> From port-vax-owner-clowenst=ucsd.edu@netbsd.org Mon Jan 24 08:33 PST 2000
> From: NetBSD Bob <nbsdbob@weedcon1.cropsci.ncsu.edu>
> Subject: VS II/RC funzies... what are the pieces?
> To: port-vax@netbsd.org
> Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2000 11:35:30 -0500 (EST)
> Delivered-To: port-vax@netbsd.org
> 
> OK, this weekend I had a look at the guts of the VS II/RC and pulled
> the boards to clean them.  This is what was actually in the beast,
> as near as I can tell.  If anyone has any comments as to how adaptable
> the thing is, I would appreciate them.  It looks like maybe there is
> enough there to actually make an interesting machine out of it, after
> I get the thing de-dustbunnied......
> 
> 1.  Backplane --- looks like a full 8 slot backplane.  I did not see
>     any resin filled or otherwise nuked slots, and every slot was
>     taken up with boards.

I guess it was upgraded to the real backplane some time in its past.

> 2.  Tape was a TK-50.
> 
> 3.  HD was an Imprimis (CDC? or Seagate?) 94196-766.  Some folks have
>     suggested it is a 766 mb ESDI thing?
> 
> 4.  Boards:
> 
>    a)  KA630 CPU
> 
>    b)  MS630B VS II video board (mono?)

This is memory.  It should have no external connectors except for the
board edge backplane connector and one 40-pin at the handle side for
memory data interconnection.

>    c)  Clearpoint MV2RAM/8 (8mb ram board?)

More memory, similar connectors to MS630.  A ribbon cable with three
connectors daisy-chains from the CPU card to the two memory cards.

>    d)  3 each grant continuity cards
> 
>    e)  DiLogic DQ696 HD controller (ESDI?)

Yes.  It goes with your ESDI disk drive.

>    f)  M75456 TK-50 tape controller
> 
>    g)  Viking VIK/QTO SCSI(?) controller (50 pin header thing)

Probably for SCSI tape drive and not disks.

>    i)  DZQ11  4 line asynchronous i/o board
> 
>    j)  DEQNA ethernet board
> 
> 
> 
> Alas, when I took the boards out for cleaning them up, I was not
> thinking, and did not note the positions of the cards other than
> slot 1 == cpu,  slot 2 == video,  slot 3 == ram.
> 
> Can anyone give me a suggested board layout for reinstalling the
> board set correctly?

This should be in a published FAQ.  It's in my microVAX manuals,
which are in another place from here.

> IFF I have a second Maxtor 700mb ESDI drive, can I pull the TK50 tape
> and hook that up to the drive controller?

You are running up against the power limitations of the box.  Although
DEC never approved of putting two hard drives in one BA23 box, it can
be done if you sequence the drives so that one is fully running before
the second drive starts.  The trick is to set drive 0 to start on
power-up, and set drive 1 to start on command.  Oh -- look at the wire
harness between the power supply and the backplane.  If it has all
parallel wires of the same length, it is the good kind.  If the wires
are of differing length to fit neatly around the corner, it is a
fire hazard.

> So, what NetBSD course of action is reasonable on the old VS II/RC
> beastie?  This week in the surplus pit, I may be able to find its
> companion monitor (VR262?), for a buck or two, and I have some
> feelers out in the department from whence the beastie came, for
> any remaining docs or manuals.

From your listing of cards, I don't think you have a video card.
But you can always use it with a serial terminal.

   carl

        carl lowenstein         marine physical lab     u.c. san diego
        {decvax|ucbvax} !ucsd!mpl!cdl                 cdl@mpl.ucsd.edu
                                                  clowenstein@ucsd.edu