[HECnet] VT-62?

[Johnny Billquist]

On 2013-09-28 03:04, John Wilson wrote:
From: Bob Armstrong <bob at jfcl.com>

What can be done (non-destructive suggestions only, please) with a
VT-62?   This is NOT a VT52 (although it looks like one).   The VT62 is a
block mode terminal that, I think, actually speaks DDCMP.   AFAIK it's
incapable of being a plain ASCII terminal unless there's some hack I'm
unaware of.

Have you tried it?   I had a VT62 on my PDT-11/150 in college and I know
there was supposed to be a block mode, but it also worked fine as just a
VT52 clone, but with a speaker for keyclick/^G instead of a clacker, ESC T
switches you to reverse video and ESC U switches you back, and after column
72 there are tabs at every column.   Other than that it's exactly a VT52 IIRC.

No idea if mine had been jumpered or had the ROMs switched or anything
to make it so normal.   I bought it from an ex-DEC-employee (DEC dumped
a lot of the PDTs to their own employees) and I suppose it's possible
he got a special version.

I used a VT62 for more than 10 years in the late 80s and early 90s. Yes, they work exactly as you write, John. VT52 compatible, but with a different BEL sound, and capable of inverse video.
I wrote a termcap entry for it, but I'm not sure if I still have it around.

If they were capable of block mode, then it must be as Lee wrote, there must be a switch somewhere inside for it. Mine worked like any asynchronous serial interface. Plain RS-232. Not sure about any modem signals, but doubt it. Didn't run too fast. 9600 bps max maybe?

	Johnny

-- 
Johnny Billquist                                   || "I'm on a bus
                                                                  ||   on a psychedelic trip
email: bqt at softjar.se                         ||   Reading murder books
pdp is alive!                                         ||   tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol