Subject: Re: VAX 11/785 as a workstation :-)
To: Gunther Schadow <gunther@aurora.regenstrief.org>
From: Stephen Bell <steve@discus.lincoln.ac.nz>
List: port-vax
Date: 08/03/2001 11:19:50
Hi guys,
   Just got some hardware up & running last week have been meaning to 
   post the info.. I'm running it on a PDP-11/44 but can't see any reason 
   it wouldn't work in a vax.
   The boards have VT30H printed on them and connect to 
   a fairly std looking RGB monitor. Each monitor needs a 2 board set
   I think these things were reasonably common in industrial control systems.
   I'm still not sure how to make use of it properly yet, the RSX driver
   is loaded & i've got an application that draws a picture on the screen.
   Looks like 16 colours, and reasonable resolution.  

   The machine it came in had 2 card sets for more than one monitor in 
   the card cage. 

   4 cables for red-green-blue-sync

   It looks like you can connect a terminal device (software) to the 
   display driver and use it as a terminal in text mode as well but I 
   haven't figured out how to do that yet. (under RSX)

   I have enough bits & pieces to build up 2 systems so getting the second 
   machine up & running with unix is the next project. 

Cheers,
     Steve
 



On Thu, 2 Aug 2001, Gunther Schadow wrote:

> Last night I was browsing the UNIBUS/PDP-11 field guide on the
> Web before I went to sleep. Then I dreamed of a VAX 11/785 with
> an UNIBUS extension cabinet full of cards. Included was a 3, 4,
> 5, or so card-set that together comprises a video interface. Hook
> up a composite monitor or RGB monitor and there you have it:
> 
> A VAX 11/785 as a workstation!
> 
> Write a driver for X11R6 for it and off we go. Has anybody ever
> seen those UNIBUS video monitor adapter sets? I suppose they 
> were meant for PDP-11s, but I think running them with a VAX
> would be way cooler. Might not be possible, and certainly would 
> involve some serious fiddling. But in a machine that has 10 or
> more cards for just the CPU, a 4 board video adapter would be 
> the appropriate thing, wouldn't it? :-)
> 
> cheers,
> -Gunther
> 
>