ST506 / ST412 - never see any 3 1/2"? - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

6 Apr 2007

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Subject: Re: ST506 / ST412 - never see any 3 1/2"?
   From: Brad Parker <brad at heeltoe.com>
   Date: Fri, 06 Apr 2007 12:59:57 -0400
     To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at
classiccmp.org>

Just curious, "back in the day" I touched a *lot* of 3 1/2" ST412 style
drives, mostly 10mb and 20mb.

But these days I never see them.  All the drives I see on ebay and elsewhere
are 5 1/4" monsters. 
I still have a few of them.  Most are the 10mb and 20mb size making them
handy to keep.

The ST225 was a great drive but the st251 was a thermal nightmare.  As 
a result any 225 is likely good and most 251s are likely bad(unless NOS 
or low time).

My favorite st412 interface drive is the Quantum D540 (31mb 5.25 FH)
also know as DEC RD52. I must have ten or more and they all work well.
as drive of that style go it was fast and near unbreakable.

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Any idea why?  I'd love to have a handful of 20mb 3 1/2" drives to use
for various things but I never see them.

I'm talking about drives from Rodime, Seagate, Lapine, etc... cerca 1985. 
Most were unreliable, Miniscribe comes to mind.  I have a few But use them
and they work fine but I had to trash a pile of them to get a few good ones
(when they were new!!!) and the ones that were good stayed that way.

I likely have one of the largest assortments of ST506/412 drives from my 
first ST506 (5mb) to Maxtor2190 many still in use.  That does not include 
the IDE piles and scsi piles. 

Allison