[NLRS] Who's the computer programmer in the bunch?

Sat Jul 1 18:51:47 EDT 2006

Let's see... and you set the gap to how many thousandths on WHICH spark
transmitter....

I missed the IMSAI8800, (circa 1974-75) but I did build a "Jolt" (Several,
actually), circa 1975-76.  6502 processor, 256 bytes (notice, NO 'K' or 'M'
after the number) memory, TTY interface and a video monitor interface.
~$400, if I remember correctly.  A 4KB memory board was ~$300.  Static
RAM... about 8 amps at 5 volts, IIRC.

I was at the University at the time, and we used a couple of them for
teaching Process Control, as opposed to "programming" and such.  Its
amazing how much can be done with little memory and assembly-level code
when you don't multiple megabytes just move a mouse.

Its also amazing how much trouble a student gets into (or the "pro's," too,
for that matter) when the code does what they TOLD it to do, not what they
THOUGHT it would do.  

Best demo is to pump a quart of water from a 5 gallon bucket into a two
quart measuring cup.  And they have to clean up what gets spilled.  It
usually gets done correctly after the first failure.  Messy clean-up work
is such an incentive.

73 Donn
WA2VOI/0

At 17:57 01-07-06 -0400, Fast Eddie wrote:
>
>
>I just had to jump onto bandwagon here.... I still have my first and the one 
>of first Commodore single-board computers made, the KIM-6502, 2K of ram, hex 
>keypad and used a tape cassette for data storage...   I even hooked it up to 
>300 lb model 35-KSR teletype via the 20ma loop... sheesh those were the days 
>of machine code!
>
>Eddie VE3KRP
>
>
>
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "daniel monson" <danielmonson at compuserve.com>
>To: "NLRS" <nlrs at mailman.qth.net>
>Sent: Saturday, July 01, 2006 5:44 PM
>Subject: Re: [NLRS] Who's the computer programmer in the bunch?
>
>
>
>
>I still have a few Sinclairs sitting around, I believe 4 mhz, 4 mbs, 
>cassette drive and they displayed on your tv!  Gotta dig them out one of 
>these days!
>Dan
>KC0RQH
>
>-------------Forwarded Message-----------------
>
>From: "Ford Peterson", INTERNET:ford at cmgate.com
>To: , INTERNET:nlrs at mailman.qth.net
>, INTERNET:geraldj at ispwest.com
>
>Date: 6/30/106  9:12 PM
>
>RE: Re: [NLRS] Who's the computer programmer in the bunch?
>
>
>
>
>Jerry wrote:
>
>...snip...
>
>> Before I built my CP/M system, I built a school computer that uses a
>> cassette drive and it still runs. Its a candidate for the state
>> historical museum being the first computer built for elementary school
>> kids to use. My second computer was for a weather company, a Z80 with a
>> quarter mb of RAM that monitored a 1200 baud weather wire and let them
>> search thee saved data  (and it saved on what they told it to save) with
>> a terminal. It ran 18 years 24/7 with only 40 hours total down time. It
>> wore out two sets of back up batteries and I had to change them with
>> power up each time.
>> -- 
>> 73, Jerry, K0CQ,
>> All content copyright Dr. Gerald N. Johnson, electrical engineer
>
>I think you may have me beat on this score.  My first computer was purchased 
>by Norwest for use by the Treasury dept.  Serial number 1014, and I think 
>they started at 1000.  It had no floppy drive (none was available as an 
>accessory), no hard disk (obviously) and used a cassette port.  The 16K ram 
>had been upgraded to 56K as I recall, using the logic "who could ever use 
>more than 56K of ram?"  The newer stuff came with 64K but you needed a 
>memory card to get the originals past 56K.  We upgraded to the 128K floppies 
>after they were available.  That would have been about 1980 or 1981 or 
>thereabouts.  Bare bones cost was about $2800.  With monochrome (green) 
>monitor, extra ram, and cassette deck it was well into the mid $3K as I 
>recall.  Quite the deal at the time.  The only one in the company was on my 
>desk because nobody else could figure out how to make it do anything other 
>than blink "OK>"  There were no programs yet.  Only Bill Gate's "Basic"
>
>Ah yes, the good ole days...  When you could make a computer add three 
>numbers together, print them on the screen with the phrase "hello world," 
>and get oohhhs and aaahhhs from the boss.
>
>Ford-N0FP
>ford at cmgate.com
>
>_______________________________________________
>NLRS mailing list
>NLRS at mailman.qth.net
>http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/nlrs
>
>
>
>----------------------- Internet Header --------------------------------
>Sender: nlrs-bounces at mailman.qth.net
>Received: from mailman.qth.net (mailman.qth.net [63.238.179.60])
>by liaag1ac.mx.compuserve.com (8.13.6/8.13.4/g1.2) with ESMTP id 
>k612CXXa002199
>for <danielmonson at compuserve.com>; Fri, 30 Jun 2006 22:12:35 -0400
>Received: from mailman.qth.net (mailman.qth.net [127.0.0.1])
>by mailman.qth.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2D209859CBA;
>Fri, 30 Jun 2006 22:20:40 -0400 (EDT)
>X-Original-To: nlrs at mailman.qth.net
>Delivered-To: nlrs at mailman.qth.net
>Received: from MX1.ll.net (mail.cmgate.com [209.131.230.14])
>by mailman.qth.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 07B77859C36
>for <nlrs at mailman.qth.net>; Fri, 30 Jun 2006 22:20:33 -0400 (EDT)
>Received: from Office2 (unverified [216.89.198.18]) by MX1.ll.net
>(Vircom SMTPRS 4.3.459.0) with ESMTP id <B0530902901 at MX1.ll.net>;
>Fri, 30 Jun 2006 21:12:17 -0500
>X-Modus-BlackList: 216.89.198.18=OK;ford at cmgate.com=OK
>X-Modus-RBL: 216.89.198.18=OK
>X-Modus-Trusted: 216.89.198.18=NO
>Message-ID: <000401c69cb3$c3d17140$6700a8c0 at Office2>
>From: "Ford Peterson" <ford at cmgate.com>
>To: <geraldj at ispwest.com>, <nlrs at mailman.qth.net>
>References: 
><44A5A6B4.2080901 at bloomer.net><000601c69ca1$2e176270$6700a8c0 at Office2>
><1151715035.4251.24.camel at host.domain.com>
>Subject: Re: [NLRS] Who's the computer programmer in the bunch?
>Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 21:12:11 -0500
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>Content-Type: text/plain;
>charset="iso-8859-1"
>Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
>X-Priority: 3
>X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
>X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.2869
>X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2869
>Cc:
>X-BeenThere: nlrs at mailman.qth.net
>X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.4
>Precedence: list
>List-Id: Northern Lights Radio Society <nlrs.mailman.qth.net>
>List-Unsubscribe: <http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/nlrs>,
><mailto:nlrs-request at mailman.qth.net?subject=unsubscribe>
>List-Archive: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/nlrs>
>List-Post: <mailto:nlrs at mailman.qth.net>
>List-Help: <mailto:nlrs-request at mailman.qth.net?subject=help>
>List-Subscribe: <http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/nlrs>,
><mailto:nlrs-request at mailman.qth.net?subject=subscribe>
>Sender: nlrs-bounces at mailman.qth.net
>Errors-To: nlrs-bounces at mailman.qth.net
>X-Virus-Scanned: ClamAV version 0.88, clamav-milter version 0.87 on 
>liaag1ac.mx.compuserve.com
>X-Virus-Status: Clean
>
>_______________________________________________
>NLRS mailing list
>NLRS at mailman.qth.net
>http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/nlrs
>
>
>-- 
>No virus found in this incoming message.
>Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.8/380 - Release Date: 6/30/2006
>
>_______________________________________________
>NLRS mailing list
>NLRS at mailman.qth.net
>http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/nlrs
>
>