I had one of these back in 1978ish. I remember that the coding was ASCII, but “inverted” i.e. mark and space were reversed. Not sure if yours is the same.
Good luck.
Sent from my iPad
> On Nov 30, 2025, at 1:00 PM, cctalk-request(a)classiccmp.org wrote:
>
> Subject: [cctalk] Friden Flexowriter models
Ok, started playing with the SIMH vax8600 simulator and OpenVMS 7.3
Hobbyist.
I know they discontinued the hobbyist license program years ago, but does
one actually need a license to run it? Or would an older version like 5.x
or something be better? The OpenVMS community license is only for Alpha,
Itanium and some x86_64 architectures so I'm sure that wouldn't work in a
simulated VAX?
- Peter
(sending again from a different email address as I don't think my first
email got through, apologies if this is a duplicate)
I have a VT100 that I was working on a while back and then set aside for a
bit. I have started to look at it again. I have noticed that the Video Shift
Register, a 74S299, gets very hot, I can smell the heat and the chip gets
almost too hot to touch, reaching almost 40 celsius. I have a working VT102
for comparison and the same chip there does not get so hot (it reaches about
30 celsius). I have already tried replacing the chip, but the new one gets
equally hot.
I looked at the signals the chip is receiving and the one that stands out as
different is the CLK input (pin 12). It looks like this:
https://rjarratt.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/vt100-74s299-clk-s
ignal.png. On the VT102 it looks like this:
https://rjarratt.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/vt102-74s299-clk-s
ignal.png. It is much spikier on the VT100 and I was told at one point that
this could be the cause of the hot running for the chip. Is that a
reasonable assumption?
Assuming the spikes are the cause of the hot running. I am trying to see why
there is a difference. I have noticed that on the VT102 there is a 68R
resistor between the DC011 which produces the signal and the 74S299. You can
see this as R86 in the VT101 printset
https://bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/terminal/vt101/MP-01066-00C_VT101_Family_Field
_Maintenance_Print_Set_Apr82.pdf (p47 of the PDF). The VT100 printset dated
Feb 82
https://bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/terminal/vt100/MP00633_VT100_Schematic_Feb82.p
df shows an inductor L8 being used (PDF p17), but my VT100 does not have
this and so must be described by the March 80 printset
https://bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/terminal/vt100/MP00633_VT100_Mar80.pdf (PDF
p17).
Could the absence of L8 explain the spikier DOT CLK signal and the hotter
74S299?
Incidentally, I suspect that the flyback transformer on my VT100 has failed.
If anyone has a flyback transformer going spare, especially in the UK, then
I would love to hear from you.
Thanks
Rob
I just acquired a TRS-80 model 102, my first of that model.
Everything is great other than three keys. The 2 keys works intermittently,
q, and [ don't work. Having checked the schematic, the keys have no
commonality on the circuit.
Before I pull the cap off the switch, I know that the rubber dome inside has
material on the inner part that meets with the silver contacts to complete
the circuit. I'm told this material will wear out or lose conductivity.
I reflowed the solder joints on the pcb and this didn't help. Other people
have simply replaced the rubber dome from another dead 102's keyboard. But,
I'd rather attempt applying new material inside that dome.
I'm hoping there is an inexpensive and mainstream solution I can buy at home
depot or something.
Any tips?
Daniel
sysop | Air & Wave BBS
finger | calcmandan(a)bbs.erb.pw
Does anyone know if there is any programming information about the BDV11
card?
I have disassembled the ROM files for it and I see they do various
operations with the
registers on the card, but it is not clear to me exactly what they are
doing.
- Peter
Hi all,
I'm trying to sell an old Scotch tape reel on Ebay Kleinanzeigen here in
germany. It's box is labeled 871-1-3600 R41 which I think means Type 871, 1
Inch and 3600 ft, Don't hve an idea about R41. Stock No: 84-9800-5294-2
I've bought that myself in a error..needed an Data tape to this time.
Now one asks if that is an vintage video tape for the philisp EL3400
Recorder..
Has someone an idea what kind of tape that may be?
Thx,
Holm
--
Technik Service u. Handel Tiffe, www.tsht.de, Holm Tiffe,
Goethestrasse 15, 09569 Oederan, USt-Id: DE253710583
info(a)tsht.de Tel +49 37292 709778 Mobil: 0172 8790 741
According to history Windows 1 was introduced to the world on Nov. 20,
1985, 40 years ago, minus 2 days. Prior to this Windows was first announced
in 1983(vaporware) but…An even earlier development was Interface Manager.
What we have now is much more and ‘better’ but for classic computing I
still prefer WIN 3.1.
Happy computing.
Murray 🙂
