From: dcb@kopachuk.uucp (David Breneman)
Subject: Re: HELP 3b2 dead
Keywords: 3b2 boot
Organization: Tacoma Screw Products, Inc.
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 17:53:11 GMT

In article <regmad.715623743@gsusgi1.gsu.edu> regmad@gsusgi2.gsu.edu (Michael de Kraker) writes:
>
>Perhaps I should be clearer her the system was acting normally when I
>hit the switch to standby.... The system has not come up since.
>

I asked...
>>Did you try pushing the reset button several times when the Diagnostics
>>light comes on?  That sould get it into firmware mode.  
>
>Yep an nothing no garbage or anything.
>The power and diag lights come on no flashing hard disk spins up and then
>NOTHING!!!!! no firmware no UNIX.

Interesting.  Did you replace a feature card or anything?  If a card
has been added or removed the system does a filledt and this adds
*considerably* to the time it takes to reboot.  If you hit the soft
power switch while it was booting you might have confused it :-) .
You might try unscrewing the card cage from the chassis, lifting it
up to expose the battery plug on the mother board, and unplugging the
battery for a good minute to reset the NVRAM.  Then put it back
together and reboot it.  This is just a shot in the dark, though.


>>          Do you mean that you get the message "INIT: new run level 0"
>>(not sure of exect wording - but you know it if you see it) or do you
>>merely get a flickering of the cursor?  If you just get a flickering
>>of the cursor, the console port baud rate may have been changed. 
>
>Yes I got the message once just before the system shutdown as a result
>of the my impatience and hitting the switch to standby.
>The word Flashes was meant to portray the fact that after I hit the 
>big red switch to standby, the system came up and right back down.

So it shut down normally, then wouldn't come back up?  Stranger and
stranger...  Another poster mentioned to look for a pattern flashing
on the "Power" LED.  I think I remember you mentioning that you did
not see such a flashing pattern, but that both the Power and Diagnostic
light stayed on steady.  This is usually a sign that it *is* in
firmware mode.  I can't help but think that it's a fault with your
console or its wiring.

>Again I tried several terminals at all settings and have always been aware
>of the port requirements.

How inconvenient for my diagnosis. :-)
Still, as the system boots, it checks 1) Processors, 2) ROM, 3) NVRAM,
4) RAM, 5) IDUART all before it even looks to see if a console is
attached or turns on the orange DIAGNOSTIC light.  If any of these it
bad, it will flash a multi-flash error code on the Diagnostic LED. 
1 flash = Unknown problem.  2 flashes = CPU.  3 flashes = ROM.  4
flashes = RAM.  5 flashes = DUART.  (Then it goes through 6) Self-
Configure, 7) Disk Sanity Check, 8) FILLEDT, 9) DGMON, 10) boot /unix,
and if it cannot write to the console during any of these stages,
flashes a single-flash error code on the Diagnostic LED.)  Now, if
both LED's stay continuously lit at all times (except the initial
flickering of the Power LED when you first push the switch), "The Book"
says "Reseat memory boards, I/O backplane.  Remove feature cards.  Try
to reboot.  Disconnect battery and reconnect, then reboot.  Swap first
memory card."  If the Diagnostic light comes on, then goes off after
a moment, the trouble is non-communication with the console.

>                           The death of the 610 terminal may have been 
>a clue. Possibly the console circuitry is fried on the 3b2 end killing my
>terminal or vice versa.

I think this is highly improbable.  However, the *terminal* may have
damaged the *mother board*. Still, I've never heard of that happening.

Talk of damage to the mother board...

>I suspected this but wholesale replacement of the mother board is not fixing,
                                ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>it is replacing. I have no source for a mother board either. Where can I get
>one. Maybe it is the power supply what are the voltages and test points????

Well, I'd say its a pretty drastic step to decide to start diagnosing the
board chip by chip.  Even AT&T doesn't do that, except to strip the 
board, test the major chips and reassemble new boards with the ones
that pass muster.  The current issue of Unix Today has an ad for
Delta Technologies (800-22DELTA) with AM2 motherboards for $199 (this
is not an endorsement - usual disclaimers).  I'm sure Computer Horizons
(614-847-0400), Lakewood Computer (303 493-6406) and other 3B2 
resellers have similar prices.


-- 
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