VAX 4000 model 600 rescue

[Currykungen]

Hello DEC fans!

I recently got a VAX 4000 model 600 from a friends workplace. It was about to be scrapped so I thought I'd save it since I've always wanted a VAX.

It's equiped with 256 Mb RAM (4 x 64 Mb cards) and a nice HSD10 DSSI<->SCSI converter.

However, when I start it up it complains about B cache failures during POST:

KA690-A V4.6, VMB 2.12
Performing normal system tests.
66..65..64..63..62..61..60..59..58..57..56..55..54..53..52..51..
50..

?35 2 14 FF 0000 0000 02 ; SUBTEST_35_14, DE_B_Cache_diag_mode.LIS

P1=00000000 P2=00000000 P3=55555555 P4=00000000 P5=00000061
P6=00009000 P7=00000000 P8=00000000 P9=00000000 P10=00000000
r0=00000000 r1=AAAAAAAA r2=55555555 r3=00080000 r4=000002B4
r5=00000000 r6=55555555 r7=0007FFFC r8=7FFFFFFF EPC=00000000
SCBB=20053E00 TODR=00000000 ECR=000000CA
SCR=0000C000 DSER=00000000 QBEAR=0000000F DEAR=00000000
QBMBR=0FFF8000 BDR=B8F9082B SSCCR=00D55570 IPCR0=0000
CESR=00000000 CMCDSR=0000C108 CSEAR1=00000000 CSEAR2=00000000
CIOEAR1=00000000 CIOEAR2=20001F00 CNEAR=00000000 MAPEN=00000000
PCSTS=FFFFF800 PCADR=FFFFFFF8 PCCTL=FFFFFC00
ICSR=00000001 VMAR=000007E0 VTAG=20001002 VDATA=5E6ED058
CCTL=00000061 BCETSTS=00000000 BCETIDX=00000000 BCETAG=00000000
BCEDSTS=00000702 BCEDIDX=000002B0 CEFSTS=00001200 BCEDECC=01000000_SBE=CB6
CEFADR=10000000 NESTS=00000000 NEOADR=E005BD20 NEOCMD=8000FF04
NEICMD=00000000 NEDATHI=00000000 NEDATLO=00000000 MOAMR=00000000
MMCDSR=01FF7000 MEAR=08406011_____ADD=21018044 MESR=00000000
MEMCON_0:7; 0=80000005, 1=00000007
2=84000005, 3=00000007, 4=88000005, 5=00000007, 6=8C000005, 7=00000007
49..48..47..46..45..44..43..42..41..40..39..38..37..36..35..
34..33..32..31..30..29..28..27..26..25..24..23..22..21..20..19..
18..17..16..15..14..13..12..11..10..09..08..07..06..05..04..03..
Normal operation not possible.

Is this motherboard beyond hope or is it fixable? Can I replace it with any motherboard from the 4000 series?

When I boot OpenVMS 7.2 it actually disables the B cache during start up:

OpenVMS (TM) VAX Version X72T Major version id = 1 Minor version id = 0M

%SYSLOA690-E-NOBC, Disabling secondary cache due to excessive error rate

But when I try to copy the installation to disk I get the following error:

$ BACKUP 215644$DIA100::VMS072.B 215644$DIA103:
%SYSTEM-F-OPCDEC, opcode reserved to Digital fault at PC=8FA30323, PSL=03C00000

Not a good sign perhaps?

 

[gslick]

Is this motherboard beyond hope or is it fixable? Can I replace it with any motherboard from the 4000 series?

My guess is that a cache failure on a KA690 CPU module is not something that could typically be fixed.

You should be able to swap in any of these CPU modules for the KA690:

L4000-BA / KA670 / 4000-300
L4002-CA / KA675 / 4000-400
L4002-BA / KA680 / 4000-500
L4005-BA / KA681 / 4000-500A
L4002-AA / KA690 / 4000-600
L4005-AA / KA691 / 4000-600A
L4006-AA / KA692 / 4000-700A
L4006-BA / KA694 / 4000-705A

Reference:
KA675/KA680/KA690 CPU System Maintenance EK–454AA–MG–001
KA681/KA691/KA692/KA694 CPU System Maintenance EK–498AB–MG. B01

 

[SSC]

Are the ram boards all interchangeable across all those CPU ? Awhile back I googled a 32mb ram board out of a 300 and it came back as a 300 ram board with no mention of it for use in any other version of the 4000.

 

[Currykungen]

Thank you very much for your replies! I will try to get hold of a new CPU module so I can get this beauty up and running again.

Regarding the memory, the cards are L4004-CA I believe and there is also a third party card from "DataRAM". I guess these are not compatible with all the CPU cards above. I'll look in to it further if I can find a compatible CPU.

 

[pontus]

Hi there knugen

Where in sweden are you?

According to my inventory I may have a "L4002 4000/400 KA675 CPU Board" if I can find it I don't think I have the bulkhead and I don't know if the different bulkheads are compatible with eachother.

/P

 

[gslick]

These CPUs all use the common H3604 Console Module:
L4000-BA / KA670 / 4000-300
L4002-CA / KA675 / 4000-400
L4002-BA / KA680 / 4000-500
L4005-BA / KA681 / 4000-500A
L4002-AA / KA690 / 4000-600
L4005-AA / KA691 / 4000-600A
L4006-AA / KA692 / 4000-700A
L4006-BA / KA694 / 4000-705A

KA675/KA680/KA690 CPU System Maintenance EK-454AA-MG-001

KA675/KA680/KA690-based systems allows for any combination of up to
four MS690 memory arrays providing a memory capacity from 32 Mbytes up
to 512 Mbytes.

The MS690 memories are available in three variations:
MS690-BA (L4004-BA) 32 MB memory
MS690-CA (L4004-CA) 64 MB memory
MS690-DA (L4004-DA) 128 MB memory


KA681/KA691/KA692/KA694 CPU System Maintenance EK-498AB-MG. B01

The MS690 memories are available in four variations:
MS690-BA (L4004-BA) 32 MB memory (not used on KA692 or KA694)
MS690-CA (L4004-CA) 64 MB memory
MS690-DA (L4004-DA) 128 MB memory

The manual text says four but only lists three variations. I don't know whether the MS690-BA (L4004-BA) 32 MB memory was not compatible with the KA692 or KA694, or if that was just not a configuration that ever shipped.

I have some DATARAM 64500 128MB boards in some of my BA440 / BA441 VAX 4000 systems to max them out at 512MB.

I don't know if the MS670 memory boards were only compatible with the KA670 CPU board, and if the KA670 CPU board was only compatible with the MS670 boards. I have neither a KA670 CPU board nor any MS670 memory boards to try a mix and match myself.
MS670-BA (L4001-BA) 32 MB memory
MS670-CA (L4001-CA) 64 MB memory

 

[Currykungen]

An update on this system. I bought the spare CPU board from Pontus and it works like a charm! Now I'm just waiting for my OpenVMS Hobbyist License to arrive.

Thank you Pontus!