Copied real disk cartridge to virtual drive, other preparations for VCF exhibition

1053 CONSOLE PRINTER RESTORATION

My strategy is to work the printer from time to time, in between other tests and work. To do that, I will run DCIP and dump a sector, or run the typewriter/keyboard diagnostic program. I did a run today. Each time I run the 1053 performs just a little bit better. Carrier returns are more reliable now, although they will still fail about every tenth or fifteenth time. The line spacing is the poorest performing function.

SAC INTERFACE FOR ADDING PERIPHERALS TO THE 1130

Virtual 1403 line printer

I ran a test and recorded the line number that both FPGA and GUI thought they ended on. It matched. However, the GUI is malfunctioning somehow and I need to work out what is going on. I need to correlate the log messages with the carriage tape image and mark down what I think should happen, contrast it to what is reported and then interpolate what wrong behavior is occurring.

PREPARATION FOR VCF WEST

I cleaned up the countertops of the 1130 system late last night. Then, I opened the garage door to pull out my Diablo drive enclosure to get at the jackscrew I need to put into the 1131. The nut that goes on the back of the jackscrew fits into a circular opening in the back of the connector but the hole is so narrow that none of my sockets will fit in there to tighten it up.

Jackscrew ready to install in 1132 power connector inside 1131

This means I will need to laboriously nudge the nut tighter on the screw, using a flat blade of a screwdriver then try to tighten it as much as I can. I don't know what kind of access I will have to get to the connector rear, which is the big unknown. Still, this is the last mechanical 'to do' in the 1131, and important to hold the 1132 power cable secure during operation.

I built a version of DMS with both 1132 and 1403 printers, which will allow me to exhibit with the physical printer but use the virtual 1403 for most work.

I fired up the DCIP utility this morning with a virtual blank disk cartridge mounted and my real internal disk drive readied. I did a disk to disk copy of the internal disk to the blank cartridge. Now, we have a disk image for the IBM 1130 Simulator that directly matches what came with my machine.

It is now shared with the IBM 1130 group on google groups, so that anyone can use it as another reference version of DMS2 with the IBM 1130 Simulator. I did a system reload to make up several configurations - 8K, 32K, different readers and printers - and shared those for the people who wanted them.

FINISHING REPLICA 1130 COSMETICS

Today I measured and marked up support locations on the back side of each faux cover, so that I can cut and glue up the wood pieces for those supports. I have a plan which I can begin implementing tomorrow.