Power Series

From: Tony Eros <tony.eros_at_machm.org>
Date: Thu Dec 20 14:08:05 2001

A few weeks ago, at least, there was a Crimson system in a nearby surplus
equipment warehouse. Where are you located?

-- Tony

At 01:11 PM 12/21/2001 -0500, you wrote:
>Please see embedded comments.
>
> > Well, speak of the devil... and all that. After mentioning yesterday
>that a
> > Power Series machine would be nice to have, I found that somebody
>brought
> > one home for me. (seriously...)
>
>Thats pretty cool.. I've got a bunch of smaller SGI machines including
>Indigo,
>Indigo2, and Indy, but nothing larger. I have an entire Crimson
>boardset, but
>no chassis for it, alas.
>
> > So before I get started here, let me also mention that it would be
>nice to
> > have:
> >
> > A Symbolics Lisp Machine
> > A Next Dimension Cube
> > A PDP-11 in a small rack with blinkenlights and core
>
>I'd love to get my hands on a LISP machine someday, too - if anyone ever
>
>comes across one thats up for grabs, let me know! I'll "move heaven and
>earth" to try and pick that up!
>
>I've got a PDP 11/34a with core, but its not really a complete system. I
>
>really need some sort of disk controller and subsystem for it, and I
>also need
>to figure out the pinout for the console terminal connector.
>
>I've got a NeXT Cube and a Slab, but the Cube is the original 68030
>model
>and doesn't have the NeXTDimension board. If you're ever interested in a
>
>road trip, though, noticing that you're in Illinois, the University of
>Michigan
>Property Disposition warehouse had a NeXTDimension Cube laying around
>about a month ago; $50, I think. I would've picked it up myself, but I
>was
>totally out of money at the time. I'd imagine it's stilll there, though.
>
> > ... enough of that, though. :)
> >
> > So, I now am the proud owner of a Power Series VGX machine. It seems
>to
> > have 4 40Mhz CPUs in it, a full compliment of graphics boards, FDDI,
>and
> > some extra video I/O boards.
>
>That's a relatively higher-end one, then... 4D/340, perhaps? There's a
>neat
>site called This Old SGI that talks a lot about getting these old Power
>Series
>machines running. You can find it pretty quickly with Google.
>
> > It's a deskside type machine, the whole thing fitting in one very
>large
> > tower --err... coffee-table :)
> >
> > Firstly, this machine is in need of:
> >
> > The plastic "skirt" piece for the right side of the chassis.
> >
> > The plastic back plate.
> >
> > The power-cable.
> >
> > Keyboard, monitor, mouse (all of which I can probably get locally...
>
>I checked a couple of days ago and there is an original SGI 4D keyboard
>and mouse set on eBay for not too much... less than $10, I think. I'm
>not
>sure how much longer it'll be there, though.
>
>I'd probably give up on finding the skins for the machine - I've never
>really seen them turn up by themselves, and usually, MACHINES that
>turn up are missing pieces of them. The power cable's probably going
>to have to be a homemade job, too, as I don't see them turn up very
>often, but from what I gather, they shouldn't be too hard to assemble.
>
> > (that's it.. I think I have the entire machine otherwise)
> >
> > Does anyone know where I can get these, or (in the case of the
>power-cord,
> > for instance) parts to make them?
>
>I've heard that you can find the connectors for the power cord at
>hardware
>stores, but I can't confirm that myself.
>
> > Any warnings/information/antic dotes for these machines?
>
> > I do intend to use the thing. I also intend to use it at home. It
>appears
> > to require 20 Amp service, though, and I have no good 20 Amp outlet
>within
> > reach. I do have some 20 Amp and a couple 30 Amp fuses (Yes, fuses.
>I
> > intend to replace the one I hook this to with a mini-breaker) in the
>box,
> > which I intend to trace before I decide where to plug it in. It may
>be that
> > I'll contract somebody to run a 20 Amp outlet for this machine. (Never
>
> > having done AC wiring work on my own, I feel that I don't want to
>start by
> > wiring an outlet for this beast) Otherwise, the plan will be to plug
>it
> > into a circuit with a highly rated fuse on it, and unplug everything
>else.
> > Any holes in this plan? The breaker on the power-supply is rated 16
>Amps,
> > btw. I have no idea how much pull to expect from a monitor -- anyone
>know
> > whether I can safely use both on the same circuit? That would
>simplify
> > things.
> >
> > I believe a best option is to have somebody run a line up from the
> > washer/dryer hookups in the basement. Those are hooked to 30-amp
>fuses
> > already and have cutoff switches. As long as nobody does laundry
>while the
> > machine's running, then, it would be fine. :)
> >
> > Lastly, even before I get this thing plugged in, I'd like to inventory
>it,
> > and check it for health. What should I look for?
>
>I'd DEFINITELY suggest taking a look at the power supply (and fuse)
>before
>you begin. Make sure the power transistors and caps are in good order. I
>say
>this because the power supplies on these machines are getting a little
>old and
>they are known for being somewhat iffy. I've had a similar supply (on a
>SGI
>Crimson machine) flame out on me before - it makes a very spectacular
>noise!
>
>That, incidentally, is where the Crimson boardset came from... I wish I
>would
>have saved the chassis from the Dumpster, too (this was at work when we
>had
>picked up an old Crimson from a customer as scrap once and were messing
>around with it). Ah, well. I'm still trying to find another SGI VME
>machine to
>this day. Maybe an Onyx or something :)
>
> > Regards,
> >
> > Chris
> >
> > Christopher Smith, Perl Developer
> > Amdocs - Champaign, IL
> >
> > /usr/bin/perl -e '
> > print((~"\x95\xc4\xe3"^"Just Another Perl Hacker.")."\x08!\n");
>
>Kind regards,
>
>Sean Caron
>scaron_at_engin.umich.edu
>root_at_diablonet.net
Received on Thu Dec 20 2001 - 14:08:05 GMT