All F-series machines did ship with battery backup power supplies. These
can be replaced by the non-battery backup version, but its not 'stock' that
way.
If you don't have the battery backup box attached, you will not be able to
select
registers, the one sideways button will be inoperative.
THE sign of life for a 21MX after power-up is the ability to select A, B,
PC, etc
using that switch. If that works you have at least 32K words of memory and
a working CPU.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jay West" <jwest at classiccmp.org>
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
<cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Sent: Monday, January 08, 2007 5:04 PM
Subject: Re: getting started with your new HP 21xx
Glen wrote...
From my own 2117F experience, one if the first
things to check is
whether or not the 21MX power supply has the battery backup option.
Glen is spot
on... that's the number one most common reason a system won't
power up (or I should say, won't run - it'll still power up). Number two
reason is probably incorrectly configured memory (controller, memory
boards, or MEM module), including the very likely possibility that the
large ribbon cable which connects memory to the controller isn't seated
well or making good contact. Third reason is missing or improperly
configured microcode (FAB, FEM, WCS, UCS, or mainboard jumpers), including
the possibility that the FAB/mainboard/FEM cable isn't seated well or
making good contact. If the system was delivered exactly as it was
previously used without having been scrounged for parts or poked at by
non-HPaware playbabies, the above list is wrong, there are more likely
causes of failure.
If it does and you don't have a battery
backup box attached the CPU
will not start without a battery box eliminator plug, which is just an
820ohm resistor across two of the pins in the battery connector plug.
Viewing the
battery connector plug from the rear, there are three rows of
three pin sockets. You want your 820 ohm resistor across the outer pins of
the middle row. Another thing I should mention... remove the power supply
before you power up the machine. Very simple/quick to do, it was made for
quick/easy replacement. Inside the supply was the ubiquitous black foam.
It has probably crumbled and/or turned to goo. Take off the cover of the
power suppy after removal and get rid of all that foam with a vacuum
cleaner. Clean any messes (contact cleaner, toothbrush, etc.) up. Some
advise just closing it back up at this point. I don't - that foam was
glued to the top lid for very good reason. Those 4 or 5 power supply cards
inside the supply - you do NOT want them touching the top of the metal
cover :) Less impressive but equally destructive is if they come loose
which the foam also prevents. I cut a piece of foam from air conditioner
filter material (either 1/8 inch thick or 1/4 thick or maybe 1/2?, I
forget what the power supply foam is but I think it's the thicker stuff)
to replace it. I scrape off the old foam on the cover with a putty knife
and clean to bare metal with goo-gone. Then I tape off the right size area
and spray with adhesive spray. Remove the tape then press the air filter
on. After it dries, button up the supply and reinstall it - you're good
for another 20+ years :)
I believe the symptom is that all of the front
panel LEDs are lit and
state lit on power on with the battery backup option installed and
with no battery box connected.
I'd need to dig into the microcode test
routines, but there MAY be other
diagnostic selftests that could display before the battery backup check
error (which is exactly as Glen states).
If the CPU does power up ok and there is memory
installed, the low
bits of the display should count for every 32kw of memory that is
installed and tested. One of the manuals explains that, and what to
toggle in to run the test again and in loop mode.
21MX M or E reference guide,
which I can't find on bitsavers :) However,
here's the scoop. In microcode there is a power up self test, and
(separately) tests for FPP and SIS microcode. Let's deal with the self
test microcode first. There's 3 self tests. Test 1 tests basic registers
and functions, no memory. If this test fails, all display register bits,
all indicator bits, and the over flow register will be on. Test 2 is a
basic (read, doesn't catch many errors) memory test but ONLY the first
32kw of memory. This test is nondestructive. Errors usually show a parity
error light, set all display registers and indicator bits, and clears the
overflow register. A register is expected data, B register is bad data, M
register is failing address. Note that the cpu front panel lights do NOT
increment/count up like Glen mentioned during this test. Test 3 is a more
comprehensive memory test, and it tests all memory installed not just
32kw. Each 32kw passing the test gets the display register incremented by
one. Errors are reported the same as test 2, except the S register shows
which 32kw block failed. Note that upon cold powerup, tests 1 and 3 are
run automatically. That's it. No other tests. Note also, that kinda behind
the scenes - anytime you press the IBL button to load a loader rom into
ram, tests 1 and 2 are automatically run first. That's why it's labled
IBL/TEST. You can also run tests 1 and 3 manually without powering on/off
the machine. Set P register to 0, A register to 100000. Set the S register
to whatever value you want memory filled with. Press PRESET. If you want
to loop the diagnostic, set the LOCK/OPERATE switch under the front panel
to LOCK, otherwise continue on. Press INSTR STEP and the diagnostic runs
(and loops if lock switch set). If diag is looping, stop it by putting
LOCK/OPERATE switch to OPERATE. To test the FPP, set 105004 in A register.
Put 0 in P register and press PRESET. If overflow is on now, stop and go
directly to the FPP installation/service manual. If overflow is not on,
press INSTR STEP. A display of 102077 means all is well with FPP. To test
the SIS, set 105477 in A register, 0 in P register. PRESET, then INSTR
STEP. 102077 is good pass. FYI - these addresses/procedures aren't magic,
they are just loading A register with an instruction from the user
instruction group (used to call microcode). Then setting the P register to
address 0 - the A register is addressible as memory address zero, and
starting execution.
Jay, if you do get a collections of diags on CD I
would very much like
a copy. I have some diags on 2645A tapes, but they have almost all
fallen about now.
Actually, I have this project all done eons ago... except for
just one or
two or three diagnostics aren't in absolute format! There's just 3 or less
I think that are actually in relocatable format. Yes, I know how bizarre
that is. But what it means is that the assembler listing for just those
few diagnostics isn't particularly helpful. On all other diags, you can
look at the halting address (or single step) and then look as the asm
listing and see exactly what's going on. Not so if the program is
relocatable. One of the listmembers took the diag source for these oddball
relocatable ones and assembled it for me and produced a load map. This
makes it fairly easy (with the extra step of adding the map's offset to
the relocatable (from address zero) listing) to figure out where you are.
So, this compilation of "the ultimate diagnostic cd reference" should be
available soon.
Jay