RGB-to-VGA adapter & docs was: Re: HP "Field Guide" ?

Thu Mar 24 18:31:13 CST 2005

At 06:55 PM 3/24/05 -0500, you wrote:
>Upon the date 08:24 24-03-05, Joe R. said something like:
>>At 10:33 PM 3/23/05 -0500, you wrote:
>> >
>> >Also, in my 9000/375 there is a board which fits into a smaller card guide
>> >assy (i.e., it is not the same physical size as the CPU and video modules,
>> >but smaller) which has a paper sticker with several numbers including the
>> >part number: A3057674-11.
>> >
>> >It has an 80286 CPU chip on it which leads me to think its some sort of
I/O
>> >processor (?). No connector headers on the board; all connections go
>> >through the edge connector. Can't find anything while searching on the
>> >A3057 portion of the p/n (Axxxx is a type of part numbering scheme HP used
>> >for some boards and stuff) nor on many combinations of parts of the p/n.
>>
>>   Darn! I've seen those cards but I can't remember what they are.
>>
>>   <snip>
>>
>>   OK I finally got the grey matter working and I remember what those cards
>>are. They're DOS coprocessor cards. Yes, your HP can run MS-DOS. Somewhere
>>I have some of the cards but I never found software for them. If you got a
>>drive with your system, look at it carefully and see if it has the
>>necessary SW. If you find the SW, I'd love to get a copy.
>
>That's indeed correct Joe. Thanks very much. Can run MS-DOS?! Kinda like 
>putting cheapest, low performance tires on your classic Corvette, IMO :-)

  HP also made the Viper and HyperViper cards. They plug into PCs and will
run HP software. I guess they were trying to cover all the bases.

>
>Carlos had indicated in his message just before yours that it could be the 
>Series 300 DOS Coprocessor, 98286A.  I pulled the CPU box out, pulled the 
>card and indeed it says 98286-6xxxx in the etch on the solder-side of the 
>card.
>
>I fetched my 1989 HP catalog and found a whole page on just the Series 300 
>DOS Coprocessor. Back then, HP came out with their version of an office 
>automation software system called "NewWave" for IBM PC ATs. They apparently 
>wanted to enable the 9000/200 and /300 workstations to be integrated into 
>an IBM PC AT software environment. Hence, the 9826A.
>
>Now, the next problem is to get the machine running so I can see if the 
>Coprocessor s/w even exists for you Joe.
>
>I lack a correct monitor for the fixed frequency output of the RGB card. 
>The card is a 98547A which has three BNC connectors; sync on green. I've 
>got an old and HEAVY 19" display in poor condition stored down in the back 
>garage and cannot get to it because its literally buried under boxes of 
>'stuff' and a large group of early car radios I've kept for parts and/or 
>restoration. Not sure if the thing would sync to the HP's fixed freq output 
>anyway. The two fixed freq monitors specified for the 98547A are the HP 
>98751A (19") or HP 98785A (16").

  I doubt the 98547 will work with your card.

  I have an old ADC VGA PC-type monitor that also has RGB inputs and it
does sync up to some of the HP cards including the 98751 IIRC. All of the
HP video cards have different scan rates and resolution so you just have to
try them to see if they work with the VGA monitors. If you have any other
HP video cards you could try one of them if the installed one doesn't work.

   If you can't figure it out you could always send the drive to me and
I'll hang it off of one of my systems. In fact I have a couple of HP
9000/362s that I need to try out. They use VGA monitors and and PS-2
keyboards.

>
>The machine was found at the Dayton Hamvention back in 1999.  The HP 
>9000/375 CPU box, HP 7958B 152 Mb hard disk, and the HP 9144A tape drive 
>had been removed from some sort of military transit case. There's a US 
>government NSN number stenciled on the side of the CPU box. I'm going to 
>check with some of my military radio collector friends to see what it 
>translates to. 

   An NSN won't tell you much other than the country of origin and
manufacturer. It won't tell you ANYTHING about the intended usage. Most
(all?) of HP's stuff is already in the government supply system and has
already been assigned NSNs and can be ordered off the shelf (pre-approved).
A common item like a computer could go into ANYTHING. OTOH the military
nomenclature may tell you a lot including what system it's a part of. There
is at least one website that breaks down the nomenclature. (I used to
specify test and support equipment for the US and Canadian Armys in a
former life.)

The fellow who had bought it earlier that day wanted just 
>the case and I got the three HP boxes for $20 or $30. No KB, mouse or other 
>items were with it then. The system probably was never issued to the field 
>judging from the pristine cleanliness of everything.
>
>The CPU module was a 9000/340 (98574) but had been upgraded, according to a 
>sticker upon it, to a 9000/375 which uses a 68040 CPU chip. Great!
>
>Since the purchase, I've been trying to find a way to view the RGB output 
>on a typical VGA monitor that would sync to the output. I've gathered most 
>everything else needed: keyboard and mouse came from a list member & three 
>RGB coax cables came home from the Rochester Hamfest several years ago. Not 
>a single page of documentation though, and I'm one to try to fully document 
>my collection if possible. Just the HP catalogs are on hand.
>
>I found my HP/UX 5.5, BASIC/UX 5.5 and HP/UX 7.0 distro tapes, all still in 
>shrinkwrap and their licence certificates, that I had squirreled away for a 
>rainy day. I think Linux and one or two of the BSD's have been ported to 
>run on this system. Anybody have the HP Pascal 3.1 or 3.2 system?

   I do. I also have several versions of BASIC and a couple of versions of
HPL.

>
>Just last week in one of my occasional searches for a video solution, I 
>found this RGB-to-VGA adapter product:
>http://www.magenta-research.com/products/products/product_set3/VideoAdapter
s.html 
>Hmmm, yeah. Just right!
>
>So, I inquired about the price. They emailed back $695.00  (gulp!!!)  Take 
>a look at that little thing!  $695??
>
>Well, I guess I'll keep looking  ):-\
>
>Anybody have ANY ideas or a source of an *affordable* RGB-to-VGA adapter?? 
>I don't think this has been discussed here before, has it?
>
>Whatever it would be will probably strip the H & V sync off the green 
>signal output and send them to the appropriate pins on the HD15 VGA 
>connector. I might even be tempted to build my own adapter if I could lay 
>my hands on all the tech specs for both the HP's RGB output signals and the 
>VGA input signal requirements of a contemporary VGA monitor. I'm like a 
>Tony Duell on stuff like this: if I have time and technical resources at 
>hand I can roll my own.  Again, IF I have time :-\   This would help at 
>least one or two others on the list too, I suppose.
>
>How about documents -user manuals, tech data, service manuals, etc.?? 
>Anything at all around in paper or .pdf for any of this h/w? Nothing on 
>bitsavers.org. Anybody have HP 9000 websites?

   There is a BSD website that describes a lot of the high end HP 9000/300
hardware. Sorry but I don't have the URL any more. I have some stuff posted
about the 9800 and 9000 200 series but litle about the 9000/300. I do have
a LOT of docs that include material about the 9000/300, HP-UX, HW
configuration manuals, Pascal, HPL, BASIC and more.

    Joe

>
>Thanks for your input.
>
>Regards,  Chris F.
>
>NNNN
>
>Christian R. Fandt, Treasurer
>Antique Wireless Association, Inc.
>Jamestown, New York   USA
>                          email:  cfandt at netsync.net
>                          Electronic/Electrical Historian
>                          URL: http://www.antiquewireless.org/     
>
>