----- Original Message -----
From: "Gunther Schadow" <gunther@aurora.regenstrief.org>
To: "Geoff Roberts" <geoffrob@stmarks.pp.catholic.edu.au>
Cc: <port-vax@netbsd.org>
Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2001 3:21 PM
Subject: Re: UPDATE (was: Re: VAX 6000-400 series and NetBSD, I have
machines)


> They keep using the HSC for their other VAXen and mostly Alphas
> these days. This is the impressive thing about DEC that you can
> always hold on to your stuff and migrade gradually. OTOH, I am
> trying to avoid running a HSC for its power use ...

Good enough reason, they are actually a bit hungrier than the Vax
itself.
Older design.

> Yea, I will probably just put all this stuff in a big box and
> store it. If ever you come to Indianapolis, (er ... like to see the
> race), you can have it :-).

LOL.  I wish.
Not unless I win lotto or something.

<snip>

> Is there some way to get rid of 10 cm off
> the cabinet's width without having to screw up everything?

not 10cm. probably an inch or so if you take off the side panels.  Not
hard IIRC.

> > That would be good, the SDI would probably be the easiest to find,
> > though not necessarily the easiest to support, with the
> > XMI-BI stuff in the middle.
>
> Actually I am pretty confident that it can be hacked to work.
> I have some good documentation of how exactly this stuff works
> :-)

ok, you are way ahead of me there.

> They are RA90s. You put RA90s in the bottom of your cabinet
> didn't you?

Yup, 90's work fine. And I stand corrected, a black SDI cable from a 90
to the KDB50
works fine, you don't need the other stuff I mentioned.  You do for the
RA7x's in the SA70's though.

> Matt takes the drives out of an SF200 (? is that an enclosure?)

Yes.  Probably SA200.

> you're saying that it's critical to get all the cabling and connector
> stuff with it, right? What is this SF200 and would it be adviseable
> to keep the whole block rather than taking out individual drives?

No, if they are 9x's you can do it with just the drives, they are
individually mains powered,
I had my wires crossed on the cabling issue.  It's the SA70's that
terminate in a multiplex connector that must
go to an in cabinet adapter to mate to the SDI black cables.  And 2 do
fit nicely in the bottom of the 6k.

> > If you intend to do the 3phase-single phase conversion, you can save
> > around 30kg by removing that bloody great autotransformer between
the
> > mains input box and the 300V supply.  It's surplus to the
conversion.
>
> Oops, since I'm in the U.S. I wouldn't have a 300V transformer or
> would I?

Not sure, never seen the US variant, I think they still have one, but
don't quote me on this.  If not, bonus, a quick rewiring job and
you have a working 6k.

> Here are a few more questions:
>
> - what are the dimensions and weight of
> - - a star coupler

don't have a weight off hand, but 2 guys can lift it easily, it's about
3'6" high 18" wide and around 3' deep.
If you are truly stretched for space, the unit itself can be removed
from the cabinet and rack mounted or stuck in a convenient hole
somewhere.  The biggest headache with CI stuff is the cable, which is
semi rigid coax and must not be bent too sharply.

> - - a VAX 11/780

Don't have one to measure.  Someone on Classic Computers or in here will
though.

> - does a star coupler suck lots of power by itself?

None whatever, it is a passive device, some kind of impedance
matching/load balancing transformer gizmo.

> - how much power does the VAX 11/780 consume?

Not sure exactly, but quite a bit more than the 6000.

> - how could I get an 11/780? Might there be anyone trading an 11/780
>   against an 8420?

Couldn't say.

Geoff in Oz