allison wrote:
On 01/04/2014
09:32 PM, Jerome H. Fine wrote:
For the PDP-11 in a BA23 box, normally ONLY one
MFM
drive is supported with a 4 button front panel using DS3. If
you have a 6 button front panel, drive 0 (in the left most drive
bay) uses DS3. Drive 1 (in the right most drive bay) uses DS4.
As long as both drives are in WRITE PROTECT mode, you
will be safe if both drives are set to DS3. If you do not have
the WRITE PROTECT mode selected for either drive and
you use DS3 for both drives, be prepared to lose all files on
both drives!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(I still remember that situation after 25 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
I made a 6 button years ago out of a 4 button. You could also
jumper the second drive differently and that worked. I have a uVAXII
in a BA23 with two RD53s.
I assume that drive 0 was DS3 and drive 1 was DS4? Please confirm.
I managed to make up the required circuits and LEDs for a BA23
box with 2 hard drives and an RX50 (placed outside of the BA23,
but connected with long cables to the normal connectors) connected
to an RQDX2 via the standard distribution board adjacent to the
hard drive bays. I remember that lines 3 and line 4 on the 10 pin
cable supported the second hard drive. My first attempt jumpered
line 1 and line 3 along with line 2 and line 4 to allow the 4 button
panel to support both hard drives as long as they were BOTH in
WRITE PROTECT at the same time. The circuit I developed
much later needed two switches, two resistors and 4 LEDs.
On occasion when I need two hard drives in an BA23, I disconnect
the 10 pin cable to the normal 4 button panel and connect that 10 pin
cable to my contraption.
I am curious, do you have the circuit needed to support the second hard
drive? And did you have to cut any traces on the 4 button panel?
What I don't understand is why DEC did not make the information
easily available if you found it so easy to make supporting a second
hard drive possible. But back then, I guess DEC was DEC. It was
much more profitable selling an expansion BA23 box or better yet
a BA123 box.
Jerome Fine