On Jan 11, 2021, at 20:28, grant wrote:
> Hello, I was referred here from VintHPcom at groups.io , I am trying to restore a series 30 and am hoping to get some insight, on repairing this unit. I have repaired the power supply and all is within spec. But now I need to find the fault keeping it from running. Ideally finding a spare set of boards would be the best but ,most likely this will be a long shot. I have the schematic, ce and diagnostic manuals and understand this is where the experts can be found.

I have not myself worked with a Series 30 or 33.  I have seen a running Series 33 across a room but that was over 30 years ago.  The closest I think I got, hands-on, was a Series 58 that had started out as a Series 44.  Someone had put a telco magnetic box over the power switch under the desk, the kind of box one would use to hide the mated Amphenol connectors for your key system or PBX phone.  It worked well and looked a bit less ghetto than cardboard taped over the switch.

And I keep a runnable Micro GX.  It comes in handy.

I have also been doing some research down this path for a while.

I believe the genealogy goes:

(1) HP 300 “Amigo”

I think this was the first HP system to use to HP-IB as a computer peripheral bus and the Inter-Module Bus as a backplane bus, and do a few other things that spread to HP’s other lines of computer equipment over the next couple years.

(2) HP 3000 Series 33

Change the microprogram to make it be a 3000, longer backplane, more expandability, maybe some other changes too but I think the CPU is the same basic set of chips; MPE III ported to it (32033 vs 32002 for SIO 3000s).

(3) HP 3000 Series 30

Cost-reduced, smaller cabinet (similar to HP 300), shorter backplane, reduced expandability, same CPU and microprogram as Series 33, floppy-disc drive.

(4) HP 30341A HP-IB Adapter “Starfish”

I think this is a stripped-down Series 30/33, one each CPU, BIC, IMBA, and GIC in an even smaller chassis and backplane, but running a different microprogram.  It’s not a 3000, it’s a device for accepting something similar to the HP-IB 3000 I/O instructions from an attached 3000 Series III host (whose memory it shares), and permits MPE on a Series III to run I/O drivers for a Series 30/33/44/64.  Had one on a Series III where I worked at the time, connecting a single 7933 disc; that Series III was “upgraded” to a Series 64 and the Starfish chassis and rack cabinet went back to HP with the Series III.

There’s a diagnostic manual set for it up on bitsavers too, this file is probably of most interest to you:

<http://bitsavers.org/pdf/hp/3000/diagnostics/30341-90003_Preface_To_The_HP_30341A_HP-IB_Interface_Module_Diagnostic_Manual_Set_May1981.pdf>

There is a ROM-resident self-test for the Starfish CPU and I am guessing it (same/similar test code) is in the Series 30/33 CPU as well. But it is still mostly diagnosis to board level for replacement in field and repair at depot or factory.
 
> I can give a little description of what it can do.
> On power up run light is on and stays on (I believe it should halt) it my understanding that when it is halted the cpu self test can be run .
> If halt is pressed the light comes on but it is not halted. I found by pressing dump . It will start to handshake to the drive but freezes and the halt light will light. It is now halted and I can run the cpuself test which fails on test 23(230) Rass register test. This is near the end of the rass tests.
> The manuals solution is to replace the cpu board,then replace the bic board and lastly reseat the rass.
> I am hoping the rass is not gone and it is some failed logic.
> Any help for a good starting point would be appreciated, or just a extra mind or 2 to pinpoint a starting point.

That 23(230) RASS register test is common with the Starfish onboard diagnostic list.  No further clues though.

The interesting thread through this is that there’s a sort of I/O processor buried in the microprogram, and I think it was developed for Amigo and leveraged throughout these four systems and maybe others as well.  There’s a couple of us who would like to better understand its instruction set and workings.  There is an HP internal document that I think would be good to find, maybe titled “HP300 Hardware I/O Subsystem ERS”, but maybe HP300 is a typo for “HP3000”.  It is mentioned on PDF page 2 of 105 of this document:

<http://bitsavers.org/pdf/hp/3000/series37/Series37_Diagnostic_Specifications_May84.pdf>

What I should be up to: figuring out Starfish support for the SIMH Series III.

Why: trying to figure out how to pave the way for an Amigo I/O processor for simulations of HP-IB 3000s.

Current distraction: freevt3k.  Yes, I can get it to build and run, but it’s an odd application of autoconf and that bothers me, and then it would be much more useful to me if it did some things it doesn’t (classic-3000 NS VT, telnet, maybe local pty).

Seriously, I think I can figure out some of the Amigo I/O Processor instruction set from what I/O drivers build and some hints in the System Reference Manual(s) on bitsavers; and fill in some missing bits from how the SIO IOP behaves because HP people tended toward evolutionary design choices when they could, but the document might save me some guesswork.

-Frank McConnell

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