The console port is port "0" of the TIC in slot 1. The communication is
ENQ/ACK handshaking, parity is "NONE/8", and baud rate should work up
to 9600. Cabling is straight-through as you discovered.

The codes you are getting seem to indicate it is failing to talk to the
console (flashing "C") and the board in slot 5 of the extender has
failed self-test (flashing "E" followed by "5").

Normal sequence is:

1. Connect terminal to correct port using correct cable.
2. Power on terminal and configure for ENQ-ACK protocol, "NONE/8"
   parity, and valid speed (try 9600, then 2400).
3. Power on CPU (keyswitch to position 2; position 1 disables CTL-B,
   position 3 is remote console through port 7 of same TIC).
4. CPU goes through selftest:

   DISPLAY                  MEANING

     0                      Loading WCS (Writeable Control Store)
     1                       "
     2                       "
     5                      Testing CPU
     B                      Testing memory.
     C                      Testing I/O
     A                      Selftest passed.

5. Errors encountered are:

   DISPLAY                  MEANING

   Steady "0"               CPU fault
   Steady "1"               CPU fault
   Steady "2"               CPU fault
   Steady or flashing "5"   CPU fault
   Flashing "B"             Memory test failure.
   Flashing "C"             Console communication failure.
   Flashing "C" followed
    by Flashing "1"         Console TIC failed selftest.
   Steady "D"               IOMAP is executing.
   Flashing "n"             IO PCA in slot "n" failed.
   Flashing "E" followed
    by flashing "n"         IO PCA in Extender slot "n" failed.


You should be able to disconnect the I/O extender and just test the
main CPU box without it.

--
        --Pete Crosby  ([log in to unmask]  a.k.a. [log in to unmask])



Aaron wrote:

<<snip>>

>One thing I can't seem to get is anything to my terminal. Too many ports,
>too little experience; where exactly should I connect? On one kind
>member's advice, I downloaded a freeware HP terminal emulator. I
>understand how the ports are wired (DTE vs DCE), so I connected a
>straight-through cable from the DB25F on the TIC of the top (CPU) cabinet
>straight to com 1 on my PC. But all I seem to get are characters like "fX"
>or "aX aX aX", which appear after each cycle of characters on the front
>panel display. The front panel goes through a sequence like this on
>power-on:
>
>5....B....C.... (maybe 10 seconds on each character)  after which it
>flashes through a sequence like this, four times each character, with a
>pause after the last and then a repeat:
>
>CCCC....EEEE....5555
>
>After repeating the flashing character sequence 4 times, it goes back to
>the original 5....B....C....
>
>I also tried using Port 0 of the ATP connectors attached to the same TIC
>board, using a scope to figure out the pinout, and got an identical
>result as using the modem cable on the DB25F.
>
>Any ideas as to what's going on? Are these error codes flashing on there?
>
>Thanks again,
>
>Aaron