine room and the equipment looks like.

I think everyone has forgotten the most important part of the recreation.

There simply *must* be someone standing in the room to scream

  DON'T TOUCH THAT

mcl

Re: Full immersion emulation

[Mark Linimon via cctalk]

On Thu, Mar 02, 2017 at 07:26:25AM -0500, allison via cctalk wrote:
> I just fire up the PDP-11/73 (RL02, RX02, RD52x3,), then Microvax-II/GPX,
> Then the PDP-8f

Right now in the server room here at the house it's at 77dB -- well,
right at the server rack; it's a bit lower where I sit.  There's only
7U powered up right now, though, and the x3850 doesn't have its fans
on due to the open windows and pleasant conditions outside.  So, it
could be worse -- and has been.

For instance, I could turn on the G5 RackMac to measure it, but since
I have those windows open it would only piss off the neigbhors :-)

(ok, ok, once the OS takes over the fan control, that one drops to
only "pretty annoying" from "banshee".  Where did Apple get these
damned fans from, anyway?)

mcl

Cromemco on Craigslist in Vermont

[Steven Stengel via cctalk]

Cromemco on Craigslist on Vermont/
https://vermont.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=cromemco=rel

Victor 9000 in New Hampshire:
https://nh.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=victor%209000=rel

Atari Mega ST in RI:
https://providence.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=atari%20mega=rel

Re: Full immersion emulation

[Mark Linimon via cctalk]

On Sat, Mar 04, 2017 at 01:34:25PM -0800, Chuck Guzis via cctalk wrote:
> terrible fluorescent lighting.

There's another kind?

:-)

mcl