Vintage Computing

I have a mid 70's pc from a company called Digital Group. They were located in Denver Colorado. It has two computer controlled cassette tape decks for storage and a dot matrix printer.

Fine, can you post some picture? I have an old mechanical office calculator and a 'pocket calculator' from CompuCorp. My father buy this machine about 1975 and I was the first in my engeneering class, which owns an elecronic calculator (for some days). It was horribly expensive and I my father ony allow home usage, except some exams at school. I have this machine up and running, and it goes in my collection too.

The 'first contact' was 1975, I have to work as volunteer for my engeneering education and my father arranged a job at Austian Research, a private research company near Vienna.

Fortunately I meet a very nice guy there and we get friends. He teached me a lot of electronics, I never have learned at school. He was responsible for a big project, which was controlled by an PDP 8/e. I ask him, whats that, please tell me. It was friday and no time left, so he give me a stack of books to read. Next monday I brought the books back and ask for new one. He can't beleave and from this day on, I was involved in running the system and write little programs.

After school I start working and studying at the Technical University of Vienna and we run a TOPS20 and some PDP11/34 there and I was responsible for this hardware. I get a lot of hardware courses at Munich.

I also have some Z80 boards, because I run a company together with two collagues after my graduate, and we do a lot of custom development on the Z80 platform and on CP/M.

Now I have a big house, two childs, one is out now, and I can start to collect all this beautiful things around.

I hope I can get some nice stuff to carry along with deep respect from the engeneering power in it.

With best regards

gerhard

Hello, There are a lot of vintage computer clubs here in the US.

Try a Google search. I know there is one in the state of Rhode Island that has a lot of the old big stuff and they are hurting for space.

Thanks for the information. I do so and I found some clubs, but there are a lot of dead links an the pages. I remember, I have seen one at Rhode Island, so I will try to contact them.

With best regards

Gerhard

Hi Barry,

I try to connect anybody of the Rhode Island Computer Museum, but the email address isn`t valid any more. There are also a lot af dead links on their home page, but something is still working. The pages I am able to browse are mostly from 2002, some from 2005. It seems to me, that there is no activity anymore. Do you know anybody there or do you have some actual information about this people?

Thanks for helping

Gerhard

Is there any chance you are running CRISP software?

There was a group that was sliced and diced out of the industry that ended up as Salem Engineering in one of the Carolinas that had some resources and the skills to repair, replace hardware and convert or translate programs to newer hardware.

These are also still being used in submarine and other unique applications because they could withstand some strange conditions. There are a few guys in the west cost that were rebuilding and providing supples the the govt. and industry. Its been 5 years since I was involved, my old company upgraded to new hardware but they may have saved some of it. I could renew some old contacts if it would help. Can you share with us what the application is?

Oh, this will be fine, if you could renew your contacts. Maybe we can rescue some beautiful parts from shredding!

Sorry, I dont know anything about CRISP, as you can see at my other posts, I grew up with Digital Equipment Coooerations PDP family and I see the first VAX's, but then I left the university and digg into the upcoming microprocessor market.

But, if you could provide me with some links or other information, I will look at it, no question.

Thanks for helping

Gerhard

Sorry but I cant help. My son brought home an early PDP from university in the mid 80s and kept it in his garden shed until about 2001 intending to get it working but he never got around to it. It was in a six foot cabinet but I am not sure what version it was.

Eventually he decided that it would have to go so he contacted Bletchley Park, of National Codes and Cipher fame but he got no reply. He tried several more times over the next few weeks but eventually his wife got fed up and sent it to the local tip and recycling centre. Within half an hour of it going and being crushed, Bletchley rang him to say that it was the only model that they did not have.

Is that sad or what!

I just remembered that I had a Z80 development board and disk controller designed and built by Tim Berners Lee. He sold it to me around about 1976. I can't find it now and I don't remember but I must have thrown it out too. Sorry to disappointed you.

Oh my god, life could be so hard some times.

But thats exactly the reason, which kick me to start collecting this stuff, and as I have the technical knowledge and the equipment to find problems and to repair parts, I think I am responsible for this old systems, which give me a lot of beautiful hours and influence my life so much.

Maybe, you hear about some system resting in some garden shed, please let me know!

With best regards

Gerhard