CompuGraphics Question

From: Roger Merchberger <zmerch_at_30below.com>
Date: Wed Aug 4 00:45:14 1999

On or about 11:58 PM 8/3/99 -0400, DW was caught in a dark alley speaking
these words:
>I recently picked up a very large desktop-like computer labeled
>CompuGraphics MCS-100. I would like to know if anyone knows anything
>about this machine. I hope to turn this into a pet project, but I need
>some general info. Any help would be greatly apprieciated. Thanks.

I don't know that particular machine, but I worked with (erm... I have a
bad case of brainfuzz tonite, so these may not be perfect data...) a
CompuGraphic PowerView 5 and 10 when I worked at a print shop for ~ 3 years
(that was almost 10 years ago, so...)

The machines I worked on were dual-floppy based, 1 Meg RAM, 80186 for the
processor, and run a specialized program for typesetting. AFAIK, they
cannot run anything else... but it might be a fun project to see if you
could get them to do other things. Hope you're good with x86 assembly (and
maybe disassembly) as I do believe a part of the OS they used was on ROM.
How much was ROM and what was booted from Floppy, I couldn't tell you...

The typesetting program did have some rudimentary macro programming
capabilities, though... I used these to put the computer & typesetting
output machine thru it's paces -- figured out how to do a fair 60% screen
with 4-point colons (:) half-spaced and offset by a (long-since forgetton)
few points +/- a few quarter-points.

(Needless to say, with that many characters spewing thru the data cables to
do these "graphics," it didn't take long to fill up what little memory I
actually had to work with for data... But hey - what are geeks for?? ;-)

Anywho, on a better day, I might be able to remember more, if you remind me!

Did you get any floppies or output equipment with the box? If so, they
still make a decent typesetting box -- the video-output typesetting machine
we had (compugraphic 8400, IIRC) worked on around 2400dpi, so you could
make some really nice resume's for your friends... though it could get
expensive quick for long program listings..... ;-) (though you'd have the
crispest, prettiest listings on the block! ;^> )

Hope this helps,

Roger "Merch" Merchberger
=====
Roger "Merch" Merchberger -- zmerch_at_30below.com
SysAdmin - Iceberg Computers
===== Merch's Wild Wisdom of the Moment: =====
Sometimes you know, you just don't know sometimes, you know?
Received on Wed Aug 04 1999 - 00:45:14 BST