DEC VAXstation 3540

The VAXstation 3540, code name Firefox, is an entry-level to mid-range server introduced on 10 January 1989. It has an M-Bus backplane with an adapter to 6x slots of Q-Bus for I/O, and a 2 or 3 board graphics controller.

This system contains two KA60 Dual-CPU boards, an MS60-BA 16 MB RAM, an MS60-CA 32 MB RAM, an I/O Controller for SCSI, Ethernet, and serial ports, a three-board LEGGS Graphics Controller, an M-Bus to Q-Bus Adapter, and a TQK70 TK70 Tape Controller. It can run the DEC VMS and Ultrix operating systems, as well as open source versions of Unix like NetBSD. It came with a VR-295 color monitor, LK-201 Keyboard, and a VSXXX-AA Mouse. You could also connect a VSXXX-AB Tablet.

In the top of the chassis there is room for 3x 5 1/4" SCSI disk drives, like the 332 MB RZ55 or the 665 MB RZ56. There is a TK70 Compact-II tape drive installed at the top right.

The chassis has two H7868 power supplies at each side, each providing 230W of power. It also has two variable-speed fans in the bottom.

To the Restoration Blog.

The Module ID chart at the right shows what boards go where in the system. This system has an L2002-00 M-Bus to Q-Bus adapter in slot 9, and a  TQK70 (M7559) board in slot 10. Four more dual-wide Q-Bus boards can be installed in slots 11 & 12.

It has an L2007-CA 32 MB RAM board in slot 8, and an L2007-CA 16 MB RAM board in slot 5. It has L2001-00 Dual-CPU boards in slots 6 & 7. If it only had a single Dual-CPU board in slot 7 it would be a VAXstation 3520. The L2003 I/O Controller in slot 4 has the SCSI disk controller, Ethernet controller, and serial ports for the console, printer, keyboard, and mouse.

The L2004-00 LEGSS Base Graphics module is in slot 3, the L2005-00 8-bit Graphics Output module is in slot 2, and the 16-bit Graphics Expansion module is in slot 1. The graphics modules in slots 1-3 are interconnected by an over-the-top printed circuit board that provides the RGB output to the VR295 monitor.