11 May
2000
11 May
'00
8:38 a.m.
Hi,
I was helping to sort a load of surplus test equipment yesterday and
found a couyple of DEC computers. Since I'm not a DEC head I don't know
anything about them so can someone tell me more about them and if they're
worth rescueing. The first is a DEC Por 350, there are two of them. The
other is is a Micro PDP 11/73. Both are roughly the size of a large tower
case for a PC. There's also a VAX 11/785 there but it's huge!
Joe
11 May
11 May
8:40 a.m.
worth rescueing. The first is a DEC Por 350, there are
two of them. The
Pro350, small system uses a tube and keyboard has internal PDP-11 cpu of
the F11 flavor. Somewhat common around here rare in some areas. Nice
machine.
other is is a Micro PDP 11/73. Both are roughly the
size of a large tower
Qbus pdp-11 in BA23 pedestal box, J11 cpu fairly fast for it's kind.
Common enough. I'd be interested in the cpu as a spare. The boards have
some cash value. there are still plenty of PDP-11s in use.
case for a PC. There's also a VAX 11/785 there
but it's huge!
Scarce, not that many built and most were retired at lesat 10 yeas ago.
Last member of the 11/7xx series that started the vax line.
allison
9:56 a.m.
case for a PC. There's also a VAX 11/785
there but it's huge!
Scarce, not that many built and most were retired at lesat 10 yeas ago.
Last member of the 11/7xx series that started the vax line.
allison
1:37 p.m.
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8:03 p.m.
At 07:37 PM 5/11/00 +0100, you wrote:
Yeap, I have to go back and look for the monitor. I didn't know what it
used so I couldn't pick it out.
This is a cool machine! I got into it today too. I found out that it has
a Q-bus HP-IB card in it made by Tektronix! I saw the manuals and software
for the card in the load that just came in. This machine was used a a
controller for a Tektronix 7912(?) Digitizer. Besides the Tektronix card,
it has a M8190, a M7551, and a M8639 card in it. Can anyone ID them?
I also took a bunch of pictures of this one. I'll post them as soon as I
can.
Joe
Hi,
I was helping to sort a load of surplus test equipment yesterday and
found a couyple of DEC computers. Since I'm not a DEC head I don't know
anything about them so can someone tell me more about them and if they're
worth rescueing. The first is a DEC Por 350, there are two of them. The
The PRO 350 (Professional 350) is essentially a desktop PDP11. There's an
F11 chipset in there (like in an 11/23) linked to a somewhat strange bus.
The video display system in also on that bus (like on a PC) -- it's not a
serial terminal which is more conventional for PDP11s. You link a VR201
(composite mono) or VR241 (colour) monitor up the machine -- I believe
the latter needs some kind of video expansion card. User input is via an
LK201 keyboard (same keyboard as the VT220, etc).
There's most likely an RX50 dual floppy drive in the right hand drive bay
and an RD50 or RD51 (5 or 10M winchester) in the left bay.
I went through both machines today. The 350 has a RD51 and a RX50.
There are 6 bus connectors. The front 2 are for the hard and floppy
controllers. The next 2 are for the video card and video expansion card.
The next one might contain a memory expansion card. The last one might
contain an ethernet card (if you're really lucky) or a VAX interface card
(which, IIRC contains RS232 and GPIB ports). To look at the expansion
slots, pull the cover (catches under the lip on the sides), take off the
end plate of the expansion bay (3 thumbscrews IIRC) and unplug the cables
on top of the cards (note where they all go!). Then pull the 'flag' on
the card outwards towards the right side of the machine) and turn it (I
forget which way, but it only turns one way). This spreads the contacts
in the connecotr. The board now slides out towards the right side of the
machine.
I didn't pull the cards but it has a 000401, a 002004, a 001002 and a
000034. Can anyone id these?
It also has two daughterboards (with memory) attached to the main
circuit baord. This one is also mounted in a tower style case.
I took a lot of pictures and I'll post them on the web as soon as I can.
other is is a Micro PDP 11/73. Both are roughly
the size of a large tower
The MicroPDP11/73 is a PDP11 using the J11 CPU chip (one of the later and
faster single-chip PDP11 CPUs, with 22 bit addressing, etc). The
backplane bus is Qbus. And from the description, it's in a BA23 cabinet,
which is one of my least favourites because it's so small that I always
manage to catch my hand on something when working in one...
You need to take off the back panel (2 screws just below the power supply
connectors, etc) and look at the handles of the boards. Each will have an
'M-number' on it (M followed by 4 digits). If you post a list of the
numbers here, somebody can tell you what you have.
12 May
12 May
1:33 p.m.
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6:01 p.m.
At 07:33 PM 5/12/00 +0100, you wrote:
IIRC, _Any_ Pro350 will work with the mono monitor (VR201), but you need
the video expansion card to really use the colour monitor...
How can I tell which video system is in this one? It has a DB15M
connector on the back and it simply says "video".
I went back today and found a VR201 and three VR241s. They're marked bad
but I grabbed them anyway. Do you know anything about what kind of cable
does the VR241 uses?
OK, sounds pretty standard...
[Pro 350 cards]
OK that's answers my question. Any idea what else uses the VR241?
The PRO 350 (Professional 350) is essentially a desktop
PDP11. There's an
F11 chipset in there (like in an 11/23) linked to a somewhat strange bus.
The video display system in also on that bus (like on a PC) -- it's not a
serial terminal which is more conventional for PDP11s. You link a VR201
(composite mono) or VR241 (colour) monitor up the machine -- I believe
the latter needs some kind of video expansion card. User input is via an
LK201 keyboard (same keyboard as the VT220, etc).
Yeap, I have to go back and look for the monitor. I didn't know what it
used so I couldn't pick it out.
There's most likely an RX50 dual floppy drive in the right hand drive bay
and an RD50 or RD51 (5 or 10M winchester) in the left bay.
I went through both machines today. The 350 has a RD51 and a RX50. I didn't pull the cards but it has a
000401, a 002004, a 001002 and a
000034. Can anyone id these?
According to Megan's module list :
000034 = RAM expansion
000401 = Winchester controller (for the RD51)
001002 = Video card (standard one, for the VR201. You need an 001403
alongside it for the VR241 colour monitor) 002004 = RX50 floppy controller.
So your machine needs the VR201 monitor (and LK201 keyboard), and
unfortunately doesn't contain any of the really 'cool' options...
Oh well, some days chicken and some days feathers!
[Micro PDP11/73]
OK here are all the suffixs; M8190 AB, M7551 BF and M8639 YB.
BTW, Megan's list is a little confusing on this
This is a cool machine! I got into it today too. I found out that it has
a Q-bus HP-IB card in it made by Tektronix! I saw the manuals and software
Actually, at least over here, DEC GPIB cards for Q-bus (IBV11) aren't
_that_ rare.
for the card in the load that just came in. This
machine was used a a
controller for a Tektronix 7912(?) Digitizer. Besides the Tektronix card,
it has a M8190, a M7551, and a M8639 card in it. Can anyone ID them?
M8190 is a J11-based CPU board. Are there any letters after the number
(like -AB or something). card -- it says that the plain M8190 is the 11/84 CPU
(which it may well
be) and is used in Unibus machines (which the 11/84 is). But the card
itself is _Qbus_. In the 11/84 there's a bus translator to convert Qbus
to Unibus. Don't put any M8190 card into a Unibus backplane.
M7551 is the RAM card. Again, the suffix letters will tell you what size
it actually is. It's either 512kW, 1MW or 2MW.
I booted it to the ROM monitor last night, it has 2 Mb total RAM.
M8639 is the disk controller, for RX50 floppies and RD51/RD52
winchesters. It's either an RQDX1 or an RQDX2, again depending on the suffix.
Hmmm. It has a RD53 (85 Mb) drive in it. Maybe this is why I couldn't
get it to boot. Or am I missing something?
Hope that helps
It does.
Joe
6:30 p.m.
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13 May
13 May
10:19 a.m.
At 12:30 AM 5/13/00 +0100, Tony wrote:
(Lots of details about the DEc monitors snipped)
Thanks for the info. I have a Rainbow that I need to fix too so that
should be a big help.
What exactly do you mean that they "fail to stay spun up"? This one
seems to spin up fine but I didn't notice how long it kept spinning. I
don't know if it's seeking or mot. I don't remember the exact error but it
was "drive not ready" or something like that. (The error for the floppy
drives was invalid or missing media but that's not surprising since there
were no disks in them.) Is there a way to check to see if the head is
sticking to the bumper or to release it? I wouldn't be surprised if this
one is sticking, it's been sitting in storage for a good while.
Joe
Hmmm. It
has a RD53 (85 Mb) drive in it. Maybe this is why I couldn't
get it to boot. Or am I missing something?
No, I think the RQDX2 (at least with the right ROMs) can handle this
drive. Unless there's reason to believe the drive has been swapped since
the machine last worked, I'd not worry about this. RD53s do have a
well-known failure mode where the heads stick to the 'rubber bumper'
inside, but this results in the drive failing to stay spun up. Does your
drive seem to behave properly in this respect? 
11:38 a.m.
What exactly do you mean that they "fail to
stay spun up"? This one
seems to spin up fine but I didn't notice how long it kept spinning. I
Does it sound like it spins up, then stops, then spins up, and so on?
don't know if it's seeking or mot. I don't
remember the exact error but it
was "drive not ready" or something like that. (The error for the floppy
Say, the buttons on the front panel, have you played with them? You might
have the drive itself off-line.
were no disks in them.) Is there a way to check to see
if the head is
sticking to the bumper or to release it? I wouldn't be surprised if this
one is sticking, it's been sitting in storage for a good while.
Yes, but someone else will need to explain the incantations necessary to
perform the surgery.
Zane
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator |
| healyzh(a)aracnet.com (primary) | Linux Enthusiast |
| healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, |
| and Zane's Computer Museum. |
| http://www.aracnet.com/~healyzh/ |
2:50 p.m.
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11 May
11 May
4:57 p.m.
Joe wrote:
worth rescueing. The first is a DEC Por 350, there are
two of them.
DEC's attempt at a high-end personal computer, based on the F11 chipset
(same CPU as an PDP-11/23 or /24). Runs P/OS, a hacked version of
RSX-11/M+. Can also run RT11 or Venix.
The other is is a Micro PDP 11/73.
BA23 cabinet. That uses the J11 CPU at 15 MHz. Standard Qbus cards.
Usually these are found with DEC RQDX1 controllers (floppy drive,
ST-506 interface hard drives). Sometimes one gets lucky and finds
a third-party ESDI or SCSI controller.
There's also a VAX 11/785 there but it's huge!
It would be nice if someone wanted to provide a home for it, but
that seems unlikely. I'd want it myself, but not at the cost of
shipping it from Florida to California.
If it's otherwise going to be scrapped, I'd like to get the cards
and backplanes from the top half of the unit, and the PDP-11/03
and RX02 disk drive. An acquaintance has an 11/780 which is missing
the PDP-11/03. However, all of the 11/780s and 11/785s I've seen
turn up in surplus places have already had the 11/03 removed. Maybe
someone thinks they're valuable, though I can't imagine why.
9002
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11 comments
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allisonp＠world.std.com -
ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk -
eric＠brouhaha.com -
healyzh＠aracnet.com -
pechter＠pechter.dyndns.org -
rigdonj＠intellistar.net