4 May
2026
4 May
'26
2:22 p.m.
Just a shot in the dark, but does anyone here happen to have a collection
of Apollo documentation, specifically for the DSP80A/90? According to the
Apollo documentation index they would be:
Operating the DSP80A/DSP90 - number 004957
Unpacking and installing the DSP80A/DSP90 - number 004958
and Servicing the DSP80A/DSP90 - number 005806.
Unsurprisingly, between my collection and Bitsavers, I cant seem to find
anything on line anywhere. I'd be pleasantly surprised if i wasn't the
owner of the only remaining DSP90.
-Kurt
4 May
4 May
10:23 p.m.
On May 4, 2026, at 2:22 PM, Kurt Nowak via cctalk
<cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
Just a shot in the dark, but does anyone here happen to have a collection
of Apollo documentation, specifically for the DSP80A/90?
I don’t, but my understanding is it works more or less the same as any other DN without
graphics. I thought it was closely related to some other DN model but apparently I was
thinking of the DN460 and DSP160. The DSP80 has its own SAU, but the DSP90 is 68020 and
contemporaneous with the DN330 and DN560, so at least somewhat similar to the DN560 with
Multibus cage… but SMD disks. Console would be on SIO; for a later machine you would want
the “pigtail” cable that breaks the SIO connector out into the three separate serial
ports. That info (or info close enough to it?) is (was?) in the Apollo FAQ, or maybe it
was Jim Rees’ introductory doc written for the buyer of a small DOMAIN network. It’s out
there, or at least it was.
Did you have more specific questions you were hoping to get answered? I can’t imagine
answers couldn’t be inferred from observation and the other extant information.
ok
bear.
6 May
6 May
8:37 a.m.
In a nutshell it goes through the self tests all the way to SELF TEST
PASSED, and to the MD prompt > and then freezes. It should announce its
node ID and then allow for input. Instead it wont respond to any keyboard
inputs. Furthermore, There is a front panel with 4 buttons, (shutdown,
Service and two Reset buttons) and the ABCD LEDs and a green power LED.
Pressing the two Reset buttons simultaneously does a hard reset and will
take it though self test. None of the other buttons seem to respond during
this sequence and the LEDs are all dark except for the green power LED and
the ABCD LEDs. The ABCD LEDs go through their sequence during the Self
Test and then nothing. Also I took the front panel off to access the VME
boards on the edges and there is another grouping of LEDs along the edge of
one of the boards that mimic the front panel during self test. When the
self test ends, all the LEDs go dark. I suspect something is not right as
it should return control to the input and not just hang. In terms of hook
ups, as it's a server, there's nothing except for the ATR transceiver with
the two BNC connectors and a SCSI connector for a disk which it never had.
There is no Normal/Service toggle switch like the Series 3000/4000 only the
soft buttons at the front. I have an ATR cable with the two BNCs on one
end and the Apollo bayonet style plug on the other which is connected to a
4 box ATR hub and connected to its partner node , a DN3500 (running SR
9.7.5). This is how it was connected in the past. This node is part of a
home brew rack consisting of a Kennedy 9000 tape system and a Cipher drive.
The sole purpose of this node was to control the Cipher drive (now
seemingly dead). But it could also connect to the Kennedy through an IBEX
serial tape interface unit. This node was also connected to the
aforementioned DN3500 and the DN420 I sent you a few years back. It was
basically a backup tape system for all my Dad's work.
I never worked with the DN300, or the DN420 (sent to you and Josh) so I
have nothing to compare the DSP90 to in terms of hardware or how the
buttons and LEDs are supposed to behave. I did look at the DN300 manual on
Bitsavers but it didn't glean too much. Maybe that interface panel behaves
the same as the DN420? This is where I was hoping I could get some help
since there aren't many of these out there.
Self tests in progress.
CPU Test # 6 started.
Memory Extension Test # 0 started.
CPU Test # 7 started.
CPU Extension Test # 0 started.
Storage Module Disk Test # 0 (not found).
File Server Disk Test # 0 started.
File Server Disk Test # 1 started.
Ring Test # 0 started.
--- Load paths tested.
CPU Test # 8 started.
CPU Test # 9 started.
CPU Extension Test # 1 started.
CPU Test #10 started.
CPU Test #11 started.
Self tests passed.
(here its where it should return the node ID
announcement - instead
there's no response or input capability)
-Kurt
On Mon, May 4, 2026 at 10:25 PM r.stricklin <bear(a)typewritten.org> wrote:
On May 4, 2026, at 2:22 PM, Kurt Nowak via cctalk
<cctalk(a)classiccmp.org>
wrote:
Just a shot in the dark, but does anyone here happen to have a collection
of Apollo documentation, specifically for the DSP80A/90?
I don’t, but my understanding is it works more or less the same as any
other DN without graphics. I thought it was closely related to some other
DN model but apparently I was thinking of the DN460 and DSP160. The DSP80
has its own SAU, but the DSP90 is 68020 and contemporaneous with the DN330
and DN560, so at least somewhat similar to the DN560 with Multibus cage…
but SMD disks. Console would be on SIO; for a later machine you would want
the “pigtail” cable that breaks the SIO connector out into the three
separate serial ports. That info (or info close enough to it?) is (was?) in
the Apollo FAQ, or maybe it was Jim Rees’ introductory doc written for the
buyer of a small DOMAIN network. It’s out there, or at least it was.
Did you have more specific questions you were hoping to get answered? I
can’t imagine answers couldn’t be inferred from observation and the other
extant information.
ok
bear.
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