On 11 Dec 00 01:44:07 +0100 Iggy Drougge <optimus(a)canit.se> wrote: > I was at the usergroup today and had a look at our Stride, which has been > parked in the entrance since we moved in. It is a grey tower (large), with > a pretty glass front featuring one 5?" flopyy drive and a tape drive.

Sounds like the machine I've seen at INMOS. The tape drive is quarter-inch, yes? Probably a 60Mb capacity drive.

> Does anyone have some sources for boot media for this pretty system?

All I have left are the case parts (disassembled) and the motherboard.

Richard Erlacher wrote: > > Just in case someone's got one, I'm looking for a hard disk with 640 > cylinders x 8 heads to replace a Rodime 204E. If anyone has somthing

What about a micropolis 1355 ? (more the 1000 cyliners, but 8 head, 5'25 & esdi) cheers

Richard Erlacher wrote: > > Unfortunately, ESDI won't work with the MSC9305 S-100 HDC. The '9305

Sorry, my fault. I thought this "E" in Rodime 204E stands for ESDI interface. So how about a micropolis 1325 ? Cheers

Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2000 16:33:06 -0800 From: Marvin <marvin(a)rain.org> To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org Subject: Re: need a HDD Reply-to: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org

Richard Erlacher wrote: My memory (and docs) are not so good right now, but isn't that basically the same configuration as the Seagate 251? If so, I probably have several of them just sitting around *waiting* for an application to pop up :). Let me know if you need one.

<stroking beard and clearing throat> It seems as though, whenever there's a substantial discussion about rotating memory systems for the computers of yesteryear, the muddled distinctions between "drive type" as used for describing what is being sought gets mixed up with "drive interface" and "modulation type" among other concepts. Here, again, we have a reference to MFM/RLL, both of which are modulation techniques, both of which were commonly used by SCSI, SMD, and ESDI drives, among others. Another item that doesn't seem to help, is that the distiction between physical interface, e.g. ST-506/412 (actually the same, from all obvious features, though there were some minor differences), gets mixed in as well. SMD is an interface specification, as are SCSI, SASI, and ESDI. A look at the SEAGATE spec's for their various drives, including those made by CDC before SEAGATE acquired them, and you'll see ESDI drives that use RLL and other that use ERLL and still others using MFM. Likewise with SCSI products and SMD. Real confusion comes from the fact that people referred to drives as being RLL or MFM drives, which was, perhaps, a difference, but not in the drives. There were a few models that performed badly with RLL that performed better (more reliably) with MFM, but those were the exception rather than the rule. The drive, actually the head/media combination, determined the flux reversal density, and the spindle speed determined the resulting bit rate, right? It seems simple enough. Sadly, there's more ... particularly after the adoption of ZBR, in which the data rate with respect to time borrowed from the strategy of CLV recording as used with optical media as opposed to the previously popular CAV. It's no wonder that folks are confused, but it's been 10 years or more since MFM fell out of fashion, and, in fact, since controllers became a drive function rather than a host adapter function. You'd think folks would have gotten these concepts straightened out. <sigh> <getting down from soapbox> That drive I'm looking for has to have at least 8 heads, and it has to have at least 640 cylinders. In this particular case, until I find my source code, I can't benefit from more heads or cylinders, nor can I "get by" with fewer. I have plenty of drives that don't fit this model, but I want one that will, to help stomp out an immediate fire. Knocking out an interface that would handle all the modulation schemes, data rate variations, and wiredo data rates, etc, might not be so easy as it looks. Yes, one could analyze the format with a combination of various hardware and firmware techniques, and that way one could continue to use hardware that would otherwise be unsupportable, but that's the sort of thing that companies like Adaptec or Mylex spend megabucks to accomplish for just ONE of the modulation types. The reason that's what's spent is because it can't really be done for much less. If you want to do that, then have at it. I've done lots of this sort of work, yet nobody's offered me a dime to build an RLL or MFM controller for an ST506-type drive in the last ten years. It's much easier to replace the drive with one of the more modern ones, rated, yet not really expected, to have a lifetime of >100K hours, while the ones of 10 years ago were rated for MTBF's of 5-10 KHours. I can't see how anybody could justify the investment in technology that will croak in a year or two. It's easier to rework the firmware and replace the old, 150-lb SMD with a 150-gram microdrive of 20x the capacity. You can mount that on the board next to one of the IC's and it will get lost. Thanks, Dick ----- Original Message ----- From: &lt;jpero(a)sympatico.ca&gt; To: &lt;classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org&gt; Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2000 1:13 PM Subject: Re: need a HDD that the me

from all obvious features, though there were some minor differences), gets

> > > Richard Erlacher wrote: > > > > Just in case someone's got one, I'm looking for a hard disk with 640 > > cylinders x 8 heads to replace a Rodime 204E. If anyone has somthing

> > will fit this geometry, and it's available, I'd like to be informed. > > My memory (and docs) are not so good right now, but isn't that basically

> same configuration as the Seagate 251? If so, I probably have several of > them just sitting around *waiting* for an application to pop up :). Let

Mavin, In MFM world, most commonest n of heads and cylinders is usually 6xx and 8xx and 4 to 6 heads. Beyond that, that not very common. ST251 is 820 (check) x 6 heads (not met) needs 8. On this topic, Even I was latecomer to MFM I deal with MFM/RLL, exrotic ESDI in early '90's. While I was thinking, why not have someone design and program a adapter to take MFM/RLL as well as ESDI and translate it to SCSI or IDE and wrap it up in DSP and all in one microcontroller, interface chipset and some ram, rom? This way, helps people to up keep their oddball machine that insists on odd drives. To set up that adapter board to report specific cylinders range and heads, N of sectors that reports back to that host machine and just "LL format" the scsi or IDE hd if needed then HLF it in normal manner as you would do with any MFM/RLL, ESDI drives. Cheers, Wizard

from all obvious features, though there were some minor differences), gets

> > > Richard Erlacher wrote: > > > > Just in case someone's got one, I'm looking for a hard disk with 640 > > cylinders x 8 heads to replace a Rodime 204E. If anyone has somthing

> > will fit this geometry, and it's available, I'd like to be informed. > > My memory (and docs) are not so good right now, but isn't that basically

> same configuration as the Seagate 251? If so, I probably have several of > them just sitting around *waiting* for an application to pop up :). Let

Mavin, In MFM world, most commonest n of heads and cylinders is usually 6xx and 8xx and 4 to 6 heads. Beyond that, that not very common. ST251 is 820 (check) x 6 heads (not met) needs 8. On this topic, Even I was latecomer to MFM I deal with MFM/RLL, exrotic ESDI in early '90's. While I was thinking, why not have someone design and program a adapter to take MFM/RLL as well as ESDI and translate it to SCSI or IDE and wrap it up in DSP and all in one microcontroller, interface chipset and some ram, rom? This way, helps people to up keep their oddball machine that insists on odd drives. To set up that adapter board to report specific cylinders range and heads, N of sectors that reports back to that host machine and just "LL format" the scsi or IDE hd if needed then HLF it in normal manner as you would do with any MFM/RLL, ESDI drives. Cheers, Wizard

Richard Erlacher wrote: > > Just in case someone's got one, I'm looking for a hard disk with 640 > cylinders x 8 heads to replace a Rodime 204E. If anyone has somthing

My memory (and docs) are not so good right now, but isn't that basically

same configuration as the Seagate 251? If so, I probably have several of them just sitting around *waiting* for an application to pop up :). Let me know if you need one.

We had this discussion a long while back. The Weird Science computer was a Memotech MTX512 (is that the right number?)

The one I have is new in the box. Turns out they were given out as incentives for people to attend some sales pitches for something I don't recall now (vacation timeshares?). My guess is that since the MTX512s weren't selling well, the company was able to pick they up for very little and could still make the claim people would get a computer for attending the sales pitch.

What was the computer they used in Weird Science? Didn't they use something unusual in Ferris Buhler's Day Off(did I spell his last name correctly?)

Yeah, Ferris had a PC.

The script at http://members.tripod.com/~MrHyde/ferris.txt claims: 52 INT. FERRIS' ROOM : Ferris is at his Macintosh computer. He has his record up on the screen.

Just in case someone's got one, I'm looking for a hard disk with 640 cylinders x 8 heads to replace a Rodime 204E.