home brew S-100 backplane project

[Dangerous Bill]

Bill, I think you need to get your virus definitions updated.
"W97M.Thus.A" is a ten year old virus
http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2000-1219....

Yep. But ten years old doesn't mean they're not still around.
Presumably the only way my (newly updated) Norton 2009 would know
about a virus would be if it were in the first files loaded. Be
cautious, or perhaps scan for the thing in your own system.

DB

 

[Dangerous Bill]

Core?

Z-80. It was being used for acoustic analysis in marine projects.

DB

 

[Tim Williams]

Z-80. It was being used for acoustic analysis in marine projects.

No, I meant, was it core memory? ;-)

Tim

 

[Nobody]

My Norton tells me that site is infected with
W97M.Thus.A

What's a MS-Word macro virus doing on a web page?

 

[lynchaj]

Hi!  I don't know if there are anyS-100enthusiasts who are on SED
but on the chance you are here...

I've designed a home brewS-100backplane project. I have several PCBs
available for testing and am looking for experiencedS-100hobbyists
for the initial evaluation.  The PCBs are $32 each with $2 shipping in
the US if you are interested in participating.  Please contact me
offline if interested.

http://n8vem-sbc.pbworks.com/browse/#view=ViewFolder¶m=S100

Please note this is a purely amateur volunteer home brew project and
totally noncommercial.  Thanks and have a nice day!

Andrew Lynch

Hi! I updated the N8VEM S-100 wiki folder with the latest schematics
and PCB layout. I made some minor clean up changes but nothing of
consequence. Also added an S-100 board "blank template" for designing
S-100 board using KiCAD.

I made a quick and dirty S-100 prototyping board if anyone is
interested they can review that. All comments, questions, and/or
suggestions welcome. If there is enough interest in the S-100
prototyping board I may do a PCB manufacturing run. Please let me
know offline. I am guessing the PCBs would be about $25 each or so
due to small numbers.

Thanks and have a nice day!

Andrew Lynch

 

[Rich Grise]

I just found a bag of AM2901 FOUR-BIT BIPOLAR MICROPROCESSOR SLICE.

http://pdf1.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/view/140822/AMD/AM2901BDC.html

Oh, man! I used to sit and read their data book and drool. ;-) I've seen
the main board of a PDP-8, and noticed that it was a bit-slice. I've
worked with the National IMP-16, which was a bit-slice, and once at
Control Data Magnetic Peripherals Division, they had a processor that
they called "The Enhanced Normandale Controller-Tester", since as a
peripherals division, MPI didn't officially make processors. It was a
bit-slice with TTL RAM; at the time I had an 8008 running at about 1
MHz; the ENCT had a 168 nsec instruction cycle, and was 16 bits wide
(4X 74181).

They were fun, but I never got into them to the depth I wanted to.

Cheers!
Rich

 

[Rich Grise]

AM2901BDC.html

I remember making a bit slice machine out of those (or was it 2903?) back
in the day. A few MHz seemed fast at the time.

They're not really useful now, considering what you can do with FPGAs.

Remember, we're talking about an S-100 hobbyist project here. ;-)

Cheers!
Rich

 

[DJ Delorie]

I still have some wirewrap kit. Ain't ready to let go yet. Actually
used it a few years ago.

I still have my wirewrap tools and wire, and use them on nearly every
project. Wire wrap wire makes good vias and ECO wire

 

[Rich Grise]

I still have my wirewrap tools and wire, and use them on nearly every
project. Wire wrap wire makes good vias and ECO wire

I used wirewrap wire almost exclusively for prototyping, and solder-tag
sockets. I filed the rivet off a WSU-30M cutter blade, and clamped the
blade into an X-acto handle; I could make pre-stripped daisy chain wires.
;-)

Cheers!
Rich

 

[Bob Larter]

Hi! I don't know if there are any S-100 enthusiasts who are on SED
but on the chance you are here...

I've designed a home brew S-100 backplane project. I have several PCBs
available for testing and am looking for experienced S-100 hobbyists
for the initial evaluation. The PCBs are $32 each with $2 shipping in
the US if you are interested in participating. Please contact me
offline if interested.

http://n8vem-sbc.pbworks.com/browse/#view=ViewFolder¶m=S100

Please note this is a purely amateur volunteer home brew project and
totally noncommercial. Thanks and have a nice day!

What, a real, 70's style S-100 system? Why?

 

[Bob Larter]

Check out those file sizes (like a 32KB basic compiler). The pdf file for
MBASIC is larger than the whole freakin' CPM operating system!

I think I can even remember how to use PIP (the Peripheral Interchange
Program).

How about DEBUG?
I'm sure I could still operate WordStar. ;^)

 

[Bob Larter]

lynchaj wrote:
[...]

Next is to mount everything on a board, install a connector and begin
the shake out with some real S-100 boards. Eventually build up a
small system to evaluate the performance, noise, etc of the bus
itself.

What are you using for CPUs? Real 8080s or Z80s?

 

[Bob Larter]

As you know, S-100 has some rather unusual power requirements and its
difficult to come up with replacements.

Not that unusual. The biggest hassle these days would be the 8V rail.

You can make you own linear
power supplies but they are usually huge and difficult to work with
things. I'd like to simplify it a bit.

You might be able to find a PC PSU where you can jack up the 5V rail to 8V.

 

[Bob Larter]

My original post was regarding the S-100 backplane I am developing and
looking for experienced S-100 persons interested in joining that
aspect of the N8VEM project.

I used to be fairly expert with S-100 & STD-BUS designs, but boy, that
was a *long* time ago! Dunno how much I remember of it these days.

 

[Bob Larter]

Core?

Nah. 4116s, most likely.

 

[Ben Bradley]

Are you serious ? S-100 went out with the ark.

The S-100 bus, IEEE696-1983 (withdrawn), was an early computer bus
designed in 1974
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-100_bus

Hey, I've got a KIM-1, a KIMSI, and an 8K S100 memory board all in
a box somewhere. I'll pull 'em out someday.

But right now I'm interested in getting this SX-42 going. It'll be
nice when it runs right, but I really want an NC-300, and shudda
bought the one I saw at the hamfest last Saturday.