10 Aug
2010
10 Aug
'10
6:48 a.m.
Dave McGuire wrote:
The Iomega controller is a PC2B-50. (There is a version without a boot
ROM too.) I have two samples of these, so I'm ok there.
Point me at some off list. I've been looking for over two months. I've
found 10MB carts (bought the only 5 that were there), an original manual
for the 10MB 8" units with software, and a controller card. But the
20MB 8" disks haven't been there, unless I'm doing something very wrong.
I think the build quality and the technology were great for the time,
and that's why I want to get one working. This is the kind of thing
that was 'high end' back when I was a PC user, and the Bernoulli boxes
were legendary for being tough and weird. So I'm really motivated to
get one of these working. But wow, there just isn't a lot of
information out there - this stuff is dangerously close to falling into
the bit bucket.
On 8/10/10 1:27 AM, Michael B. Brutman wrote:
I'm using the Adaptec ASPI utilities, but not on an Adaptec card. I'll
fix that tonight. (I have a 1542CF that I can put in the machine,
although I hate changing the config on my machines.)
Things I'm interested in particular:
- What SCSI adapter were you using? What device drivers and OS?
Adaptec 1542C. I don't recall which drivers, this was ~1991 or so.
I'm almost thinking there weren't any drivers (the 1542C had an onboard
BIOS ROM) but I seem to recall having a special formatting program.
(this was with a 44MB drive) The OS in use was DOS, probably v3.3. - On the older
8" drives - are 10" carts read only, or should they be
writable too?
Digging in very dusty memory here; I used quite a few of these. I'm
kinda sad that I don't have any left, but I've not touched them since
about 1991. I used the 10MB and 20MB 8" drives at home, and 5.25" 44MB
drives at work around that time, both under DOS. Distant memories
suggest that the 10MB disks are read-only in 20MB drives but I'm not
positive. At home I had an Iomega controller board for the 8" drives,
PC2-something. - Does anybody
know of a source for 20MB cartridges for the older 8"
drive? Having used 10MB cartridges that I'm not sure I can write too is
kind of useless.
...eBay...not hard to find.. I'm going
to need therapy after this. I have thought about throwing the
damned things out the window.
;)
I actually had really good luck with them. I had dozens of disks, but
I think I only had one or two of the 8" disks fail, and I've never seen
a 44MB disk fail. They're surprisingly reliable. Oh wait, I DO have one 8" subsystem left,
it's a dual 20MB subsystem
on a PDP-11 in a Kevex spectrometer for my SEM. I've not actually tried
to fire it up, it's in storage so I can't look at it, but I know I still
have it. Someday, when there's time..
-Dave
Mike