Most of COBOL compiler read and being organized for uploading, plus beginning to wire up the shed

READ TAPE OF 1130/1800 SOURCE CODE

Another volunteer at CHM has contacted me, having systems able to read in the tape. He did warn me that NRZI tapes have a poor record of remaining readable years later, but we will try to retrieve it all. I have to call him tomorrow when I am over at the museum meeting with the 1401 team members.

SHARING OF 1130 CARD DECKS

This morning I battled through a few hundred more cards, getting them accurately scanned and uploaded. I also organized the files by the modules each would install, hoping to eventually verify that I have all parts of the compiler here. I found one PTF for the compiler mixed in with the other materials.

I also discovered I had been running with an old version of Brian Knittel's 1130 simulator. He had discovered the flaw in handling Overflow condition several years ago and corrected it. The latest version of the simulator, downloaded from ibm1130.org, worked just fine.

The late afternoon was when I next force fed cards in small batches through the reader hoping to get good clean reading and verification. I got to within 200 cards of the end of the deck by 3:30PM, close enough to stomach more verify checks and other problems in order to finish up the compiler.

By five I had all of the cards marked Cobol, but I found a batch of cards inside the tray used to load the system on a disk, marked Cobol Phases, which I also need to read as they are probably the remainder of the compiler. That was a block of about 800 cards. I managed to read about a third today.

DATACENTER SHED CONSTRUCTION

I began construction of the LED lighting modules for the shed (and also for my den) - these are 100W LED arrays mounted on heatsinks and fronted by spreader lens,. In the den they are mounted up on cross beams replacing fluorescent lights, bouncing up off the whitewashed cathedral ceiling to give general illumination throughout the room. In the shed, they will provide bright direct lighting downward from cross beams, positioned at a couple of points where good light is most important.

I also began detailed plans for the power distribution inside the shed, in order to buy the supplies necessary for construction. I will pick up most of the parts today, but the wire itself is coming by UPS and will take a few days.