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ICL Quattro

J

JohnElliott

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Sep 1, 2006
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Location
Sussex, UK
I've had (what's left of) this for a while now, and I've finally got round to writing it up for my site. Everything I've managed to write about the hardware is based on the physical boards and the contents of the boot ROM, but if anyone knows where I could find a copy of CCP/M or CDOS for this machine, that might help me to flesh the information out a bit.

(Obviously I wouldn't actually be able to run an operating system on what I've got, but disassembly might give some clues as to what's going on).
 
Hi John,

I have one of these (model 39 with 10MB hard drive). Just tested it after leaving it unused for 15 years. There was a worrying smell of burning paper, but all it needed was reseating the boards and I found it booted up again quite happily. So I take it I have the CCP/M code you are looking for installed on this but not sure how to get a copy of it onto a modern PC to send to you if you still are interested in it. Any suggestions?

Gareth
 
This depends on various unknowables, but:
If you've got a PC with a 1.2Mb floppy drive and a copy of Teledisk (teled212.zip), it should be possible to format a floppy on the Quattro, copy the boot file (probably called something like CCPM.SYS) to it, and then image the floppy with Teledisk on the PC.

If you haven't, things get more complicated. In theory it ought to be possible to use a serial connection to the PC, but there are a lot of possible ways an RS232 port can be wired, and I don't know what software the Quattro may have on it to help get stuff out.
 
Don't have any PCs with 5 1/4" floppy drives (is that what you mean by 1.2Mb drive?) though the quattro does have a working floppy drive (tested it when I got it to boot up.) The Quattro is at my Mothers and it will have to wait until I next visit her before I can get to try anything else with it. I certainly have a few of the old HD 5 1/4" disks kicking around and if I can't thing of a way of getting the files onto a PC I could always post one to you. As long as you aren't in any rush for this I will get back to this later.

Gareth
 
1.2Mb drives are 5.25", but not all 5.25" drives are 1.2Mb. The Quattro ones are 800k, whereas PC ones are usually 360k or 1.2Mb. I'm hoping that a 1.2Mb drive would be able to read an 800k Quattro disc, where a 360k drive would get, at best, every other track.

And I'm certainly in no rush.
 
a 1.2mb drive shouldn't have a problem doing 800kb, just use the DD media to do it, i've had good luck doing it that way, the HD media, in my experience doesn't care very well for the 800kb deal, the but the DD handles it fine.
 
I've now been sent a copy of the CCPM.SYS by another correspondent, so there's no need for Gareth or anyone else to struggle with 5.25" floppies and Teledisk.
 
Hi, John
Glad to hear you got what you wanted. Just in case you haven't found this (though I guess you probably have already) there's a web site that appears to have the source code for the operating system that the ICL used here:
http://www.cpm.z80.de/source.html

Having seen the PCBs you have I'm not convinced that what I have is actually a Quattro. It is a multiuser machine that runs CCPM 86 with a 10MB hard drive but the CPU board is different to the one you have and it has no spare socket for an 8087 (it is fitted with a socketed 8088).
Gareth
 
gjv2010 said:
Having seen the PCBs you have I'm not convinced that what I have is actually a Quattro. It is a multiuser machine that runs CCPM 86 with a 10MB hard drive but the CPU board is different to the one you have and it has no spare socket for an 8087 (it is fitted with a socketed 8088).
Gareth
Click to expand...

Could be an ICL PC2; according to old-computers.com they used the same case design as the Quattro.
 
JohnElliott said:
Could be an ICL PC2; according to old-computers.com they used the same case design as the Quattro.
Click to expand...

The case is identical to the one here for the Quattro http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=852 but it states in your link that the processor for the PC2 was a 8085 whereas the PC I have is definitely an 8088 and it is capable of addressing 4 terminals. It has a 10-MB full height 5 1/4" drive and 1MB RAM installed. It seems to be dated 1983-1984.
EDIT: just seen the comment at the end here, apparently I must have the second incarnation!

According to K.-L. Butte,there were 3 different models of it marking the 3 major development steps: The first incarnation wit 8085 and MP/M, the second with 8088 and Concurrent CP/M and the third with 8086 and Concurrent CP/M.
 
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