Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!oberon!cit-vax!elroy!gryphon!cadovax!trwrb!trwind!nrcvax!kvc
From: kvc@nrcvax.UUCP (Kevin Carosso)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: external rd53 in uVax 2000
Message-ID: <1564@nrcvax.UUCP>
Date: 24 Sep 88 00:49:13 GMT
References: <2123@stpstn.UUCP> <1025@amelia.nas.nasa.gov>
Reply-To: kvc@minnie.UUCP (Kevin Carosso)
Organization: Network Research Corp.  Oxnard, CA
Lines: 46

In article <2123@stpstn.UUCP> aad@stpstn.UUCP (Anthony A. Datri) writes:
>
>I've got an external RD53 here (ie., a box with a power supply and
>an overprice disk in it), and I'd like to hang it off a hitherto
>diskless Microvax 2000.  Do I have to buy one of the "adapter boxes"
>from DEC to give me the connector, or can I sneak the cable off
>the internal controller out of the box, or should I just rip
>the drive out of the external box and jam it into the uv2000?

How timely!  I spent most of yesterday afternoon ripping our new VAXstation
2000 apart to put the expansion adapter onto it.  We've got an RD54
in the system unit and need the expansion to plug in the external TK50.

In any case, by far your best bet it to take the RD out of its own box
and jam it into the system unit.  The 2000 system box is a real miracle
of packaging.  It's easy to take apart once you figure out how things
work.  The top, left and right sides, and front panel all form a single
cover which (after removing the four screws on the bottom (not the feet!))
slides forward off of the unit.  At the top you'll find the single-boad
computer, laying face-down with a piece of heavy stock paper covering the
now exposed, soldered side of the PC board.  Leave the paper on there.
The PC board is in a metal frame, mounted to the rest of the chassis with
some fairly obvious screws.  You can undo those and lift the frame up,
disconnect the power cable and that other cable, whatever it is, and
remove the whole frame.  You're now left with your system unit containing
just the power supply and the rail for the disk.

Slide the RD53 onto the rail (it's probably mounted the same way in the
expansion box anyway).  I don't know if the diskless machines come with
the ribbon cable that goes from the SBC to the drives, but if not you
hopefully have one in the expansion box to use.  The SBC (single board
computer) should have three ribbon cables connectors over in the corner
above the disk drives.  One of the long slots is for your disk cable, the
other long slot is for the TK50 port in the expansion box and the short
slot also goes to the expansion box.  I think the TK50 slot is black and
the disk slot is blue, but don't quote me on that.

There should be an unused power connector for the drive as well.  The
funny ribbon cable that was inside our system unit had one unused
connector about halfway down the cable.  I assume that's used when you've
got two 1/2-height drives in the system unit.  If your cable has such
a connector, just leave it disconnected.

        /Kevin Carosso                     kvc@nrc.com
         Network Research Co.              kvc@ymir.bitnet
                                           kvc@nrcvax.uucp