test-drb

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101090 discussions

Keyboard inverters/converters for terminals

by sales＠elecplus.com

https://www.vecmar.com/products/search.asp Type in keyboard The first result allows a terminal keyboard to be used on a PS/2 port. The second result allows a PS/2 keyboard to be used on a terminal. Not affiliated with seller, etc. Cindy Croxton Electronics Plus 1613 Water Street Kerrville, TX 78028 830-370-3239 cell sales at elecplus.com -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

5 years, 11 months

Nova BASIC paper tape image

by camiel＠camicom.com

Does anyone have an image of the BASIC interpreter paper tape for the DG Nova?

5 years, 11 months

SMS Data Gathering App Announcement

by cube1＠charter.net

As some here probably know, I have been working the last couple of years working towards an FGPA gate-authentic replica of the IBM 1410 - the larger cousin to the IBM 1401. In 2018 I developed an application for gathering information of of ALDs and stuffing it into a MySQL database, then spent the rest of the year entering the information from the ALDs into the system, but I did not share that application or the data. Then I took a year off - it had been a grind. This year I took up the torch again. I put the application up on github, gave it the requisite GPL attributions, and started tracking my bugs, fixes and enhancements there, even though I am working alone. I fixed some of the warts, generalized it some, fixed a few bugs, added some database checking reports and data checking reports, and so on. I also spent quite a bit of time generalizing it, so that it will hopefully be usable (perhaps with some more fixes / enhancements / generalizing for most any SMS machine (IBM 1620, IBM 709x, IBM 1401 etc. etc. etc.) The application is available on github at: https://github.com/cube1us/IBM1410SMS The actual "root" source control is on my system at home using subversion. I use "git svn" to keep a git version in sync, and then push that to github. The application was/is developed in C# under Visual Studio 2017 to run under Windows, primarily because I was interested in trying out C#. I would expect it to build in VS 2019 with little or no change, but have not tried it. I could have used a more basic tool setup (say, C or C++ and a non-windows presentation layer), but I figured not all that many people would be interested in the thing, and the VS environment eased development quite a bit. I suspect it would work OK under WINE, but I have not tried doing so. There are also a couple of tools, one in Perl for generating database related classes from the database, and one in Python for checking for database referential integrity. ( was curious about Python, and this seemed a good candidate for an evaluation of it. It did, however reinforce my dislike for many things about Python. The application is comprised of two Visual Studio projects, one for the data gather app itself, the other a very very light weight database interface, that ought to make it not too hard to port it to a different DBMS. github also has a copy of the database, the MySQL Workbench data model (and a PDF print) and documentation in MS Word (and a PDF print). The code is not good. There, I said it. It is not truly OO at all. I didn't do much refactoring even when I saw common code or saw considerable potential to consolidate code. The downside of that is that there is lots of duplicate code. The upside is that you don't have to go umpteen layers deep in OO design to figure out what the darn thing does. Doesn't even use database views, though they probably would have been helpful. Just a bunch of tables. Lots of tables in a close but not fully relational model. The data gathered by the application in the database comprises about: 917 ALD (Automated Logic Diagram) 11" x 17" pages 10596 Logic Blocks on those pages (so average of 11.5 per page) 1281 DOT functions (Wired OR / AND) 14021 Inter-sheet signals (which appear on multiple sheets) 4222 Distinct inter-sheet signals 32746 Connections between the above items That connection number makes me shake my head - I had to enter each and every one of the darn things. Yeesh. Capturing all of that was between something like 600 and 1000 hours, maybe more (but not 2000 hours), after maybe 200 hours on the initial version of the application. My next phase is working hard on the part of the project that generates HDL for FPGA synthesis. I expect that to take many months as I synthesize, simulate with the tool set and figure stuff out. I'd be interesting in hearing from folks what toolsets they have used for HDL (VHDL in particular). I started with Xilinx ISE and then graduated to Vivado for later chipsets - unfortunately, Vivado seems to be something of a dog, in terms of time to compile HDL and synthesize logic. If folks find this interesting, and especially if they want to use it, I'd love to know about it. I intend to keep this a single-person effort, git-wise, but folks can feel free to fork (if anyone wants to bother ;) ), and let me know if they find anything seriously wrong. For what it's worth, my IBM 1410 cycle-level simulator for the IBM 1410 is also available, at: https://github.com/cube1us/1410

5 years, 11 months

2.11bsd unix resolver

by jacob.ritorto＠gmail.com

Hi, I've installed the recent release of 2.11bsd on my pdp11/73 and recompiled the kernel to fit. But for some reason I can't resolve hosts >from my /etc/hosts file now; only DNS names.. I'm not running BIND. Is there a setting that will allow me to find /etc/hosts entries first and then DNS in this operating system? I can't even resolve localhost! thx jake

5 years, 11 months

ISO: Diablo 30 heads

by derschjo＠gmail.com

Hi all -- I'm restoring a Xerox Alto and I started going over the system's Diablo 30 drive. The heads are in bad shape; the bottom one is actually missing both parts of the erase poles (so the black portion of the head no longer makes a "t", it's just a black line). This means the head (in addition to not being able to erase) also won't float due to the head having small cavities in them. The upper head looks a little better but I'd love to find a set of upper and lower heads if anyone has spares. Then I get to learn how to align these things. Thanks! - Josh

5 years, 11 months

FTGH - Decstation 5000 plus many extras

by trash80＠internode.on.net

Lets have another go (but this time I have some pictures) Decstation 5000/125 ? also houses a CD drive. Two expansion storage boxes ? one has a tape drive and the other one has a floppy drive. Two very large and heavy RGB Digital monitors ? one has both Digital and Sony branding on the back of it. I haven?t dug the other one out as its in a corner and is dam heavy but it looks the same as the other one. Box of spares (RAM, CPU's, HDDs etc.) I?ve never powered it up ? it was a rescue ? I believe it was a server in a TAFE college in Adelaide. This is all I got from the rescue bar the box of spares. The original owner had tossed all the documentation and software. Please note that the stand is not included in my offer and its located in south western Victoria (Australia). Photos: http://koken.advancedimaging.com.au/index.php?/albums/decstation/ Kevin Parker

5 years, 11 months

[cctalk] Re: Replacing the Flyback Transformer From My VAXmate

by w9gb＠icloud.com

Tai-Ho (Taiwan) was the OEM supplier for flyback transformers used by Apple in the early Macintosh computers (1984+). Russell Industries (New York, USA) produced replacement flyback transformers for monitors and TVs, these appear on eBay and remaining TV repair supply houses. As noted, while the circular pin-out is often standardized, the voltages need to be double-checked. greg chicago == From: "Rob Jarratt" <robert.jarratt at ntlworld.com> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" Subject: Replacing the Flyback Transformer From My VAXmate I am about as certain as I can be that the flyback transformer from my VAXmate monitor board has failed. I know this is probably impossible, but I am wondering if there is a way to find a more modern equivalent? How standardised are these things? I do see a lot that appear to have the same circular arrangement of the pins. The VAXmate one is a Tai-Ho TH-1802B and according the Technical Description has a primary voltage of +28V and produces auxiliary voltages as follows: +13.1kV @85uA max +950V @200uA +45V @75mA max -100V @1.2mA Regards Rob

5 years, 11 months

LK201 emulation

by amp1ron＠gmail.com

If anyone wants a PS/2 keyboard adapter that emulates an LK201, there's Peter Bosch's Arduino Nano based lk201emu: https://github.com/peterbjornx/lk201emu His writeup on this is still in the Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20180703165508/https://peterbjornx.nl/vtkbd/ I can no longer find a copy of Peter's schematic for this online, but at some point I grabbed a copy of it. I've renamed it from schem.pdf to lk201emu-schem.pdf and made it available at: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1XmRClTCoIedfXDcUbcaJi-A9QXr7SCEo -- Ron

5 years, 11 months

Evans & Sutherland PS-2?

by brad＠heeltoe.com

Does anyone have, or know of low level documentation for Evans & Sutherland Picture System 2 hardware? I walk past a PS-2 monitor all the time and some of us started talking about bringing it back to life.? I'm not sure if more of the system exists, but it might.? I plan to check. I looked on bitsavers and there's nothing I could find on the picture system.? Other E&S hardware, but not PS. Anyone know if any systems still exist?? I'd have to think the CHM has at least one.?? Back in the day they were sort of required for anyone doing commercial animation (or at least, that's what I could claim/recall but it was a long time ago) Brad

5 years, 11 months

Looking for IBM OS/VS2 TCAM Programmer's manual.

by mattislind＠gmail.com

Preferably OS/VS2 TCAM System Programmer's Guide TCAM Level 10. GC30-2051 but I think it is similar to OS/VS2 TCAM Programmer's Guide, GC30-2041. I get a hit for the former one: http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/9844/OS-VS-TCAM-Progarmmer-s-Guide-T… But it is not online. Any one has a scanned copy of this document? Anyone that has a copy that they could scan, sell or lend so that I can scan it? /Mattis

5 years, 11 months

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