--- Patrick Finnegan <pat_at_purdueriots.com> wrote:
> I'm having some problems getting my RL02 drive to play nice with my RLV12
> in my VAXstation 3200...
OK.
> I've got the drive connected to the controller with a piece of 40pin
> ribbon cable from an IDE drive, since I have no 'offical' cable to
> connect the two (or a cab kit for the controller).
Never done that (always had cables), but for a short distance, it
should work.
> The drive is set to ID 3, because I don't have a '0' Ready light cover.
Also never done that. Don't remember if it works or not. We were
always short of 0s and 1s (but seemed to always have a box of 2s and
3s ;-)
> Also, I don't have a terminator to use.
Major problem.
> Right now, the drive has its 'FAULT' light on, including when the VAX is
> powered up and at its monitor.
As has been mentioned numerous times, the FAULT light will stay lit
until you secure a terminator.
> A 'SHOW QBUS' shows the adaptor at address 774400 (I think),
That's the right place.
> and a 'SHOW RLV12' shows no devices attached to the controller.
Don't expect it to find FAULTed drives.
> Previously, when I connected a clock signal to the drive's clock in,
> which was anywhere near 4.2MHz, the fault light would go off.
Hmm... interesting. Never played with RL drives at the signal level.
Not sure what that would do.
> Now, I can't get the light to go off at all, and I'm suspecting the
> controller. This cable is the second one I've tried, and both cables
> have had all 40pins going straight through.
Don't know if that's the right thing or not, but it sounds good.
> I also have tried reversing the cable to ensure I had
> pin 1 the same on both ends, to no avail (could that have nuked the
> interface on either the controller or drive?).
No. DEC built their stuff to withstand upside-down and backwards
cables (but not modules - a former boss of mine watched an FE
install an OMNIBUS board facing the wrong way - the box smoked,
the FE sheepishly shrugged and picked up the phone to get the
office to send over one of everything).
I am fairly certain that I have put the 40-pin cable wrong into
either an RLV12 or RLV11. I'm sure I've done it to an RL11 (there's
an 8' flat cable to a transition bracket (like the two on the back
of the drive) that mounts up on the H960 near the CPU - from there,
it's all round RL cables - it's easy to get the flat cable upside down
into the transition header). No damage should occur.
> Any suggestions or help would be appreciated.
Borrow a terminator. Making one is a second option, but without
grubbing over the schematics or having one to copy, I wouldn't
know what to use for a resistor.
-ethan
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Received on Tue Aug 20 2002 - 12:50:01 BST