"Single instance" machines

From: Christian Fandt <cfandt_at_netsync.net>
Date: Wed Dec 9 20:50:47 1998

At 19:51 12/09/98 +0000, Tony Duell wrote:
>>
>> Doug Yowza <yowza_at_yowza.com> wrote:
>> > I've always wanted to know which machines have only a single instance
>> > represented on this list.
>
>Any other PERQ-fanatics here? Any model of PERQ, I am not expecting 3a or
>T4 owners to appear :-)

I have a feeling you would be the only person within our list and perhaps
most other computer collectors who has a PERQ. I never seen one, know very
little about them, but nevertheless, over the years (10+ years ago) I had
occasionally heard of them.

>
>What about the HH Tiger, Nascom, Gemini Galaxy, Philips P850, etc?
>
>>
>> Anybody have an HP250-30, IBM 9370, Tektronix 31 (kinda like the 9825)?
>
>You _have_ a Tek 31? Wow! I've heard of it (and the similar 21), but
>never seen one.

Yep. I got it out of a huge batch of equipment auctioned from the
IBM-Endicott plant when it was severely "downsized" around 1984. It
apparently controlled some sort of tester for those square metal modules
one sees on IBM pc boards (what are they called again William D.?)

Never heard of a TEK 31 myself 'till then. When I saw it I figured I had
better grab it since I felt it was a rather rare thing even back then. I
don't recall finding anything on it in my collection of older TEK catalogs.

The machine works. Has a tape cartridge with a program that I printed out.
Language was fairly easy to figure out (sorta like HPL found on the HP
9825's, etc.) Has an LED display and a thermal printer, again similar to
the 9825. Been at least a dozen years since I looked inside, but I don't
recall any LSI-type chips as main brains. I think it's all TTL. IIRC, the
chips were dated around mid-70's. I'll look again for you sometime.

*Finally*, last year I got a TEK 31 operator's manual. Got it from somebody
advertising having it for sale in one of the antique radio groups, of all
places, on Usenet. But it's in French!! (Came out of French Canada.) Have
to recall the several years of French class I had in high school a
lo-o-o-ng time ago:)

Probably will *never* find any more tape cartidges for it so I can't write
programs and save 'em and otherwise have fun with it :(

Was the TEK 21 you mentioned above earlier than the TEK 31 or just
different in other ways?

>
>However, I do have the service manual for the 4661 plotter that goes with
>these machines. I'm not getting rid of it - I have a 4662 plotter and
>much of the mechanics is the same - but I can provide info from it.

Are these plotters similar in concept to the 4331 printers? Used a special
thermal paper I think. Such printer could hang off my TEK 4015-1 graphics
terminal and print directly from the screen. The 401x series had an X-Y
analog plotter output for actual plotting.

>
>Here is the pinout of the calculator I/O connector.

Evidently in that service manual it mentions the plotter could hang off a
TEK 31, true? If so, then this is indeed the connector pinout for my TEK
31? I got a 1 meter long cable with it too.
  -- snipped pin list for brevity --

>>
>> Also, I haven't heard of anyone in our own group on the list mentioning
>> they have a DG Nova 1200.
>
>I have an incomplete (still missing the lights-and-switches board) Nova
>1210 here.

Hmmm, I have to check but I *think* there is something about 1210's in the
DG Nova printset I have. I know there's schemas for the 1200 and 800
machines. I'll let you know if I run across them while unpacking stuff.
Remind me early next year Tony.

Regards, Chris
-- --
Christian Fandt, Electronic/Electrical Historian
Jamestown, NY USA cfandt_at_netsync.net
Member of Antique Wireless Association
        URL: http://www.ggw.org/freenet/a/awa/
Received on Wed Dec 09 1998 - 20:50:47 GMT

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