On Jun 6 2005, 22:46, Allison wrote:
> Note there were differenet backplanes used in the BA23 those
> that were compatable with uVAX-1, those that were uVAX-II
> and the microPDP-11. Use the wrong one with the desired CPU
> and bad results happen.
I've never seen more than one type of backplane in a BA23, and only one
is listed in my manuals: H9278-A. It's compatible with all of
microPDP-11, uVAX-I and uVAX-II without so much as a jumper change.
Are you thinking of something else?
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York
I posted the Xebec debug commands to low-level the HD sometime in the
last couple of months. Check the archives and they are most likely
there. It is not a simple "go to" like the WD controllers, but rather a
series of IIRC I/O commands issued to the controller.
> I want to perform a low-level format on my Seagate ST-225 MFM hard drive - it has the Xebec (IBM) 1210 controller card. I cannot for the life of me remember the address to use in Debug. I know how to use Debug; I've done 100's of LL formats - just not in the last dozen years or so. Does Anybody remember?? Please email off-list. Thank you.... My HDD is working, I just want to set it up right from scratch. (In case anybody's wondering, I do a LL format on IDE drives before using them, too.) Bill Pileggi
I want to perform a low-level format on my Seagate ST-225 MFM hard drive - it has the Xebec (IBM) 1210 controller card. I cannot for the life of me remember the address to use in Debug. I know how to use Debug; I've done 100's of LL formats - just not in the last dozen years or so. Does Anybody remember?? Please email off-list. Thank you.... My HDD is working, I just want to set it up right from scratch. (In case anybody's wondering, I do a LL format on IDE drives before using them, too.) Bill Pileggi
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>
>Subject: Re: Simulated disk drive for RT-11?
> From: "Jerome H. Fine" <jhfinexgs2 at compsys.to>
> Date: Mon, 06 Jun 2005 19:26:16 -0400
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>
> >Ethan Dicks wrote:
>
>>>On 6/6/05, Kevin Handy <kth at srv.net> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>You could make one like DEC used to: Take an 8-slot backplane, and
>>>fill in four of the slots with epoxy. You now have a 4 slot backplane.
>>>
>>>
>>Ahhhhgggg! Ever seen that with a BA123? Makes you cry... DEC didn't
>>want their graphical workstations being converted to departmental
>>server use, so they plugged up the extra holes in the backplane to
>>prevent expansion. For a while, one could order a virgin backplane
>>from spares, but they eventually caught on (then they stopped hosing
>>workstation customers so much ;-)
>>
>>Fortunately, I've only ever seen it at a DECUS (DEC-owned demo
>>machines); none of the machines I've worked with or personally owned
>>were broken this way.
>>
>Jerome Fine replies:
>
>In the interest of proving that it was done (I
>suppose that this is NOT proof that DEC did the
>foul deed), I saved one of those backplanes from
>an old BA23 box. As a matter of record, only the
>last 3 slots have epoxy. If anyone wants the proof,
>I will save it for you since it is about time to
>toss it in the trash where it belongs. By the way,
>as Antonio states below, this backplane is an 8 * 4
>slot from a BA23!!!!!!!! Maybe Ethan's finger slipped
>and added an extra "1" after the "BA"?????????????
>I can't see that DEC would have converted a BA123,
>but I guess that DEC could have done anything at that.
>
>>Antonio Carlini wrote:
>
> >This was the (thankfully) short-lived VAXstation II/RC. The
> >one I saw came in a BA23, not a BA123. There were companies
> >around that would (allegedly) remove the epoxy (or whatever
> >it was they used) and hence restore full functionality.
>
>Just so I could say I tried, I once spent a few
>hours attempting to remove the epoxy - not a cost
>effective use of my time. I suspect that these
>companies were more likely to have either purchased
>a replacement backplane or found a damaged BA23
>with a good backplane and removed the good backplane.
Thats what FS did!
Note there were differenet backplanes used in the BA23 those
that were compatable with uVAX-1, those that were uVAX-II
and the microPDP-11. Use the wrong one with the desired CPU
and bad results happen.
Allison
>
>Subject: Re: Simulated disk drive for RT-11?
> From: "Jerome H. Fine" <jhfinexgs2 at compsys.to>
> Date: Mon, 06 Jun 2005 19:25:41 -0400
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>
> >David Betz wrote:
> >Cool. Thanks! I wonder if it can boot RT-11?
>
>Jerome Fine replies:
>
>RT-11 can boot any device which looks like a
>disk drive - for which there is also the boot
>code in the device driver. Thus far I am not
>aware of any such devices that do not have
>the needed boot code, including the DD(X).SYS
>device driver for the TU-58.
>
>There is, of course, ONE exception - the
>LD(X).SYS device driver which is DEC's answer
>in RT-11 for sub-directories.
>
>>Or maybe I should just run simh... I'm not really a hardware guy anyway!
>
>If you first want to become experienced with RT-11
>without all the hardware problems, then there are
>several V05.03 RT-11 distributions available. One
>of those distributions also includes all of the prior
>RT-11 distributions. The file, RT11DV10.ISO.zip is at:
>http://www.classiccmp.org/PDP-11/RT-11/dists/
>Note that you can actually boot the CD that can be
>burned from RT11DV10.ISO (after you UnZip the file).
>Or if you run SIMH, you can:
>ATTACH RQ0: RT11DV10.ISO
>SET RQ0: LOCK
>BOOT RQ0:
>to run V05.03 of RT-11. Of course, you can also legally
>run under E11 if you purchase an RT-11 license from Mentec
>for about $ US 900 (the latest price I have heard) and
>perhaps the distribution kit for $ US 1600 (also the latest
>I have heard). For hobby use, there is no charge for the
>hobby use of E11. The E11 commands are:
>MOUNT DU0: RT11DV10.ISO/RONLY
>BOOT DU0:
>
>If you can use some help with running RT-11, please ask
>
>>And, I'll repeat my question, does anyone have one of these small -11
>>QBus boxes they'd like to sell or trade? It seems that the BA23 might
>>be a good choice as well.
>
>If you really want to run on real DEC hardware, then
>you obviously need some sort of disk drive as well.
>Even a TU-58 needs additional space and the 4 * 4
>backplane is just too small to be really useful.
The TU58 only wants a serial port.
My 4board config:
m8186 KDF-11A
m8059 MSV-11LK (256kb) (Run XM use VM (192k ramdisk)
m8043 DLV11J console, printer, modem and DD:
m8021 MRV11-BA with TUboot roms
>The BA23 box is probably a much better solution since
>there is also space for 2 * 5 1/4" drives and the power
>to run them. An M7555 RQDX3 and an RX50 floppy is
>probably two orders of magnitude better than a TU-58.
>A hard disk drive might be a bit more difficult, although
>an old ST412 at 10 MBytes looks like (actually is) an
>RD51.
The BA23 is bearly 30" deep. Using RQDX2/3 controller with
the disti pannel from a BA123 allows RD50/51/52/53 drives
and RD52s (31mb are easy to find and likely good if you
find one) plus Either RX50 or RX33(teac FD55GFV) which is
easier find as it was used in PCs.
The upside of a larger box is that with any disk or even TU58
you can have a better cpu (11/23b with boot roms) more ram
up to 4mb and any device that you wish for IO. RT-11 XM with
the VM driver in 1mb or more of ram is a slick system as you
can copy everything to VM: (RAM disk) and boot it making it
extremely fast. and even as little as 256kb of ram is very
usable as a base RT system fits in less than 200k of disk.
Allison
One of the CDC 9404, PN 75744025 8" floppy drives in my MDS-800 is have a problem becoming "Ready". I swapped drives and it is the drive. Does anyone have a maintenance manual or any documentation on this drive or the cabling to the MDS.
Bob
>From: "xyz" <rsnats at bellsouth.net>
>
>Thanks Randy.
>
>Themanual at the web site is for a 9404-B. It has a lot of helpful
>information, but the printed circuit board is more modern. I have traced
>out some of the circuitry and it appears the even the pinouts from the 50
>pin connector do not match those of the 9404-B. That surprised me.
>
>Bob
Hi Bob
I was just thinking. They used a lot of one-shots for
things like drive ready. I suspect that it has a one-shot
connected to the index detect. You might look at the index
signal to see if it look good and also check to see
if there are any of those axial lead tantalums next to
one-shot IC's. These old tantalums tend to fail over time.
Dwight
I'm going for a 1-week business trip to Minneapolis next week, and
seeing as it was (is?) the supercomputer centre of the world I thought
there might be something worth seeing?
One place I probably won't be able to get to is Chippewa Falls; I arrive
Saturday afternoon and the museum there isn't open on Sunday. If I do
get a morning or afternoon off it will be my preferred destination.
Any suggestions, or will I have to be happy with the Mall of America or
The-largest-ball-of-twine-in-the-world-made-by-one-person ?
LJW
--
Lawrence Wilkinson lawrence at ljw.me.uk
The IBM 360/30 page http://www.ljw.me.uk/ibm360
