R80/RA81 diagnostic experience?

From: Gooijen H <GOOI_at_oce.nl>
Date: Mon Mar 8 09:02:10 2004

A little info can be found here:
www.pdp-11.nl/peripherals/disk/ra81-info.html

According to the table, when the rightmost light [B]
stays on (and the FAULT light of course), it would mean
you have spin-up problems. Did you tension the belt with
the lever at the right-hand side (at least there it is
in an RA81 drive)?

  success,
- Henk, PA8PDP


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Brad Parker [mailto:brad_at_heeltoe.com]
> Sent: maandag 8 maart 2004 15:50
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> Subject: R80/RA81 diagnostic experience?
>
>
>
> [resend - looks like original got lost this weekend]
>
> Hi,
>
> If anyone has diagnostic experience with an R80 or RA81, I'd like to
> pick your brain a little...
>
> If this is better done off line, email is fine. I suspect
> not everyone
> is interested on how to revive an R80 :-)
>
> (why *I* find it infinitely fascinating is something I'll
> never understand)
>
> I have an R80 which does not spin up or come ready:
>
> - All of the voltages are good (all the ones I checked anyway).
> - The drive belt had come off but I managed to get it back on
> - I can't seem to get it into diagnostic mode; the 8 leds' on the
> bottom pcb show 0101 0101 (hex 55).
> - When it powers up all of the external lights go on and stay on.
> - if I reset (click the switch ont the pcb to "R", the lights go out
> - if I then push the run/start it lights and after about 5 seconds
> the fault light comes on and run/start goes out.
> - if I push the fault light all lights go on and then the right most
> one stays on
> - push fault again and they all go out (I can then repeat the
> run/start sequence)
>
> I'm guessing the above behavior means the micro is operating,
> but then I set the rotaries to "FF" and hit 'enter' (i.e. put the
> toggle to 'E') the led's don't change at all. The manual says they
> should flash and change as a I enter diag mode. I wanted to use
> diag more to force a spin up but no joy.
>
> Does the unit have to be connected to a controller to go into
> diag mode?
> I have an RB730 which this connects to. Connecting is does
> not seem to really change it's behavior.
>
> -brad
Received on Mon Mar 08 2004 - 09:02:10 GMT