PDP-11 topics again.
I would be keen on coming down for the repair fest with my 11/73 if someone has a spare KDJ11 CPU board that I can swap into this chassis to see if this is the ONLY fault I'm seeing. I've found other boards on ebay but the lowest price is $400, and that's a lot of money to toss out when I'm not sure the rest of hte machine is functional. Anyone got a board I can test with? I don't... know if a low end CPU will work here (IE an 11/03 or an 11/05). I'm willing to strip the backplane and try it with the serial boards. -- Dave Shevett shevett@pobox.com
On 3/15/22 10:22, Dave Shevett via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
I would be keen on coming down for the repair fest with my 11/73 if someone has a spare KDJ11 CPU board that I can swap into this chassis to see if this is the ONLY fault I'm seeing.
I've found other boards on ebay but the lowest price is $400, and that's a lot of money to toss out when I'm not sure the rest of hte machine is functional.
Anyone got a board I can test with?
I can send you one if you don't find one sooner. I should be able to get one tested and shipped by Thursday or Friday. Let me know.
I don't... know if a low end CPU will work here (IE an 11/03 or an 11/05). I'm willing to strip the backplane and try it with the serial boards.
The 11/05 is Unibus; the predecessor of the 11/04, one that you know very well. :-) (whatever happened to that system?) -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA
Hahhahahah. FUNNY BIT HERE. check this out. someone sent me these because they just had them lying around They're literally decoration on my wall. They're 11/03's. What are the chances of these working? :) https://www.dropbox.com/s/aky83u4dbsouvfh/2022-03-15%2012.37.50.jpg?dl=0 Here's the other problem. The console on the /73 is on the mainboard. I have a pair of DLV11J's I could use - same pinning, but I'd need to identify the console somehow. Hmmmmm. (googles a bit) Ahhh, the DLV11J can be jumpered to say I AM THE CONSOLE. http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/qbus/EK-DLV1J-UG-001_DLV11-J_Users_Guide_Oc... I think I've found my project for tonight. Dave, thanks for the info on the 11/03 - I was almost sure the Qbus CPUs were all switchable, but thanks for the validation. For some reason I was lumping in an 11/05 which didn't make any sense whatsoever. And yeah, that machine Im' probably went to some poor slob who I'm sure never did anything with it. We never got it past like instruction 8 in the bootstrap. On Tue, Mar 15, 2022 at 12:18 PM Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
On 3/15/22 10:22, Dave Shevett via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
I would be keen on coming down for the repair fest with my 11/73 if someone has a spare KDJ11 CPU board that I can swap into this chassis to see if this is the ONLY fault I'm seeing.
I've found other boards on ebay but the lowest price is $400, and that's a lot of money to toss out when I'm not sure the rest of hte machine is functional.
Anyone got a board I can test with?
I can send you one if you don't find one sooner. I should be able to get one tested and shipped by Thursday or Friday. Let me know.
I don't... know if a low end CPU will work here (IE an 11/03 or an 11/05). I'm willing to strip the backplane and try it with the serial boards.
The 11/05 is Unibus; the predecessor of the 11/04, one that you know very well. :-) (whatever happened to that system?)
-Dave
-- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA
-- Dave Shevett shevett@pobox.com
On 3/15/22 12:46, Dave Shevett wrote:
Hahhahahah. FUNNY BIT HERE.
check this out. someone sent me these because they just had them lying around
They're literally decoration on my wall. They're 11/03's. What are the chances of these working? :)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/aky83u4dbsouvfh/2022-03-15%2012.37.50.jpg?dl=0
Wow, very early-rev 11/03s. The RAM on those boards might have issues, in particular. But you should be able to get to ODT at least.
Here's the other problem. The console on the /73 is on the mainboard. I have a pair of DLV11J's I could use - same pinning, but I'd need to identify the console somehow. Hmmmmm. (googles a bit) Ahhh, the DLV11J can be jumpered to say I AM THE CONSOLE.
http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/qbus/EK-DLV1J-UG-001_DLV11-J_Users_Guide_Oc...
Yup, that's probably the most common configuration for a DLV11-J.
I think I've found my project for tonight.
Yes. :)
Dave, thanks for the info on the 11/03 - I was almost sure the Qbus CPUs were all switchable, but thanks for the validation.
Well I've never run an 11/03 CPU in a BA23 myself, but I see no reason why it wouldn't work. I remember something about the run signal being in the right place, but that'd just affect the run LED on the front panel.
For some reason I was lumping in an 11/05 which didn't make any sense whatsoever. And yeah, that machine Im' probably went to some poor slob who I'm sure never did anything with it.
Damn. :-(
We never got it past like instruction 8 in the bootstrap.
I could've sworn that you and (who was it?) had it booting RT-11 from an RK05 at your old place in New Hope, spread out on a big door being used as a table I think. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA
The RK05 bootup was in fact on an 11/03, not the 11/05. And it was on a door :). That machine had an RK05 and an RX01 IIRC. Had a VT52 as a console. (Everyone else on the list I'm sure cares gobs about this :) On Tue, Mar 15, 2022 at 1:07 PM Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
On 3/15/22 12:46, Dave Shevett wrote:
Hahhahahah. FUNNY BIT HERE.
check this out. someone sent me these because they just had them lying around
They're literally decoration on my wall. They're 11/03's. What are the chances of these working? :)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/aky83u4dbsouvfh/2022-03-15%2012.37.50.jpg?dl=0
Wow, very early-rev 11/03s. The RAM on those boards might have issues, in particular. But you should be able to get to ODT at least.
Here's the other problem. The console on the /73 is on the mainboard. I have a pair of DLV11J's I could use - same pinning, but I'd need to identify the console somehow. Hmmmmm. (googles a bit) Ahhh, the DLV11J can be jumpered to say I AM THE CONSOLE.
http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/qbus/EK-DLV1J-UG-001_DLV11-J_Users_Guide_Oc...
Yup, that's probably the most common configuration for a DLV11-J.
I think I've found my project for tonight.
Yes. :)
Dave, thanks for the info on the 11/03 - I was almost sure the Qbus CPUs were all switchable, but thanks for the validation.
Well I've never run an 11/03 CPU in a BA23 myself, but I see no reason why it wouldn't work. I remember something about the run signal being in the right place, but that'd just affect the run LED on the front panel.
For some reason I was lumping in an 11/05 which didn't make any sense whatsoever. And yeah, that machine Im' probably went to some poor slob who I'm sure never did anything with it.
Damn. :-(
We never got it past like instruction 8 in the bootstrap.
I could've sworn that you and (who was it?) had it booting RT-11 from an RK05 at your old place in New Hope, spread out on a big door being used as a table I think.
-Dave
-- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA
-- Dave Shevett shevett@pobox.com
On 3/15/22 13:22, Dave Shevett wrote:
The RK05 bootup was in fact on an 11/03, not the 11/05. And it was on a door :). That machine had an RK05 and an RX01 IIRC. Had a VT52 as a console.
Wow ok. My memory is fading. I remember hanging out there when you were working on one of those systems, with maybe an RK11-D sitting bare in its backplane lying on that door.
(Everyone else on the list I'm sure cares gobs about this :)
I'd bet they probably do, actually. Don't forget what list you're on. ;) There's not much big iron traffic in this crowd (despite my best efforts), but there's some. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA
Yes! Keep the big iron traffic coming! Along with the other cool tech stuff, of course. Just beginning to 'wake up' a little bit from a long 8-to-9 year hobby dormancy driven mostly from a busy engineering career and appreciate reading such activity. So once I retire in late 2023 or so, I'll be hungry for activity and may discuss some stuff on my PDP 11/73, PDP 11/34A, couple of 11/23s, VAX11/730 (_lots_ of work needed, but still, Ye True Olde Iron), DG NOVA 1200, IBM 9370-75 (S/370 on silicon, but still big), smaller industrial machines: VMEbus & PC104 stuff, other fun stuff in addition to vintage radios -my true passion. Lurking for now... Just hope I have time for it all till I go 'blue screen' :-) Keep at it, Dave S.! Best regards, -Chris F. On 3/15/2022 1:54 PM, Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
On 3/15/22 13:22, Dave Shevett wrote:
The RK05 bootup was in fact on an 11/03, not the 11/05. And it was on a door :). That machine had an RK05 and an RX01 IIRC. Had a VT52 as a console.
Wow ok. My memory is fading. I remember hanging out there when you were working on one of those systems, with maybe an RK11-D sitting bare in its backplane lying on that door.
(Everyone else on the list I'm sure cares gobs about this :)
I'd bet they probably do, actually. Don't forget what list you're on. ;) There's not much big iron traffic in this crowd (despite my best efforts), but there's some.
-Dave
-- ======================================================================= Christian R. and Beverly J. Fandt Electronic/Electrical Historian Jamestown, New York USA email:cfandt@twc.com Members of Antique Wireless Association URLs:http://www.antiquewireless.org/ http://www.antiquewirelessmuseum.com -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus
On 3/20/22 21:57, Christian R. Fandt via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
Yes! Keep the big iron traffic coming! Along with the other cool tech stuff, of course.
Just beginning to 'wake up' a little bit from a long 8-to-9 year hobby dormancy driven mostly from a busy engineering career and appreciate reading such activity. So once I retire in late 2023 or so, I'll be hungry for activity and may discuss some stuff on my PDP 11/73, PDP 11/34A, couple of 11/23s, VAX11/730 (_lots_ of work needed, but still, Ye True Olde Iron), DG NOVA 1200, IBM 9370-75 (S/370 on silicon, but still big), smaller industrial machines: VMEbus & PC104 stuff, other fun stuff in addition to vintage radios -my true passion. Lurking for now... Just hope I have time for it all till I go 'blue screen' :-)
Sounds great to me! Note that we at LSSM did get a 9375 running, after much effort. We don't have an OS installed on it, but it loads microcode, which is 90% of the battle. If you don't have an operational console system, we can help with that part. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA
On 3/15/22 10:22, Dave Shevett via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
I don't... know if a low end CPU will work here (IE an 11/03 or an 11/05). Oh, I should've mentioned that, yes, any Qbus processor board should be fine in that chassis. The upper address lines won't be driven, but that should be ok for basic testing.
-Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA
participants (3)
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Christian R. Fandt -
Dave McGuire -
Dave Shevett