dave@helm.UUCP (David Goldblatt) (06/27/86)
Does anyone out there besides myself [and the other escaped Clarkson students] own a Zenith Z-100? I've got a Z running at 8MHz [Z-118], kicked up to 768K, etc. I also have a Microsoft Mouse [serial version] with Clarkson's assorted software [including mouse driver]. I'd be interested to hear from other Z-100 owners/users out there.. Please? 8*) -dg- ...!ihnp4!chinet!helm!dave Attention: I do not work for this company, I probably never will work for this company, in fact, I doubt this company would hire me. In the meantime, I'm gonna squeeze 'em for all they're worth! [I want a REAL system; I miss my Relay -- Twilite Zone Relay Station, at CLVM.BITNET]
jhv@houxu.UUCP (James Van Ornum) (07/02/86)
I understand that the US Air Force Academy is selling Zenith Z-100's to the incoming freashman class starting this year. Would someone on the net be willing to confirm this rumor? I am considering the purchase of such a unit to duplicate what my son will be working with, and I am trying to weight the advantages of an exact duplication vs some other PC-clone. The insight of the net will aid this evaluation. Thanks. ----------------------- James Van Ornum, AT&T (Information Systems), houxu!jhv
dave@helm.UUCP (David Goldblatt) (07/08/86)
In article <799@houxu.UUCP> jhv@houxu.UUCP (James Van Ornum) writes: >I understand that the US Air Force Academy is selling Zenith Z-100's to the >incoming freashman class starting this year. Would someone on the net be >willing to confirm this rumor? I am considering the purchase of such a unit >to duplicate what my son will be working with, and I am trying to weight the >advantages of an exact duplication vs some other PC-clone. The insight of >the net will aid this evaluation. Thanks. >----------------------- > James Van Ornum, AT&T (Information Systems), houxu!jhv Well, I can't say as to whether the USAF is handing out Z-100's, but I can tell you a number of things about it, mainly since I'm typing this on a Z-100 I received from Clarkson University. (We were number one! :-) <in handing out computers to all incoming students, that is> Clarkson began issuing computers about 4 years ago, after having decided on the Zenith Z-100. The reasons for this included that the machine was technically superior to most other machines avilable, and was available to Clarkson at a reasonable (VERY) price. The Z-100 is a dual processor machine; it contains both an 8085 and an 8088, which in later models runs at a full 8 MHz. A number of people at Clarkson, including me as of this fall, have installed 8MHz V20's in the '100s as well, with no trouble. The '100 is *NOT* a PC compatible, at least out of the box. It *IS* an MS-DOS machine, of which MS-DOS 2.11 is what I'm using now; 3.x should be out soon. My machine is 8MHz, 2 360K floppies, 768K on the motherboard, 2 serial ports, 1 parallel port. (comes with 256K, can plug in standard chips to expand it to full 768K) A number of students at Clarkson have hacked apart various PC programs to run on the '100, but for around $600, you can buy one of two PC emulation boards, which do an excellent job of making the Z think it's a PC clone. Graphics resolution is very good, although the exact numbers escape me at the moment.. 640X320 (?) plus higher resolution via a number of tricks. A C.U. student developed a MacPaint type program which is simply incredible -- uses a Microsoft serial mouse, which I also have. Anyhow, if you want more gory details, let me know; I'd be happy to help. However, I do not think the '100 is not in production anymore; the contract with the US Government expired, and is being replaced by the '200, which IS an AT clone. Whatever the case, Zenith is a tremendously reliable product; I think Clarkson has had 1 machine so far been bad out of the box, and no repairs have been more than $30. -dg- ...!ihnp4!chinet!helm!dave ...!philabs!sbcs!helm!dave Note: The opinions expressed above are mine alone, and do not reflect in any way those of the US Government, the USAF, Clarkson University, or anyone else who has an interest in this message. I don't want anyone on my back.. :-) "Just another BITNETter trying to get home."
kim@mips.UUCP (07/12/86)
[ "Send lawyers, guns, and money ..." ] > >I understand that the US Air Force Academy is selling Zenith Z-100's to the > >incoming freashman class starting this year. > > Anyhow, if you want more gory details, let me know; I'd be happy to > help. However, I do not think the '100 is not in production anymore; Coincidentally, I just received a new Heathkit catalog yesterday. They are still listing the H-100 (the kit version of the Z-100), but it *does* sound like they are selling them off. The price for the basic machine has been dropped from $1599 to $999 (with MS-DOS) ... might be a good time to get one if you're handy with a soldering-iron! They are still listing various accessories (hard-disk, extra floppy drive, 8087, RAM upgrade, etc.), including 2 the TWO different PC-compatibility board-sets ($599 for either). They give you 50% off on some of the accessories if you buy them within 90-days of the H-100 (applies to the PC-compatibility boards). I have no connection with Heath or Zenith ... just passing along the information. /kim -- UUCP: {decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4}!decwrl!mips!kim DDD: 408-720-1700 x231 USPS: MIPS Computer Systems Inc, 930 E. Arques Av, Sunnyvale, CA 94086 CIS: 76535,25
sandersr@ecn-pc.UUCP (07/13/86)
In article <555@mips.UUCP> kim@mips.UUCP writes: >> >I understand that the US Air Force Academy is selling Zenith Z-100's to the >> >incoming freashman class starting this year. >> Anyhow, if you want more gory details, let me know; I'd be happy to >> help. However, I do not think the '100 is not in production anymore; >Coincidentally, I just received a new Heathkit catalog yesterday. They are >still listing the H-100 (the kit version of the Z-100), but it *does* sound >like they are selling them off. The price for the basic machine has been >dropped from $1599 to $999 (with MS-DOS) ... might be a good time to get one >if you're handy with a soldering-iron! Wrongo!! Talk to the guys in Chicago (Zenith) and Benton Harbor, MI (Heath)! The H/Z 100 is still here to stay! The version number I believe is H/Z 121 (check me there), but I know for a fact that they are NOT going to drop the machine. In fact, it is a superior machine using the 8088 than any of the IBM compatibles, including theirs -- ask them! And check one for yourself. IBM made some major design flaws in their now antiquated machine. Zenith's is better engineered, and uses more industry-common standards than IBM -- IBM thought they would create their own (read stupid!). The Zenith 100 was NOT made to be IBM compatible (their Z140, Z150, Z160 and Z200 are), but to fully exploit this Intel family of chips. Unfortnately, little companies followed Big Blue's flag waving, and now more fully support IBM products. The Zenith is a S-100 bus machine, is faster, able to address more memory, and (if you want to pay for them) has more options available. Who had the first Ether-Net cards (S-100 version third party) available? Who had the first IEEE-466 bus connections? Who at the same time contracted for MS DOS (though not fully PC DOS compatible)? The lastest ZPC (as the 100 is called) is more fully souped-up and has software galore available. Check out the REMark magazine that the Heath/ Zenith user's group puts out. Also, most Heathkit stores will preconstruct an Heath machine for you -- since they are sold at the same price as the Zenith version. Besides, with a kit, service is free!! :-) No, I do not own a ZPC -- wish I did. I own an H158 ... needed that 1-2-3 at the time (sigh..). -- Continuing Engineering Education Telecommunications Purdue University ...!ihnp4!pur-ee!pc-ecn!sandersr Let's make like a BSD process, and go FORK-OFF !! -- bob (and "make" a few children while we're at it ...)
dave@helm.UUCP (David Goldblatt) (07/21/86)
[ eat this line and I'll have 30 lawyers on your back, line eater! ] [ Does that fall under the statute of 'cruel and unusual' punishment? ] In article <572@ecn-pc.UUCP> sandersr@ecn-pc.UUCP (Robert C Sanders) writes: >Wrongo!! Talk to the guys in Chicago (Zenith) and Benton Harbor, MI (Heath)! >The H/Z 100 is still here to stay! The version number I believe is H/Z 121 >(check me there), but I know for a fact that they are NOT going to drop the >machine. In fact, it is a superior machine using the 8088 than any of the >IBM compatibles, including theirs -- ask them! And check one for yourself. > >IBM made some major design flaws in their now antiquated machine. Zenith's >is better engineered, and uses more industry-common standards than IBM -- >IBM thought they would create their own (read stupid!). The Zenith 100 >was NOT made to be IBM compatible (their Z140, Z150, Z160 and Z200 are), >but to fully exploit this Intel family of chips. Unfortnately, little >companies followed Big Blue's flag waving, and now more fully support IBM >products. > >The Zenith is a S-100 bus machine, is faster, able to address more memory, >and (if you want to pay for them) has more options available. Who had the >first Ether-Net cards (S-100 version third party) available? Who had the >first IEEE-466 bus connections? Who at the same time contracted for MS DOS >(though not fully PC DOS compatible)? > >The lastest ZPC (as the 100 is called) is more fully souped-up and has >software galore available. Check out the REMark magazine that the Heath/ >Zenith user's group puts out. > >Also, most Heathkit stores will preconstruct an Heath machine for you -- >since they are sold at the same price as the Zenith version. Besides, with >a kit, service is free!! :-) > >No, I do not own a ZPC -- wish I did. I own an H158 ... needed that 1-2-3 >at the time (sigh..). > >-- >Continuing Engineering Education Telecommunications >Purdue University ...!ihnp4!pur-ee!pc-ecn!sandersr > >Let's make like a BSD process, and go FORK-OFF !! -- bob >(and "make" a few children while we're at it ...) Well, as I mentioned, I go to Clarkson, the Zenith school. :-) Every student gets a Z-100 computer.. Or DID get one. As of this fall, Zenith will be supplying a Z-200 with '100 emulation to Clarkson, the reason being <as I was told by the folks at Clarkson> that Heath/Zenith is not manufacturing the machine any longer, since the military contract ran out and was replaced by the '200. They are going to support the machine; they'd be nuts not to with all of them still out there, but I don't think they are making NEW machines. My Z was the latest made as far as I know - a Zenith Z-118 <8MHz, 256K, 2 drives>. I agree; the '100 is by FAR technically superior, but as you said, everyone jumped on the IBM bandwagon. Too bad. My gripe: I can get a PC hard drive controller for $99. To get one for my '100 from Zenith is $899, and with a 10 meg hard drive it's $999. That's ridiculous, especially when I can buy a 40 meg hard drive for $450! Anyone know of other hard drive <cheap> controllers for the Z-100 with MS-DOS? -dg- ...!ihnp4!chinet!helm!dave ...!philabs!sbcs!helm!dave Note: I do not represent anyone other than myself. I'm greedy that way.
paula@bcsaic.UUCP (paul allen) (07/23/86)
In article <539@helm.UUCP> dave@helm.UUCP (David Goldblatt) writes: > [...] the '100 is by FAR technically superior, but as you >said, everyone jumped on the IBM bandwagon. Too bad. My gripe: I can >get a PC hard drive controller for $99. To get one for my '100 from >Zenith is $899, and with a 10 meg hard drive it's $999. That's >ridiculous, especially when I can buy a 40 meg hard drive for $450! >Anyone know of other hard drive <cheap> controllers for the Z-100 with >MS-DOS? > >-dg- > >...!ihnp4!chinet!helm!dave >...!philabs!sbcs!helm!dave > I, too, was dismayed by the high cost of Zenith's hard disk. I picked up a Xebec S1410A SASI hard disk controller for $200 from a local electronics supply house nearly a year ago. It seems to me that they were also selling an S-100 host adapter for ~$125, but I built my own for ~$40 using a schematic in the controller manual as a guide. I wrote a driver in machine language and later converted it to C using the C device driver stuff that was posted to the net a while back. I have been using this setup with a 5.5Mb disk and it runs like a champ! Also, I remember seeing an article in REMark sometime in the last year describing a driver for an S-100 hard disk controller for the Z-100. I don't remember the maker of the controller, but the cost was ~$300. The driver was a few hundred lines of assembler that you fat-finger in yourself. If there are any hackers out there who are interested, I would be willing to share my driver. It will probably not work unmodified with any host adapter other than mine. The differences will probably be just the positions of bits in the status word and the address of the card. If somebody is *really* crazy and wants my schematic, I can share that too. I guarantee nothing except the possibility of *hours* of blissful debugging ;). Paul -- ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Paul L. Allen Boeing Computer Services Artificial Intelligence Center ...!uw-beaver!ssc-vax!bcsaic!paula