HP 9000/226

From: joe <rigdonj_at_intellistar.net>
Date: Tue Aug 7 14:03:56 2001

At 01:31 AM 8/7/01 +0100, you wrote:
>joe skrev:
>
> >At 02:10 AM 8/5/01 +0100, Iggy wrote:
> >>Went to the junkyard with a mate today and found (well, stepped on) an ugly
> >>HP something. It's a HP 9000 (Yay!) 226 (?h?),
>
> > aka 9826. It's a 8 MHz 68000 CPU baed system that runs HPL (HP's
> >version of APL), BASIC or Pascal. Most of the OS were disk based but you
> >could get them on plug in ROM cards. The really interesting thing about the
> >OS is that you canhave multiple OSs (and muiltiple versions of the same
> >one) on the same drive or even multiple drives and you can select the one
> >that you want it to boot. Very nice for tinkering. All in all, it's not a
> >bad machine. They're wided used as HP-IB instrument controllers.
>
>We were very impressed by the 68000 processor, both the fact that it used one
>and the processor itself, since it's a bona-fide Motorola model, and an
>expensive gold and ceramics one at that. Very pretty to look at, just like the
>ROMs.


     And all those gold circuit board traces. HP doesn't do things by halfs!


> >>which is a clumsy box with a small
> >>CRT and a 5?" floppy as well as an integrated keyboard. This unit had been
> >>retired from the telemonopoly (well, all the stickers date back to that
> >>time), which ad apparently modified it into some kind of luggable
> >>workstation by putting a biug brass handle which seems to have come off a
> >>door on one side of the unit.
>
> > I wonder if the handle is original? There was an option for some kind
> >of handle from HP but I've never seen one.
>
>As absurd as it seems, it may have been intended for certain portable
>applications by design, what with the space for a battery pack in a
>compartment in the bottom.

     The battery in the bottom is for a battery operated real time clock
and for use in a controlled shut down in the event of a power lose. It
won't run the computer for more than a few seconds. It's optional and it's
sort of rare, I've only seen it in a couple of machines. FWIW it was only
available in the 9826 (aka 9000 226) and 9836 (aka 9000 236) I think both
of th em machines that I saw it in were 9836s.

>OTOH, the handle and the small shock absorbing feet
>both seem to come from a furniture shop, not a computer one. =)
>
> >>Apart from the handle, it has been equipped with an RS-232 interface
> >>and additional memory cards, adding up to roughly 1,7 MB.
> >>The unit powers up fine, the screen looks nice, but the keyboard has been
> >>massacred, with five or six keys missing.
>
> > That's not a problem, the keys from most of 9000 200 series machi8nes
> >will fit it.
>
>Oh, well, isn't that nice, I'll just go to the shop and buy some HP 9000/200
>keytops then. ;-)


   Do I detect a note of sarcasm here?

      Joe
Received on Tue Aug 07 2001 - 14:03:56 BST