The collected works of SAQ - Page 15

twix wrote:
Using an external power source solves the problem with the drive, no error message on screen anymore. So it does seem to be a problem with the powering-up of the diskdrive by the Indigo. Maybe time to take the machine apart and check everything. Is it possible to remove the power supply?


Yep, it's modular. The PSU is the box over the drive cage with the speaker on the front.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O200: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
Current BSDs don't have the wide range of hardware support or add-in native software readily available, but I find them to be much easier to make rock-solid-stable, which is of interest to server guys more than desktop guys but is still desirable on a deskop - isn't that one of the digs that Linux originally had against Windows?

In general I'd say that IBM, SGI and the like are being pretty good about following through on their licensing commitments to GPL. Linux has gotten a lot from those in return for providing the base OS for (some of, in the case of IBM) their machines. The problems have mainly been with embedded systems companies and internal-use companies (like Google).

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
commodorejohn wrote:
Internal. It's a newer drive (Ultra2 LVD SCSI,) and I'm getting conflicting reports from the folks on comp.os.vms on how friendly later VAXStations are with newer SCSI equipment. However, I did verify that A. the drive works (in my PC, on the controller's 68-pin connector,) and B. the 68-to-50-pin adapter doesn't (on the controller's 50-pin connector.) This is not a terrible surprise, as I grabbed the cheapest Chinese bare-board adapter off eBay (I've since learned my lesson about doing that,) and then never used it for anything, so I had no idea if it worked to begin with.

Now I just need to get a halfway decent one...


The issue is likely related to the fact that newer SCSI drives (U320 definitely, can't recall about U160) don't have to support narrow operation - many do, but some don't. Check your documentation and make sure that your drive supports single-ended narrow ops (and jumper it that way just to be safe).

Also check out your CD-ROM drive. Recognizing it from the console firmware is not sufficient to indicate that it works. I use a Toshiba XM-4101 (AKA Sun SL-CD in a common disguise) often, can't recall if my Plextor worked on the VAXes or not right now (but that's another safeish risk).

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
hamei wrote:
^ I am curious (but not yellow).

What do "hobbyists" actually do ?


It's very slow because it's been reniced to a value of about 19 and life is eating up processor time, but I am currently hacking IMPACT support into IRIX 5.3+XFS. Value to SGI=$0, but it's something. Others here are porting newer versions of FOSS to IRIX, again value to SGI=$0, but it's something other than taking a few clicks and reaching for the next system.

Don't underestimate the strategic overlooking of SGI either. Before the Hobbyist program there weren't many OVMS users, but because IRIX wasn't nodelocked/LMFed and SGI was ignoring the hobbyist community there were many people running IRISes with perhaps-not-quite-so-legal copies of IRIX (and occasionally IDO) on them.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
jwp wrote:
Their big project for bringing the "mission critical" reliability features into Linux is an effort hilariously titled "Project Dragon Hawk."


Will this one be more successful then their big project to bring the advanced features from DUNIX/Tru64 into HP-UX?

The one I don't want to see die is OpenVMS.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
Usually power supply failures are confined to the supply. Common ones are failed caps (shorted, usually) or blown choppers (again shorted), but these shorts usually don't last long. I've never had a failing PSU trip the mains breaker - that's a lot of current unless you're running your circuit near the max.

For that kind of current I'd look at a failure before it reaches the primary rectifier first.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O200: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
thunderbird32 wrote:
I was under the impression Solaris 10 wouldn't install on an Ultra 1? Also, it's only got 64MB of RAM so I don't think 10 would work anyway. I might just install NetBSD since I don't have a copy of Solaris laying around. That said, if I do get a copy of Solaris, I could go into single user mode and reset the root password, yes? Would be interesting to see what's on the machine as they didn't wipe the drive.


S10 officially doesn't support UltraSPARC-1 CPUs, my read on this is because of the fairly significant (for multiuser) bug in 64-bit operation of UltraSPARC-1 where anyone can hard-lock the system. There was a work-around to install 64-bit Solaris 9 on them if you wanted to, and I think there was a hack to get Solaris 10 on US1 CPUs. Note that you won't have OBIO network support because LANCE was dropped in S10 (and it looks like you have a non-E Ultra-1).

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

There are those who say I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. To them I reply: "GET OFF MY LAWN!"

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
commodorejohn wrote:
The CD-ROM drive is a DEC RRD-42 - it's compatible with the VAX, but according to the folks on comp.os.vms it can't handle CD-R media, which would be the source of the problem for me. I have a Plextor drive on the way that supports 512-byte sectors and that some promo material claims is Alpha/VAX-compatible.


Yep. The original Hobbyist CDs are pressed so they weren't a problem, but unfortunately no longer available. I've never done it, but some Linuxes have MOP support for DEC netbooting available.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

There are those who say I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. To them I reply: "GET OFF MY LAWN!"

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
What do we know about the failure? It was ahead of the fuse (or the fuse failed in a spectacularly unsafe manner), and it was a fairly high-capacity leak (to trip a circuit breaker before it cleared itself).

Check that part of the PSU.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O200: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
Paul Allen also runs/supports a group that maintains a TOPS-20 machine (more than one) because MS used many DECsystems in their early days.

I imagine that many of us are still able to remember after MS bought Hotmail and then had to go back to Sun because Windows wasn't capable of running it.

UNIX became big in the workstation world sort of by default. It was available cheap (comparatively), would do what the workstation vendors needed, and (most importantly) it boots fast.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

There are those who say I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. To them I reply: "GET OFF MY LAWN!"

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
commodorejohn wrote:
Well, I'd rather just get another CD drive working with it if possible, but I'll keep that in mind. Netbooting's always been a PITA in my experience, though, and I can't imagine it's easier on older equipment.


The last couple of VAXstation installs I did I used a InfoServer 1000 so I didn't have to mess with finding the VAXstation SCSI cables and putting in a local CD-ROM. Pretty convienient, really, once it's set up.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

There are those who say I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. To them I reply: "GET OFF MY LAWN!"

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
twix wrote:
Yes, it's time for PSU design 101. I'll take out the fuses (2) today and check them - they look ok. The other clue that I have is the speaker failure (no chime at start-up). Something must have blown up though, there was a big bang from within the case when the PSU failed.


Chances are that whatever it was cleared itself in the spectacular fashion you noted, but since it tripped your mains 15A breaker the fault is probably before the fuse - perhaps in the Y-filter? If a cap goes there's a boom and smoke, but the PSU fuse (usually under 2A) goes way before the mains breaker trips.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O200: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
jwp wrote:
I just kind of wandered in here, never having used an SGI workstation. I've been trying to understand the whole SGI and Nekochan thing, but I don't quite "get" it yet. When I was younger, I didn't quite have a broad view of which Unix systems were out there, and so I was mostly aware of Sun, IBM, HP, Compaq, and DEC as some of the main commercial Unix vendors. I saw some SGI workstations, but the ones I saw looked kind of ugly to me, and I assumed they were nothing special. I was kind of surprised then when I found a whole Internet community of people who are SGI workstation enthusiasts, even though SGI hasn't been making those machines for years.

So what gives? Why isn't there similar support for AIX, HP-UX, or Solaris? Is the attraction more in the hardware of the machines and collecting these boxes as a hobby? Or is it the graphics software available that is the big draw? And do more people come to IRIX for the graphics software or for the Unix aspect? Do many people use IRIX only for the traditional Unix type work rather than for 3D modeling, CAD, animation, video, etc.? For example, would many people here write shell scripts on a regular basis, or schedule cron jobs?


SGI had very good integration, a nice user experience, and did something that very few were doing at the time (E&S did it, and several other companies (most of the biggies) popped in for a while and then back out, but few kept it up). For what IBM, HP and Sun was doing most of the time computers were pretty interchangeable. They also have the cool factor for people who remember the '90s and late '80s. From a equipment availability standpoint, one hypotheses could go as follows "SGIs often look different and "cooler" than other generic computers of the time, so they stand out and may be more likely to be picked up rather than tossed".

Add to that the idea of "critical user mass". Nekochan exists, there is a community, therefore people join it and contribute as they learn things. Sun used to have one, but it's falling apart (partially because the bar to entry is a bit higher - Solaris 11 requires newer/more expensive machines and Oracle doesn't necessarily push it to hobbyists anymore). DEC OSes also have a pretty strong community, but it's often not as pretty (PDP-11s have great support on several mailing lists for one).

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

There are those who say I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. To them I reply: "GET OFF MY LAWN!"

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
astouffer wrote:
I built a clone PWS in pieces. Bought a new motherboard from usenet (2000 or 2001) and then pieced the rest together. You just have to get the right network/video/scsi cards. It runs OpenVMS, Tru64, *BSD, and Linux flawlessly. The only let down is the vanilla ATX case. It ran for like 7 or 8 years as a personal web server.


PC164LX is the way to go for this - PC164 works (it's what I have), but there are memory limitations - one bank (jumper selectable) of either 4 or 8 72-pin SIMMS. It's not a true clone, but it's very close.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
If you haven't yet, pull open your machine and carefully reseat the RAM and drives. Then pull out one of the hard drives and see if you still get the SCSI error, then the other. Even without an IRIX install you shouldn't be getting SCSI errors (though they mainly are something easy, like an unseated connector).

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O200: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
Spend some time doing her stuff and slowly scheme to geekify her. You know it will be worth it when you both get up from snapping together the KS10, power it up, look at each other and say "it's ALIVEEE" :)

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O200: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
twix wrote:
Lying loose inside the cage were also 2 plastic parts with holes that look as if they can be screwed to a hard-disk or CD-ROM. Some kind of sled. The number is 050-8031-001 (Rev B). I can't find them on any SGI parts list.


Black body, green lever, IDC50+Molex on the end of pigtails? They're disk sleds.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O200: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
PymbleSoftware wrote:
...could never get Oberon, to work properly or do anything useful with it.


Still too busy trying to score off of Titania perhaps?

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

There are those who say I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. To them I reply: "GET OFF MY LAWN!"

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
Like the title says: looking for a FP1 board with a 1.4 XBOW and
some sticks of 128 or 256MB PC100/133 ECC Registered SDRAM.

Not for the same machine.

I'm in the land of clouds and rain.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O200: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
Yeah, you've got to be careful, but I still would recommend reseating all friction-fit components if the machine has been shipped. Shippers can bang things around a bit, and making sure everything is tight can save problems later. When I get machines I make sure everything is tight and evict all resident dust bunnies first thing.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O200: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
You can dd to a file, but you'll have a raw tape image that may or may not be usable without writing out to tape again. The VMS stuff will probably be in BACKUP format, and I think that each tape file is one part of the saveset - you can always copy them over and try. ULTRIX might be in tar format tapefiles or CPIO (I think tar, as ULTRIX is BSD). The first file on the install tapes will be the standalone backup or install program image - that may change for CD installs.

The short answer is go ahead and dd off each file - it will be a backup, but you may have to extract from tape if you're going to do an alternate install (I dd'd some IRIX stuff, then had to drag the tapes back out to distcp over the files so they'd be in a useable form. Keep both - I still have the dd backup so I can write out boottapes easily if necessary.)

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
Did you resetenv and verify all PROM environment variables are sane? Can't recall about IP35 and ilk, but IP12/20 doesn't reset all environment vars with resetenv, so a manual check is necessary.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O200: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
hamei wrote:
jsloan wrote:
Is it safe to change roots shell to /usr/bin/tcsh ?

Mine is, and it hasn't seemed to cause any problems.


That's only an issue on systems with separate root and /usr filesystems (Solaris/SunOS are the most common). The problem was that a failed mount of /usr would leave root with an unusable shell. Even on those systems you can get around it by putting your preferred shell in your login scripts.

IRIX has crammed everything on one partition for a long time now.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O200: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
If you can afford it I second Cisco. I went from fighting "consumer-grade" stuff at work (resets once a month, odd bugs) to Cisco router/WAPs and haven't had to touch it since.

The downside is learning IOS and figuring out exactly how you want the thing set up. I wish Cisco would just cancel their GUI program and attached documentation. It doesn't work anyway (I've tried- you'll be going along and then either something will not be supported or it won't configure the device right), and the resources from the GUI group could be put into producing good "IOS CLI for people who haven't used it before" documentation.

Anyone here deployed Vyatta on a laptop? I've been considering that for home use.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

There are those who say I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. To them I reply: "GET OFF MY LAWN!"

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
I recently came across a WD My Book "Blue Rings" model, and I have been impressed by how bad the stock setup is. Very bad, as in "won't do what it's supposed to, let alone anything really interesting" bad. "We don't know how to properly handle caps vs lowercase" bad. You get the picture.

There isn't too much out there on these beyond "how do I de-brick it" and "usermode software to put on it", but it's definitely not overpowered (32MB RAM). So far all I've found is a Debian Lenny install ready to go, and I'm not sure that this little box is worth putting a lot of effort into. Anyone come across any other replacement software for the original MyBook that's good, or is it firmly in the "toss" category?

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
I had kind of started to figure that, but I thought I'd at least check. I got it because it wouldn't work for a group that it was given to (backing up one machine). I used the SSH hack thinking that that would make it easier to deal with. It worked once, then once the My Book World was turned off it stopped accepting connections.

WD makes a decent fixed drive (as long as you don't want FC/SAS/SCSI), but I haven't been too taken with their NASes. The ShareSpace is OK, but this one just doesn't work. Makes the Iomegas look better.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
VAXstations are also reliable, though they use more desktop-grade support componentry than the bigger VAXes (NCR 53C90 SCSI, LANCE Ethernet, the like) so they don't run as well under heavy users.

They provided a VAX-compatible workstation that was originally competitive speed-wise and would interface with the DEC services and run VMS but with a graphics head and 2-user "workstation" license. Much of the silicon was shared with the MicroVAX 3100 series as well, so there wasn't that much of a design penalty.

Nowadays they provide an entry into VAX-VMS for people who don't want to deal with a pedestal or rack machine. Yeah, a VAX 6000 is a sweet machine, but I don't have one because of size, noise and power. I do have two VAXstations and a VAX-4000.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

There are those who say I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. To them I reply: "GET OFF MY LAWN!"

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
jan-jaap wrote:
*
I don't mind to spend some money on a 'real' solution but then it has to be good. I don't want to simply add another Linux server to the zoo and spend countless hours maintaining things that don't add any value.

Take a look at Vyatta Community Edition (assuming it's still going to be around now that Brocade bought them). It's Linux-based, but set up for routing/firewalls.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

There are those who say I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. To them I reply: "GET OFF MY LAWN!"

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
guardian452 wrote:
I had a cisco wifi router; it was absolute garbage. Model wrt54g2 or something like that. It's only saving grace was it was $29 and when I moved out, I left it set up in the house I was at so others could use it... it did barely sneak by as a basic wifi hotspot and the land-lady was appreciative.


That's not a commercial-grade Cisco - that's Linksys. Sure, they're stamping "Cisco Linksys" on them now, but they aren't the same.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

There are those who say I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. To them I reply: "GET OFF MY LAWN!"

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
I'd like to play around with it - I tried it on someone's emulator once, and it seemed neatish. Don't have a RPI yet.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O200: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
I'm looking at replacing my current soldering equipment, which was marginal to begin with and not very useful now (lead-free solder). I'm pretty sure I want temperature control.

I looked at stuff from Hakko, Metcal, Weller and Oki. Nice stuff, but I'm getting a little lost. I know I want a iron, and am considering the benefits of hot air. The problem is the ones that advertise both iron and air are two-irons-at-the-same-time and very expensive. What kind of units do people here use when they haven't been able to get their employer to pay for them? Are they two-at-a-time or plug in what you want and go?

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

There are those who say I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. To them I reply: "GET OFF MY LAWN!"

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
guardian452 wrote:
Lead free is not a big deal anymore. I've been using it for years and once you are used to it and your tool it is fine.


Not mine - it doesn't get hot enough to flow the solder on a joint of any size with the lead-free stuff.

Do the Wellers have feedback temperature control, or is it just a relative dial (hotter/cooler)?

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

There are those who say I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. To them I reply: "GET OFF MY LAWN!"

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
skywriter wrote:
the netgear RAID boxes are wonderful!


Good to hear. I'd heard Synology was good, but it's nice to have multiple decent options.
Don't trust WD anymore, and a bit unsure about Iomega.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

There are those who say I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. To them I reply: "GET OFF MY LAWN!"

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
A disk from a UNIX box probably has a UNIX disklabel (SGI, Sun, whatever), which Windows may not like. Try either wiping the disk or firing up Knoppix/xBSD/favorite UNIX-like system and writing out a PC disklabel with fdisk/parted/gparted/cfdisk/your favorite tool.

The other option (unlikely) is that it may have come from an array that doesn't use 512-byte sectors, in which case you'll need to reformat.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O200: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
robespierre wrote:
At least look at the Zephyrtronics stuff—they have pretty reasonable prices on accessories like flux dispensers. Their non-contact rework solution is almost ideal, with preheating from underneath and air pencil from above, and the board cradles are amazingly convenient.
I also have a Hakko 939ESD and while digital temperature control is convenient, it isn't really a big deal for hobbyist rework and assembly. The 936ESD's control is good enough, although its iron doesn't respond quite as quickly. I do appreciate the ability to control tip temperature for different solder types (there is more than just Sn63 and "lead-free"!) and use different settings for soldering and desoldering. The 936 is one of the most affordable all-duty products on the used market now, much more practical than Metcal I think (needs different tips for different temperatures and the tips are fairly costly).


I don't need the super fancy stuff, just want something that works. I have little experience with soldering stations, but don't want to buy something and then have it either break early or never work right.

Pretty sure I do want a feedback temp control, though, so I'm not making one of the $40 wonders with a Weller and a light dimmer.

Currently I'm seriously looking at the "build it yourself" hot air options - seems that that would be almost practical and not too clunky.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

There are those who say I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. To them I reply: "GET OFF MY LAWN!"

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
Looks like I'll look at either a Hakko (936 or 888 - looks like it's getting harder to find 936s complete [though plenty of Chinese knock-offs]) or Weller WES-51. Am I correct in reading that Hakko is still Japanese-made and Weller US?

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

There are those who say I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. To them I reply: "GET OFF MY LAWN!"

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
Oskar45 wrote: What I don't understand: since the OT is full of contradictions, how do fundamentalists [who take the Bible as the inspired words of God] decide the only correct way?


Within the context of this thread is this to be construed as trolling?
"Brakes??? What Brakes???"

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
commodorejohn wrote:
Well, a couple of decent (read: overpriced!) 68-to-50-pin converters (with high-byte termination) and an IBM/Plextor CD-ROM drive from my RS/6000 solved my SCSI woes, and a huge old NEC LCD monitor allowed me to get video working, so that's that out of the way. Now I just need to navigate my way through the OpenVMS install process...


The docs will walk you right through it. http://h71000.www7.hp.com/doc/73final/6630/6630pro.html

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

There are those who say I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. To them I reply: "GET OFF MY LAWN!"

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O3x0: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
hamei wrote:
guardian452 wrote:
No, it counts as fully wrong :mrgreen:

Q: How is a Foxconn factory in Suzhou different from a Foxconn factory in Kuala Lumpur ?

A: Ummm ..... let me see. Wait ! Wait ! I know the answer ! It's on the tip of my tongue ! Just give me five more minutes and I'll remember ! :D


One country starts with "C", the other "M"? I don't think anyone went to either country (or Mexico for that matter) and said "I think I'm going to start a factory here because of the knowledge, ability, and dedication to excellence of the populace".

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O200: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)
japes wrote:
I have an older Weller station (circa 2002), similar to a WES51, it has digital readout and a small iron and tip, I think it might only be 20watt. I enjoy using it very much.

I read a while back the Wellers with digital displays fail frequently, Weller has changed hands a few times and they might have suffered some quality control during those times, perhaps they're under control now. Regardless, the more displays/controls the more to break.

If I was starting over I would be temped to go with the Hakko FX-888 since everyone in the hobby space seems to be enamored by it. SparkFun and Adafruit are selling the FX-888 pretty steadily and seem to have lots of happy customers. I hear lots of folks talking about it being the only iron you'll ever need and at $100 it's hard to complain.

And if you find yourself wanting it RIGHT NOW, our Fry's has been stocking the FX-888 and might have one for you on the shelf (and their price was inline with the online shops I mentioned).

For hot air, I find I wish I had it about 2 seconds after I rip all the traces off a board trying to perform a little rework. I've tried using my Weller heatgun (I use for heatshrink) and I know I should get something. I had dreams of doing some more smt work and if that comes about I'm going to order the cheapo Sparkfun rework station. I noticed some made in China thing at Fry's, but I figure atleast the guys in Colorado get to make a buck and probably at least tried it out and think it should last for a day or five. https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10706


Yep, saw it at Fry's and it was within $20 of many online outfits.

I saw the SparkFun stuff, but didn't know anything about their products (quality and longevity). Guess I'll file it away for later.
The big thing for hot air is learning how to do the solder paste stuff.

_________________
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Systems available for remote access on request.

:Indigo: :Octane: :Indigo2: :Indigo2IMP: :Indy: :PI: :O200: :ChallengeL: :O2000R: (single-CM)