[rescue] IBM 9111-285 Won't Power Up Anymore

[Stephen Conley]

Oh hey!  I know you!  I stumbled across those photos on that flickr
page when I was investigating things.  Cool to run into you :)

Yeah, I was careful to actually remove and re-seat it.  I've tried
again (through the drive bay, which is easier to get in/out than the
fans) and it doesn't seem to help.

I'm starting to think it's the power supply.  The other person who
replied (Meelis Roos), I'm probably not having his problem because
there's no real way for the power supply on the 285 to short (unless
something comes loose INSIDE it, then it could short -- but the wire
described by Meelis doesn't exist in the 285) so I think I'm going to
be stuck buying a new power supply and crossing my fingers.  I mean,
it COULD be the mainboard, but I can't imagine what I could have
possibly done to the poor thing to hurt the main board :P

I will try your suggestion with the IP's (I'll research it first to
make sure I do it right!).  In my wanderings I did not read anything
about that, but it's really easy to miss the forest for the trees.  So
I will try that before purchasing the power supply and hope that maybe
I can get some insight.

Thank you both for the feedback and help; whatever happens, I'll post
back later for posterity so we can all know what it is in the future
:)


(Other than a money pit, which, to date, this machine has excelled
wonderfully at! :) )


Thanks!!! :)

Steve


On Mon, Mar 5, 2012 at 8:14 AM, Mark Benson <md.benson at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I have a 285 and I've had it stripped down and removed parts for upgrades a
> few times. I don't have a vast wealth of experience on IBM stuff but I know
> the hardware reasonably well visually.
>
> There's wee stick of a circuit board that sits between the fan assembly and
> the DVD-Drive bay jsut above the DVD backplane connector. It's a plug in ID
> board of some kind. It's illustrated in this shot:
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/pixel_mason/6694260993/in/set-72157628863218653
>
> Top-centre labeled with a note.
>
> As far as I know it contains important System ID information and identifies
> the machines properties to the System Management Processor. If that's loose it
> could be failing to initialise due to a lack of configuration info. Just a
> guess but I had to reseat mine several times - it's very easy to knock when
> working on the fan module or the DVD bay.
>
> When fitting the fan module it can be tricky to refit. follow the guide on the
> inside of the case top-right, ensure the slide rails are int the metal guides,
> slide it in then it needs a firm push home in the top-right to seat the power
> connectors.
>
> As far as diagnosis goes, If you have never re-configured the System
> Management Processor, you should be able to hook a Ethernet cable to the ports
> on the back. The default IP addresses are:
>
> 192.168.2.147
> 192.168.3.147
>
> I *think*. The details are in the RedBook and the system Quick Start leaflet
> that came in the box. Try logging into one of these IPs and looking at the
> diagnostic info in a browser. It has online help for diagnostic codes and
> might tell you what you need to know. It might also never get that far. A lack
> of startup and dropping to the '01' status on the LCD panel indicates the
> pre-startup is failing, so something in there that is vital isn't working.
>
> That's about all I've got.
>
>
> --
>
> Mark Benson
>
> http://DECtec.info
> Twitter: @DECtecInfo
> HECnet: STAR69::MARK
>
> Online Resource & Mailing List for DEC Enthusiasts.
> _______________________________________________
> rescue list - http://www.sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/rescue