Looking for new punched card type
Following on from my previous post re punched cards, thank you for replying. I am following up where I can. Now, however, I realize that the IBM Port-A-Punch requires a special type of cards. Does anyone have 1 to 3 of these they can spare. (I already have the instrument.) Many thanks, peter || | | || | | || Peter Van Peborgh 62 St Mary's Rise Writhlington Radstock SomersetBA3 3PD UK 01761 439 234 "Our times are in God's wise and loving hands" || | | || | | ||
Re: Kennedy 9800 - Power-up tips?
At least in radio repair of old equipment old electrolytic caps cause all sorts of issues. Most of the guys doing restoration do a total remove/replace on them. In my opinion,,, I think that's a little extreme,,, but then having one fail after all the other work is done is also a PITA. On 4/20/20 11:15 AM, Anders Nelson via cctalk wrote: Hi friends, Now that I have enough hobby time having quit my job two weeks before the apocalypse, I'm interested in poking at my Kennedy 9800 tape controller project. I bought the tape unit in Q3 2017 and the seller said they had powered it up and nothing seemed awry. I have not powered it up and reading about old electrolytic cap issues I'm curious if I should do anything beyond replace any obviously leaking/ruptured capacitors. IIRC people have used a variac to gradually bring the power supply up to operating voltage and somewhat refresh the capacitors - is this a thing? Is this advisable? Any help is appreciated! -- Anders Nelson www.erogear.com
Re: Grinnell Systems
Hi Emanuel, I remember them well, I was their manufacturer's rep in Houston, and sold several to petrochem, NASA and universities. It was a big ticket item, selling for upwards of 40K when loaded up with all the options. NASA was using it for animation, the petrochem guys for geology visualizations in oil exportation. A&M bought one for LANDSAT imagery. I see if I can find some old ads, they were in the IEEE computer graphics mags quite a bit. Randy From: cctech on behalf of emanuel stiebler via cctech Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2020 12:27 PM To: General Discussion: On-Topic Posts Only Subject: Grinnell Systems Hi all, was just fishing in old memories & graphics systems. We had in the 1980's a big fridge from Grinnell Systems as a frame buffer on a 11/34. Anybody remember those? Links to any documentation? Cheers!
Re: Grinnell Systems
Emanuel Stiebler wrote: > was just fishing in old memories & graphics systems. We had in the > 1980's a big fridge from Grinnell Systems as a frame buffer on a 11/34. > Anybody remember those? Links to any documentation? MIT Plama Fusion had one, made by John Kulp. It was connected to MIT-MC and was kind of a remake of Tom Knight's TV system for MIT-AI. (Kulp also made the "space-cadet" keyboard primarily for this system, but it was also more famously used with the CADR Lisp machines and the Symbolics and LMI machines.) The "Plasma TV", as it was called, was first connected through a serial line from Tech Square to Building 38. It was later updated to Chaosnet. Grinnell was a spinoff from Ramtek.
Re: pdp11/84 PMI memory: What is the problem with Q bus?
So whatever the fault is (perhaps the QBUS block transfer issue reported up-thread), it must _seem_ to work, but fail in actuality. It would be interesting to appply a logic analyzer, and see what the bus transaction looks like, if it looks OK on the bus (in which case it's an internal failure). One possibility is that it's not handling multiple DMA devices talking at the same time or calling to arbitrate the bus. Right now I have an RL02 controller and the MTI controller but the RL02's are powered down. I'll see if I can run it for a bit on RSX11M and get it to fault (and backup my disk first as it's nice to have it working again). C
Re: Grinnell Systems
On 04/22/2020 02:27 PM, emanuel stiebler via cctalk wrote: Hi all, was just fishing in old memories & graphics systems. We had in the 1980's a big fridge from Grinnell Systems as a frame buffer on a 11/34. Anybody remember those? Links to any documentation? Yes, the Earth and Planetary Science group at our University had a Grinnell frame buffer on an 11, not sure exact model, but could have been an 11/34. They used it with Mini-VICAR software from NASA. RSX-11M OS, I think. That was the only Grinnell I ever saw. Jon
Re: [ancient thread] HP 1820-1584 IC replacement?
Back in 2013, Bob Rosenbloom asked: > I have an HP 9872 plotter that just died. According to the internal self > test (very nice!) > one of the bib (MOS to TTL) drivers has failed. Tony Duell wrote: > the devie is very simple (it's simialr to the 74LS245) but the problem is that one side of it does not work with TTL levels. It's a level shifter too. Although the BIB functioned as a level shifter, in later devices using the 1818-2500 standalone 40-pin BPC Binary Processor Chip, including the 9872C and 9872T, HP actually used the 74LS245 instead of the BIB. The only thing they did to meet the MOS level input requirements of the BPC was to put a 10Kohm pullup resistor to +5V on each data line on the MOS side of the buffer. As noted elsewhere, the 74LS245 isn't pin compatible with the BIB, so an adapter would be needed to substitute it. The 9872A, which uses the BPC with the BIB chip, does not have pullups on the MOS side. It also uses the HP 16-bit NMOS ROM directly on the MOS side, and it's remotely possible that adding 10K pullups could be a problem with the ROM.
Re: MicroVAX 3100/95 PSU Weirdness
On 2020-04-22 6:19 PM, Rob Jarratt via cctalk wrote: > I am on a mission to fix a bunch of power supplies and now I am looking at > my MicroVAX 3100/95. A few days ago I mentioned that the big smoothing > capacitors on the primary side might need replacing. I have done that now. > > > > However, in doing so, I have discovered that *one* of the capacitors does > not get discharged after the power has gone off (this applies both to the > original ones and the brand-new replacements). Furthermore, after > discharging them with a resistor and checking that the charge had gone, > several hours later, the one that does not discharge, has some charge again, > that was not there before! > > > > Does anyone know if these PSUs have a bleed resistor to discharge the > smoothing capacitors? You should be able to see by inspection of the PCB. Why would only one be discharged, is there normally > one bleed resistor per capacitor? Why would the capacitor acquire charge > again when it hasn't been powered on? This unexpected effect is due to dielectric absorption. https://www.robotroom.com/Capacitor-Self-Discharge-5.html http://slot-tech.com/interesting_stuff/sencore/LC103/TT105%20-%203759.pdf --Toby > > > > Thanks > > > > Rob >
MicroVAX 3100/95 PSU Weirdness
I am on a mission to fix a bunch of power supplies and now I am looking at my MicroVAX 3100/95. A few days ago I mentioned that the big smoothing capacitors on the primary side might need replacing. I have done that now. However, in doing so, I have discovered that *one* of the capacitors does not get discharged after the power has gone off (this applies both to the original ones and the brand-new replacements). Furthermore, after discharging them with a resistor and checking that the charge had gone, several hours later, the one that does not discharge, has some charge again, that was not there before! Does anyone know if these PSUs have a bleed resistor to discharge the smoothing capacitors? Why would only one be discharged, is there normally one bleed resistor per capacitor? Why would the capacitor acquire charge again when it hasn't been powered on? Thanks Rob
Unix Kermit (aka C-Kermit) version 4 spelunking
Greetings I went looking for a specific version of C-Kermit to reconstruct sources for an old system (The Boston Software Works Venix for Rainbow that I have). I didn't find the 4C(052) I was looking for, but did find many previous 'presumed lost' versions. https://bsdimp.blogspot.com/2020/04/finding-kermit-4x.html has the details. Of particular note: I got almost all the lost versions off DECUS tapes hosted in various places because they were copies of the KERMIT tape, pruned down to just be the DEC stuff. Maybe people here care, maybe not... Warner
Grinnell Systems
Hi all, was just fishing in old memories & graphics systems. We had in the 1980's a big fridge from Grinnell Systems as a frame buffer on a 11/34. Anybody remember those? Links to any documentation? Cheers!
Re: [EXTERNAL] Re: Univac 490 Gallery Talk - 1963 Real Time Computer
On 4/22/20 12:52 PM, ED SHARPE via cctalk wrote: > We have a UNIVAC 422 compute at smecc..looking for the Remington > typewriter unit with a removable punch and reader on it. > The typer is like a flexowriter but newer and sleeker...although we have > seen a 422 with the flexowriter like the UDT had on it. I take it that the 422 is incompatible with, say, the 1100 seriesl (e.g. 1107) of the same period. --Chuck
Re: Univac 490 Gallery Talk - 1963 Real Time Computer
On Wed, Apr 22, 2020 at 11:57 AM Nigel Johnson via cctalk < cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: > Thanks for the link. I am sure I am going to come down and see your > site when this crisis is over! > > I was an FE on three Univac 418 IIs at Bell Canada in Toronto between > 1971 and 1975. > > Don't suppose you have any 418s there? > > cheers, > > Nigel > > > The 1218 is more or less a 418. The 418 is just oriented horizontally, the 1218 is vertically oriented for portability (loaded on a Naval ship). My 418 and 1218 manuals' components appear to be interchangeable. Bill kennettclassic.com vintagecomputer.net
Re: [EXTERNAL] Re: Univac 490 Gallery Talk - 1963 Real Time Computer
We have a UNIVAC 422 compute at smecc..looking for the Remington typewriter unit with a removable punch and reader on it. The typer is like a flexowriter but newer and sleeker...although we have seen a 422 with the flexowriter like the UDT had on it. Have some programming that is unique to this unit and some real genuine UNIVAC program instruction cards that are duplicates but have yet to find anyone to buddy up with to share them with that might also be struggling to get their doing something. ARE WE THE ONLY ONES IN THE WORLD LEFT WITH A 422? We of course are on lock down and since we can not share photos here on this list serve you will have to wait Our 422 is pristine almost but one major problem we do not have the key to open the front glass panel! Lots of cards lots of transistors we have not plugged it in yet.. There is an analog power supply shall we start it off on a big variac? I dunno if we have one big enough. This power supply looks beefy and there are lots of transistors to light off! Ed Sharpe archivist for SMECC The lonley UNIVAC 422 information Hoarder!) In a message dated 4/22/2020 11:57:15 AM US Mountain Standard Time, cctalk@classiccmp.org writes: Sorry, no 418, just the 490, and the 1218. Bob Roswell brosw...@syssrc.com 410-771-5544 ext 4336 Computer Museum Highlights -Original Message- From: cctalk On Behalf Of Nigel Johnson via cctalk Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2020 11:58 AM To: Bill Degnan via cctalk Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Univac 490 Gallery Talk - 1963 Real Time Computer Thanks for the link. I am sure I am going to come down and see your site when this crisis is over! I was an FE on three Univac 418 IIs at Bell Canada in Toronto between 1971 and 1975. Don't suppose you have any 418s there? cheers, Nigel On 22/04/2020 08:52, Bill Degnan via cctalk wrote: > A true treasure and worth the trip to System Source to see in person. > First class stuff there! (When it reopens, ug) > > On Tue, Apr 21, 2020, 7:16 PM rar via cctalk wrote: > >> The System Source Computer Museum is closed due to COVID-19, so we >> are making some video gallery talks. >> >> Here is the first one: >> >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq7aVCc2GP8 >> >> The video describes some of the applications of this 57 year old >> computer including it original use at Goddard Space Flight Center >> >> Bob Roswell >> mus...@syssrc.com >> https://museum.syssrc.com >> -- Nigel Johnson MSc., MIEEE, MCSE VE3ID/G4AJQ/VA3MCU Amateur Radio, the origin of the open-source concept! You can reach me by voice on Skype: TILBURY2591 If time travel ever will be possible, it already is. Ask me again yesterday This e-mail is not and cannot, by its nature, be confidential. En route from me to you, it will pass across the public Internet, easily readable by any number of system administrators along the way. Nigel Johnson Please consider the environment when deciding if you really need to print this message
RE: [EXTERNAL] Re: Univac 490 Gallery Talk - 1963 Real Time Computer
Sorry, no 418, just the 490, and the 1218. Bob Roswell brosw...@syssrc.com 410-771-5544 ext 4336 Computer Museum Highlights -Original Message- From: cctalk On Behalf Of Nigel Johnson via cctalk Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2020 11:58 AM To: Bill Degnan via cctalk Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Univac 490 Gallery Talk - 1963 Real Time Computer Thanks for the link. I am sure I am going to come down and see your site when this crisis is over! I was an FE on three Univac 418 IIs at Bell Canada in Toronto between 1971 and 1975. Don't suppose you have any 418s there? cheers, Nigel On 22/04/2020 08:52, Bill Degnan via cctalk wrote: > A true treasure and worth the trip to System Source to see in person. > First class stuff there! (When it reopens, ug) > > On Tue, Apr 21, 2020, 7:16 PM rar via cctalk wrote: > >> The System Source Computer Museum is closed due to COVID-19, so we >> are making some video gallery talks. >> >> Here is the first one: >> >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq7aVCc2GP8 >> >> The video describes some of the applications of this 57 year old >> computer including it original use at Goddard Space Flight Center >> >> Bob Roswell >> mus...@syssrc.com >> https://museum.syssrc.com >> -- Nigel Johnson MSc., MIEEE, MCSE VE3ID/G4AJQ/VA3MCU Amateur Radio, the origin of the open-source concept! You can reach me by voice on Skype: TILBURY2591 If time travel ever will be possible, it already is. Ask me again yesterday This e-mail is not and cannot, by its nature, be confidential. En route from me to you, it will pass across the public Internet, easily readable by any number of system administrators along the way. Nigel Johnson Please consider the environment when deciding if you really need to print this message
re: pdp11/84 PMI memory: What is the problem with Q bus?
> From: Mark Matlock > Are you able to use a Qbus MTI controller in the 11/84's Qbus section > of the backplane? This is something I've often wondered about but never > tried. I looked into this in some detail, but I don't know: https://gunkies.org/wiki/KTJ11-B_UNIBUS_adapter#QBUS_slots Amswering it definitively would probably require looking at DMA and interrupt cycles with a logic analyzer on the bus, to see what the CPU does with them. And the KDJ11-B and KDJ11-E (the 11/94 uses the same bacplane with a different CPU card) might act differently. > For anyone who is curious about what Happens when a M8637-C version > board is used as PMI memory in an 11/83 I can speak From experience. > ... > After this the disk is corrupted and you will need to restore the > system disk from backups Ah, very informative; thanks for reporting. So whatever the fault is (perhaps the QBUS block transfer issue reported up-thread), it must _seem_ to work, but fail in actuality. It would be interesting to appply a logic analyzer, and see what the bus transaction looks like, if it looks OK on the bus (in which case it's an internal failure). Noel
Re: Univac 490 Gallery Talk - 1963 Real Time Computer
Thanks for the link. I am sure I am going to come down and see your site when this crisis is over! I was an FE on three Univac 418 IIs at Bell Canada in Toronto between 1971 and 1975. Don't suppose you have any 418s there? cheers, Nigel On 22/04/2020 08:52, Bill Degnan via cctalk wrote: A true treasure and worth the trip to System Source to see in person. First class stuff there! (When it reopens, ug) On Tue, Apr 21, 2020, 7:16 PM rar via cctalk wrote: The System Source Computer Museum is closed due to COVID-19, so we are making some video gallery talks. Here is the first one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq7aVCc2GP8 The video describes some of the applications of this 57 year old computer including it original use at Goddard Space Flight Center Bob Roswell mus...@syssrc.com https://museum.syssrc.com -- Nigel Johnson MSc., MIEEE, MCSE VE3ID/G4AJQ/VA3MCU Amateur Radio, the origin of the open-source concept! You can reach me by voice on Skype: TILBURY2591 If time travel ever will be possible, it already is. Ask me again yesterday This e-mail is not and cannot, by its nature, be confidential. En route from me to you, it will pass across the public Internet, easily readable by any number of system administrators along the way. Nigel Johnson Please consider the environment when deciding if you really need to print this message
Re: Great, my VT52 is shot.
On 04/21/2020 10:09 PM, Brent Hilpert via cctalk wrote: On 2020-Apr-21, at 5:27 PM, Chris Zach via cctalk wrote: Meantime reading the manual I found an interesting test: If you short emitter to base on Q4 (easiest way is to jumper diode D10) the voltage on the -12v supply goes to .4 volts. They're saying it's E2, R15,R17,R14. Is there a way I can test the op-amp in circuit? Maybe it's dead. Well, if the circuit **IS** regulating, then the voltage on the two inputs will be identical. But, since it might not be regulating, then these voltages would not be equal. But, if you can see that the + input is more positive than the - input, yet the output is pegged negative, for instance, then you know either the op-amp is bad, or another circuit is overloading the output and forcing it that way. Jon
re: pdp11/84 PMI memory: What is the problem with Q bus?
> From: Chris Zach
> in place of my quad height 11/73 CPU with 2mb memory.
Sorry, which exact quad-height CPU card?
{As someone else has previously pointed out, the /73 and the /83 are basially
the same machine (roughly the same CPU board - KDJ11-B, perhaps with different
clock crystals), just with different memories - QBUS in the /73, PMI in the
/83. The /84 is an /83 with i) a different backplane and ii) a KTJ11-B UNIBUS
adapter.}
> On the positive side it's chock full of 256k chips, which I could pull
> off and put on the EA board to bring it up to 2mb memory. I have air
> heat tools and a pre-heater so getting the chips off should be pretty
> basic.
I would advise against that. 256K chips are readily available on eBait, and
for not much money. Pulling them may damage them, and may well also do some
damage to the memory card, in addition to making it useless.
> Getting them on the new board though could be a pain since all the
> holes are soldered over
A vacuum desoldering station will easily open them. Used Hakkos can be found
on eBait for not too much money.
Noel
Re: Great, my VT52 is shot.
Also what is the V at Q4.E (should be ~ +2.6V), also Q4.B & C. Q4.E to ground is 3.05 Q4.B to ground is 3.24 Q4.C to ground is -9.18 When Q4.BE shorted, E2.6 should swing well-negative. Nope, 2.544 on E2.6 assuming E2's pinout is 1 8 2 7 3 6 4 5 C
Macintosh Programmers Workbench?
Favor to ask: Would anyone have MPW running in some environment, such that if I give them a PEF file they could run dumppef on it and get the symbol table exports and such? The format is documented and I can write python to pull out what I need, but would be so much quicker if someone had MPW installed and running already.. Thanks in advance! J
Re: Univac 490 Gallery Talk - 1963 Real Time Computer
A true treasure and worth the trip to System Source to see in person. First class stuff there! (When it reopens, ug) On Tue, Apr 21, 2020, 7:16 PM rar via cctalk wrote: > The System Source Computer Museum is closed due to COVID-19, so we are > making some video gallery talks. > > Here is the first one: > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq7aVCc2GP8 > > The video describes some of the applications of this 57 year old computer > including it original use at Goddard Space Flight Center > > Bob Roswell > mus...@syssrc.com > https://museum.syssrc.com >
