[TUHS] Unisoft V7 68k sources (reviving a Codata machine)

[M.Engel@leedsbeckett.ac.uk (Engel, Michael)]

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Hi Steve, 

whow, what a small world!

On 03 Oct 2014, at 20:03, Steve Simon <steve at quintile.net> wrote:

>> The machine is a Codata 300
> 
> Wow.
> 
> I went to Leeds Poly (as it was then) in the mid 1980s.
> 
> There where two Codatas in the electronics dept., one in its
> original plastic case and one 19inch rackmount - built as a
> IEEE 488 controller; I assume what you have is one of those.

The machines were a bit cannibalised over the last decades,
we actually have the boards from both machines, one of them
build into the 19" rack machine. The machine survived the 
closing down of the electronics department, now we're busy
building everything up again... 

> The former machine was loaded with Whitesmiths cross compilers
> and I learnt z80 assembly language on it ☺

There's still a Whitesmiths logo attached to the case - this is what
the machine looks like today: http://multicores.org/Codata.jpg
A 5.25" ST412 disk, two 8" SMD disks and a Cypher 9 track tape
are also still there.

> It ran V7 indeed, and was a friend of the Interdata/Perkin Elmer 
> 3210, the  main electronics teaching machine. If it is this
> machine then it should have the V7 source from the 3210 (Xelos
> as it was called) and the source for the drivers for the
> codata (which we gained by "accident").

Whow, let's keep our fingers crossed that the disks still work...
I haven't tried powering the machine up so far. Unfortunately,
the Interdata no longer exists (what a pity), but the first thing
I will do when the machine is running is to run a full backup. 
Luckily, the Codata has a 5.25" floppy drive, since I no longer 
have easy access to a 9-track SCSI drive (and the last time 
I set up UUCP is far too long ago...).

> I may be able to remember some other snippets - contat me 
> off-list with specific questions. I can give you the names
> of the lecturers who would know most about it but I guess they
> are now retired (though they may still be Headingly somwhere).

Actually, quite a number of the people are still here. More off-list.

> (fondly remembers Leeds).

I only came to Leeds about two months ago - and so far, it's really
great here!

Best wishes,
    Michael