Zel's Fleet Blog - BX, Jag XJ-S, Sinclair C5, Mercedes 208D & 230TE, AC Model 70.

[CitroJim]

Oh gosh Zel! Now that IS a proper computer

Is it functional?

[Hell Razor5543]

My Mum used to work for DEC (back in the Eighties), and I got to see PDP11s and other equipment.

[Zelandeth]

Oh gosh Zel! Now that IS a proper computer

Is it functional?

This one is a work in progress, but they have plenty of similar metal in their workshop and in storage which is fully functional.

Might have to see if we can get one of my era appropriate systems (Apple II? Using an IBM-PC compatible would be too easy) set up running a terminal emulator, hooked up to a similarly era appropriate modem (which I DO randomly have), and dial into a session on one of those systems like it's the early 80s. For absolutely no reason other than because we can. Or at least we think we can! Reasonably confident we have all the necessary bits.

[Zelandeth]

Just remembered that I meant to include something about the camera I mentioned a few posts ago but forgot.

This is the offending item.





The issue is pretty obvious - in that you can actually see contamination on the shutter blades.



Unlike modern cameras, it seems that all of the actual camera gubbins live entirely in here. Only thing in the body itself is the film advance mechanism.





Which in *theory* should make servicing easier I'd think. Though equally I've never had one apart so wouldn't know for certain.

[CitroJim]

Oh gosh Zel! Now that IS a proper computer

Is it functional?

This one is a work in progress, but they have plenty of similar metal in their workshop and in storage which is fully functional.

Might have to see if we can get one of my era appropriate systems (Apple II? Using an IBM-PC compatible would be too easy) set up running a terminal emulator, hooked up to a similarly era appropriate modem (which I DO randomly have), and dial into a session on one of those systems like it's the early 80s. For absolutely no reason other than because we can. Or at least we think we can! Reasonably confident we have all the necessary bits.

That would be great Zel Lots of memories would come flooding back!

On the camera, yes all is in the front part of the lens assembly and as far as I can determine, it's all pretty standard stuff. The big problem with those cameras are small holes in the bellows. Only real fix to that is new bellows.

[Zelandeth]

One mighty hunter.

[RichardW]

Thought you'd be interested in this Zel!

[John Pankhurst]

Might have been on they way back from here

[Zelandeth]

Turns out that the guy who I was helping shuffle some computing big iron around is going to be helping clear some kit out from a big collection later in the year. For some unknown reason I've asked them to keep an eye out for a "small" system for me and an appropriate terminal. I've actually wanted a proper terminal like a VT-100 for ages anyway. Aside from anything else I really want to set it up and use one as a user interface for my main PC just because I can. Being Linux based the OS is absolutely just as happy to be run from a terminal session as through a fancy GUI. The little bit where it says "User whatever logged in on tty1" even shows it's roots there the "tty" there dates back to when you'd be logging into a *NIX based mainframe via a teletype. So while it's absolutely not something I in any way need, a smaller minicomputer like a PDP 11/73 may at some point be heading my way. Hopefully an RL-02 disk drive and the necessary interface gubbins as well because who *doesn't* want a 35kg drive that uses 14" 10Mb disk packs?

No idea whether it will come to anything or what form it might actually take, but I have expressed my interest. Something like an 11/73 seems a reasonable stepping stone between the two worlds of microcomputer and minicomputer. Of course whatever it is will not have been in use for a significant number of years, so the resurrection will be half the fun of it. Including some slightly scary power supplies which can supply many, many tens of amps on the 5V (and probably 12V) rail.

Been very little else to report as we have been running around seemingly non stop dealing with medical nonsense over the last couple of weeks, and that's not looking likely to change any time soon sadly.

[CitroJim]

Absolutely love it Zel I hope it all works out...

[Zelandeth]

Finally got around to changing the oil and filter on the Volvo so I can get it to quit nagging me.

This took an hour. All because of the utterly stupid plastic capped oil filter housing. I hate these things with a passion. The one on the Caddy was an utter swine every time I came to remove it, and the one on the Volvo has been the same. Know for a fact that this wasn't over tightened when it went on yet today I eventually after several rounds of escalation ended up with this level of brute force. Which on something made of plastic absolutely doesn't feel at all sketchy.



Thankfully it eventually chose cooperation rather than destruction, and came loose with a crack like a wheel bolt that had been done up by a Kwik Fit rattle gun. I do have a spare lid in the garage as it feels like it's only a matter of time until the thing explodes while I'm trying to remove it. Of course I then managed to drop the filter element down the front of the engine while trying to fish it out through a space which is far more awkward than it looks like it should be. Made a lovely mess and then had to be retrieved from where it ended up wedged between an engine mount and the under tray.

I *love* working on moderns...

Then after adding a new filter, new O-ring on the housing and adding nearly seventy quid's worth of oil, I reset the service indicator. This requires you to turn the key to position 1, press and hold the trip meter reset button, turn the key to position 2 then wait for the attention indicator on the dash to flash, release the button, then turn the ignition back off. I've done this often enough I can actually remember that now.

Couple of lamps need changing as well; one number plate light and this running light - the lamp above the one lit here should also be on.



That's really all there is to report in car terms at the moment.

I did a little tinkering this afternoon with another project though. Got this thing mobile again.



Rather than trying to rebuild the battery pack (which isn't the easiest thing to get in to), I decided why not just power it from a modern power bank. The input is just 12V DC, so nothing you can't do with a simple USB-C PD line with a voltage selector in line. This is a 115Wh battery, so should get a decent bit of run time out of this.



It will drop all the way down to 0.3A (3.6W) if you spin down the hard disk. Who said that old kit was horribly power hungry? There's a very good reason Toshiba didn't fit a plasma screen to this, and that's it! Does validate my memory that I used to get a good hour and a half, two hours out of the battery originally too given their 7.2V/2200mAh capacity, which nobody used to believe my claims of. I had three or four good batteries back then as well so could get most of the way through a coach trip from Aberdeen to MK or all the way through a school or university day without any trouble.

[CitroJim]

I feel your pain with modern oil filter housings Zel... I always use a torque wrench on mine but still need the breaker bar when undoing it...

I like the mix of ancient and modern with that laptop. A bit like a Blootoof adaptor on a valve amp to listen to Internet radio

[Zelandeth]

I feel your pain with modern oil filter housings Zel... I always use a torque wrench on mine but still need the breaker bar when undoing it...

I like the mix of ancient and modern with that laptop. A bit like a Blootoof adaptor on a valve amp to listen to Internet radio

Glad it's not just me doing something wrong with them then.

Honestly it wouldn't be too difficult to make a lithium battery pack for it. The existing charging circuit is laughably simple, taking advantage of the characteristics of the original NiCd pack. It's literally just charged via a dropper resistor from the 12V input. That's it. So substitution of the pack with one which has it's own internal charge controller would be trivially easy. Just a matter of cramming everything in there.

[PaulC5]

I smear oil on the oil filter plastic cap seal before screwing it back on. Then tighten with a torque wrench, think it is to 25 Nm, not a lot but the cap does not turn any more at that. Not needed a breaker bar to undo them but it seems to need a lot more than 25 Nm. I use a 6 point socket and often wonder if the plastic would break.

[mickthemaverick]

Don't forget the oil in the filter swirls round in a clockwise direction viewed from the top so over time tightening the filter by design rather than loosening it. So the longer between xhanges and the dirtier the oil the tighter it gets. Dirty oil has a higher drag factor than clean so the longer its left the tighter it gets. It was the same with traditional cartridge filters so not a new phenomenon!