Vax Station 3100

From: Mzthompson_at_aol.com <(Mzthompson_at_aol.com)>
Date: Thu Oct 19 10:54:32 2000

Yesterday, in response to Neil Cherry's post on his DEC machine I wrote:

> Just behind the memory is the video frame buffer. It is either
> a VFB02 mono, or a VFB02 color (p/n 54-19469-01).

Correction: the mono video frame buffer is a VFB01

Later Neil Cherry <ncherry_at_home.net> wrote:

> According to message I found during a web search, I may have purchased a
> lemon. It states that the machine won't boot without a keyboard and mouse.
> Well I don't have any. I'll have to hunt them down and then load *BSD.

To which Mike Ford <mikeford_at_socal.rr.com> wrote:

> No idea on mice, but I still have some LK201 and LK401 DEC keyboards.

Hey Neil, given your 'lemon', some water & sugar: Lemonade!

I have also got some spare LK201's. Also buried deep somewhere is
a couple unused hockey puck mice still in the original box, and they
lastest haul included a bag of hockey pucks as well.

Also adding his two bits was "Sean Caron" <sean_at_techcare.com> and he wrote:

> You may have read about the insidious mouse port dependency on these
> machines :)

> These systems must have either a mouse or a "mouse port terminator"
> installed on them to boot NetBSD (and others, perhaps) from the graphics
console. I think
> more information on them can be found on the NetBSD/pmax Web site, or you
could
> also probably look it up by typing something like "DECstation 3100 mouse
> terminator" into your favorite search engine.

Here's the info:

: How can I run a DECstation without the display?
: (From the Ultrix FAQ found at ftp.digital.com)

: To turn a DECstation 2100/3100 into a DECsystem 2100/3100 you need to:

: 1. Remove the Graphics board, keyboard and mouse.
: 2. Put a mouse loopback connector in the hole for the mouse plug.
: The loopback connector part number is: 12-25628-01

: To make your own:

: Short Transmit data to Receive Data, pins 2->4 as shown in the diagram.
: (view looking at the plug).

: 5 6 7
: o o o
: 4 o === o 1
: o o
: 3 2


> I'm not sure if its a problem if you boot the system off a serial console
> (which, incidentially, you can do; just hook up a terminal to the port with
> the printer icon next to it and flip the little DIP switch S3 on the back
> of the system - then you don't even need a mouse, keyboard, or monitor).

Sean, here I will have to say: Huh? There is no DIP switch on the back of
a DECstation 3100's. Is this something on the back of a VAXstation 3100?
If so, I thought we decided this was a DECstation 3100.

> Unfortunately, unless you have a MMJ terminal (VT3/400 series) you'll need
> to either buy or build a converter to break out MMJ to something more
> useful. The only problem is that (out here, at least), MMJ plugs are just
> about impossible to find and the converters (MMJ->DB25) cost $25 from DEC.
> Ouch!

Ouch is right, never knew DEC wanted that much. Maybe I need to take
my shoe box full of 'em to my safe deposit box. ;-))

And then Neil Cherry wrote:

> 2 ways around that problem, minor surgery (exacto blade) or major surgery
> (remove MMJ and solder in appropriate 6 pin RJ outlet). I think I'll
> start with the exacto first. Actually there is a 3rd method I'll try first
> and that is the exacto the RJ11 plug so it no longer has the tab on it.

Neil, if you want to use a PC as a terminal and need one, I have a couple
spare MMJ cables. Or in case you want to 'roll your own' I will post a
'fact file' on MMJ. I have posted it here in the past, but probably not
a bad idea to post again.

Mike
Received on Thu Oct 19 2000 - 10:54:32 BST