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any HP Vectra fans in here?

T

tipc

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I have the tattered remains of a 8086 based Vectra. The moron who gave me the case gutted it for the most part. But in some stash I got from him there's this cpu card (no cpu of course, he pulls everyone of those for himself!). Can anyone help me identify it?
I also have a Vectra k/b (not sure which model it's for). I haven't even looked at this stuff in a long time.
If I had to get rid of everything, I sure would have a hard time getting rid of my Vectra stash, as funky and as incomplete as it is. One of those things that's eluded me...
 
tipc said:
I have the tattered remains of a 8086 based Vectra. The moron who gave me the case gutted it for the most part. But in some stash I got from him there's this cpu card (no cpu of course, he pulls everyone of those for himself!). Can anyone help me identify it?
I also have a Vectra k/b (not sure which model it's for). I haven't even looked at this stuff in a long time.
If I had to get rid of everything, I sure would have a hard time getting rid of my Vectra stash, as funky and as incomplete as it is. One of those things that's eluded me...
Click to expand...

What's the model number? Have you tried Google?
 
I"m a big fan of the later (486+) Vectras with HP-made motherboards. Later Vectras (e.g. VL/400), while having some HP-specific variations, used third-party imported motherboards and are not quite as nice.. The P1 and P2 minitowers were very quiet and dependable machines.
 
I looked at my unit today, it's a series 9000 PC305. It has a standard DIN keyboard socket, so that precludes using the HP k/b I have (mini din, probably for a 286 Vectra). It has a CGA card and a floppy card (can't remember if it also sported hard drive functionality).
The k/b jack makes me wonder if the cpu is buried under the motherboard (it's a m/b in the truest sense, aka passive backplane). I'll have more time to look this crud over on Sunday.
It's similar to the Vectra CS, but apparently these Vectras included 68000 cpu cards (HP BASIC Language Processors). The PC308 was comparable to the original 286 based Vectra. Apparently the original Vectras were intended for business environments, where the 300 series were more lab oriented. Funky.
I thought the Hpmuseum had a page for these, but it's not easy to find. The webmaster sent me links a few years ago though. I'd have to rummage through e-mails.
 
I have a Vectra something or another (I don't recall the model but the motherboard has a single CPU with the pads and everything for a second one, but no socket. I think it's an 800 something, something.

I've had it for years and years, but it took a 24 pin ATX PSU and I never got around to getting one. A few days ago there was a 24 pin PSU in a load of stuff I bought, so, I'll have to dig it out and see if it even works.

I'll check out what the model is the next time I'm in that part of the house.
 
Careful Dru, some of those HP workstation-style motherboards took what looks like a standard ATX power supply, but the pinout is very, very different.
 
tipc said:
I looked at my unit today, it's a series 9000 PC305. It has a standard DIN keyboard socket, so that precludes using the HP k/b I have (mini din, probably for a 286 Vectra). It has a CGA card and a floppy card (can't remember if it also sported hard drive functionality).
The k/b jack makes me wonder if the cpu is buried under the motherboard (it's a m/b in the truest sense, aka passive backplane). I'll have more time to look this crud over on Sunday.
It's similar to the Vectra CS, but apparently these Vectras included 68000 cpu cards (HP BASIC Language Processors). The PC308 was comparable to the original 286 based Vectra. Apparently the original Vectras were intended for business environments, where the 300 series were more lab oriented. Funky.
I thought the Hpmuseum had a page for these, but it's not easy to find. The webmaster sent me links a few years ago though. I'd have to rummage through e-mails.
Click to expand...

The PC-305 and PC-308 were HP's DOS-based instrument controllers.

http://www.hpmuseum.net/display_item.php?hw=218

According to the documentation, this computer was a crossover between the HP 300 series and MS-DOS compatible computers. Programs written in HP Basic Language on the Vectra PC-300 series could be run also on the HP 9000 300 series computers also. That included compatibility with the HP-IB interface.

Does your computer have an HP-IB port on the rear of the unit?
 
Last edited:
Chuck(G) said:
Careful Dru, some of those HP workstation-style motherboards took what looks like a standard ATX power supply, but the pin out is very, very different.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know, which is why I'll compare the pin out from the board with the pin out from the PSU. HP still sells the PSU for this unit (now board, the rest of it seems to have gotten thrown out in the Great Case Purge) and they want $70US for it. That's a fair bit to pay just to find out if the board works or not.

The board is a 3UX. Since it has all the ports along the back of the board (like a lot of other motherboards I have, I'll have to start a new category unit motherboards on my site called MRUs (Motherboard Replacement Units) :)
 
no like I said it's missing the crucial bits.

I have to look at this cpu board I obtained from the same bloke. It doesn't identify itself in anyway, but maybe I got lucky and scrounged the right part.

That 68000 board is probably nowhere to be found though. I'm sad.cpuboard.jpg
 
I'd love to be reunited with the Vectra 286 I used at work end of the 80's.
Although I'm an IBM clicky-fan, I also liked that Vectra keyboard very much.
It had EGA, so besides long reports, it was a very good Sierra machine :)
Seemed indestructible to me back then.
 
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