Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/12/84; site desint.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!trwrb!desint!geoff
From: geoff@desint.UUCP (Geoff Kuenning)
Newsgroups: net.micro.68k
Subject: Re: inserting multibus boards without breaking your fingers
Message-ID: <245@desint.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 26-Nov-84 15:34:27 EST
Article-I.D.: desint.245
Posted: Mon Nov 26 15:34:27 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 29-Nov-84 04:24:55 EST
References: <509@cbosgd.UUCP>
Organization: his home computer, Manhattan Beach, CA
Lines: 32
Summary: It shouldn't hurt!

In article <509@cbosgd.UUCP> mark@cbosgd.UUCP (Mark Horton) writes:

>Every time I insert a board into the Multibus card cage in my
>Sun 120, I nearly break my fingers trying to push the board in.
>Usually I finally get it, often by pushing the back of the 120
>against a wall for leverage.  Today I had a memory board that
>was even harder than usual - my right thumb is still a bit sore
>from pushing on it, and I'm not sure it's in all the way now
>(but it seems to be running OK.)
>
>I never had these problems with Unibus boards.  Does anybody have
>a trick or a tool that makes life easier?

Sounds to me like Sun (or more likely their board maker) blew it and either
made the boards too thick or (less likely) made the connectors too narrow.
Multibus boards are certainly hard to get in, but you should not have a
sore thumb for more than a minute or two at the absolute most.  I have more
of a problem getting the boards back out when the board pullers are the
short kind.  However, in most of the systems I used, the boards were
mounted vertically so I was pushing against the floor.

I have never seen the inside of the Sun 120, so I do not know the board
configuration.  From your description, it sounds like the backplane is
mounted vertically.  If the boards are mounted horizontally, there are a
bunch of connector reliability problems due to gravity, which could be
partially solved by deliberately making the fit unusually tight.  The one
horizontally-mounted system I used did not normally have to be pushed
against a wall for leverage, but it was remarkably unreliable.
-- 

	Geoff Kuenning
	...!ihnp4!trwrb!desint!geoff