[rescue] Rescued VAX 4500 question

[rescue at sunhelp.org]

I've seen this when the supply in question needed a 110 volt / 20 amp feed
(Cisco Catalyst 6509/6513). I'm not familiar with the V4500, but if it wants
20 amp service, a standard powercord will not have the right gauge copper
wiring and will get warm/smoke/fire (depending on just what gauge wire it
uses). Also, your wallplug will look different for 20A service.

Instead of:

|   |
  o

You will have:

|   -
  o


~ -----Original Message-----
~ From: Mike Katchabaw [mailto:katchab at csd.uwo.ca]
~ Sent: Friday, June 07, 2002 3:50 PM
~ To: rescue at sunhelp.org
~ Subject: [rescue] Rescued VAX 4500 question
~ 
~ 
~ Hi!
~ 
~ I recently rescued a VAX 4500 in good condition from one of our local
~ computing centres.  It's a complete box and had been out of service
~ for a while, which is why they were giving it up.
~ 
~ Here's the question ... does anyone have a spare power cord for one
~ of these guys?  On the surface, it looks like it would take a regular
~ cord with an end like:
~ 
~      ___
~     / _ |
~    /    |
~    | -  |
~    \  _ |
~     \___|
~ 
~ On closer inspection, and an attempt to plug a cord into it, I noticed
~ an extra metallic tab in the outlet.  This tab would require the power
~ cable to have a notch in it to fit correctly, and would have an end
~ like:
~ 
~      ___
~     / _ |
~    /   _|
~    | - L
~    \  _ |
~     \___|
~ 
~ The computing center still has a VAX 4500 in operation, and it
~ requires exactly such a cord.  There is no contact point for the tab
~ on the cord, and the whole outer casing is the usual rubber stuff.
~ 
~ I was given three options by the fellow I talked to there:
~ 
~ 1) Track down a cable, if someone has a spare.  :)
~ 
~ 2) Take an exacto-knife and cut the required notch into a cable.  The
~    tricky part in this is to avoid cutting myself at the same time.
~ 
~ 3) Attempt to break the tab off of the outlet on the VAX.  I'd hate
~    to this in case the tab serves some useful purpose.  Right now, the
~    only purpose I can think of is to force someone to go to DEC to buy
~    another cable off of them for some ridiculous price if they ever
~    needed one.
~ 
~ Does anyone have such a spare cable?  If not, does anyone see 
~ why option
~ number 2 wouldn't work?  Is there a reason why option 3 would be bad
~ to try either?
~ 
~ Sorry for the lengthy message, but your help is appreciated 
~ before I start
~ lopping off fingers!
~ 
~ Thanks a lot!
~ 
~ Mike.
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~