[rescue] ***SPAM*** Re: 2009 prototype Sun system for sale on eBay

[Peter Stokes]

Hi

The one to buy is the 48T58 version of the chip which is available or was until recently from such as Mouser etc. Do not buy 59 version you will be disappointed…..

Peter

Sent from my iPhone

> On 13 Sep 2022, at 02:38, Dave McGuire <mcguire at neurotica.com> wrote:
> 
> On 9/11/22 17:23, Lionel Peterson wrote:
>> I needed to refresh myself about the Ultra 1, and I stumbled across this chap's write-up of his restoration of an Ultra 1 last year (May, 2021). I wonder about this 'fix' he describes for a failed NVRAM:
>> <<< start >>>
>> Lucky for me there was a solution: May I introduce you to M48T59Y-70PC1, which costs a total of $3 onebay <https://www.ebay.de/itm/183311601497?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=690609949885&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649>. And yes, this is a replacement for the old NVRAM package.
>> I struggled a bit to take it out, but after some back and forth wiggling I managed to remove the old NVRAM package, and get the new one in. And, simple as that, it now works! Yay! p
>> Only thing that is left is to configure the MAC address, one time and I should be good to go. Lucky for me that is all possible from the boot screen, you just need to enter the following:
>> <<< end >>>
>> Link to restoration story: https://www.rup12.net/posts/2021/adventures-with-sun-ultra-1-workstation/ <https://www.rup12.net/posts/2021/adventures-with-sun-ultra-1-workstation/>
>> Link to part data sheet: https://www.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/pdf/22988/STMICROELECTRONICS/M48T59Y-70PC1.html <https://www.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/pdf/22988/STMICROELECTRONICS/M48T59Y-70PC1.html>
>> Is this really a simple plug-and-program fix for these systems?
> 
>  Yes, the chip has died (well, in this case, the battery inside it), so replace it.
> 
>  However, while most of the battery-backed NVRAM/RTC chips used in workstation systems are still readily available, the M48T59 in particular has been discontinued.  Ones that you'll find on eBay etc will be new old stock.
> 
>  When these chips are brand new and in storage, the oscillator and divider chain are not running, so the batteries last their shelf lives. The system they're plugged into kickstarts them, which dramatically decreases their life expectancy.
> 
>  The M48T59Y was discontinued long enough ago that I'd not buy new old stock, as they're likely to be dead, or very nearly so.  China is plowing these out to unsuspecting people all the time.  For some unknown reason, the guy in the article you referred to above seemed to freak out about the idea of cutting one open to bridge in a new battery.  Lots of people have done it with great success, though, myself included.
> 
>  A lot of people also do this on NVRAM chips that haven't been discontinued, like the M48T02, used in earlier SPARCstations.  I think that's pretty dumb, but then lots of people do dumb things.
> 
>  If you google "sun nvram/hostid faq" and find that article, you'll see that people have been reprogramming these chips for decades.  That article tell you all you'll need to know, as the last step after you've gotten a fresh battery in there.
> 
>            -Dave
> 
> -- 
> Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
> New Kensington, PA
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