Old computer kit still doing a useful job - Page 2 - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

plumbweiss · 31st Aug 2007, 11:36 pm

I've just serviced a machine which stamps out brass fireplace surrounds, its run by a Z80 based industrial IAS computer from 1981. It has a 40 character 9in green screen and a rack of TTL chips the size of a filing cabinet. Every time you power on it has to be loaded with a bootstrap program (originally off paper tape, then upgraded to cassette, now on an RS232 link to a network) before it'll do a tap. Its therefore left on 24hrs a day, I put a new CRT in about 5 years ago.

31st Aug 2007, 11:36 pm	#21
plumbweiss Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Manchester, UK. Posts: 157	Re: Old computer kit still doing a useful job I've just serviced a machine which stamps out brass fireplace surrounds, its run by a Z80 based industrial IAS computer from 1981. It has a 40 character 9in green screen and a rack of TTL chips the size of a filing cabinet. Every time you power on it has to be loaded with a bootstrap program (originally off paper tape, then upgraded to cassette, now on an RS232 link to a network) before it'll do a tap. Its therefore left on 24hrs a day, I put a new CRT in about 5 years ago.