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2 "new" Victor 9000s appropriated

C

Chris2005

Banned
Joined
Mar 4, 2005
Messages
572
Location
Pennsyltucky LOL LOL
new to me :). But bleh skanky as all get out. Very yellowed...uh make that brown (like brown snow). One supposedly works, the other doesn't. I'll probably have to remove the grime with a chisel.
Significance? 8088 processors (RAHHH!), 6522 chips galore (wasn't that called the versatile interface adapter (VIA)). GCR encoded floppy system (like the Macintosh) - means about 1.2 megabytes of data gets stored on a DOUBLE DENSITY floppy disks (the spindle rotates at different speed depending on what portion of the disk it's reading/writing to. Faster at the outer edges, thereby writing more data to the outer tracks). Designed by Chuck Peddle, he who designed the original Commodore Pets. No color capability, but pretty hi-res monochrome. Another set of projects...
 
Cool. Yes, 6522 is the VIA also found in computers like VIC-20, Oric, C= disk drives (1541 etc) and many more. I wonder if Victor is the only Intel based computer to be interfaced with those MOS chips?

1.2 MB on a double density disk, 48 or 96 tpi? IIRC, the Macintosh also rotates the disk with varying speed, which makes it more difficult for other types of drives to read the disks.

As a side note, in February 1985, the Swedish Commodore agent Datatronic bought Victor computers. Three years later, Datatronic was sold to Proventus, who in 1989 sold Victor further to Tandy. So Peddle's work ended up at the TRS-80 company.
 
Before Datatronic, the computer was sold in Sweden by two companies:

Esselte sold it as Sirius 1, the original name, and introduced it already in September 1982, about one year after the US launch. While the IBM PC was launched in the US in August 1981, a few months prior to the Sirius, it took IBM until March 1983 to reach the Swedish market. In January 1983, Esselte marketed administrative software for the Sirius.

Also in the fall of 1982, another company called Lundbergs started up a division to sell the machine as Victor, but they never succeeded much.

Then in the end of 1984 or beginning of 1985, Datatronic bought Victor competely, which was the end of the Swedish agenture for both Esselte and Lundbergs.

I have a faint memory that I have seen or even used a Victor 9000 once. To me it looked like any other PC, but what did I know?
 
96tpi, (80 tracks, for DSDD, 40 for SS) IIRC, but the sector length (linear) is constant, hence the need to vary the spin rate, unlike other machines which pack the data more densly on the inside (shorter) tracks. The number of sectors/per/track are variable too, in that all the sectors are of the same length as the innermost (shortest) track, which allows for more spt to be crammed onto the outermost tracks.
The V9K formats (or copies) first one side, then the other of a DS disk, so it not only spins at different speeds, halfway through, it 'downshifts' and starts all over again. I used to love the sounds that machine puts out. Copying a disk is a beautiful noise too, when those solonoids kick in and out.

--T
 
Thanks mon. I did get a technical reference manual with the thingees, albeit a photostat. If anyone has a pressing need for a copy, let me know. The back "bezel" is missing to one...bummer. This pair of bad boys ain't even going to be powered on for a while. The one works well supposedly, hard drive and all. For me and those that have corresponded, that is our only hope of getting a working bootdisk. There is (was?) an extensive library of softwarez on some UK based site, that merged with the UK Victor/Sirius user group. The stuph might still be online, and I do have all of it that I downloaded onto an external hard drive (where did I put the thing).
Don't know if any other Intel based puters used the 6522. Probably not, even seemingly all the other pseudo compatibles used stock Intel stuph. Not sure about the Burroughs ICON (don't have one). Probably largely run of the mill also.
 
If ya need any more software or docs, pm me, I might be able to point ya in the right direction. The person I'm thinking of does not have the TRM, so mebbe you can work sum'n out.

--T
 
booting Sirius 1 (Victor 9000) etc etc...

booting Sirius 1 (Victor 9000) etc etc...

Hello fellow Sirius/victor owners....

AAAArrrggghhh!!!

I found one of these about a month back, sitting at the side of the road, comlete with the lovely monitor, but minus keyboard. At first I thought that it might have been an early apricot, because of a vague memory of the guy next to me at the workshops having one (he was the ACT man), and my first PC being an apricot at heart (made up from lots of bits!) I picked it up and repaired it.

Really interesting machine!

However, I haven't got a boot disk, or a keyboard....

Knife-and-forked through the keyboard circuit and connector, and I think that I may be right in saying that the keyboard gives out an 8 bit synchronous serial output, and a clock pulse, and gets the bit string back until the interrupt is generated. (?) So if I'm right an ordinary keyboard could possibly be made to work (maybe with the addition of a bit of PIC in between)

I've also decoded most of the expansion bus with the exception of a couple of pins which just seem to get lost in heaps of logic. but if anyone has any more information on that, then that would be marvellous.
If you wish me to pass on the info, no prob, drop me an email,

However...... booting etc...

I could really do with a boot disk, or some advice on how to get round using a boot disk e.g. by using an EPROM or flash card plugged into an interface on the expansion. there is a bit of info about serial booting & ROM modifications on the uk users website, however the site appears to be almost completely inactive. or if it is possible to get the sirius to read IBM floppies... or... or... or...

UK website is...

http://www.actsirius1.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/index.html

And I reccommend that you download as much stuff as possible asap.
Also all links appear dead (people too?)

And if you know anyone in the uk with a keyboard going...

Best wishes,

Nigel.

PS As Chuck Peddle designed the 6502, I wonder if he also designed the 6522 and was paid a royalty per device used?? that would explain the proliferation of them in the sirius, and why there's even a spare one!
 
A spare 6522 in the computer? Are you sure there are not two identical chips, but dedicated to different tasks? In all computers and peripherals I know of that use this VIA, they come in pairs and handle different things.
 
spare 6522 on the sirius.

spare 6522 on the sirius.

J5 is a 50 way internal header with its own 6522, I first thought that this might be parallelled with the expansion slots, but no! My machine had a dongle plugged onto it to enable "Silicon Office" software. apart from that, there's no proper plug for it. I seem to remember (because I've screwed the covers back on now!) that there are 5 6522s in the machine.
Nig
 
Ok, cool. Interface adapters like 6522, 6526, 8520 and probably similar products from other manufacturers (Intel, Motorola, Zilog etc etc) are sensitive to breaking if you accidentally short some pins on an input port, so maybe it is a good thing to have spares. In particular if the computer would sense that one VIA just broke down and brings the next into action, signalling with a red LED that maintainance required.
 
hmmmm... No!

looking at it it looks like they decided to build in a bit of extra expansion for something else they had in mind, but without using an expansion slot.

However.. I still go with Chuck Peddle getting paid something for each 6522 produced, and building in extras! he could have used 8255s for most of the jobs, and they are slightly more 8088 compatible.

(incidentally you are aware that chuck peddle designed the sirius/victor, and also the 6502, from Mos tech, same chip family as the 6522)

That was in the days before production engineers sliced every penny off a design, but they could afford it at £2700 a system!

If I ever get this thing booted, and up and running.. then get to fully understand dos down to the opcode level... It could form the basis for an ide or flash drive interface.

bye!
 
>Knife-and-forked through the keyboard circuit and connector, and I think >that I may be right in saying that the keyboard gives out an 8 bit >synchronous serial output, and a clock pulse, and gets the bit string back >until the interrupt is generated. (?) So if I'm right an ordinary keyboard >could possibly be made to work (maybe with the addition of a bit of PIC in >between)

Keyboards for peecees work more or less the same way. Clock line, other stuph. I ain't an engineer, but it might take a considerable amount of work to get a non-Vicky k/b to work.

>I could really do with a boot disk, or some advice on how to get round using >a boot disk e.g. by using an EPROM or flash card plugged into an interface >on the expansion. there is a bit of info about serial booting & ROM >modifications on the uk users website, however the site appears to be >almost completely inactive. or if it is possible to get the sirius to read IBM >floppies... or... or... or...

It can't read IBM floppies? I would imagine it could with a utility, and I'd be amazed if it wasn't made available. But what do I know. I was dreaming up a hack one day (long before I owned these - I was aware of the issue regarding boot disks), which would require playing with the rom code. In actuality burning new somewhat modified roms. Let's leave that alone for now though.
Nigel, if you're in the UK, I can't imagine you having that much of a problem finding someone with a boot disk. There were loads more over there then here. At some point I'd mail you one (oi the cost though)...that is once I make one or both of these stable (one doesn't work at all, the other has issues, prolly in the p/s). It'll take time. to say the least.

>http://www.actsirius1.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/index.html

Yeah, I have all of that software on an external hard drive somewhere. Knew about that site for a couple of years. Lousy Dutch cops lol ;)

>PS As Chuck Peddle designed the 6502, I wonder if he also designed the >6522 and was paid a royalty per device used?? that would explain the >proliferation of them in the sirius, and why there's even a spare one!

It may be just that he was more familiar with that line of ic's.
 
Many thanks for the offer of a boot disk, I may well take you up on it in a week or so in spite of the postage cost (do you use paypal? I ), as I've been firing off emails and posts in every user group I can find, and it just seems that everyone USED to have one!

I've got an email fired off to somebody in the uk who was offering one for sale, but I don't know how old the ad. was.

I don't think that getting a keyboard to work will be too much of a killer, there are only a certain number of variables, and I've got lots of patience! and quite a few little pic development boards...

Yes my power supply was dead, input filter capacitor smoked terminally. However most intermittent switch mode problems I've come across (when I was in the repair business) are down to dry joints (esp. around the transformer pins and anything that gets hot) and bad start up-due to a burnt out start-up resistor (a large in every sense resistor (usually with browned pcb round it! )from the HT line, to the power line of the switcher drive electronics, there is a winding on the transformer that takes over once the thing is running).

I'll keep you informed!

Best wishes,
Nig.
 
I have a Victor 9K keyboard, free to a good home, if shipping to UK is not too prohibitive for ya. It's the newer compact-style (Mod 703) board, and it weighs about 7-or-8 lbs for shipping. It is in excellent cosmetic condition, no sign of yellowing. It has a sticker on it indicating that it was the museum's display piece, so I'm pretty certain it's working, but have no way to test it. (Yeah, I used to have one...or two...or ten...).

--T
 
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oooooh thanks!

oooooh thanks!

That's wonderful, Nice to put a complete system together, Hmm any ideas about postage, steerage on a really slow chuggy vegetable boat is fine, I'm not in a hurry as I've got a LOT of other things to fix! (various bits of antique furniture, and a soft top beetle auto (yes both together!) that I found abandonned), and a daughter to bring up, and a new bay window to build, so slow and cheap is fine! I suppose that anything less than $50 ish total is worthwhile, but I've got to get that to you, and banks charge a fortune for international transfers. If you have a paypal account, that's dead easy, otherwise round up to the nearest dollar, and I'll mail it to you!

Go ahead.

If that's ok, I'll email you an address.

Many thanks again!
 
Last time I shipped sum'n to UK via surface, it took a full six weeks, but cost very little. I'll try and get you an estimate tomorrow. Pm me for my paypal addy.

--T
 
wooowooo!!!!!

wooowooo!!!!!

Hello Terry,

The keyboard arrived this morning, not bad for 24 years old (well there's a few girlies i can say that about too!)

Are you sure you didn't write "super fast" on the box (no of course you didn't I've got it here)

Well thank you very much, now all I've got to do is give the guy who promised me a boot-disk a gentle prod, and I'm made.

Best wishes, and thanks for all your help

Nig
 
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