Interesting device on eBay -- CDC clock generator?

[William Maddox on CCTalk via cctalk]

The seller thinks this may be a drum memory, but it is clearly not.   My 
guess is that it is some kind of clock generator.  Anyone recognize 
this?


https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Mainframe-Computer-Part-Drum-Memory-Control-Data/312942951497

Re: ISO: Documentation for a Northern Scientific NS-600

[William Maddox]

Sounds like a dedicated pulse-height analyzer.  DEC sold a lot of machines used 
for this purpose, but there were dedicated units that had no CPU, but had 
memory, often core.

>From Wikipedia: "A Pulse Height Analyzer (PHA) is an instrument used in 
>nuclear and elementary particle physics research which accepts electronic 
>pulses of varying heights from particle and event detectors, digitizes the 
>pulse heights, and saves the number of pulses of each height in registers or 
>channels for later spectral analysis."


--Bill

RE: What's the rarest or most unusual computer-related item do you own? [Tek 4132]

[William Maddox]

> From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-boun...@classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Chuck
> Guzis
> Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2017 9:09 AM
> ...
> I find it curious that what seems to be collected in the minicomputer area
> seems to be gear of major brands.
> 
> Does anyone collect Varian minis?
> Or General Automation?
> Or any one of the many non-DEC, HP, etc. minis?  Heck, I don't read much
> about DG minis  on this list--and they were a major force

I collect minor-brand scientific and industrial minis as well as DEC, DG,
and HP:  Varian 620/I and 620/L, GA SPC-12,  Computer Automation LSI-2 and
Alpha-16, Honeywell Series 16.   Also DG Nova stuff, including a couple of
complete systems.

--Bill

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

[William Maddox]

Rarest:
Computer Control Company (3C, later Honeywell) DDP-116 minicomputer (2 
complete, 1 missing front panel)
Discrete germanium transistors, first 16-bit minicomputer, first of the 
Honeywell "Series 16" line.    Provenance of machines is NRAO Green Bank, 
controlling the Green Bank Interferometer until 1999 or so.

Original glossy marketing brochure for Univac I.
Univac I pluggable module

Most expensive:
    $15k for "low mileage" Straight-8 (Typeset-8) with dual TU55s, TC01, DM08, 
DF32, and high-speed reader/punch control

--Bill

Re: Obscure MIT-spinoff computer (Was: What's the rarest or most unusual computer-related item do you own?)

[William Maddox]

I haven't heard of that in quite while.  Though I never owned one personally, 
agood friend bought one (and waited and waited...)  Finally received the 
wirewrapversion but it never lived up to it's promise.  I google for it and 
search eBayfrom time to time hoping to see one, but the number shipped was 
probablyso low as to make it too obscure to ever show up.
Hope yours is running.
-Gary

Unfortunately, I don't own one.  I just remember the ads in Byte or Interface 
Age in 1977 or so, and then hearing a bit about the company later on.  As I 
recall, the price was $999 or somesuch.  They couldn't possibly make them for 
that using wirewrap.  I drooled over the ads for 6 months or so before I 
realized it was vaporware and bought an IMSAI.
--Bill



   

Re: Obscure MIT-spinoff computer (Was: What's the rarest or most unusual computer-related item do you own?)

[William Maddox]

> Does this ring any bells for anyone?

ECD Micromind
--Bill

   

RE: NWA auctions (GP-4, SEL 32)

[William Maddox]

This looks like a GP-4, though I am suspicious that parts of it have been 
modernized.   The GP-4 had a drum memory.

https://grafeauction.proxibid.com/aspr/Genal-Precision-Systems-2-door-avionics-cabinets/32464723/LotDetail.asp?lid=32464723

Someone should grab the SEL machines:

https://grafeauction.proxibid.com/aspr/Simulator-avionics-cabinet/32464645/LotDetail.asp?lid=32464645

There are a few 3C cards in the pallets of parts, and a few can be seen in the 
7th photo here:

https://grafeauction.proxibid.com/aspr/2-door-avionics-cabinets/32464736/LotDetail.asp?lid=32464736

Computer Control Company machines (e.g. DDP-124) were widely used in simulators 
in the mid/late 1960s, when many simulators for aircraft of that vintage were 
built.
The computer itself is nowhere in sight, however.  Probably, all that remains 
are specialized simulator interfaces, with the PC in the last photo doing the 
computing.  :(

--Bill

Electronic surplus in the southwest

[William Maddox]

I will be visiting Albuquerque, Phoenix, Tucson, and various points nearby and 
in-between shortly.Any recommendations on electronics surplus and junk shops to 
check out?  Some of the most famous, like the Black Hole in Los Alamos are long 
gone.  Any other must-see attractions for the classic computer geek?
--Bill

Re: Logic Analyser Advice

[William Maddox]

On the 1630 series, the active logic is all in the pods.  The connectors on the 
flywires are proprietary HP parts with a mechanical latch to lock them into the 
pods. but I've seen multiple mentions in discussion groups of folks using stock 
Molex connectors to connect to the pods.
--Bill

  From: Ian S. King 
 To: r...@jarratt.me.uk; General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts 
 
 Sent: Friday, September 9, 2016 6:04 PM
 Subject: Re: Logic Analyser Advice
   
Do you have the grey rectangular bits that plug into the pods?  If not,
you're pretty much screwed - they are (were) a proprietary part.

I have a 1630G and I really like it, but I held out until I could find one
with the bits that plug into the pods, since they are unobtainium.

On Fri, Sep 9, 2016 at 2:53 PM, Rob Jarratt 
wrote:

> I finally managed to pick up a logic analyser for a price I could justify.
> It is a HP1630G and it comes with a number of pods. However the pods do not
> seem to have the actual wires/probes. Is there a separate part number for
> these that I should look for. There seem to be quite a few items like this:
> http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291753390848, are these likely to be suitable
> alternatives?
>
>
>
> Thanks
>
>
>
> Rob
>
>


-- 
Ian S. King, MSIS, MSCS, Ph.D. Candidate
The Information School 
Dissertation: "Why the Conversation Mattered: Constructing a Sociotechnical
Narrative Through a Design Lens

Archivist, Voices From the Rwanda Tribunal 
Value Sensitive Design Research Lab 

University of Washington

There is an old Vulcan saying: "Only Nixon could go to China."


   

RE: PDP-8 panels

[William Maddox]

Hi, Rod.

>I always confuse 8/i and 8/L. Which one did you want?
>I know Oscar and I'm sure he said he had no problem with me doing full size 
>panels as he only did the cut down version.

The PDP-8/I.  The 8/I panel has indicators for the multiplier-quotient register 
(for the EAE), instruction and data fields, and the fully-decoded opcode.

Here's a photo, from David Gesswein's website:  
http://www.pdp8.net/pdp8i/pics/pdp8i_frontpanel.shtm

--Bill

RE: PDP-8 panels

[William Maddox]

I received one of the new panels from Rob, and it is nearly indistinguishable 
from the original.  It captures the matte finish of the original exactly.  
Fantastic!

>_PDP-8 New Products under consideration _
>
>1. Front panels for any of the other PDP-8 models, Including the 
>Straight 8 but excluding PDP-8A.

I'd like to cast a vote for the PDP8/I.   I have a machine with a completely 
trashed panel, where the clear-coat has become crinkly, cracked, and dark.

I suspect there may be a market for these panels for simulator-backed front 
panel reproductions.   Oscar Vermuelen's excellent PiDP-8 uses a reduced-size 
PDP8/I panel, but a full-sized replica would be even nicer.  The PDP8/I has the 
most beautiful and complete panel of any of the 8s, perhaps of any minicomputer.

--Bill

RE: Oberon and the OberonStation (retro-style FPGA computing)

[William Maddox]

>Do you have 5 volt I/O with the OberonStaion FPGA?
>I was thinking of using it as general FPGA card.

The serial port is 3.3v according to the website.  I haven't attempted to use 
the serial port or the GPIO pins, but I believe they are all 3.3 volts for the 
Spartan 3 series.   Check the data sheet for the FPGA to be sure.  There are no 
level converters on the board, so whatever the FPGA provides is what you get.

BTW, as of this writing, the website is showing the fully-assembled boards as 
available.

--Bill

RE: papertape repair tape or kit wanted

[William Maddox]

Here is an idea I haven't tried, but might work:   Take some unoiled paper or 
mylar tape and punch it with rubouts.  Spray one side with spray-on photo 
mounting adhesive just before use.  It would definitely leave a thick spot in 
the repaired tape, but I suspect it would hold up long enough to punch a copy.

--Bill

http://www.amazon.com/3M-Spray-Artists-Adhesive-MMM6065/dp/B6IFBF

Re: Compulog Two Intercole Systems PAC 16

[William Maddox]

>According to the current owner it is based on a 16 bit machine made by
>Computer Automation. It has core memory and is programmed in assembler and
>Fortran. It is from the late seventies.
The packaging doesn't look like anything from Computer Automation, but they 
made a line of board-level components they called "The Naked Mini", sold to 
OEMs for integration into their own packaging.  The architecture is probably 
similar to the Alpha-16 and Alpha LSI machines.
--Bill

Re: The last fix for a "All Shook Up" 33

[William Maddox]

> Wayne (ttyparts.com) and I had a disaster of a shipment on a ASR33, Fed Ex 
> Ground did us no favors.
You are probably better off sending heavy shock-sensitive items on a pallet via 
freight.  A parcel invites being handled on a conveyor or dropped.  A pallet 
has to be handled with a forklift.   It's likely more expensive, but I recall 
getting a decent price for a VT52 I had shipped this way via Freightquote.com.

--Bill

Re: More on manuals plus rescue

[William Maddox]

 Press Release April 2015 Data Professionals of Pleasanton California has 
 been acquired by Heath Company and will focus on supporting vintage kits by 
 providing parts, modification, and even 'Certified Pre-Owned' Heathkits for 
 sale. Please watch our site for future developments.

I just found this on https://www.heathkit.com/heathkit-faq.html which 
confirms that despite his Big Scary Letters and legal threats, Don 
Peterson -did not- hold the copyrights to Heathkit manuals:

Although Data Professionals claims to have been acquired by Heathkit,I suspect 
Mr. Peterson simply bought what was left of them and folded hiscompany into it  
The Heathkit FAQ claims the company is now located in California.

The Heathkit Store on eBay linked from the heathkit.com webpage isactually 
trading under the name datapro.
--Bill