So I'm posting this from a little RC2014 8-bit Z80 'modular computer'. It looks like a tiny little version of an S-100 system, and is (at the moment) running CP/M 2.2. As the title says, it's not vintage (given that I literally built it last weekend from a collection of new parts), but it's definitely retro. :)

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* Origin: Telnet: bbs.WalledCTTY.com:1989 - Fort Collins, CO USA (21:2/145)

On 2024-04-06 7:01 Abbub said...

As the title says, it's not vintage (given that
I literally built it last weekend from a collection of new parts), but it's definitely retro. :)

This is the exact distinction I personally use for some time.

--
smk
--- ENiGMA 1/2 v0.0.14-beta (linux; x64; 20.11.1)
* Origin: X65.zone (21:1/222)

So I'm posting this from a little RC2014 8-bit Z80
'modular computer'. It looks like a tiny little version
of an S-100 system, and is (at the moment) running CP/M
2.2. As the title says, it's not vintage (given that I
literally built it last weekend from a collection of new
parts), but it's definitely retro. :)

I've seen some posts online about the RC2014, it looks like a fun system. I'm curious what kind of peripherals and storage your setup has? What kind of display do you use? Is it actually S-100 compatible, or is it "in the style of a S-100 system"?

Do you run vintage CP/M software? What do you use for a terminal emulator for calling BBSes?

I'll save more questions for later! :)


Chris/akacastor

--- Maximus 3.01
* Origin: Another Millennium - Canada - another.tel (21:1/162)

So I'm posting this from a little RC2014 8-bit Z80 'modular computer'.
It looks like a tiny little version of an S-100 system, and is (at the moment) running CP/M 2.2. As the title says, it's not vintage (given
that I literally built it last weekend from a collection of new parts), but it's definitely retro. :)

I've seen these, and know there's a BBS thats running on this hardware - the project looks really cool, and I'm stoked that yer diving in and building one. Even cooler that you are dialing [TELNET] out with it!



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--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbS>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

On Sat Apr 6 11:10:00 2024, AKAcastor wrote to Abbub <=-

So I'm posting this from a little RC2014 8-bit Z80
'modular computer'. It looks like a tiny little version
of an S-100 system, and is (at the moment) running CP/M
2.2. As the title says, it's not vintage (given that I
literally built it last weekend from a collection of new
parts), but it's definitely retro. :)

I've seen some posts online about the RC2014, it looks like a fun system. I'm curious what kind of peripherals and storage your setup has? What kind of display do you use? Is it actually S-100 compatible, or is it "in the style of a S-100 system"?

I made a few of these systems a few years ago, only one rc2014 but more of steve cousins compatible machines, the display is almost always via serial, i don't know what S-100 is though.

Storage depends on the addon cards, the bare rc2014 has no storage, (it also doesn't have cp/m) but you can add a compact flash card for storage. I also built an IDE card for mine and could plug in an IDE hard drive. (Which is really overkill for CP/M)

Do you run vintage CP/M software? What do you use for a terminal emulator for calling BBSes?

Yes, it runs vintage CP/M software (it's built with a Z80 CPU, so most stuff works. The terminal software is a bit tricker, because it depends on the serial ports you have (you need two seriial ports, one for the display, and one for the "modem" I used an SIO/2 serial card i don't remember what the terminal program i used was, but i'm sure kermit is available (though i don't think that was the one i used.)

Andrew

=== TitanMail/linux v1.2.4

--- Talisman v0.53-dev (FreeBSD/amd64)
* Origin: Smuggler's Cove - scove.talismanbbs.com:2323 (21:1/182)

*** Quoting Akacastor to Abbub dated 04-06-24 ***

system. I'm curious what kind of peripherals and storage your setup
has? What kind of display do you use? Is it actually S-100
compatible, or is it "in the style of a S-100 system"?

This system has a Z80 processor running at 7 MHz and change, it has a 512K ROM and 512K of memory. It has a dual clock board, so the system can run at one clock speed, and other peripherals (if needed) can run off of a second clock. (For instance, the serial port I'm 'dialing out' to tcpser with is actually running at 9600 baud off of the second clock.) It also has a card that provides dual serial ports, and a little digital IO card that has buttons and LED that you can programmatically access.

It doesn't have a 'display' as such, but rather is accessed through a serial console. The main port (running off of the primary clock) is 115200 and I'm connected to it using a terminal app that is pretending to be a VT100. Then I'm dialing out through the second serial port at 9600 baud using a terminal program called QTERM82.COM

It's not S-100 compatible, but more in the style of S-100 (though much smaller) where you have a 'motherboard' that's just a bunch of slots that you can plug cards into. I actually *do* have a real S-100 system that I'm in the process of restoring. (An IMS Series 8000, which is the first computer I ever wrote software decades ago.)

*** Quoting Akacastor to Abbub dated 04-06-24 ***

Do you run vintage CP/M software? What do you use for a terminal
emulator for calling BBSes?

Yeah, I'm running CP/M 2.2 on it, and I'm calling in using a program called QTERM82. I was just a kid the last time I used CP/M, so I don't have a LOT of experience with it. I liken it as being to MS-DOS as middle English is to modern English. It's familiar, yet very odd.

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* Origin: Telnet: bbs.WalledCTTY.com:1989 - Fort Collins, CO USA (21:2/145)

*** Quoting Paulie420 to Abbub dated 04-06-24 ***

I've seen these, and know there's a BBS thats running on this hardware

yep. rc2014.ddns.net:2014 - I literally was just on it before I dialed into my own board to check for new fsxnet messages. :) It's kind of cool because it's a BBS experience that feels very 'golden age' and pre-dates my own experiences on boards from the mid-late 80s when most of the (big) boards in my area had moved to DOS based software.

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* Origin: Telnet: bbs.WalledCTTY.com:1989 - Fort Collins, CO USA (21:2/145)

It's not S-100 compatible, but more in the style of S-
100 (though much smaller) where you have a
'motherboard' that's just a bunch of slots that you can
plug cards into. I actually *do* have a real S-100
system that I'm in the process of restoring. (An IMS
Series 8000, which is the first computer I ever wrote
software decades ago.)

Thanks for the explanation, that makes a lot of sense ("in the style of S-100") and sounds like fun.

The IMS Series 8000 sounds super interesting too! I just googled and I think I found your thread about it on forum.vcfed.org. Very cool!

Yeah, I'm running CP/M 2.2 on it, and I'm calling in
using a program called QTERM82. I was just a kid the
last time I used CP/M, so I don't have a LOT of
experience with it. I liken it as being to MS-DOS as
middle English is to modern English. It's familiar, yet very odd.

I like your description of using CP/M. I have never used it, just am aware that may parts of DOS's early design are borrowed from CP/M, and have done some brief reading about Gary Kildall. I've watched a bunch of The Computer Chronicles episodes on YouTube, what a gem that show was and what a gem Gary was as co-host!


Chris/akacastor

--- Maximus 3.01
* Origin: Another Millennium - Canada - another.tel (21:1/162)

*** Quoting Akacastor to Abbub dated 04-07-24 ***

The IMS Series 8000 sounds super interesting too! I just googled and I
think I found your thread about it on forum.vcfed.org. Very cool!

Yep, that's probably my thread. I think there are about four people on the VCFed forum who actually have one of these. One of the guys down in TX has been helping me out quite a lot. There's just one more puzzle related to a boot failure that I need to figure out. Then I'll call in from THAT system.

*** Quoting Akacastor to Abbub dated 04-07-24 ***

have done some brief reading about Gary Kildall. I've watched a bunch
of The Computer Chronicles episodes on YouTube, what a gem that show
was and what a gem Gary was as co-host!

Yeah, I love watching those old episodes of the Computer Chronicles. It's particulary fun to reflect on the paranoia (here in the states) about what the Japanese computer industry was doing and how they might out-compete us. That never really panned out, but it's definitely something that got brought up a lot on those early shows.

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* Origin: Telnet: bbs.WalledCTTY.com:1989 - Fort Collins, CO USA (21:2/145)

Yeah, I love watching those old episodes of the Computer
Chronicles. It's particulary fun to reflect on the
paranoia (here in the states) about what the Japanese
computer industry was doing and how they might out-
compete us. That never really panned out, but it's
definitely something that got brought up a lot on those
early shows.

Now that you mention it, I did notice that as a recurring theme. It caught my attention as I got into computers in the late 80s-90s, and by then I don't remember hearing about Japanese companies taking over the North American computer market.

There was sure a LOT of change (and creation) going on in the 70s and 80s computers business!


Chris/akacastor

--- Maximus 3.01
* Origin: Another Millennium - Canada - another.tel (21:1/162)

I've seen these, and know there's a BBS thats running on this hardware

yep. rc2014.ddns.net:2014

Thats the one - thanks for sharing so I can revisit it!!!!!



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--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbS>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

Am 06.04.24 schrieb Abbub@21:2/145 in FSX_RETRO:

Hallo Abbub,

It doesn't have a 'display' as such, but rather is accessed through a
serial console. The main port (running off of the primary clock) is 115200 and I'm connected to it using a terminal app that is pretending to be a VT100. Then I'm dialing out through the second serial port at 9600 baud using a terminal program called QTERM82.COM

Just fyi: The terminal program can be found in my Git repo: https://git.imzadi.de/acn/qterm
as I've made some of the patches to QTERM, so it can be used on a
RC2014 (and similar CP/M machines).
And btw, it's called QTERM82 because 0x82 is the IO port for the
second serial port on a RC2014 :)

If you - or someone else - likes to play some games on CP/M, I've
collected some games that are pre-patched for VT100/ANSI terminals: https://git.imzadi.de/acn/vt100-games

Regards,
Anna

--- OpenXP 5.0.57
* Origin: Imzadi Box Point (21:3/127.1)

*** Quoting Acn to Abbub dated 04-09-24 ***

Just fyi: The terminal program can be found in my Git repo: https://git.imzadi.de/acn/qterm

Yep that happens to be the very version of the very terminal program I'm using right now! :D :D :D Thank you very much for your work patching it! I have my terminal app setup with a VT100 font and set to 'green'. Connecting to other computers from a Z80 is the only way to fly in 2024. lol

*** Quoting Acn to Abbub dated 04-09-24 ***

If you - or someone else - likes to play some games on CP/M, I've
collected some games that are pre-patched for VT100/ANSI terminals: https://git.imzadi.de/acn/vt100-games

I will definitely check those out! Thanks again!

---
* Origin: Telnet: bbs.WalledCTTY.com:1989 - Fort Collins, CO USA (21:2/145)

Am 09.04.24 schrieb Abbub@21:2/145 in FSX_RETRO:

Hallo Abbub,

Just fyi: The terminal program can be found in my Git repo:
https://git.imzadi.de/acn/qterm

Yep that happens to be the very version of the very terminal program I'm using right now! :D :D :D Thank you very much for your work patching it! I have my terminal app setup with a VT100 font and set to 'green'. Connecting to other computers from a Z80 is the only way to fly in 2024. lol

I'm happy that people use it and have fun with it :)

If you - or someone else - likes to play some games on CP/M, I've
collected some games that are pre-patched for VT100/ANSI terminals:
https://git.imzadi.de/acn/vt100-games

I will definitely check those out! Thanks again!

Have fun playing! :)
I plan to add some more games in the future, I have some on my list.
But I need to find some energy to do it (search, download, test, maybe
patch, package, upload ...). It might take a while, but it is planned
:)

Regards,
Anna

--- OpenXP 5.0.57
* Origin: Imzadi Box Point (21:3/127.1)