Persci 299 with unknown Persci dual S-100 cards?

william degnan billdegnan at gmail.com
Fri Jun 26 10:50:41 CDT 2015


On the cover of the kilobaud article "Floppy Disks...What's the real story"
from March 1977 there is a PerSci 1070 floppy controller.
b

On Fri, Jun 26, 2015 at 7:11 AM, Santo Nucifora <santo.nucifora at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Last night I was able to read the EPROMs on the second of the two Persci
> cards and embedded in the code was the string "ERSCI 1170 V F.2-5".  I'm
> strongly suspecting it's proof that both cards make up a PerSci 1170
> controller :)   I have the four 2716 EPROMS dumped in the files area of my
> site at http://vintagecomputer.ca/files-area/ .  If someone would like to
> disassemble them, I'd love to find out more.  If there is a tool I can use,
> please let me know.  I was not able to read the 2708 on the first card at
> this point.
>
> If anyone has any information on the Persci 1170 controller, I'd love to
> know if any additional software is required to run it or if I can jump to a
> specific address to run it.  I do NOT have any disks for this.
>
> It appears to be an uncommon drive so any information at all would be much
> appreciated.
>
> Santo
>
> On Wed, Jun 24, 2015 at 7:59 PM, Santo Nucifora <santo.nucifora at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Hello,
> >
> > I recently acquired a Persci 2142 dual disk drive with two S-100
> > controller cards.  The 2142 is a Persci slim-line case that fits the
> > internal Persci 299 drives but also included were to Persci S-100 cards.
> > The only thing that makes sense is that one or both of these are the
> Persci
> > 1170 controller card (set) but I have not been able to find a picture of
> > such a card anywhere.  There is an 1170 card picture at the Computer
> > History Museum but it suspiciously looks like a Vector S-100 prototype
> > board with components on it (and not the right amount compare to my
> > cards).  That page is here:
> > http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102712583
> >
> > I have pictures in my latest post of the front and back of both cards
> > along with the Persci 299 drive mechanism and the complete 2142 unit.  If
> > anyone knows what a Persci 1170 controller looks like, I'd love to know
> if
> > that's what I have.  Is it both cards?  I am assuming so because there's
> a
> > marketing brochure out there with a description of the 1170 controller
> and
> > the Z80 CPU, as described, is on the second card (not the main card) as
> is
> > the memory.
> >
> > Pictures of what I have are here:
> >
> http://vintagecomputer.ca/persci-drive-is-a-299-what-are-the-controller-boards/
> >
> > I can try to read the EPROMS on the second board (they are B2716s) but
> the
> > first board has a 2708 and I've nothing that will read it.  Maybe that
> will
> > give a clue?  I would assume that's where Persci DOS is?
> >
> > I will be taking the 299 drive mechanism apart and refurbishing this
> drive
> > as I did the Persci 270 in my Processor Technology Helios II (big thanks
> to
> > Martin Eberhard for his awesome guide and his help!).  Hopefully it's
> close
> > enough to the 299 that the guide will still be useful.  I have yet to
> check
> > if the glass gauge is intact in this drive or all of this will be for
> > nothing.  I'll do that when I take it apart.  Should be a fun project.
> >
> > If you have any info, please let me know.  It would be much appreciated.
> > Santo
> >
>


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