Subject: New HP find

From: "Keys" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu Apr 10 19:05:01 2003

Today I got HP 41C the following items; ac adapter, 5- extra battery packs
model 82120A, Brown carrying case, HP Card Reader model 82104A, a model
82143A printer with an ac adapter for it. Got it all for only $7.

Also got Heathkit VectorScope model 10-101 for $12.

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From: [email-masked] (Tony Duell)
Date: Fri Apr 11 13:23:00 2003

> 82143A printer with an ac adapter for it. Got it all for only $7.

You do realise that this is a _very_ nice calculator (I am still using a 
lot of 41 stuff here, CVs (a C with 5 times as much user memory), CXs (a 
CV with built-in extended functions ROM, extended memory, real time 
clock, and a bit more), and various plug-in modules.

The problem with the C is the limited memory. You really want to add a 
Quad Memory Module to bring it up to the CV specification. Apart from 
that, the card reader and printer mean you have a nice system. 

Be warned the 41 series are adictive. You start playing with them. Then 
you want an HPIL module and all the peripherals (digital cassette drive, 
disk drive (!), Thinkhet printer, Plotter, DMM, etc). Then you start 
doing things HP didn't intend, like synthetic programming (which is 
creating 'illegal' instructions in user programs). When you lose interest 
in that, you want an MLDL box (a special RAM unit which emulates a ROM 
module) so that you can program the darn thing in machine code. This 
happened to me...

-tony

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From: "Keys" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri Apr 11 19:12:00 2003

Thanks for the tips and information.  I got 82169A HPIL/HPIB interface a
while back with another calculator.

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From: Joe <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri Apr 11 21:17:00 2003

>while back with another calculator.

   I just found another of those too. They're pretty dammed cool! With it you can use the (relatively) common HP-IB disk drives and other devices on your HP 41 or 71. Or you can run your IL stuff like a 3468 Multimeter from a HP-IB controller such as a 9825. LOTS of possiblilities!

   Joe

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From: [email-masked] (Tony Duell)
Date: Sat Apr 12 15:28:00 2003

>    I just found another of those too. They're pretty dammed cool! With 
> it you can use the (relatively) common HP-IB disk drives and other 
> devices on your HP 41 or 71. Or you can run your IL stuff like a 3468 

Can you? I don't doubt the hardware side will work, but AFAIK the 
standard firmware for the HPIL module on the HP41 or HP71 will _not_ 
recognise an HPIB disk drive on the other side of an 82169. Or at least 
I've never met anyone who has got it to work.

It _does_ work on the Portable+, provided the 82169 is a sufficiently 
late one (I can check the necessary serial number).

> Multimeter from a HP-IB controller such as a 9825. LOTS of possiblilities!

Oh, sure the 82169 is a useful unit (I think I have 3 of them now), but 
not for using HPIB drives on HP41s.

-tony

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From: "Fred deBros" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun Apr 13 11:46:47 2003

For lord isildur maybe

This is a hardware question:

Whats the difference between a decstation 5000 and a decsystem 5000? The
latter apparently has no graphics capability.

On some of my decstation 5000/200 and /240, I have the add on
turbo-graphics board -D and -F . these output to the screen  with the
3-pin to 3-bnc cable like in the vlc4000. There is also a 3-pin to
single bnc cable apparently for grayscale biz.
But the cable that connects mouse and kbd via a db15 connector to my
decstation also terminates with a single bnc connector. 
Is this another grayscale output (or b/w only) of the decstation? 
So why no signal there? Do I have to pull the graphics board to get
console output via that db15 plug like in the Vaxstation 3100, where a
spx graphics board will exclude the b/w output from the db15 plug?
So you cant have it both ways, composite graphics and b/w terminal style
simultaneously? Only either or?

Thanks for help!

Next Q will be howto start in single user mode in order to get new root
pwd!

fred

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From: Jochen Kunz <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon Apr 14 04:54:01 2003

On 2003.04.13 04:52 Fred deBros wrote:

> Whats the difference between a decstation 5000 and a decsystem 5000?
The nameplate and that the DECsystem comes without framebuffer. If you
add one later, the DECsystem becomes a DECstation. 

> Is this another grayscale output (or b/w only) of the decstation? 
No. That cable comes from a VAXstation. The "right" DECstation cable has
no BNC connector. The only way to get graphics on that machine is via a
Turbochannel card. 
-- 

tschüß,
       Jochen

Homepage: http://www.unixag-kl.fh-kl.de/~jkunz/

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From: "Fred deBros" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue Apr 15 21:43:02 2003

Ur right.
I tried pulling the framebuffer card out ....no go!
Do kbd and mouse work with this cable? Should!

And where oh where do I get the 3pin to 3bnc cable from? Ebay? What's it
called? 
I thought about getting some radioshack powersupply plugs that fit into
the 3pin socket and make 3 coaxcables with them. Any other way to
juryrig the 3pin connector of the vlc4000 and this turbochannel card  -d
and -f type?

AND: Does netbsd 1.6/pmax  or its X really work with these framebuffers
and allow a GUI? In which case I'll dump Ultrix of course.
-- 

tschüß,

fred

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From: Patrick Finnegan <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue Apr 15 22:19:00 2003

> Do kbd and mouse work with this cable? Should!

No, there's a bunch of DEC 'keyboard/mouse' cables that have a 15pin
connector, each with a different pinout.  Don't ask me why.

> And where oh where do I get the 3pin to 3bnc cable from? Ebay? What's it

The '3pin' connector is probably a 3W3.  I'd try either eBay, finding
someone on the list with a spare, or your favorite surplus equipment
place.

> juryrig the 3pin connector of the vlc4000 and this turbochannel card  -d

You could just solder new connector(s) onto the framebuffer... if you
don't mind modifying it.

> and allow a GUI? In which case I'll dump Ultrix of course.

I'm fairly sure that it doesn't, but you could probably find out by
looking on their website - they probably have a supported hardware list
for the port.

Pat
--
Purdue University ITAP/RCS
Information Technology at Purdue
Research Computing and Storage
http://www-rcd.cc.purdue.edu

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From: Jochen Kunz <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed Apr 16 04:02:01 2003

> Do kbd and mouse work with this cable? Should!
Possibly not. There are two different 15 pin SubD to keyboard / mouse
cables. AFAIK the DECstations use the later pinout that was also used by
the DEC 3000 Alphas. 

> And where oh where do I get the 3pin to 3bnc cable from? Ebay? 
EBay or a list member that has more cables then he needs. (I need all my
3W3 cables. ;-) )

> What's it called? 
3W3. Sometimes you can get this connectors from an electronic parts
dealer. 

> AND: Does netbsd 1.6/pmax  or its X really work with these
> framebuffers and allow a GUI? 
Depends on the frame buffer. Look at the Netbsd/PMAX web site, there is
a list of supported hardware. But don't give up if your framebuffer is
listed as unsupported. There may be some new drivers in -current. Ask at
the NetBSD port-pmax list if you can't find an answer youself. I had a
full blown X11 setup running on my DECstation 5000/240 with a CX and
later with a HX frame buffer. 
-- 

tschüß,
       Jochen