Subject: Re: Hardware questions
To: Julian C. Dunn <jdunn@aquezada.com>
From: Don Yuniskis <auryn@gci-net.com>
List: port-sparc
Date: 11/25/2001 23:24:39
>Julian Dunn noted:
>
>On 26-Nov-2001 Don Yuniskis wrote:
>>>Do you have a Sun monitor with which to test it?
>> 
>> Yes.  A type 449 (?) if that means anything.  :>  Works
>> well with the internal fb's in the IPC, Classic and LX.
>> So, I suspect the problem on the CG6 is truly a hardware
>> problem and not just a fluke...
>
>The part # doesn't mean anything to me. 

Heh heh heh... means even *less* to *me*!  :>

>On the other hand, it depends on what
>kind of symptoms you are seeing with the monitor that cause you to suspect
>hardware problems. Certain Sun monitors will not work with certain Sun
>framebuffers because the resolution is wrong. For example, plugging a 
>two-bit monitor into a Sun with a color card may not always work; either
>you will get a picture with a messed-up resolution (driving the monitor
>at a frequency higher than it can handle), or no picture at all.


It appears to be a color monitor.

If I drive it from an IPC, SS1+, SS2, LX or Classic, I see what
I would expect to see -- monochrome on the IPC, color on the LX, etc.
Full screen images.

I may have only tested the doublewide CG6 in the SS1+ (?).. not
sure if I tried it in the SS2.  The resulting image was too short
(occupied the top 25% of the screen -- but the full *width*!)
and illegible.  Furthermore, it didn't appear to just be a scrunched
picture... looked more like the video refresh address had
a bit stuck, etc.  <shrug>  I *could*, however, see the display
contents changing as the memory test was undoubtedly progressing
(and more text painting onto the screen)

While it is possible (?) that the SS1+ firmware couldn't talk to
the card (note these observations were with the boot monitor
alone -- never tried to start NBSD in this condition...), I
suspect that is not the case.  A single-wide CG6 worked
correctly -- lending credence to the argument that the
monitor is OK (since it also worked with every other video
source) but the problem lies in the double wide CG6...

When I get some spare time, I'll try to troubleshoot it in
greater detail.

>>>Point being: The cards you are looking for (with 10Base2 
>>>ethernet) DO exist.  There also exist, if you need one, 
>>>AUI --> 10Base2 transceivers, although I
>>>suspect these are much harder to find nowadays.
>> 
>> Yes, I have several of these.  I currently use them to tie
>> the various boxes to the coax *within* a particular room.
>> Though I suspect I will need to pick up a few more.
>> 
>> (sigh)  Sort of like stamp collecting -- you're never "done"!
>>:-/
>
>That's the way it goes with computer hardware; despite my best 
>efforts, I always seem to acquire more of it. :-)


Ah, well... not to much room to store things here so I try to
be a bit more selective about what I accumulate.  Get rid of
nonessential items -- like PC's, furniture, clothing, etc. -- to
make room for the "must haves"... :>  Next plan is to put the bed
on stilts to make that floor space more useable!  :-/

--don