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More => Music, Movies, Politics, and Other Cheap Thrills => Topic started by: kstuart on May 01, 2013, 07:48:10 pm

Title: Really Old School PC memory
Post by: kstuart on May 01, 2013, 07:48:10 pm
I'm doing spring cleaning at came across this:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/kstuart/oldschool_zpsd8a33016.jpg)

Anyone else remember inserting individual RAM chips ?   :o  :o

Title: Re: Really Old School PC memory
Post by: MrC on May 01, 2013, 07:52:26 pm
Some of us even remember this:

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/KL_CoreMemory.jpg/600px-KL_CoreMemory.jpg)
Title: Re: Really Old School PC memory
Post by: kstuart on May 01, 2013, 07:54:18 pm
By the way, while doing this spring cleaning, I've found that almost everything is already on ebay.  For example, there are already four listings for these specific RAM chips, and no sold listings.  I'm not surprised that there are no sold ones, but it seems any vintage anything is already available on ebay... there is even USSR RAM memory.  ;D
Title: Re: Really Old School PC memory
Post by: syn-ack on May 02, 2013, 07:16:30 am
RAM chips ?   :o  :o

I indeed remember them, and the daughterboards you had to install them on. One of our first PCs was an IBM XT that used that setup. Ahh, the good ole days.

I still have an old Novation CAT MODEM that used the acoustic couplers somewhere in my junk boxes.
Title: Re: Really Old School PC memory
Post by: jmone on May 02, 2013, 04:16:07 pm
I remember the joy of moving from 300baud duplex to those new fangled 1200/75 baud modem. 
Title: Re: Really Old School PC memory
Post by: bob on May 02, 2013, 04:29:27 pm
Gee, I just threw out a crapload of this stuff. Not the core memory though ;)
Still got a crapload more to discard...
Title: Re: Really Old School PC memory
Post by: mojave on May 02, 2013, 05:19:57 pm
The oldest processor I still have is a Pentium 166 from 1996. I also have DOS 5.0 on 3.5" floppies from my first Gateway 2000 computer.
Title: Re: Really Old School PC memory
Post by: jmone on May 02, 2013, 06:32:08 pm
CPM on Z80a CPU is where it was at
Title: Re: Really Old School PC memory
Post by: jmone on May 02, 2013, 06:34:26 pm
I loved this thing!  I even had the optional 4 pen plotter (only 40col wide however).

(http://www.sharpmz.org/mz-700/images/mz-7311.jpg)
Title: Re: Really Old School PC memory
Post by: bob on May 03, 2013, 09:43:29 am
CPM on Z80a CPU is where it was at
I actually wrote a CPM bdos for my TRS-80 model 1 (Z80) and wirewrapped a hard drive controller for it (on a S-100 buss). 300% overclocked the cpu (Z80B & required replacing a lot of the chips soldered onto the mainboard). Still have it around somewhere. No idea if it still boots ;)
Title: Re: Really Old School PC memory
Post by: rjm on May 03, 2013, 10:25:41 am
I bought source code for CP/M and modified it to my liking for my home built Z80 S100 system with two 8" Shugart floppy drives.

Then I upgraded to the first IBM AT which had a huge 20 MB hard drive.
Title: Re: Really Old School PC memory
Post by: JimH on May 03, 2013, 10:52:08 am
My name is Jim.  I was also a CPM user.
Title: Re: Really Old School PC memory
Post by: InflatableMouse on May 03, 2013, 11:10:20 am
I actually wrote a CPM bdos for my TRS-80 model 1 (Z80) and wirewrapped a hard drive controller for it (on a S-100 buss). 300% overclocked the cpu (Z80B & required replacing a lot of the chips soldered onto the mainboard). Still have it around somewhere. No idea if it still boots ;)


I owned a TRS-80 model 4. It was my first computer (not counting the Atari 2600 game console :P). It had 128KB memory by soldering chips on top of the original ones, required bankswitching or a ramdisk to use it.
Title: Re: Really Old School PC memory
Post by: syn-ack on May 03, 2013, 01:08:03 pm
So, what we have learned from this thread...

Media Center users are all senior citizens veterans! haha...
Title: Re: Really Old School PC memory
Post by: InflatableMouse on May 03, 2013, 01:09:02 pm
I prefer veterans  ;D
Title: Re: Really Old School PC memory
Post by: syn-ack on May 03, 2013, 01:12:47 pm
I prefer veterans  ;D

Fixed!!  ;D
Title: Re: Really Old School PC memory
Post by: InflatableMouse on May 03, 2013, 01:18:19 pm
Haha thanks! I feel better now 8)
Title: Re: Really Old School PC memory
Post by: JimH on May 03, 2013, 02:34:01 pm
Hey.  It was only 32 years ago.

I was 40 then.
Title: Re: Really Old School PC memory
Post by: InflatableMouse on May 03, 2013, 03:55:49 pm
I'm sorry Jim I don't think there's anything that comes after veterans.
Title: Re: Really Old School PC memory
Post by: bob on May 03, 2013, 04:46:49 pm
I bought source code for CP/M and modified it to my liking for my home built Z80 S100 system with two 8" Shugart floppy drives.

Then I upgraded to the first IBM AT which had a huge 20 MB hard drive.
Nice!
I used the 8" DSDD drives before the HD, I think it was around 1.3MB /disc (used more than default number of tracks, squeezed out a couple more before the head hit the stop).