the Alpha Micro Phun Machine
Cameron Kaiser
dearth of Alpha Micro-related information on the web. I put up my own notes
and a W-I-P models page here, running on an Eagle 300,
but even after poring through documentation in the library and online, I
know I've still got a few holes especially w/r/t the really vintage AMs. If
you can lend a hand, I would love to pick your brain.
Thank you!
--
Cameron Kaiser * cka...@floodgap.com * posting with a Commodore 128
personal page: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/
** Computer Workshops: games, productivity software and more for C64/128! **
** http://www.armory.com/%7Espectre/cwi/ **
Michael Roach
used Alpha Micros or have linked to Alpha Micro information.)
TIME Magazine Person of the Year for 2006 Cameron Kaiser
<cka...@floodgap.com> wrote:
>I have no idea if anyone reads this group anymore, but there is a definite
>dearth of Alpha Micro-related information on the web. I put up my own notes
>and a W-I-P models page here, running on an Eagle 300,
>
> http://ampm.floodgap.com/
>
>but even after poring through documentation in the library and online, I
>know I've still got a few holes especially w/r/t the really vintage AMs. If
>you can lend a hand, I would love to pick your brain.
I was going to point you at the emulator and the documentation available
on Alpha Micro's site but I see you have that well-covered, including
others like Micro Sabio (AShell) I was going to mention. Good job!
You've got a lot of the old info with the emulator link. I see that Mike
still doesn't have AM LINK (AM-110 I think) information but he finally
got the LISP and PASCAL manuals. AM LINK was Alpha Micro's bizarre
S100 network that used 100 pin flat ribbon cables (or was it two 50
pin cables?) to link AM-100s and AM-100Ts together. I don't remember
if AM-LINK ever supported the AM-100L. I never had one at home and
don't have the documentation but we used it at Alpha Micro and 8 of the
developers (hardware and software) had their machines linked together.
There was an 8 machine maximum on the network with a maximum of 8 feet
(I think) between network runs. There were no bridges or routers to get
outside the network.
Do you remember Propernet? That's a long O on the first syllable and it
refers to an engineer's last name. He used Alpha Micro's video-based
backup hardware to create a network using COAX and BNC connectors. It
looked like early ethernet but wasn't.
Softworks still sells their AlphaBASIC workalike so you might want to
add them. I've also heard that Rod's not maintaining ZTERM any more
though you can still get it ... as well as that MAC based one that's not
connected with anything Alpha.
I last heard from dravac / d-soft / Michael Lewis in a previous
millenium.
I hang out here but yours is the first Alpha Micro related post I can
remember in an age. (Who newgrouped this group any way, and was there
ever a charter?)
>Thank you!
You're welcome!
(Anyone have the AMUS library online or otherwise available?)
--
Just out of curiosity does this actually mean something or have some
of the few remaining bits of your brain just evaporated?
-- Patricia O Tuama, ri...@killer.DALLAS.TX.US
Cameron Kaiser
>(alt.folklore.computers added because I know some of the regulars have
>used Alpha Micros or have linked to Alpha Micro information.)
>>I have no idea if anyone reads this group anymore, but there is a definite
>>dearth of Alpha Micro-related information on the web. I put up my own notes
>>and a W-I-P models page here, running on an Eagle 300,
>> http://ampm.floodgap.com/
>>but even after poring through documentation in the library and online, I
>>know I've still got a few holes especially w/r/t the really vintage AMs. If
>>you can lend a hand, I would love to pick your brain.
>I was going to point you at the emulator and the documentation available
>on Alpha Micro's site but I see you have that well-covered, including
>others like Micro Sabio (AShell) I was going to mention. Good job!
Thank you! It took a lot of digging on the other stuff, but actually Mike
Noel's site was a starting point (and he was very helpful).
>You've got a lot of the old info with the emulator link. I see that Mike
>still doesn't have AM LINK (AM-110 I think) information but he finally
>got the LISP and PASCAL manuals. AM LINK was Alpha Micro's bizarre
>S100 network that used 100 pin flat ribbon cables (or was it two 50
>pin cables?) to link AM-100s and AM-100Ts together. I don't remember
>if AM-LINK ever supported the AM-100L. I never had one at home and
>don't have the documentation but we used it at Alpha Micro and 8 of the
>developers (hardware and software) had their machines linked together.
>There was an 8 machine maximum on the network with a maximum of 8 feet
>(I think) between network runs. There were no bridges or routers to get
>outside the network.
Interesting -- I might add a footnote about that somewhere. Thanks for
the heads-up.
>Do you remember Propernet? That's a long O on the first syllable and it
>refers to an engineer's last name. He used Alpha Micro's video-based
>backup hardware to create a network using COAX and BNC connectors. It
>looked like early ethernet but wasn't.
I've obviously seen the VCR interface, but never in that application. How
common was it? I can see where that would really snarl people expecting
10b2.
>Softworks still sells their AlphaBASIC workalike so you might want to
>add them. I've also heard that Rod's not maintaining ZTERM any more
>though you can still get it ... as well as that MAC based one that's not
>connected with anything Alpha.
Do you have URLS for these? I've spoken with Rod Hewitt, who got me
some more holes filled (to be released in the next update). Which one
is the Macintosh based package? I'm a Mac bigot, so I would love to
see that.
>I hang out here but yours is the first Alpha Micro related post I can
>remember in an age. (Who newgrouped this group any way, and was there
>ever a charter?)
alt.*? Charter? Whazzat? :)
>>Thank you!
>You're welcome!
>(Anyone have the AMUS library online or otherwise available?)
I was talking to Jeff Kreider just today about that very thing. He is
mulling over a few options, so there may be some action on that front in
the future.
Michael Roach
<cka...@floodgap.com> wrote:
>never...@panix.com.invalid (Michael Roach) writes:
>
>>Do you remember Propernet? That's a long O on the first syllable and it
>>refers to an engineer's last name. He used Alpha Micro's video-based
>>backup hardware to create a network using COAX and BNC connectors. It
>>looked like early ethernet but wasn't.
>
>I've obviously seen the VCR interface, but never in that application. How
>common was it? I can see where that would really snarl people expecting
>10b2.
We used it at Alpha Micro of course. In the field (I also worked for
dealers and clients) we'd hook machines together with COAX, use one to
VCRSAV and the other to VCRRES, and transfer files. I think Propernet
was released but I don't know what it was called.
>>Softworks still sells their AlphaBASIC workalike so you might want to
>>add them. I've also heard that Rod's not maintaining ZTERM any more
>>though you can still get it ... as well as that MAC based one that's not
>>connected with anything Alpha.
>
>Do you have URLS for these? I've spoken with Rod Hewitt, who got me
>some more holes filled (to be released in the next update). Which one
>is the Macintosh based package? I'm a Mac bigot, so I would love to
>see that.
Softworks is at http://www.softworksltd.com . The FAQ was written in
1998 and doesn't refer to their latest efforts merging AlphaBASIC type
code with .net and vice versa.
The MAC product just shares a name with ZTERM. That group is not
affiliated with Rod.
--
TV is chewing gum for the eyes.
-- Frank Lloyd Wright
Cydrome Leader
anybody still backing up to VCR?
Frank McCoy
wrote:
>In alt.sys.alpha-micro Michael Roach <never...@panix.com.invalid> wrote:
>
>anybody still backing up to VCR?
>
I stopped backing up to *any* tape when my backup software stopped
working with the new "faster" processors ... Like a Pentium II.
I've still got a batch of 5gig tapes around ... Can't even read them.
Now I *could* backup to 5gig DVD; but that's way too much trouble.
So, I backup to a second hard-drive, and hope.
--
_____
/ ' / ™
,-/-, __ __. ____ /_
(_/ / (_(_/|_/ / <_/ <_
Cydrome Leader
> In alt.folklore.computers Cydrome Leader <pres...@MUNGEpanix.com>
> wrote:
>
>>In alt.sys.alpha-micro Michael Roach <never...@panix.com.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>anybody still backing up to VCR?
>>
> I stopped backing up to *any* tape when my backup software stopped
> working with the new "faster" processors ... Like a Pentium II.
>
> I've still got a batch of 5gig tapes around ... Can't even read them.
>
> Now I *could* backup to 5gig DVD; but that's way too much trouble.
> So, I backup to a second hard-drive, and hope.
Can anybody explain what the playback of an alphamicro backup tape done on
VCR looked like on a TV? I was forbidden from trying that (no idea why,
it's not like it would break anything).
Frank McCoy
Well, actually, it *might* on an older TV with a poor horizontal
section. Trying to sync to a completely *wrong* frequency could fry the
thing; just like some early VGA terminals before they got smart.
Cydrome Leader
> In alt.folklore.computers Cydrome Leader <pres...@MUNGEpanix.com>
> wrote:
>
>>In alt.sys.alpha-micro Frank McCoy <mcc...@millcomm.com> wrote:
>>> In alt.folklore.computers Cydrome Leader <pres...@MUNGEpanix.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>In alt.sys.alpha-micro Michael Roach <never...@panix.com.invalid> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>anybody still backing up to VCR?
>>>>
>>> I stopped backing up to *any* tape when my backup software stopped
>>> working with the new "faster" processors ... Like a Pentium II.
>>>
>>> I've still got a batch of 5gig tapes around ... Can't even read them.
>>>
>>> Now I *could* backup to 5gig DVD; but that's way too much trouble.
>>> So, I backup to a second hard-drive, and hope.
>>
>>Can anybody explain what the playback of an alphamicro backup tape done on
>>VCR looked like on a TV? I was forbidden from trying that (no idea why,
>>it's not like it would break anything).
>
> Well, actually, it *might* on an older TV with a poor horizontal
> section. Trying to sync to a completely *wrong* frequency could fry the
> thing; just like some early VGA terminals before they got smart.
As I understand, a won't be able to store/playback completley nonsense
signals to start with.
Either way, I need to get my hands on one of those computer to VCR backup
tapes, beta or VHS.
ArarghMai...@not.at.arargh.com
<pres...@MUNGEpanix.com> wrote:
I think that I have one of those cards used to do VCR backup, sitting
in my junk box, somewhere. It's an 8-bit PC-BUS card, IIRC. Never
found the software for it, so never tried it. Name started with a
"C", perhaps?
The one backup tape I viewed (don't know which card it came from) had
good video, but it was just b&w blotchs on the screen. I have no idea
where it is now, or if I even kept it.
--
ArarghMail712 at [drop the 'http://www.' from ->] http://www.arargh.com
BCET Basic Compiler Page: http://www.arargh.com/basic/index.html
To reply by email, remove the extra stuff from the reply address.
Eric Smith
> Can anybody explain what the playback of an alphamicro backup tape done on
> VCR looked like on a TV? I was forbidden from trying that (no idea why,
> it's not like it would break anything).
Frank McCoy wrote:
> Well, actually, it *might* on an older TV with a poor horizontal
> section. Trying to sync to a completely *wrong* frequency could fry the
> thing; just like some early VGA terminals before they got smart.
Nope. The backup system generates "video" with normal horizontal sync.
Eric Smith
> I think that I have one of those cards used to do VCR backup, sitting
> in my junk box, somewhere. It's an 8-bit PC-BUS card, IIRC. Never
> found the software for it, so never tried it. Name started with a
> "C", perhaps?
Corvus made VCR backup stuff, which they called "Mirror". They had
it as external boxes for use with their ribbon-cable interface drives
and their Omninet network. They might also have had a version on a
card for a PC.
Michael Roach
<mcc...@millcomm.com> wrote:
>In alt.folklore.computers Cydrome Leader <pres...@MUNGEpanix.com>
>wrote:
>>
>>Can anybody explain what the playback of an alphamicro backup tape done on
>>VCR looked like on a TV? I was forbidden from trying that (no idea why,
>>it's not like it would break anything).
>
>Well, actually, it *might* on an older TV with a poor horizontal
>section. Trying to sync to a completely *wrong* frequency could fry the
>thing; just like some early VGA terminals before they got smart.
If the recorded data and VCR didn't provide proper horizontal sync, that
might damage older TVs, not the data. It was recommended to dedicate
a VCR to backup use only to avoid contamination from everyday TV
recordings and rental tapes. (Cyndrome, did you try to use the TV in the
boss's office or a VCR at home?)
The data were (at a minimum) quadruple redundant and appeared as white
rectangles on a black background. Every day commercial VCRs and tapes
were used, with varying degrees of reliability. Older reel-to-reel
type recorders could also be used. There were options for PAL and
SECAM as well. Various interfaces were available for S100, ISA, and
VME busses. It was also possible to use a VCR with Alpha Micro's 680x0
single board computers.
--
Good day to avoid cops. Crawl to school.
Michael Roach
<never...@panix.com.invalid> corrects errors:
>If the recorded data and VCR didn't provide proper horizontal sync, that
>might damage older TVs, not the data. It was recommended to dedicate
>a VCR to backup use only to avoid contamination from everyday TV
>recordings and rental tapes. (Cyndrome, did you try to use the TV in the
>boss's office or a VCR at home?)
s/Cyndrome/Cydrome/
>The data were (at a minimum) quadruple redundant and appeared as white
>rectangles on a black background. Every day commercial VCRs and tapes
>were used, with varying degrees of reliability. Older reel-to-reel
>type recorders could also be used. There were options for PAL and
>SECAM as well. Various interfaces were available for S100, ISA, and
>VME busses. It was also possible to use a VCR with Alpha Micro's 680x0
>single board computers.
I meant to say "consumer" rather than "commercial" above, though I
do know that one site did use commercial gear. Such gear created
backups with a "reliability ratio" of 30,000 good blocks to 1 baad
block. Consumer gear was good if it provided 100:1 reliability. A
minimum of quadruple redundancy was a good thing. The user could
increase redundancy on the command line.
--
You will lose your present job and have to become a door to door
mayonnaise salesman.
ArarghMai...@not.at.arargh.com
wrote:
Corvus Mirror. That's it. IIRC, the card has 2 RCA connectors on it.
ISTR that you could back up a whole 20Meg drive in only 2 hours.
Something like that. :-)
Frank McCoy
Oh ... Didn't know that.
Makes sense; but so often people who design those things don't.
Vertical Sync wasn't so sensitive ... So bloody what if it rolled?
Eric Smith
Frank McCoy <mcc...@millcomm.com> writes:
> Oh ... Didn't know that.
> Makes sense; but so often people who design those things don't.
> Vertical Sync wasn't so sensitive ... So bloody what if it rolled?
Actually VCRs are *much* more picky about vertical sync than horizontal.
The vertical sync rate can be off by a few scan lines, but it has to
be stable.
I've never tried using a VCR to record a signal with significantly
non-standard horizontal sync but the correct (near 60 Hz) vertical
sync. I wouldn't be at all surprised if VCRs depended on the horizontal
sync to be nearly correct as well.
Eric Smith
> It was recommended to dedicate
> a VCR to backup use only to avoid contamination from everyday TV
> recordings and rental tapes.
I certainly wouldn't want my data contaminated by the kinds of
stuff usually seen on TV!
Cydrome Leader
> <mcc...@millcomm.com> wrote:
>
>>In alt.folklore.computers Cydrome Leader <pres...@MUNGEpanix.com>
>>wrote:
>>>
>>>Can anybody explain what the playback of an alphamicro backup tape done on
>>>VCR looked like on a TV? I was forbidden from trying that (no idea why,
>>>it's not like it would break anything).
>>
>>Well, actually, it *might* on an older TV with a poor horizontal
>>section. Trying to sync to a completely *wrong* frequency could fry the
>>thing; just like some early VGA terminals before they got smart.
>
> If the recorded data and VCR didn't provide proper horizontal sync, that
> might damage older TVs, not the data. It was recommended to dedicate
> a VCR to backup use only to avoid contamination from everyday TV
> recordings and rental tapes. (Cyndrome, did you try to use the TV in the
> boss's office or a VCR at home?)
The alpha micros belonged to a customer of a data conversion shop,
complete with a modern VHS recorder, and a tape labelled with a day of the
week. It wasn't to be messed with and I didn't even work there so I had to
keep it to looking and not touching.
> The data were (at a minimum) quadruple redundant and appeared as white
> rectangles on a black background. Every day commercial VCRs and tapes
> were used, with varying degrees of reliability. Older reel-to-reel
> type recorders could also be used. There were options for PAL and
> SECAM as well. Various interfaces were available for S100, ISA, and
> VME busses. It was also possible to use a VCR with Alpha Micro's 680x0
> single board computers.
These alpha micro systems had what appeared to be embedded support for
backup to VCR, and had either BNC or RCA jacks x2, on the planar as I
recall. The chassis looked similar to an original IBM AT case.
Cameron Kaiser
detailed history and a revamped models list thanks to Bob Fowler, who let
me raid his document archive.