DEC stuff

From: Joe <rigdonj_at_intellistar.net>
Date: Fri May 12 18:01:16 2000

At 07:33 PM 5/12/00 +0100, you wrote:
>> >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.
>
>IIRC, _Any_ Pro350 will work with the mono monitor (VR201), but you need
>the video expansion card to really use the colour monitor...

   How can I tell which video system is in this one? It has a DB15M
connector on the back and it simply says "video".

   I went back today and found a VR201 and three VR241s. They're marked bad
but I grabbed them anyway. Do you know anything about what kind of cable
does the VR241 uses?
>
>
>>
>> >
>> >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.
>
>OK, sounds pretty standard...
>
>
>[Pro 350 cards]
>
>> I didn't pull the cards but it has a 000401, a 002004, a 001002 and a
>> 000034. Can anyone id these?
>
>According to Megan's module list :
>
>000034 = RAM expansion
>000401 = Winchester controller (for the RD51)
>001002 = Video card (standard one, for the VR201. You need an 001403
>alongside it for the VR241 colour monitor)

   OK that's answers my question. Any idea what else uses the VR241?

>002004 = RX50 floppy controller.
>
>So your machine needs the VR201 monitor (and LK201 keyboard), and
>unfortunately doesn't contain any of the really 'cool' options...

   Oh well, some days chicken and some days feathers!
>
>
>[Micro PDP11/73]
>>
>> 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
>
>Actually, at least over here, DEC GPIB cards for Q-bus (IBV11) aren't
>_that_ rare.
>
>> 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?
>
>M8190 is a J11-based CPU board. Are there any letters after the number
>(like -AB or something).

   OK here are all the suffixs; M8190 AB, M7551 BF and M8639 YB.

 BTW, Megan's list is a little confusing on this
>card -- it says that the plain M8190 is the 11/84 CPU (which it may well
>be) and is used in Unibus machines (which the 11/84 is). But the card
>itself is _Qbus_. In the 11/84 there's a bus translator to convert Qbus
>to Unibus. Don't put any M8190 card into a Unibus backplane.
>
>M7551 is the RAM card. Again, the suffix letters will tell you what size
>it actually is. It's either 512kW, 1MW or 2MW.


   I booted it to the ROM monitor last night, it has 2 Mb total RAM.
>
>M8639 is the disk controller, for RX50 floppies and RD51/RD52
>winchesters. It's either an RQDX1 or an RQDX2, again depending on the suffix.

   Hmmm. It has a RD53 (85 Mb) drive in it. Maybe this is why I couldn't
get it to boot. Or am I missing something?

>
>Hope that helps

   It does.

    Joe
Received on Fri May 12 2000 - 18:01:16 BST

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Fri Oct 10 2014 - 23:33:09 BST