VAX 11/780 is getting ready to run, UDA50 diagnostics, how?

From: Gunther Schadow <gunther_at_aurora.regenstrief.org>
Date: Mon Sep 22 15:52:50 2003

Hi, with great pleasure I can announce that I have my VAX 11/780 almost
running. If you search the archives you will recall that I got an
error in the microdiagnostics at test 54. If I had only paid attention
to what someone had written on the label of the micro diagnostics floppy
label: "remove ethernet card or test 54 will fail!". With that card
removed, the test succeeded. The basic CPU diagnostics fails since
last winter though (failing module: M8230) but other tests are still
passing, so I expect I can replace that module later.

>From my selfmade DUABOO file the machine does run for a moment but then
hangs during the boot and the disk is never accessed. My UDA50 card
actually does something: the LED cycling pattern stops and the other
LED set signals that it's stuck in phase 3 of something. But hey, that
is good news, since it means that the boot process actually talks to
the UDA50 on the UNIBUS!!!!

Tonight I'm going to check the UNIBUS wiring in section C, where that
special bridge needs to be interrupted. This could explain why the
UDA50 isn't functioning properly.

Now some question to you veterans: I actually have a UDA50 diagnostics
floppy and also a DIAG SUPERVISOR floppy. Yet I don't know how to
run any of those. Don't even know how to look at the directory of
those floppies, because _at_DIR is a command file that is only on the
console floppy. So, how is this diagnostics started?

I even have a second RX01 floppy drive installed, just don't know how
to use it with the console program (I guess I would like to make myself
some copies of the critical floppies before bitrot sets in.)

Finally, since I now have the 11/785 board set and KA785 backplane
complete, does anyone have the console and diagnostics floppies for the
11/785?

thanks,,
-Gunther
Received on Mon Sep 22 2003 - 15:52:50 BST