VAXStation/MicroVAX 2000 stuff

From: Don Maslin <donm_at_cts.com>
Date: Wed May 19 23:34:14 1999

On Wed, 19 May 1999, Allison J Parent wrote:

> <OK, the MicroVAX has the main board which is mounted solder side up. It
> <also has the extended memory card, a Network(?) card that connects via two
>
> Yes the LANCE chip (NI) is on a smaller paddle board.
>
> <40 conductor ribbon cables. What is missing is the large - almost main
> <board size - board that is situated component side up beneath the main
> <board, and connects to it via two 40 pin headers (that run parallel to
> <the 50-pin and 60-pin connectors for tape SCSI and hard and floppy drives
> <respectively) on the main board. Is that the Video Extension board?
>
> Yes. Without it you have mono video or you can run using a serial terminal
> via the printer port as console. The connector if pin 8 or 9 is grounded
> tells it to use serial port instead of the video console. I've hard

That is the way I am running.

> jumpered mine so I can boot and run headless or use a more common cable
> if I want a serial terminal on the system.
>
> the 50 pin is the SCSI the 60 pins is HDC and floppy and the other larger
> board is the video extension. Without the video board they are the same
> beast.

So with a suitable cable and formatted hard drive (my XT2190) I should be
able to convert the uVAX into a VAXstation, but without the external
peripheral connectors.
 
> <Does the position of the Berg jumper about two inches from the rear of the
> <BNC connector affect the functioning of the storage devices?
>
> No. The storage devices are always available if the system probe finds
> them. It's possible to have a RX33 floppy(TEAC FD55GFV), MFM hard disk,

What does the Berg jumper do then?

> A second RD5X MFM and TAPE(TK50) via a SCSI bridge. NOTE: the scsi is
> real SCSI hardware wise but the roms(and VMS drivers) do not implement
> compatable SCSI protocal so the only standard device is the oddball TK50.
> The SCSI oddity is from the mid 80s when SASI/SCSI was not a clear standard.
>
> For hard disks RD54 is the most desireable but v5.x can be trimmed to
> fit on a 71mb RD53 (DECwindows has to go,as I've got one here that way).
> Terminal support is via the DB9 printer port. If you can find one there
> is an adaptor P/N70-23766 that converts the video connector and the printer
> connector to three RS423 MMJ serial ports.

I have one and picked up several of the cables at a recent swapmeet.
Haven't used either yet.
 
> I run all my VAXen to serial ports and a VT1200 DECterm, can't spare the
> space for the usual VR260/290/320 or larger tubes. Since DECnet does
> the equivelent telnet (and then some) one or two tubes are enough for
> support and talk to all of them.
>
> Hope this helps. I happen to have three of them, two running VMS and one
> with Ultrix4.2 on it. To that two MicrovaxIIs, 3 MV3100/M10Es,
> 1 MV3100/M76 sharing the eithernet with two MS PCs and a Linux PC box.
>
> Allison
>
 
Yes, thanks, Allison. Helpful as always!

                                                 - don
Received on Wed May 19 1999 - 23:34:14 BST