ND-110 Satellite - Sintran III

For machine info see the main page.

Work log

2016-07-12: with the original floppy back in, I try to install SINTRAN III, M-release once more.

floppy 1 - ok ("000000 DIAGNOSTICS")

floppy 2 - ok

Unfortunately, starting with

22!

gives a fatal error again

***** FATAL ERROR:
 DISC TRANSFER ERROR IN SEGMENT HANDLING. *****
DEVICE NO.: 2210 T REGISTER: 60 STATUS: 5020

***** FATAL ERROR:
 DISC TRANSFER ERROR IN SEGMENT HANDLING. *****
DEVICE NO.: 2210 T REGISTER: 60 STATUS: 5020

and that's it.

I also tried by loading MACM from floppy 1, then doing

)HENT
22!

(with both floppy and streamer door open) - still I get the same two errors as above.

2016-07-12: with the "new" floppy - hmm, it doesn't work at all. I do

MACL
1560&

and the floppy starts loading (floppy LED on, motor running), the "running" indicator turns on, the floppy LED turns off and the floppy stops. Tried with the ND-100 Test Programs floppy as well - no, it doesn't work.

2016-07-11: I verified the three floppies on my floppy machine (t2) again. The looked ok, but to be on the safe side I rewrote floppy 2.

2016-07-11: a new try of installing SINTRAN III, release M, now with SCSI id 0 for the hard drive.

Yes, this looks better, now I am able to type

10,0$

the machine reads from the floppy and prints:

%%===================================================================%%
%%  SINTRAN-III/VSX  VERSION M   LOAD SINTRAN-DISKETTE 1             %%
%%===================================================================%%
10,0$

and starts loading from floppy

after a while it asks for floppy 2. I insert it and write

10,0$

the machine continues loading, and prints a new banner

%%===================================================================%%
%%  SINTRAN-III/VSX  VERSION M   LOAD SINTRAN-DISKETTE 2             %%
%%===================================================================%%
10,0$

a while later it finishes, and prints that I can start SINTRAN III by typing 22!

later cold starts may be done either by

loading MACM from SINTRAN DISKETTE I, type )HENT (CR), wait for line feed and type 22!

or

by performing the SINTRAN command: COLD-START

it also says that diskette III contains the program NEW-SYSTEM, which should be started as soon as the main directory has been entered.

"The program will guide you through some of the procedures that have to be performed after loading a new system".

It also says that diskette III contains "symbol-lists for your system".

So I open the floppy lever, then write

22!

but I get errors.

Next try is reloading MACM from floppy 1, selecting SCSI disk (24), then trying to start SINTRAN with

)HENT (cr)
22!

which only gives me errors:

***** FATAL ERROR:
 DISC TRANSFER ERROR IN SEGMENT HANDLING. *****
DEVICE NO.: 2210 T REGISTER: 60 STATUS: 5020

this error repeats once, the the machine just sits there with the "RUNINING" indicator on.

So I retry the installation:

floppy 1 - ok ("000000 DIAGNOSTICS")

floppy 2 - fails (after a little while, before printing the banner, it just stops)

try number three

floppy 1 - ok

floppy 2 - fails.

It looks like the floppy drive on my machine is unreliable, sometimes it takes a very long time before it reacts to "1560&". still strange that floppy 1 always works, and floppy 2 fails.

2016-07-10: trying to install SINTRAN III, release M. I insert the first floppy (250305M05-XX-01D) and write (on the console):

MACL (enter)
1560&

the machine starts to read the floppy, prints some text and

GIVE DISK TYPE AS ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OCTAL NUMBERS:

0: 
1:
24: SCSI
DISK TYPE:

I input "24" (enter).

It writes

INITIALIZED FOR:

 SCSI

REMEMBER THE MACM COMMANDS:

)REDEF => REDEFINE DISC TYPE
)HENT  => GET SINTRAN FROM SAVE-AREA
22!    => START SINTRAN
10,0$  => LOAD SINTRAN FROM DISKETTE

TYPE ANY MACM COMMAND:

now what? Let me try "10,0$". The console prints

0?0$

the tape streamer starts clicking, but nothing else happens.

Hmm, what address is the tape streamer set to?