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VAX Haul...

daver2

daver2

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Joined
Jun 19, 2012
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Location
UK - Worcester
Ok,

So I have shamed myself into booking a half day holiday and 'smoke testing' some of the equipment I hauled back...

2 * VT525 base units. Both power up OK on 240 V and display a picture on a connected VGA monitor. Both report the message "Keyboard error" which is good, because I didn't connect a keyboard to them! One of the units has a faulty ON/OFF switch (the plastic connector between the on/off switch rod plunger and the switch itself is completely missing).

1 * TLZ06-DA DAT tape drive. Powers up OK on 240 V. Light on the drive. The cooling fan is a little noisy and dirty. I may take this apart and give it a good clean at some point in the future.

1 * DECserver 700. Powers up OK on 240 V. Lots of blinking and flashing lights :). I think the 7-segment display settled on '3' which (reading from the manual I have just downloaded) means that it is trying to download the software from a remote host (that doesn't currently exist).

1 * Modem. Powers up OK on 240 V. The "9600" and "RDY" LEDs light.

1 * VAX station 4000 / 96. Powers up OK on 240 V. Fan OK. I seem to get diagnostic LEDs flashing in sequence as the firmware performs its tests. This seems to indicate that the CPU is at least OK. I suspect (from noting down some of the LED status lights that appear to persist and then checking in the manual when I got home) that this indicated that the RAM may be faulty.

This machine didn't have any disks in it when I first inspected it. I have a 19" colour monitor for it - but no cable to link the VAX station to the monitor.

I have just picked up a PS/2 keyboard from home and will attempt to get one of the VT525 units operational with the keyboard and will hook it up to the VAX station as the alternate console to see what is going on.

I do suspect (from the state of some of the machines when I inspected them) that some of the systems may have been "interfered with" shall we say...

Dave
 
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A bit further tonight.

I connected an old PS/2 keyboard up to one of the VT525 boxes and it works like a charm. This is the one with the 'broken' ON/OFF switch.

Someone appears to have broken off the little plastic locating pin of a PS/2 keyboard plug in the PS/2 keyboard socket of the other VT525. Nasty person... I will have to do a bit of remedial work on that one to get it working.

Ok, got one VT525 running at any rate. Set up a nice green on black colour screen with a DEC 423 serial connection.

I also noticed the start-up text on the VT525 configuration from when the equipment was in service. I now know exactly what the system was when it was in service...

Set the VAX station 4000 / 96 to the alternative console and hooked up the VT525...

Hooray, we get a power up test sequence :)!

Most of the box looks OK. I do, however, appear to get the odd diagnostics error:

?? 001 2 LCSPX 0512 (this was on the SHOW CONFIG)

These are on the SHOW ERROR command I think:

Code: 
 ? 001 1 NVR   0025
?? 001 2 LCSPX 0200

The NVR is obviously the Non-Volatile RAM and the LCSPX is the standard graphics card.

Anyone any idea what exactly the error codes mean?

There are no SCSI disks fitted to this unit.

Tomorrow's task is to fit some SCSI disks then...

Dave
 
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Sounds like you'll need a lot more vacations days to get all that sorted!

Did you pick all that up in your Vauxhall? (Sorry, couldn't resist)
 
I have a spare 4000 / 96 for use as a donor...

Someone damaged the internal SCSI cable and removed the RAM modules from this unit.

It is also possible that the graphics card is not sitting properly within the machine. I may remove it and reinstall it tomorrow.

Does anyone know if the monitor cables are still available for this beast? I am finding what appears to be the part "BC29H-2E".

Dave
 
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I don’t know the NVR error code specifically but I’d expect the 4000/96 to use the ubiquitous Dallas DS1287A RTC/NVR module (encapsulated chip + battery) like the rest of the clan and the battery will be defunct so it’s likely upset about the clock though the NVR bit should still be working (?) and it shouldn’t be fatal to booting (my microvaxes boot ok like that). Plenty on the www about bodging a repair or attempting replacement. I’ve not bothered.
 
Hi Dave,

I've been looking into making a video cable for mine as I haven't found a good source to buy one from. The connectors (3W3) are available from RS for about £14. It seems easy if your target monitor has sync-on-green. It's a bit more involved if not but still possible.


Cheers,

Andy.
 
Cheers Andy - good spot.

I am hoping the monitor I have is still working. Haven't got that far yet... More "smoke testing" in the future I fear!

Dave
 
I have a Vaxstation 4000 model 90 that also displays ?? 001 2 LCSPX 0512 on power up. I assumed that it was because I use a 423 connected VT520 as console and nothing is connected to the keyboard port on the 4000. My reasoning for this thinking is that I have an Alphastation 200 4/233 with console connected over 423 to a VT420, when I power this up it displays a message that the keyboard isn't connected. My thinking is that if a local keyboard is connected then it selects local graphics card? I have a 3W3 to BNC BC29G-09 video cable (1702906-01) but no monitor with BNC input anymore. I'm planning on trying this part as an adapter to a standard sync on green VGA monitor.https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/StarTech...BNC-RGBHV-Monitor-Cable-M-F-0-3m/183673540154 Not sure if this will work though but don't see why not;)
 
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Since you mentioned TLZ06, I have a TLZ07 and TLZ10 in my pile of things to do. I've not done anything with them so I decided to power them up and see if my Vaxstation 4000 sees them on the SCSI bus. Both power up OKJ and are not noisy and are seen as DEV 5. Unfortunately I can't upload the photos as they are around 700k each, this is my camera phone on lowest MP also.:confused:
 
>>> ?? 001 2 LCSPX 0512 on power up.

That is a good thought about the message...

I removed the LCSPX card today and reseated it. Same message - although the card does look to be installed in a more appropriate manner (it was a bit 'wonky' originally...). I will try a keyboard in there before swapping it for the card in my donor machine.

The BC29G-09 is the much longer lead isn't it if I remember correctly?

Anyhow, I managed to erase one of the 9 SCSI drives today with the machine. It took about 1.25 hours to erase a RZ26B-E drive (1.05GB). I verified the drive after and that only took 5 minutes or so. I have a workflow now...

I was looking in my expansion box whilst waiting for the disk to erase :). There was a SCSI CDROM drive lying in there. Not connected to anything and someone has removed the drive trays etc. But the front panel is there. I may move that from the expansion box to my 4000/96 as an internal drive. I wonder if there is a caddy inside it?! Just had a look in the spare room (aka junk room). There appears to be a spare CD-ROM caddy sitting on top of one of the bookcases (if I can get to it sometime)...

Dave
 
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The BC29G-09 is 9' and there is also a very long 15' BC29G-15, if I remember correctly. How did you erase the drive using the Vaxstation? I have a couple of DEC SCSI drives that I need to erase. thanks.
 
Get into CONSOLE mode.

>>> TEST /UTIL SCSI

The system displays a short menu.

Enter 3 to erase a SCSI hard disk.

Enter the SCSI ID of the disk you wish to erase.

Enter a LUN of 0 when prompted.

Enter ok if you really want to erase the disk! This is the last chance to say not...

Have a cup of tea, watch a movie...

Dave
 
No problem.

It did take me a while to locate a document online that contained that key bit of information though.

Dave
 
I have been reading online about the LCSPX error - and it appears fairly common. A couple of posts even suggest that the card detects the presence of the monitor (possibly via the termination resistors in the monitor) and this may be the source of the error? Theory until put to the test...

Dave
 
Speaking of LCSPX error, could you give the output from SHOW ERROR after it has failed the self test?
 
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