Heathkit H-11 restoration questions

From: allisonp_at_world.std.com <(allisonp_at_world.std.com)>
Date: Mon Oct 4 07:50:05 1999

> with a much more interesting banner. It claims to be Rev 0.9 of a ROM set
> for the 11/23plus, and after verbosely testing memory, tries to boot DU3.

The M8189 was available as two basic versions 11/23 and the plus. The
primary difference was what it could boot.

> In the meantime, I am wondering if the H-11 floppy box is pin compatible with
> an RXV11. I happen to have one here, but I don't want to fry something if

RXV11 is only compatable with the DEC RX01. The H11 Floppy used a Heath
interface. If you use the heath floppy with RXV11 nothing happens.

> they are not compatible. BTW, there are three jumpers on the H27 - E1, E2
> and E3. The card passed into my hands with E1 and E2 strapped, but not E3.

Get manuals for it! you'll save pain.

> Finally, eventually, I want to get original stuff back into this box. I have
> the DLV11 console board that came with this, I'm just not using it. In
> addition

The original was DLV11 compatable but it was HEATH design, not as durable.

> to the H27 floppy card, I have a Heathkit lineprinter card (unassembled) and
> a wad of Q-bus CPUs from the LSI-11 up to the 11/23plus (nothing newer,
> unfortunately). So the question is, what "belongs" in this box. Did it come
> with an 11/03 "LSI-11" CPU? An 11/23 F-11 board? What did the H-11 use
> for boot roms? A BDV-11? An MXV-11? A Heathkit board?

The H11:

        DEC M7294 11/03 (Quad width card with 4k ram on board)

This was the ONLY dec made card in it.

        Heath Memory, several version were available 4k early, 16k later.
        HEath serial cards (DLV11 compatable)

Minimum of one for console, usually two.

        Heath printercard

Not always, most people used LA34 printer/terminal, and that was a serial
interface.

        Heath Punch/reader card

Only there if you used their rather cranky punch reader.

        Heath floppy controller/interface card.

The last one is interesting ans the heath disk <8"> used a z80 in the
floppy box to do the lowlevel disk interface and the ribbon went back
a simple interface that was mostly a parallel card. It was RX01
compatable in one mode and had a HEATH specific mode. The drives were
known for clamps that died with age and heat load pads that fell off.
It could do one thing a RX01 could not, low level format a blank disk.

At some point I plan to assemble a H11 system. I have 11/03 cpu, RAM,
serial cards and backplane from one.

Allison
Received on Mon Oct 04 1999 - 07:50:05 BST

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Fri Oct 10 2014 - 23:32:32 BST