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is the group alive?

ajparent1/kb1gmx
 

I did and still do a lot of engineering as well as hobby with Z80.
That ranges from 1977 z80 in S100 through a recent project using Z280.
Even ordered a SC131 SB180 to play with as I'm a long time CP/M user.
?
Any life here???
?
Allison
 

I would say yes, just a little.
 

Not at my end, as my life seems to want to get and stay a bit complicated. I unloaded all my Z80 systems about 30 years ago. Except a Z80a cpu and some odd & ends of support chips, including a Heathkit H89/Z90 system rom. Bought an SBC131 kit, several years ago, and a soldering station that gave up the ghost the 2nd time I powered it up...

Hands shake enough I may not be able to solder a board anymore.?

I think I'm cursed!?

One of the things I want* is a version of CPM/86 that would run on and use all the memory on a modern gaming PC.?

*I don't expect to get it, and I've never been programmer enough to have a chance at doing it myself. ?

Bill in OKC?

William R. Meyers, MSgt, USAF(Ret.)

Aphorisms to live by:
Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.?
SEMPER GUMBY!
Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome.
Physics doesn't care about your schedule.
The only reason I know anything is because I've done it wrong enough times to START to know better.
Expect in one hand, expectorate in the other. See which one gets full first.



On Thursday, August 22, 2024 at 09:58:13 AM CDT, ajparent1/kb1gmx <kb1gmx@...> wrote:


I did and still do a lot of engineering as well as hobby with Z80.
That ranges from 1977 z80 in S100 through a recent project using Z280.
Even ordered a SC131 SB180 to play with as I'm a long time CP/M user.
?
Any life here???
?
Allison
ajparent1/kb1gmx
 

CPM/86 ...
?
It never made it past 386 machine with a meg of ram.? There was concurrent CP/M
but it was unrecognizable as CP/M.? There are sources in C for the brave.
However those sources needed a VAX computer to compile them which
DRI had along with the commercial compiler.
?
Myself I've worked with 8085/Z80/z180 (also others) CP/M and is fine as is.?
The Z280 project is fairly simple electronically but the OS to use its
abilities is the project.
?
?
Allison
ajparent1/kb1gmx
 

I have to admit I have a few favorite machines:
?
AmproLB+ that is the version that can support SCSI and mine does
a fugitsu 45mb partitioned as 5 8mb drive and a 5mb drive the software
BIOS was modded to remap as needed for drives G-K.
?
Kaypro4/84? this has 1MB ramdisk, two 3.5" 760Kb drives, and a?
CF hard disk (64gb partitioned as 8 8mb drives).? Also
Handyman, and advent disk mods.? A utility manages dynamic
assignments of what two of the 8 partitions are drives E and F.
?
NorthStar Horizon (1977 build) with 10MHZ 84C050 (Z80 with
2K internal ram), that has 512K ram, 512K eprom, external floppy
drives (8", 5.25", 3.5")and two internal 30mb hard drives.? Runs a
highly modified version of CP/M 2.2 configured for a 62K TPA
that is mapped into the 512K.? The CCP/DOS and Bios boots from
EPROM rather than system tracks.? System IO is handled by an
8085 (dual serial port controller), 8085 smart DMA floppy
controller,? and 8039 (printer buffer controller).??
?
SB180: A z180 with 256Kram and large Eprom, has the
SCSI board and a 20MB 3.5"disk, dual 720K 3.5" floppies.?
Runs ZCPR.
?
Standalone DEC Vt180 board a Z80/4mhz, 64k, 4 serial
ports and 1793 floppy controller and 8K rom.? Software
in rom is smaller version of NS S100 boots from eprom
to CP/M.? It copies low rom to top of ram for a 60K system.
Once up the roms are disabled.? ?That code fits in
8K eprom with a small 1K monitor.
?
If its not obvious storage is a issue with CP/M more is better
but? it has limits.
?
 

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Your ref to the Kaypro triggered a lot of memories from that era.

I had built, in late 70's, a Big Board system at home, added a pair of 8" FDDs (very $$$, even used!), and did a lot of early work and learning with it.? Part of that was developing an application at home, to solve a big problem at work, involving major issues loading large software packages from cassette tape into major industrial control systems, over a 1200 baud serial interface.? Lots of load errors and plant downtime!
The app I wrote stored the apps on the computer, and loaded at a much faster baud rate, and never failed!? We bought a lot of Kaypro 10's after that proof of concept.? I think it was the first approval of a desktop computer in the company (Yes, several of us got spares to use on our desks...).? Very nice creds also, when the industrial systems builder bought the application from us, to use with their other customers.

I still have some small Z80 SBC systems in my workshop, although they don't get used...

Tom


On 8/27/2024 9:46 PM, ajparent1/kb1gmx via groups.io wrote:
I have to admit I have a few favorite machines:
?
AmproLB+ that is the version that can support SCSI and mine does
a fugitsu 45mb partitioned as 5 8mb drive and a 5mb drive the software
BIOS was modded to remap as needed for drives G-K.
?
Kaypro4/84? this has 1MB ramdisk, two 3.5" 760Kb drives, and a?
CF hard disk (64gb partitioned as 8 8mb drives).? Also
Handyman, and advent disk mods.? A utility manages dynamic
assignments of what two of the 8 partitions are drives E and F.
?
NorthStar Horizon (1977 build) with 10MHZ 84C050 (Z80 with
2K internal ram), that has 512K ram, 512K eprom, external floppy
drives (8", 5.25", 3.5")and two internal 30mb hard drives.? Runs a
highly modified version of CP/M 2.2 configured for a 62K TPA
that is mapped into the 512K.? The CCP/DOS and Bios boots from
EPROM rather than system tracks.? System IO is handled by an
8085 (dual serial port controller), 8085 smart DMA floppy
controller,? and 8039 (printer buffer controller).??
?
SB180: A z180 with 256Kram and large Eprom, has the
SCSI board and a 20MB 3.5"disk, dual 720K 3.5" floppies.?
Runs ZCPR.
?
Standalone DEC Vt180 board a Z80/4mhz, 64k, 4 serial
ports and 1793 floppy controller and 8K rom.? Software
in rom is smaller version of NS S100 boots from eprom
to CP/M.? It copies low rom to top of ram for a 60K system.
Once up the roms are disabled.? ?That code fits in
8K eprom with a small 1K monitor.
?
If its not obvious storage is a issue with CP/M more is better
but? it has limits.
?


Virus-free.
ajparent1/kb1gmx
 

On Tue, Aug 27, 2024 at 07:02 PM, Tom C wrote:
I still have some small Z80 SBC systems in my workshop, although they don't get used...
Mine do.? Running CP/M on multiple machines allowed me the opportunity to
amass a lot of software and the WC-CDrom assured I'd have what I needed.?
Generally I use a lot of stuff that source was available as then I could correct
bugs.
?
Best answer given int ehpas as to why I have old systems running is they work.
That and I know the software well and over time I know where, if any, bugs are.
?
Besides the Kaypro 4/84 I have a Kaypro-II and a Osborne-1.
?
The bigger issues from the 80s and 90s for me was assuring the Cp/M systems
could talk to the VAX systems and my PDP-11s.? That covered file transfers and
common editors and at least BASIC language compatibility.
?
?
ajparent1/kb1gmx
 

Shot of my Vt320 screen, KB is out of field.
Z80 amproLB+ with SCSI disk 45mb running CP/M.
Its to the left of the I7 Laptop running Linux.
?
?

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