The other attributes of the series 33 were (are):

1- The first HP 3000 with HP-IB support  (Required MPE III  rel 1912)
2- The first HP 3000 with ADCC (Asynchronous Data Communications Controler)
3- The first HP 3000 with GIC (General Interface Controler)
4- The first HP 3000 with SOS technology CPU  (Silicon on Saphirre)
5- The first HP 3000 sold without a tape drive.  You could backup via the huge 1 meg floppies in the front door.  :-)  (At least, I think they were 1 meg, someone will soon set me straight.
6- The first HP 3000 with a microcomputer as the console.  (HP 2749F)  You ran the diagnostics from ther integrated cassette drive on the console.

A long time ago, for me.


Kind regards,

Denys. . . 
Denys P. Beauchemin
[log in to unmask]   http://www.hicomp.com/hicomp


-----Original Message-----
From:   Wirt Atmar [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent:   Friday, April 04, 1997 9:07 PM
To:     [log in to unmask]
Subject:        Re: Power-failing a 928RX

Pete Crosby writes:

>  >Bruce Toback writes:
>  >
>  >> A quibble: the Series 33 did not require 3-phase power. Its claim to
>  >>  fame, in fact, was that it could be run on a standard 120V circuit (in
>  >>  North America). We had one at home, plugged into the outlet in the
guest
>  >>  bathroom via a 25-foot extension cord. It was the closest we could
come
>  >>  to a dedicated circuit.
>  >
>  >A quibbler's quibble: The Series 33 does require 3-phase power. I'm
typing
>  >this message on a PC sitting on a 33, now used as the "world's most
> expensive
>  >executive desk" (and which is still capable of being turned back on and
>  >running). The Series 30, which came out after the 33, was able to run on
>  >120V, single-phase power.
>  >
>  >Wirt Atmar
>  >
>
>  Actually not, it was a 2-phase system, as was the S/44, S/48, S/58. The
>  S/6x and S/7x were true 3-phase machines. The S/30, S/40, S/42, AND the
>  HP300, were single-phase machines.
>
>  --
>                              --Pete Crosby
>                                [log in to unmask]
>

Pete has it dead right: it was (is) a 2-phase machine -- and I learn
something every day. What confused me was that every time that we moved the
machine from one room to another, we also had to call an electrical service
to have our 3-phase wiring redone. I simply never gave much thought about
what they were doing.

I just pushed our 33 away from the wall, which I now use as a desk, and
looked at the power plug and nameplate rating. It is a 208V single phase
device (but to get that single phase, it bridges two phases of a 3-phase
feed).

If anyone were interested in using this attribute of the 33 as a reference,
the 33's qualities as a large desk are simply outstanding. After 20 years of
use, the formica on top of the machine remains in perfect shape. I've never
had another formica covered desk that has fared as well.

Its qualities as a room heater were also outstanding. We never had to turn on
room heat in the room that the 33 was in, even in the coldest winters.
Moreover, I never considered us customers of El Paso Electric. Rather, I more
considered us co-investors in their Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant in
Phoenix.

The month after we finally turned the 33 off and replaced it with a MicroXE
(six times faster, four times as much memory, virtually no noise, virtually
no heat), an El Paso Electric representative pounded on our side door and
wanted to know if we'd gone out of business. I was startled at the question
and asked why would he say that? Our electric bill had dropped in one month
from our previous average of $2000 to $120 -- and he wanted to know why. [I
later found out that it is fairly standard practice at all electric utility
suppliers to check out these abnormal drops in power utsage. He was checking
to see if we'd somehow shunted around the electric meter :-)]. I simply
showed him the two HP3000s. He then went away, looking a little depressed.

Wirt Atmar