On Oct 4, 11:48, SUPRDAVE(a)aol.com wrote:
> Most halfway modern things have environmental criteria for when it's
running
> and when it's off. For humidity, I've seen the storage range be from
5%-95%
> noncondensing and temp range from 0F-110F when not running. I'm running
out
> of space as well finally, but will not store things in the roof.
The key word in there is "noncondensing", which isn't likely to be the case
part of the time, unless you do something about it. Corrosion could be a
real problem. The easiest way to deal with it is to ensure that the loft
is ventilated, but a better way would be to use a dehumidifier. They're
not too expensive to run (at least, not compared to heating or air
conditioning) and you could run a short drain hose out of the dehumidifier
and out of the loft to dispose of the water.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Rich Beaudry" <r_beaudry(a)hotmail.com>
> > Since I am rapidly exhausting all space in my basement workshop, I
need to
> > move some of my computers to the loft above our garage. The problem
is,
> the
> > garage is completely UNinsulated, and has only a metal roof (i.e.,
thin,
> and
> > NO resistance to temperature -- hot or cold).
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York
finally back online with a mailer here. Still getting used to Linux PC
over my Amiga 3000.
Just for some laughs out there, I want to pass this along . . . .
I downloaded about 20k, yes 20,000 emails. Seems my former (and
present) ISP maintaianed my email addy and there was an accumulation of
emails from last February.
took about 7 hrs to dowload, and another 6 to chip through them.
Might this be a Guiness Book world's record??
gary Hildebrand
> >I suppose you *COULD* write a driver that lets you use the board
> >for non-booting devices if you had enough information available.
>
> That depends on exactly why the firmware
> will not play with VAX. My *guess* (based
> on exactly no information ...) is that it has
> intimate knowledge of some internal
> OpenVMS Alpha data structure (page
> tables or such like).
That's what I meant by enough information. You'd need the source for
OpenVMS Alpha, OpenVMS VAX, and the driver as the bare minimum along
with hardware specs.
> So it is quite possible that you would need
> to re-write the firmware to be able to do
> *anything* with the board at all.
Or you could possibly do the setup in the driver initialization.
It would be much simpler to use a CIXCD to an HSJxx controller.
When you factor in the development costs the CI solution would
be much less expensive as well.
We use CIXCD boards in our VAX 7730 systems (actually two for
redundancy to dual Star Couplers).
--
Eric Dittman
dittman(a)dittman.net
Check out the DEC Enthusiasts Club at http://www.dittman.net/
Tony stated:
> FWIW, I have never treated _anything_ as a black box where I don't have
> to care about what goes on inside. I find it's easier to do good work if
> you do understand the internals of the tools and equipment that you are
> using. And therefore I have little time for people who aren't prepared to
> learn about the insides of their computer/car/whatever...
>>>> start of OT rant
Although I like to be able to know about the "inside" of things, I am not
convinced that it is possible to have anything more than a simplistic view
(or even that much) for some things. GSM phones are, at best, borderline.
DAB ("Digital Radio") seems to have gone to the level where only a very
small proportion of the population (possibly less than a few thousand people
worldwide) can really and accurately claim to fully understand how it
works*. It worries me somewhat that such a technology is being deployed (as
also does the potential for control by government and big business that is
lacking in AM and FM radio), but possibly such complexity is inevitable.
* sure, I can waffle on about using a spread spectrum technique in Band III
to transmit a multiplexed bit stream than demultiplexes to several
compressed sequences of digital samples - I might even, with a little
research, be more convincing about how this bit stream is handled - but as
for really understanding the transmission mechanism, "pass"!
<<<< end of OT rant
Andy
> Eric Dittman wrote:
>
>I suppose you *COULD* write a driver that lets you use the board
>for non-booting devices if you had enough information available.
That depends on exactly why the firmware
will not play with VAX. My *guess* (based
on exactly no information ...) is that it has
intimate knowledge of some internal
OpenVMS Alpha data structure (page
tables or such like).
For example,
the DMB32 did exactly this - it could run
in at least 4 different modes: given physical
address (PA), given PA of a VAX page table,
given SVA of buffer and given SVA of
process page table. I assume the firmware
engineers had time to kill :-)
So it is quite possible that you would need
to re-write the firmware to be able to do
*anything* with the board at all.
Antonio
> > Does that apply to all revisions of the XMI SCSI?
> >
> > > > T2029-AB XMI-SCSI adapter
> > >
> > > The XMI-SCSI adapter is only supported on Alpha systems.
>
> That applies to all revisions. There are no VAX drivers for the
> card in VMS.
AFAIK, there is no VAX-compatible *firmware*,
so you cannot even hope to write your own
drivers ...
Antonio
> T2029-AB XMI-SCSI adapter
The XMI-SCSI adapter is only supported on Alpha systems.
--
Eric Dittman
dittman(a)dittman.net
Check out the DEC Enthusiasts Club at http://www.dittman.net/
>Sometimes a network connection, even old slow LocalTalk is the most
>convient thing to use.
Up until the power supply blew on my Powerbook... I always carried this
little pair of Farallon adaptors for localtalk. They were single RJ-11
connectors that plugged into the printer port (basically a standard
teletalk connector, but the 2nd port was permanently terminated). They
took almost no space (about an inch square for the pair), and almost no
weight (maybe an ounce for the pair), and used my already carried modem's
phone cord to connect between.
I think hardly a meeting went by that I didn't use them to transfer files
to someone else's computer. Localtalk was always pleanty fast for moving
a few word files or a powerpoint presentation... and used WAY less
battery power than the IR port (and was easier to use, as I had a
Powerbook 1400 which used apple's crappy slow IR protocol, most other
people had nicer, newer ones that used IRda, and although could "dumb
down" to apple's, it just sucked).
-chris
<http://www.mythtech.net>
> > > Does that apply to all revisions of the XMI SCSI?
> > >
> > > > > T2029-AB XMI-SCSI adapter
> > > >
> > > > The XMI-SCSI adapter is only supported on Alpha systems.
> >
> > That applies to all revisions. There are no VAX drivers for the
> > card in VMS.
>
>
> AFAIK, there is no VAX-compatible *firmware*,
> so you cannot even hope to write your own
> drivers ...
Yes, I forgot to mention the lack of firmware as well.
I suppose you *COULD* write a driver that lets you use the board
for non-booting devices if you had enough information available.
--
Eric Dittman
dittman(a)dittman.net
Check out the DEC Enthusiasts Club at http://www.dittman.net/
Most halfway modern things have environmental criteria for when it's running
and when it's off. For humidity, I've seen the storage range be from 5%-95%
noncondensing and temp range from 0F-110F when not running. I'm running out
of space as well finally, but will not store things in the roof.
In a message dated 10/4/2001 10:18:11 AM Central Daylight Time,
menadeau(a)mediaone.net writes:
<< Extreme cold will damage LCDs--I live in NH, and lost an IXO handheld
terminal that way. At my previous home, my storage was similar to what you
describe. Also, the heat of an attic will warp some plastics, and I suspect
that it accelerates the yellowing process. I didn't have a problem with
circuit boards, however. Hot and cold extremes will not be kind to software
or to some types of paper. Temperatures aren't the only thing you have to
worry about with the type of storage you describe. Vermin (insects, spiders,
mice, bats) will also be a problem. I kept my stuff covered with old
blankets and tarps to cut down on damage from dust and droppings. The
coverings will also help with certain weather conditions common to New
England. In springtime when the humidity is high and the temperature rises,
moisture will form on metal and plastic surfaces.
--Mike
Michael Nadeau
Editorial Services
603-893-2379
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rich Beaudry" <r_beaudry(a)hotmail.com>
To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2001 10:06 AM
Subject: Cold/Hot storage of computers -- OK?
> Hello all,
>
> Since I am rapidly exhausting all space in my basement workshop, I need to
> move some of my computers to the loft above our garage. The problem is,
the
> garage is completely UNinsulated, and has only a metal roof (i.e., thin,
and
> NO resistance to temperature -- hot or cold).
>
> My concern is that the cold of winter or the heat of summer might get to
> them. I live in Massachusetts, so winter is not -40 degrees F, but we
are
> talking below freezing, and possibly below zero for short stretches. In
the
> summer, it must easily hit 100 degrees F in the loft, due to the hot metal
> roof, and the trapped air (no windows!).
>
> I'm not so worried about the circuit boards, but I am worried about floppy
> drives, hard drives, and CRTs. Does anyone know if such temperatures will
> kill these things? Obviously I would let the computer acclimate for about
> 24 hours after I move it back into my house, to avoid sudden temperature
> swings, or condensation. I'm more worried about the storage affecting
> them....
>
> Thanks!
>
> Rich B. >>