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1967, Developments in Computer Firmware |
BASIS 108by billdeg Total messages in this thread: 3 Updated: [ Experimenting with Video ] 10/16/2018  The West German-made BASIS 108 was an Apple II clone with a Z80 processor and built-in video features. This unit has 128K RAM. Click image for larger view.
System power checked out, clean inside, boots Apple Pascal OS. No obvious restoration needed. After a more thorough check-out, I will explore the monitor program (6502) and attempt to boot CP/M, and Apple II programs in color.
Photos">... [ read more ]
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RIP Microsoft Co-founder Paul Allenby billdeg Total messages in this thread: 1  Paul Allen Microsoft Co-Founder 1953 - 2018 Click image for larger view.
I am sure he never saw it, but I once sold Vulcan Electrics, his computer museum project, my Xerox Star computer many years ago, for his computer museum. It's probably in a shed somewhere or stripped for parts.
http://www.vul...r-paul-allen-dies-at-65">... [ read more ]
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VCF Mid West ECCC 2018by billdeg Total messages in this thread: 1  The opening minutes of the 2018 Vintage Computer Festival slash Emergency Commodore Computer Convention, September 15, 2018. Click image for larger view.
 Z demonstrating his Cactus 6502 computer with front panel. Click image for larger view.
 Can you guess what computer is under the hood of this add-on keyboard? Click image for larger view.
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Radio Shack TRS 80 Model 1 26-1008by billdeg Total messages in this thread: 1  The Radio Shack TRS 80 Model 1 26-1008 to my knowledge never appeared in the Radio Shack catalog and was never officially sold in stores. Obviously a few were made, but how many I do not know. Click image for larger view.
 Given the serial number, at least 38 and probably a hundred or so 26-1008 model number Model 1's were produced. Click image for larger view.
 ... [ read more ]
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Loading PDP 11 BASIC Papertapeby billdeg Total messages in this thread: 1  After replacing the reader (again) I was able to load PDP 11 BASIC using my Teletype ASR 33. The computer system is my recently repaired PDP 11/05 S. Pictured is the pile of tape the makes up the BASIC program. It takes about 20-30 minutes or so to load the program. Click image for larger view.
 If everything goes right, immediately after loading the tape the system initiates the BASIC program and displays the initialization prompt, *O. Click image for larger view.
Appendix D - The Bootstrap and Absolute Loaders (step by step how t">... [ read more ]
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Dan Roganti RIPby billdeg Total messages in this thread: 1  Dan Roganti.
Dan lost his battle with cancer and we all lost a titan in the vintage computing community. Dan was one of the earliest members of MARCH. He taught me a great deal about S-100 and related hardware engineering. Dan attended all of the early hardware workshops I hosted at my house and we had many hours working into the night on a wide variety of systems including but not limited to the MITS Altair, IMSAI 8080, PET 2001, Heathkit EC-1, ASR 33 Teletypes, Apple II, and so on.
 Dan Roganti doing what he di">... [ read more ]
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RK11-D Installationby billdeg Total messages in this thread: 4 Updated: [ RE: PDP 11/05 and RK05 power connectors ] 08/31/2018  Digital RK05 disk packs. Click image for larger view.
I have the RK05 card set and backplane RK11-D.
Picture:
htt...11D-MM-002.pdf
Cards and Backplane (minus UNIBUS cables):
http://www.tec...ontroller.jpg
RK11-D is a 4-card backplane
RK11-D RK05 Disk Controller
EK-RK11D-MM-002
M7254 Status Control
M7255 Disk Control
M7256 Registers
M7257 Bus Control">... [ read more ]
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Digital (DEC) PDP 11/05 NC Assemblyby billdeg Total messages in this thread: 22 Updated: [ 11/05 NC Power Connectors ] 08/31/2018 Ted Nelson speaks quite highly of the Digital PDP 11 series in his book Computer Lib / Dream Machines.  Picture of the PDP 11/05 NC card cage and M9970(in the wrong slot). Click image for hi res version.
The only thing that prevented DEC from launching the PC revolution three years earlier was price, in my opinion. All of the other ingredients were there for a fine PC. The PDP 11/05 was the OEM version of the PDP 11/10, so you find all kinds of variations of this system sometimes paired with the DEC GT40 Graphic Display Terminal.
Complete set of Pictures
Some notes...
1) Cleaned (enough for now).. got all of the styrofoam peanuts, dust.
2) Started with an ... [ read more ]
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MITS Altair AM Radio Music Jukeboxby billdeg Total messages in this thread: 3 Updated: [ Altair Jukebox Video ] 08/27/2018  MITS Altair "Jukebox" system with GE Radio on top. Click image for larger view.
 MITS Altair "Jukebox" system exhibit at the 2018 Vintage Computer Festival. Click image for larger view.
Steve Dompier's May 1975 People's Computer Company newsletter article Music of a Sort (republished in Dr. Dobbs Feb 1976) describes how one would generate music with a MITS Altair by using the fro">... [ read more ]
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Seiko Data-2000 1983/4 Early Smart Watchby billdeg Total messages in this thread: 1  The Seiko DATA-2000 was an early smart watch sold in late 1983 through 1984 that came with a special PDA calculator interface keyboard. I have read that this was the first watch with a keyboard. The retail price was $195. Click for larger view.
 In the docked position the Data-2000 watch face serves as a dot matrix display for the QWERTY keyboard. Together the watch and keyboard provide PDA functionality to do thinkgs like enter and store memos (up to 100 lines), calculator functions, set the alarm, etc. Transm">... [ read more ]
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DEC VAX 4000-705Aby billdeg Total messages in this thread: 1  A well stocked VAX 4000 was the last and I believe most capable 4000 model. Click image for larger view.
 Here is the first part of the "show config" command output. Click image for larger view.
 Show Dev output displays both SCSI and DSSI controllers. Click image for larger view.
Wikipedia:
"...The VAX 4000 Model 705A, code-named "Legacy+", was introduced in la">... [ read more ]
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Digital PDP 11/05 S in BA11-Kby billdeg Total messages in this thread: 13 Updated: [ Replaced h745 -15V ] 08/21/2018  Started working on piecing together a PDP 11/05 S in a BA11-K Mounting Box. Pictured here are the fans that cool the H765 power supply's transformer. Note there are no DC voltage bricks installed. I removed the metal fan covers (they were rubbing the fan blades when you spin the fan manually). Click for larger view.
 This is a view of the power distribution board installed in the PDP 11/05 S chassis. The c">... [ read more ]
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Rockwell R6500 (AIM 65)by billdeg Total messages in this thread: 8 Updated: [ Cassette Signal Issue ] 07/21/2018  The Rockwell model R6500 was better known as the AIM 65. The AIM 65 is a 6502-based single board computer from 1976, although the model remained popular through the early 1980's until it was eventually replaced by the AIM 65/40.
AIM stands for "Advanced Interactive Microcomputer" and the 65 most likely is a reference to the 6502 processor and related chips. Right?
I have two AIM 65 systems, one was fresh out of the box and never used. I am doing my experimenting with the used unit. I also have a 8-slot card cage containing a general purpose module, Serial card, disk controller, and video controller. The system boots to the system monitor and then I can jump to BASIC. I have run some assembly programs and some BASIC programs.
Pictures
I have a card cage wit">... [ read more ]
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SGI Octane OS install 6.5.12by billdeg Total messages in this thread: 1  Pictured is the SGI desktop with a telnet connection to the Level 29 BBS via the IRIX console program. Telnet BBS-ing is a good way start testing a network connection. Click image to see more photos
SGI UNIX is called IRIX. I first installed version 6.5 but then learned the hard way that an "Overlay" would be required if I wanted to use an external DNS beyond local IP networking. I fortunately had a copy of IRIX 6.5.12 Overlay (OS patches / updates) which did the trick. I have been told it's even better to find a newer version, 6.5.2x. IRIX:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRIX">... [ read more ]
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