drew@igloo.scum.com (Mike Drew) (06/11/90)
Fellow computer junkies, I am looking for information and manuals for the HP2114B computer. It is a real computer! A computer with core and AND gates in the programmers model. I think that the machine is around 22 years old, and it still works! I have managed to obtain a copy of "A Pocket Guide to Hewlett-Packard Computer". But this small book does not really contain enough info to help me get the beast up and running. It makes a tantalizing reference to a "...a Manual of Diagnostics..." that was furnished with the machine. Does anyone have said manual? Does anyone remember this machine? I would be interested in any info and/or components for this baby. Thanks, Mike
medli@hpcuhd.HP.COM (Dave Medlicott) (06/11/90)
This may be your luck day! In our library, we have the following manuals: 02114-90398 Vol 1 2114B Specs and Basic Operation 02114-90399 Vol 2 2114B Installation and Maintenance 02114-90400 Vol 3 2114B I/O System Operation 02114-90406 Manual of Diagnostics These manuals are all on the June 1990 Parts Price List on Fiche. The part numbers for the fiches are: Vol 1 - 02114-90426 Vol 2 - 02114-90421 Vol 3 - 02114-90419 Manual of Diagnostics - 02114-900424 In addition, the following parts are available, though I have no idea what manuals they represent: 02114-90419 These are all fiches 02114-90422 " 02114-90423 " 02114-90427 " I don't know what you're going to do for software or the actual diagnostics themselves (the manuals only tell how to run them, though in some cases they do contain listings). My suggestion is to get your sales rep involved. Good luck, Dave Medlicott HP Data Systems Operations
walter@hpsad.HP.COM (Walter Coole) (06/12/90)
The earliest reference to a 2114B that I found is in a 1970 HP catalog, which has a 7 page section on the 211? computers, including some specifications and a list of the instruction set. walter@hpsadlc.HP.COM
rl@cbnewsl.att.com (roger.h.levy) (06/12/90)
In article <2498@igloo.scum.com>, drew@igloo.scum.com (Mike Drew) writes: > I am looking for information and manuals for the HP2114B computer. > ... I think that the machine is around 22 years old, and it still works! > ... > Does anyone have said manual? Does anyone remember this machine? I would be > interested in any info and/or components for this baby. My email response bounced so I'm posting the reply - perhaps others are interested ... Unless I don't remember the model line nearly as well as I think I do, I don't recall the 2114B being quite the antique you describe. I think that model is closer to 14 years old, uses RAM memory (not core), and is still actively used in many places, especially military systems. HP minicomputers of this class (16 bit, 21XX instruction set, optimized for real-time applications) do date back about 22 years but the grand-daddy was (I think!) called the 2116 - that was core based with a maximum of 128 Kbytes of memory. The 2114B is in a family that was at first called 21MX and later HP-1000. This is one of the heftier models with 14 expansion slots (i.e. the 14 in 2114) and capable of supporting up to 2 Mbytes of memory. The OS of choice is RTE-VI VM - this is somewhat similar to old DEC operating systems like RT-11M. Most of these systems were programmed in Fortran (last compiler I knew of was Fortran-77 compliant). Assembler, Pascal were also available from HP and a third party C compiler (not very good!) is available. You seem to be soliciting for donations of software and documentation. From the tone of your posting, I'm guessing you hope to get this for free on the assumption that this dinosaur is extinct. To the contrary, I've heard that HP still supports this reliable workhorse and may continue to do so until the next century! I'd guess that software is still available but for a license fee, e.g. 8 years ago, an OS license was about $5000, a compiler license about $2000-$4000. I can tell you much more since I worked with this very machine and its predecessors for 10 years. I also know of a few sites where old friends of mine are still operating and writing new applications for it! I also expect you'll get other responses since this machine is still viable, and despite an architecture that was outmoded when it was new, is highly respected for its reliability. There are lots of dealers who will pay you cash ($500?) if you don't want it. Roger Levy ...!att!groucho!rl 201-386-6641
rl@cbnewsl.att.com (roger.h.levy) (06/12/90)
In article <770028@hpsad.HP.COM>, walter@hpsad.HP.COM (Walter Coole) writes: > The earliest reference to a 2114B that I found is in a 1970 HP catalog, which > has a 7 page section on the 211? computers, including some specifications and > a list of the instruction set. Are you certain the reference was to 2114B and not some other 211? machine? The way I remember it, the line evolved as follows: model era typical OS 2116 1969 BCS 2100A / 2100S 1972 RTE I / RTE II 2113A and smaller relatives 1974 RTE III 2114B and smaller relatives 1976 RTE IV / RTE VI The dates are not exact. The first two in the line were core based with a maximum of 128 Kbytes (we always said 64K words). HP daringly went to DRAM in 1974 when it was still more expensive than core but was expected to drop in price. 128 Kbytes of core sold for about $10,000. I remember thinking that I might want 256 Kbytes but I couldn't really imagine what I would do with more. The 2.5 Mbyte disk drive (7901) on my 2100S system seemed to have plenty of room in 1973. It cost about $10,000. Roger Levy
ins_atge@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (Thomas G Edwards) (06/12/90)
In article <2498@igloo.scum.com> drew@igloo.scum.com (Mike Drew) writes: >It is a real computer! A computer with core and AND gates in the programmers >model. I think that the machine is around 22 years old, and it still works! This brings up several questions: 1) what is the oldest yet still functioning electronic computer? which computer has been in use the longest (is it the radar computer at the Computer Museum in Boston? 2) what is the oldest job? (i.e. I have heard stories of a 20-year-old job which was running lowest priority on an MIT computer) 3) does anyone remember the Sphere? -Tom used to be a PET junkie