• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

More storage treasure: KDJ11-D/S (PDP11/53?) in H9275A cage with analogue, async, SCSI, ether

jonathanjo

jonathanjo

Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2024
Messages
38
I'm in the process of documenting what I've got.

It's a KDJ11-D/S with 1.5 MByte RAM, very clean and shiny. Apparently that's the CPU for an 11/53. I've had it in storage for something like 20 years, never powered it up.

It's got:

  • M7554A CPU
  • 2x A6006 analogue to digital cards
  • 2x M3106 quad async cards
  • A8000 data acquisition card
  • H9275 grant continuity card
  • Dilog SQ739 SCSI card

Additionally I have
  • M7504 DEQNA ethernet interface
  • Console sockets / boot switch (possibly for different unit)

High res photos follow ...

All suggestions or thoughts welcome.

Jonathan.

cagetop.jpgcageside.jpgcpu-top.jpgconsolepanel.jpg
 
First steps! I traced out the circuit for the console sockets and boot selector: if it's of any use to someone I'll put the circuit diagram here.

Identical ones are being sold on Ebay as the 11/53 cab kit for USD 200 and 400!

First volts! I tested the Texas Instruments TIL311 display on a breadboard.

1710008660708.png1710008799649.png
 
Checking the cage without any cards in it, looks very strange to me: is it really 15R across the power supply? Is that the onboard termination resistors?
1710246823293.png
 
Last edited:
I powered up the CPU card in the cage with nothing else in it, with a lab power supply. It took 1.8A on 5V and 50 mA on 12V.

The good news: no smoke, no heat, no spark.

The dull news: nothing out of the A0 or A1 async as far as I could tell (looking with oscilloscope).

Hex digit just showed "0".

It's possible I have wrong jumpers or cabling, I'm expecting Test then boot, English writing. 1.5M RAM, 32K ROMs.

Perhaps I shouldn't have the cab kit installed at the same time as the jumpers.

From KDJ11-D/S Module User Guide

1710272925346.png

Will try some more tomorrow.

Jonathan.
 
I would install W22 for an initial test. That'll take you into console mode rather than trying to boot.

Also, a zero code can be as simple as HALT switch on. I don't see any kind of front panel in your setup and I don't remember offhand which way the HALT line floats, but I would make sure it's driven.

The settings of the baud rate switches and the jumpers can interfere with each other, but as long as they're set to the same rate it'll be fine. You should also be able to leave the switches on 300 and the jumpers would set the rate...
 
The board should draw about 3A, if running - worth checking the voltage at the backplane end of the wires - and that all the +5V pins are commoned on the backplane connector, so you are powering all the +5V pins (I can't remember if they are commoned on the BP)

The board required fan cooling once you get it working... don't cook it!
 
Steve Toner said:
are you generating BPOK and BDCOK?
Click to expand...

In my ignorance, no, I didn't know about those. Thanks!

Now I see how: Diane with 74LS, Mal with Arduino, Brad with John's PIC circuit. Frain's 74LS and HCT board (10K to 5V, 2n2222 to ground), and another TTL method from Steve.

I'll see what's easiest to get done and try again.

Will definitely also do W22 and HALT checks.

Radix said:
checking the voltage at the backplane end of the wires
all the +5V pins are commoned on the backplane connector
fan cooling once you get it working... don't cook it!
Click to expand...

Thanks: +5V (and GND) definitely commoned on this backplane, already checked.
 
Last edited:
Easy way is to get your PSU working carefully and use the BA23 chassis which does it all for you!
 
Progress!

I made something to fake the BDCOK_H signal and now hex digit goes from 0 to 1, 2, 6, 3, 4.

1710503093290.png

I saw 9600 baud signals on the oscilloscope (on A0)! Great news: means the board isn't completely defunct.

I have lots of "Cisco Console Cable" USB serial adaptors, so I made a converter from pieces on the bench and now see a test error ...

1710502983986.png

So it seems I'm at p4-16 in the KDJ11-D/S User Manual:

1710502832036.png
I'm pretty happy with that for the day.

Jonathan.

PS. A peek at the manual made me test a few of the commands.

This is bare CPU board with no other boards (except cab kit and something to assert BDCOK_H after 5 seconds). Settings are all as shown previously.

Code: 
KDJ11-D/S> 4                                                                                      
                                                                                                 
                                                                                                 
Commands are Help, Boot, List, Map, Test and Wrap.                                                
Type a command then press the RETURN key: L                                


Device          Units           Description

 DU             0-255           RDnn, RXnn, RC25, RAnn
 DL             0-3             RL01, RL02
 DX             0-1             RX01
 DY             0-1             RX02
 DD             0-1             TU58
 DK             0-7             RK05
 MU             0-255           TK50
 MS             0-3             TK25, TS05
 XH             0-1             DECnet ETHERNET
 NP             0-1             DECnet DPV11
 NU             0-15            DECnet DUV11
 NE             0-15            DECnet DLV11-E
 NF             0-15            DECnet DLV11-F


Commands are Help, Boot, List, Map, Test and Wrap.
Type a command then press the RETURN key: H


Command Description

Boot    Load and start a program from a device
List    List boot programs
Map     Map memory and I/O page
Test    Run continous self test - Type CTRL C to exit
Wrap    Wrap Console to SLU1, type CTRL D to exit


Commands are Help, Boot, List, Map, Test and Wrap.
Type a command then press the RETURN key: MAP


KDJ11-D/S   ROM V2.0

1536 K Bytes

00000000 - 05777776     1536 KB    CSR = 17772100

17370000 - 17757776     124 KB     CSR =
Press the RETURN key to continue:

17772100                MCSR
17772200 - 17772216     SIPDR0-7
17772220 - 17772236     SDPDR0-7
17772240 - 17772256     SIPAR0-7
17772260 - 17772276     SDPAR0-7
17772300 - 17772316     KIPDR0-7
17772320 - 17772336     KDPDR0-7
17772340 - 17772356     KIPAR0-7
17772360 - 17772376     KDPAR0-7
17772516                MMR3
17773000 - 17773776     CPU ROM
17776500 - 17776506     SLU1
17777520                NR
17777546                LTC CSR, BEVENT = 0
17777560 - 17777566     SLU0
17777572 - 17777576     MMR0,1,2
17777600 - 17777616     UIPDR0-7

Press the RETURN key to continue:

17777620 - 17777636     UDPDR0-7
17777640 - 17777656     UIPAR0-7
17777660 - 17777676     UDPAR0-7
17777750 - 17777752     MREG,Hit/Miss
17777766                CPUER
17777772                PIRQ
17777776                PSW

Commands are Help, Boot, List, Map, Test and Wrap.
Type a command then press the RETURN key:
 
Last edited:
Woo-hoo - That's looking better - in that you have console messages now, but a RAM fault on bit 2...

I'll have a look to see if there's a map of the RAM chips around...

I take it you only have the CPU board in the backplane? - It shouldn't be any other boards causing that error...

Is the error reported consistent at every restart?

You might need to do a small loop toggling just bit 2 so you can scope around looking for the appropriate ram chips to narrow it down..

Also try link W25 (if it is on your board) to configure it as 0.5MB, see if the fault remains...
 
Last edited:
Robin -- Thanks for suggestions ... Some further tests ...

W25 made no difference.

"fairly consistent":

Code: 
RAM    VPC=024666  PA=17604666  00000040/125256 <> 125252
RAM    VPC=024454  PA=17604454  00000000/177771 <> 177775
RAM    VPC=024454  PA=17604454  00000000/177771 <> 177775
RAM    VPC=024666  PA=17604666  00000040/125256 <> 125252
RAM    VPC=024666  PA=17604666  00000040/125256 <> 125252
RAM    VPC=024666  PA=17604666  00000040/125256 <> 125252
RAM    VPC=024666  PA=17604666  00000040/125256 <> 125252
RAM    VPC=024454  PA=17604454  00000000/177771 <> 177775
RAM    VPC=024666  PA=17604666  00000040/125256 <> 125252

Jonathan.
 
That is odd - PA should be physical address - and you shouldn't have RAM up there with only 1.5MB

Have you tried using ODT to deposit and read location 17604666?

(Halt the CPU - get to the @ prompt and type 17604666/
it will display the contents - then you can enter a new value and press <CR>
Press <LF> to re-examine the same location)

Backspace / delete do not work - enter the address again as above...
 
I connected a momentary switch to ground on the BHALT of the backplane 10-pin:

Code: 
KDJ11-D/S>
031206
@17604666/104124 2
@17604666/104124 22
@17604666/104124 0
@17604666/104124

I see this address is similar to the one in the example from the manual given earlier.

Perhaps it's ROM?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top