December 2024 - cctalk - classiccmp.org

by John Robertson

I'm just starting to clean up a NeXT system that a friend has had in storage for decades... I assume the thing has a battery somewhere - I just hope it isn't Ni-Cad! This is the original cube, monitor, keyboard (& mouse?), printer, assorted cables, and a SCSI secondary hard drive box. So far the manuals haven't shown up, but that is all online AFAICT. My plan is to give them all a good cleaning, then open up and inspect capacitors, look for batteries and any other perishable items, and then do diode checks prior to considering powering up. The remembered background story was a nearby lightning strike may have taken out the (1200 baud?) external modem, so will be paying extra attention to the serial ports! Sniff test may still be useful even after 20ish years. Any suggestions on what else to watch for on this setup prior to first power? I also will be using the Dim-Bulb setup once it seems safe to turn on. Anyone seen a common problem in power supplies for these components for example? Planned destination is auction... Thanks! John :-#)#

8 months

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Re: I need some RSX11M+ TKB help

by Mark Matlock

Peter, The command file below is from a SYSGEN driver build of DDDRV from my system but I think it should work for yours. Note that OU: is defined by the SYSGEN process and should be set as a logical to your system disk (DL0:) or perhaps more simply just edited to be SY: Also, note that it uses RSXVEC.STB which should work on the pregenned RL02 RSX11M+. [200,200]DDDRVBLD.CMD ; ; DDDRVBLD.CMD -- RSX-11M-PLUS loadable DD: driver build command file ; ; Created on 01-NOV-2024 at 14:00:05 ; OU:[1,54]DDDRV/-MM/-HD,SY:[1,34]DDDRV/SH/-SP,OU:[1,54]DDDRV= SY:[1,24]RSX11M/LB:DDDRV:DDTAB LB:[3,54]RSXVEC.STB/SS LB:[1,1]EXELIB/LB / STACK=0 PAR=DRVPAR:120000:20000 / If for some reason you need to assemble the DDDRV driver below is the SYSGEN produced assembly command files. [200,200]DDDRVASM.CMD ; ; DDDRVASM.CMD -- RSX-11M-PLUS loadable DD: driver assembly command file ; ; Created on 01-NOV-2024 at 12:56:02 ; OU:[11,24]DDDRV,LS:[11,34]DDDRV/-SP=IN:[1,1]EXEMC/ML,[11,10]RSXMC/PA:1,DDDRV OU:[11,24]DDTAB,LS:[11,34]DDTAB/-SP=IN:[1,1]EXEMC/ML,[11,10]RSXMC/PA:1,DDTAB Good Luck, Mark > > 1. I need some RSX11M+ TKB help (Peter Ekstrom) > > From: Peter Ekstrom <epekstrom(a)gmail.com> > Subject: [cctalk] I need some RSX11M+ TKB help > Date: December 29, 2024 at 6:21:46 PM CST > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> > Reply-To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> > > I have RSX11M+ 4.6 BL87 installed and running on my real PDP 11/23+ and > have gotten DECnet to work as well. But recently a need to access a TU58 > tape has come up, and turns out the DD driver on disk isn't built against > the correct RSX11M.STB file. So I need to, I guess, recreate the DDDRV.TSK > file. I have tried some very simplistic TKB commands but keep getting an > error saying a required file is missing. > > I don't have the sysgen stuff on this disk... What I have comes from the > pregenned RL02 image. > > Does anyone know how the TKB command line should look for this? I know, I > am looking for the easy way out. I have skimmed through some manuals but > nothing has stood out to me (I'm sure I missed it). > > Any help would be greatly appreciated. > > - Peter

10 months

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Rainbow Z80 firmware

by Rob Jarratt

Hello everyone, I am working on a Rainbow 100A which is showing a diagnostic code on the lights at the back of 0110101. This is supposed to be Message 1 "Main Board Video". I have disassembled the 8088 firmware and checked address traces with a logic analyser and my suspicion is that actually this is something to do with the interaction with the Z80 because it is reading a status from the shared memory and then using that to set the status lights. I have been unable so far to work out where in the ROMs the Z80 code lives or where in the 8088 code it transfers it to the shared memory to allow the Z80 to run. Can anyone tell me where the Z80 firmware is in the ROMs? And does anyone have any insight into the above error or have details of the interaction between the Z80 and the 8088? The Technical Manual only goes so far unfortunately. Thanks Rob

10 months

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Print chain for 1403

by Van Snyder

The IBM 1403 printer had interchangeable print chains. I know of only four 1403 printers still working — two at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA, one at the IBM Technology Center in Böblingen, Germany, and one near Endicott, NY. All four have the 48-character "A" or "Business" chain, and CHM has a 16-character numeric chain that allows the printer to run twice as fast for numeric-only output. CHM doesn't have an "H" or "Fortran" chain, and as far as I know, none of the others do. The difference is that parentheses are % and "lozenge" — a square with indented edges — apostrophe is @, and = is # on the "A" chain. IBM also had a 64- character chain that included box and line drawing graphics. BTW, nobody seems to know what "lozenge" was meant to represent. Does anybody know of an existing "H" chain or graphics chain for a 1403? Van Snyder

10 months

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I need some RSX11M+ TKB help

by Peter Ekstrom

I have RSX11M+ 4.6 BL87 installed and running on my real PDP 11/23+ and have gotten DECnet to work as well. But recently a need to access a TU58 tape has come up, and turns out the DD driver on disk isn't built against the correct RSX11M.STB file. So I need to, I guess, recreate the DDDRV.TSK file. I have tried some very simplistic TKB commands but keep getting an error saying a required file is missing. I don't have the sysgen stuff on this disk... What I have comes from the pregenned RL02 image. Does anyone know how the TKB command line should look for this? I know, I am looking for the easy way out. I have skimmed through some manuals but nothing has stood out to me (I'm sure I missed it). Any help would be greatly appreciated. - Peter

10 months

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FTGH IBM 4245 Printer Bands

by Joe George

Anyone have an IBM 4245 printer? I came into a box of NOS print bands and have zero use for them. Don't want to hard them, don't want to throw them out. FTGH, pitch in a couple of bucks for shipping and they're yours. I can get part numbers and quantities if there's interest. There's about a dozen of them and I think they're all the same belt, but do not know for sure.

10 months, 1 week

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VCF East 2025 - April 4-6, Wall, NJ - Exhibitor Registration

by Jeffrey Brace

VCF East 2025 Exhibitor Registration is open: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSedyn-m5gSCc0Sifce0O_HnVYtWu7s9u7D… The show will be April 4-6 in Wall, NJ @ InfoAge Science and History Museums Check the web page for updates over the next few weeks https://vcfed.org/events/vintage-computer-festival-east/

10 months, 2 weeks

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very old UNIXes software, contact at typewritten?

by jfsebastian＠null.net

Hello I have been doing a several years effort to save (very) old software for posterity, researchers, students. Mostly early 90s UNIXes, SunOS, Solaris, DG-UX, HP-UX, AIX, DEC-UNIX, some VMS software even. I uploaded some things to the Archive, and elsewhere, but I would rather get this off my shoulders, for mortality affects us all. This vanishing would be a loss, with many of these things are nowhere to be found anymore. I tried contacting the admin(?) bear at typewritten dot org, offering a few things for archiving, without results. Do any of the users here have any means to contact the admin there? I would very much like to access some of the UNIXes software there, and would gladly offer a quid pro quo. Similarly, if you have any software for Solaris (2.6, earlier) and other UNIXes, regardless of licensing status, I would be very much interested. Some things probably are lost forever though, such as Proliant PL/I, VisualWorks 2.5, Tibco S-PLUS, Harlequin WebWorks and such. Thanks in advance, and all the best Seb.

10 months, 2 weeks

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Digital lemac (de203) datasheet?

by Kevin Bowling

Was a datasheet ever offered for the DEC 'lemac' series (de203/de204/de205)? Like the thing with all the registers and programming information not the installation guide. Regards, Kevin

10 months, 2 weeks

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Trouble with DEQNA adapter

by Peter Ekstrom

Hi all, This may be a dumb question but I am a bit stumped. I can't seem to find any helpful info in the manuals. I have a DEQNA installed in my 11/23+ and I have run a NETGEN using the QNA driver. When NETINS runs I start seeing messages like these on the console: Event type 5.14, Send failed Occurred 19-DEC-24 09:30:11 on node 10.1 (TYCHO) Line QNA-0 Failure reason = Collision detect check failed So obviously the link isn't working, but I find nothing helpful about where to start looking regarding the failed collision detect check. The line is on: NCP>show line qna-0 status Line status as of 19-DEC-24 09:36:31 Line State QNA-0 On I have an Ethernet transceiver (I have 2 and have tried both, they worked last time I used them) connected to the DEQNA harness, and a cable connecting it to an old 10Base-T hub. I know that hub works because I have a couple of other systems (OS/2 laptop and an AS/400) connected to it. So does anyone have any ideas of where I can start? Thanks in advance! Peter

10 months, 2 weeks

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cctalk December 2024