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Hey all! I represent the Goodwill Computer Museum in Austin, Texas. We've got a sizable collection of most of the usual SGI workstations, but we're interested in restoring a Power Challenge GR and Onyx that we've got in various stages of disassembly. We have the entire enclosure for the Challenge, but only the front panel for the Onyx. All of the boards were removed from both systems and came to us in dusty boxes when we received the collection. We could really use y'all's help identifying exactly what we have in the way of hardware before we get started.

THIS GALLERY contains photos of all of the boards and hardware from those boxes. I omitted photographing boards of which we had multiple identical copies (such as what I believe are memory boards). Each photo has a 3-digit number at the end, so when identifying a photo please use this number. At the bottom of every photo's page is a link to download the full resolution, in case you need to identify chip labels or other surface writing.

We're looking to put a full system back together from this hardware if possible, and this would give us a great start. Thanks so much for your help!

UPDATE: Here are the parts that have been identified so far:

039: 030-0233-001: DI1 edge connector - Reality engine 2 frontplane [freq]
038: 0??-0222-004: (looks like) an IO3b (crimson I/O) [freq]
037: 030-0250-004: (looks like) an IP17 (crimson CPU) [freq]
036: 030-0153-004: VGX(T) GE6 Graphics Engine Card wiki
035: 030-0232-001: VGX(T) GM3B board jan-jaap
034: ???-????-???: rack onyx power board [freq]
033: 030-0359-001: RealityEngine2 RM4 - Raster Manager with 4MB texture memory [freq]
032: 030-0513-005: RealityEngine2 DG2 - Display Generator [freq]
031: 030-0325-006: RealityEngine2 GE10 - Geometry Engine with 12 intel i860xp chips [freq]
030: 030-0240-01H: early Onyx IO4 [freq]
029: 030-0527-508: Onyx SCSI mezzanine board [freq]
028: 030-0156-004: VGX(T) RM2 Raster Manager Card wiki
027: 030-0218-004: VGX(T) DG1 Graphics Output Card wiki
026: 030-0197-005: BP14D crimson/4D backplane? [freq]
025: Bottom of 026
024: FDDI Adapter skywriter
023: ATM board jan-jaap
022: Large SCSI hard drive
021: SCSI hard drive [PymbleSoftware]
020: SCSI cables and terminals
019: 030-0278-005: onyx/challengeL disk backplane [freq]
017/018: Probably not SGI
016: Bottom of 015
015: SCSI hard drive [PymbleSoftware]
014: SCSI hard drive [PymbleSoftware]
013: 030-????-???: Quad IP19 processor board for onyx/challenge, missing a bus heatsink [freq]
--^-- Based on the fact that 010 is a 150MHz board, is this one likely also 150MHz?
011/012 : 030-031?-004 unknown backplane [kshuff]
010: 030-0374-007: IP19 Dual R4400, 150MHz, 1MB SC [freq]
009: Probably 030-0375-00?: IP19 Quad R4400, 150MHz, 1MB SC [freq]
008 030-0614-004: MC3 memory board, looks like 256MB installed [freq]
--^-- I will check on the memory modules to confirm the amount.
007: Close-up of 006
006: 030-0607-001: MC3 with a laughable amount of memory on it
--^-- Oddly enough the 0607 # doesn't appear on the Wiki page as a board the Challenge/Onyx used.

Welcome to Nekochan! So you're affiliated with "the" Goodwill, then? Is your inventory largely derived from donations? Sounds like a great source for vintage stuff.

As for identifying boards, each major component (boards, power supplies, skins, etc) should have a 10-digit SGI part number on it, either silkscreened or on a sticker. The part number should be in the following format: XXX-XXXX-XXX, often followed by a revision level (Rev. A, Rev. D, etc). A quick Google search by part number will reveal exactly which boards you've got, and some deeper digging should reveal which other boards are meant to accompany them (ex: geometry engine, raster manager, and display generator boards for an Onyx graphics board set).

StephenT wrote: Hey all! I represent the Goodwill Computer Museum in Austin, Texas. We've got a sizable collection of most of the usual SGI workstations, but we're interested in restoring a Power Challenge GR and Onyx that we've got in various stages of disassembly. We have the entire enclosure for the Challenge, but only the front panel for the Onyx. All of the boards were removed from both systems and came to us in dusty boxes when we received the collection. We could really use y'all's help identifying exactly what we have in the way of hardware before we get started.

THIS GALLERY contains photos of all of the boards and hardware from those boxes. I omitted photographing boards of which we had multiple identical copies (such as what I believe are memory boards). Each photo has a 3-digit number at the end, so when identifying a photo please use this number. At the bottom of every photo's page is a link to download the full resolution, in case you need to identify chip labels or other surface writing.

We're looking to put a full system back together from this hardware if possible, and this would give us a great start. Thanks so much for your help!

Welcome to the forum and thanks for joining. The machine looks a lot like the machine the Royal Australian Air Force used for a P3 Orion Flight Simulator decades ago. I was responsible for the Avionics Processors and ARInc-429 bus and the MIL-STD-1553 bus... these hung off VME boards in the machine. Some of those images might be VME boards, but what would make things a little easier would be close up shots of where it says SGI ASSY XXX-XXXX ... I tried to read one of those in the images and couldn't. You could also try typing the ASSY numbers into the search at the top right of this page. A closer picture of the connectors might help as well. You have come to the right place, if anyone knows the people here do.

Edit:
The pic 12-7-10 022 looks like the back of a full height hard drive.. like the ones in my Personal IRISes.
pic 12-7-10 021 also the same.
014 and 015 the same.

R.

Do you know (by any chance) a Jim Torrence from Ohio?

check out the Onyx wiki page, there is a partial list of Onyx and Challenge boards including part numbers.
http://www.nekochan.net/wiki/Onyx

some of the ones I can spot:
039 is a reality engine 2 frontplane (connects the raster managers to the display generator)
038 is (looks like) an IO3b (crimson I/O)
037 is (looks like) an IP17 (crimson CPU)
034 is a rack onyx power board
033 is a reality engine RM
032 looks like an RE display generator
031 is an RE2 geometry engine
030 is an Onyx IO4
029 is an Onyx SCSI mezz board
026 looks like a crimson/4D backplane
019 looks like an onyx/challengeL disk backplane
013 is a quad IP19 processor board for onyx or challenge, it looks like you are missing a heatsink on a bus asic (2nd from the top)
010 is a dual IP19 processor board
009 is the same as 013 but a different rev
008 is an MC3 memory board, looks like 256MB installed (but I am not positive on the amount)
006 is an MC3 with a laughable amount of memory on it

This is almost fun.

024 is an FDDI adapter

the Freq got the others on my list.

012 and 026 are backplanes aren't they? Why would you remove them?

ajerimez wrote: Welcome to Nekochan! So you're affiliated with "the" Goodwill, then? Is your inventory largely derived from donations? Sounds like a great source for vintage stuff.

Yep! "The" Goodwill. And yeah, we do get most of our stuff via donations. We share the building with the regional computer recycling center, so we naturally get quite a bit of vintage stuff just showing up on our doorstep. Occasionally we get straight donations to the museum though, and those tend to be in better condition. You never know what's gonna come through those doors, though! It's like Pawn Stars for geeks.

sybrfreq wrote: Do you know (by any chance) a Jim Torrence from Ohio?

check out the Onyx wiki page, there is a partial list of Onyx and Challenge boards including part numbers.
http://www.nekochan.net/wiki/Onyx

This is almost fun.

I do not. And thanks for crushing it with the identifications! I found a lot of the part numbers by cross-referencing the wiki and your initial info. I agree, this is kinda fun!

kshuff wrote: 012 and 026 are backplanes aren't they? Why would you remove them?

Originally the Onyx had a cracked backplane, which the owner removed to install a replacement he bought. He never put the new board back in. The Challenge does have a backplane installed in the chassis. I need to take a photo of it and check the part number.

Thank y'all SO much for the quick responses! I am going to create a new thread in the hardware section geared toward determining what all we can do with this hardware.

035: 030-0232-001
This is a GM3B board from a VGX(T) graphics boardset. Looks like you've got the guts of a Crimson VGXT there. There slots these cards belong in are described here: http://www.sgistuff.net/hardware/systems/crimson.html

#023 is an ATM board.

From Gerhard's site:

Challenge GR
The Challenge GR is a system that has slots configured to support RealityEngine or InfiniteReality graphics boards, but because of that has has fewer slots for CPU, I/O, and memory. GR is an abbrevatation for Graphics Ready".

Looks like a Challenge GR is an Onyx stripped of it's graphics boards. Since you have the graphics boards and Onyx front panels, I'd turn it into a real Onyx You're going to need several OLSes (power supplies), power boards and a system controller that plug into the back side of the backplane.

Another invaluable source of information about Challenge/Onyx and Crimson systems is Simon Pigot's old site. It's no longer live, but mirrored here: http://www.sgistuff.net/mirrors/sgi/

Good luck!

I nice set of machines there otherwise. I spot a PDP-11 or Vax and a cromemco system three. What is the terminal on to of the SGI-machine?

006: 030-0607-001: MC3 with a laughable amount of memory on it
--^--Oddly enough the 0607 # doesn't appear on the Wiki page as a board the Challenge/Onyx used.

The list on the wiki is incomplete, I threw it together one day when I got bored. I've added the 0607 to the list.

One thing that would be nice would be to organize photos and link them in the wiki page. We could do this for other machines too

jan-jaap wrote: Looks like a Challenge GR is an Onyx stripped of it's graphics boards. Since you have the graphics boards and Onyx front panels, I'd turn it into a real Onyx You're going to need several OLSes (power supplies), power boards and a system controller that plug into the back side of the backplane.

Another invaluable source of information about Challenge/Onyx and Crimson systems is Simon Pigot's old site. It's no longer live, but mirrored here: http://www.sgistuff.net/mirrors/sgi/

Good luck!

Thanks a ton! Looks like I have a LOT of reading ahead of me before I get to plugging boards in. We do have 3 OLSes in another box that look to be in decent shape. I think the System Controller board is in the Challenge chassis, but I'll have to check on that. I would love to turn the system into basically an Onyx rackmount. From what I'm reading it looks like we have most of what we need to make that happen.

Pontus wrote: I nice set of machines there otherwise. I spot a PDP-11 or Vax and a cromemco system three. What is the terminal on to of the SGI-machine?

Oh, if only you could see what we've got on our pallets. I'm not sure what terminal that is on top of the SGI but I'll check next time I'm in there.

sybrfreq wrote: The list on the wiki is incomplete, I threw it together one day when I got bored. I've added the 0607 to the list.

One thing that would be nice would be to organize photos and link them in the wiki page. We could do this for other machines too

Agreed! I will work on uploading my photos to the wiki and linking them to the appropriate entries.

StephenT wrote: Oh, if only you could see what we've got on our pallets. I'm not sure what terminal that is on top of the SGI but I'll check next time I'm in there.

mmm pallets How long have you guys been around?

Pontus wrote: I nice set of machines there otherwise. I spot a PDP-11 or Vax and a cromemco system three. What is the terminal on to of the SGI-machine?

Just checked today. Turns out it's a Heathkit "H9 Video Terminal." Not sure how long we've had it or how it ended up on top of the SGI. Pretty sure it doesn't have a 13W3.