21 Oct
2001
21 Oct
'01
6:04 a.m.
Pete Turnbull wrote:
On Thursday I took possession of a DEC Lab 11/40
system. I've not had time
to clean it up and check it out yet, but it was reputedly working when last
used (well, I suppose it would have been, wouldn't it?).
[Snip]
I've had a very cursory look over the machine, and the only things I notice
that want some attention before I think about powering it up are a section
of frayed insulation on the power loom to the BA-11 box, a lot of dust
everywhere (how surprising!), and some kinks in the unibus cable that
connects to the RK05s. I plan to vacuum out the dust, ix the insulation,
and check the PSUs before I do anything else. I'm no Unibus or RK05
expert; most of my -11s are Q-bus. What else should I look for before I go
too far?
Jerome Fine replies:
Sounds like quite a find - after all this time. I also had not thought that
there were many Unibus 11s left in working condition (or close).
But last month, I had the opportunity to pick up some Unibus hardware.
Unfortunately, I don't have the physical strength or the help to manage
them. I stick to only the Qbus versions.
I mentioned I only got one disk pack -- it's an
original RT-11 distribution
and I don't want to risk that in an unknown drive. Anyway, I know for a
fact it's been dropped (the owner told me). I have since acquired 4 more
packs, three of which came from the same machine originally. Anything I
should look out for before trying them? I thought it might be wise to
check the RK05 heads and perhaps clena them with IPA before I do anything
else.
I did accept an RK05 drive and hopefully a working (or will be working in
the future) Qbus controller. Cleaning the heads was not too difficult - just
remove the top cover with a wide slot screwdriver. The heads are very
large and easy to see and wipe clean.
I also accepted a number of RK05 packs. I would like to read them, but
the Qbus controller is not connected as yet. Can anyone provide some helpful
hints as to what I need to look for in respect of the Qbus stuff. It is non-DEC,
of course. Right now I have a system with an RL02 drive that I also plan
to use with the RK05 and hopefully a SCSI host adapter. That will allow me to
connect a magneto optical drive and slip in a cartridge. So eventually, all the
files on the RK05 packs can be transferred to a magneto optical cartridge
which is only ten years old. At that point, I go off topic as the next step would
be a CDR for longer archival storage. But first I need to get the RK05 working!
HELP!! Please!!!
Sincerely yours,
Jerome Fine