Date: Mon, 30 Nov 1998 22:24:21 -0500
From: Tim Shoppa <SHOPPA@trailing-edge.com>
To: PUPS@minnie.cs.adfa.edu.au
Message-Id: <981130222421.2de00129@trailing-edge.com>
Subject: Re: System Industries MSCP disk controller problem
Sender: owner-pups@minnie.cs.adfa.edu.au
Precedence: bulk

>   I wonder, is anyone here familiar with System Industries (SI) Q-bus MSCP
>controllers for ESDI disks? The VAX I'm working has one. It's quad-height
>board with connectors for 4 ESDI drives. I couldn't find a model number or
>anything like that, but there is a sticker on one of the chips that says
>"SYS IND" on it (that's how I deduced that it's SI). The problem I'm having
>is that I have no idea how to configure it. It has two DIP switch packs,
>one with 4 switches and one with 10. Originally it was configured to be the
>secondary disk MSCP controller at 160334. I want it to be the primary one
>at 172150. I tried every reasonable switch combination I could think of,
>but no luck.

This sounds a lot like the Webster WQESD, which was repackaged
and sold by many different folks (Sigma, DSD, Qualogy, American
Digital, etc.)

If it is a repackaged WQESD, SW9 on the 10-switch pack was originally
on, with SW10 and SW5-8 off, to put the CSR at 160334.  
To set it to be 172150, you put SW10 on, and SW5-9 off.

Then again, it might not be a repackaged WQESD, but instead a Dilog
or Emulex.

Is there a 10-pin header on the card edge?  Can you describe the positions
and types of "big chips" on the board?
   
>pure accident I discovered that the SI controller also responds somehow to
>160400. What the hell is that address for? Could this be what makes the CPU
>unhappy?

It might be because you've enabled the on-board PDP-11 bootstrap,
a very big no-no when used in a Microax system.  (This
bootstrap effectively tries to jam code by DMA into main memory,
and can wreak all sorts of havoc on a Microvax.)  Some
other switches also set the interrupt priority, and this being
off can also confuse some tests and OS's.

As to your power-on self-test woes, you're going to have to tell
us what's in the system and what slot it lives in, as well as what
sort of backplane it's all in.

Incidentally, I happen to use a Webster WQESD in my 4.3BSD-Reno
machine, and am very happy with it there.

-- 
 Tim Shoppa                        Email: shoppa@trailing-edge.com
 Trailing Edge Technology          WWW:   http://www.trailing-edge.com/
 7328 Bradley Blvd		   Voice: 301-767-5917
 Bethesda, MD, USA 20817           Fax:   301-767-5927