Liberty Freedom One Plus (was Re: My GE Terminet 300)

From: Brent Hilpert <hilpert_at_cs.ubc.ca>
Date: Wed Sep 1 15:17:34 2004

> > I'm using the terminal as a console for a minicomputer and something I
> > have found useful is that the printer/aux port can be set into
> > 'bi-directional' mode, making it possible to connect another computer to
> > the second port for transparent downloading and uploading between the two
> > computers without having to switch cables or requiring a switch box.
>
> Neat trick. I might build a second terminal cable then.

I should have mentioned: Note the aux port is DCE whereas the main port is DTE even though they are both female DB25. (Granted you can figure this out with a meter.)

[BEGIN RANT]
This sort of silliness used to (and still does) annoy me every time I have to deal with it. My understanding is that the EIA/RS-232 standard specifies that:
   DCE == female DB25
   DTE == male DB25
If manufacturers had followed this there would be no confusion about plugging things together, you would be able to look at a terminal/interface/modem/cable/whatever and know what you were dealing with and life would be very simple (and you wouldn't need gender changers). Some (many) manufacturers screwed this up (mostly terminal manufacturers doing female DB25 for DTE, in my experience) and you can never rely on anything and have to make measurements, etc.

Oh well, it's pretty much a dead technology now anyways, except to us vintage types.
[END RANT]


> I would like to know what triggers the "WAIT" LED on the keyboard
> I suspect the WAIT LED is triggered by DCD going inactive or something like
> that.

I find no mention in the manual of the WAIT LED and my keyboard doesn't have it.
The terminal does have fairly extensive support for local-edit/block-sending, so it may indicate 'busy sending' after one initiates a block-send.


> and what "U.K." is supposed to signify in the VT52 and VT100 entries.

Can't help on that as the manual does does not mention the DEC emulations.

It seems Liberty were making revisions quite quickly, even the manual I have (which did come in the box with the terminal) has some discrepancies with the actual terminal.


> Any chance you could scan the manual?

Some day I should go shopping (cringe..!) and get a digital camera and/or scanner, but, like a good vintage-techy, I figure that Any Day Now a discarded/surplus/repairable scanner will drop across my path. :) (I'll keep a scan in mind when one does... sorry for not being able to provide it just now)
Received on Wed Sep 01 2004 - 15:17:34 BST