3com 3station

From: Pat Finnegan <pat_at_purdueriots.com>
Date: Sat Jan 12 15:06:36 2002

On Sat, 12 Jan 2002 jeff.kaneko_at_juno.com wrote:

>
>
> On Fri, 11 Jan 2002 10:21:25 -0500 (EST) Pat Finnegan
> <pat_at_purdueriots.com> writes:
> >
> > > I still have a copy of 3+Share (and 3+Start) around here
> > > someplace . . .
> >
> > That would be nice if you could find it. However, I won't hold my
> > breath for it. After attempting to hook an old floppy drive up to it's
>
> > 34pin connector, I realized it was definately designed for something
> > else (one orientation froze the box, the other shorted out the power
> > supply :-( )
>
> Yow! DOes the thing still light up? I never did fighre out what that
> connector was for.
>

Yah, it still 'starts up' as much as possible. I'm about to stick a
2-channel scope on that to see if I can decipher the connector. If not,
I'll hook it up to one of Purdue's $5k 'logic analyzers' eventually...

I _want_ to do something with it. At a minimum, I would like to put minix
on it and use it as a serial/network (color) text terminal. If I can
extract useful signals off of the 34pin connector, maybe I can end up
hooking up a floppy controller or a boot-rom for it so it'll be able to
netboot using bootp&tftp or something...

Here's my prelim analysis after taking the cover off:

1) 80286 processor, ??MHz (don't want to scrape the thermal paste off the
   processor.
2) '286 Pheonix BIOS EPROM
3) Some 3com "6063-06 WYL" EPROM. I'm guessing the net-boot firmware.
4) Nat'l Semi 8390 ethernet controller IC
5) 1M of on-board 100ns DRAM
6) (C) Paradise '88 PVGA-1A
7) 256k of video ram (120ns DRAM)
8) a programmed 8742 marked "6062-03ARW" keyboard controller?
9) DE-9P serial, DB-25P serial, DB-25F parallel, DIN-5S keyboard,
   BNC/AUI network connectors, 15pin VGA connector,
   40pin 80287 coprocessor socket, 4x30pin SIMM sockets
10) pc speakers, assorted other stuff.

As soon as i clear my bed of parts from a dead RL02, I'll try hooking a
scope up to this thing and figuring it out. I'll probably determine what
the second ROM is for (either 'other' 8-bits of ROM, or custom stuff) by
seeing what happens when i un-socket it, and go from there.


> > I'll take that into consideration. Thanks for the help!
>
> Sure. Mebbe I'll have to dredge up my copy of 3+Share . . .
>

That'd be _very_ cool. Again, much thanks.

-- Pat

>
> Jeff
Received on Sat Jan 12 2002 - 15:06:36 GMT