Entrex 480 in Frenchtown NJ

In July of 2020, the attention of several enthusiasts in the Vintage Computing & Restoration space was drawn to this auction of an abandoned storage facility in Frenchtown, New Jersey.

I was certainly among them.  Why?  Well, the Entrex 480 shown in this auction listing.  The fact that this entire website is all about this system quite demanded it come to my attention, actually.

Well, long story short, yes, I acquired the Entrex 480 lot.  

AND the corresponding Sweda 750 lot, shown below...

Terminal Nixdorf

On Ebay.de (Germany!  Again!).  Shipping ONLY to Germany, so of course, those of us in the USA wouldn't see this...

Original Auction         Auction Archive (linked soon)

History from the seller, auto-translated from German:

Hello, good evening. My home is currently being renovated, so I can hardly get to the computer ... It took a while.

The terminal belonged to the Biberach District Office in 88400 Biberach. It was used there and at some point stored in the warehouse, I don't know more about it. There are no other parts from this series - I'm sorry.

The IT department there will move and the old building will be demolished, in the course of which the terminal would have been thrown away - an unforgivable mistake. I myself collected computers for a while, from the 80s (CBM 8032 and so on), so I knew that something like this shouldn't happen and I sold it on ebay on behalf of the district administration.

Greeting,

M. Mensing

Well, we got it.  Well, more like we secured it so far.  And yes, we paid too much money.  But we'll get to that later...

The Digital Computer Controls D-116 Front Panel Switches

NKK AT4149A CAP ROCKER PADDLE BLACK

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/nkk-switches/AT4149A/2103650

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/NKK-Switches/AT4149A

C&K 2705 (DPDT)

This one looks just right...

https://ht.infinity-electronic.hk/product/C-K_7205J2W3QE2.aspx

DeSegi - C64 in the [Entrex / Nixdorf] terminal

From https://forum.classic-computing.de/forum/index.php?thread/17730-c64-im-terminal/&postID=260682#post260682

According to the forum discussion thread, If I translate and interpret it correctly, DeSegi bought this as it is on eBay in October 2019.  That's awesome!

But the questions remain...

• who did the customization work? 
• which keyboard style was this terminal before this was done?  
• Do the original electrical components and/or Key Tronic keyboard still exist?

Saintummers Projects - Nixdorf Computer 620 and 8850

https://www.saintummers.at/nixdorf/nc8850.html

Shared with me by siberia21 on forum.classic-computing.de

Nixdorf 620 image on the HNF Blog: EVELYN BEREZIN AND THE WORD PROCESSOR

https://blog.hnf.de/evelyn-berezin-und-die-textverarbeitung/

"From 1974 Nixdorf Computer AG also had word processing in its program. The Nixdorf 620 was based on a system from the US company Entrex." (Translated from German by Google)

Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum in Paderborn, Germany.  This looks exactly like their display, with all of the actual background "blacked out"...

Vintage 1976 Digital Computer Controls, Inc. D-116 Computer Maintenance Manual

https://www.ebay.com/itm/284026555447

Unfortunately, we were out bid on this one.  Congratulations to the winner!

We hope to connect with him/her somewhere soon along the way, so if you're reading this, please send us an email!

Nixdorf CEAG Dominit 820 Power Supply

This power supply bears a resemblance to the Nixdorf 620 power supply shown here, but is likely for a different system...possibly Nixdorf's 820?  Seems logical, given that the power supply numbers match the Nixdorf-assigned system numbers.  I'm just archiving it here for reference...

eBay Auction                                        Auction Archive

 

 

 

Entrex/Nixdorf Terminals Upgraded

https://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23215&p=457390#p457390








not related, but still...it's there, I just had to throw it in!

SEECHECK from REDIFON developed with Entrex

Equivalents: ENTREX 480 from ENTREX, DATENSAMMELSYSTEM 620 from NIXDORF.

https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rejestrator_danych

The connection comes from this page:

http://www.aldricharchive.com/technical-history-rocc.html

Seecheck (1972)
The technology for the Seecheck system was developed with the Entrex company in the US, Redifon having the rights to sell it in the UK, and also developed a market in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. It was based around the Nova 16-bit mini computer produced by Data General, and set the basic architecture of all the systems developed down to the 2885 in 1990.

Seecheck Basic Control Groups (BCG) used a ‘Lowboy’ rack containing a 17 slot ‘DCC’ mini, tape drive, disk drives and necessary power supplies. The DCC mini computer had a 1200ns processor and 64KB of core store, and was also the only Nova based system supplied with programmers switches built in to the front panel, all subsequent systems having a detachable one for engineers’ use only.

------------------------------------------------------------------

I think the interesting part is this:

In 1974 Redifon signed a licensing agreement with Metronex/Meramat in Poland whereby Seecheck would be manufactured in Poland using Soviet-bloc hardware for sale in Soviet-bloc countries. Although peripherals were available in the Soviet-bloc there was not a suitable CPU so Redifon designed and developed a DG Nova compatible mini, called the P.1, for manufacture in Poland. This CPU complied with the then CoCom strategic embargo. Later Redifon would up-grade this design for the E.17 mini made in the UK.

So that would be a clone of a clone of a clone perhaps

And then somehow we get to this image, which shows the newer Entrex keystation terminal?

from http://www.aldricharchive.com/images/R1800-R1850-thumb.jpg

Recognition Equipment's Input 80 OCR

Computerworld - May 9, 1973 - page 9-10
A company (not very creatively called) Recognition Equipment...NOT Entrex, but they are certainly using Entrex Data/Scopes there.

open HI-RESOLUTION image

open HI-RESOLUTION image

But it looks like Recognition Equipment put a sticker over the "Entrex Data/Scope" on the plexiglass screen cover...

club-nixdorf.org archives & The last 620

Does anyone know the original author of this site?  Is he/she still out there?
(backup at archive.org/web)

José A. Margolles Rodríguez  or José Mesa

There are some fantastic promotional images of the Nixdorf 620 (Entrex 480) system and Data/Scope Keystations (terminals) on here...

Where did he get these?

 

And then there's 

The Last 620

http://www.club-nixdorf.org/cn/web/anecdotas/ultimo620.htm
(backup at archive.org/web)

Scanner Board/Terminal Multiplexer Board

Clearly this is a very important component of the system, unique to Entrex!  According to Barry King, who was a Area Field Engineering Manager for Entrex from 1977-1991 in Nashville, TN:

"The key to the Entrex system was the Scanner board and software developed by 2 or 3 guys at MIT as a project to complete their Master's.".  Read more here.

Scanner Board/Terminal Multiplexer Board Schematics

Click HERE for maximum size Chip ID image map

Component	Qty
899-5-R220/330	1
SN7400	20
SN7404	18
SN7408	3
SN7410	9
SN74107	1
SN74121	2
SN74122	1
SN74177	1
SN74179	5
SN7438	16
SN7440	7
SN7442	1
SN7474	13
SN7476	3
SN7493	4
SN75451	7

Full Component List

Hex PerTerm boards - Entrex 480/Nixdorf 620

This board is from Slot 17 of the Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum's Nixdorf 620 system on display, in Paderborn, Germany.

Hex PerTerminal Board Schematics

Click HERE for maximum size Chip ID image map