Cifer systems 2684

[jay_oldstuff]

I all I received this system yesterday in return for help on another project. It's a 1982 cifer 2684 intelligent terminal basically a dumb terminal with the ability to run CPM this one seems to be Carly well upgraded with more ram and an external 8" disk drive as well as the 5.25" internal drive. As received its in bits after a failed attempt at repair by the previous owner. Anyone on hear worked on these? I believe at least one council ran there library database on one until recently.

[Refugee]

They talk to Hyperterminal if it is anything like a Wyse terminal.

[G6Tanuki]

I remember running loads of these [some of the smart versions like you have, some of the dumber versions with green screens] to access IBM 303x/308x, Honeywell 66/300 and GEC 41xx-series minicomputers (Via CAMTEC PADs and X.25 protocols) back in the 1980s.

"Coloured Books" protocols: I managed to stop several major UK research organisations adopting the "Fawn Book" screen-addressable standard [steering them towards DEC VT100 and IBM Telnet-3270 instead].

We had lots of reliability issues with the displays - the deflection circuits were horribly afflicted with dry-joints and would result in the on-screen displays 'niddling' [individual horizontal lines moving up/down or side-to-side by small amounts but enough to render the display unusable].

There was a version of these which provided a rather ropey Tektronix 4010/4014 graphics emulation: I found plenty of holes in this.

I managed to get the CP/M version of the ~Kermit~ file-transfer protocol to work with these when they were connected to an IBM 4381 minicomputer via an IBM "7171" asynchronous front-end processor running code we got from Yale University - this was a big pain since the Cifer intrinsically spoke ASCII and the 4381 thought natively in EBCDIC.

[paulsherwin]

Cifer were primarily a terminal manufacturer - they sold a lot of VT100 compatibles into the DEC market in the 80s. I'm not familiar with this model, but it's probably a pretty standard Z80 8 bit computer.

[G6Tanuki]

Kermit for CP/M: see here. http://www.z80.eu/kermit.html

[JohnBHanson]

Bath University Computer Unit has one of these for transferring software between different disk formats.

You could configure all the serial io system to route the terminal and external serial ports.

A nice piece of equipment - and a very soft to type on keyboard.

[nigelr2000]

Wow haven't heard the name Cifer since I used to work for a small computer company called Shade in Melksham in about 1977, I used to have to run drawings round to their office (just round the corner at that time) to copy on the weird liquid based copier, used a UV light and yellow paper as I remember anyway I was so impressed when we got a VDU of theirs to play with. I spent ages just filling the screen with characters on local echo just because I could I was only 17, it seemed like the work of gods and we only had a couple of teletypes in our company. Oh how easily I was pleased back then

[jay_oldstuff]

Ok progress report. Ive sorted the original fault that was the computer tripped the circuit breaker after it had been on for about a minute (leaky mains filter) I also found two 100R resistors on the main PCB that are associated with the two 24 pin connectors (guessing RS232) that showed signs of overheating (now replaced). I've got it all back together and am trying to figure out where all the connectors go however it looks like i may have a PCB missing so will gave to contact the chap I got it from to see if he still has it.

[jay_oldstuff]

Final missing PCB has been located by the chap who gave me the cifer and he's posting it to me so will update once I've received it.

[G6Tanuki]

The 25-pin sockets will be RS232/V.24, yes.

I guess the 2 resistors are likely to be 'pull-up' resistors for some of the control signals [CTS/RTS, CD/DSR/DTR].

The chips used to drive the serial-ports - if they are 1488/1489 types - will easily fry if subjected to excessive voltage-spikes: we always used to fit DIL-sockets when replacing soldered-in driver chips so that it~d be easier when we *next* had to change the chips.

[TonyDuell]

Yes, put the RS232 interface chips in sockets, but I find it is best to pay for turned pin (machined pin, whatever) sockets. They cost rather more than the cheap folded-metal contact ones, but I have never had a bad contact problem on turned-pin sockets (but have on cheaper sockets).

I now never use anything but turned pin sockets for either new projects or repairs.

OK, my time is not worth much, but my calmness is

[mole42uk]

Originally Posted by nigelr2000

copy on the weird liquid based copier, used a UV light and yellow paper

Another example of things we grew up with being 'weird' to the young'uns!

He's talking about the original ammonia-developed blueprints - we used these every day when I was a draughtsman in a fruit machine company in Nottingham.....and the print room stank!

[veedub565]

Nice piece of vintage kit, jealous, I've tried to find one of those for sale in the past but had no luck.