Fire up the iron...

From: Daniel Seagraves <root_at_bony.umtec.com>
Date: Thu Nov 30 08:33:22 2000

On Mon, 27 Nov 2000, Christopher Zach wrote:

> Quick bit of status: Sitting in my computer room here at the house is:
>
> AI (20/20 system, fully loaded with memory, passes all diags)
> RM03 (Fully operational, need to dust off and purge)
> RM80 (Operational, however currently unformatted)
> RM03 (Logic problem in getting the heads to load)
> TU77 (Doesn't work, why?)
> TU77 (Spare for parts)

Question, what did AI originally have for system disks? (I.E. do you have
the old AI disk packs or are you restoring from a tape or something?)

> I've got a pair of RM02's, a TU45, and an RP07 sitting in storage. The
> TU45 is a bit of a shambles, maybe with Dan's system as a plate I can
> diagnose it someday.

I replaced the line cord ending on my TU45 last night so I could turn it
on. It doesn't do a whole lot. It makes an impressive amount of noise,
one of the fans needs a can of WD-40 really badly. :P I think it's messed
up though, I tried getting it to mount a tape and all it does is make a
mess unspooling the tape all over the place. When you push LOAD, it runs
the take-up reel backwards slowly for a few seconds, then kicks both reels
forwards (with the tape now loose on the takeup reel) and stops,
unspooling the first 20 feet or so of tape around inside the drive. I
think it wants adjusting, and I was told you need 4 hands, a lot of
alcohol, and the ability to swear in 42 languages to successfully do this.
If anyone with manuals has any idea what to do about this and can tell me,
that would be good.

Of course, I might also be threading it the wrong way, but I tried both
ways with similar results.

> The big problem with AI is that the tape MASSBUS is dead. I don't have a
> clue as to why. Diagnostics are very vague, closest thing I get on the
> controller is a control bus parity error/8915 bit fiddler error.
> According to the limited TOPS20 diags, this could be anything.

I think I remember this discussion... Was it ever determined if the KS
itself or the drive was at fault?

> Yes, I know: 11/23's are Q-Bus and the RH11 is a Unibus tank. However
> I've also got a Qunivertor, and it seems to be working (albeit in 18 bit
> mode). At least I can fire up RSX11/M and begin walkin through tests on
> the TU77/TM03/RH11. And I don't have to deal with the main CPU, the 18
> bit fiddler, etc...

My question is, as the 2020's RH11 is modified to be special to the
2020, will it work right on a PDP-11?

"Confuse, annoy, and DEE-STROY!" -- Jet Wolf | "Nothing Happens." -- ADVENT
"You'd be surprised what you can live through..." -- Anonymous
"...A man can pass his family and his name down through his sons, but it's
his honour that gets passed through his daughters. He can see the best
and worst of life in his girls. A daughter is something far too precious,
and he'll do anything to protect her."
        -- Reichsfuehrer Siegfried Koenig, _Matrose_Mond_, David Oliver
Received on Thu Nov 30 2000 - 08:33:22 GMT