Subject: Re: Questions about VAX 11/78x
To: Gunther Schadow <gunther@aurora.regenstrief.org>
From: Chuck McManis <cmcmanis@mcmanis.com>
List: port-vax
Date: 08/02/2001 10:55:20
I have a UNIBUS expansion cabinet (PDP-11 dress plate) available for free 
in the SF Bay Area, it would be fairly expensive to ship as it weighs over 
100lbs as far as I can tell.
--Chuck


At 10:49 AM 8/2/01 -0500, Gunther Schadow wrote:
>Hi Tim,
>
> > I am not sure what other UNIBUS cages there are out there, but I think
> > and UNIBUS cage would probably work. They seem to be prity self contained
> > and just paddle connectors. From memory only th 11/7xx and 8600 series
> > realy used UNIBUS.
>
>don't forget the PDP-11, UNIBUS was really the main PDP-11 system
>bus.
>
> > How are you going with getting hold of a system cabinet? and/or backplane?
>
>two friends have turned up some things from the scrap yard. Unfortunately
>those may be missing critical pieces and have been fairly exposed to
>whether and water on the scrapyard probably for years. It's a shame.
>I'm not even sure I can afford the sipping accross the country, depends
>on the condition. I'm still hoping to find a decomissioned complete
>system someday somewhere. May be that would even have the UNIBUS
>extension cabinet end everything (= VAX heaven :-).
>
> > > > As far as the UNSBUS in my 11/785, I have a DEUNA Ethernet, SCSI Tape
> > > > Controller and serial cards (can't remember part numbers of hand).
> > >
> > > Anything SCSI seems like utterly unaffordable for the VAX, whatever
> > > bus it is, ebay prices simply skyrocket on every VAX SCSI adapter.
> > > So, I'll do without. Leaves me with DEUNA, a whole bus for one
> > > card! I won't cry if I don't get it
> > >
> >
> > I am in Australia, over here last time I tried bidding on a uVAX II, that
> > when completely crazy! When as high as $700 AU, about $1400 US.
>
>yea, eBay is a sword with two edges, it's a big flea market where we
>can gather things, but there is a lot of activity going on driving up
>the prices. There is nothing better than sitting right at the source
>where people want to get things out of their way quickly. Blessed are
>the folks in New York or other huge cities, who know where to turn to.
>
> > As I  understand the MASSBUS on the 11/785 is just a couple of slots in the
> > card cage in the system cabnet, far right hand site.
> > The cards I have heard you can get for it are Disk/Tape controlers  and 
> HSC.
> > MASSBUS is genraly perfered to UNIBUS for speed reasons as it is full 
> system
> > width.
>
>Ah, you mean the reserved slots in the main cabinet? O.K. that would at
>least not require another major component. Cards show up over time.
>
> > There is some more info in the 11/780 and 11/785 Installation Manuals 
> that I
> > have, that I can scan in if you are interested. Manly only things like
> > pictures of the cabnets and layouts.
>
>Thanks, I have one drawing of front and back side by now. Of course
>I'd be glad for the manuals. If you could scan and put up on web site,
>that would be a great community service. I'm sure there are others
>who might want to look at this.
>
> > I just thought, you would need to source a LSI-11 console as well?
>
>very true, and unfortunately those are really PDP-11 computers that
>people take from the yard just for its own sake. I dearly hope that
>one of the machines the friends have found has that console computer
>still in it. Otherwise it'll be a big pain. Do you have one spare?
>
>regards
>-Gunther
>
>--
>Gunther Schadow, M.D., Ph.D.                    gschadow@regenstrief.org
>Medical Information Scientist      Regenstrief Institute for Health Care
>Adjunct Assistant Professor        Indiana University School of Medicine
>tel:1(317)630-7960                         http://aurora.regenstrief.org