Did anyone else just get the semi-automated-looking email from the Living Computer Museum reminding that the online collection is still online and how to access it? It was a bit of a shock to me - I was aware that the online collection was still accessible, but it just seems ‘strange’ to get an email from them out of the blue. Oh how I wished it was some good news.
Here’s hoping that one day Vulcan realize what they have.
Ian
Who presently has the largest predominantly "vintage computing" collections
in 2022? I sometimes wonder what the cutoff definition is for "very large
collection" ... 1000 individual computers? Or do you judge by square feet
filled? I have seen entire houses full, 5000sq ft warehouses, entire
homes.stuffed to the brim. But there is a price to pay. Free stuff has a
storage cost until it ain't so free anymore. It's hard to maintain a large
collection and prevent its deterioration.
Reminds me of the consolidation of planetary debris into the solar system.
By 2022 there has been a lot of consolidation. Some of us started
accumulating systems in the 1990s or even before, and are still at it.
From.the looks.of what was being sold at vcfmw we're a ways off from
running out of stuff.
Bill
Does anyone know how the 1970/1971 original Datapoint 2200 was programmed?
It had tapes containing terminal programs to access different types of
systems. And the instruction set was said to be similar what became the
8008. But how were these terminal programs created and how were the tapes
written? Were they under emulators on larger systems, like a PDP-10?
Were there any tapes that had something like a machine code editor and
tape-write routines? I assume no kind of ROM was built into the system
(unless it had a built in machine code editor, and routines to write that
content to a tape?) Was a version of BASIC ever built for the 8008 that
ran on a Datapoint 2200 or similar system?
-Steve
Hi Everyone,
I'm Daryl and I'm with the Hewlett-Packard Company Archives. David Collins forwarded your email to me in the event that the archives might be interested in acquiring this impressive collection that is listed below.
I'm going to forward this to our archives team to have them give their input on which of these instruments we would be most interested in and then get back to you. Provided, that this inventory is still available.
I look forward to staying in touch.
Daryl
Daryl Faulkner
Account Director
Heritage Werks, Inc.
Specialists in Archival Services
503.501.9216 (cell)
daryl.faulkner(a)heritagewerks.com<mailto:daryl.faulkner@heritagewerks.com>
HeritageWerks.com<http://www.heritagewerks.com/>
Legally privileged/confidential information may be contained in this message. It is intended solely for the addressee(s); access to anyone else is unauthorized. If this message has been sent to you in error, do not review, disseminate, distribute or copy it. Please reply to the sender that you have received the message in error, and then delete it. Thank you.
From: David Collins <davidkcollins2(a)gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2022 10:09 PM
To: Daryl Faulkner <daryl.faulkner(a)heritagewerks.com>
Subject: [EXTERNAL]Fwd: [cctalk] HP 2000 hardware in Salt Lake
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
FYI in case you are after more HP kit!
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Tim Riker via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org<mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org>>
Date: Tue, 20 Sept 2022 at 11:22
Subject: [cctalk] HP 2000 hardware in Salt Lake
To: <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org<mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org>>
Cc: Tim Riker <Tim(a)rikers.org<mailto:Tim@rikers.org>>
All,
I'm not getting around to working on this hardware. Another potential
move coming up. What's the interest level out there for HP 1000/2000
hardware?
Computers:
* HP-2116A 8kB - the original HP computer. There is only one other
that I am aware of in existence. David Collins got theirs up and
running. Mine still blows fuses on startup.
* http://hpmuseum.net/display_item.php?hw=95<https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fhpmuseum.n…>
* HP-2100A - untested
* HP-2108 - working last I checked 64kB (I might keep this one)
* HP-2112 - working last I checked 64kB
Others:
* HP-7901A disc drive - untested (2.5mB)
* HP-7900A disc drive - untested, with external power supply (5mB)
* HP-7900A disc drive - untested, with external power supply
* HP-2748B paper tape reader - spins up, does not seem to pass data
* CCC tape punch - untested
* HP-2761A Optical Mark Reader - punch card reader. loading wheel
turned to goo long ago. probably restorable
* card slot expansion chassis. I forget the part number.
* dual 3 1/2" drive in hpio chassis might someday work with these systems
* non-hp 19" rack holding most equipment
* lot's of peripheral cards including interfaces for disc drives,
punch, tape, card, etc.
Photos on Google Photos. My Gallery App is down at the moment.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ry648oCejfmjnuNf9<https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fphotos.ap…>
I'd guess it's about 1500 pounds of hardware. So, pickup in Salt Lake only.
hi folks,
i'm looking for a vme chassis. i have a we 321sb vme cpu card
(derivative of a 3b2) and it wants to run!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:3b2-vme.jpg
not super picky about the details but if it matches aesthetically that
would be neat. should be functional, i'd rather not start another
electronics project right now. also interested in peripheral cards.
ideally, somewhere in seattle that's reasonably accessible by transit,
or if you're willing to ship that would work too.
thanks!
--
æstrid smith (she/her)
=<[ c y b e r ]>=
antique telephone collectors association member #4870
Hi,
I've got Sun Fire V100 that I'm pretty sure at some point in time
actually worked, since I loaded the board with the maximum amount
of memory supported (2G).
Now, however, when powering on, the LOM comes up but upon issuing the
poweron command the main CPU apparently doesn't, all I get is either
1. print_message: Wrong message ID
2. or continuous scrolling of what look like blocks of register dumps
I can reliably get effect 1, but the effect 2 is not easy to reproduce.
The memory itself seems ok - transplanted it into a known good V100
board and that booted up to readiness (no OS installed yet), included
full memory init. Just on general principle (i.e. try the obvious things
first) I also retried with known good PSU, same result.
There are no obvious signs of trouble (e.g. bulked up or leaky
electrolytic capacitors, scorch marks).
Any ideas what that message wants to tell me?
Full bootup transcript below, note the fan failure is due to this being
run as a naked board removed from the case, so the case fans are 'missing'.
-------------------------- cute here for new monitor --------------------
LOMlite starting up.
CPU type: H8/3437S, mode 3
Ram-test: 2048 bytes OK
Initialising i2c bus: OK
Searching for EEPROMs: 50(cfg)
I2c eeprom @50: OK
i2c bus speed code 01... OK
Probing for lm80s: none
Probing for lm75s: 48
Initialising lm75 @48: OK
System functions: PSUs fans breakers rails gpio temps host CLI ebus clock
Power restored
LOMlite console
lom>
LOM event: +0h0m0s LOM booted
lom>
LOM event: +0h0m0s host power on
�
LOM event: +0h0m7s Fan 1 FATAL FAULT: failed 0%
LOM event: +0h0m7s Fault LED 3Hz
print_message: Wrong message ID
lom>
lom>poweroff
lom>
LOM event: +0h0m50s host power off
lom>poweron
lom>
LOM event: +0h0m55s host power on
�
LOM event: +0h0m56s Fan 1 recovered
LOM event: +0h1m2s Fan 1 FATAL FAULT: failed 0%
print_message: Wrong message ID
lom>
lom>poweroff
-------------------------- cute here for new monitor --------------------
Kind regards,
Alex.
--
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and
looks like work." -- Thomas A. Edison
Does anyone have, or know of a reasonably priced supplier of good clean
used, or new 8" floppy diskette boxes? The kind made of plastic like these?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/134258177087
I have one 8" box with Xerox software in which the plastic literally
crumbling.
The price this seller wants for the case itself is reasonable but I find the
price of shipping outrageous.
Total shipping price for three boxes is shown to be $21.35.
I may be crazy, but this seems nuts for something so light.
Thank You
Don Resor
Tom Persky at https://www.floppydisk.com/ sells all types of FDs, albeit
well above the AOL price :-)
Interesting article about this last man standing in the business:
https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/we-spoke-with-the-last-person-standing-in-the-f
loppy-disk-business/#:~:text=Tom%20Persky%20is%20the%20self,and%20recycling%
20of%20floppy%20disks.
BTW, there are still four companies making iron oxide tape, but just
currently for audio/video/instrument usage.
If the demand for FDs continues past Tom's inventory then I wouldn't be
surprised to see one of them make some FDs too.
Tom
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Subject: cctalk Digest, Vol 97, Issue 35
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Best I can tell the diodes are Passivated Silicon, Bead diodes, of which there are three flavors.
https://pdf1.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/view/1073401/NJSEMI/A15A.html
On EEVBlog it was suggested that these were Sintered Glass Bead diodes.
I do believe they are still in okay working condition. My thought process is that they are probably quite noisy. Installing a modern type of diode would also I believe dramatically reduce generation of heat.
It is nice that a Power Supply board is laid out in a way that you can access all of the components. Nothing like some of the small 5v switching supplies in which most of the components are shoved close together.
I downloaded the 1977 GE Semiconductor manual, but it’s not easy to find it without a part number.
Back when I was in my early 20’s a neighbor whom was an Engineer at Xerox in the power supply division at 701 South Aviation Blvd. El Segundo, gave me a bundle of those soft bound Motorola reference manuals, some RCA TTL manuals, Zener Diode reference etc. The books sat on my shelf for many years until I ran out of room. I moved them to my shed which at the time was safe from the weather. After years of storage many of them were damaged from dampness etc.
In the last 10 years I realized I should have taken better care of them. I realize they are almost worth their weight in gold.
I was able to find a few of those books used and purchased them at (luckily) reasonable prices.
I regret that and a home brew vacuum tube combo preamplifier/amplifier stereo unit. I was forced to part with. My father referred to it as “junk taking up space”.
It contained 4 6V6GTs, 2 12AU7As, and a 5U4 Rectifier. The front end was early GE (germanium I suppose) transistors. They were of the metal oval shaped black painted metal can type with the pinched evacuation nipples.
Don Resor
From: Joshua Rice <Rice43(a)btinternet.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2022 9:44 AM
To: D. Resor <organlists1(a)sonic.net>
Subject: Re: [cctalk] Re: Xerox 820II U07 Power Supply magic smoke....
On Oct 13, 2022, at 2:32 PM, D. Resor <organlists1(a)sonic.net <mailto:organlists1@sonic.net> > wrote:
A couple reasons I'd like to have a circuit diagram is to know what the RIFA capacitors purpose are. The other is, a couple of the electrolytic capacitor are double covered with what appears to be rubbery heat shrink tubing, therefore I cannot read what their value are.
Generally, though not always, these are simply “coupling” capacitors, that are used to limit RF interference from appearing on the mains supply. Most, though not all, PSUs will work fine without them. Some others won’t function right as they’re used for generating clock signals from the mains supply. I believe that some PDP-11 supplies use them for this purpose.
One of these two electrolytic capacitor appears to have a dried substance around the top. The over-pressure venting cuts in the top of these two capacitors are not split. At this point I cannot tell if it is dried electrolyte, cement to hold the sleeve on, or possibly paper.
Sometimes it’s just glue , but better safe than sorry, Cut off the sleeving (it’s used for electrically isolating the cap from other components), get the rating off of it, and replace with like. Probably worth heatshrinking them again as well.
Seems someone was in hurry on the day this PS was tested. I cannot make out date, is it 1983?
<https://www.dropbox.com/s/zlt2ocpqulil13j/pssticker.jpg?dl=0> https://www.dropbox.com/s/zlt2ocpqulil13j/pssticker.jpg?dl=0
Looks like ‘85
What type are the diodes, their rating etc.? I seem to remember this type with a black band were rated at 3 amps, but that's all I remember.
The TO-3 transistor/regulator has no P/N silkscreened on it.
Having a circuit diagram helps to cover many bases. Apparently it's an Astec AA12070.
It’s unlikely that these would have failed. If they have, i would (as another person suggested,) just replace the unit with a modern Meanwell supply. At that point, it’s probably not worth the time and effort to replace all the parts.
Placed the PS board back in the garage to continue airing out! 😉
Don’t fear the RIFA, but keep the windows open, just in case.
Josh.
