DEC stuff

From: Joe <rigdonj_at_intellistar.net>
Date: Thu May 11 20:03:33 2000

At 07:37 PM 5/11/00 +0100, you wrote:
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I was helping to sort a load of surplus test equipment yesterday and
>> found a couyple of DEC computers. Since I'm not a DEC head I don't know
>> anything about them so can someone tell me more about them and if they're
>> worth rescueing. The first is a DEC Por 350, there are two of them. The
>
>The PRO 350 (Professional 350) is essentially a desktop PDP11. There's an
>F11 chipset in there (like in an 11/23) linked to a somewhat strange bus.
>The video display system in also on that bus (like on a PC) -- it's not a
>serial terminal which is more conventional for PDP11s. You link a VR201
>(composite mono) or VR241 (colour) monitor up the machine -- I believe
>the latter needs some kind of video expansion card. User input is via an
>LK201 keyboard (same keyboard as the VT220, etc).

   Yeap, I have to go back and look for the monitor. I didn't know what it
used so I couldn't pick it out.

>
>There's most likely an RX50 dual floppy drive in the right hand drive bay
>and an RD50 or RD51 (5 or 10M winchester) in the left bay.

   I went through both machines today. The 350 has a RD51 and a RX50.


>
>There are 6 bus connectors. The front 2 are for the hard and floppy
>controllers. The next 2 are for the video card and video expansion card.
>The next one might contain a memory expansion card. The last one might
>contain an ethernet card (if you're really lucky) or a VAX interface card
>(which, IIRC contains RS232 and GPIB ports). To look at the expansion
>slots, pull the cover (catches under the lip on the sides), take off the
>end plate of the expansion bay (3 thumbscrews IIRC) and unplug the cables
>on top of the cards (note where they all go!). Then pull the 'flag' on
>the card outwards towards the right side of the machine) and turn it (I
>forget which way, but it only turns one way). This spreads the contacts
>in the connecotr. The board now slides out towards the right side of the
>machine.


    I didn't pull the cards but it has a 000401, a 002004, a 001002 and a
000034. Can anyone id these?

   It also has two daughterboards (with memory) attached to the main
circuit baord. This one is also mounted in a tower style case.

   I took a lot of pictures and I'll post them on the web as soon as I can.


>
>> other is is a Micro PDP 11/73. Both are roughly the size of a large tower
>
>The MicroPDP11/73 is a PDP11 using the J11 CPU chip (one of the later and
>faster single-chip PDP11 CPUs, with 22 bit addressing, etc). The
>backplane bus is Qbus. And from the description, it's in a BA23 cabinet,
>which is one of my least favourites because it's so small that I always
>manage to catch my hand on something when working in one...
>
>You need to take off the back panel (2 screws just below the power supply
>connectors, etc) and look at the handles of the boards. Each will have an
>'M-number' on it (M followed by 4 digits). If you post a list of the
>numbers here, somebody can tell you what you have.

   This is a cool machine! I got into it today too. I found out that it has
a Q-bus HP-IB card in it made by Tektronix! I saw the manuals and software
for the card in the load that just came in. This machine was used a a
controller for a Tektronix 7912(?) Digitizer. Besides the Tektronix card,
it has a M8190, a M7551, and a M8639 card in it. Can anyone ID them?

  I also took a bunch of pictures of this one. I'll post them as soon as I
can.

   Joe
Received on Thu May 11 2000 - 20:03:33 BST