slsw2@cc.usu.edu (02/06/91)
In article <11298@uhccux.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu>, ralph@uhheph.phys.hawaii.edu (Ralph Becker-Szendy) writes: > Question 2: On the DECstation 5000 DEC uses a 50-pin connector high-density > connector (verified, I walked around the one I am writing this on). I hear > that SPARCstations also use this regular standard-conforming type. Slight > simmering flame: Isn't it quite silly to stick to the standard on one product, > not on the other ? It also makes life pretty hard on people like me who want > to move periphereals back and forth, and always need yet another cable. Well, you see, the VAX guys are back east and the DECstation guys are out west... > Question 3: Internally, the VAXstation 3100 uses something very strange. The > SCSI controller daughterboard has a 100-pin high density connector which is > exactly the same size as a 50-pin square ribbon cable connector (but with pins > on a 50x100 mil grid). The cable harness consists of a loop of 50-pin ribbon > cable, both ends of which are seperately terminated in this 100-pin high > density connector, whereas the connectors for the disk drives are standard > 50-pin connectors (with a 100x100 mil grid), crimped on somewhere in the > middle of the loop. Question: Why this arrangement with the 100-pin high > density connector, what is the pin-out on it, where can I buy them (to make > our own cables, whenever a disk drive gets added to a VAXstation), and why > does DEC use yet another non-standard connector. The reason for it is so that the SCSI bus terminator will always be on the VAXstation 3100. The bus goes out, loops around, and comes back so that it can be terminated on the VS3100. > Last question (this one is simple): Where can I buy SCSI terminators for the > high-density 50-pin (Honda-type) connectors ? From DEC, I presume. I've got a couple of the terminators that came with systems that I've obtained. -- =============================================================================== Roger Ivie 35 S 300 W Logan, Ut. 84321 (801) 752-8633 ===============================================================================