[GreenKeys] younger generation greenkeyers ?

Thu Sep 1 22:28:42 EDT 2011

Oh, sorry, and I forgot how to mention how you make binary tapes via a teletype.

You need a serial port (which on modern PCs requires you use a
USB-serial cord), and an RS-232 to current loop adapter. Then to
actually make the binaries, you need to find someway of moving a file
from your PC over a serial port. In BSD (and Linux) you'd use dd. In
Winderp you need to use a terminal program to do so.

Cheers,
Christian

On 1 September 2011 01:21, Adrian Stoness <tdk.knight at gmail.com> wrote:
> or a pdp8 :P
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/1ajs/5720562863/lightbox/
>
> what would it take to hook up the teletype to make tapes from binaries
> pulled off bitsavers?
> On Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 10:58 PM, Christian Gauger-Cosgrove
> <captainkirk359 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Hello,
>>
>> Now, getting the machines to work with a PC is... depending on your
>> skills (and perhaps your morals...) a task that can vary from being
>> rather simple (comparatively) to being a massive, massive pain.
>>
>> The first question I should ask, is your PC a BD box, a Windows hole,
>> a Linux nuisance, or a Crapple^H^H^H^H^H^H^HMac? If it's Linux or BSD
>> you can actually use an ASCII TTY directly with the OS as an actual
>> real terminal (most easiest with a real live serial port, er go why I
>> say BSD and Linux, not Crapple) using a line in your inittab to have
>> getty/agetty/ttymon/whateverthehellyourdistributioncallsit set up the
>> serial port for: local connection (no carrier detect), uppercase only
>> terminal and of course the normal serial port characteristics for a
>> '33 or '35 (110 baud, 7, M, 2; will be 7, E, 2 if you have parity).
>> With that done, you have your TTY as one more console on your BSD or
>> Linux system. (Of course though, things will be odd.)
>>
>> If you're using a Crapple... you've got to do something somewhat
>> similar... except make your Mac play nice with a USB serial port first
>> (wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles if *THAT* works out for ya).
>>
>> On Windows... sorry no you cannot use your TTY to do everything you
>> can normally do on the machine, however... it can be marginally
>> easier. The easiest thing you can do is connect your TTY up to a
>> serial port and then:
>> 1. Use a terminal emulator to chat with your teletype (boring, but
>> interesting none the less).
>> 2. Use a serial port-to-TCP/IP port converter software to make your
>> TTY talk over telnet to something (like a BSD box, or - MASSIVE HINT -
>> connecting to SIMH running an <insert vintage system here>).
>> 3. Use a serial port-to-TCP/IP port converter software to make the
>> intertubes talk to your teletype via telnet... or connect to teletypes
>> over your LAN doing that.
>>
>>
>> Alternatively, you could also try and find a small QBUS PDP-11 system
>> if you want the TTY talking with a real, vintage machine (of course a
>> QBUS '11 would look more proper with a DECwriter... but let's not get
>> into that). Any system in a BA23 should do quite nicely, but a BA11
>> system with an RL02 (or two) would be far more captivating. More
>> captivating then that would be an actual 'blinkenlights' minicomputer;
>> like a PDP-8/E, PDP-12, or PDP-11/45; though of course you'd need to
>> find the disk systems to use with those (or a DECtape system). And an
>> RK05 drive (and the right media) is not really cheap... nor is the
>> power to run a big mini like an 11/45 or 11/70. (Though the 11 systems
>> can use RL01 or RL02 disks, the 8/E or PDP-12 can't. And they need a
>> different RK05 media from the media for PDP-11 systems (and the PDP-12
>> itself needs some very special and expensive peripherals to use an
>> RK05).)
>>
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Christian
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 26 August 2011 17:58, Steve Ripper <steveripper at comcast.net> wrote:
>> > Pete:
>> >
>> > My daughter Emily (10 years old) uses my model 33 every day. She knows
>> > to
>> > load Heavy Metal and prints out the daily Reuters "Today In History" and
>> > the
>> > local 10 day weather forecast. My son Ryan (6 years old) will sit a
>> > watch
>> > the model 28 hammer away all day if I don't make him do something else.
>> > I
>> > also let him help with the maintenance. He like to find the oiling
>> > points on
>> > the various diagrams. He now knows how to put the few drops of oil
>> > required
>> > on the easy to see and reach locations. I sure would like to find a way
>> > for
>> > the machines to be more interactive with a PC so they can use them as an
>> > input device and not just a printer. I was recently out bid on a
>> > complete
>> > PDP 11/45 system located in Wisconsin. We all could have had a lot fun
>> > with
>> > that.
>> >
>> > During this past June, I had my 17 foot enclosed trailer setup for the
>> > ARRL
>> > Field Day operations. This year I put a model 33 and 28 in the trailer
>> > along
>> > with all the other radio gear and had them running most of the time. I
>> > don't
>> > believe there was a single person that stopped by to see the remote
>> > setup
>> > that was not hypnotized by the Teletype's. I know how to use these
>> > machines
>> > with radios and Heavy Metal and copying ITTY etc, but my knowledge is
>> > limited regarding how to use these machines more interactively with a PC
>> > or
>> > other devices. My experience so far has been if you can get these kids
>> > in
>> > front of these machines it sure does spark an interest.
>> >
>> > Cheers,
>> >
>> > Steve Ripper
>> > steveripper at comcast.net
>> > Mobile: 248-787-0705
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net
>> > [mailto:greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Pete Lancashire
>> > Sent: Friday, August 26, 2011 3:37 PM
>> > To: greenkeys
>> > Subject: [GreenKeys] younger generation greenkeyers ?
>> >
>> > On the 5 hours drive back from Georges and from other conversations with
>> > friends
>> > curious  how many under 25 or 30 green-keys (keyers ?) there are and
>> > can anything be done
>> > to interest the teens or even younger ?
>> >
>> > I've had two teens totally go nuts over watching a 35 do its thing and
>> > one at least said it
>> > helped him decide to go into engineering, one win.
>> >
>> > the other though I had was one of those two sides of a coin. There's
>> > still a lot of Teletype
>> > stuff out there, but an awful lot is just getting trashed as dad or
>> > uncle die off and the
>> > kids just call the junk man. This could have easily happed the latest
>> > pile George was
>> > given the opportunity to rescue. On the flip side there are less and
>> > less of those interested.
>> >
>> > Oh well .. just some thoughts on if  can or should be done
>> >
>> > BTW Thanks to George I now have the means to do what John Nagle did, A
>> > strip
>> > printer that what looks like with a little work will fit in a glass
>> > box and be ready for demo
>> > next year.
>> >
>> > Except for once owning a 19 that was lost in a fire, which other then
>> > minor adjustment
>> > this will my first pre 28/35 Teletype I've worked on .. be ready for
>> > questions !!!
>> >
>> > -pete
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