[cctalk] Re: DEC RM03 / CDC 9762

On Thu, Jul 25, 2024 at 7:03 AM Christopher Zach via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote: Back in the late 80s I worked for a guy at a general-purpose shop. Mostly he resold things, some over-the-counter, some custom PC builds, and some repair jobs. In house, he ran a small VAX and a couple PDP-11s. At one point, he got an RM03 or two and had me try to get them working with a 3rd-party Unibus SMD controller (his main disks were SMD). I was only about 21-22 and he knew a lot more about electronics than I did. He already had a working 9762. We compared the cards in the drive card cages (the RM03 has a different outer skin but the innards are pure CDC). There were 1-2 visible differences between how the RM03 and the 9762 were populated. We spent a few days on it, but we weren't able to get the RM03 talking to the Emulex SMD controller so we buttoned up the RM03s which ended up getting bought by my next employer (cheap backup hardware for our 160MB Fuji drive that emulated two RM03s and was the boot drive for our 11/750). So... my recommendation is to look over schematics for differences. I think there are some. With the community's present knowledge and access to tools and disposable MCUs, I think success is much more likely now than it was 35 years ago. -ethan