Persci 299 with unknown Persci dual S-100 cards?

On Wed, Jun 24, 2015 at 7:59 PM, Santo Nucifora <santo.nucifora at gmail.com> wrote: > > I recently acquired a Persci 2142 dual disk drive with two S-100 > controller cards. The 2142 is a Persci slim-line case that fits the > internal Persci 299 drives but also included were to Persci S-100 cards. > The only thing that makes sense is that one or both of these are the Persci > 1170 controller card (set) but I have not been able to find a picture of > such a card anywhere. There is an 1170 card picture at the Computer > History Museum but it suspiciously looks like a Vector S-100 prototype > board with components on it (and not the right amount compare to my > cards). That page is here: > http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102712583 > > I have pictures in my latest post of the front and back of both cards > along with the Persci 299 drive mechanism and the complete 2142 unit. If > anyone knows what a Persci 1170 controller looks like, I'd love to know if > that's what I have. Is it both cards? I am assuming so because there's a > marketing brochure out there with a description of the 1170 controller and > the Z80 CPU, as described, is on the second card (not the main card) as is > the memory. > > Pictures of what I have are here: > http://vintagecomputer.ca/persci-drive-is-a-299-what-are-the-controller-boa… > > I can try to read the EPROMS on the second board (they are B2716s) but the > first board has a 2708 and I've nothing that will read it. Maybe that will > give a clue? I would assume that's where Persci DOS is? > > I will be taking the 299 drive mechanism apart and refurbishing this drive > as I did the Persci 270 in my Processor Technology Helios II (big thanks to > Martin Eberhard for his awesome guide and his help!). Hopefully it's close > enough to the 299 that the guide will still be useful. I have yet to check > if the glass gauge is intact in this drive or all of this will be for > nothing. I'll do that when I take it apart. Should be a fun project.

Last night I was able to read the EPROMs on the second of the two Persci cards and embedded in the code was the string "ERSCI 1170 V F.2-5". I'm strongly suspecting it's proof that both cards make up a PerSci 1170 controller :) I have the four 2716 EPROMS dumped in the files area of my site at http://vintagecomputer.ca/files-area/ . If someone would like to disassemble them, I'd love to find out more. If there is a tool I can use, please let me know. I was not able to read the 2708 on the first card at this point. If anyone has any information on the Persci 1170 controller, I'd love to know if any additional software is required to run it or if I can jump to a specific address to run it. I do NOT have any disks for this. It appears to be an uncommon drive so any information at all would be much appreciated.