• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

Vax 4000-700a

M

marmotking

Experienced Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2007
Messages
179
Location
Seattle, WA
I just acquired a VAX 4000-700A for free from an organization that was going to simply throw it away. It was working when they unplugged it last July, so I'm hoping it'll fire right up. Problem is, they already threw away all the cables for it.

The power supply has what looks like a C14 socket on it, but it's got a plastic protrusion opposite the earth ground so that a normal C13 plug won't fit in it. In doing some research, it looks like maybe it's a C16 and needs a C15 plug. I found a C14 to C15 converter online, but I haven't ordered it yet.

Does anyone have experience with these machines and whether I'm right about it simply being a C16? I know this is obscure. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

IMG_9935_a.jpg
 
Last edited:
There was some discussion of this subject in the past (mebbe a year-or-so ago). Perhaps a search will reveal sum'n (if you can figger out the right keywords).

--T
 
If you are going to have a DEC in the house, then you should subscribe to the ClassicCmp mailing list, where you found the references to similar machines. A lot of DECheads hang out there (and not here), and will know the answer to your question off the top of their heads.
 
mbbrutman said:
If you are going to have a DEC in the house, then you should subscribe to the ClassicCmp mailing list, where you found the references to similar machines. A lot of DECheads hang out there (and not here), and will know the answer to your question off the top of their heads.
Click to expand...

True. We should encourage those folks to visit here more often, though! :D
 
I've got mixed feelings about that crowd. There's a certain sense of mid-range elitism going on over there, and they are off topic more often than we are here!

Some of the more cluefull members of that mailing list are here, so I think we are covered.
 
Both are good...

Both are good...

I've signed up for both this forum and that one. Being someone who collects in many vintage worlds (Z80, VAX, etc), perhaps I can help cross pollinate the boards a little bit!

I plan on really setting up this VAX as a very usable server machine. As I run into problems and figure out solutions I'll be sure to post it here in an effort to contribute as much DEC content as I can...

(BTW, if you look closely at the photo I put in the top of the thread, you'll notice my MicroVAX 3100 with TK-50Z tape drive already setup and functional in the background. I really love these old VAX's!)
 
If you're planning on running VMS, sign up for DECUS, or ENCOMPASS, or whatever the heck they call it now. I think it's like $99/year, and gives you full hobbyist licenses for VMS VAX and Alpha. Media is like $15 from the company that handles it for them.

At one time, I had a 100a, vaxstation 4000/60, /90, and 90a all on a VMS VaxCluster, along with an ACPpci33-based system. All are gone except the AXPpci box. it was a 166 originally, with 128Mb RAM. I put on a heatsink fan, and jumpered it to 200MHz without issues.

T
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top