test-drb February 2007

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

208 participants
390 discussions

Speaking of terminals - a Morrow Designs/Lear Siegler ADM20 dropped on me today

by ethan.dicks＠gmail.com

Well... not literally "dropped"... Someone handed me one at lunch today (he thought it was an ADM2 when he mentioned it), so I brought it home and started googling around for it. Didn't see anything on bitsavers, but I did find this... http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/morrow/mdadm20.pdf ... on Dave Dunfield's pages, I presume. From what I can read, it's a pre/non-ANSI terminal from 1983. I was going to use it as a console for this Netra t 1125 (reboxed Sun Ultra 60 w/no holes for keyboard or video), but the distinct lack of VT-100-compatibility makes me think that I should dig something else out for a console to at least install the OS. Once it's up, there _is_ an adm20 entry in the termcap. To me, at least, the only thing remarkable about it is the company that made it. At least there's a bit of lore attached to ADM3 terminals (and the historic places they used to be found in). A non-ANSI terminal from 1983 just isn't that exciting, so if anyone on the list is really gung-ho for Morrow Designs stuff, make inquiries off-list, please. Gotta go dig up that Planar ELT-320 - at least it's small and low-power (as well as being ANSI-compatible in the terminal (not PC character graphics) sense). -ethan

19 years

Copying Mac Disks with a Single Drive

by compoobah＠valleyimplants.com

> Message: 23 > Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2007 12:27:00 -0800 (PST) > From: Fred Cisin <cisin at xenosoft.com> > Subject: Re: Copying a Mac Disk with a Single Drive > To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" > <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Message-ID: <20070208122504.I35814 at shell.lmi.net> > Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII > > On Wed, 7 Feb 2007, Scott Quinn wrote: >> with an external 400 or 800k floppy. The SuperDrive (original >> SuperDrive, not the "new" CD/DVD one) [present on all Macs since the >> IIx, many IIs and some SEs (SE FDHD)] has the smaller head size and >> your older machine won't read it properly. WRT the swapping- can't > > There is a completely different recording method (MFM v Mac GCR). > > What are the dimensions of the different size heads? > Not sure about dimensions- the 800/400k drives I think share common dimensions with the PC-esque 720k drives, and the 1.4 SuperDrive is known to be the same dimension as the 1.44 MB PC mechanism. It was big issue around the time System 7 came out- if you put a 800k diskette in a System 7 machine with a SuperDrive the desktop file would be rewritten unless the disk was locked. If you then put the disk in a 800k System 6 drive it would indicate it as corrupt (you could run it through Disk First Aid to get it back) because of the head sizes (similar to the problem with 5.25" DD floppies in the PC AT)

19 years

Need an Elston analog video board for VT100

by ISC277＠CLCILLINOIS.EDU

All the terminal chatter has reminded me, anyone got a good spare VT100 analog video board of the Elston variant? It's the last piece I need to get my VT100 working again. Julian

19 years

Some HP paper tapes found

by jwest＠classiccmp.org

I just found 13 cases of HP paper tapes that I had forgotten about. Either I have a large cluttered basement, or I found them a week ago and just have really bad memory so I keep finding them again ;) Perhaps both. In any case, they are mostly DOS III, DOS-M, and RJE related. I noted the DOS stuff had system generation tapes too at the least. There's some BCS and diag tapes too. If anyone is desperately looking for tapes in that area of interest, let me know and I'll make a list of what's there. Jay West

19 years

Preservation of correspondence

by aliensrcooluk＠yahoo.co.uk

--- Jules Richardson <julesrichardsonuk at yahoo.co.uk > wrote: > Chuck Guzis wrote: > > On 5 Feb 2007 at 20:23, Jim Leonard wrote: **>> snip <<** > > I don't see the correlation. What good is bette r > error correction if > > it's built on a less reliable technology? > > Well said :) If the optical media were enclosed in a > case (CD caddies, > anyone?) then at least it would go some way toward > preventing damage from > scratches, fingerprints etc. **>> snip <<** > > cheers > > Jules > I remember CD caddies :) I recall back at secondary school in my first year there (year 7 for UK'ers), in 1990/1, that the new computer in the library used CD's which were in see through plastic. Essentially the "CD" of the time was like floppy discs - the writable media (medium?) was encased in protective plastic shell. I haven't seen any like that ever since. I don't suppose anyone on this list has any like that?? If so, I'd love to see a picture of it, please. Regards, Andrew D. Burton aliensrcooluk at yahoo.co.uk

19 years

SunOs tapes

by micheladam＠theedge.ca

I have both 4.1.1 for Sun3/3x, and the 4.1.1_U1 update, on CD, and could use CloneCD on those, if you would like. Would not mind getting one of those fuse for my 3/60. Michel ----- Original Message ----- From: silvercreekvalley <silvercreekvalley at yahoo.com> Date: Friday, February 9, 2007 4:06 am Subject: SunOs tapes > Looking for any original SunOS tapes (any machine) > or a 4.x era Sun 3 CD. Must be original tape/CD. > Format etc doesnt matter as I can cope with just > about anything. > > Also - if anyone is looking for the fairly difficult > to find fuses that you get in Sun 3's I have a few > spares available (no charge, just postage). > > I've blown a few of these fuses over the years, > usually > caused by the keyboard plug moving in the socket while > the Sun is on - and I've found them awkward to find. > > Cheers > > Ian. > > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ > 8:00? 8:25? 8:40? Find a flick in no time > with the Yahoo! Search movie showtime shortcut. > http://tools.search.yahoo.com/shortcuts/#news >

19 years

Tektronix terminals [was: Re: Re: Humpty Dumpty]

by blstuart＠bellsouth.net

Richard wrote: > At the very least it would be interesting to > add a USB port to the Tektronix this way to give it a higher serial > transfer rate. The number and complexity of the dynamic vectors that > you can draw is currently limited by the baud rate on the port, but I > assume that if you get a faster communications channel, then there's > probably a limit based on how fast they can slew the electron beam. That was the impression I got at the time. Of course it's been *mumble* years. (You know, it's really sad when you find yourself counting how many decades something's been.) One of my college roommates did his senior project setting up an LSI-11 as a front end for the 4014. He didn't integrate into the card cage, but I seem to remember that he didn't just hook it up to the RS-232 port either, but he may have. That bit's rather fuzzy. I seem to remember that he found it really didn't help much on the speed of drawing. But I think it was more a matter of comm speed rather than what the terminal could do. BLS

19 years

Preservation of Correspondence - And Media

by Billy.Pettit＠wdc.com

Jules Richardson wrote: Tony Duell wrote: >> Can't say the same for *some* players I've owned (thinks of Magnavox crap >> in wastebasket about three months later just after the warranty expired). > > IIRC Magnavox are essentially Philips. Interesting - I didn't know that. The Magnavox stuff I've seen in the US seems to have less build quality than similar Philips items from Europe, but that's possibly a reflection on US consumer electronic/electrical equipment in general rather than any kind of corporate failing. > In the UK, Philips CD players were > knwon for developing dry joiuts. A complete re-solder would get them > going again and then they'd essentially go for ever... The soldering is awful in their Laserdisc players of old; sounds like things didn't improve when they started making CD players... cheers Jules --------------------------- Philips bought the Magnavox label seveeral years ago. Before that, they had a terrible time getting name brand recognition in the US. Most of the sets for both brands were made by Funai, so there was very little real change. This is common technique for companies outside the US trying to crack the US market. Philips also bought Sonic Care tooth brushes for the same reason. Thomson bought the RCA brand name. And so on. Billy

19 years

Bugs in computer hardware (real ones)

by charlesmorris＠hughes.net

On Fri, 9 Feb 2007 12:03:37 -0600 (CST), you wrote: >On Feb 8, 2007, at 2:42 PM, Bob Rosenbloom wrote: >> I have a dual floppy system from Computer Automation that >> some kind of insect had made a nest in a long time ago. I'm not >> sure how to remove the stuff. I tried water but it has no effect. >> It's hard as concrete! I looked at the pictures and those sure look a lot like mud dauber wasp nests - they get into everything stored outdoors in Missouri that has an opening big enough to admit a wasp. That mix of wasp snot and dirt could be a replacement for structural concrete if one could find a way to direct the placement :) Unfortunately I don't know any magic way to get it off that won't also destroy the electronics! I've actually had to use a hammer to get rid of some of them, and steel-brush the remainder. Obviously not practical in your floppy drive. http://www.ent.iastate.edu/imagegal/hymenoptera/sphecidae/sphecinae/muddaub… -Charles

19 years

Bugs in computer hardware (real ones)

by Billy.Pettit＠wdc.com

John C. Ellingboe wrote: Bob Rosenbloom wrote: > > I have a dual floppy system from Computer Automation that > some kind of insect had made a nest in a long time ago. I'm not sure how to remove the stuff. I tried water but it has no effect. It's hard as concrete! I can chip it but it takes quite a bit of force and I don't want to rip off any components under it. Any ideas? Here's some photos: > > <http://www.dvq.com/oldcomp/1kx768/cc_flpy2.JPG> > <http://www.dvq.com/oldcomp/1kx768/cc_flpy3.JPG> > <http://www.dvq.com/oldcomp/1kx768/cc_flpy4.JPG> > > Thanks, > > Bob Dirt/mud dauber nest... They can be removed with water and a brush but it will take a bit of work.. Chip away what you can safely, use something a little stiff like an acid brush and add a little detergent to the water. What ever they add to the dirt is somewhat water resistant but it will wash away after a bit. ------------------------------------------------ What they add is saliva, which dries extremely hard, like a varnish. What I've done with these nests which I find in the eaves occasionally, is just simply water. If I'm worried about the finish (or in your case, the components) I use a thin sponge taped over the nest. Keep it soaked by watering every day. Usually a week is enough for the nest to fall off. It leaves a ring that I take off with a white (no scratch) Scotch Brite pad and warm water. Billy

19 years

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test-drb February 2007