Description:
Modcomp Tri-Dimensional 9230 Real-time computing system (Main System/CPU Unit) - superminicomputer
Dual 16/32 bit architecture (either 16 Bit MAX4 and 32 bit MAX32 proprietary OS) allowed it to run new software as well as older software developed for the previous series of Modcomp products.
Modular Computer Systems, Inc was owned by AEG.
Appears to be connected to 2022.9.33
Hello. I volunteer with a computer museum, the Large Scale Systems Museum, in the state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. We currently have several volunteers, with significant Modcomp experience. I’m one of them. We currently have two Modcomp classic 78xx (16 bit) systems. One is operational and one is still being restored. The company I worked for was one of the beta testers for the first incarnation of the 32 bit MAX operation system. We had 32/85, 32/87, 9250, and finally 9260 16/32 bit systems. We also had a number of 16 bit systems, and a number of 88k Real/IX systems. Do you know what parts are in each of the two cabinets? One cabinet appears to be a CPU and the other appears to have peripherals in it. However usually Modcomp peripheral cabinets had flat front doors. What are you trying to do with these? I have a number of manuals from the 9250 and some software manuals, but nothing specific to the 9230 – although I think the 9230 was just a slower cousin of the 9250. Do you have any manuals or software? (Scans of manuals or images of software tapes are always useful.) If there is anyway we can help each other out, let me know. If you have seen any other modcomp hardware, we might be interested – however the distance might be an issue…
It’s so cool to see an IP address sticker on it. Looking closer at the catalog photos I see a copyright year of 1988 on the sales brochure and a 25-pin D-sub socket labeled “Modem.” I wonder when this system was decommissioned.
@jimclarrobot81 is the Modcomp at your museum networked? What do you have it doing?
The console port and a couple of other serial ports are connected to our LAT/TCP terminal server network. I don’t think this is accessible outside of the museum. The 7830 runs maxiv. It has 1600 modacs (not modacs III) with 64 digital inputs and 32 digital outputs. I have a small data acquisition program reading/writing to a global shared common, and a very rudimentary operator display. Longer term we want to drive a sign with the outputs and obtain a graphical terminal system for displays. I also have a number of other things to demonstrate - ECAP (circuit analysis), CSMP (analog computer), SSTK (star trek game), Printronix P300 graphical output, and a few other miscellaneous things. Longer term I have 2 full data system software packages to get running. Right now our disk space is small. We are running on a SIC-88xx disk using zulu-scsi as the disk drives. The 88xx we have only emulates the 200TPI (10 meg) disks. We just got an IPS-2 system, but it hasn’t been fully tested yet.
I’m also in the process of writing a simulator. Currently is passes all the CPU diagnostics and can load Max IV (in read only mode). I’m still working on finishing simulated devices - disk, tape, serial, Modacs 1600, Modacs III.