Thanks guys - and Happy New Year!
It's an install of an ex-Broadcast 4k. (I arrived to find stereo/quad busses not working, no master fader ( because of computer - I've looped send and return now) no big or small monitoring, + monitor select problems). Very bad corrosion damage on some centre section pcb's due to decomposition and subsequent liquefaction of sleeving used on components mounted on rear of some.)
I have all the centre section working and recapped now, I've sorted the channel faults and am recapping some boards every day. There are still plasma problems.
BUT computer-wise there are too many variables. One of the two drives is totally u/s. The other would load the diagnostic disk , but as the keyboard wouldn't work that was as far as it was going. Now it will hang after a few secs of trying to load the diag disk. I obviously need to get the drive situation sorted.
I got "load error" messages with all program disks I tried. I suspect these disks were never used with this particular computer/revision, but just came from the same broadcast authority owner. Board is supposed to be E with G comp. Disks are copies, (some of them from 1986...) and say "E-series program disk". One disk is new , says G series and came from a different source.
Q:As I can not interrogate it, how can I know that the comp is in fact a G?
Owner has a second SSL crated in storage somewhere. How console-specific are the computers? It's physically very difficult indeed to access the crated console, but at a minimum there may be good drives in the comp.
Sorry for the long post. BTW just to put the cream on the jam it's often 28-30C outside here - and the aircon can not be switched on yet in the control room, which of course aids clear thinking..
Cheers,
Gwyn