[geeks] Strangest use for a 13W3 connector...

[Arno Kletzander]

Lionel Peterson <lionel4287 at verizon.net> wrote:
> Today I got a few interesting things at the Princeton University Surplus 
> sale, and the one that really got my mind going was the 3Com switch, 
> model 3C16980a (24 10/100 managed switch). What really got me going was 
> the 13W3 on the back used as a backup/redundant power connector...
> 
> I haven't tested the switch yet, but a managed switch for $5 seems like 
> a good deal to me ;^)
> 
> Any opinions on the switch?

I have a gang of these (also got them from University - only Erlangen, Germany, in my case). I was told they are somewhat prone to thermal failure modes - opening them up and cleaning out the dust every few years might help that.

They also have two fans next to the PSU which may fail - trivial to replace - and which sometimes generate a real helluva noise when their RPMs start to drift apart and fluctuate due to varying backpressure buildup inside the enclosure.

Then, the management/monitoring functions are password-locked and I didn't find out an easy way to clear that - I had mine reset to factory default by the networking department who knew the password.

Two of mine have flaky mainboards which only pass the POST when pressed in certain locations. I'm looking for a way to rework them, but there are big BGA ASICs which may well resist any attempts.

PS: I also found that 13W3 connector there very strange...but kewl.

HTH,

-- 
Arno Kletzander
Stud. Hilfskraft Informatik Sammlung Erlangen
www.iser.uni-erlangen.de

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