MicroVAX 2000 with Network Interfaces problems.

Mattis Lind wrote: (Mine is a Vaxstation 2000 and the serial interfaces suffered instead) My VAXSTATION 2000 and MICROVAX MAINTENANCE GUIDE EK-VSTAB-MG says that the error code is of the format 00XXYYYY where XX is the number of retries over the ethernet cable and YYYY is one of a number of codes listed in table E-17. Table E-17 says 700E means "RX failed". If you also have other error codes, I can look them up too. Try the AUI interface in case only the thinwire interface is broken. It may require a cable with a specific plug that can get into the space available - if you don't have a suitable one a short piece of ribbon cable with a male and female DA15 crimped onto it might be helpful. I'd also suggest checking the switch - on mine the slot it protrudes through is only just long enough and it has to be pushed quite hard to one end for it to make contact properly. Also, the contacts could be corroded from the battery leakage, as could the contacts on the connectors on the little ribbon which goes between the AUI connector and switch on the case and the main board. (I really hate when I've struggled to put the machine back together and forgotten to plug this one back in beforehand...) Finally, it might be worth putting a scope on the thinwire connection while still terminated and running the tests to see if the interface is managing to drive the network. If not, the failure would seem likely to be in the circuitry common to both transmit and receive paths close (electrically if not also physically) to the thinwire network connector. Regards, Peter Coghlan.