[GreenKeys] Model 33 ASR Restoration Update

Thu Aug 6 21:40:43 EDT 2015

Ed,

Honestly, I do not know how many were made.  I know there were two serial designations, C11 and D11, one denoted kit-built, and the other
factory-built, but I'm not sure anyone has retained that information.  With the 8080's, the kit built machines are easy to spot - they start with a K.
Mine is D11772, so knowing they all started with C11 or D11, they either would have stopped making them around 999 or would have added another digit.
Another thing I haven't figured out yet is whether the C11's and D11's had separate serial sequences, i.e. did C11123 come before D11124, or were there
both C11123 and D11123 machines produced?  Don't know.  Couldn't tell you.  Information seems sparse.

All I can really say is whats what with my machine, and that is that it was obviously originally configured with its I/O section set up for current
loop, and at some point in its history, those parts were removed and reconfigured to RS232.  Because I'm using my laptop to load long tape images (such
as BASIC or the co-resident assembler/editor package) at 9600 bps, and because I'm often dumping things from the laptop to the punch on the 33, I've
left it configured for RS232 and use my black box 232/CL converter to interface with the machine and the laptop.

Mine also has a rare gem installed in it, it's called the 1680 Expander, made by a few clever hams back in the day - it essentially converts the 680
bus adapter to S100 pinout so that one can use "inexpensive ram cards" instead of the 16K static ram cards that MITS made for it, which went for
$685/each in 1977!  That's more than the computer cost!  Those fine gentlemen put their call signs on the board stencil, and I was able to get in touch
with one of them.  He told me that he thinks they published an article about it in Kilobaud magazine, but I've been unable to locate the article.  As
best as I can tell, it's only wired up to support RAM cards, and one shouldn't expect other I/O cards to work necessarily.  But it works just fine with
a pair of Wameco MEM-1 boards that I have here, 8KB each, so technically my machine has 13 KB installed (the onboard RAM is relocated to $A000 for use
with the MiniBug ROM that's installed).

cheers,
j

COURYHOUSE at aol.com(COURYHOUSE) wrote:
> J: The Altair  680 is  one of the neatest   looking    front panel 
> computers.   Its   smaller  size   makes  it seem  somehow busier   looking!
>  
> Any idea on the production numbers  for that  unit? I  suspect  less than 
> the  8080  processor model or... 
> it is  just  so cute  no one  wants to  part  with  them.    Any ideas?
>  
> Ed# 
>  
>  
> In a message dated 8/6/2015 3:46:57 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,  
> tty at impakt.net writes:
> 
> David,
> 
> That is beyond cool!  I am doing an exhibit on  early 6800-based micros at 
> Vintage Computer Festival Midwest later this  month.  My whole reason for
> getting my teletype (which you so  graciously have made the replacement 
> type hammer pieces for everyone, which I  now have installed on mine) was to get
> my unit working with my Altair 680,  which is a 6800 machine that was 
> designed and announced in '75, and finally  shipped in early '76.
> 
> I've been plugging away at it for the last  several weeks, and it brings a 
> smile to my face to see your homebrew rig  running, and you're doing some
> things similar to what I'm doing with  mine.
> 
> cheers,
> j
> 
> David Tumey via GreenKeys(greenkeys)  wrote:
> > Hope the list doesn't mind me sharing the reunion of the '369  UMass 
> teletype with the 6802-based computer I built as a kid.  As  mentioned in 
> previous updates, I wrangled the '369 from the engineering school  at UMass to use 
> as a terminal with the 6802 machine I started building when I  was 19.  The 
> last time these two machines communicated was in 1983.  After wandering 
> around the US for the past 32 years taking very  different paths (the TTY was 
> MIA since 1994), they have been reunited for the  first time.  I have 
> attached a couple photos.  My thanks to the list  for all the help getting here.
> > Note the '369 is going topless for now  (it is S. FL so that is expected) 
> while the work on the plastics is completed.  The computer is a 
> single-board design sitting on a piece of plywood to  the left of the machine running a 
> 4K basic kluge off of EPROM.  The print  is hot off the platen.  
> Surprisingly good character quality and  alignment!
> > ...and yes, I did get a little misty while watching the  machine run a 
> crude prime number generator I whipped up! Thanks for letting me  share.
> > --daveW5DT
> 
> 
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