SGI: Hardware

Hi

has anyone here any interest to help me by doing a 600mhz O2 cpu upgrade for me? I have an R5200 cpu module in a system spare. Let me know how much money you want. Might get a few done.

Here is some necessary hardware for you:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/89-PCS-PMC-RM70 ... 54179cedb7

You find this not very often on ebay these days.

Is anyone on here bidding on these? There are 89 pieces and I would like to grab just a couple, and could buy them off someone on the forum if they are bidding. These PMC chips are in the US, ... I am based in Australia...

Thanks

I wouldn't mind getting a couple myself either, and I'm based in Japan...
That $50 shipping quote is pretty insane.

I believe khalidschofield is in the US. If he would get that lot, I am interested to buy some from him.

diegel wrote: I believe khalidschofield is in the US. If he would get that lot, I am interested to buy some from him.

Me too. Would be great to update my O2 with that. But then I would still need help from someone who can do this. Anyone from Germany (Nordrhein Westfalen) here?

i'm bidding. i only need two so happy to share. lets not bid against each I'm normally in the uk

Not to tip my ignorance too much but what the hell are those things? Their manufacturers website doesn't ID them other than to say they're EOL...

vishnu wrote: Not to tip my ignorance too much but what the hell are those things? Their manufacturers website doesn't ID them other than to say they're EOL...

http://www.futuretech.blinkenlights.nl/o2cpumod.html

It's been a rough month or so for the SGI crowd. Looks like www.futuretech.blinkenlights.nl is down at the moment.

The mirror site is still up at http://www.sgidepot.co.uk/o2cpumod.html

nekonoko wrote:

vishnu wrote: Not to tip my ignorance too much but what the hell are those things? Their manufacturers website doesn't ID them other than to say they're EOL...

http://www.futuretech.blinkenlights.nl/o2cpumod.html

josehill wrote: It's been a rough month or so for the SGI crowd. Looks like http://www.futuretech.blinkenlights.nl is down at the moment.

The mirror site is still up at http://www.sgidepot.co.uk/o2cpumod.html

Wow!

There's even a 10 year long thread about this mod that I somehow never noticed:
http://forums.nekochan.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1071

I hope whoever gets these, if they plan to split them up has adequate antistatic workstation and trays

vishnu wrote: Wow!

There's even a 10 year long thread about this mod that I somehow never noticed:
http://forums.nekochan.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1071

Yep, even still have one of the converted 600MHz CPUs in my O2

Right won the PMC-Sierra cpu's. Next need the PROM from Xilinx (XC1765ELS08C) plus the programmer for the PROM. Where do we get the PROM code to download? Does anyone have a number of RM5200 boards to upgrade? I've three in machines.

Ian Mapleson's site has one listed as "PROM image file for use with an R7000C/600MHz O2." Here's a link: http://sgidepot.co.uk/depot/7000c_600.mcs

Hope that's the one!

khalidschofield wrote: Right won the PMC-Sierra cpu's. Next need the PROM from Xilinx (XC1765ELS08C) plus the programmer for the PROM. Where do we get the PROM code to download? Does anyone have a number of RM5200 boards to upgrade? I've three in machines.

I've got a board I'd like to upgrade if we get this rolling

khalidschofield wrote: Right won the PMC-Sierra cpu's. Next need the PROM from Xilinx (XC1765ELS08C) plus the programmer for the PROM. Where do we get the PROM code to download? Does anyone have a number of RM5200 boards to upgrade? I've three in machines.

Programming this PROM shouldn't be too hard, it's a serial chip with very few signals, it doesn't use popular SPI or I2C but it wouldn't take long to figure this out. I have a magical device that talks to anything with any protocol I need. Might buy a few of those chips to experiment.

I'd like to buy a portion of those chips for myself, I do not have any RM5200 boards just yet but when I get some I'd like to convert them myself.

I might also try aiming for even higher CPU - the one ChicagoJoe couldn't finish working on... PROM modification shouldn't be an issue.

Very interesting, I'd love to upgrade my (R5000) O2. I'll keep following this thread.

Because i bought one of the new O2+ from israel, i was in the search of 600 mhz o2 cpus, too.

I found one german that said on his site that he has some left, altough the entry is ten years old, so i contactet him.
He meant that he moves around and the cpus/eproms/etc lays somewhere and he takes a look when he finds time.

Its some time now, i think i contact him and see....

And the base 300 Mhz cpus and board you can purchase here .

While we're back to this topic, I figured out a neat solution for EPROM.

The stock EPROM is write-once and every time you change the CPU you need a new chip soldered on the board.
It's in 8-pin SOIC package, but the chip itself is also available in 20-pin package (very different pinouts but all the signals are available - this obviously means an adapter board should be made unless someone likes wires).

There are other EPROM's from xilinx available in the same 20-pin package (with the same signals on the same pins) with more features like JTAG (easy flashing and debugging).

In other words with details:

stock EPROM XC1765E - 8-PIN SOIC package
can be substituted with XC1765E in a 20-pin SOIC package (it's useful just in case the small chip wasn't available or discontinued), with adapter board, or stuck somewhere else and wired to the CPU module's 8-pin location.

That can be replaced with XCF02S in a 20-pin SOIC package (same pinout as the 20-pin XC1765E), with an added benefit of easy JTAG programming and most importantly - the chip can be reprogrammed multiple times.

I'm also working on a way to reprogram PROM in Fuel (my Fuel's PROM is broken when it crashed during flashing), I hope to apply the findings to O2 as well. If that works out, the risk of bricking the motherboard with PROM modifications can be significantly reduced - maybe that will let us experiment with those 700+MHz CPU's ?