[TriOx]

Looks like I might be downsizing offices and I'm not sure there will be room to keep these handy at the new spot.  So I figured I better get 'em running before I have to move them.

Two questions:
1) They ran fine last about 12 years ago.  I assume a visual inspection of caps is in order?  Anything else to worry about before power on?
2) Which one first?

Crimson RE, Challenge L 6xR8K with Extreme Viz, or Onyx 4xR10k RE2

   

[jan-jaap]

The Crimson will almost certainly need a PSU rebuild. I think most Crimsons came with a Cherokee (black) PSU but they work with a PowerOne PSU (silver) usually found in the PowerSeries as well.

I just finished rebuilding the PowerOne PSUs of my 4D/380VGX, 4D/440VGX and Crimson RE systems. The filter caps of the output modules were completely shot, leaking goo everywhere. To inspect them you need to basically take the whole thing apart so  you might as well replace them while you're in there. I rebuilt at least 5 of these so I know their weak spots. Here's some more detail.

If you've got a Cherokee PSU in there, well, good luck. If these things go, they go with a bang and you're left with scorched PCBs that are basically trash. It's also not modular so much harder to work on.

You'll want to be very careful around the RealityEngine, especially the RM4 board(s). They take considerable force to push into the backplane, but are thinner than what the guide rails of the card cage are made for so they can flex and wobble when you push them in. That, with a board full of large QFP chips and brittle 30 year old soldering joints is a big risk. Consider leaving the RE in place if you can. But check that all fans underneath the fan cage work (they are not monitored).

The Onyx and Challenge have their own gremlins. I never looked inside an OLS (yet) but didn't have one fail on me either so far. The most common power failure seems to be coming from the VCAM: -5 and -12V out of spec, system shutdown. Last time that happened to me it wasn't even coming from the VCAM itself, but from the monitoring circuit in the system controller.

All of these systems are going to have dead RTC batteries. In the Crimson that means garbled environment variables and it doesn't know 'resetenv'. But at least it keeps it's system serial#. The Challenge / Onyx have two Dallas chips each, one of the system controller and one on the IO4.

The Challenge is probably the least involved to get going. Pull everything except the IO4, the system controller and the 512 power brick. Hope the OLS works and see if all voltages come online good on the LCD. From there, add back a CPU board and the MC3 (you will probably need to pull all SIMMs and clean contact edges first) and see if she will POST. Then put everything else back in. In case of power problems, refer to the "Challenge/Onyx Diagnostics Roadmap" document which you can find on Ian Mapleson's site.

Invest in some good equipment. A decent soldering station with a couple of tips gives better results and saves frustration. You'll need an oscilloscope with an isolated probe if you want to measure anything in the interesting (not galvanically isolated!) parts of a PSU.

Good luck, and be careful!

NB: A Crimson RE is a pretty rare and valuable systems these days, so you want to take your time with it and not rush things. Or, depending on your skills, simply sell it as-is to someone who knows what they're doing rather than breaking it.

[TriOx]

Hi jan-jaap, Thank you so much for the guidance!  This Crimson does have the silver PowerOne PSU. I had to replace it about 20 years ago and do remember it was a bit of work to get in there.  I've read through your PSU thread twice, excellent info thanks for sharing that. The second non-RE Crimson I have is the black Cherokee PSU, I'm not planning to turn it on now that you tell me it could eat itself, sad.

On the topic of RM boards, I've always tried to be careful inserting them.  That said, what about a putting a bit of Deoxit into the pin holes on the backplane connectors of the RM board to help lubricate when re-inserted?  I use this stuff on old PCs.

https://caig.com/deoxit-d-series/

Ok, maybe don't mess with the RE boards, words of wisdom.  The card cage was the six fan model which i had pulled and cleaned when swapped the PSU, but I'll verify they are all spinning.

I have a good feeling about the OLS in the Onyx and Challenge.  SGI had replaced them for me with the updated units shortly before the company went away and those OLS don't have many hours. I'll keep an eye on VCAM.

I do have a good soldering station and volt meter and I solder on x86 components so I should be ok here.  I'll be careful with the Crimson and take my time, I know its valuable.

This is awkward though, I have misplaced the key for the Onyx and Challenge.  Does any know what model key it is or have a picture?  Maybe I can get the local locksmith to make one.  If anyone has spares, I'd be willing to buy one.

Thanks,
TriOx

[jan-jaap]

This is awkward though, I have misplaced the key for the Onyx and Challenge.  Does any know what model key it is or have a picture?  Maybe I can get the local locksmith to make one.  If anyone has spares, I'd be willing to buy one.

They are not proprietary and you should have no trouble finding another set. Just google for A126 keys, the originals are made by C&K and you can still buy them. Apparently they were also used in the no-longer used Dutch electronic voting machines

[Raion]

It might not be of much help here but I am planning to at some point duplicate the keys that are used by the onyx 2 and origin 2000 and sell them for very little money.

If someone is willing to mail me a key to an original onyx with the promise that I will return it in a timely fashion I would be more than happy to find a key blank that would work and publish that information including cut and depth spacing so that people can replicate the keys even if supplies dry up.

[TriOx]

Hi jan-jaap, thanks a bunch! Wow crazy they used this key in voting machines! TBH I was tempted to go by the mall and see if there were any in the automatic door controls haha. Once I searched for your A126 code and saw they were used all over. But instead, I went to the locksmith in the mall and he cut me one from the code.

Hi Raion, I'd be happy to mail you a copy to keep. Now that I have a working one, I'm going to go back and cut a few more and sprinkle them around haha.

[GanjaTron]

Hi Tri0x,

sorry to be late to the party. Has there been an update on the Crimsons?

FWIW, I'd also like to chip in my experience with the GE8 board included in the RE. These are loaded with heavy, heatsinked QFPs and apparently have a tendency to walk out of their sockets. This results in a redscreening RE or at least one that isn't recognised. I had to painstakingly remove and literally bash the chips all back in with a mallet (!), a nerveracking procedure I've done at least thrice in the last few years. I think this has something to do with the thermal cycles and the fact these top-heavy chips are mounted vertically in the cardcage. YMMV, and I hope you don't run into that problem. Also: have a serial terminal (emulator) handy so you can catch msgs from the console when (rather than if...) the RE fails.

The RTC issue is well documented and there are a number of options. I mounted a CR2032 battery holder in the empty space at the front edge of the IO4 which appears to be intended for a coax (ethernet?) connector. I soldered the negative pin into the pad intended for the connector's shield, and ran a single positive lead directly to the Dallas chip's battery input. As a precaution, I disconnected the old potted batteries with a Dremel (no need to remove them) in case they short and drain the CR2023.

As Jan mentioned, consider yourself lucky to find the PowerOne PSU installed. These are modular and easier to work on than the Cherokees. They are also quite robust and resilient to shorting the 300VDC bus. Don't ask how I found out...
Apart from the caps in the output modules (particularly the 12V one), you should also replace all the small (10µF?) caps on the backplane. Also inspect the PSU fan connector for corrosion from leaked electrolyte; mine failed during repair as the fan connector just disintegrated during reassembly.

Also, if you have one of those ancient Toshiba CD drives that still use a caddie, you should check the weird miniature caps inside. They fail big-time. Thankfully this type is very uncommon; I've never seen them anywhere else. Unfortunately Crimson / Power Series doesn't seem to play with never drives as the firmware doesn't know how to set the SCSI block size, and expects it to be fixed (I forget to what).

Hope I haven't left anything out. Looking forward for an update. Good luck!

--Roland

[RageX]

Hard choices. Are you anywhere near the NY / Canadian border?