Da Poetry Hacklab.
microvax 3100/40 console cable poetry-minihowto
(also valid for VAXStation 3100 ! :)
-----------------------------------------------
how to connect a microvax 3100-40 to a pc using a self-made
console cable; keywords: microvax, 3100-40, 3100, console,
cable, pinout, scheme, schematic, diagram, construction,
pain, terror, hate, vampire, sadness, l3chuck, maharishi,
vaxstation, horror, holocaust, hitler, antani.
looking it at the back, you can see these things:
| |
| MicroVAX 3100-40 14 |
| on |
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 |
| MMJ MMJ MMJ DB25 but SW sl 4led 4led AUI SW2 BNC mainpw |
| |
----------------------------------------------------------------'
1 - mmj connector, serial port for system console
2,3 - mmj serial ports
4 - cannon male db25, it seem a serial port - printer?
5 - a button - reset ? halt ?
6 - a switch in position DOWN
7 - a single LED
8,9 - 4 + 4 leds, diagnostic purpose
10 - aui ethernet connector, for a transceiver; a female cannon.
11 - switch to select ethernet aui or bnc; position it to the
choosed connector.
12 - bnc ethernet connector
13 - main power cord
14 - ON/OFF switch :)
----
and looking at the back of VAXStation 3100, you can see:
|
VAXStation 3100 PWR SW |
CONN on |
printer/ |
monitor console PWR |
db15 cannon mmj mmj sw 8 led CONN |
-- --- -- ------------------------------------------------------'
well. to connect a serial terminal to the microvax, as a console,
you have to connect to the port 1, that horrible MMJ. To connect
a serial terminal to the VAXStation 3100, you must connect to the
printer/console mmj connector; it's identified by a printer :)
here's the pinout, it's the same for the 2 vaxes :
Looking the mmj connector at the back of the vax:
_____________
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 |
---------. .
---
Posit# Description Corresponding RS232
1 Data terminal ready 20
2 Transmit (+) 2
3 Transmit (-) ---\___ 7
4 Receive (-) ---/
5 Receive (+) 3
6 Data set ready 6
NOTE about rj11 and mmj connectors:
here is a mmj:
--------------------
| O O O O O O |
| |
| ____ |
------------| |--
|____| <--- CLIP that hold the plug in
the socket
but a normal RJ11 connector look like this one:
--------------------
| O O O O O O |
| |
| ____ |
-------| |-------
|____| <--- rj11: the CLIP is centered! :)
so, a way to hack a RJ11 connector consist in cutting out the clip
and the clip support, so the rj11 can be plugged into the MMJ
connector.
but we had difficult finding a RJ11 connector, and other difficults
crimping the cable "by hand".
SO, WE CHOOSED THE HARD WAY: creating a STANDARD CANNON DB25 MALE
SERIAL CONSOLE CONNECTOR on the VAX, by SOLDERING the serial cables
directly on the VAX MOTHERBOARD :))))))
looking at the solder side of the VAX motherboard, under the 3
mmj connectors, here's the hack: just solder 6 wires under the
connector, and voila'! you can connect those wires on your
favourite connector (i choosed a male DB25 to have a "standard"
serial port)
the numeration of the pin respect the mmj numeration printed above.
(this scheme apply to the microvax 3100; for the vaxstation, just
locate the mmj console connector: the pinout is exactly the same! :)
mmj
console mmj mmj
--------------------------------------------------------- -- -- --
|
| o o o o o o o o o
| 2 4 6 ...
| o o o o o o o o o
| 1 3 5
|
|
so, here's the SOLDERED VAX MMJ to male DB25 CANNON ADAPTER scheme:
(this adapter was TESTED for MicroVAX 3100-40 and VAXServer 3100)
on the motherboard DB25 MALE CANNON
DTR 1 ----------. .-------------- 2 TX
TX 2 -----------)----------' .---------- 3 RX
TX GND 3 --. | .--------'
RX GND 4 ---+-------)----(-----. .---------- 6 DSR
RX 5 -----------)----' ---(----------- 7 GND
DSR 6 -----------)--------------'
'-------------------------- 20 DTR
description of the adapter: from mmj to cannon:
1 to 20, 2 to 2, 3 and 4 together to 7, 5 to 3, 6 to 6.
SO, we have the console connector on a new db25 connector
of the vax :)
the cable to connect the vax to a pc serial port, assuming
to use a laptop pc as a vax console, is this:
(this cable was TESTED for MicroVAX 3100-40 and VAXServer 3100)
VAX DB25 HACKED CONNECTOR 9 PIN SERIAL PORT
TX 2 --------------------------------------------- 2 RX
RX 3 --------------------------------------------- 3 TX
DSR 6 --------------------------------------------- 4 DTR
GND 7 --------------------------------------------- 5 GND
DTR 20 --------------------------------------------- 6 DSR
(NOTE: you have tojumper together .-- 7 RTS
RTS and CTS !!!) --------------> '-- 8 CTS
connectors to use:
db25 female cannon db9 female cannon
here's the console cable!!!!!
to use the vax, just connect the cable to your laptop, and
use a terminal program like minicom, setting
9600,n,8,1 parameters; disabling hardware handshake and
enabling software handshake (XON/XOFF) sometimes help. :)
- asbesto 22/1/2004 poetry hacklab palazzolo acreide
http://poetry.freaknet.org
