Making Up A Console Cable For VAX 4000-500
Gary Parker
and have hit an immediate stumbling block, namely the console port.
The machine in question is a VAX 4000-500 with a KA680 CPU module in it
and has the MMJ DECnet type connector for the serial console. I've
searched this ng and Google'd and been totally overwhelmed with
differing opinions and methods for creating a cable that will simply
allow me to plug the thing into a DB-9 serial port on my PC.
I found these cables at Black Box:
http://www.blackbox.co.uk/solutions/display.asp?cs=min&id=1&doc=evaad-0010&tx=Infrastructure%20Cabling&sx=Copper%20Patch%20Cables
I'm
guessing that if I buy one of these, hack one end off and replace it
with a DB-9 male plug I'll be able to hook it up to my PC or sparc, but
do I need the DEC 423 MMJ cable or the MMJ straight-pinned cable? I'm
guessing the DEC cable will act as a null-modem (what I want, right?)
and the straight cable does exactly what it says on the tin.
I know I could just buy an MMJ connector and some use some CAT5 cable
to make one of these cables up myself but the crimp tool for MMJ
connectors costs more than this cable and I can't see myself using it
more than once.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Gary
Stanley F. Quayle
> guessing that if I buy one of these, hack one end off and replace it
> with a DB-9 male plug I'll be able to hook it up to my PC or sparc,
> but do I need the DEC 423 MMJ cable or the MMJ straight-pinned cable?
> I'm guessing the DEC cable will act as a null-modem (what I want,
> right?) and the straight cable does exactly what it says on the tin.
Actually, all MMJ cables are "null modem" -- you can connect two MMJ
devices without all the wondering about straight vs. null.
In your situation, I'd be tempted to whack off one MMJ from a cable
and solder up a DB-9. You'll need an ohmeter to figure out which
color is which...
I've written up all the gory details at:
http://www.stanq.com/cable.html
--Stan Quayle
Quayle Consulting Inc.
----------
Stanley F. Quayle, P.E. N8SQ Toll free: 1-888-I-LUV-VAX
8572 North Spring Ct., Pickerington, OH 43147 USA
stan-at-stanq-dot-com http://www.stanq.com/charon-vax.html
"OpenVMS, when downtime is not an option"
Tom Linden
<squ...@insight.rr.com> wrote:
> I've written up all the gory details at:
> http://www.stanq.com/cable.html
Empty page.
syslost
4 1 DTR DTR
3 2 Tx Tx+
5 3 + 4 Signal ground Rx- + Tx-
2 5 Rx Rx+
1 + 6 + 8 6 DSR + CTS + CD DSR
Hoff Hoffman
:The machine in question is a VAX 4000-500 with a KA680 CPU module in it
:searched this ng and Google'd and been totally overwhelmed with
:differing opinions and methods for creating a cable that will simply
:allow me to plug the thing into a DB-9 serial port on my PC.
Google didn't find the OpenVMS Frequently Asked Questions and the
DEC MMJ Pin-out? That's odd. So I can improve the FAQ, what
did you search for? (With that, I'll add those strings to the
relevent section of the FAQ, and make it easier to find it.)
There's a picture of the connector there, and the pin numbering,
and the BC16-E wiring. Here's the section:
14.26 Looking for connector wiring pin-outs?
The DECconnect DEC-423 Modified Modular Jack (MMJ)
appears similar to a telphone or network modular jac,
though with the key offset to one side. The DECconnect
MMJ connector pin-out is listed in Table 14-5, with an
end-on view of the connector pins and the connector key
shown below.
________________________________________________________________
Table 14-5 DEC MMJ Pin-out
_______________________________________________________
Pin_____Description____________________________________
1 Data Terminal Ready (DTR)
2 Transmit (TXD)
3 Transmit Ground (TXD-)
4 Receive Ground (RXD-)
5 Receive (RXD)
_________6_______Data_Set_Ready_(DSR)___________________________
+------------------+
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 |
+------------+ ++
+____+
The BC16E-nn (where the "-nn" indicates the cable
length) cabling and keying "flips over" or "crosses-
over" the signal wires, and this allows all DECconnect
MMJ connections to be wired identically; the ends of
the BC16E are symmetrical and fully interchangeable,
and allows either end of the cable to be connected
either to the terminal or to the host. Specifically,
the BC16E-nn cross-over wiring looks like this:
Terminal Host
MMJ MMJ
DTR 1 --->---------->----------->--- 6 DSR
TXD 2 --->---------->----------->--- 5 RXD
3 ------------------------------ 4
4 ------------------------------ 3
RXD 5 ---<----------<-----------<--- 2 TXD
DSR 6 ---<----------<-----------<--- 1 DTR
DECconnect parts and connections are available from
HP, and MMJ crimping dies for use in typical telco-
style crimping tools, and MMJ connectors, are available
from Blackbox and from other communications equipment
vendors.
The PC-compatible DB9 connector pin-out found on Alpha
and Integrity COM serial ports-and on most PC systems
is listed in Table 14-6.
The H8571-J connector adapts from the BC16E to the PC DB9 connector,
and there are also pinouts for the PC DB9 in the FAQ. There are
wiring-level diagrams of many of the DECconnect connectors and adapters
available at http://www.hp.com/go/openvms/wizard/, and at other sites.
The H8571-J is the one you want here. *Not* the H8571-B nor H8575-B
adapters, as these connect to the old MicroVAX DB9 pinout.
The FAQ also has a pointer over to Stanley Quayle's wiring and cabling
web page; at <http://www.stanq.com/cable.html>.
---------------------------- #include <rtfaq.h> -----------------------------
For additional, please see the OpenVMS FAQ -- www.hp.com/go/openvms/faq
--------------------------- pure personal opinion ---------------------------
Hoff (Stephen) Hoffman OpenVMS Engineering hoff[\0100]hp.com
Stanley F. Quayle
> > I've written up all the gory details at:
> > http://www.stanq.com/cable.html
>
> Empty page.
Sorry -- it's fixed now.
Gary Parker
>
> Google didn't find the OpenVMS Frequently Asked Questions and the
> DEC MMJ Pin-out? That's odd. So I can improve the FAQ, what
> did you search for? (With that, I'll add those strings to the
> relevent section of the FAQ, and make it easier to find it.)
Thanks for all the replies folks, I'm sure I'll be able to get myself
sorted out over the weekend now.
Hoff> Google certainly did give me the pinouts as required, from many,
many sources. There were just so many variations I was somewhat
overwhelmed and took the cowards way out and asked the ng instead.
Stan> That web page is great, it'll probably come in useful for a great
many other things, too.
Thanks to the folks that replied directly, too.
Gary
Dave Froble
Where are you located? I've got the tools. I've done cables before for
hobbyists for the cost of shipping.
--
David Froble Tel: 724-529-0450
Dave Froble Enterprises, Inc. Fax: 724-529-0596
DFE Ultralights, Inc. E-Mail: da...@tsoft-inc.com
170 Grimplin Road
Vanderbilt, PA 15486
Larry Kilgallen
It works for me on Netscape Communicator 4.75-20000815.
But http://validator.w3.org/ says there are at least 4 errors.
Larry Kilgallen
> On 10 Mar 2006 at 9:06, Tom Linden wrote:
>> > I've written up all the gory details at:
>> > http://www.stanq.com/cable.html
>>
>> Empty page.
>
> Sorry -- it's fixed now.
Ok, I guess the fixed one is the one with the errors :-)
Tom Linden
wrote:
I think you found a time wormhole:-)
warren sander
http://h71000.www7.hp.com/wizard/padapters.html
and
http://h71000.www7.hp.com/wizard/cable-guide.html
-warren
"Hoff Hoffman" <ho...@hp.nospam> wrote in message
news:FTiQf.4472$Ib1....@news.cpqcorp.net...
Stanley F. Quayle
> Stan> That web page is great, it'll probably come in useful for a
> great many other things, too.
Of all the pages on my web site, it's visited the most -- even more
than the CHARON-VAX web page.
Paul Sture
> On 10 Mar 2006 at 17:31, Gary Parker wrote:
>
>>Stan> That web page is great, it'll probably come in useful for a
>>great many other things, too.
>
>
> Of all the pages on my web site, it's visited the most -- even more
> than the CHARON-VAX web page.
>
Presumably when it's not empty :-)
GreyCloud
Just to support you, your cables that you made for me worked correctly.
What I found out about a 4000vlc is that if they are off for over a
year, the memory test takes quite a while to complete the first time
around. After that they work good.
--
Where are we going?
And why am I in this handbasket?
Gary Parker
>
> Where are you located? I've got the tools. I've done cables before
> for hobbyists for the cost of shipping.
Thanks for the kind offer, Dave, but I'm in the UK and as I've already
been offered an MMJ to DB25 convertor (thanks, Ted) I can probably pick
up an MMJ cable for less than it would cost to ship your cable.
Gary