[cctalk] Re: Computer of Thesus
generally, if something is too difficult or too expensive to replace, i will opt to replace it with something more modern. PDP11 memory is quite expensive, for instance, so if the 4MB in my 11/83 fails i will be forced to emulate it with the qbone i have serving my disks- those are also quite spendy and tempermental these days. i store all of my failed parts for a day when i am a bit more competent in the realm of hardware troubleshooting and repair, but being a software guy it’s certainly not something i can do right now. that being said i typically prefer to have original parts in my systems whenever possible, but i also have to accept that sometimes it just isn’t possible. it does sadden me to think about sometimes, but that is where my optimism for the CPU fabrication i mentioned comes in. the chips we (hopefully) get some day may not be the exact same, but if they are real deal physical chips, and as long as they are indistinguishable in every aspect besides date of manufacture i don’t think i’ll really mind. i can only speak for myself, though. — .hush Got interesting stuff to sell? Let me know! Looking for DEC, IBM, CDC, SGI, Data General, and more! > On Monday, Jan 23, 2023 at 4:18 PM, js--- via cctalk (mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org)> wrote: > > > On 1/23/2023 2:28 PM, Chris via cctalk wrote: @ Mike Stein > > > > Not everything is criticism. I only corrected a rather obtuse notion about > > people replacing mechanical drives with solid state ones. Everyone would > > love to use their original equipment if it was practical. I for 1 have NO > > luck with floppy disks. Is it my part of the country? Could be. > > > Would a few people here be willing to share their approaches to their > collection? > > I'll start. I've collected a variety of mainly DEC, HP, and Apple > machines, and have restored or repaired them slowly over time. However, > as they fail from now on, I will *not* be doing modern upgrades or > repairs. As they die, so shall they be retired or given away. > > For me, it's the experience of the original sights, sounds, feels, and > yes, emotions of the original hardware that's the inspiration. So, > floppy and tape drives all the way for me, as well as original hard > drives (Mike, I'm right there with you on the IMIs :). Emulators > just don't provide what I'm looking for. > > - John > Frederick, Maryland > >
[cctalk] Re: Computer of Thesus (was: Re: Re: Computer Museum uses GreaseWeazle to help exonerate Maryland Man)
sam zeloof, actually: https://www.wired.com/story/22-year-old-builds-chips-parents-garage/ — .hush Got interesting stuff to sell? Let me know! Looking for DEC, IBM, CDC, SGI, Data General, and more! > On Monday, Jan 23, 2023 at 3:39 PM, Sellam Abraham via cctalk > mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org)> wrote: > On Mon, Jan 23, 2023 at 12:32 PM h...@dec.dog via cctalk < > cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: > > > i am hopeful for the future of small-scale chip fabrication (and also > > copyright law overhaul, but that’s just unrealistic!) after seeing > > someone’s project to fab their own CPU in their garage- maybe one day we’ll > > see shops cropping up that specialize in their ability to replicate old > > chips? one can dream… :) > > > > Are you referring to Jeri Ellsworth? As far as I know she only fabricated > an IC with simple logic gates on them, but it's possible she may have gone > on to do more complex stuff, like a CPU. > > Sellam
[cctalk] Re: Computer of Thesus (was: Re: Re: Computer Museum uses GreaseWeazle to help exonerate Maryland Man)
i am hopeful for the future of small-scale chip fabrication (and also copyright law overhaul, but that’s just unrealistic!) after seeing someone’s project to fab their own CPU in their garage- maybe one day we’ll see shops cropping up that specialize in their ability to replicate old chips? one can dream… :) — .hush Got interesting stuff to sell? Let me know! Looking for DEC, IBM, CDC, SGI, Data General, and more! > On Monday, Jan 23, 2023 at 3:13 PM, Chris via cctalk (mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org)> wrote: > Mike, our time (and energy) on this earth is limited. For some more limited > then others. Like the old Dr. Who (circa 1989) when asked if he foumd > butterflies interesting, replied "My good man, I find everything > interesting". As do I. As do a lot of people. Some people are geared towards > diving headlong into some insane arcane technology. Others just want to play > Alien Syndrome. > > Illegitimi non carborundum
[cctalk] Re: [SPAM] LINC-8 sells for $2,150
it was not LSSM, i asked one of their docents last night. — .hush Got interesting stuff to sell? Let me know! Looking for DEC, IBM, CDC, SGI, Data General, and more! > On Wednesday, Jan 18, 2023 at 1:43 PM, Jon Elson via cctalk > mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org)> wrote: > On 1/17/23 21:34, Wayne S via cctalk wrote: > > Another forum said a museum > > in Pa won it. > > LSSM (Large Scale Systems Museum)? I just donated some > stuff to them. > > Jon >
[cctalk] Re: Gotek as RX50 replacement for DECmate II
still no luck there unfortunately, i disabled interleaving and changed the id to 0 as well, it still does not want to boot. the cable i’m using is straight through though, i’m using the cable the came with the unit originally. i have another on the way just in case but since this cable is pretty hefty, i wouldn’t suspect that it’s damaged. at this point i have to wonder, what the chances are that my floppy controller is dead? if anyone in/around the columbia, MD area has a working RX50 (or other 5.25” drive, if the DMII will take it) they can lend and the ability to prep some 5.25” floppies for me feel free to reach out off-list, i unfortunately do not have any working 5.25” drives lying around at the moment and the weekend is fast approaching. — .hush Got interesting stuff to sell? Let me know! Looking for DEC, IBM, CDC, SGI, Data General, and more! > On Wednesday, Jan 11, 2023 at 10:52 PM, Warner Losh (mailto:i...@bsdimp.com)> wrote: > > > On Wed, Jan 11, 2023 at 8:14 PM h...@dec.dog via cctalk > mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org)> wrote: > > appreciate the reply, Matt! unfortunately it doesn’t seem that that did the > > trick, another round of feeding it disk images and it still doesn’t want to > > boot. > > > > i tried the block and sector RX50 images on the dbit[.]com archive both > > as-is and converted to IBM MFM raw and HxC formats, and the teledisk images > > on ibiblio[.]org converted to the same. > > > > my img.cfg: > > > > [rx50] > > cyls = 80 > > heads = 1 > > secs = 10 > > interleave = 2 > > bps = 512 > > id = 1 > > rpm = 300 > > rate = 250 > > mode = mfm > > iam = no > > > > should i start suspecting my gotek (or worse, the system board) or is it > > still possible that i’m at fault? > > I don't think you want the interleave. At least for the Rainbow and the Pro > they did do an interleave of 2, but it was done at the logical level, not the > physical level (which is confusing). So, if the images are physical images > (that is, they record the physical sector numbers that are on the media), > then you don't need it. If the images are logical (so some or all of the > tracks have the interleave applied), then you will need it. > > Also, I think should be 0. Unlike the PC, where 1 and 0 are flipped by a > cable (you have a straight through cable, right?), the top RX-50 is ID 0 and > the bottom is ID 1. > > Warner > > — > > .hush > > Got interesting stuff to sell? Let me know! > > Looking for DEC, IBM, CDC, SGI, Data General, and more! > > > > > On Wednesday, Jan 11, 2023 at 8:47 PM, Matt Burke via cctalk > > > mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org) > > > (mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org)> wrote: > > > On 12/01/2023 00:58, h...@dec.dog via cctalk wrote: > > > > hello cctalk! i have been working for the past few days on a DECmate II > > > > with what i believe to be an ailing RX50. i have a gotek with updated > > > > flashfloppy firmware, but for some strange reason i have been > > > > completely unable to get the DMII to boot a floppy image from it. > > > > > > > > i have been trying to convert the OS/278 and WPS images on the dbit and > > > > ibiblio archives into a working format for the gotek but none of them > > > > will work. at this point i have tried too many conversions to recall > > > > but they all result in the same blinking floppy icon when the unit > > > > boots. i have “host = dec” in my FF.CFG per the wiki. > > > > > > > > has anyone else been able to get this working? if so, could you please > > > > provide known-good images for a gotek, or the steps to generate them? > > > > > > > > > > I've used a Gotek (semi-successfully) with the DEC Rainbow using raw > > > image files and the following lines in ff.cfg: > > > > > > host = dec > > > pin02 = low > > > pin34 = rdy > > > > > > The image file format should not be important though you may run into > > > problems with sector ordering depending on how the source image was > > > created. It was the pin02 and pin34 lines that got it working for the > > > Rainbow. > > > > > > Matt
[cctalk] Re: Gotek as RX50 replacement for DECmate II
appreciate the reply, Matt! unfortunately it doesn’t seem that that did the trick, another round of feeding it disk images and it still doesn’t want to boot. i tried the block and sector RX50 images on the dbit[.]com archive both as-is and converted to IBM MFM raw and HxC formats, and the teledisk images on ibiblio[.]org converted to the same. my img.cfg: [rx50] cyls = 80 heads = 1 secs = 10 interleave = 2 bps = 512 id = 1 rpm = 300 rate = 250 mode = mfm iam = no should i start suspecting my gotek (or worse, the system board) or is it still possible that i’m at fault? — .hush Got interesting stuff to sell? Let me know! Looking for DEC, IBM, CDC, SGI, Data General, and more! > On Wednesday, Jan 11, 2023 at 8:47 PM, Matt Burke via cctalk > mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org)> wrote: > On 12/01/2023 00:58, h...@dec.dog via cctalk wrote: > > hello cctalk! i have been working for the past few days on a DECmate II > > with what i believe to be an ailing RX50. i have a gotek with updated > > flashfloppy firmware, but for some strange reason i have been completely > > unable to get the DMII to boot a floppy image from it. > > > > i have been trying to convert the OS/278 and WPS images on the dbit and > > ibiblio archives into a working format for the gotek but none of them will > > work. at this point i have tried too many conversions to recall but they > > all result in the same blinking floppy icon when the unit boots. i have > > “host = dec” in my FF.CFG per the wiki. > > > > has anyone else been able to get this working? if so, could you please > > provide known-good images for a gotek, or the steps to generate them? > > > > I've used a Gotek (semi-successfully) with the DEC Rainbow using raw > image files and the following lines in ff.cfg: > > host = dec > pin02 = low > pin34 = rdy > > The image file format should not be important though you may run into > problems with sector ordering depending on how the source image was > created. It was the pin02 and pin34 lines that got it working for the > Rainbow. > > Matt
[cctalk] Gotek as RX50 replacement for DECmate II
hello cctalk! i have been working for the past few days on a DECmate II with what i believe to be an ailing RX50. i have a gotek with updated flashfloppy firmware, but for some strange reason i have been completely unable to get the DMII to boot a floppy image from it. i have been trying to convert the OS/278 and WPS images on the dbit and ibiblio archives into a working format for the gotek but none of them will work. at this point i have tried too many conversions to recall but they all result in the same blinking floppy icon when the unit boots. i have “host = dec” in my FF.CFG per the wiki. has anyone else been able to get this working? if so, could you please provide known-good images for a gotek, or the steps to generate them? thank you in advance! — .hush Got interesting stuff to sell? Let me know! Looking for DEC, IBM, CDC, SGI, Data General, and more!
