DEC power control? How do it know? - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

3 Jun 2000

...
 Ok, I'm cobbling together a PDP-11 and I ran out of
slots on my BA11 so I 
put a bus extender into it and plugged that into a BA23. The system works 
fine (thank you micronotes!) but I'd like to figure out how I could set it 
up so that powering up the 11 powered up both the BA11 and the BA23. Now I 
know the little 3 plug do-hickey (I think it is a mate-n-lock) normally 
connects to a power sequencer in the rack, but I don't have one of those. 
Is there any way to make it work otherwise? 
Am I correct, that you don't have a "Power Controller"?  A DEC Power
Controller is a metal box with one line cord in and many jacks for plugging
in accessories, and a contactor (big relay) inside for switching many
of the jacks on/off under remote control of the 3-pin plugs/cables.

Without a Power Controller, you have no contactor, and no way of remotely
switching things on and off.

With such a small system, you can probably go to Radio Shack and get one
of their power controllers, that works by sensing current draw to one
of your boxes and turns the rest on when that one comes on.  No, it's not
as fancy or as configurable as a DEC power controller, and Radio Shack
certainly doesn't have any versions that do 3-Phase at 60 Amps per phase,
but it ought to work fine for a small system like yours.

-- 
 Tim Shoppa                        Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com
 Trailing Edge Technology          WWW:   http://www.trailing-edge.com/
 7328 Bradley Blvd		   Voice: 301-767-5917
 Bethesda, MD, USA 20817           Fax:   301-767-5927