Cromemco System Three User manual

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Cromemco®
SYSTEM THREE
Part No. 023-6038
Instruction Manual
CROMEMCO, Inc.
280 Bernardo Avenue
Mountain View, CA. 94043
Copyright© 1982, 1983
CROMEMCO, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
March 1983

This manual was produced using a Cromemco
System Three computer with a Cromemco HDD-22
Hard Disk Storage System running under the
Cromemco Cromix® Operating System. The text
was edited with the Cromemco Cromix Screen
Editor. The edited text was proofread by the
Cromemco SpellMasterTM Program and format-
ted by the Cromemco Word Processing System
Formatter II. Camera-ready copy was printed
on a Cromemco 3355B printer.
Cromix® is a registered trademark of Cromemco,
Inc.
CP/M™ is a trademark of Digital Research, Inc.
UNIX® is a registered trademark of Bell Tele-
phone Laboratories.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
The System Three
Disk Drive
Processor
Operating System
Using this Manual
Chapter 2: SETTING UP THE SYSTEM
Positioning the System
Unpacking the System
Specifying the Line Voltage
Connecting the Terminal(s)
Turning On the System
Using Floppy Diskettes
Parts of the Diskette
Diskette Preparation
Inserting a Diskette
Removing a Diskette
Chapter 3: TESTING THE SYSTEM
Testing the Connections
Testing the Memory and Disk Drives
Loading RDOS
Memory Test
Floppy Diskette Read Test
Floppy Diskette write Test
Chapter 4: LOADING. THE OPERATING SYSTEM
Loading the CDOS Operating System
Loading the Cromix Operating System
Chapter 5: USING THE DISK DRIVES
Using Disk Drives under the CDOS Operating System
The Current Drive
Transferring Files under the CDOS Operating System
Using Disk Drives under the Cromix Operating System
Copying the System Diskette onto the Hard Disk
Transferring Files under the Cromix Operating
System
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Appendix A: TUE BACK PANEL
Tags and Labels
Fuses
Reset Switch
Locations for Input/Output Connectors
Appendix B: ADDING BOARDS TO TUE SYSTEM
Appendix C: CONNECTING A PRINTER
Appendix D: POWER SUPPLY ARD FUSES
Fuses
Line Fuse
Power Supply Fuses
Hard Disk Drive Fuse
Power Supply LEDS
Appendix E: SUMMARY OF BOARDS IRSTALLED IR SYSTEM
TUREE MODELS
Appendix F: SWITCH SETTINGS ARD CABLE CONNECTIONS
Switch Settings
Cable Connections
Priority Interrupt cable
MCU and MSU M-Bus Cable
Appendix G: ADVANCED FEA'l'ORES OF TUE ROOS BOOT
COMMARD
INDEX
LIMITED WARRANTY
SCHEMATICS
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1-1: The System Three with Two Floppy Disk
Drives
Figure 2-1:
Figure 2-2:
Figure 2-3:
Figure 2-4:
Figure 2-5:
Figure 2-6:
Figure 2-7:
Figure 2-8:
Figure A-1:
Figure B-1:
Figure B-2:
Figure B-3:
Opening the Front Panel
Removing the System Cover
The Tap-Select Cable
Terminal Cable Connectors
Location of Line Cord Socket and Power
Switch
Turnkey Power Switch
The 8-Inch Floppy Diskette
Inserting the Diskette and Closing the
Latch
The Back Panel
Extending the Card Cage and Removing the
Retaining Bar
Inserting a Circuit Board
The Cable Guide
Figure C-1: The PR! Printer Interface Board
Figure D-1:
Figure D-2:
Figure D-3:
Figure F-1:
Figure F-2:
Figure F-3:
Figure F-4:
Figure F-5:
Figure F-6:
Figure F-7:
Figure F-8~
Figure F-9:
Figure F-10:
Location of Line Fuse and Power
Supply Fuses
Location of Hard Disk Drive Fuse
Location of Power Supply LEDS
Switch Settings for the ZPU Board
Switch Settings for 64KZ-II Boards
in CDOS Operating Systems
Switch Settings for 64KZ-II Boards
in Cromix Operating Systems
Switch Settings for 256KZ Boards
in Z80-based Systems
Switch Settings for 256KZ Boards
in 68000-based Systems
Switch Settings for 256MSU Boards
Switch Settings for 512MSU Boards
Switch Settings for the 64FDC Boards
Switch Settings for TU-ART Boards
Installing the M-Bus Cable
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Cromemco System Three Instruction Manual
1. Introduction
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
The Cromemco System Three is a powerful microcomputer
system, designed to be at home in any environment. It
comes ready for use with a central processor, memory,
disk drives, and boards that support the operation of
one or more terminals.
Depending on the model, your System Three can run either
Cromemco's coos or Cromix Operating System. That alone
gives it the power to run most of Cromemco' s software
packages. If you need even more capability, you can
expand the system by adding printers, floppy disk
drives, terminals, memory boards, or an Input/Output
Processor for better throughput on multiuser systems •
~i~
~-ct:,
Figure 1-1: THE SYSTEM THREE WITH
TWO FLOPPY DISK DRIVES
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Cromemco System Three Instruction Manual
1. Introduction
THE SYSTEM THREE
Cromemco designed the System Three to be rugged and
reliable. The panels and the interior housings are made
of metal. Three fans cool the circuit boards, power
supply, and disk drives. A cable guide ensures that the
cables leading from the circuit boards to the connectors
on the rear panel lay flat.
The System Three is flexible enough to meet your needs.
The card cage has 21 slots for circuit boards. The back
panel has locations for 20 DB-25 input/output connectors
(for connecting additional terminals, printers, or
modems), locations for two DB-37 input/output connectors
(for connecting additional disk drives), and locations
for four BNC connectors (for connecting an RGB color
monitor). The power supply can be set up to work with
any line voltage, anywhere in the world, by simply
connecting the power supply cable with the proper set of
pins.
The flexibility of the System Three extends to its basic
configuration. Instead of a single model, the System
Three has six, giving you a choice of disk drives,
processors, and operating systems. The following
paragraphs describe these models.
Disk Drive
Disk drives are mass memory devices that store
information on the surfaces of magnetic disks. Floppy
disk drives use interchangeable diskettes, while hard
disk drives contain hermetically sealed nonremovable
platters.
The System Three comes with one of two sets of disk
drives. The models CS-3A, CS-3D2, and CS-3D5E have two
floppy disk drives. These drives use 8-inch diskettes
and can record data on one or two sides, at single or
double density. One diskette, with information recorded
on two sides in a double-density format, has a storage
capacity of 1.2 megabytes.
The models CS-3H, CS-3HD2, and CS-3HD5E have one floppy
disk drive teamed with one Winchester hard disk drive.
The hard disk can hold over 20 megabytes of data and can
access the data about 10 times faster than a floppy disk
drive,
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Cromemco System Three Instruction Manual
1. Introduction
Processor
The processor (also known as the central processing
unit, or CPU) performs all mathematical and logical
operations, and interprets and executes successive
program instructions.
The System Three comes with either a ZPU or DPU
processor board. The models that have the ZPU board
have a single, 8-bit Z80A microprocessor. The models
that have the DPU board have both the Z80A and the
32-bit 68000 microprocessor.
The models CS-3A and CS-3H come with the ZPU processor
board. All other models come with the DPU processor
board.
Operating system
The operating system is a supervisory program that
handles chores such as file management, diagnostics, and
Input/Output processing for terminals, disk drives,
printers, and other peripheral devices .
The System Three comes with one of three operating
systems. Models CS-3A and CS-3H can run either of
Cromemco's 8-bit operating systems: the CDOS Operating
System, which is similar to CP/M 2.2, or the Cromix
Operating System, which is similar to Unix. (The 8-bit
Cromix Operating System requires multiple 64KZ-II boards
or a 256KZ board, and possibly one or more TU-ART
boards,) All other models can run the Cromemco D-Series
68000 Cromix Operating System.
Whatever model you purchase, it comes with the full
complement of circuit boards needed to run its operating
system. Appendix E summarizes the boards supplied with
each model, and Appendix F describes these boards and
their switch settings •
USING THIS MANUAL
This manual gives the information necessary to set up
and start running your Cromemco System Three computer.
Unless otherwise noted, the material in this manual
applies to all models of the System Three. This manual
does not detail the operation of any specific Cromemco
software packages; this information may be found in the
manuals accompanying the software.
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Cromemco System Three Instruction Manual
1. Introduction
The body of the manual, Chapters 2 through 4, gives
instructions on setting up your system for use. The
Appendices give you information you need to know to use
your system effectively.
In this manual, you will find references to other
Cromemco publications. The following list gives the
title and part numbers of these manuals. You can obtain
copies from your Cromemco dealer.
Cromemco 256KZ Random Access Memory Manual
part number 023-2021
Cromemco 3355A Driver Manual
part number 023-4005
Cromemco 64FDC Floppy Disk Controller Manual
part number 023-2022
Cromemco 64KZ-II Random Access Memory Manual
part number 023-2020
Cromemco 68000 Board Family Manual
part number 023-2016
Cromemco COOS Operating System Manual
part number 023-0036
Cromemco Cromix Operating System Manual
part number 023-4022
Cromemco HOS 5" Hard Disk Specification Manual
part number 023-6028
Cromemco PRI Printer Interface Manual
part number 023-0055
Cromemco TM848 Disk priye Technical Manual
part number 023-6040
Cromemco WDI-II Winchester Disk Interface Manual
part number 023-2011
Cromemco ZPU Central Processing Unit Manual
part number 023-0012
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Cromemco System Three Instruction Manual
2. Setting up the System
Chapter 2
SETTING UP THE SYSTEM
Cromemco designed the System Three to be easy to set up.
By following the instructions in this chapter, you can
have your system ready for use in a short time •
POSITIONING THE SYSTEM
The System Three should be accessible to its operators
and have electrical power readily available. If you
have a printer, you may want to provide noise abatement.
All computer equipment generates heat, which is very
hard on integrated circuits. Cromemco equipment is
rugged, but it must not be installed in a hot place.
The cooling vents on the top and bottom of the System
Three must not be blocked. In addition, the computer
must be protected from liquids and noxious gasses.
UNPACKING THE SYSTEM
The work surface where the unit will be used should be
cleared and ready to receive the system. As you unpack,
save all of the shipping and packing materials. They
will be useful later if you have to move the unit.
The box the System Three comes in contains a packing
invoice, a System Three manual, and a plastic package
containing the line cord, warranty card, final
inspection report, keys, and extra fuses. Find and save
all these items. Check the contents of the box against
the packing invoice. If anything is missing, contact
your dealer •
Take this opportunity to verify the serial numbers
written on the back of the unit, on the shipping
container, on the final inspection report, and on the
warranty card. If these four numbers do not match, call
your Cromemco dealer for assistance. Record these
serial numbers on the inside front cover of this manual.
Once the system is installed and tested, fill out and
mail the warranty card as soon as possible.
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Cromemco System Three Instruction Manual
2. Setting up the System
If you follow these steps as you unpack, you'll find it
easier to set up the system:
1. Place the System Three on the work surface so that
you can easily reach the rear panel.
2.
Place the line cord next to the unit.
3. Store all packing materials.
4.
5.
Keep all paperwork associated with the unit
safe place.
Store the spare fuses in a safe place.
in a
SPECIFYING THE LINE VOLTAGE
The System Three is designed to accommodate all standard
international voltages. By changing the line-voltage
setting as described in this section, you can plug the
System Three into any standard voltage supply anywhere
in the world.
Before shipment, your system was set for the line
voltage available in your area. A label on the back of
the system specifies this setting (see Appendix A for
details). The setting may be slightly higher than your
actual line voltage. If your system has only a few
circuit boards, they will run cooler with a slightly
higher line-voltage setting. Don't change the set ting
unless your line voltage is substantially different from
the preset value or unless you add several boards to the
system.
You cannot damage the system by operating it with the
wrong voltage setting. If the setting is too high, the
system simply won't operate until you specify a lower
voltage. If the setting is too low, you may blow a line
fuse, but no permanent damage will result.
If the preselected line voltage is not the one you will
be using, specify a new line voltage as follows:
1. Turn the system off and unplug it.
2.
Open the front panel of the system by pushing up on
the button located just beneath the lower
right-hand corner of the front panel (Figure 2-1).
The panel is hinged so that it swings to the left.
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Cromemco System Three Instruction Manual
2. Setting up the System
Figure 2-1: OPENING THE FRONT PANEL
3. Remove the eleven screws securing the system cover
(Figure 2-2). Then lift off the cover.
4. Find the tap-select cable (Figure 2-3). It is a
yellow cable located on a shelf. at the right rear
of the system, behind the disk drives. To select
the new line voltage, unplug the connector from its
current position and connect it to the row of pins
marked with the correct voltage. If you find it
difficult to remove the cable from its original
position, gently wiggle the connector to loosen it.
Do not force the connector or pull on the wires.
5. Replace the system cover.
6. Close the front panel.
7. Plug one end of the line cord into the back of the
system and the other end into a wall socket.
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Cromemco System Three Instruction Manual
2. Setting up the System
Figure 2-2: REMOVING THE SYSTEM'S COVER
Rear Panel
Figure 2-3: THE TAP-SELECT CABLE
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Cromemco System Three Instruction Manual
2. Setting up the System
If you change the voltage setting from the 110 volt
range to the 220 volt range or vice versa, you must
replace the line fuse. (The 110 volt range covers the
100, 110, and 130 volt settings. The 220 volt range
covers the 200, 210, 220, 240, and 260 volt settings.)
The line fuse is located on the back panel of the
system, and is described in detail in Appendix D. For
the 110 volt range, the fuse should be rated at 5 amps •
For the 220 volt range, the fuse should be rated at 3
amps. The system comes with fuses of both ratings •
CONNECTING THE TERMINAL(S)
The terminal is connected to the System Two using the
RS-232C standard interface. The proper interface cable
is shipped with your Cromemco terminal. If you use
another manufacturer's terminal, chances are it can be
connected using the RS-232C standard interface. If not,
please refer to the Cromemco 64FDC Floppy Disk
Controller manual for interfacing instructions.
Before connecting any terminals to your system, make
sure that both the System Three and the terminals are
turned off and unplugged.
First, connect the system terminal. This terminal is
used to load the operating system and receive any system
messages generated by the operating system. (If your
setup has just one terminal, that terminal .iJ>. the system
terminal). To connect the terminal, attach one end of a
terminal cable to the proper socket on the rear of the
terminal. (See your terminal manual .for information on
which socket to use. On terminals that have MAIN and
AUXILIARY sockets, such as the Cromemco 3102, attach the
cable to the socket labeled MAIN.) Connect the other
end of the cable to the connector labeled 1 on the back
of the System Three •
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Cromemco System Three Instruction Manual
2. Setting up the System
DB-25 Connector for
System Terminal
Figure 2-4: TERMINAL CABLE CONNECTORS
Once the system terminal is connected, connect any other
terminals in your setup the same way. Additional
terminal cables can be plugged into any of the other
DB-25 connectors provided (see Appendix A for further
information on DB-25 connectors) •
Once a terminal is connected to the system, plug its
line cord into a wall socket. You can now turn on the
terminal.
If you are using more than one terminal under the Cromix
Operating System, you must make a change to the file
named /etc/ttys. Refer to Chapter 6 of the Cromix
Operating System Instruction Manual.
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Cromemco System Three Instruction Manual
2. Setting up the System
TURNING ON THE SYSTEM
Before turning the system on for the first time, remove
the head load card from each floppy disk drive. These
cards protect the read/write heads from damage during
shipping. To remove the head load card, first turn the
latch covering the drive slot counterclockwise, to the
vertical position. Place the card (s) back in the
diskette drives anytime you move the system.
Never leave floppy diskettes in the drives when turning
the system on or off. If diskettes are in the drives
when the system is turned on or off, data can be lost.
Before turning the system on, plug one end of the line
cord into the back of the system and the other end into
an electrical outlet. Figure 2-5 shows the location of
the line cord socket.
Line Cord
Socket
Power Switch
Figure 2-5: LOCATION OF LINE CORD SOCKET
AND POWER SWITCH
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Cromemco System Three Instruction Manual
2. Setting up the System
------POWER-------..
OFF-
LOCK
I
-ON
-RESET
Figure 2-6: TURNKEY POWER SWITCH
Two switches turn the system on and off. The first is a
red power switch located on the system's rear panel
(Figure 2-5). The second switch is a turnkey located on
the front of the system (Figure 2-6). Both switches
must be on for the system to operate. There are four
positions for the turnkey power switch. In clockwise
order, they are:
OFF Turns off the power.
LOCK
OH
RESET
Turns on the power and allows the key to be
removed.
Turns on the power.
Resets the system, If the operating system disk
is in drive A, the operating system will be
loaded. Once the key is turned to RESET and
released, it springs back to the ON position.
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cromemco System Three Instruction Manual
2. Setting up the System
Follow these steps to turn the system on:
1.
2.
Turn the red power switch on the back of the system
to the ON position.
Turn the turnkey on the front of the system to
RESET. Press in on the key slightly as you turn
it. Once the key is at the RESET position, let it
spring back to the ON position.
Leave the key at the ON or LOCK position whenever you're
using the system. It doesn't hurt the system to be
running idle, overnight or over a weekend. Cromemco
recommends that you leave the power on if you use the
system daily. This keeps the components at a constant
temperature and reduces the occurrence of transient
voltages.
Turn off the system whenever you won't be using it for a
long time or when you want to move or dismantle it. If
you are turning it off because you won't be using it,
turn the turnkey power switch to OFF but leave the red
switch on the rear of the system in the ON position. If
you are dismantling the system, turn both the turnkey
power switch and the red power switch to their OFF
positions. Then unplug the system.
USING FLOPPY DISKETTES
The diskette drive (s) use 8-inch floppy diskettes such
as the one shown in Figure 2-7. Each of the major parts
of the diskette is described below.
Parts of the Diskette
The Read/Write Slot - The System Three accesses the
information on the diskette through this slot. Be
careful never to touch or scratch the surface of the
diskette. If you do, you may destroy information
recorded on it. When a diskette is not in the system,
keep it in the protective envelope that comes with it.
The Write Protect Notch -When the write protect notch
is not covered by an opaque piece of tape, the system
cannot write to the diskette or erase information
contained on it. It can only read information from the
diskette.
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Cromemco System Three Instruction Manual
2. Setting up the System
L
-----~~~~§~~~~~~+Single Sided
0'"0 Index Hole
>-------1-- Double Sided
Index Hole
_ ~Write Protect
L- ________ Y,r-------'r~ Notch
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Read/Write Slot
Figure 2-7: THE 8-INCH FLOPPY DISKETTE
When the write protect notch is covered, the system can
write to and erase information from the diskette, as
well as read information.
Always maintain a write-protected copy of diskettes that
contain information that is difficult to replace.
The Index Holes - These holes indicate whether the
information on the diskette is recorded on one or two
sides. If the single-sided hole is covered, the
information is recorded on two sides. If the
double-sided hole is covered, the information is
recorded on one side. One of the two holes must be
covered to use the diskette, and both of the holes must
not be covered at the same time.
The diskette drives require that index holes be covered
with foil-backed labels specifically made for this
purpose. Using the old paper-backed labels will cause
errors. You can identify the new labels by peeling off
the paper backing to expose the label's sticky surface.
This surface is silver on the new labels and white on
the old labels.
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Cromemco System Three Instruction Manual
2. Setting up the System
Diskette Preparation
Blank diskettes must be formatted by the Init utility
before they can be used to record information. See
either the CDOS or Cromix Operating System manual for
more information.
Release diskettes (that is, al ready for matted Cromemco
diskettes that come with software recorded on them) can
be used to load the operating system. These diskettes,
however, are write-protected, which makes them
unsuitable for many applications. Cromemco suggests
that you copy all release diskettes onto other disks and
use the copies. That way, the release diskettes serve
as write-protected backup copies. See your operating
system manual for a description of the utilities used
for copying diskettes.
Inserting a Diskette
To insert a diskette in the System Three, follow these
instructions:
1.
If it is not already turned to
position, turn the latch covering
you want to use, counterclockwise,
drive's opening.
the vertical
the drive slot
to uncover the
2. Remove the diskette from the protective envelope •
3.
4.
With its label to the left and toward you, insert
the diskette in the drive slot (Figure 2-8).
Gently push the diskette all the way in, until it
comes to a stop. DO NOT FORCE THE DISKETTE.
Close the latch over the drive slot •
The diskette is now ready for use •
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