Re: ?3C NVR WRTERR from my VAXstation 4000/60

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