AlphaStation 600 to AlphaStation 600A Upgrade Information

This document, "AlphaStation 600 to AlphaStation 600A Upgrade Information," is a technical guide for Digital service representatives and customers, detailing the step-by-step procedure to upgrade an AlphaStation 600 system to an AlphaStation 600A.

The upgrade process is comprehensive and involves:

1. Preparation: Inventorying the upgrade kit, reviewing documentation, shutting down the system, and ensuring electrical safety by disconnecting power and wearing a grounded wrist strap.
2. Disassembly: Removing the system's left side panel, then systematically removing internal components such as memory tower boards, memory modules, option modules, the drive assembly, and disconnecting various cables (power, interlock, speaker, OCP, fan, diskette drive). Finally, the original system board is removed.
3. Chassis Preparation: Modifying the system chassis by adding rubber bumpers, repositioning metal standoffs, rerouting diskette drive and OCP cables, attaching ferrite beads to power and OCP harnesses, and for Model 266 systems, adding EMI gaskets and replacing the power supply front cover.
4. Reassembly: Installing the new 600A main logic board and CPU card, reinstalling previously removed memory modules, option modules (with specific jumper changes for the Microsoft sound card), and the drive assembly. All cables are then reconnected.
5. Post-Assembly Configuration: Loading new firmware using a fail-safe loader from a diskette, running the EISA Configuration Utility (ECU) to disable onboard graphics and configure the sound card, running system self-tests, installing or running the operating system, and finally, attaching new FCC and product ID labels.

The guide provides detailed instructions and figures for each step, along with safety cautions regarding static discharge.