Written by: UlliH
Parent Category: Stories
Category: VAX 11/750: The Resurrection of a Comet

 

Bias/Control Board Overview

bias-control-5v_small

The H7104 Bias/Control Board (DEC # 54-13382) accomodates a lot of interwoven functions:

Voltages and Master Clock:

All "VA" voltages are for internal use ("auxiliary") only. I will call all internal voltages "VA" even if not the case in the schematics.

There will be "VB" voltages later on, too. These are voltages backed up by H7112 battery backup (if existent).

Handling of signals:

You can easily see why this board is called "Control Board", too.

 

Preparation

Check the H7104 Bias/Control Board for any obvious damage and blown fuse. If everthing seems o.k. re-insert it into the Motherboard.

 

Testing the unregulated +11VA DC chain

The +11VA DC voltage has got a nominal value of 11V, but may be considerably higher when under light load only.

masterclocksmall

Master Clock Signal: 50μs cycle time - 38μ/12μs ratio

vertical (misaligned): 5V/cm - horizontal: 10μs/cm

overshooting of unknown origin

 

Making the plug-in boards accessible

When the Bias/Control Board is back in place (plugged into the motherboard) most of the "points of interest" are very badly accessible or not accessible at all. After some trying (with the dangerous voltage of 300V DC in mind) I decided to build an adapter which rises the board under test up above the PSUs top. The parts you need are:

riserboard-small-2

The problem is: Parts with 3.96 mm (= 0.156 inches) pitch are obviously out of date :-((

I found suitable strip boards, but only 50 mm in height, so I will probably solder three together to get one of about 150 mm.

There are even edge connectors available, but at an exorbitant price ... . I will look out for cheaper ones first - even used ones will do.

Followup:

Finally I found the edge connectors I need at http://www.sourcingmap.com/products_list.php/k/card%20edge/type/all/bar/1 for a very good price and best of all: free shipping worldwide! I still have to persuade a friend of mine to make the boards for me as I've decided against using the short buyable strip boards.

... still under construction ...

 


Next:  Not yet available, but come again soon for more :-)) - Previous: Step 2.1: +5V PSU Motherboard testing

5V BIAS-CONTROL.pdf -- H7104 Bias/Control Board Schematic