November 2016 - vcf-midatlantic

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Suggestions? East XII keynoters
by william degnan 06 Nov '16

06 Nov '16

On Nov 1, 2016 9:43 PM, "Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic" < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > > I found the Elstart Co.'s old address. 1523 Delaware Ave., Wilmington, DE. .... Bill isn't that your neck of the woods? Maybe you could look them up. Maybe I will. Wonder where that address cane from

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Suggestions? East XII keynoters
by Duane 06 Nov '16

06 Nov '16

Mike, Thanks for the link to your page. I did something similar , though not as good, with a radio shack color computer and a teletype. I mounted a light bulb and a photo cell to the teletype carriage. then taped a photograph to the TTY paper and spaced over the picture reading the reflections via the joystick port. I divided the readings into about 7 bins and used various characters from . to $ to print out the picture. From across the room they looked pretty good. Someone with a TTY machine might like to do it for VCF. Duane -----Original Message----- From: Mike Loewen via vcf-midatlantic Sent: Sunday, November 06, 2016 6:11 PM To: vcf-midatlantic Cc: Mike Loewen Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Suggestions? East XII keynoters On Sun, 6 Nov 2016, Evan Koblentz wrote: >>> While I've seen much discussion about suggested speakers, I've seen > ZERO feedback on my suggestion of Sam Harbison. Was there a silent vote > taken? > > Not at my main email right now; what was it that he did again? Sam was one of the ASCII overstrike art pioneers. His name is on several of the large prints, such as Buzz Aldrin on the moon, and Spock holding the Enterprise. He was at Princeton in 1973. See my ASCII Art page for details: http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/ASCII/ The last time I corresponded with him (2009), he was in Pittsburgh. Here's a link to his C.V.: http://www.harbison.org/sph3/sph-cv-Feb11.htm Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Suggestions? East XII keynoters
by Ken 06 Nov '16

06 Nov '16

At 11/6/2016 06:11 PM, Mike Loewen via vcf-midatlantic wrote: >Sam [Harbison] was one of the ASCII overstrike art pioneers. His name is on several of the large prints, such as Buzz Aldrin on the moon, and Spock holding the Enterprise. He was at Princeton in 1973. See my ASCII Art page for details: > >http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/ASCII/ Fantastic! I'd merely appreciated and speculated on these printouts back on the day, and had never gotten to read the history/tech before this. Not really "ASCII Artwork," though...as he mentions in the interview, it was EBCDIC! - Ken

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Considering a sale: Amiga 1200 / TRS-80 Model II
by David Hoelzer 06 Nov '16

06 Nov '16

I am seriously thinking about further reducing my collection here. These are not rescues… I need to recoup some of my investment in them. What sort of interest is there in: Amiga 1200: Wonderful condition. Includes an Indivision ECS for DVI output and a PATA->CF adapter with a CF card already built and installed. It further has an ACA1233 accelerator running at 40 MHz (with a 68030 processor) that has been modded to include a 68882 co-processor and a stack of RAM… I’d have to fire it up to let you know how much; I honestly don’t remember. Does not currently have a floppy drive in it but I’m confident that I have a drive floating around here. I seem to remember that the floppy bracket is missing, which is why I don’t have one in there right now. Includes an Amiga mouse, of course. TRS-80 Model II I have put a *lot* of time and effort into restoring and getting this beast working. It is now working just fine. The Shugart drive in it is (or was, last I fired it up last year) fully functional. Comes with a spare Shugart drive which I had repaired and which was functioning, but I haven’t powered that up in at least two years. Also comes with a stack (Looking at the shelf where they sit, so I’m just guessing here, but it looks to be at least 100) 8” floppies, some of which are fine, others are likely not, given their age. I also have the original owner’s manual for it still in the original big brown binder. The only things inside of the chassis that isn’t original (aside from replaced SRAM chips and such) are the power supply and the cooling fan. The original would have been way too difficult to repair, so I worked out the connector and installed a modern power supply inside. As for the fan, if you’ve ever owned one of these, you will think that it doesn’t work when you power it on if there’s no floppy in it because the thing is so quiet. :) Made life in my office a much happier place when it still lived in here. Keyboard is fully functional. While the case is in excellent condition (don’t remember any cracks and certainly no missing bits), Tandy did skimp on the construction of these cases. Lifting the thing up will almost always dislodge some element of the case. I found that, whenever I moved it, it was necessary to loosen up the case screws and reseat everything to make it fit properly.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] cranky 5150 - settled for now!
by Steven Michelsen 06 Nov '16

06 Nov '16

Bill, THANK YOU very much for all your help here! Regarding the possibly "marginal" floppy controller, I will leave the PC off for several hours to let it cool down entirely, then turn it on and see how it responds. After that I will test the RAM card as you suggested. Best, Steve -----Original Message----- From: vcf-midatlantic [mailto:vcf-midatlantic-bounces@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org] On Behalf Of william degnan via vcf-midatlantic Sent: Sunday, November 06, 2016 1:16 PM To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> Cc: william degnan <billdegnan(a)gmail.com> Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] cranky 5150 - first test results 601 means bad drive controller, right? If it goes away it may simply be that you have a marginal controller that improves with heat. If you put the ram card back into the system and leave the MOBO switches as is AND the systrm still boots that indicates the RAM card is ok at the card level (volt regulators etc). See if you can pull ram from the card and add One bank at a time matching with the motherboard switches. If you get a failure, swap in different ram. You may be able to id the bad ram and settle on 384k, 512k if you can't get a full 640k. Note that the computer will ignore any Ram that isn't assigned from the switch settings. Bill Degnan twitter: billdeg vintagecomputer.net On Nov 6, 2016 1:02 PM, "Steven Michelsen via vcf-midatlantic" < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > Bill, > > Here's what I just tried... > > I set SW1 to 00000001 for my current 2 floppy setup, and to turn on > all RAM banks (figured I would go for it). In this way both SW1 and > SW2 agree that there's 256K in place, and in use. > > I got a 601 code, then boot to basic. > > Next I replaced the floppy controller card and put a boot disk in drive A. > > The floppy spun and read for a moment and then stopped. > I got a floppy failure error. > > After a couple of Ctrl/Alt/Del's, the machine booted to an A prompt. > > Then, a couple of warm boots and one cold boot all got me to an A prompt. > > Except for that one error I am feeling much better about this thing now. > I guess I could put the RAM card back in and restore SW2 to 10110 for > 640k, but I don't know quite why I need 640k anyway, and it's asking for trouble! > > By the way, I did take the mobo out at one point to inspect the solder > joints on the keyboard port. It all "looked" fine. > > Am I done here? What should I make of that one error? > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: vcf-midatlantic [mailto:vcf-midatlantic-bounces@lists. > vintagecomputerfederation.org] On Behalf Of william degnan via > vcf-midatlantic > Sent: Sunday, November 06, 2016 12:39 PM > To: vcf-midatlantic > <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> > Cc: william degnan <billdegnan(a)gmail.com> > Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] cranky 5150 - first test results > > this is good, after you turn off the floppy controller switches (your > card may be bad anyway), you probably have a base 256K machine OK. > You then should switch back in with 64K or 128K tincrements until you > find the bad bank. Or the entire RAM card is bad, if you can't add > another bit past 256K. Then you can deal with the drive controller > and RAM cards, check caps, etc. Your ROMS are probably ok is my guess. > b > > On Sun, Nov 6, 2016 at 12:13 PM, Steven Michelsen via vcf-midatlantic > < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > > > Bill, > > > > Before I got you email just now I wrote this: > > > > Realizing that block SW2 was still set to 640k (to account for the > > ram > > card) I set SW2 from 10110 to 10011, which represents 256k in place. > > > > Turning on the PC resulted in a 601 code (only), then booted to Basic. > > > > > > > > As you suggest, I will look for loose ROMs > > > > I see that the 601 code refers to the floppy controller, so my > > response there is "yes I know, thank you". > > > > Are you suggesting that the next step would be that I physically > > pull all the socketed RAM, leaving just the 64k soldered on (at > > least to > start)? > > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: vcf-midatlantic [mailto:vcf-midatlantic-bounces@lists. > > vintagecomputerfederation.org] On Behalf Of william degnan via > > vcf-midatlantic > > Sent: Sunday, November 06, 2016 12:09 PM > > To: vcf-midatlantic > > <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> > > Cc: william degnan <billdegnan(a)gmail.com> > > Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] cranky 5150 - first test results > > > > You have a short in the motherboard, the roms are loose, stuff like that. > > Reduce to minimum RAM by removing from my all except what you need. > > Verify jumpers, if you remove drive controller you have to change > > jumpers to no drives setting. > > > > Bill Degnan > > twitter: billdeg > > vintagecomputer.net > > On Nov 6, 2016 11:25 AM, "Steven Michelsen via vcf-midatlantic" < > > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > > > > > FYI my mobo is a 64k-256k board, and the PC serial # is 11483445150. > > > > > > > > > OK I did the test as outlined below: > > > > > > - I pulled the ram card and floppy controller card, leaving only > > > the video card. > > > - I changed switch 3 and 4 on block SW1 to ON, for "bank 0 only" > > > > > > I did the test twice, and got different results: > > > > > > TRY #1: > > > Got a "4090" code, and the PC produced long beeps that did not stop. > > > > > > TRY #2 > > > Got the following codes, AND THEN the PC booted to Basic. > > > > > > 4098 201 > > > 601 > > > > > > What do you make of all this? And, why would the same test yield > > > different results? > > > > > > Thanks much, > > > Steve > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: vcf-midatlantic [mailto:vcf-midatlantic-bounces@lists. > > > vintagecomputerfederation.org] On Behalf Of william degnan via > > > vcf-midatlantic > > > Sent: Sunday, November 06, 2016 6:32 AM > > > To: vcf-midatlantic > > > <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> > > > Cc: william degnan <billdegnan(a)gmail.com> > > > Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] cranky 5150 - PART 2 > > > > > > Set the MOBO to minimum RAM, remove all but video controller > > > report result > > > > > > Bill Degnan > > > twitter: billdeg > > > vintagecomputer.net > > > On Nov 5, 2016 5:05 PM, "Steven Michelsen via vcf-midatlantic" < > > > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > > > > > > > Uh oh. After writing the post below I read the appropriate > > > > minuszerodegrees page, that suggested among other things, > > > > "Faulty motherboard - bad solder joint on keyboard connector". > > > > So I took a look - here's what I found. Not promising. But > > > > fixable! Does this look like the culprit? But what about the memory errors? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A9uULoyJgk > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > From: Steven Michelsen [mailto:stevenm@optonline.net] > > > > Sent: Saturday, November 05, 2016 4:55 PM > > > > To: 'vcf-midatlantic' > > > > <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org > > > > > > > > > Subject: cranky 5150 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I thought for once I could get a new IBM 5150 and NOT have to > > > > come crawling to the group for advice, but noooo.. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Just got an ebay 5150. I couldn't resist - it was relatively > > > > local, and included a 5151 monitor (but no keyboard), for a > > > > decent > price. > > > > I have a keyboard, so no worries. Took the top off to peek > > > > inside to confirm everything was seated, etc. I started it > > > > (with the top > > > > off) and got a keyboard error (301). I discovered that my > > > > keyboard was set on AT instead of XT. Flipped that switch and > > > > viola, the > > > > 5150 booted with a Dos 2.11 disk. > > > > Poked around the disk, ran a Basic file that happened to be on > > > > it, tested the "B" drive, formatted a disk - it's all good. I > > > > even booted a few times with no issue. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I put the lid back on and started it again. This time I get this. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 40FF > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > . and the PC is beeping away, long beeps that do not stop! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I restart again and get this. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 40FF > > > > > > > > 201 301 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > This time there's no beeping, it just displays the msg. The > > > > disk drive was read from briefly, then nothing. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I pull out what appears to be a memory expansion card. Here > > > > <https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/65762317/forums/IBM_5150_RA > > > > M_ > > > > board.jpg> > > > > 's a picture of it. I started it without the card and get this. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 40D0 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I took another look at that RAM card and found THIS on the back > > > > <https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/65762317/forums/5150_bug.jpg> ! > > > > My PC had a bug. Anyway, cleaning that up didn't help. I > > > > replaced the card, started it and got yet another, different > > > > 40xx > error. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > OK, where do I go from here? The darn thing worked at one point > > > > today; why not all the time? I have looked for unseated chips, > > > > cards and cables, as least as far as I could without pulling a > > > > floppy drive, and found that everything is secure. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Thanks as always, > > > > > > > > Steve > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] cranky 5150 - first test results
by Steven Michelsen 06 Nov '16

06 Nov '16

FYI my mobo is a 64k-256k board, and the PC serial # is 11483445150. OK I did the test as outlined below: - I pulled the ram card and floppy controller card, leaving only the video card. - I changed switch 3 and 4 on block SW1 to ON, for "bank 0 only" I did the test twice, and got different results: TRY #1: Got a "4090" code, and the PC produced long beeps that did not stop. TRY #2 Got the following codes, AND THEN the PC booted to Basic. 4098 201 601 What do you make of all this? And, why would the same test yield different results? Thanks much, Steve -----Original Message----- From: vcf-midatlantic [mailto:vcf-midatlantic-bounces@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org] On Behalf Of william degnan via vcf-midatlantic Sent: Sunday, November 06, 2016 6:32 AM To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> Cc: william degnan <billdegnan(a)gmail.com> Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] cranky 5150 - PART 2 Set the MOBO to minimum RAM, remove all but video controller report result Bill Degnan twitter: billdeg vintagecomputer.net On Nov 5, 2016 5:05 PM, "Steven Michelsen via vcf-midatlantic" < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > Uh oh. After writing the post below I read the appropriate > minuszerodegrees page, that suggested among other things, "Faulty > motherboard - bad solder joint on keyboard connector". So I took a > look - here's what I found. Not promising. But fixable! Does this > look like the culprit? But what about the memory errors? > > > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A9uULoyJgk > > > > > > > > From: Steven Michelsen [mailto:stevenm@optonline.net] > Sent: Saturday, November 05, 2016 4:55 PM > To: 'vcf-midatlantic' > <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org > > > Subject: cranky 5150 > > > > I thought for once I could get a new IBM 5150 and NOT have to come > crawling to the group for advice, but noooo.. > > > > Just got an ebay 5150. I couldn't resist - it was relatively local, > and included a 5151 monitor (but no keyboard), for a decent price. I > have a keyboard, so no worries. Took the top off to peek inside to > confirm everything was seated, etc. I started it (with the top off) > and got a keyboard error (301). I discovered that my keyboard was set > on AT instead of XT. Flipped that switch and viola, the 5150 booted > with a Dos 2.11 disk. > Poked around the disk, ran a Basic file that happened to be on it, > tested the "B" drive, formatted a disk - it's all good. I even booted > a few times with no issue. > > > > I put the lid back on and started it again. This time I get this. > > > > 40FF > > > > . and the PC is beeping away, long beeps that do not stop! > > > > I restart again and get this. > > > > 40FF > > 201 301 > > > > This time there's no beeping, it just displays the msg. The disk > drive was read from briefly, then nothing. > > > > I pull out what appears to be a memory expansion card. Here > <https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/65762317/forums/IBM_5150_RAM_ > board.jpg> > 's a picture of it. I started it without the card and get this. > > > > 40D0 > > > > I took another look at that RAM card and found THIS on the back > <https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/65762317/forums/5150_bug.jpg> ! > My PC had a bug. Anyway, cleaning that up didn't help. I replaced > the card, started it and got yet another, different 40xx error. > > > > OK, where do I go from here? The darn thing worked at one point > today; why not all the time? I have looked for unseated chips, cards > and cables, as least as far as I could without pulling a floppy drive, > and found that everything is secure. > > > > Thanks as always, > > Steve > >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] getting to Philly
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 06 Nov '16

06 Nov '16

Jeffrey Jonas via vcf-midatlantic writes: >> It's about a 2-hour drive from NYC, but that's a much longer trip if >you don't have a car. > >I found it took about 2 hours to get from Elizabeth NJ to center city >Philly regardless of vehicle. > >1) NJ transit's Trenton train links to SEPTA's R7 at the same platform. >Or has the train designation changed? Does not matter during the SEPTA >strike. > >2) drive to PATCO for free parking, take train into Philly. No tolls, no >parking fees. > >3) drive into Philly, pay bridge toll, make wrong turn, get into maze of >one way streets with stop signs at every corner, bla bla bla I go to Philly often and, in fact, I'll be going there this Sunday evening. I never pay any tolls -- bridge or otherwise. I-195/I-95. If discussing getting to InfoAge from Philly, I-195 leads to Rt. 18 and then, it's only a couple (2) miles north on Rt. 18. Fairly direct IMO.

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corrections to computer history
by Herb Johnson 06 Nov '16

06 Nov '16

>> xkcd.com/1755 > > I verify all this to be factually true. I verify all this to be ironic. Extra credit: I evoke Russell's paradox. Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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cranky 5150 - PART 2
by Steven Michelsen 06 Nov '16

06 Nov '16

Uh oh. After writing the post below I read the appropriate minuszerodegrees page, that suggested among other things, "Faulty motherboard - bad solder joint on keyboard connector". So I took a look - here's what I found. Not promising. But fixable! Does this look like the culprit? But what about the memory errors? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A9uULoyJgk From: Steven Michelsen [mailto:stevenm@optonline.net] Sent: Saturday, November 05, 2016 4:55 PM To: 'vcf-midatlantic' <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> Subject: cranky 5150 I thought for once I could get a new IBM 5150 and NOT have to come crawling to the group for advice, but noooo.. Just got an ebay 5150. I couldn't resist - it was relatively local, and included a 5151 monitor (but no keyboard), for a decent price. I have a keyboard, so no worries. Took the top off to peek inside to confirm everything was seated, etc. I started it (with the top off) and got a keyboard error (301). I discovered that my keyboard was set on AT instead of XT. Flipped that switch and viola, the 5150 booted with a Dos 2.11 disk. Poked around the disk, ran a Basic file that happened to be on it, tested the "B" drive, formatted a disk - it's all good. I even booted a few times with no issue. I put the lid back on and started it again. This time I get this. 40FF . and the PC is beeping away, long beeps that do not stop! I restart again and get this. 40FF 201 301 This time there's no beeping, it just displays the msg. The disk drive was read from briefly, then nothing. I pull out what appears to be a memory expansion card. Here <https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/65762317/forums/IBM_5150_RAM_board.jpg> 's a picture of it. I started it without the card and get this. 40D0 I took another look at that RAM card and found THIS on the back <https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/65762317/forums/5150_bug.jpg> ! My PC had a bug. Anyway, cleaning that up didn't help. I replaced the card, started it and got yet another, different 40xx error. OK, where do I go from here? The darn thing worked at one point today; why not all the time? I have looked for unseated chips, cards and cables, as least as far as I could without pulling a floppy drive, and found that everything is secure. Thanks as always, Steve

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getting to Philly
by Jeffrey Jonas 05 Nov '16

05 Nov '16

> It's about a 2-hour drive from NYC, but that's a much longer trip if you don't have a car. I found it took about 2 hours to get from Elizabeth NJ to center city Philly regardless of vehicle. 1) NJ transit's Trenton train links to SEPTA's R7 at the same platform. Or has the train designation changed? Does not matter during the SEPTA strike. 2) drive to PATCO for free parking, take train into Philly. No tolls, no parking fees. 3) drive into Philly, pay bridge toll, make wrong turn, get into maze of one way streets with stop signs at every corner, bla bla bla -- jeff jonas

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