VS100s, was Re: [HECnet] Drives for a VAX-11/730

[lee.gleason at comcast.net]

On 07/15/2013 11:00 AM, lee.gleason at comcast.net wrote:
>>      My first home machine was an 11/725, to which I added an RB730
>> controller , and I used it with an RM80 for a number of years, until
>> power problems killed a bunch of boards in it. I hated losing it, since
>> I had also added a VAXstation 100 workstation peripheral to it - at the
>> time it was a pretty exotic setup for use at home. I'm still hanging on
>> tothe VS100 gear, in case another Unibus VAX comes my way.

>    Do you have the VS100 interface board?   I saw one on eBay a couple of 
>months ago, and I slapped myself in the forehead really hard. ;)   I had 
>a VS100 for many years, and gave it away around 1993 because I could 
>never find the interface board for it.   When I saw that board hit eBay, 
>I really wish I'd kept the VS100..

   Yep, hung on to the board. I actually had to be a detective to get the interface board - when I bought the VS100 box and monitor, from Eli Hoffman, it didn't include the board. I had to call them, see who sold the monitor and box to them, and then trace through that organization to find the department and person who had surplused the original system, and buy the board from him.

   Since these days, I have a lot more interest in RSX than VMS, and the VS100 never worked past VMS 4.7 anyway, I'm hoping I run across a UNIBUS 11 some day and see if I can write enough of a driver to get it to draw pictures. Since I have the VS100 sources, it's registers are pretty well documented.

--
Lee K. Gleason N5ZMR
Control-G Consultants
lee.gleason at gmail.com