11 May
2007
11 May
'07
7:59 p.m.
Chuck Guzis wrote:
I've posted a photo of my Microcomputer Systems
Corporation SA4000-to-
GPIB disk controller PCB here:
http://www.sydex.com/durango/msc1088.jpg
This is a large board (12"x19")that contains mostly 74LSxx logic.
The two 24-pin cerdip packages at the top left side are AM2506DC 4-
bit ALUs; the 28-pin package below them is a N8209 (Signetics) 64x9
bipolar RAM. The 40 pin package to the left of them is an Intel 8291
GPIB talker/listener. The
Just thought I'd snap a photo before it went back into its box. The
documentation for the board (just command definitions) is dated 1979.
FWIW,
Chuck
MSC if I recall correctly morphed into Xebec, who was one of the first
if not the first supplieres ot controllers to IBM for the XT.
The did make several controller adapters which allowed Microdata to
hook up both SMD and 2314 type drives with RF data to our mini
computers. They had 25mb drives, which were ISS. Later they
made a controller for the Microdata reflex which was supposed to
be SMD, but had a flaw in the write splice that made it incompatable,
with SMD design. They refused to fix this since it made others
unable to sell drives to go on the systems they sold.
I guess this controller probably falls in the gap between the
minicomputer days, and the micro days of the XT.
It would be interesting to have a family tree for this part
of the industry, from the company standpoint as well as
the people standpoint. A lot of companies had engineers
depart and found other storage business companies, and
I'm sure MSC / Xebec must have been one.
jim
