Well, I picked up some more goodies today.
An HP Integral PC. I didn't much pay attention to the one Frank M.
brought to VCF 1.0 so it was all new to me when I actually started messing
with this one. I couldn't get it to do anything useful though. How do I
drop out of PAM and into a shell? This one has a 1Meg RAM Carrier and a
Serial Interface.
An HP75D in a little docking station which has a built-in modem. The
computer itself has a Text Formatter ROM module and an 8K RAM module
(its neat, it tucks away inside the battery compartment). It also has a
magnetic program strip reader.
A Yamaha Music Computer. This is one of those MSX jobbies. I got a
fairly complete system: computer, printer, 3.5" disk drive, music
keyboard, some carthridges & tapes, manuals. It's pretty neat. Here's a
hoot from the _MSX BASIC Reference Manual_:
"MSX is an open ended system standardized throughout its full range of
manufacturers and models--the final step towards the dream of perfect
compatibility."
I paid $120 for this lot, which was more than I wanted to. I guess I
didn't do too bad considering I talked the guy down from $200. Well, come
to think of it, with the completeness of the Yamaha, plus the fact that
MSX computers are so rare in the states, and the cool factor and scarcity
of the Integral PC, $120 isn't bad, but its still more than I wanted to
pay :)
Oh yeah, somehow my 220v computer came up and the seller ended up lending
me a 110/220 step up/down transformer. The only problem with using this
on the 220 computer I have is that it has those funky European two-prong
outlets on it, and no exposed wiring. Now I'll have to go find some funky
Euro two-prong plugs. I appreciate all the responses I received regarding
my query. I just haven't had time to go through them yet. But I'm hoping
I can leave the original power supply intact inside the computer and not
have to do any modifications to it by using this transformer. My only
reservation is the fact that it doesn't have a ground plug. I'm sure I
can just pass the ground connection on from the computer to my wall outlet
since the ground lead is attached directly to the computer case, no?
BTW, the computer in question is the California Technology International
1032-A Z80 machine (crica 1979) that I mentioned was among the rarer in my
collection. It has a 1-line by 16 character 16-segment LED display, a
built-in stringy floppy drive, and 32K RAM. The keyboard is a flat
membrane. A very odd beast. I got it shipped from a guy in Denmark,
which explains the 220v power supply.
Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar_at_siconic.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ever onward.
September 26 & 27...Vintage Computer Festival 2
See
http://www.siconic.com/vcf for details!
[Last web page update: 05/11/98]
Received on Mon May 25 1998 - 20:01:42 BST