Difference between revisions of "Talk:MicroVAX I"

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: The MicroVAX I Pocket Service Guide (EK-KD32A_PG-001, Aug 1984) says 3MB if you fill all six slots with memory but in practice you need peripherals, so four slots of memory (2MB) is a practical limit. That's using MSV11-P boards. The Supermicrosystems handbook says that the KD32-AA has a limit of 4MB (which I think is an architectural limit based on the amount of memory possible on the Qbus). MSV11-Q memory boards had more capacity but I don't have an old enough Systems and Options catalogue to know whether they were supported in the uV1. So 1MB is, I think, wrong. 3MB is certainly possible but (in 1984) impractical. 4MB seems quite plausible to me but I don't have a cast iron reference (yet!). As for 1984, the earliest manuals have that date. ComputrWorld June 18 1984 carries a feature on p 58 or so. So announced in 1983 and shipped in 1984 does sound right. Somewhere or other I know there is a write-up of the story behind the uVAX I, but I don't seem to have it to hand. [[User:Antonioc|Antonioc]] ([[User talk:Antonioc|talk]]) 20:58, 29 July 2017 (CEST)
 
: The MicroVAX I Pocket Service Guide (EK-KD32A_PG-001, Aug 1984) says 3MB if you fill all six slots with memory but in practice you need peripherals, so four slots of memory (2MB) is a practical limit. That's using MSV11-P boards. The Supermicrosystems handbook says that the KD32-AA has a limit of 4MB (which I think is an architectural limit based on the amount of memory possible on the Qbus). MSV11-Q memory boards had more capacity but I don't have an old enough Systems and Options catalogue to know whether they were supported in the uV1. So 1MB is, I think, wrong. 3MB is certainly possible but (in 1984) impractical. 4MB seems quite plausible to me but I don't have a cast iron reference (yet!). As for 1984, the earliest manuals have that date. ComputrWorld June 18 1984 carries a feature on p 58 or so. So announced in 1983 and shipped in 1984 does sound right. Somewhere or other I know there is a write-up of the story behind the uVAX I, but I don't seem to have it to hand. [[User:Antonioc|Antonioc]] ([[User talk:Antonioc|talk]]) 20:58, 29 July 2017 (CEST)
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== MSV11-J versions ==
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Which versions work in the MicroVAX I? The -JB/-JC apparently have bugs in their QBUS support, so they only work in the [[PDP-11/84]]; the -JD/-JE will work anywhere. [[User:Jnc|Jnc]] ([[User talk:Jnc|talk]]) 13:05, 16 June 2022 (CEST)

Revision as of 12:05, 16 June 2022

Spec differences?

The old content had ram = 1 MB, and year introduced = 1984; not sure which is correct. Jnc (talk) 15:36, 29 July 2017 (CEST)

The MicroVAX I Pocket Service Guide (EK-KD32A_PG-001, Aug 1984) says 3MB if you fill all six slots with memory but in practice you need peripherals, so four slots of memory (2MB) is a practical limit. That's using MSV11-P boards. The Supermicrosystems handbook says that the KD32-AA has a limit of 4MB (which I think is an architectural limit based on the amount of memory possible on the Qbus). MSV11-Q memory boards had more capacity but I don't have an old enough Systems and Options catalogue to know whether they were supported in the uV1. So 1MB is, I think, wrong. 3MB is certainly possible but (in 1984) impractical. 4MB seems quite plausible to me but I don't have a cast iron reference (yet!). As for 1984, the earliest manuals have that date. ComputrWorld June 18 1984 carries a feature on p 58 or so. So announced in 1983 and shipped in 1984 does sound right. Somewhere or other I know there is a write-up of the story behind the uVAX I, but I don't seem to have it to hand. Antonioc (talk) 20:58, 29 July 2017 (CEST)

MSV11-J versions

Which versions work in the MicroVAX I? The -JB/-JC apparently have bugs in their QBUS support, so they only work in the PDP-11/84; the -JD/-JE will work anywhere. Jnc (talk) 13:05, 16 June 2022 (CEST)