Subject: Tektronix 8560 with PDP-11/23 CPU running TNIX (UINX)

From: Jochen Kunz <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu May 8 23:50:02 2003

Hi.

I got a "Tektronix 8560 Multi-User Software Development Unit" together
with a Tektronix 8540 in system 68k CPU emulator. The 8560 is based on
the DEC M8186 PDP-11/23 CPU module but that card is the one and only DEC
part in the machine. Everything else is from Tektronix. There is a 35 MB
8" disk and a 8" floppy in the 8560 and it runs some flavor of UNIX
called TNIX. I am trying to break into it currently, as I have no
passwords. I can't get it to single user mode and I have no distribution
media nor no stand alone tools. 

Has someone heared from this machine bevore?
Has someone distribution media or stand alone tools?
-- 

tschüß,
       Jochen

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

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From: [email-masked] (Tony Duell)
Date: Thu May 8 23:50:08 2003

> media nor no stand alone tools.=20
> 

Yes, I have one. The hard disk is a Micropolis 1200 series unit, with the 
Micropolis controller board on top. The interface to the Q-bus board in 
the main backplane is a fairly simple 8 bit data bus + control lines. 

The backplane bus is similar to Q-bus, although not the standard pinouts 
or form factor (other then the 11/23 CPUI card at one side). 

> Has someone distribution media or stand alone tools?

I might have the installation floppies, but don't expect me to find them 
any time soon!

-tony

---

From: Ron Hudson <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu May 8 23:50:51 2003

>> I got a "Tektronix 8560 Multi-User Software Development Unit" together

Is this the device that runs automated test systems, has a 9" touch 
screen?

Oh, wait, I think that was a Fluke product... mebbe not....

---

From: Jochen Kunz <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu May 8 23:50:58 2003

On 2003.05.08 00:43 Tony Duell wrote:

[Tektronix 8560]
> Yes, I have one. 
Is there anything strange on the world that you don't own? ;-) 

> The backplane bus is similar to Q-bus, although not the standard
> pinouts or form factor (other then the 11/23 CPUI card at one side). 
I noticed this already. When I got that thing from a friend he said that
it is PDP-11. I was not sure about the PDP-11 until I opened the box and
found the M8186.

> I might have the installation floppies, but don't expect me to find
> them any time soon!
Meanwhile I got into the machine. Nice. 58 kB UNIX kernel. Maybe I can
make the stand alone tools disk from the running system? I had to reset
the machine when it was running, so it needs a fsck but a fsck that
repairs is only available as stand alone tool... 
I have to dig throgh the docs I got with it... 
-- 

tschüß,
       Jochen

---

From: Jochen Kunz <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu May 8 23:51:05 2003

> Is this the device that runs automated test systems, has a 9" touch 
No. It has 4 (optional 8) serial lines for terminals (got a ADM 3A with
it.[1]) and two serial lines for printers. The 8540 hardware CPU
emulater is controlled via serial lines too. The only other connector on
the main unit is a connector for a hard disk expansion. This thing seams
to be used for software development on embeded controllers. I have a
6802 CPU probe and a 9 channel logic probe also.

[1] Isn't the ADM 3A a upper case only terminal? My 3A has an extra
board in it with EPROMs, so this may be that lower case option module as
my terminal is capable of upper and lower case characters.
-- 

tschüß,
       Jochen

---

From: Joe <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu May 8 23:51:09 2003

At 11:15 PM 5/7/03 +0200, you wrote:
>part in the machine. 

   Just for hat it's worth, a couple of weeks ago I found a GenRad
Vibration analyzer that had 11/23 CPU and one or two other DEC cards. It
had a LOT of cards in it but most were GenRad cards with only a couple of
DEC cards.

Everything else is from Tektronix. There is a 35 MB
>Has someone heared from this machine bevore?

   Yes, I found one a couple of years ago. I posted a couple of messages
about it on th eold CC List. I don't remember the details but you might be
able to check the archives. I put in it storage at a friend's place, he
already had one or two of them.. One has a 68000 CPU pod and the other has
a Z8000 (or something like that) pod.

>Has someone distribution media or stand alone tools?

   IIRC one of the units here has a hard drive attached to it.  The hard
drive unit is a separate piece that's about the same size as the 8560 and
had a model number 8650 or something like that. I think there may be some
docs down here as well. My friend is a real Tektronix nut and he has a huge
collection of Tektronix equipment and docs. They looked interesting but too
specialized to do anything with.

    Joe

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From: Joe <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu May 8 23:51:12 2003

>Oh, wait, I think that was a Fluke product... mebbe not....

  That sounds like a Fluke 1722. 9" Touch screen, two 5 1/4" floppy drives,
runs BASIC and used as a HP-IB controller.

    Joe