I agree with Bill. The idea I was going for was an intro as to how the machine works, basic fundamentals and operation geared towards new comers. The idea is to get people interested in these computers that were not once interested or didn't really know about them. For those who already know they have written resources and the club has repair groups for help. I don't expect people to learn everything they need to about S100s, but enough to have an idea on what to expect and gain interest. In the class you can direct to additional documentation or videos or even have another class/repair session. If this can't be done that's fine it was an idea, maybe a talk like those about collecting other computers. What to look for? Common problems. How to test and not blow up the power supply? On Fri, Apr 26, 2024, 4:08 PM Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
FOr VCF 3 (I think) I did a class on using the front panel and explained the basics. You'd need a progression of classes so that a person can join in at their comfort level. Some would start right from the last class some would go to all classes in order, and so on
On Fri, Apr 26, 2024 at 3:24 PM Dean Notarnicola via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
I think a class that started with the fundamentals of microcomputer architecture (with the examples Neil gave) would be a great start. It would be a great launching point toward understanding any early platform, as that knowledge is easily built upon.
On Fri, Apr 26, 2024 at 3:00 PM Neil Cherry via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
On 4/26/24 14:33, Jonathan Chapman via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
Starting from "I bought this Altair on eBay!" would be a week-long course, assuming the individual(s) taking it had enough background for the material in the first place! There's a lot involved in getting them fully operational and *stable* and having an unstable machine is a nightmare for someone who's just getting started on S-100.
and S50s
I'd say it somewhat depends on your background. I started in the industry as an EET. Worked in a small company and learn every step of embedded systems.
With the exception of things like the 4004/4040 I can look at a computer and figure it out. The 4004/4040 is strange software. The rest of various processors don't look that different to me. TTL or transistor computers are a bit harder to follow. :-)
Now someone who started in software but wants to play with hardware is going to have a different view of the world. I know I've seen a lot of software folks struggle with the hardware. I'm not always good at explaining the hardware to help them understand.
Assuming you mean SS-50, these things aren't really related, the (usually) completely different processor architecture changes a lot of things.
Start with the basics, Serial (RS232, current loop, TTL 5v0/3v3) and parallel. Then work in to the logic.
I will agree starting with an unstable system is not a great place to start but it will teach you how the systems work. And that's where the repair workshops come into play.
-- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry kd2zrq@linuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummies KD2ZRQ