I believe _Some_ of the Tandy 1000's were like this. My TX originally had
some *unknown* brand HardCard with a MicroScience 3.5" MFM drive. The drive
always worked good (made a neat "chunking" noise instead of chirping), until
the spindle motor died (or something died). It wasn't frozen - it just
wouldn't go. It also had a "ready" and "access" light (red and green). I
ended up replacing it with a WD HardCard, which is about 50% slower than the
MicroScience.
Anyone have one of those old MicroScience drives that they want to get rid
of? My Tandy 1000 (no suffix) is yearning for its HardCard back :)
The model number of the drive was HH325.
ThAnX,
///--->>>
-Jason Willgruber
(roblwill(a)usaor.net)
ICQ#: 1730318
<http://members.tripod.com/general_1>
-----Original Message-----
From: Max Eskin <max82(a)surfree.com>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Monday, May 24, 1999 6:55 PM
Subject: Re: Space, the next frontier
>On Mon, 24 May 1999, Allison J Parent wrote:
>>And you have to know that little detail beforhand. Then there is the
>>matter of formatting as some can't (require the disk to be formatted else
>>where) and some require special software if they can.
>
>Now, I've heard of this before, but I can't understand why anyone would
>want to do this. And, where is 'else where'?
>
>--Max Eskin (max82(a)surfree.com)
> http://scivault.hypermart.net: Ignorance is Impotence - Knowledge is
Power
>
>
I read somewhere that they work with the ST-506 interface, but certain
(newer) revisions won't work with the original 5MB ST-506.
I don't know why - I just know it won't work with the one that I have. I
think mine has a copyright date of 1989.
///--->>>
-Jason Willgruber
(roblwill(a)usaor.net)
ICQ#: 1730318
<http://members.tripod.com/general_1>
-----Original Message-----
From: Allison J Parent <allisonp(a)world.std.com>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Monday, May 24, 1999 6:41 PM
Subject: Re: Re[2]: Space, the next frontier
><Talking about ST 506's, I have an old 5 MB one. It spins up, but I need
><controller for it. The only XT MFM controller I have is a WD XT-GEN, and
><they don't work with the 506's.
>
>???? they don't???? I thought they were commonly found with ST506s! At
>least that's the only one besides the ST412 (10mb) I've ever seen one with.
>
>Allison
>
>
From: Don Maslin <donm(a)cts.com>
To: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu
Subject: (fwd) Xerox 820 FS/T/donate
-- forwarded message --
Path: nusku.cts.com!mercury.cts.com!nntp.flash.net!newsfeed.berkeley.edu!news.cis.ohio-state.edu!malgudi.oar.net!cyclone.columbus.rr.com!cyclone.rdc-detw.rr.com!news.mw.mediaone.net!elnws02.ce.mediaone.net!24.131.129.73!rmnws01.ce.mediaone.net.POSTED!not-fr-mail
Message-ID: <37499BD0.19633D48(a)ce.mediaone.net>
From: Dan Lurey <dlurey(a)ce.mediaone.net>
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.6 [en]C-MOEATL (Win98; I)
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Newsgroups: comp.sys.xerox
Subject: Xerox 820 FS/T/donate
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Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 13:34:56 -0500
NNTP-Posting-Host: 24.29.200.133
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Xref: nusku.cts.com comp.sys.xerox:339
I'm tired of tripping over an old 820 w/ 2-8" FDD's & monitor. I also
have s/w, manuals, and a couple of main boards (one bare???).
Help me find a home for this! PLEASE!!!???
--
Dan Lurey
E-Mail: dlurey(a)mediaone.net
-----
Good judgment comes from experience.
Experience comes from bad judgment.
-- end of forwarded message --
On May 24, 17:38, Max Eskin wrote:
> Subject: Re: Space, the next frontier
> On Mon, 24 May 1999, Pete Turnbull wrote:
> >Having just spent several days obtaining a suitable 20MB ST506-interface
> >hard drive, I completely concur with Tony. The 3.5" versions seem to be
> >particularly hard to come by around here.
>
> There have been 3.5" ST-506 interface hard drives?
Yes, Seagate made quite a lot of them at one time. So did Teac, NEC and
WD. The first 3.5" ones were Rodimes, though. The hard drive system
sitting on the BBC Micro beside me has one: it's a home-designed system
which has an Adaptec ACB4000 controller (which is SCSI, but
SASI-compatible), and a BBC 1MHz Bus to SASI adapter, and presently has an
NEC 40MB 3.5" drive in it. Originally it had one of the first 10MB 3.5"
Rodime RO352 drives (which is now in a modified DEC TK50Z box, pretending
to be an RD51). I still have the receipts somewhere; I think the drive
cost about ?400 in the mid-80s.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Dept. of Computer Science
University of York
Talking about ST 506's, I have an old 5 MB one. It spins up, but I need a
controller for it. The only XT MFM controller I have is a WD XT-GEN, and
they don't work with the 506's.
Anyone have a spare controller that they don't need? Preferably an old
IBM??
ThAnX,
///--->>>
-Jason Willgruber
(roblwill(a)usaor.net)
ICQ#: 1730318
<http://members.tripod.com/general_1>
-----Original Message-----
From: Dwight Elvey <elvey(a)hal.com>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Monday, May 24, 1999 12:18 PM
Subject: Re[2]: Space, the next frontier
>ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) wrote:
>> And it's getting
>> ever harder to get working ST506 drives.
>
>Hi
> The biggest trouble with these drives is that the head
>stepper has a limit arm right where fools can get at
>it. Wipe the arm back and forth once, with the disk
>stationary, and you've made a nice groove in the surface.
>The other thing is on the braking of the spindle. Some
>used a mechanical brake but others used dynamic braking.
>The ones with dynamic braking are real sensitive to
>having the heads drag backwards because of rotational
>inertia. Both of these are handling issues. It does
>help to alway park the heads on the far end before
>moving the machine that has one of these drives. When
>removing, one should also tape a piece of cardboard over
>the steppers end so you don't bump the sector limit arm
>and move the heads sideways. Some also have spindle locks
>but be real careful to watch the rotational direction.
>Turn the spindle the same way that it normally runs, only.
> The reason these two things cause so much trouble is that
>the back side of the heads have a real sharp edge. It tends
>to dig into the disk like a carpenters plane.
> If your old setup doesn't have a head park routine, I
>would highly recommend that you write one. I recommend
>that you always park the heads every time before you power
>off. I have several 506's that are still running and
>have many hours on them.
>Dwight
>
>
I've read that DEC granted unrestricted reproduction rights to their old
documentation. I'd like to confirm this before I announce to the world the
URL where a PDF version of the PDT 11/150 mini maintenance manual can be
found. Any information regarding this topic would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Bill
<> Could be Futura.
<
<I can't remember now for sure, but I think I tried Futura (well, it's one
<of the obvious ones, so I'm sure I did) and found Helvetica a better match
The closest is Helvetica Bold Oblique(with the height to width ratios
altered), however the actual font is a sans serif monospaced block font.
I used to know what the acceptable substitute was. However most of the
fonts and their names postdate the DIGITAL logo font. A little tuning of
the metioned font passes real well.
If you can write Postscript and understand postscript fontmetrics it's a
easy hack to make 100% real looking DEC keys.
Allison
<>And you have to know that little detail beforhand. Then there is the
<>matter of formatting as some can't (require the disk to be formatted else
<>where) and some require special software if they can.
<
<Now, I've heard of this before, but I can't understand why anyone would
<want to do this. And, where is 'else where'?
Simple, the disk is factory supplied with the correct base formatting.
For example the average PDP-11 user or MicroVAX user cannot format the MFM
hard disks used in some subsystem without special formatting software that
is part of a diagnostic package. Or the case of the DEC 8" floppies
most of the systems (RX01/02) cannot format them at all. This has occured
elsewhere in the industry over the years. There are two cases for doing
this, your locked into sole sourced media (TU58 for example) or for lack of
capability incorperated into the hardware. Some cases like a few of the
removeable platter packs, the servo information required for head
positioning is done as a seperate manufacturing operation and cannot
easily be put in the drive.
Allison
On May 24, 15:05, Cameron Kaiser wrote:
> Subject: Re: FONT NAME question
> ::It's not very close to Arial. It's almost exactly standard Helvetica
Bold.
>
> Could be Futura.
I can't remember now for sure, but I think I tried Futura (well, it's one
of the obvious ones, so I'm sure I did) and found Helvetica a better match.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Dept. of Computer Science
University of York
A while back many of you helped me compile a long list of DEC handbooks.
I want to publish a beautiful book about them and it would also be a collector's
guide.
Well our combined efforts needed both more information to complete the list
and it also needed an authority to confirm the completeness of our list. To do
this I contacted a number of people at DEC/Compaq and finally got to a
Mr. Stephen Dougherty. He was excited about the project and told me to get
back to him in a week. This would give me time do some internal exploring.
That was 2 months ago. His mail doesn't bounce back so he must still be
working for Compaq, but he isn't replying. Thus the project is on hold.
My investigation did some good though. The photo-archivist at Compaq was
about to finalize arrangements to transfer DEC's archives to MIT when I
introduced them to the Charles Babbage Institute. It doesn't matter who gets
the photographs as long as they are preserved, but at least now, with the
advice and encouragement of the professionals at the CBI, we will hopefully
discover that all sorts of other important DEC memorabilia will be preserved.
Take care ya'all.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------
Kevin Stumpf * Unusual systems * www.unusual.on.ca
+1.519.744.2900 * EST/EDT GMT - 5
Collector - Commercial Mainframes & Minicomputers from
the 50s, 60s, & 70s and control panels and consoles.
Author & Publisher - A Guide to Collecting Computers &
Computer Collectibles * ISBN 0-9684244-0-6
.
