rzh@LLL-LCC.LLNL.GOV (Roger Hanscom) (08/02/89)
Hi All --
A friend of mine just bought a used "H-89" computer (a
Heathkit) that runs some form of CP/M. I'd like to give
him some PD software, but this machine runs hard-sectored
5.25" diskettes. Is there an efficient way to do it? I
can read and write many 5.25" formats -- can a hard sector
controller read anything but hard sector diskettes?? I can
always do a serial patch between one of my machines and his,
but that seems like "the hard way". Any hard-sector users
out there?? How do you get software??
roger rzh@lll-lcc.llnl.govmorris@jade.jpl.nasa.gov (Mike Morris) (08/02/89)
(Roger Hanscom) writes: > >Hi All -- > A friend of mine just bought a used "H-89" computer (a >Heathkit) that runs some form of CP/M. I'd like to give >him some PD software, but this machine runs hard-sectored >5.25" diskettes. Is there an efficient way to do it? I >can read and write many 5.25" formats -- can a hard sector >controller read anything but hard sector diskettes?? I can >always do a serial patch between one of my machines and his, >but that seems like "the hard way". Any hard-sector users >out there?? How do you get software?? I asked a friend of mine who has a Z89 and he says that the hardware is capable of either hard or soft, it's all in the BIOS, which is on the system tracks of the boot disk. IOW, to "convert" his machine to a soft-sectored machine, simply get your hands on a soft-sectored boot disk, and do it. Is there a HUG around there somewhere? (Heathkit User Group) Most Heath stores sponsor them or at least know of them. US Snail: Mike Morris UUCP: Morris@Jade.JPL.NASA.gov P.O. Box 1130 Also: WA6ILQ Arcadia, Ca. 91006-1130 #Include disclaimer.standard | The opinions above probably do not even
andrew@frip.WV.TEK.COM (Andrew Klossner) (08/03/89)
"A friend of mine just bought a used "H-89" computer (a
Heathkit) that runs some form of CP/M. I'd like to give him
some PD software ..."
The original H89 design put ROM at location 0, and a special CP/M was
created which could accommodate this. (The same hack was used on the
TRS-80 model III.) Standard CP/M binaries will not work on such a
system.
There was a mod to the H89 later which made the ROM shadow-able and put
RAM at 0. Before you spend a lot of time moving your software onto H89
disks, you might as well find out if it has the mod.
-=- Andrew Klossner (uunet!tektronix!frip.WV.TEK!andrew) [UUCP]
(andrew%frip.wv.tek.com@relay.cs.net) [ARPA]mlewis@unocss.UUCP (Marcus S. Lewis) (08/03/89)
From article <8908012103.AA03920@lll-lcc.llnl.gov>, by rzh@LLL-LCC.LLNL.GOV (Roger Hanscom): > A friend of mine just bought a used "H-89" computer (a > Heathkit) that runs some form of CP/M. I'd like to give > him some PD software, but this machine runs hard-sectored > 5.25" diskettes. Is there an efficient way to do it? I > can read and write many 5.25" formats -- can a hard sector > controller read anything but hard sector diskettes?? I can > always do a serial patch between one of my machines and his, > but that seems like "the hard way". Any hard-sector users > out there?? How do you get software?? There is the Heath User Group, who distributes a fair amount of stuff in hard-sector format. The _only_ other option is to hook up a serial link (preferably at 9600+). My tertiary system is a Micropolis-based machine, 16-sector, 77 tracks, SSQD, 315K per disk. It doesn't have a whole lot, since I have never managed to get a serial port to cuntion with the odd system clock I have on the CPU (1.8432MHz - most S100 systems demand a 2 MHz clock for a serial port). Actually, as late as three years ago, you could have gone to a Heathkit store for conversion. A lot of them had -89's with two controllers in them. One of his options is to add a second disk controller (soft-sectored, of course), which will give him a bit more storage to boot. So I misspoke. There are some options. Marc -- Na khuya mne podpis'? | Internet: cs057@zeus.unl.edu | UUCP: uunet!btni!unocss!mlewis Go for it! | Bitnet: CS057@UNOMA1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
parker@epiwrl.EPI.COM (Alan Parker) (08/04/89)
In article <1515@jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov> morris@jade.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (Mike Morris) writes: >I asked a friend of mine who has a Z89 and he says that the hardware >is capable of either hard or soft, it's all in the BIOS, which is on the >system tracks of the boot disk. IOW, to "convert" his machine to a >soft-sectored machine, simply get your hands on a soft-sectored boot >disk, and do it. > This is not true. The drive is pretty much the standard 5 1/4" drive (of that day), but the controller is completely different. Heath/Zenith and a number of third party suppliers sold soft-sector controllers (called H37 format), but I'm not aware that any of these would also do hard sector (though I guess that could be possible). Many people had both hard sector and soft sector drives on H-89s. You either need to move stuff between the machines the with the serial lines or install a soft sector controller in the 89 (not too easy to find now). HUG sell (for about $15) a package that allows a PC to emulate an 89. This includes a pretty nice utility for moving stuff between them with the serial lines.