2-Jan-92 08:39:10-MST,3200;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU by WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL with TCP; Thu, 2 Jan 92 08:38:58 MST Received: by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (5.63/1.43) id AA10272; Wed, 1 Jan 92 18:58:42 -0800 Received: from USENET by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU with netnews for northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil) (contact usenet@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU if you have questions) Date: 13 Dec 91 18:42:45 GMT From: seas.gwu.edu!biby@uunet.uu.net (Rich Biby) Organization: George Washington University Subject: Re: Northstar Dimension Message-Id: <1991Dec13.184245.4111@seas.gwu.edu> References: <742@aplcomm.JHUAPL.EDU> Sender: northstar-users-request@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil To: northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil In article <742@aplcomm.JHUAPL.EDU> craig@aplcomm.JHUAPL.EDU (Craig Myers) writes: >I just acquired a Northstar Dimension from my Church (were >churches the only ones to buy these things?). The system had >intermittent problems and ha been shoved in a corner for the >last year. This box does not have an s100 bus, It appears to >be similar to the IBM PC's (62 pins). Also, has a custom CPU >chip and an 80186. I don't have software or any terminals, so >its doubtful I can use it as a system. Does anyone know if >the disk drives are usable on a PC system (one 15 meg and a > 35 meg drive)? Well at least its a nice big case with a > heavy power supply and a couple of fans. > > I now have : > A Timex Sinclair 1000 > Atari 400 > Comodore 64 > Apple II e (I still use this one) > >and a wife who wonders what all the junk is for! > >craig@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu > Well, I owned a N* dealership, but never did I use a dimension. I went to high skool with two guys I opened the store with (We were all in high skool), both of whom went of to do more with N* that I. The first guy I know I talked about before, Chip White. He has a bad habbit of not returning fone calles, but for Advantage/Horizon stuff, try hime a 216-775-1314. He is a tour manager for a musician (sp?) and will be back in Ohio after Sunday. Chip became one of a very few guys in the country to fix/support N* after N* droped A/H. He is pretty much out of "the biz", but may have some good contacts. The second guy I have not seen in a while, but we were like borhters many years ago, Tom Johnston. Tom went to work for N* in CA, and did stuff with the dimensions. I don't really know what. Tom worked at Northern Lights Computers in Berkley also. I know Tom no longer has much of anything to do with N*/and any corporate remains, but he might know someone who knows.... I don't have a number for Tom handy, but if you are interested, drop me a note. He lives in Berkley -- try information if you like. Closing arguments: Don't remind me how much I paid for that ST506 5 MB hard disk..... Best regards to all, Rich -- Rich Biby | 205 N. Evergreen Street, Arlington, VA 22203 (703) 528-8489 KD4DSX | Communications Data Services, Inc. we are the | 6105-E Arlington Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22044 people our | (703) 534-0034 FAX:(703) 534-7884 (800) 441-0034 2-Jan-92 09:07:07-MST,1589;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU by WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL with TCP; Thu, 2 Jan 92 09:07:02 MST Received: by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (5.63/1.43) id AA02520; Wed, 1 Jan 92 15:57:06 -0800 Received: from USENET by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU with netnews for northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil) (contact usenet@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU if you have questions) Date: 13 Dec 91 16:57:41 GMT From: elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!aplcomm!craig@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Craig Myers) Organization: JHU/APL, Laurel, MD Subject: Northstar Dimension Message-Id: <742@aplcomm.JHUAPL.EDU> Sender: northstar-users-request@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil To: northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil I just acquired a Northstar Dimension from my Church (were churches the only ones to buy these things?). The system had intermittent problems and ha been shoved in a corner for the last year. This box does not have an s100 bus, It appears to be similar to the IBM PC's (62 pins). Also, has a custom CPU chip and an 80186. I don't have software or any terminals, so its doubtful I can use it as a system. Does anyone know if the disk drives are usable on a PC system (one 15 meg and a 35 meg drive)? Well at least its a nice big case with a heavy power supply and a couple of fans. I now have : A Timex Sinclair 1000 Atari 400 Comodore 64 Apple II e (I still use this one) and a wife who wonders what all the junk is for! craig@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu 2-Jan-92 09:16:57-MST,2221;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU by WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL with TCP; Thu, 2 Jan 92 09:16:52 MST Received: by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (5.63/1.43) id AA24594; Wed, 1 Jan 92 12:59:39 -0800 Received: from USENET by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU with netnews for northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil) (contact usenet@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU if you have questions) Date: 12 Dec 91 22:35:28 GMT From: hsdndev!adm!amsaa-cleo!dileo@rutgers.edu (John J. DiLeo) Organization: Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity Subject: Re: nostalgia Message-Id: <5390@amsaa-cleo.brl.mil> References: <1991Dec10.202125.16402@cco.caltech.edu>, <1991Dec10.221251.24036@tandem.com>, <1991Dec10.230224.3836@seas.gwu.edu> Sender: northstar-users-request@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil To: northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil In article <1991Dec10.230224.3836@seas.gwu.edu> biby@seas.gwu.edu (Rich Biby) writes: > >Well, this is the most activity I've seen here in a long time. Last >time someone asked a question about N*, I gave away my entire colection >of 4. And most of them are humming along quite nicely. Thank you very much 8-). I still haven't actually gotten any actual copies of the hard disk OS for the Horizon Rich gave me. I did get a couple of e-mailed promises, but no disks have yet arrived. So, I make my plea once again. Does anyone out there have copies of the Hard Disk OS (HDOS or, if it exists/ed, CP/M) for the Horizon? >I once had a N* dealership. Time have changed. I just >got may 20 MHZ 68030 Macintosh NOTEBOOK.... > >Still, I miss the S-100..... > >Regards to all, >Rich And, on a mostly unrelated question, how are things with your GPS set since the DOD activated the S/A degradation (you did know it's active now, right 8-)?? >-- >Rich Biby | 205 N. Evergreen Street, Arlington, VA 22203 (703) 528-8489 >KD4DSX | Communications Data Services, Inc. >we are the | 6105-E Arlington Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22044 >people our | (703) 534-0034 FAX:(703) 534-7884 (800) 441-0034 John DiLeo dileo@brl.mil --Proprietor, Aberdeen North*Star Museum and Emporium 8-) 3-Jan-92 11:35:45-MST,2154;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU by WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL with TCP; Fri, 3 Jan 92 11:35:41 MST Received: by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (5.63/1.43) id AA07296; Fri, 3 Jan 92 10:21:35 -0800 Received: from USENET by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU with netnews for northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil) (contact usenet@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU if you have questions) Date: 19 Dec 91 06:01:50 GMT From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!hellgate.utah.edu!cc.usu.edu!grimaud@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU Organization: Utah State University Subject: double density controller Message-Id: <1991Dec19.000150.51422@cc.usu.edu> Sender: northstar-users-request@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil To: northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil There was so little activity in this group that I dropped it off my register list. Imagine my surprise to randomly check it and see 7 whole messages! I've owned a NorthStar Horizon for about a year now. Paid $15 for a full up system with two double-density disk drives and lots o' memory. Talk about price/performance! Anyway, the note about the single-density disk controller being a turkey made me think about the problem I've been having with the double density controller. There seems to be a race condition between the hardware that deselects the drive after 30 seconds or so of inactivity and the software, which checks to see if the drive has been deseleced before using the drive. Turbo Pascal 3.01A seems to always land right in the race; that is, it will decide that the drive has not yet been deselected and then the hardware will deselect the drive before it starts being used. System hangs nicely. Comments? I've got some version of Lifeboat CP/M and have probably incorrectly described the problem; it's been a while since I played with it. I've actually pretty much retired my N* because it's impossible to find hard-sectored diskettes these days. I gave most of mine along with a N* to a friend's girlfriend who just needed a word processing engine. Roger Ivie c/o grimaud@cc.usu.edu 8-Jan-92 09:07:23-MST,628;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from ADM.BRL.MIL by WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL with TCP; Wed, 8 Jan 92 09:07:15 MST Received: from tbd2.brl.mil by ADM.BRL.MIL id aa16158; 8 Jan 92 11:04 EST Date: Wed, 8 Jan 92 11:02:19 EST From: George Keller (IBD|ABB) To: northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil cc: keller@BRL.MIL Subject: NS diskettes Message-ID: <9201081102.aa08067@TBD2.BRL.MIL> Lyben still carries 10-hard-sector diskettes, $15.90 for a box of 10. The part number is LCS 0038. Phone (313) 649-4500. Lyben is at 1150 Maplelawn, Troy, MI 48084. Cheers. George 2-Jan-92 08:39:10-MST,3200;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU by WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL with TCP; Thu, 2 Jan 92 08:38:58 MST Received: by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (5.63/1.43) id AA10272; Wed, 1 Jan 92 18:58:42 -0800 Received: from USENET by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU with netnews for northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil) (contact usenet@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU if you have questions) Date: 13 Dec 91 18:42:45 GMT From: seas.gwu.edu!biby@uunet.uu.net (Rich Biby) Organization: George Washington University Subject: Re: Northstar Dimension Message-Id: <1991Dec13.184245.4111@seas.gwu.edu> References: <742@aplcomm.JHUAPL.EDU> Sender: northstar-users-request@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil To: northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil In article <742@aplcomm.JHUAPL.EDU> craig@aplcomm.JHUAPL.EDU (Craig Myers) writes: >I just acquired a Northstar Dimension from my Church (were >churches the only ones to buy these things?). The system had >intermittent problems and ha been shoved in a corner for the >last year. This box does not have an s100 bus, It appears to >be similar to the IBM PC's (62 pins). Also, has a custom CPU >chip and an 80186. I don't have software or any terminals, so >its doubtful I can use it as a system. Does anyone know if >the disk drives are usable on a PC system (one 15 meg and a > 35 meg drive)? Well at least its a nice big case with a > heavy power supply and a couple of fans. > > I now have : > A Timex Sinclair 1000 > Atari 400 > Comodore 64 > Apple II e (I still use this one) > >and a wife who wonders what all the junk is for! > >craig@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu > Well, I owned a N* dealership, but never did I use a dimension. I went to high skool with two guys I opened the store with (We were all in high skool), both of whom went of to do more with N* that I. The first guy I know I talked about before, Chip White. He has a bad habbit of not returning fone calles, but for Advantage/Horizon stuff, try hime a 216-775-1314. He is a tour manager for a musician (sp?) and will be back in Ohio after Sunday. Chip became one of a very few guys in the country to fix/support N* after N* droped A/H. He is pretty much out of "the biz", but may have some good contacts. The second guy I have not seen in a while, but we were like borhters many years ago, Tom Johnston. Tom went to work for N* in CA, and did stuff with the dimensions. I don't really know what. Tom worked at Northern Lights Computers in Berkley also. I know Tom no longer has much of anything to do with N*/and any corporate remains, but he might know someone who knows.... I don't have a number for Tom handy, but if you are interested, drop me a note. He lives in Berkley -- try information if you like. Closing arguments: Don't remind me how much I paid for that ST506 5 MB hard disk..... Best regards to all, Rich -- Rich Biby | 205 N. Evergreen Street, Arlington, VA 22203 (703) 528-8489 KD4DSX | Communications Data Services, Inc. we are the | 6105-E Arlington Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22044 people our | (703) 534-0034 FAX:(703) 534-7884 (800) 441-0034 2-Jan-92 09:07:07-MST,1589;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU by WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL with TCP; Thu, 2 Jan 92 09:07:02 MST Received: by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (5.63/1.43) id AA02520; Wed, 1 Jan 92 15:57:06 -0800 Received: from USENET by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU with netnews for northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil) (contact usenet@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU if you have questions) Date: 13 Dec 91 16:57:41 GMT From: elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!aplcomm!craig@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Craig Myers) Organization: JHU/APL, Laurel, MD Subject: Northstar Dimension Message-Id: <742@aplcomm.JHUAPL.EDU> Sender: northstar-users-request@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil To: northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil I just acquired a Northstar Dimension from my Church (were churches the only ones to buy these things?). The system had intermittent problems and ha been shoved in a corner for the last year. This box does not have an s100 bus, It appears to be similar to the IBM PC's (62 pins). Also, has a custom CPU chip and an 80186. I don't have software or any terminals, so its doubtful I can use it as a system. Does anyone know if the disk drives are usable on a PC system (one 15 meg and a 35 meg drive)? Well at least its a nice big case with a heavy power supply and a couple of fans. I now have : A Timex Sinclair 1000 Atari 400 Comodore 64 Apple II e (I still use this one) and a wife who wonders what all the junk is for! craig@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu 2-Jan-92 09:16:57-MST,2221;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU by WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL with TCP; Thu, 2 Jan 92 09:16:52 MST Received: by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (5.63/1.43) id AA24594; Wed, 1 Jan 92 12:59:39 -0800 Received: from USENET by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU with netnews for northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil) (contact usenet@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU if you have questions) Date: 12 Dec 91 22:35:28 GMT From: hsdndev!adm!amsaa-cleo!dileo@rutgers.edu (John J. DiLeo) Organization: Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity Subject: Re: nostalgia Message-Id: <5390@amsaa-cleo.brl.mil> References: <1991Dec10.202125.16402@cco.caltech.edu>, <1991Dec10.221251.24036@tandem.com>, <1991Dec10.230224.3836@seas.gwu.edu> Sender: northstar-users-request@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil To: northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil In article <1991Dec10.230224.3836@seas.gwu.edu> biby@seas.gwu.edu (Rich Biby) writes: > >Well, this is the most activity I've seen here in a long time. Last >time someone asked a question about N*, I gave away my entire colection >of 4. And most of them are humming along quite nicely. Thank you very much 8-). I still haven't actually gotten any actual copies of the hard disk OS for the Horizon Rich gave me. I did get a couple of e-mailed promises, but no disks have yet arrived. So, I make my plea once again. Does anyone out there have copies of the Hard Disk OS (HDOS or, if it exists/ed, CP/M) for the Horizon? >I once had a N* dealership. Time have changed. I just >got may 20 MHZ 68030 Macintosh NOTEBOOK.... > >Still, I miss the S-100..... > >Regards to all, >Rich And, on a mostly unrelated question, how are things with your GPS set since the DOD activated the S/A degradation (you did know it's active now, right 8-)?? >-- >Rich Biby | 205 N. Evergreen Street, Arlington, VA 22203 (703) 528-8489 >KD4DSX | Communications Data Services, Inc. >we are the | 6105-E Arlington Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22044 >people our | (703) 534-0034 FAX:(703) 534-7884 (800) 441-0034 John DiLeo dileo@brl.mil --Proprietor, Aberdeen North*Star Museum and Emporium 8-) 3-Jan-92 11:35:45-MST,2154;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU by WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL with TCP; Fri, 3 Jan 92 11:35:41 MST Received: by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (5.63/1.43) id AA07296; Fri, 3 Jan 92 10:21:35 -0800 Received: from USENET by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU with netnews for northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil) (contact usenet@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU if you have questions) Date: 19 Dec 91 06:01:50 GMT From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!hellgate.utah.edu!cc.usu.edu!grimaud@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU Organization: Utah State University Subject: double density controller Message-Id: <1991Dec19.000150.51422@cc.usu.edu> Sender: northstar-users-request@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil To: northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil There was so little activity in this group that I dropped it off my register list. Imagine my surprise to randomly check it and see 7 whole messages! I've owned a NorthStar Horizon for about a year now. Paid $15 for a full up system with two double-density disk drives and lots o' memory. Talk about price/performance! Anyway, the note about the single-density disk controller being a turkey made me think about the problem I've been having with the double density controller. There seems to be a race condition between the hardware that deselects the drive after 30 seconds or so of inactivity and the software, which checks to see if the drive has been deseleced before using the drive. Turbo Pascal 3.01A seems to always land right in the race; that is, it will decide that the drive has not yet been deselected and then the hardware will deselect the drive before it starts being used. System hangs nicely. Comments? I've got some version of Lifeboat CP/M and have probably incorrectly described the problem; it's been a while since I played with it. I've actually pretty much retired my N* because it's impossible to find hard-sectored diskettes these days. I gave most of mine along with a N* to a friend's girlfriend who just needed a word processing engine. Roger Ivie c/o grimaud@cc.usu.edu 8-Jan-92 09:07:23-MST,628;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from ADM.BRL.MIL by WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL with TCP; Wed, 8 Jan 92 09:07:15 MST Received: from tbd2.brl.mil by ADM.BRL.MIL id aa16158; 8 Jan 92 11:04 EST Date: Wed, 8 Jan 92 11:02:19 EST From: George Keller (IBD|ABB) To: northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil cc: keller@BRL.MIL Subject: NS diskettes Message-ID: <9201081102.aa08067@TBD2.BRL.MIL> Lyben still carries 10-hard-sector diskettes, $15.90 for a box of 10. The part number is LCS 0038. Phone (313) 649-4500. Lyben is at 1150 Maplelawn, Troy, MI 48084. Cheers. George 2-Jan-92 08:39:10-MST,3200;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU by WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL with TCP; Thu, 2 Jan 92 08:38:58 MST Received: by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (5.63/1.43) id AA10272; Wed, 1 Jan 92 18:58:42 -0800 Received: from USENET by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU with netnews for northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil) (contact usenet@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU if you have questions) Date: 13 Dec 91 18:42:45 GMT From: seas.gwu.edu!biby@uunet.uu.net (Rich Biby) Organization: George Washington University Subject: Re: Northstar Dimension Message-Id: <1991Dec13.184245.4111@seas.gwu.edu> References: <742@aplcomm.JHUAPL.EDU> Sender: northstar-users-request@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil To: northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil In article <742@aplcomm.JHUAPL.EDU> craig@aplcomm.JHUAPL.EDU (Craig Myers) writes: >I just acquired a Northstar Dimension from my Church (were >churches the only ones to buy these things?). The system had >intermittent problems and ha been shoved in a corner for the >last year. This box does not have an s100 bus, It appears to >be similar to the IBM PC's (62 pins). Also, has a custom CPU >chip and an 80186. I don't have software or any terminals, so >its doubtful I can use it as a system. Does anyone know if >the disk drives are usable on a PC system (one 15 meg and a > 35 meg drive)? Well at least its a nice big case with a > heavy power supply and a couple of fans. > > I now have : > A Timex Sinclair 1000 > Atari 400 > Comodore 64 > Apple II e (I still use this one) > >and a wife who wonders what all the junk is for! > >craig@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu > Well, I owned a N* dealership, but never did I use a dimension. I went to high skool with two guys I opened the store with (We were all in high skool), both of whom went of to do more with N* that I. The first guy I know I talked about before, Chip White. He has a bad habbit of not returning fone calles, but for Advantage/Horizon stuff, try hime a 216-775-1314. He is a tour manager for a musician (sp?) and will be back in Ohio after Sunday. Chip became one of a very few guys in the country to fix/support N* after N* droped A/H. He is pretty much out of "the biz", but may have some good contacts. The second guy I have not seen in a while, but we were like borhters many years ago, Tom Johnston. Tom went to work for N* in CA, and did stuff with the dimensions. I don't really know what. Tom worked at Northern Lights Computers in Berkley also. I know Tom no longer has much of anything to do with N*/and any corporate remains, but he might know someone who knows.... I don't have a number for Tom handy, but if you are interested, drop me a note. He lives in Berkley -- try information if you like. Closing arguments: Don't remind me how much I paid for that ST506 5 MB hard disk..... Best regards to all, Rich -- Rich Biby | 205 N. Evergreen Street, Arlington, VA 22203 (703) 528-8489 KD4DSX | Communications Data Services, Inc. we are the | 6105-E Arlington Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22044 people our | (703) 534-0034 FAX:(703) 534-7884 (800) 441-0034 2-Jan-92 09:07:07-MST,1589;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU by WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL with TCP; Thu, 2 Jan 92 09:07:02 MST Received: by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (5.63/1.43) id AA02520; Wed, 1 Jan 92 15:57:06 -0800 Received: from USENET by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU with netnews for northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil) (contact usenet@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU if you have questions) Date: 13 Dec 91 16:57:41 GMT From: elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!aplcomm!craig@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Craig Myers) Organization: JHU/APL, Laurel, MD Subject: Northstar Dimension Message-Id: <742@aplcomm.JHUAPL.EDU> Sender: northstar-users-request@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil To: northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil I just acquired a Northstar Dimension from my Church (were churches the only ones to buy these things?). The system had intermittent problems and ha been shoved in a corner for the last year. This box does not have an s100 bus, It appears to be similar to the IBM PC's (62 pins). Also, has a custom CPU chip and an 80186. I don't have software or any terminals, so its doubtful I can use it as a system. Does anyone know if the disk drives are usable on a PC system (one 15 meg and a 35 meg drive)? Well at least its a nice big case with a heavy power supply and a couple of fans. I now have : A Timex Sinclair 1000 Atari 400 Comodore 64 Apple II e (I still use this one) and a wife who wonders what all the junk is for! craig@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu 2-Jan-92 09:16:57-MST,2221;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU by WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL with TCP; Thu, 2 Jan 92 09:16:52 MST Received: by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (5.63/1.43) id AA24594; Wed, 1 Jan 92 12:59:39 -0800 Received: from USENET by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU with netnews for northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil) (contact usenet@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU if you have questions) Date: 12 Dec 91 22:35:28 GMT From: hsdndev!adm!amsaa-cleo!dileo@rutgers.edu (John J. DiLeo) Organization: Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity Subject: Re: nostalgia Message-Id: <5390@amsaa-cleo.brl.mil> References: <1991Dec10.202125.16402@cco.caltech.edu>, <1991Dec10.221251.24036@tandem.com>, <1991Dec10.230224.3836@seas.gwu.edu> Sender: northstar-users-request@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil To: northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil In article <1991Dec10.230224.3836@seas.gwu.edu> biby@seas.gwu.edu (Rich Biby) writes: > >Well, this is the most activity I've seen here in a long time. Last >time someone asked a question about N*, I gave away my entire colection >of 4. And most of them are humming along quite nicely. Thank you very much 8-). I still haven't actually gotten any actual copies of the hard disk OS for the Horizon Rich gave me. I did get a couple of e-mailed promises, but no disks have yet arrived. So, I make my plea once again. Does anyone out there have copies of the Hard Disk OS (HDOS or, if it exists/ed, CP/M) for the Horizon? >I once had a N* dealership. Time have changed. I just >got may 20 MHZ 68030 Macintosh NOTEBOOK.... > >Still, I miss the S-100..... > >Regards to all, >Rich And, on a mostly unrelated question, how are things with your GPS set since the DOD activated the S/A degradation (you did know it's active now, right 8-)?? >-- >Rich Biby | 205 N. Evergreen Street, Arlington, VA 22203 (703) 528-8489 >KD4DSX | Communications Data Services, Inc. >we are the | 6105-E Arlington Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22044 >people our | (703) 534-0034 FAX:(703) 534-7884 (800) 441-0034 John DiLeo dileo@brl.mil --Proprietor, Aberdeen North*Star Museum and Emporium 8-) 3-Jan-92 11:35:45-MST,2154;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU by WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL with TCP; Fri, 3 Jan 92 11:35:41 MST Received: by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (5.63/1.43) id AA07296; Fri, 3 Jan 92 10:21:35 -0800 Received: from USENET by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU with netnews for northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil) (contact usenet@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU if you have questions) Date: 19 Dec 91 06:01:50 GMT From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!hellgate.utah.edu!cc.usu.edu!grimaud@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU Organization: Utah State University Subject: double density controller Message-Id: <1991Dec19.000150.51422@cc.usu.edu> Sender: northstar-users-request@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil To: northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil There was so little activity in this group that I dropped it off my register list. Imagine my surprise to randomly check it and see 7 whole messages! I've owned a NorthStar Horizon for about a year now. Paid $15 for a full up system with two double-density disk drives and lots o' memory. Talk about price/performance! Anyway, the note about the single-density disk controller being a turkey made me think about the problem I've been having with the double density controller. There seems to be a race condition between the hardware that deselects the drive after 30 seconds or so of inactivity and the software, which checks to see if the drive has been deseleced before using the drive. Turbo Pascal 3.01A seems to always land right in the race; that is, it will decide that the drive has not yet been deselected and then the hardware will deselect the drive before it starts being used. System hangs nicely. Comments? I've got some version of Lifeboat CP/M and have probably incorrectly described the problem; it's been a while since I played with it. I've actually pretty much retired my N* because it's impossible to find hard-sectored diskettes these days. I gave most of mine along with a N* to a friend's girlfriend who just needed a word processing engine. Roger Ivie c/o grimaud@cc.usu.edu 8-Jan-92 09:07:23-MST,628;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from ADM.BRL.MIL by WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL with TCP; Wed, 8 Jan 92 09:07:15 MST Received: from tbd2.brl.mil by ADM.BRL.MIL id aa16158; 8 Jan 92 11:04 EST Date: Wed, 8 Jan 92 11:02:19 EST From: George Keller (IBD|ABB) To: northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil cc: keller@BRL.MIL Subject: NS diskettes Message-ID: <9201081102.aa08067@TBD2.BRL.MIL> Lyben still carries 10-hard-sector diskettes, $15.90 for a box of 10. The part number is LCS 0038. Phone (313) 649-4500. Lyben is at 1150 Maplelawn, Troy, MI 48084. Cheers. George 2-Jan-92 08:39:10-MST,3200;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU by WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL with TCP; Thu, 2 Jan 92 08:38:58 MST Received: by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (5.63/1.43) id AA10272; Wed, 1 Jan 92 18:58:42 -0800 Received: from USENET by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU with netnews for northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil) (contact usenet@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU if you have questions) Date: 13 Dec 91 18:42:45 GMT From: seas.gwu.edu!biby@uunet.uu.net (Rich Biby) Organization: George Washington University Subject: Re: Northstar Dimension Message-Id: <1991Dec13.184245.4111@seas.gwu.edu> References: <742@aplcomm.JHUAPL.EDU> Sender: northstar-users-request@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil To: northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil In article <742@aplcomm.JHUAPL.EDU> craig@aplcomm.JHUAPL.EDU (Craig Myers) writes: >I just acquired a Northstar Dimension from my Church (were >churches the only ones to buy these things?). The system had >intermittent problems and ha been shoved in a corner for the >last year. This box does not have an s100 bus, It appears to >be similar to the IBM PC's (62 pins). Also, has a custom CPU >chip and an 80186. I don't have software or any terminals, so >its doubtful I can use it as a system. Does anyone know if >the disk drives are usable on a PC system (one 15 meg and a > 35 meg drive)? Well at least its a nice big case with a > heavy power supply and a couple of fans. > > I now have : > A Timex Sinclair 1000 > Atari 400 > Comodore 64 > Apple II e (I still use this one) > >and a wife who wonders what all the junk is for! > >craig@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu > Well, I owned a N* dealership, but never did I use a dimension. I went to high skool with two guys I opened the store with (We were all in high skool), both of whom went of to do more with N* that I. The first guy I know I talked about before, Chip White. He has a bad habbit of not returning fone calles, but for Advantage/Horizon stuff, try hime a 216-775-1314. He is a tour manager for a musician (sp?) and will be back in Ohio after Sunday. Chip became one of a very few guys in the country to fix/support N* after N* droped A/H. He is pretty much out of "the biz", but may have some good contacts. The second guy I have not seen in a while, but we were like borhters many years ago, Tom Johnston. Tom went to work for N* in CA, and did stuff with the dimensions. I don't really know what. Tom worked at Northern Lights Computers in Berkley also. I know Tom no longer has much of anything to do with N*/and any corporate remains, but he might know someone who knows.... I don't have a number for Tom handy, but if you are interested, drop me a note. He lives in Berkley -- try information if you like. Closing arguments: Don't remind me how much I paid for that ST506 5 MB hard disk..... Best regards to all, Rich -- Rich Biby | 205 N. Evergreen Street, Arlington, VA 22203 (703) 528-8489 KD4DSX | Communications Data Services, Inc. we are the | 6105-E Arlington Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22044 people our | (703) 534-0034 FAX:(703) 534-7884 (800) 441-0034 2-Jan-92 09:07:07-MST,1589;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU by WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL with TCP; Thu, 2 Jan 92 09:07:02 MST Received: by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (5.63/1.43) id AA02520; Wed, 1 Jan 92 15:57:06 -0800 Received: from USENET by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU with netnews for northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil) (contact usenet@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU if you have questions) Date: 13 Dec 91 16:57:41 GMT From: elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!aplcomm!craig@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Craig Myers) Organization: JHU/APL, Laurel, MD Subject: Northstar Dimension Message-Id: <742@aplcomm.JHUAPL.EDU> Sender: northstar-users-request@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil To: northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil I just acquired a Northstar Dimension from my Church (were churches the only ones to buy these things?). The system had intermittent problems and ha been shoved in a corner for the last year. This box does not have an s100 bus, It appears to be similar to the IBM PC's (62 pins). Also, has a custom CPU chip and an 80186. I don't have software or any terminals, so its doubtful I can use it as a system. Does anyone know if the disk drives are usable on a PC system (one 15 meg and a 35 meg drive)? Well at least its a nice big case with a heavy power supply and a couple of fans. I now have : A Timex Sinclair 1000 Atari 400 Comodore 64 Apple II e (I still use this one) and a wife who wonders what all the junk is for! craig@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu 2-Jan-92 09:16:57-MST,2221;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU by WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL with TCP; Thu, 2 Jan 92 09:16:52 MST Received: by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (5.63/1.43) id AA24594; Wed, 1 Jan 92 12:59:39 -0800 Received: from USENET by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU with netnews for northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil) (contact usenet@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU if you have questions) Date: 12 Dec 91 22:35:28 GMT From: hsdndev!adm!amsaa-cleo!dileo@rutgers.edu (John J. DiLeo) Organization: Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity Subject: Re: nostalgia Message-Id: <5390@amsaa-cleo.brl.mil> References: <1991Dec10.202125.16402@cco.caltech.edu>, <1991Dec10.221251.24036@tandem.com>, <1991Dec10.230224.3836@seas.gwu.edu> Sender: northstar-users-request@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil To: northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil In article <1991Dec10.230224.3836@seas.gwu.edu> biby@seas.gwu.edu (Rich Biby) writes: > >Well, this is the most activity I've seen here in a long time. Last >time someone asked a question about N*, I gave away my entire colection >of 4. And most of them are humming along quite nicely. Thank you very much 8-). I still haven't actually gotten any actual copies of the hard disk OS for the Horizon Rich gave me. I did get a couple of e-mailed promises, but no disks have yet arrived. So, I make my plea once again. Does anyone out there have copies of the Hard Disk OS (HDOS or, if it exists/ed, CP/M) for the Horizon? >I once had a N* dealership. Time have changed. I just >got may 20 MHZ 68030 Macintosh NOTEBOOK.... > >Still, I miss the S-100..... > >Regards to all, >Rich And, on a mostly unrelated question, how are things with your GPS set since the DOD activated the S/A degradation (you did know it's active now, right 8-)?? >-- >Rich Biby | 205 N. Evergreen Street, Arlington, VA 22203 (703) 528-8489 >KD4DSX | Communications Data Services, Inc. >we are the | 6105-E Arlington Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22044 >people our | (703) 534-0034 FAX:(703) 534-7884 (800) 441-0034 John DiLeo dileo@brl.mil --Proprietor, Aberdeen North*Star Museum and Emporium 8-) 3-Jan-92 11:35:45-MST,2154;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU by WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL with TCP; Fri, 3 Jan 92 11:35:41 MST Received: by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (5.63/1.43) id AA07296; Fri, 3 Jan 92 10:21:35 -0800 Received: from USENET by ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU with netnews for northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil) (contact usenet@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU if you have questions) Date: 19 Dec 91 06:01:50 GMT From: cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!hellgate.utah.edu!cc.usu.edu!grimaud@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU Organization: Utah State University Subject: double density controller Message-Id: <1991Dec19.000150.51422@cc.usu.edu> Sender: northstar-users-request@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil To: northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil There was so little activity in this group that I dropped it off my register list. Imagine my surprise to randomly check it and see 7 whole messages! I've owned a NorthStar Horizon for about a year now. Paid $15 for a full up system with two double-density disk drives and lots o' memory. Talk about price/performance! Anyway, the note about the single-density disk controller being a turkey made me think about the problem I've been having with the double density controller. There seems to be a race condition between the hardware that deselects the drive after 30 seconds or so of inactivity and the software, which checks to see if the drive has been deseleced before using the drive. Turbo Pascal 3.01A seems to always land right in the race; that is, it will decide that the drive has not yet been deselected and then the hardware will deselect the drive before it starts being used. System hangs nicely. Comments? I've got some version of Lifeboat CP/M and have probably incorrectly described the problem; it's been a while since I played with it. I've actually pretty much retired my N* because it's impossible to find hard-sectored diskettes these days. I gave most of mine along with a N* to a friend's girlfriend who just needed a word processing engine. Roger Ivie c/o grimaud@cc.usu.edu 8-Jan-92 09:07:23-MST,628;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from ADM.BRL.MIL by WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL with TCP; Wed, 8 Jan 92 09:07:15 MST Received: from tbd2.brl.mil by ADM.BRL.MIL id aa16158; 8 Jan 92 11:04 EST Date: Wed, 8 Jan 92 11:02:19 EST From: George Keller (IBD|ABB) To: northstar-users@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil cc: keller@BRL.MIL Subject: NS diskettes Message-ID: <9201081102.aa08067@TBD2.BRL.MIL> Lyben still carries 10-hard-sector diskettes, $15.90 for a box of 10. The part number is LCS 0038. Phone (313) 649-4500. Lyben is at 1150 Maplelawn, Troy, MI 48084. Cheers. George