This is the classic CP/M machine. It contained of 3 parts: CPU/FDD unit, which I don't have, specialized video terminal (I have one) and specialized Neptun monitor with power supply for both. As I can't even get terminal running, I'll write this page using manuals, PCBs and documents.
Bosman 8 was produced in two models: One with 5.25" FDD and one with two 3" FDD. There was also some unknown "network" version, and earliest prototype units had 2 5.25" drives. It was very rare, because of expensive western components used. First units were manufactueed by small company Matex, these were testing ones. CPU unit is known as Matex ANC-4512.
Bosman 8 had some additional capabilities, not widely seen in CP/M machines. Its terminal unit, ANG3001, was a highly specialized Z80B-based computer with 64K of RAM, graphics and simple windowing support. CPU had its operating system, CP/M R, burned into EPROM so it was not needed to use boot disks. RAM disk A: (floppy disk was B: or B: and C: if two were used) allowed to store data, and it was prone even to hard-reset with reset button, so looped programs could be indestructively restarted. There was an additional system program "D", which was helpful with file operations. Graphic capabilities of terminal destinated this computer as computational device, also for office applications, databases, data processing and visualization.
One more thing, there were two types of terminal units: AN2001 (alphanumeric) and ANG3001 (graphic). Special (on demand)version, ANG3000 had additional printer port allowing real PrintScreen and port forwarding. AN-2000 is not usable with Bosman, it has no character inversion, 8-bit data transmission and 100 000 baud exchange using computer's clock.
| Manufacturer | Unimor |
|
| Origin | Poland | |
| Year of unit | 1989 | |
| Year of introduction | 1987 | |
| End of production | 1989 | |
| CPU | Z80 | |
| Speed | 4MHz | |
| RAM | 512K | |
| ROM | 16K | |
| Colors: | ||
| Sound: | Terminal beeper | |
| OS: | CP/M 2.2 (CP/M R) | |
| Display modes: | Text: 80x24 (+ terminal
control line) Graphics: 512x256x2 (only with ANG3001 terminal) |
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
| Media: |
Built-in floppy drive 416K RAM can be used as RAM drive. ?Tape recorder*? |
Power supply: |
|
D-SUB 9 male connector at the computer and terminal:
|
||
| I/O: | Centronics V.24 serial port (x2). |
|
| Possible upgrades: | Not known | |
| Software accessibility: | CP/M - quite good. Dedicated - impossible. |
Unfortunately my terminal is not running - the EPROM has "evaporated" and is blank. There are some notes on the mainboard made by service - it can be read that 8255 PIO has been replaced and it won't start.
Terminal keyboards used by Unimor are recovered from older, D-180KSRE
printing terminals to Odra mainframes. They produced much of its parts
as spare ones and had lots of them, so they used it to clean warehouses.
One more thing, these keyboards were expensive, but quite durable -
they're magnetic based, using better mechanisms than in Elwro 800
Junior, so even strong hit in key probably won't damage it much. The
only weak parts are these switches on the left.
To make terminal display Polish diacritized characters, BREAK key is used like Alt in today's Polish Programmer's keyboard.
There's noticed in manual that tape recorder can be connected. It should be possible using serial port additional pins.
| Contents: | Starting | Recording media | Pinouts | Links |
After powering up the terminal will make its Power-on self test, indicated by 4 short sound tones. The algorithm is as follows:
1. Programming parallel IO: 8251, 8253, 8255
2. Starting first tone
3. Testing RAM
4a. If RAM is faulty, continue playing first tone.
4b. If RAM is good, playing second tone.
5. Testing rest of EPROM memory
5a. If rest of EPROM if faulty, continue playing 2nd tone.
5b. If it's OK, playing third tone.
6. Sending text to display unit
7. Playing 4th tone.
Text is consisted of bytes written in hex:
1. Value from Port B of 8255
2. Value set to 8251, determining its mode.
3,4. Value of #2 counter in 8253.
5,6,7. EPROM version (day, month, year in US11)
It should be noticed that it won't work if there's no EPROM, it's empty, or its first bytes/bits' lines are damaged.
If LOCAL key is pressed when RESET is performed, terminal goes with parameters according to jumpers on mainboard. Unfortunately I don't know their configuration. If key is not pressed, it takes configuration from EPROM.
To make it running, you have to connect these pieces as follows:
OK, If you don't have a monitor with power supply, you can use any power supply giving +5V, +12V and -12V DC and an ordinary composite/luma monitor (TV with composite input will be OK). See pinouts. Sound input will be useful for testing terminal unit.
Recording media for CP/M systems is mainly restoring disks from images, for example using programs shown in Elwro 800 Junior fileland. Unfortunately, I have no idea about geometry used by Bosman. It is definietly some CP/M.
ANG3001 Terminal:
Power and video connector:
|
|
| 1 - +5V DC 2 - +5V DC 3 - -12V DC 4 - n.c. 5 - +12V DC 6 - VIDEO 7 - GND 8 - GND 9 - AUDIO |
Serial connector:
|
|
| 1 - Shield ground 2 - TxD 3 - RxD 4 - RTS 5 - CTS 6 - DSR 7 - GND 11 - RxD/I 15 - TC 18 - RxD/R 20 - DTR |
Printer connector - only in ANG3000!
|
|
| 1 - /STROBE 2 - D0 3 - D1 4 - D2 5 - D3 6 - D4 7 - D5 8 - D6 9 - D7 11 - BUSY 13 - SLCT 16 - /INIT 17, 19-25 - GND |
Bosman 8 Computer:
Power connector:
|
|
| 1 - +5V DC 2 - +5V DC 3 - -12V DC 4 - Reserved 5 - +12V DC 6 - Not used 7 - GND 8 - GND 9 - +12V |
Remember not to plug computer's connector to terminal! +12V to audio output is not a good idea!
Terminal connector:
|
|
| 1 - Shield ground 2 - TxD 3 - RxD 4 - RTS 5 - CTS 6 - n.c 7 - GND 8 - CLK 9 - n.c |
Clock is used with high speed transmissions.
The biggest problem with connecting terminal to
computer is that there's no one way that works with all models. You
have to use two pairs of wires: One which connects RxD and TxD, ans
is crossed (Terminal's RxD to computer's TxD and vice versa), and
second one - connecting RtS/CtS, corssed too. Next, you have to
connect ground, which is pin 7 of both connectors.
To make use of DSR, DTR and DCD lines, DSR and DTR must be shorted
in terminal-side connector. I think it'll work, but I don't
guarantee anything. You can also look to terminal manual, it shows
not existing pins on computer side :). Anyway, it states that
computer has 25-pin connector too :).
As the computer was designed in Technical University and terminal is
Unimor's (exactly MAGMOR's) creation based on suggestions from the University, it's
quite possible that those who wrote ANG-3001 manual have never seen
Bosman in real life!
Printer port:
|
|
| 1 - /STROBE 2 - D0 3 - D1 4 - D2 5 - D3 6 - D4 7 - D5 8 - D6 9 - D7 10 - /ACK DZM 11 - BUSY 12 - n.c 13 - SLCT 14, 15 - n.c. 16 - /INIT 17 - GND 18 - ST DZM 19-25 - GND |
It's configurable in OS - to be Centronics or DZM-180.
Serial port:
|
|
| 1 - Shield ground 2 - TxD 3 - RxD 4 - RtS 5 - CTS 11 - RxD / I 14 - GND 16 - EAR 18 - RxD / R 20 - DTR 24 - CLKB |
All other pins are not connected. There's a CQ12DP diode between
RxD/I and RxD/R in some units, look in manual.
I think it may be a light pen.
http://web.archive.org/web/20120209180807/http://www.elwro.zafriko.pl/kat/mikrokomputery/unimor_bosman_8 -
Short description
http://8bit.yarek.pl/computer/z80.bosman8/index.html - Description
and photo.
http://www.old-computers.com/MUSEUM/photos/gze-unimor_bosman-8_mobo_1.jpg
- Mainboard photo.
http://speccy.pl/wiki/index.php?title=Unimor_Bosman_8 - ROM dumps
and reverse-engineered schematics.
https://polskiekomputery.pl/polski-mikrokomputer-bosman-8/ - POLISH
- Article about history of Bosman
