Any Cromemco USERS?

From: Bill Sudbrink <wh.sudbrink_at_verizon.net>
Date: Wed Jan 22 08:48:00 2003

> > Just curious; is anybody actually using a Cromemco system
> > out there, running either CDOS, Cromix or Unix? Or does
> > anyone at least have one in running condition?
>
> I have an IMSAI chassis stuffed with cromemco boards. I run CP/M
> on it... but I don't think there would be a reason it wouldn't run
> a cromemco OS. It has a CPUZ, a 16FDC, a 64KZ and a TU-ART in it.
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> No, unless there are some unusual mods, I'd think that a set of
> Cromemco boards would run a Cromemco OS just fine. BTW, I
> assume you mean a ZPU?

Yes, I confused myself.

> I'd be interested in knowing how you got CP/M onto the Cromix
> diskettes and configured for its memory model?

The hard way (and the fun way)! I wrote my own CBIOS, bootstrap,
and a program to format a diskette, cross-compiled on a modern intel
box, wrote a program to massage the compiler output into a text stream
that the ROM monitor on the 16FDC would like and then used the monitor
to run the formatter. Finally, pumped over the bootstrap, CP/M and
my CBIOS and used the sector write facility of the 16FDC ROM to write
the whole thing to a diskette a sector at a time. It was very gratifying
when the sucker booted up the first time.

> TM100 drive(s) I assume?

Actually, a pair of SA-851s.

> Just wanna swap tales I guess.

Something about the 16FDC doesn't play nice with the IMSAI front panel.
You can't deposit or examine memory with it on the bus. Even with the
schematics, I don't see what the problem is. Do you know a solution by
any chance?
Received on Wed Jan 22 2003 - 08:48:00 GMT