MicroVAX 2000


Well, what can you say about the Digital MicroVAX 2000?
The VAX was possibly the most revolutionary line of computers in its design, architecture (Although the early ones are basically PDP11s) and reliability. In fact, the VAX series are the most reliable computers ever built - and its proven!
Digital (now Compaq) retired the VAX line early this year, although I believe this is only in namesake, as I don't think any "new" VAXes have been designed and produced for a good number of years.

One of the later VAXes in the line was the MicroVAX series, my model is one of the early MicroVAX units, built in around 1987.
Although, as you can see, very compact (Thats a C64 1541II diskdrive on its right, for comparision), it was certainly quite powerful in its time, however surprisingly heavy. Bloody heavy in fact, I believe 17Kgs!

My particular MicroVAX has an internal RD53 SCSI disk, of a whopping 53 Megabytes capacity. It also have an extra "pizza base" extension on its bottom, which has a pair of large-looking SCSI plugs (D50 and Centronic) on its back side.
Confusingly enough, the MicroVAX has three ports on its MBoard, DB25, DB15 and DB9. You'd assume the DB25 or DB9 would be the console port, right? Ooooh, no, thats just to fool you!
The DB25 is a serial port for a modem, the DB9 is for a serial printer, the DB15 however is some wierd mongrel Keyboard/Video/Mouse cable thing which naturally requires all the good proprietry stuff... However, as luck as it, there is a kinda backdoor - if you short out pins 8 & 9 on the DB9, it becomes a console port (supposedly)...
Unfortunately, I just haven't managed to get it working yet :P