Subject: Re: help - 3max (DS5k/200) will not start
To: Eyal Lebedinsky <eyal@eyal.emu.id.au>
From: Lord Isildur <mrfusion@uranium.vaxpower.org>
List: port-pmax
Date: 12/31/2002 10:59:03
If the machine has been sitting a long time or been uncared for (as many 
pmaxen are when they get into our hands!) it is a good idea to clean it 
out thoroughly.. bad contacts on the power connectors and the memory 
modules are common after a decade of service for these. re-seating the 
memory modules should be the next thing you do... 
in any case, it sounds like youve got the machine powered up okay. What 
do the LEDs say? 
removing the video will cause the machine to default to the serial 
console. the port labelled '3' should get you a console, 9600-8-n-1. 

Isildur

On Tue, 31 Dec 2002, Eyal Lebedinsky wrote:

> I checked the connector and it looks good, but then how do I tell for
> sure?

if as you say the machine pwoers up, the connector should be fine. Generally
just inserting and removing it a few times makes for better contact.
a good cleaning (vacuum out all the loose dirt, wash off carefully the rest
with alcohol) is the ultimate, but that doesnt help inside connectors much.
just moving the connectors about does wonders for contact. 

> The reset push-button must be doing something right since I can hear the
> scsi disk resetting.
> 
> Is there any way to check that the CPU is running?

the LEDs should go through various patterns and blinkenlights as it goes
through the tests, and then when the tests are finished the LEDs should all
be off. If they remain on, something is wrong. Hook up a console and watch
what it complains about. 

> If I remove the video module and the memory, should it go some distance
> into POST before complaining (with some LEDs off)?

all the way to the chevron.