Hi,

we did it! we did it! Watch in awe:

>>> BOOT
Initializing system.

#123456789 0123456789 0123456789 01234567#

F   E   D   C   B   A   9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1   0   NODE #
    A   A   .   .   .   M   M   M   M   .   P   P   P   P       TYP
    o   o   .   .   .   +   +   +   +   .   +   +   +   +       STF
    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   E   E   E   B       BPD
    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   +   +   +   +       ETF
    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   E   E   E   B       BPD

.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   +   .   .   .   .   +   .   XBI D +
.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   -   .   .   +   .   XBI E +

    .   .   .   .   .  A4  A3  A2  A1   .   .   .   .   .       ILV
    .   .   .   .   . 128 128 128 128   .   .   .   .   .      512 Mb

ROM0 = V4.00 ROM1 = V4.00 EEPROM = 2.03/4.00  SN = SG231LLR72


Loading system software.

?06 Halt instruction executed in kernel mode.
    PC     = 200D5882
    SAVPSL = 041F0601
    ISP    = 00000300

?3D Error initializing I/O device

Bootstrap failed due to previous error.
>>>



Thanks to all your handholding and mental support :-) I am thus 
far, finally! I swapped the power & logic box and rewired things 
again on my circuit breaker box. I wanted to be really smart giving 
110V power to the auxillary power autlets at the back, those that are 
accessible even with closed back door. In order to do that, I would
have to connect the brown wire and one certain black wire. However,
when I did that, not even the relay clicked when turning the key!
STRANGE! I simply swapped the two black wires. Now one of those 
two aux. power outlets at the back is dead, but hey, it started!!!

Before I turned the key, however, I debugged the terminal link. 
I started all over making myself a null-modem cable, D25 female
to D9 female. Turns out that the D25 adapters. It's simple, just
make sure you got the following three pins connected:

  D25 female        D9 female
  ----------        ---------
  TX   2 ------------ 2 RX
  RX   3 ------------ 3 TX
  GND  7 ------------ 5 GND

Then I took my laptop in the garage, terminal program, and configured
1200 bps (the default and recommended setting as per VAX 6400 manual.)
I did see garbage appear on the terminal and responding to input
from my side. With a bit of luck I found her at 9600 bps 8 bit 1 stop
no parity. The "break" trick didn't quite work. Anyhow, BINGO I had 
connection.

Next was self test and looking at all the colorful LEDs :-). I had 
yellow lights everywhere, except the CI boards and the TKB70, 
physically on the XBI E. Somehow my tape controller seems not right, 
so I  swapped it with a spare one. As soon as I sent this of, I'll
try it.

About the power, I now believe two things, without necessarily
understanding them:

(1) It is better to conect one phase to one power input line and
not to bridge over two phases. This is the difference I had to 
my first attempt.

(2) It does matter which phase you pick. Use a brown and one black
phase. But use the correct black cable or you won't even power the
relay to switch main power.

However, it may also be that the second power & logic box has a 
problem by itself (this came from the machine that was reported
to have power problems.) So, it may be that one line is foul. Or,
may be, they had the p&l boxes already switched, so that first
time I had the known faulty one. BTW: are those p&l boxes not
screwed to the cabinet at all? Mine weren't, as if someone had
messed with those already!

I can't wait actually booting the machine. But until then I need
a boot device. I have one DSSI drive RF73 loose in the cabinet.
I am hoping to get a KFMSA board with cable kit soon (a honorable
donor promised them to me, but he is very busy.) I will get
KDB50 boards (SDI) on Tuesday, but those have neither cables
nor do I have an SDI drive. But even if I had drives, I do not
have a bootable image just yet. Isildur, if your TK50 drives 
are all unuseable and you just can't write a tape, I will 
try to get a hold of someone who can show me how to do it on
VMS on the one remaining 6400 in our IS department.

The adventure continues ...

regards,
-Gunther


-- 
Gunther Schadow, M.D., Ph.D.                    gschadow@regenstrief.org
Medical Information Scientist      Regenstrief Institute for Health Care
Adjunct Assistent Professor        Indiana University School of Medicine
tel:1(317)630-7960                         http://aurora.regenstrief.org