Date   : Fri, 04 Dec 1992 17:55:22 GMT
From   : cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!darwin.sura.net!mlb.semi.harris.com!ZOO!rspangle@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (RSpangler)
Subject: CPM system and more

Hello,
I subscribed to this group because I use to be a moderate CPM user.  The
communication
going on seemed quite interesting.  For an OS that came out in the 70's,
it has 
survived quite well.  Now to the point, I have a DECMate 2 computer.  This
is a PDP-8
computer (uses a single VLSI chip instead of several boards) with an APU
(auxillary
processor unit) installed.  This APU is a Z80 micro based card with 64
Kbytes of memory
installed.  This allows me to run CPM 2.2.  My problem is that I cannot
format disks.
I have to buy them and they don't exist any more.  DEC did funny things
with this 
computer and did not provide all the utilities needed.  I have tried to
write a format
routine but to no avail.  The Z80 code offloads the disk functions to the
PDP-8 which
in turn controls the 8272 disk controller chip.  If you have any help or
maybe would
like to buy/swap this computer let me know via email.

______________________________________________________________________________
 
Ralph L. Spangler                      INTERNET: rspangle@su19bb.ess.harris.com
Harris Corporation                     
Government Aerospace Systems Division 
Mail Stop: 19-4827                     FAX:      407-727-4016
P.O. Box 94000                         Pager:    407-690-9712 (Digital)
Melbourne, Florida 32902               Voice:    407-727-5361
______________________________________________________________________________