--- Michael Davidson <michael_davidson_at_pacbell.net> wrote:
> I tried to track down a source for the DC003 a couple of years
> ago and came up with nothing. There are/were a few web sites which
> listed the DC003 but nobody really seemed to have any.
As I mentioned, I think I have a couple as spares... I used to
make and sell Qbus, Unibus and VAXBI boards. You won't find anything
about them on the web because I've never put up a web page on
them.
I got them when my former employer went out of business and I
bought the test fixtures and spares. We got them direct from
DEC. We used to buy entire Qbus logic sets and we didn't
use all of them (our board had a 68000 and 512K of RAM onboard,
so we didn't use the DEC method of handling word count, etc., for
DMA. I know we used DC005s on the BDAL lines, but without going
home and checking, I can't say from here exactly which parts we
did use and which ones just got stuck in foam and put in a box).
> Much as I hate to suggest this, if you *really* need a DC003 (to
> repair a board, for example) about your only option is to remove
> one from another board.
Oy! It's true that there is probably no ready supply, but has
anyone checked 1-800-DIGITAL (or whatever HP/Compaq uses for
legacy parts ordering)? No guarantees, but they have had lots
of stuff in the past that could only be located by a precise
part-number request.
> If memory serves, a DLV11J 4 port async serial interface would be
> a good place to look since they are not particularly hard to find
> and I *think* (sorry, I don't have one I can look at right now)
> they have 4 DC003 chips on them.
Probably not 4 x DC003. Probably 4 x DC005. Probably 1 x DC003.
> Be aware that removing chips that are soldered to an existing board
> without damaging them will almost certainly involve at least one of
> the following:
>
> - access to and expertise in using professional desoldering equipment
> - destroying the board
Destroying the board is the easiest way to ensure the chip extracts
intact. It's tough to get the power pins free from a multi-layer
board (I've done it, but it sucks compared with being able to sacrifice
either the chip or the board).
In the old days, there were companies like ESS that did depot repair. If
the "Computer Hotline" still lists DEC repair companies, that would be a
place to start. I doubt you would find much on them on the web.
-ethan
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Received on Sun Jan 12 2003 - 03:52:01 GMT