They have 8085A chips with '76 dates on them. Thanks for the info and now to
try and test them.
At 09:21 AM 11/23/97 -0800, you wrote:
>> I also found in the
>> same box 12 Intel boards dated copyright 1976 with white keys, a red lED
>> readout, a boxed area marked Bus Expansion Drivers filled with various
>> chips, TTY interface boxed area, PROM area, Address Decoder area, and all
>> kinds of things on these boards. Does anyone know what thses units are ?
>
>These sound like Intel SDK-85 evaluation kits. Do they, indeed, have
>8085's on them? There was also an earlier 8080A version. Both were
>bought by the truckloads by tech schools, universities, and colleges
>for computer courses and data acquisition work. What are the date
>codes on the chips?
>
>Tim. (shoppa(a)triumf.ca)
>
>
Well, after a long dry spell (partly self-induced) I came home this week
with a few machines. I picked up 5 PET 4032's (one labelled 'No Good') a
VIC-20, a 4022 printer, 5 datasettes, a 1571 disk drive (it rattles, i'm
not hopeful), a box of VIC power adaptors (the 10vac ones) and RF
modulators.
I also got 4 'MSD Super Disk Drive' model SD-1. These look similar in
design to the external TRS-80 drives (except they're cream coloured).
They have two 6-pin DIN plugs and an IEEE-488(?) plug. Are these what I
think they are? (Drives that will work on the VIC-20/C-64 and PETs) I
don't have any 6pin cables to try these on a VIC. I haven't tried them on
a PET yet, either. Any idea what format these would be? (2040, 8050?)
Finally, I picked up a bit of PET software. I got five copies of
VisiCalc. It turns out, however, that this software requires a ROM chip
to be installed in the machine it is to be run on. (an early dongle?) No
problem, five VisiCalcs, five PETs... they must have the ROMs in them,
right?... wrong. Not-a. So... does anyone have a dump of the 'VisiCalc
for PET' ROM that they could email to me so I can try out this classic
piece of software? (and preserve it, of course.)
Oh, for those who follow the prices... I got the lot for $75CAD (about
$55USD) A little more than I wanted to pay, but it was a school board, so
I guess it's a good cause.
ttfn
srw
<> I also found in the
<> same box 12 Intel boards dated copyright 1976 with white keys, a red lED
<> readout, a boxed area marked Bus Expansion Drivers filled with various
<> chips, TTY interface boxed area, PROM area, Address Decoder area, and al
<> kinds of things on these boards. Does anyone know what thses units are ?
<
<These sound like Intel SDK-85 evaluation kits. Do they, indeed, have
<8085's on them? There was also an earlier 8080A version. Both were
Intel did the SDK80 (8080), SDK85(8085), and SDK86(8086).
I'd love to get a SDK85, for my SBC collection even a used one.
Allison
Well the last 3 weeks have been pretty slow and more people have started
going to the thrift's that I shop. I'm still trying to work out a deal to
save alot of classic's setting in a warehouse here in Minn. and will let
everyone know when and if they come avaiable. I did find a few items such as
several pairs of black paddles made by Apple for the II series I guess (they
were free), a Mac SE/30 with HD problems for $5, Apple 2400 data modem with
power supply for free, 2 PS/2-70 386 for $5 each one is load with memory and
all the slots are full of cards, have pulled them yet to see what they are,
and the other has no memory in it or extra cards, a Commodore 1571 drive for
$5, Franklin Ace 1100 with Franklin video monitor both were free and I have
tested them yet, Apple IIc power supply for free, AppleColor Composite for
$5 and it works great, IBM 4019-E01 laser for 19.95 needs a little work, A
NEC kB MMTKB-1001 for 2.95, and a 2600 cartridge called "Kool-Aid Man" for
.25. I'm also still trying to get away to test the 10 Sym-1's that picked
up a few weeks ago so that I can trade or sell them. I also found in the
same box 12 Intel boards dated copyright 1976 with white keys, a red lED
readout, a boxed area marked Bus Expansion Drivers filled with various
chips, TTY interface boxed area, PROM area, Address Decoder area, and all
kinds of things on these boards. Does anyone know what thses units are ? I
plan to keep one and trade or sell the others if I can figure their value.
Times like these are when I could use a digital camera and my own web site
to show strange finds to everyone for help in figuring out what it is. Well
a new week is starting and a four day weekend so I hope to shop alot. Keep
computing and have a great Thanksgiving - John
On a TRS-80 Model I, no expansion unit, I am getting the left half of the
screen filled with graphics and the right half with scrambled text. Does
anyone have a suggestion of where I should start looking for the solution
to this problem?
Thanks
Charlie Fox
Early in the summer I got involved with a fellow who is attempting to
start a science museum in Windsor, Ont. and undertook to work on the
computer collection. Following Sam's suggestion I inserted a small ad in
our local weekly shopping guide: "Old computers wanted, working or not, for
museum collection." with my name and phone number. This has been in three
times at about three week intervals, and so far has resulted in turning up
over fifty computers.
Apparently word is spreading, for I have had calls as much as two weeks
after the ad ran. Also I feel having my name in it is important for it lets
people know who they are dealing with. Also on two occasions folks who I
knew years ago in other organizations have brought me their unwanted machines.
How one answers the phone can be important. What seems to work best, when
some one asks if I am the fellow collecting old computers, and what kind,
or how old, is to ask "What do you have, and how much are you asking for
it?" In a lot of cases they will say they don't want anything for it, they
just want it out of the basement, and even an XT or an Apple clone might
have a lot of useful parts.
So far we have turned up lots of XT and Apple clones along with an
assortment of TRS-80s, T.I.s Commodores, Ataris and Timex Sinclairs, but an
Osborne and a DEC Rainbow have come along as well as the fragments of a
Basic 4, a Philips Micom, and a Wang wordprocesser. Also about a dozen
assorted calculators have made an appearence.
While I keep dreaming of a PDP11, or a VAX, we have to realize that
Windsor, (pop 200,000) is not as fertile a field as you folks have in the
western states.
Cheers
Charlie Fox
<Thus far he has discovered a problem with tape drives in two
<terminals. His description of the problem is that, when used, the
<motor capstan in the tape drive "melts". In one case he has not
<been able to get all the ex-capstan goo off of the belt capstan
<in the cartridge; fortunately that was a blank tape.
this is also common to DEC TU58 tape system (also a dc100 cart).
The solution I've used to date is to first strip the goo off the alumninum
ferrule that is on the drive. Then I found a peice of tygon(vinal) clear
tubing that had the required ID for a tight fit. I cut a ring the width of
the original(cut squarely and clean) and proceded to glue it on using
superglue (cyanoacrylic). then I run it up on a spare motor and grind it
using a emery board. The last step it insure roundness. I've done this
for 6 tu58 drives and it seems to work fine. It's noisier as it's harder
but seems to have enough friction to drive the tape well.
The material is not the best possible choice (polyurethane might be better)
but I had it handy and it's easy to find. Between uses I pull the tape to
avoid dents that seem to cause no problems other then making the drive
very noisy. It's been in use for about a year, so the tygon hardening
>from age was a concern. However it works and it's easy enough to do again
if needed.
<And an observation: the HP 9815A desktop calculator I have sitting here
<seems to use a similar drive (at least the capstan looks similar when I
<peer in the slot), and I think the HP 85 does too.
I'd guess.
Allison
