DECmate III with a serial console?

From: David Betz <dbetz_at_xlisper.mv.com>
Date: Sat Jul 24 20:36:00 2004

I'm sure I can find a keyboard and a VR201 monitor somewhere. I just
think it would be cool to be able to run the machine across a serial
link to a terminal or PC. Maybe I'll have to do some research on what
sort of ROM it uses and try to get a dump of the ROMs in my remaining
units. Sounds like a challenge to me!

On Jul 24, 2004, at 8:25 PM, vrs wrote:

> From: "Ethan Dicks" <dickset_at_amanda.spole.gov>
>> On Sat, Jul 24, 2004 at 01:03:20PM -0400, David Betz wrote:
>>> Rather than trying to
>>> acquire a keyboard and monitor I'm wondering if anyone has tried to
>>> replace the boot ROMs to allow either OS/8 or OS/278 to boot using a
>>> serial terminal connected to the serial port. Is that even possible?
>>
>> I haven't tried it, but AFAIK, all of that style of DECmates (II, III,
> III+)
>> require a composite monitor (VR201) and an LK201-protocol keyboard.
>
> I think it is probably possible, but it is just too much easier to get
> a
> keyboard and a monitor. There is arcane knowledge in the making of
> the boot
> ROMs :-).
>
> There is a keyboard (unbid upon) for $10+$10(shipping) on eBay as I
> write
> this.
>
> I also seem to recall finding a description of the pinout info needed
> to
> connect a monitor somewhere on the net.
>
> Vince
>
Received on Sat Jul 24 2004 - 20:36:00 BST