A delayed happy holidays and happy new-year to all...

[Terry Yager]

Based on this, I just inspected the case. Lo and behold, an almost completely worn-down label had an indentation that seems to read "H-89II"

I didn't know they had a "II" on these. . .

I want to open the case - both the look at robot-porn (if you don't know the Fox series "Futurama", this makes no sense), but also to clean it - it's mighty filthy. But I can't seem to figure out how. The screws I've tried seem to be for mounting the inards of the thing, and this makes me a tad apprehensive about losening too many.

There should be a pair of spring-loaded catches on either side of the bottom of the case about halfway back. Release both of those and you can lift the upper part of the case up and get to the guts.

Do you know the disk-format for this model? I have some CP/M disks, but I know that the formats are many, and not necessarily intercompatible.

Most of these used a 10 hard sectored 5.25 floppy. I don't think it's compatible with the Northstar format so you'll need a Heath/Zenith boot disk.

Your other option would be to "soft boot" it. Dwight Elvey (who's a member here, albeit a quiet one) has figured out how to do that.

Hopefully he'll respond to a PM if he doesn't see this thread.

Erik

You probably should contact Don Maslin to see if he has the correct bootdisk. (You'll prolly have to make an educated guess as to disk format. Ten hard sectors sounds about right, tho.) Email Don at:

donm@crash.cts.com

Also, IIRC the H-89 has a monitor program in ROM, so you still have something to play with while waiting for your disks to arrive. (I don't remember any of the commands, except that they are single-letter commands, so experimentation with the keyboard should turn up something.)

--T

 

[Terry Yager]

Thomas:

I don't know how this applies to your H-89 II, but you might want to check this eBay auction.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2778745028&category=4193

--T

 

[CP/M User]

"vic user" wrote:

> It's 'memory' was stored on cards with punch holes
> I do believe.

Actually, due to the era Charles Babbage was around,
he wasn't able to complete his machine & only a part
of it exists, however I beleive there were a number of
factors which meant he didn't complete his machine.

The idea with the punched cards was to store a
program on, from what I've read about this it's an
early attempt (if not the first) to write a program &
store it onto a media.

Cheers,
CP/M User.

 

[vic user]

Here is some info i got over the net:

The Analytical Engine was intended to use loops of Jacquard's punched cards to control an automatic calculator, which could make decisions based on the results of previous computations. This machine was also intended to employ several features subsequently used in modern computers, including sequential control, branching, and looping.

The engine had four components: the store (memory), the mill
(computational unit), the input section (punched card reader)
and the output section (punched and printed output). This "engine"
was completely mechanical and unfortunately needed thousands of cogs,
gears, and wheels for it to function. Babbage was unable to produce most
of these parts to the degree of precision or tolerance needed due to the
technology of his time.

The store capacity was 1000 words of 50 decimal digits used to hold variables and results.

The mill could accept operands from the store, add, subtract, multiply or
divide them, and return a result to the store.

The engine could read instructions from punched cards and carry them out, at times combining a second set of input data and compiling the numbers in the mill, then sending the results back to the store.
Instruction variables included being able to test a number for a positive
or negative value. By inputting a different set of punch cards, different
computations could be archived.

The results or "output" could be punched into a copper engraver's plate
with a steel die, thus making hardcopy data available to the user.
Unfortunately Babbage never saw his project finished, he soon ran out of
personal funds and the Government sponsorship soon dried up as well.

However, in 1906 the actual construction was completed by his son,
Major Henry Babbage, with help from a local engineering firm.
The first program was to calculate and print the first 25 multiples
of pi to 29 decimal places, to demonstrate that it worked.

-----

Chris