test-drb September 2000

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

156 participants
405 discussions

DECstation 5000/200 battery backed NVRAM failure?

by cem14＠cornell.edu

Hi Sean; These Decstations have a window in the back through which you can see eight small LEDs that display diagnostic info when the system goes through POST. Is there any activity in the LEDs on power up? If so, what is the last pattern that you see in the LEDs? Note that in many Decstations of this kind, the cpu runs too hot due to inadequate cooling and they die. I've had this happen twice. > Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2000 16:58:47 -0400 > From: "Sean Caron" <sean(a)techcare.com> > Subject: DECstation 5000/200 battery backed NVRAM failure? > > Just wondering if anyone knows if this could be a possible problem with = > this type of machine. > > I have two DECstation 5000/200 systems. When I got them, one powered on = > but did not do > anything (no output on serial console on port 3), while one would work = > fine (console output > on port 3, seemed to be functional, etc). I did not have any external = > SCSI storage for them > at the time, so I decided to store them until I could make use of them. > > About a week ago, I finally got a SCSI drive enclosure to mount a disk = > in, so I decided to try > getting one of the systems up and running with NetBSD/pmax. To my = > surprise, however, now > both of them do nothing on power-on! I had not touched them since I had = > power-on tested them > a few months previous, so I was at a loss as to knowing what had = > happened. NetBsd is a good choice for these systems. I have two. I also have a couple of 5000/33's, but netBSD doesn't support the advanced framebuffers that they have; it only supports the built-in framebuffer, which won't talk to the monitors that came with the machines. So they're still running Ultrix (ugh). > > The only thing that I found that I even remotely suspect could be at = > fault is what looked like one > of those Dallas battery-backed clock/NVRAM chips. I was wondering if = > perhaps the battery had > died and this was preventing the system from coming up. > > > - -Sean Caron (root(a)diablonet.net) | http://www.diablonet.net > ------------------------------ -- Carlos Murillo-Sanchez email: cem14(a)cornell.edu 428 Phillips Hall, Electrical Engineering Department Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853

23 years, 10 months

DECstation 5000/200 battery backed NVRAM failure?

by sean＠techcare.com

Just wondering if anyone knows if this could be a possible problem with this type of machine. I have two DECstation 5000/200 systems. When I got them, one powered on but did not do anything (no output on serial console on port 3), while one would work fine (console output on port 3, seemed to be functional, etc). I did not have any external SCSI storage for them at the time, so I decided to store them until I could make use of them. About a week ago, I finally got a SCSI drive enclosure to mount a disk in, so I decided to try getting one of the systems up and running with NetBSD/pmax. To my surprise, however, now both of them do nothing on power-on! I had not touched them since I had power-on tested them a few months previous, so I was at a loss as to knowing what had happened. The only thing that I found that I even remotely suspect could be at fault is what looked like one of those Dallas battery-backed clock/NVRAM chips. I was wondering if perhaps the battery had died and this was preventing the system from coming up. I was hoping someone else might have run into a similar problem and might have a few pearls of wisdom to share. Thanks, -Sean Caron (root(a)diablonet.net) | http://www.diablonet.net

23 years, 10 months

Mac SE screen

by agraham＠ccat.co.uk

Hi folks, In trying to make 1 good SE out of 2 bad ones I managed to send the screen to decompression hell while unbending a bent pin on the yoke.....grrr.....so, before I start dismantling other dead Macs the question is can I use the screen from either a Plus or Classic? And obvious 2nd question - anyone want the bones of an SE for possible macquarium use or something along those lines? There's only the case, PSU, dead screen and analogue board left though. cheers! adrian/witchy www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk - 80's computer collection

23 years, 10 months

Mac SE screen

by agraham＠ccat.co.uk

After much searching for the right size tool I eventually accepted defeat and bought a specific tool (well, in reality it's just a 15" T15 driver) called a MacCracker from RS Components for ukp5.95. Having done that however you sharp discover the other Torx bits within a Mac that need (or would be fiddly without) said long driver so it's worth the money. a > -----Original Message----- > From: Cameron Kaiser [mailto:spectre@stockholm.ptloma.edu] > Sent: 13 September 2000 14:59 > To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org > Subject: Re: Mac SE screen > > > > In trying to make 1 good SE out of 2 bad ones I managed to > send the screen > > to decompression hell while unbending a bent pin on the > > yoke.....grrr.....so, before I start dismantling other dead Macs the > > question is can I use the screen from either a Plus or Classic? > > And obvious 2nd question - anyone want the bones of an SE > for possible > > macquarium use or something along those lines? There's only > the case, PSU, > > dead screen and analogue board left though. > > Since you've successfully(? :-) disassembled yours, what did > you use for > those top recessed screws? They look like an Allen wrench > would fit but > it doesn't seem to be working on mine. The lower ones appear > to be Torx. > > Incidentally, does Finder 6.0.2 take 1GB disks? (hope hope hope) > > -- > ----------------------------- personal page: > http://www.armory.com/~spectre/ -- > Cameron Kaiser, Point Loma Nazarene University * > ckaiser(a)stockholm.ptloma.edu > -- This signature is free of dihydrogen monoxide! Ban it now! www.dhmo.org ----

23 years, 10 months

Mac slow-down utility?

by rachael_＠gmx.net

>Its driving me nuts, but I really do remember that there was a REAL >slowdown utility that ran I think on the Mac II era machines and wasted >time so that your machine ran like either a SE or Plus, and it was both for >fun and for testing code. Can`t you disable the cpu cache somehow ? I know from my Amigas that doing so slows it down to a near crawl. Regards Jacob Dahl Pind Public Pgp key available on request -------------------------------------------------- = IF this computer is with us now... = =...It must have been meant to come live with us.= = (Belldandy - Goddess First class) = --------------------------------------------------

23 years, 10 months

GA 3345 safe

by geoffrob＠stmarks.pp.catholic.edu.au

Hi guys & gals, Passed on the responses from the group here to the guy in Qld regarding the GA 3345. It jolted his interest level, and it appears it may have a safe home already. Got the following response. Quote:- "I just rang the guy from yesterdays generally distributed e-mail and he says that the unit has absolutely no documentation, nor any sign what operating system it ran, and he is only guessing by saying it is over 25 years old. He has been approached already by the "museum" run by the UQ Computing department and they have indicated they will take the complete thing off them. (This museum is just a collection of PDP and other early stuff in the foyer of one level of their building). Currently it is in the Qld Dept of Natural Resources Offices, Brisbane, and was being held by someone starting a surveying museum, but they realised this had nothing specifically to do with surveying. He has said he will contact me if the UQ offer falls through." End Quote. Just to make sure it won't become razor blades, I've made a firm offer to take it if the UQ proposal does collapse in a heap, just in case...... Cheers Geoff Roberts Computer Systems Manager Saint Mark's College Port Pirie, South Australia geoffrob(a)stmarks.pp.catholic.edu.au netcafe(a)tell.net.au ICQ: 1970476

23 years, 10 months

Altair Emulator enhancements - progress report - questions

by ethan_dicks＠yahoo.com

--- ajp166 <ajp166(a)bellatlantic.net> wrote: > From: Dwight Elvey <elvey(a)hal.com> > > > > There was no standard port used for serial I/O. and even if > >there was, the device could have been a AY-3-1015, a 8251 or > >a 8250. > > Wrong. The standard devices were usually AY-3-1015/COM2502 > based I never knew anything about the COM2502, but I have a wad of information (and spares) of the COM5025 - a sync serial chip from a (ISTR) DEC DUP-11 and later, the Software Results COMBOARD-I and COMBOARD-II (later models use the Zilog Z8530). If anyone needs COM5025 chips, please contact me. Given my rate of consumption, I have several lifetimes worth. -ethan ===== Even though my old e-mail address is no longer going to vanish, please note my new public address: erd(a)iname.com The original webpage address is still going away. The permanent home is: http://penguincentral.com/ See http://ohio.voyager.net/ for details. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/

23 years, 10 months

VAX panic - buried models?

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

>OK, I'd thought that the HWID was specific to that particular CPU board such >as it is on a Sun Sparc. Well it's specific in that a MVII will not ahve the same number as MVIII. >However, some 3rd party vendors use licensing schemes based on the MAC >Address of the ethernet board. I know on Linux/x86 this can be changed. >Can this be changed on VMS? My previous incorrect scenerio holds true if >you're running software such as this. Would work maybe. VMS can change MAC and I believe it does for DECNET. Allison

23 years, 10 months

Mac slow-down utility?

by spectre＠stockholm.ptloma.edu

Incidentally, is there some sort of "Mac slowdown" utility? I have a Mac program running on my SE/30 that was intended for the Mac Plus, and it runs way too quickly on the SE (it's a game, of course -- who remembers ZeroGravity?). -- ----------------------------- personal page: http://www.armory.com/~spectre/ -- Cameron Kaiser, Point Loma Nazarene University * ckaiser(a)stockholm.ptloma.edu -- Don't let 'em drive you crazy when it's within walking distance. -----------

23 years, 10 months

VAX panic - buried models?

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

>I think the real question that was asked might be the following. For >example I might have an old MicroVAX II running some ancient, but mission >critical app. Now suppose the company that wrote this app is no longer in >business, and there is quite literally no source for thier software. It >wasn't resold it just vanished. Now further suppose that they had issued a >license PAK based on the hardware ID of that MV2 you've been running the app >on. > >What happens if that MV2 CPU board dies? You put in another MVII board (or even a MVII and matching ram) and keep trucking. Anyone whos wored with vaxen would know this. The system HWID is not a serial number that I'm aware of but a model/product ID so that VMS (or Ultrix) "knows" a bit about the processor (or chipset) and it's busses. >Another example would be what if I want to move this app from a MV2 to say a >VAXstation 4000/VLC as I've got space problems and I want it to run faster. >Of course this example is of questionable legality since you're licensed to >run this app on a MV2. However, the first example should be perfectly legal >and something you'd want to be able to do. Ignoring the license issues if the media for both were say a scsi disk it would run on any scsi equipped vax. My MVII has CMD SCSI, I build a 5.4 copy and backup/image it to a second drive which is removed and placed in a MV3100... runs fine. Same for V7.2. VMS if memory serves is not licensed to the specific CPU but to the total users and per CPU used. So if you have a MVII and upgrade it to a MVIII the license is still valid and all. Now if you take the old MVII boards and build another system you will be technically required to obtain another license. Most VMS based layered apps were the same way. This was a pet peve of customers as the MVIIs were cheap and the bigger machines werent but the license was not based on if it were a MVII or VAX9000 but by the number of users it could serve and if it was a cluster member or cluster host. At the time (likely still) it was a $3000 license and for some users that was chicken feed and others that was the whole farm. At times(through the '80s) DEC didn't realize how valuable their software was and often acted like selling hardware was all of it and software was one of those annoying things you did to sell hardware. By the '90s hardware and software were often bundled and used to drive sales of each other. Allison

23 years, 10 months

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test-drb September 2000