Serial UNIBUS Repeater?

[Ethan Dicks]

On Tue, Jun 16, 2015 at 12:20 AM, tony duell <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> [My 11/730]
>
>> Sorry to hear that it's been decabled. Take your time to route those cables through the bottom pan properly,
>
> Yes, it's going to be a lot of work to get it back together.
>
> I think I am going to start (when I have got the machine room straightened out, etc) with the 2 parts
> of the cable tray on the bench. Route all the cables. Fit the tray to the rack, then the CPU box slides, then
> the CPU box, and connect everything up. And get it right first time, I do not want to be changing things here.

The VAX-11/730 System Installation Guide (EK-SI730-IN-003) has
information about how to load the catch pan.  Given all the 90 degree
and 45 degree folds, it's the sort of thing you only want to do to a
fresh cable once.  There might also be a specific 11/730-Z detailed
installation manual.  I have a memory of one but don't know the part
number.

My memories of those days (we had two 11/730s) is that if you don't do
it the way they did, either things won't reach (or be on the wrong
side to fit into bulkhead connectors) or you'll have to redo it.

https://archive.org/details/bitsavers_decvax730E83_4699164

> Exactly. Which is one reason I am considering a Unibus expansion box. Keep the CPU with a standard
> fixed configuration and have the expansion box with simpler cable routing for things I want to change.

We did have that.  It was nearly essential.  We had the CPU, memory,
and the default (as shipped) peripherals.  Everything else went into
our BA-11K

FWIW, we only had the RB80/RL02 version.  Tape was a TU80 with the
controller in the BA-11K.  Our COMBOARDs also went in the BA-11K, but
that was also for our convenience of swapping out our own product for
testing and firmware swaps, etc.

-ethan