rarest computers. was: RE: Xerox Alto Restoration + Emulation

From: Patrick Finnegan <pat_at_computer-refuge.org>
Date: Sun Aug 15 10:54:27 2004

On Wednesday 31 December 1969 19:00, Ken Kirkby wrote:
> > <Can't find the beginning of this thread, so I'm gonna shove my
> > response here.>
> >
> > I've got a few "rare" machines, but they mostly seem to come out of
> > some sort of "scientific instrumentation". A vector-based computer
> > that processed NMR data - an Aspect 3000, some machines made by
> > Nicolet and others, etc.
> >
> > Some of my favorite "rarer" machines are my General Automation
> > SPC-16/40 and /45 (which are neither complete nor functional right
> > now ): It was a machine targeted where the Data General Nova was
> > targeted (a general purpose 16bit machine in the early 70s).
>
> Industrial Electronic Resources in Corona CA still supports the GA's
> which are still used in power stations around the world, and in CNC
> applications. We support a few customers still with SPC-16/440's.

I was wondering why I didn't come across them while trying to find info
using google... and now have discovered that they don't seem to have a
web site. Do you think there's any possibility of getting a (set of)
schematic(s) from them, or at least some sort of service manual
(preferably not a board-swappers guide)? That's the one thing I don't
have that would be useful to get them up and running. Well, that and a
replacement frontpanel for the one that got thrown away, but I'm not
sure I want to spend what they'll want for it... assuming they even
have one.

Pat
-- 
Purdue University ITAP/RCS        ---  http://www.itap.purdue.edu/rcs/
The Computer Refuge               ---  http://computer-refuge.org
Received on Sun Aug 15 2004 - 10:54:27 BST

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Fri Oct 10 2014 - 23:36:34 BST