#classiccomputing

[univac1219]

1962 Mainframe with Bluetooth

This old computer is comprised of four big boxes, three of which are ever actually used.

The UNIVAC 1219. This is the brains of the system. It controls the operations of every other device. This is what I'm referring to when I'm not gesturing to the UNIVAC 1219 as a whole.

The UNIVAC 1540. This is the DDR, or Digital Data Recorder. It holds, writes, and reads the magnetic tape operators load into the machine.

The Digital to Analog Converter. The UNIVAC 1219 was the first digital computer on most U.S. Navy ships, most of which had analog weapons systems. This hulking mass of steel translated the digital signals from the computer to the analog signals of the weapon systems and vice versa in regards to the radar.

The UNIVAC 1532. The I/O console managed the...you guessed it, input and output of the UNIVAC 1219. You can load and punch paper tape for programs more bite-sized than would be used for magnetic tape.

In addition, we have two teletype machines. You can think of them like typewriters that don't receive human input (except the one that can if we want), but instead output what the computer tells it to.  We have a Teletype Corporation teletype that is optimized for character compatability and a Kleinschmidt teletype that is optimized for speed. Both rely on the I/O console to send and receive data.

The real ingenuity begins with the floppy drive. Duane, who's career revolved around this system, developed a way for a floppy drive to imitate the I/O console. The computer thinks it is reading and writing to a paper tape, when it is in fact reading and writing to a 5.25in floppy inside an ancient CNC machine floppy drive.

And this, dear reader, is where the magic happens. This framework was originally built for interfacing with the 1219 via BIN files over Serial port and was easily changed to support BIN files over floppy. Duane has been working on an off adapting our purple converter box with a raspi to let the 1219 read and write BIN files over Bluetooth.

Make no mistake, you cannot simply SSH into this machine as tons of setup and channel changes must be performed to ready it to receive and send data. That being said, I don't see any other UNIVAC mainframes with Bluetooth [or any other running UNIVAC 1219s at all :(], so I will take what I can get.

Can someone tell me how to Tumblr properly?

[bullzeyemedia]

Windows XP Professional: A Step Backwards or Forwards in the Light Through the PC Windows

For those who seek that classic feel of the old architecture, there is the traditional computing option. retrieve the dawn of Windows XP Professional, chalked up as the golden egg until the demise of the behemoth and during the reign of Windows 7 came into experience. Not another working system that was so well-loved, having it's hard to love design and sturdy dependable body can compete against regular users everywhere. If there is a thing that you simply want to breathe new life into your old computer and also you think that Windows XP still have its appeal, am sure others share the same thoughts. Is overseas, the Windows XP Professional version is fully-compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit PCs and, as always, it is free! Why do you need Windows XP Professional said you?Let's explore:Why do you need Windows XP Professional said you?Let's explore: Effortless Speed: Feel rejoiced as WindowsXP’s speed of loading is astonishing when you turn on the computer and runs the programs without any time lag. These are the two primary reasons you can remain efficient and productive. Rock-Solid Stability: By using our product you will be experiencing much fewer frustrating crashes and freezes that have given you troubles. Due to the task of generating a stable and vivid computer experiences, Windows XP Professional is well-known. Feature-Rich Experience: Whether it's the effortless Wi-Fi connections, or a built-in CD burning feature- the list is endless; the Windows XP Professional version is a smart platform built to keep you productive on the go. Robust Security: With the built-in VPN Support and Internet Connection Firewall in Windows XP, you may data life from any possible online threats. Installing Win XP Professional seems to be not a big deal, as the fact is that it is not so strict in requirements for hardware. Need nothing but in a finger-click you will have the ISOs and start traveling through the old days that you can hardly forget!

So, why wait? Embrace the nostalgia and rediscover the magic of Windows XP Professional today! Grab your device and join us on a journey through computing's golden age.

Windows XP Professional ISO download

[mingos-commodoreblog]

Greaseweazle Tools 1.19

[zaponline]

Happy New Year! #happynewyear #rolandspeakers #classiccomputer https://www.instagram.com/p/B6wOwEanDWq/?igshid=12ot41i1mkwlh

[rubystations-blog]

صندوق الالعاب Rubystations بالفئات الخمسة جاهز للشحن إن شاء الله . . لم يتبقى الا كمية محدودة حالياً سارع بحجز جهاز العابك الآن! #sinclairspectrum #retrocomputing #retrogames #videogaming #nintendo #retrocollective #vintage #instagamer #gamerforlife #gamerlife #memories #retrocollective #videogames #Sinclair #spectrum #80s #gamerforever #oldschoolgaming #8bit #zxspectrum #cassette #nintendo #sega #Atari #classiccomputing #80slife #rceeurope #vintagegaming #vintagecomputer #gamersunite #sega #takemebacktuesday

[bentuckett1997]

#ClassicComputer

[jerryterrifying]

I feel that this manual for the Kaypro II version of Donkey Kong raises more questions than it answers. Of course I would find a giant box of Kaypro II games after my Kaypro II went MIA. Seriously I have looked everywhere and cannot find that thing. Would love to try out this version of Donkey Kong it looks like an unconventional romance game judging by the cover. #donkeykong #classiccomputer #vintagecomputer #retrogaming #gamecollecting #gamecollection #gamehunting #videosofacquiredgames #retrocollective #gameroom #consolecollection #gameshelf #mondocoolmunity #nintendo #nes #nintendoentertainmentsystem #supernintendo #supergameboy #supergameboy2 #snes #nintendo64 #n64 #nintendogamecube #nintendowii #wii #nintendowiiu #nintendoswitch #kayproii https://instagr.am/p/CMKXEZMH2yy/

[123designsrq]

Dell 49

Read the full article

[nativepaul]

Where my interest in computers began. #IBM #IBMXT #BlackScreenGreenText #OldPC #ClassicComputer #ClassicPC (at uMshwathi) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnVn8GuFJeo/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1x68aozdafhgp

[univac1219]

Does your 1219 have a nickname?

Also, I was wondering if you have any fun stories surrounding it! Strange quirks it has or anything like that.

I'd love to see more photos if you're allowed to post them!

Thanks for the question! These are my favorite part about my blog by far.

Not exactly, the UNIVAC 1219 doesn’t have a nickname. I did realize recently that I should specify the pronunciation (Twelve-Nineteen), but it doesn’t have any nicknames. Apart from ‘the 1219’, it’s also regularly referred to as the CPU or just ‘the computer’.

Fun stories or weird quirks? Boy, I could fill a book with this machine’s weird quirks (or as we say, intermittent issues), but I’ll try to blitz through the most common ones:

Sometimes the computer will stop running and enter a WAIT mode. No reason, it just needs a break. We can’t fix it, it just has to decide to go back into operating mode.

The computer will often start attempting to communicate on IO channel 13. We’re not telling it to talk to anything, it just decides to try to.

One of our teletypes (the Kleinshmidt) stamps ink splotches into the paper rather than characters most of the time. However, this weekend it worked for the first time in 10 months! We didn’t change anything, it just had an extra cup of coffee or something.

The Digital Data Recorder, or the tape drive, has the most gremlins out of any of our units. The top handler works fairly well, but the bottom handler won’t properly read data, write data, move the tape forward, initialize the tape, or any number of other issues.

There’s more but hopefully this satisfies your curiosity.

Fun stories? Well, I can’t name any specific ones, but I can say it’s a very endearing machine. It’s the very last of its kind and being one of three individuals in the world responsible for it makes every issue that more frustrating. There is no real forum for it, the subject matter experts sit next to me and are often just as exasperated as I am.

But the unique nature of this situation make every successful diagnostic test that much sweeter. Every new addition (5.25” floppy drive via serial) that much cooler. I have an IBM PC-XT clone at home, but I thank my lucky stars every day that this big iron is what I get to specialize in.

As for more photos, I have none that are as grandiose as you would probably expect. I do have my working photos though. I took all my photos when I first started working on it and now I am more dedicated to fixes than photo-ops.

This is a photo of our finicky Kleinshmidt teletype. Still has blotches but it actually printed!

This is the back of the bottom handler. Pictured is the vacuum pump in the bottom left (so sudden stops just yank magnetic tape slack rather than ripping tape). The big cylinder in the center is a motor for running the magnetic tape handler itself. The big black ‘hose’ of wires coming out of the steel plate contains all the cables that come right off the handler’s head for reading and writing data!

This is the forward pinch roller of the bottom handler. It was replaced after this photo was taken as you can see the rubber has deteriorated in the 55 years this machine has been operating.

As for being allowed to post photos, that’s not an issue. The last 1219 was decommissioned in 2014 and now you can find all of its documentation online at http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/univac/military/1219/

[univac1219]

Hello! Welcome to tumblr, I'm already a massive fan and I was wondering what exactly the UNIVAC was used for back in the day and what kind of functions you have it perform for demonstrations now? Thank you!

Oh my goodness, my first question! Well, in a sentence, the UNIVAC 1219 was used to point and fire missiles at enemy aircraft. Now, we can break this down:

The UNIVAC 1219 is a militarized version of the UNIVAC 418. This thing has better resistance to salty air and other things you’d want a seafaring computer going into battle to have, but at their hearts they’re the same. There were three different missile systems the UNIVAC was a part of: Talos, Terrier, and Tartar. These three systems were among the first sea-to-air missile systems fielded by the U.S. Navy.

The UNIVAC 1219 would receive data from the AN/SPG-55 radar and analyze the data it received. Running one of dozens of programs lost to time (or on a single last-of-its-kind magnetic tape we are worried about damaging), it will pass on the results of its calculations to the missile system itself. The missile will go where it is told, and hit an enemy plane.

But our UNIVAC 1219 is unique! The specific machines here are from the John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. At John Hopkins, they developed the fire control programs ran on Navy ships! They had a radar and everything, and I only wish we had a radar and missile battery too ;D.

As for what we do for demonstrations, we have assortments of cool programs we run, and I encourage you to swing by and see for yourself. Our oldest party trick is printing ASCII art of Spock and George Washington, but maybe if this post performs well I will divulge some other cool things we do ;).

Thank you for the question! I am loving this blog rn and appreciate the great support you all have given me.

[univac1219]

Development Scene of a 1962 Mainframe

With the UNIVAC 1219 being 62 years old now, you would be forgiven for thinking we spend our days figuring our how to get old programs to run and what they did.

Oh no. We make our own programs. We make A LOT of our own programs!

Duane, the person whose career revolved around the 1219 pumps out a new or updated program about every two months for us to try on the UNIVAC 1219.

See, while our tapes for diagnosing issues may date back to when the machine still served, we often find ourselves dissatisfied with them. We are realistically limited to about 100,000 addresses in the machine. The first 537 are reserved, then there are random gaps up to 70k where our utility programs end. Sometimes though, old programs don't play nice with OTHER old programs or programs that Duane has written in the past few years. Bill relays this to Duane and Duane gets to work rewriting these conflicting programs.

Duane has developed an entire 1219 EMULATOR to make sure that these things work properly. I can't give you the modern version, but a 2013 version can be found here under 1219files.zip. Duane also owns a tape punch and punches his own paper tape and mails it to Bill. Bill and I then set off to the museum and make sure it works as expected.

I still chuckle every single time I think about this UNIVAC 1219 having a more livley development scene than most other retro computers. Because not only do we do rewrites, but I can tell you that the Navy wasn't making programs that could spell out sentences with the paper tape punch from the IO console!

[univac1219]

Previous question asker returns! I would love to swing by buy alas, I live on another continent so it won't be any time soon sadly. A further question though! Would this UNIVAC have counted as anti-nuke defence system as well?

Welcome back, please accept +1 frequent flier milers as thanks!

To answer your question...well, not really. Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, or ICBMs, saw deployment beginning in 1959. This would become the de-facto way to launch nuclear missiles, and the Soviet Union never had a similar program to the United States with round-the-clock patrols of nuclear-ready bombers (Operation Chrome Dome).

In theory, with the Soviet TU-95 Bear's (and TU-160's in the 70s) cruising altitude being 56,000ft and 45,000ft respectively, that puts them in range of all three missile systems (Terrier, Talos, and Tartar) that the UNIVAC 1219 operated. That being said, I would be skeptical that these systems could score a kill on a bomber. They only ever killed four unidentified MiGs and a MiG-17 (early fighter with a flight ceiling of 54,500ft and 95mph faster cruising speed than a TU-95).

So...I guess it is possible, but extremely unlikely. The AN/SPG-55 radar the UNIVAC 1219 was hooked into had 150nmi range and wouldn't have an issue finding a bomber if they knew where to look, but its narrow field-of-view (as an 'illumination' radar, they're called) would mean that the AN/SPS-48 with a range of 100,000ft would have to find it first. Using Pythagorean theorem and the TU-95's cruising altitude, we can determine that the plane would have to be within 15 miles of the ship. In the Pacific Ocean, that's nothing.

I definitely did not just spend half an hour of research on this. Hope this answers your question!

[computationltd]

Released in May 1994 by #Apple Computers the #PowerBook 520C was the first #laptop to have a trackpad, stereo speakers, and built-in Ethernet networking. It had a 9.5” colour monitor, 4MB RAM, up to 320 MB HDD, and was powered by a 25 MHz #Motorola 68LC040 processor, upgradeable to the #PowerPC architecture (it even says so on the sticker!). The original retail price of the 520C ranged from $2,800 to $4,000 USD (roughly $5,000 to $7,000 today). What’s really exciting about this particular machine is that we booted it up and it is in excellent working condition! Not bad for a 26 year old laptop! To find out more about our services please visit www.computation.ca, contact us at service@computation.ca or give us a call at 416-913-3443. #computation #toronto #computationrecycling #electronicsrecycling #computerrecycling #ewasterecycling #computerrepair #laptoprepair #powerbook520C #520C #applelaptop #classicapple #classicmac #retroapple #retromac #retrocomputer #classiccomputer #vintagelaptop #retrotech #vintagecomputer #vintagemac #vintageapple #dontdespairwerepair (at Computation Ltd.) https://www.instagram.com/p/CI6I5udBQ9Q/?igshid=8es8psztjcht

[computationltd]

Here we have the #Macintosh Color Classic, manufactured and sold by #Apple Computers from February 1993 to May 1995 with an original retail price of $1,400 USD. This was the final model of the Compact #Mac line and like its predecessors it was an all-in-one design powered by a #Motorola 68030 CPU with speeds up to 16 MHz. It had 4 (upgradable to 10) MB of RAM, an integrated 10” #Sony #Trinitron display, and novel features like a built-in microphone and easily accessible motherboard. The Color Classic is popular among Mac collectors, but we are just happy that the days of beige coloured computers are long behind us! To find out more about our services please visit www.computation.ca, contact us at service@computation.ca or give us a call at 416-913-3443. #computation #toronto #computationrecycling #electronicsrecycling #computerrecycling #ewasterecycling #computerrepair #laptoprepair #vintagecomputer #vintagecomputers #classicmac #vintagemac #vintageapple #classicapple #classiccomputer #applecomputer #colorclassic #macintoshcolorclassic #dontdespairwerepair #wastereductionweek (at Computation Ltd.) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGc2LkoByd6/?igshid=1677n5tzgzva2

[computationltd]

The nostalgia is strong with this one. Here we have the #Commodore 1702 video #monitor, released in 1982 and designed for use with the legendary #Commodore64 PC. Sturdy and versatile, this 13” monitor could operate on both the NTSC and PAL television standards and was designed to be portable, hence the side handles and lighter weight compared to most other CRTs. The biggest feature of the 1702 was its S-Video input capability, allowing it to display a sharper image than most televisions at the time. Now if only we could find our old floppy disks! To find out more about our services please visit www.computation.ca, contact us at service@computation.ca or give us a call at 416-913-3443. #computation #toronto #computationrecycling #electronicsrecycling #computerrecycling #ewasterecycling #computerrepair #laptoprepair #electronicsrecycling #commodore1702 #classictech #vintagetech #retrotech #classiccomputer #vintagecomputer #retrocomputer #dontdespairwerepair (at Computation Ltd.) https://www.instagram.com/p/CP4CLFABhL9/?utm_medium=tumblr