All,
I'm trying to evaluate a pile of large MFM hard drives for functionality.
I'm attaching them to a WD-1006V-MM2 controller and running Sprinrite 4
under DOS 6.0 (using a 486 EISA motherboard).
This works fine for drives with < 1024 cylinders, but I cannot seem to
remember (or figure out) how to surface-test drives with more cylinders
(e.g. Priam V185 with 1166).
How do folks on the list test these beasts? I've seen SCSI controllers
and ESDI controllers with CHS translation, but that feature does not seem
to be available on the MFM adapters.
Steve
--
Date: Tue, 02 Nov 2010 10:27:45 -0700
From: Al Kossow <aek at bitsavers.org>
Subject: surplus source for MRA connectors?
In particular, the MRA42P solder cup 42 pin "winchester" plug for
Diablo 31 disk drives.
parts scalpers are asking $75 ea, and have made web searching useless
looks like on-line surplus store catalogs have all but disappeared
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Well, by one of those serendipitous coincidences only yesterday I was
looking at a rat's nest of cables including some with MRA connectors (mostly
only one gender of course, so not much use), wondering whether it was worth
cutting off the connectors and trying to get a few bucks for the copper or
whether to just toss it all into a dumpster somewhere. I'll see what there
is.
mike
Date: Tue, 02 Nov 2010 11:06:31 -0700
From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com>
Subject: Re: TTL HEX LED driver chip
On 2 Nov 2010 at 13:33, MikeS wrote:
> There's that ubiquitous string instrument again (I guess if it were a
> girl's name it'd be in caps?), mysteriously in reference to a
> hexadecimal display this time...
I've long wondered if the Germans exclaim "Bratsche!"
--Chuck
(not giving in to repeating a very long list of viola jokes)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Well, it'd have to be "Bretscha", wouldn't it?
And for those who wonder why it's called a "Bratsche" or just need a viola
joke fix after that:
http://www.mit.edu/~jcb/viola-jokes.html
m
Date: Tue, 2 Nov 2010 14:22:48 -0400
From: Dan Roganti <ragooman at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: TTL HEX LED driver chip
On Tue, Nov 2, 2010 at 2:06 PM, Chuck Guzis <cclist at sydex.com> wrote:
> On 2 Nov 2010 at 13:33, MikeS wrote:
>
>> There's that ubiquitous string instrument again (I guess if it were a
>> girl's name it'd be in caps?), mysteriously in reference to a
>> hexadecimal display this time...
>
> I've long wondered if the Germans exclaim "Bratsche!"
>
> --Chuck
> (not giving in to repeating a very long list of viola jokes)
>
isn't this attributed to deep seeded oppression of diodes versus just a typo
;)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Aw come on now, that's not fair!
I think I can speak for Chuck as well when I say unequivocally that although
we may have inadvertently stepped on and crushed (or exceeded the PIV of)
one or two we have never oppressed a single diode in our entire lives,
whether deep seededly (sic) or not; as a matter of fact I love the little
buggers, silicon or germanium, Schottky or not, high power or low power and
all powers in between, equally and without prejudice, and have assembled
many little teams of them in matrices on the outputs of a demux chip to
solve problems like this in a simple, straightforward, low power (and cheap)
way.
mike
In particular, the MRA42P solder cup 42 pin "winchester" plug for
Diablo 31 disk drives.
parts scalpers are asking $75 ea, and have made web searching useless
looks like on-line surplus store catalogs have all but disappeared
Date: Tue, 02 Nov 2010 06:36:07 -0700
From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com>
Subject: Re: Amstrad 3in drive spares
>A word of caution here--observe that the 4-pin power connector looks
exactly like a standard 3.5" conector, but the +12 and +5 leads are
interchanged. If you try to use a power connector wired for a 3.5"
drive, you'll make magic smoke.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
WHOA! Now that's a pretty harsh way of making sure folks only use your
proprietary drive...
Date: Tue, 2 Nov 2010 09:03:41 -0400
From: Dan Roganti <ragooman at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: TTL HEX LED driver chip
<snip>
>But I like the last solution even more, 2 chips, 74247, 74138, transistor
>inverter, a few diodes, viola !
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
There's that ubiquitous string instrument again (I guess if it were a girl's
name it'd be in caps?), mysteriously in reference to a hexadecimal display
this time...
;-)
Haven't tried looking for this in a while, maybe one has shown up somewhere
AMS 315 14" 300mb winchester service manual (circa 1982) preferably with Trident
interface (SMD was more common)
I'll be putting up the product manual and brochure for it on bitsavers today
>So I have these 2 PDP-8/L core stacks I am trying to recover:
> Is there any realistic way of getting one fully functional stack out of
> these ?
>
I assume the 8/L core stack is the same as the 8/I. Its made up of 3 core
plane boards and the 2 diode boards. If you can figure out if one of
the planes in the really bad stack seems good you could swap it with the
other stack.
>One would be perfect, if bit 3 @ adr 0 would be alive...
>
If you haven't you may want to check memory current and strobe timing to see
if its totally dead or can be adjusted back to working.
