TRW Acquisitions, VCF

From: Joe <rigdonj_at_intellistar.net>
Date: Mon Feb 2 14:21:17 1998

Allison,

At 09:46 AM 2/2/98 -0500, you wrote:
>
>< I'd like to get away from having to use a terminal. The only terminal
><I have are big HP things and I don't know if they would work with the
><Altair (too fast?, block mode instead of character mode?)
>
>The hp thing would not work. Try and scrounge up a vt100 or other more
>commonplace terminal vt100, vt220, heath/zenith h19, PC running Procomm
>or other term program.

   I had forgotten that I have a pile of VT 320s, will they work?
>
>< I'm aware to the addresssing problems. Sounds like you have to
><re-address everything to match the program or else hack the programs to
><change all the device adresses, program loation etc.
>
>That's putting it mildly. Some of the CUTS and tarbell format tapes
>assumed you were using their monitor programs in rom. If you weren't,
>zap, a whole lot of IO code was missing.

  Sounds like just picking up old software is a waste of time and money.
It's to be exactly right for the system that it's going on.

>
>< I have a NS disk controller. I don't know if it has a IPL or how that
><has to be done. The manual I have doesn't say. I also need to find a
><Shugart SA 400 to go with NS controller. I know other drives are
><electrically compatable with the SA 400 but I don't know if the track
><spacing and other physical parameters are the same or not. If the physic
><parameters aren't the same then the media would not be compatable.
>
>First you don't have the software manual or the hardware manuals as they
>do explain that. The NS* controller has a minimal boot as part of the
>hardware. If it's the single density controller it will work with an
>8080, however if it's the later double density controller a z80 at 4mhz
>is a must. The NS* OS has an area that must be configured to match the
>IO in your system if it is not it will boot and hang. As to the disk your
>not locked to the sa400 there are hundres of different drives that will
>work. Sa400 was 35 tracks 48tpi single sided, any single sided drive
>other than a few oddballs will be 48tpi. Most older 360k full or half
>height drives will work as well despite being two sided.

   I wondered about using the drives out of an old Osborne model OCC 1 that
I have.
>
>< This is an 8080 machine. Will it run CPM? I thought that was for Z80s
>
>Go back and read up on history. CP/M-80 ran on all 8080 systems with

    You're right. I have manuals for NS* CPM, CPM assembler, CPM
interface, etc. I haven't had time to read all this stuff yet. I'm glad
you told me that CPM will run on an 8080. I've seen some very old CPM
stuff but I didn't think I could use it. But there is a chance.

>a miimum of 20k ram starting at 0000h, a floopy disk system and some
>kind ot terminal.

  Actually now that I know what I'm looking for, my NS* CPM manual says
16K of Ram with an origin of 2000 Hex. I have a bunch of NS* manuals, I'd
like to find the NS* software that goes with them. BTW the NS* CPM book
says that the NS* board is supposed to have a PROM on it that contains the
IPL.
>
>< Yes, I know. Bill Gates first commercial product.
>
>First commercial hack done using borrowed time on his employers cpu.
>Oh, he wan't that good it was Gates and Allen.

   That's almost always the case, the businessman gets rich and the
inventor gets screwed. ie George Westinghouse vs Tesla, Oliver Winchester
vs Henry, etc etc.
>
>
>Allison

   Joe
>
>
Received on Mon Feb 02 1998 - 14:21:17 GMT