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From: Dave Froble <davef@tsoft-inc.com>
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: ?3C NVR WRTERR from my VAXstation 4000/60
Date: Fri, 9 Aug 2024 22:01:31 -0400
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On 8/9/2024 8:17 PM, David Goodwin wrote:
> In article <v9525k$njc3$1@dont-email.me>,
> clubley@remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP says...
>>
>> On 2024-08-07, David Goodwin <david+usenet@zx.net.nz> wrote:
>>> In article <v90ta8$3dtak$1@dont-email.me>, ldo@nz.invalid says...
>>>>
>>>> On Wed, 7 Aug 2024 21:53:32 +1200, David Goodwin wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Now I've got it off the shelf and its sadly no longer working. On power
>>>>> up, I just get "?3C NVR WRTERR" on the serial console.
>>>>
>>>> ?NVR? = ?Non-Volatile RAM??
>>>
>>> I assume so, which is why I replaced the DS1287A - the markings on the
>>> old one imply a manufacture date sometime in 1991 so its battery was
>>> sure to be flat.
>>>
>>> But a brand new one manuactured in 2023 from a reputable source doesn't
>>> seem to have solved the problem.
>>
>> Any signs of damaged circuit board traces or similar ?
>
> Aside from being a little dusty it all looks fine.
>
>> After you replace a DS1287A, are there any initialisation steps which
>> need to be performed ?
>
> I'd wondered this but I can't find anything documented anywhere.

When I replaced a couple of the Dallas chips, I had no issues.

Now, this is a guess, but perhaps the write to the dallas chip may not happen 
until one enters a valid date.

Also, with a dead dallas chip, I found that the VAXstation 4000 systems would 
still pass startup self test.

Perhaps dust off the system, I use compressed air, pull the memory SIMMs, look 
for a bad capacator, re-seat the memory and try again.


-- 
David Froble                       Tel: 724-529-0450
Dave Froble Enterprises, Inc.      E-Mail: davef@tsoft-inc.com
DFE Ultralights, Inc.
170 Grimplin Road
Vanderbilt, PA  15486