Hi everyone.
I've just joined the world of SGI computers (and these forums) after a purchase of two SGI Octanes. (How I got them actually started by me looking for a Sun keyboard on an email list, then a local collector sent me a message and while I didn't buy any of his Sun machines, I ended up buying the two Octanes instead...). The deal was very reasonable and included a safe transport onto my doorstep so I grabbed these, you know, who wouldn't have when given a chance...
I have been into vintage Unix machines for some time, and I do have some experience with Sun, NeXT and AIX (I still consider myself a Unix newbie though), I just love the high-end hardware...
The seller had no idea what's inside the two machines (he had gotten them at some point without any peripherals and never tested them) and I know nothing about SGI machines (yet). I have only just got them carried in (which was... hard but tolerable once I removed the PSU's and the card cage first and carried them separately) and had a superficial look at them.
The plastics and doors seem intact and only slight scratches here and there, I presume these should clean up nicely. I am not sure if the front panels are original, I thought the-just-'Octane'-case should have the older SGI logo on the bottom part?
Both machines have all the drive slots filled with drives, one has a Sony SDT-9000 DDS tape drive! Couple drives had SGI stickers on them.
The left machine seems more "stock" whilst the right one appears to have several additions; the card cage has what I presume two SCSI cards (one of the two cables hanging out has a sticker SERIAL though?) and something on the right-most expansion slots with a row of BNC connectors (I presume this is something to do with analog video as one of the connectors has a 75Ohm terminator plugged in). I did not have a closer look on that board, I only noticed it now reviewing my photos. What is this card with the BNC connectors and/or the one below it (which has something that looks like two 9-pin D-connectors with one hole plugged for some reason)?
What should I know or check before I attempt to power these up? One PSU has something loose inside (I presume parts from the missing handle) so that'll surely need addressing. The cards I pulled out looked all clean, there was just some slight corrosion on the card cage exterior surface (and the dangling cable looks a bit loose). I guess those Dallas chips (I've dremeled and added a battery on some of these on other machines) will eventually need replacing too. I guess once I've futher cleaned and inspected these, I could try connecting a serial terminal to see if there is any life?
I do not have a 13W3-to-VGA cable yet (I just ordered one of those universal cables from eBay, but it'll take some time before it arrives). I have a cable for my Sun Sparcstation 4, but I presume that wouldn't happen to compatible here?
How well did I score?-) I am hoping to get at least one working machine out of these to keep, and I probably sell the other as I really can't afford the space to keep both.
