SGI: Hardware

4D/240GTX troubleshooting - Page 4

jan-jaap avatar
jan-jaap
Old Salt
Who joined June 17, 2004, 11:35 a.m.
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Wrote the following at Feb. 22, 2010, 9:50 a.m...
zuluchas wrote:
She's ALIVE!

Good work! And PM me if you need a newer rev. MC2.

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Ryan Fox avatar
Ryan Fox
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Wrote the following at Feb. 22, 2010, 11:20 a.m...


Ah its moments like these that make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside... ^^ Not to mention that
I am so searching for a local 4D something...


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zuluchas
Big Fan
Who joined June 25, 2008, 10:41 a.m.
and authored 161 notes
Wrote the following at June 22, 2010, 4 p.m...
Gerhard.Lenerz wrote:
zuluchas wrote:
Well, what I found was then when I put known perfectly good 8MB sticks in the MC2, they came up as 2MB! I tried it with 8x 8MB sticks, arranged in matching adjacent pairs, each set of four identical -- the 4D sees 16MB. I tried it with 12x 8MB and got "24MB." This is without any 2MB sticks in at all, so it has nothing to do with the supposed inability to mix 8MB and 2MB on the same board.

Is this a PROM version limitation, as suggested in the above post? Or am I missing something?


I finally had the chance to run a test with a 030-0117-001 MC2 board and as you describe, the 8MB SIMMs are not recognized. With 8 SIMMs installed the PROM reports 16MB and no error on startup. IRIX boots fine, for very low values of fine (5.3 isn't fun with only 16MB).

The other equipment in the system I used is rather new (IO3B and IP15). Given that it normally runs with a newer REV MC2 (8MB SIMMs installed) I presume it is safe to say that the limitation is related to the MC2 board itself.

Compared to the pictures I posted earlier the 003-0117-001 MC2 looks quite different. Most obvious is the lack of labels on most parts and a lot additional blue patch wires.


Thanks to Jan-Jaap, I have acquired a newer-rev MC2 board which *does* work with 8MB SIMMs:

1. (New MC2 + 128MB in left slot) + (nothing in right slot) = 128MB recognized
2. (Old MC2 + 24MB in left slot) + (nothing in right slot) = 24MB recognized

So far so good. HOWEVER...with both boards in the system I still can't access all the memory:

3. (New MC2 + 128MB in left slot) + (Old MC2 + 24MB in right slot) = 88MB recognized
4. (Old MC2 + 24MB in left slot) + (New MC2 + 128MB in right slot) = 24MB recognized

Case 3 is really bizarre: it seems that 24MB on the right board are all fine but only 4MB of each of the 8MB SIMMs on the left board are recognized. The appropriate number of green status LEDs are lit on the board edge for each card, so it's not like half the 8MB SIMMs are unused. So the board thinks the 8MB SIMMs are only 4MB when 4MB SIMMs aren't even supposed to be supported? Strange.

Anyway, 128MB is pretty nice with IRIX 3.3.2!

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jan-jaap avatar
jan-jaap
Old Salt
Who joined June 17, 2004, 11:35 a.m.
and authored 2689 notes
Wrote the following at June 23, 2010, midnight..
It's entirely possible that you need fill all slots on the first board before installing a second MC2. That's how the IP9 board works (which supports some RAM on the CPU card, an optional MC2 isn't used before all lots on the IP9 are full).

I could eventually verify this with the 4D/380 rack, but don't hold your breath. I've got other projects going on :)

Good to see it's working. Mouse OK too?

_________________
Now this is a deep dark secret, so everybody keep it quiet :)
It turns out that when reset, the WD33C93 defaults to a SCSI ID of 0, and it was simpler to leave it that way... -- Dave Olson, in comp.sys.sgi
Currently in commercial service: Image :Octane2: :Onyx2: (2x) :0300:
In the museum: almost every MIPS/IRIX system.
zuluchas
Big Fan
Who joined June 25, 2008, 10:41 a.m.
and authored 161 notes
Wrote the following at June 23, 2010, 4:59 a.m...
jan-jaap wrote:
It's entirely possible that you need fill all slots on the first board before installing a second MC2. That's how the IP9 board works (which supports some RAM on the CPU card, an optional MC2 isn't used before all lots on the IP9 are full).


Very possible. I have 28x 2MB SIMMs, so if I run across 4 more some day I'll test this as well by maxing out the left board with 2MB and using the 8MB-capable board on the right.

jan-jaap wrote:
Good to see it's working. Mouse OK too?

The mouse seems to work (the light turns on anyway), but will have to wait for the right kind of reflective mousepad (or suitable homemade substitute) before testing further. Thanks again, though!

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recondas avatar
recondas
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Who joined June 6, 2004, 5:55 p.m.
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Wrote the following at June 23, 2010, 5:17 a.m...
zuluchas wrote:
Very possible. I have 56MB worth of 2MB SIMMs -- if I run across 4 more some day I'll test this as well by maxing out the left board with 2MB and using the 8MB-capable board on the right.
I ran across a static bag with a dozen or so 72-pin SIMMs in it <believe they're some that were included in a box of parts from a surplus sale several several years ago>. A mix of gold and tin leads, most of 'em double sided, and one or two with IBM FRUs. Most aren't clearly marked with a size, but there's at least a couple marked 2, 4 and 8MB.

Sound like anything that might be useful <not that I'm sure what type of SIMM your 4D/240GTX takes>?

EDIT: OK - just checked the wiki and it looks like the MC2 takes 80-pin SIMMs. Excuse the unnecessary boat-rockin'.

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Old Salt
Who joined July 19, 2006, 8:37 a.m.
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Wrote the following at June 23, 2010, 6:48 a.m...
recondas wrote:
A mix of gold and tin leads, most of 'em double sided, and one or two with IBM FRUs. Most aren't clearly marked with a size, but there's at least a couple marked 2, 4 and 8MB.


IBM FRU-marked 72-pin SIMMS could very easily be proprietary RS/6000 memory.

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n1mr0d avatar
n1mr0d
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Who joined June 11, 2007, 12:51 p.m.
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Wrote the following at June 24, 2010, 4:11 a.m...
If your endeavor fails, i'll gladly take the simms off your hand :D

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jan-jaap avatar
jan-jaap
Old Salt
Who joined June 17, 2004, 11:35 a.m.
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Wrote the following at June 24, 2010, 4:25 a.m...
n1mr0d wrote:
If your endeavor fails, i'll gladly take the simms off your hand :D

What, you're looking for 2MB PowerSeries SIMMs? I have plenty.

_________________
Now this is a deep dark secret, so everybody keep it quiet :)
It turns out that when reset, the WD33C93 defaults to a SCSI ID of 0, and it was simpler to leave it that way... -- Dave Olson, in comp.sys.sgi
Currently in commercial service: Image :Octane2: :Onyx2: (2x) :0300:
In the museum: almost every MIPS/IRIX system.
jan-jaap avatar
jan-jaap
Old Salt
Who joined June 17, 2004, 11:35 a.m.
and authored 2689 notes
Wrote the following at June 24, 2010, 4:57 a.m...
zuluchas wrote:
The mouse seems to work (the light turns on anyway), but will have to wait for the right kind of reflective mousepad (or suitable homemade substitute) before testing further. Thanks again, though!

FWIW, old SUNs used basically the same mouse . Maybe you have more luck finding a SUN3 mouse mat?

_________________
Now this is a deep dark secret, so everybody keep it quiet :)
It turns out that when reset, the WD33C93 defaults to a SCSI ID of 0, and it was simpler to leave it that way... -- Dave Olson, in comp.sys.sgi
Currently in commercial service: Image :Octane2: :Onyx2: (2x) :0300:
In the museum: almost every MIPS/IRIX system.
n1mr0d avatar
n1mr0d
Big Fan
Who joined June 11, 2007, 12:51 p.m.
and authored 125 notes
Wrote the following at June 24, 2010, 6:16 a.m...
jan-jaap wrote:
What, you're looking for 2MB PowerSeries SIMMs? I have plenty.

The 8mb ones aren't working do they?
jan-jaap wrote:
FWIW, old SUNs used basically the same mouse. Maybe you have more luck finding a SUN3 mouse mat?

Or, probably less hassle, make one yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCT89n-fvkI

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"(Jim) Clark's friends who did not know Ed McCracken came to believe that the man's name was Fucking Ed McCracken. Always the prankster, Clark also replaced the nameplate on his nemesis's door with one reading "Ed McMuffin," a change it took poor Ed three days to notice"-Salon
:Crimson: R4400-150 Server (RE Progress 80%)
Currently in use: Sennheiser HD 600