Okay, maybe not as interesting a subject on here as PDP-11s or a VAXen, but I'm hoping some of you may be able to help me get started with this one.
Earlier today my, uh, "dealer" got in a couple DECtalk DTC01s and I snagged one for a whole $5, I was told by one of the interns at the shop that the guy who donated the pair had demonstrated them working to the staff but I guess this particular one was not the one he was using.
As soon as I got it home, I hooked it up to a terminal and some headphones (I didn't notice the speaker built into the unit at first), flipped the switch, and got nothing.
Well, pretty close to nothing, the power and fan seem to be OK, the actual system itself? Not so much. No “DECtalk version XXX is running” as described in the installation guide can be heard, just a brief pop and then static, same with just using the built-in speaker. Of course, the terminal gets no output either. The block of status LEDs on the back was fully lit as well.
I popped it open and visually inspected the mainboard, but nothing seems to really be out of place, the whole unit is practically spotless except for some yellowing, no corrosion or anything else that seems amiss.
I *like* to say I'm decently OK at google-fu but I'm having trouble finding anything meaningful on the web as far as actual troubleshooting goes, the owner's guide only details service plans and the installation guide only gives you very rudimentary troubleshooting procedures. I'm usually pretty lucky with the stuff I get so I don't really get to do a lot of real in-depth repairs on my hardware, so I have no idea where to begin looking to figure out what's wrong.
Has anyone here worked with one of these that may be able to help me figure out what I can do to get this thing running again? I'd be very, very grateful for some pointers.
Earlier today my, uh, "dealer" got in a couple DECtalk DTC01s and I snagged one for a whole $5, I was told by one of the interns at the shop that the guy who donated the pair had demonstrated them working to the staff but I guess this particular one was not the one he was using.
As soon as I got it home, I hooked it up to a terminal and some headphones (I didn't notice the speaker built into the unit at first), flipped the switch, and got nothing.
Well, pretty close to nothing, the power and fan seem to be OK, the actual system itself? Not so much. No “DECtalk version XXX is running” as described in the installation guide can be heard, just a brief pop and then static, same with just using the built-in speaker. Of course, the terminal gets no output either. The block of status LEDs on the back was fully lit as well.
I popped it open and visually inspected the mainboard, but nothing seems to really be out of place, the whole unit is practically spotless except for some yellowing, no corrosion or anything else that seems amiss.
I *like* to say I'm decently OK at google-fu but I'm having trouble finding anything meaningful on the web as far as actual troubleshooting goes, the owner's guide only details service plans and the installation guide only gives you very rudimentary troubleshooting procedures. I'm usually pretty lucky with the stuff I get so I don't really get to do a lot of real in-depth repairs on my hardware, so I have no idea where to begin looking to figure out what's wrong.
Has anyone here worked with one of these that may be able to help me figure out what I can do to get this thing running again? I'd be very, very grateful for some pointers.