kim@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com (Kim DeVaughn) (03/21/88)
In article <5557@swan.ulowell.edu>, page@swan.ulowell.edu (Bob Page) writes: > kim@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com (Kim DeVaughn) wrote: > >I had just gotten Matt's dnet up and working between the 1000 and the 2000, > >when my 1080 monitor went ftzzzzt ... no horizontal sweep, so I haven't > > Wow, DNET fried your monitor? That's some high-powered software, Matt. :-) Yup. That's what is meant by a real "hot-shot" programmer! But then, you know how those Berkeley folks are ... :-) :-) :-) Actually 'twas purely coincidental, as the 1080 has been getting flakey for quite a while. I could just as well have been running "dme" :-). Your posting did remind me of a true story however ... Once upon a time, there was this Engineer whose job it was to develop the Diagnostic Tests for a new Main Storage Unit, for a large Mainframe Computer Manufacturer. Being particularly thorough at this task, the Engineer went to great lengths to insure that the MSU was tested in all possible configurations and modes of operation. Including a comprehensive test of refresh. There was this small, innocuous little 5-bit register, accessable only to the machine's console processor, that was used to set the MSU refresh rate. "Ah ha", exclaimed the Engineer, "that's only 32 possible values. Clearly, this is an appropriate place to test all combinations." And the Engineer made it so. Later, when the tests and hardware had been debugged, there was Joy in the Engineer's heart, for the MSU, tests, and documentation had been released to Manufacturing. Now the Engineer could get on to working on "The Next Generation Machine". Or so the Engineer thought. Alas, early in the First Production Run of this MSU, the Refresh Test was left to run on a machine in Loop Mode, whilst the Test Engineers' did indulge themselves in a repast (they went to lunch). And so it was. At least until the HALON Fire Eextinguishing Ssystem had spoken it's expansive (and expensive) words of wisdom, "Ka Booooooooom!" Followed by the most deafening silence ever to be heard on the Bring Up Floor. As acolytes fled from the outpouring HALON, they were heard to question the preceeding events with profound solilioquy such as, "What the sh*t happened?!", and "Incomming!", and "Where's Dave?" A few were heard in prayer, or calling for their mothers, "Mother ..."! When the gas had at last disbursed, it was discovered that three MSU Array Cards and part of a Backplane in an MSU were not as they should have been. Indeed, they had a distinctly "charred" appearance. This MSU had been running a Refresh Test. In Loop Mode. For a LONG time. On a LOT of memory. Drawing LOTS of current. Especially when the 5-bit register held a SMALL value. Said register was subsequently redesigned, as was the Refresh Test. Rapidly. By the Engineer. Whose ego, among other things, had been ever so slightly bruised by the whole affair. And they all lived Happily Everafter. Except for Dave. They never did find Dave. [ OK, I know this has nothing to do with Amiga's, but it beats reading the ] [ ongoing drivel about piracy, "my machine is better than your machine", ] [ dongles, copy protection, etc. Doesn't it? And it *isn't* crossposted ] [ to 47 different news.groups like some twits have been doing alot of lately. ] [ And it *is* a true story. Just don't ask me how I know! :-) ] /kim -- UUCP: kim@amdahl.amdahl.com or: {sun,decwrl,hplabs,pyramid,ihnp4,uunet,oliveb,cbosgd,ames}!amdahl!kim DDD: 408-746-8462 USPS: Amdahl Corp. M/S 249, 1250 E. Arques Av, Sunnyvale, CA 94086 CIS: 76535,25
peter@nuchat.UUCP (Peter da Silva) (03/24/88)
In article ... kim@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com (Kim DeVaughn) writes: > [...about a memory test that smoked boards...] There was once a personal computer called the Compucolor II, produced by Intecolor, that could be made to produce this effect on demand. From BASIC. 10 FOR I = 0 to 255 20 OUT 6,I 30 NEXT I I don't know what port 6 was hooked up to, and I never had the guts to run this test to destruction, but it did produce high temperatures inside the box, complete with smoke and burning smells. You had to pull the plug to get it to stop: the DC power switch didn't seem to be effective in autodestruct mode. We used to joke about using this feature in a security system. -- -- a clone of Peter (have you hugged your wolf today) da Silva `-_-' -- normally ...!hoptoad!academ!uhnix1!sugar!peter U -- Disclaimer: These aren't mere opinions... these are *values*.