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Scored an RX02 !

smp said:
I am the proud new owner of an RX02 for my PDP-11/23!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-DEC...%2BR8UaNuUG%2F83kgGHo%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

I already have the M8029 interface, and I have acquired the RX02 Floppy Disk Technical Manual, and the RX02 Floppy Disk System User's Guide.

I can't wait to receive this and start on my next adventure!

smp
Click to expand...

Congratulations, I actually bid on that but gave up at $167 as with the carriage to the UK it was getting a bit expensive. I see I was outbid by someone else before you got it so I dident "bid it up", phew.
Im working on one I already have, running it connected to one of my 8m's and just got it to boot OS8 tonight, still a bit intermittent though so I may have more work to do, also only run it in RX01 mode, still have to check if it runs in RX02 .
Have fun
DaveH
 
DaveH said:
I actually bid on that but gave up at $167 as with the carriage to the UK it was getting a bit expensive. I see I was outbid by someone else before you got it so I dident "bid it up", phew.
Click to expand...

Hi Dave,

I put in my maximum bid way at the beginning, and it sat for a few days at $102.50, but there were a couple of bids today, and then a sniper jumped it up another $100 right at the end. I'm glad to actually get it. Usually, I get sniped out at the end by someone with much deeper pockets than I have.

I'll keep posting about my adventure - I'm certain that I'll have plenty of questions once it finally arrives!

smp
 
Hi All;
SMP, ConGratulations, It would have been way to High for me, But I am Glad SomeOne in the Group GOT IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THANK YOU Marty
 
Yes I used to get sniped, now I tend to do what you do, just put in my max and cross fingers, glad to see someone we " know" as it were get it.
Dave
 
Very nice and congratulations!

I think it's an RX01 though, not RX02. The photo of the top controller board doesn't look like an RX02, it looks like RX01. I have both and checked carefully. Can anyone else confirm this?

Don't be sad though, you'd probably use an RX02 in RX01 mode anyway (all mine are set that way except the ones on the Decmates).

Lou
 
I think you will need an RXV11 (M7946). Others can correct me if I am wrong. I have not tried this myself.

Dec's documentation never shows any examples of an RX01 on an RXV21.

As I think about it, The reason I can get away with using the RX02 in RX01 mode is because I have them on the pdp 8s. The RX8E controller supports either mode, but I think no unibus or qbus controller allows that. My one and only RX01 is on a RX11.

Lou
 
Lou - N2MIY said:
Very nice and congratulations!

I think it's an RX01 though, not RX02. The photo of the top controller board doesn't look like an RX02, it looks like RX01. I have both and checked carefully. Can anyone else confirm this?


Lou
Click to expand...

Lou, I agree, I to have both and that's an RX01, still a very nice drive though and maybe easyer to repair as its mainly TTL unlike the 02 that has those 4 bit microprocessor's, doubt if you will find them these days. Cant help with the interface card for the 11 but for the 8 the M8357 will do both so you may be ok.
Dave
 
Dave, thanks for the confirmation. Yes the 2901's in the RX02 make life a lot more interesting!

SMP, I think some googling of this question is in order. This RX01 on RXV21 is really racking my brain! I am wondering if it explains a problem I was killing myself over some years ago while trying to fix an M8029. It's the only board I ever "gave up" on. I wonder if I was using the RX01 (known good) to troubleshoot it!

Lou
 
Hmm. For the record, if anyone needs it, I have a QBus controller board for a mass spectrometer that has a couple 2901s on it - no idea if the board is any good or not, but if you need spare parts you're welcome to it.
 
Lou - N2MIY said:
Dec's documentation never shows any examples of an RX01 on an RXV21.
Click to expand...

Yes, that is what I am finding, too. Oh, brother. I wish I had asked about this a few days ago, rather than going by the Seller's word that this is an RX02.

Live and learn!

smp
 
My pocket service guide for the RX01/RX02 shows that an RX02 operating as an RX01 needs an RX11 or RXV11, in RX02 mode its an RX211, RXV21
Dave
 
OK! So I now have scored an M7946 also.

I guess I'm ready for anything now - I'll have both the RXV11 and the RXV21 interfaces by the time the disk drive arrives.

smp
 
My disk drive unit arrived today.

I can now report that the interface board on the top that everyone was concerned about is marked as an M7726, with a - B scribed onto the board after it.

Does this confirm your thoughts that this is an RX01 rather than an RX02?

Also, during the unpacking, a few pieces fell out of the machine. See the attached picture. This looks ominously like some parts that are supposed to hold a floppy disk in place...

Please let me know what you think. And, while I am waiting for my M7946 to arrive, what is your suggestion for what I should be doing? Should I completely disassemble this and look for anything? The wiring that I can touch seems to be pretty brittle with age. No cracks or breaks, just old.

I did take the bottom pans off of the two disk drives, and I discovered that some sort of liquid had been spilled into or over the machine at some time in its life. I cleaned up the residual, and I also cleaned up the drive pulleys, both on the motors and the main flywheels. The belts are old, but intact and still flexible.

smp
 

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smp said:
I can now report that the interface board on the top that everyone was concerned about is marked as an M7726, with a - B scribed onto the board after it.

Does this confirm your thoughts that this is an RX01 rather than an RX02?
Click to expand...

I can actually answer my own question here - yes the M7726 is an "RX01 8" Floppy Disk Controller (internal board)" as indicated by the DEC Field Guide.

Thanks!

smp
 
Hello again all,

My M7946 has arrived in good shape.

This board has wire-wrap jumpers for configuration, and I am having a hard time finding documentation online to indicate what the normal default settings are. Can anyone provide a pointer to a document that will help me with this?

Also, once I get to the point of actually attaching the RX01 to the M7946, what is the two letter designator for this drive under RT-11? When I do a SHOW command, I see that my system knows about a lot of devices - would the RX01 be DX0: and DX1: ?

Thanks in advance for your patience and any assistance.

smp
 
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