20 Jun
2005
20 Jun
'05
11:54 a.m.
I just got my DSD-440 cleaned up, checked out, and attached to a
machine this weekend, and it seems to be working fine. (Thanks, Joe!)
What I don't have is the diagnostic disk that shipped with it.
According to the DSD-440 user guide, the disk came with FRD440 as both a
standalone utility and as an RT-11 program, FRD440.SAV.
I'd like to have the bootable disk, if anybody has one they can copy,
but I'd be very happy with just the RT-11 program.
Thanks!
Doc
20 Jun
20 Jun
2:55 p.m.
Hi Doc,
I picked up at least two DSD manuals in my big haul last week. I think
they both have disks in them. I can send you the disk (and a mamual if you
need it) if you'll promise to return them. FWIW Thom has a NIB DSD drive.
I think I'm going to pick it up and try to use it on my PDP-8. I've been
reading the description of the DSD drives in the manual and they sound
GREAT! They will do IBM 3740 format, DEC RL-01/02 format and some kind of a
DD format. They also have stand alone diagnostics built into the controller
so you can test them with no computer attached (and no special computer SW!)
Joe
At 01:54 PM 6/20/05 -0500, you wrote:
I just got my DSD-440 cleaned up, checked out, and
attached to a
machine this weekend, and it seems to be working fine. (Thanks, Joe!)
What I don't have is the diagnostic disk that shipped with it.
According to the DSD-440 user guide, the disk came with FRD440 as both a
standalone utility and as an RT-11 program, FRD440.SAV.
I'd like to have the bootable disk, if anybody has one they can copy,
but I'd be very happy with just the RT-11 program.
Thanks!
Doc
3:35 p.m.
Joe R. wrote:
Hi Doc,
I picked up at least two DSD manuals in my big haul last week. I think
they both have disks in them. I can send you the disk (and a mamual if you
need it) if you'll promise to return them. FWIW Thom has a NIB DSD drive.
I think I'm going to pick it up and try to use it on my PDP-8. I've been
reading the description of the DSD drives in the manual and they sound
GREAT! They will do IBM 3740 format, DEC RL-01/02 format and some kind of a
DD format. They also have stand alone diagnostics built into the controller
so you can test them with no computer attached (and no special computer SW!)
The loan of a disk would be perfect. I have a printed "preliminary"
User Guide, and the later UG and Service Guide are both on Bitsavers.
It is a really slick system. The built-in diags and format utilities
are very nice, but for mass formats something that runs in the OS would
suit me better. You have to power cycle the disk drawer for each floppy
you format, which is probably OK but it gives me the heebie-jeebies. :)
Since I have several hundred bulk-erased RX02 diskettes, that's a lot
of heebie-jeebies.
Another thing that caught me short is that the DSD-440 honors the
write-protect notch. The RX02 doesn't (or my RX02s have been modified),
so it was a little surprising when I got a write-protect error on a
scratch disk I've been using on my 11/84.
Hit me off-list at this address and I'll send you my shipping address
and stuff.
Thanks!
Doc
3:57 p.m.
On Mon, 20 Jun 2005, Doc Shipley wrote:
It is a really slick system. The built-in diags
and format utilities
are very nice, but for mass formats something that runs in the OS would
suit me better. You have to power cycle the disk drawer for each floppy
you format, which is probably OK but it gives me the heebie-jeebies. :)
The RXV21 clone controller I have in my primary 11/23+ system (an MXV21
made by MDA) allows simple formatting by poking a couple values into the
right registers. It works great. A few minutes of coding would result in
a SAV program that does it for you with prompts.
Speaking of which: off-hand, how would one create a binary program under
RT11 and then save it?
Another thing that caught me short is that the
DSD-440 honors the
write-protect notch. The RX02 doesn't (or my RX02s have been modified),
so it was a little surprising when I got a write-protect error on a
scratch disk I've been using on my 11/84.
Your RX02s are broken!
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
[ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ]
[ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]
4:10 p.m.
Vintage Computer Festival wrote:
I suspected thay'd been "fixed", but I don't think it's a
malfunction. All three sets came from the same company and all three
write to disks with the notch open.
Doc
On Mon, 20 Jun 2005, Doc Shipley wrote:
Uhh, I have a couple of Qbus cards by MDA that I've never identified.
Got pics?
It is a really slick system. The built-in
diags and format utilities
are very nice, but for mass formats something that runs in the OS would
suit me better. You have to power cycle the disk drawer for each floppy
you format, which is probably OK but it gives me the heebie-jeebies. :)
The RXV21 clone controller I have in my primary 11/23+ system (an MXV21
made by MDA) allows simple formatting by poking a couple values into the
right registers. It works great. A few minutes of coding would result in
a SAV program that does it for you with prompts. Speaking of which: off-hand, how would one create a
binary program under
RT11 and then save it?
I'm a complete RT11 noob, so you're asking the wrong guy.
Another
thing that caught me short is that the DSD-440 honors the
write-protect notch. The RX02 doesn't (or my RX02s have been modified),
so it was a little surprising when I got a write-protect error on a
scratch disk I've been using on my 11/84.
Your RX02s are broken! 
5:08 p.m.
On Mon, 20 Jun 2005, Tim Shoppa wrote:
This I did not know. Now I do. I guess this will come in useful if I
ever use my RX02s.
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
[ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ]
[ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]
Your RX02s are
broken!
Real RX02's have no concept of write-protect notches. DEC-supplied
RX02 media generally had no notches in them. (In the mid-90's
if you ordered them you likely got re-labeled 3M media which did
have notches.)
5:06 p.m.
On Mon, 20 Jun 2005, Doc Shipley wrote:
No, but just plug their model numbers into the handy dandy Qbus and Unibus
Module Field Guide and you'll find out what they are:
http://world.std.com/~mbg/pdp11-field-guide.txt
I suspected thay'd been "fixed", but I don't think it's a
malfunction. All three sets came from the same company and all three
write to disks with the notch open.
Weird.
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
[ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ]
[ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]
The RXV21
clone controller I have in my primary 11/23+ system (an MXV21
made by MDA) allows simple formatting by poking a couple values into the
right registers. It works great. A few minutes of coding would result in
a SAV program that does it for you with prompts.
Uhh, I have a couple of Qbus cards by MDA that I've never identified.
Got pics? Another thing that caught me short is that the
DSD-440 honors the
write-protect notch. The RX02 doesn't (or my RX02s have been modified),
so it was a little surprising when I got a write-protect error on a
scratch disk I've been using on my 11/84.
Your RX02s are broken! 
5:12 p.m.
Your RX02s are
broken!
I suspected thay'd been "fixed", but I don't think it's a
malfunction. All three sets came from the same company and all three
write to disks with the notch open.
5:14 p.m.
The RXV21
clone controller I have in my primary 11/23+ system (an MXV21
made by MDA) allows simple formatting by poking a couple values into the
right registers. It works great. A few minutes of coding would result in
a SAV program that does it for you with prompts.
Uhh, I have a couple of Qbus cards by MDA that I've never identified.
Got pics? 
4:30 p.m.
I picked up at least two DSD manuals in my big haul
last week. I think
they both have disks in them. I can send you the disk (and a mamual if you
need it) if you'll promise to return them. FWIW Thom has a NIB DSD drive.
I think I'm going to pick it up and try to use it on my PDP-8. I've been
reading the description of the DSD drives in the manual and they sound
GREAT! They will do IBM 3740 format, DEC RL-01/02 format and some kind of
a
DD format. They also have stand alone diagnostics
built into the
controller
so you can test them with no computer attached (and no
special computer
SW!)
They are mostly quite cool :-). I will relate a cautionary tale, though.
While fiddling the DIP switches and power cycling, I discovered the hard way
that the DIP switches don't work reliably any more (probably some corrosion
in there). As a result, I didn't get the test that I wanted, and instead
erased my OS/8 diskette (grumble).
Since then, I formatted some blanks with the DSD drive, then switched over
to the RX02 to read and write them. someday I will have to pull and replace
the DIP switches on the DSD, I guess.
Vince
7125
days inactive
7126
days old
10 comments
6 participants
participants (6)
-
ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk -
doc＠mdrconsult.com -
rigdonj＠cfl.rr.com -
shoppa_classiccmp＠trailing-edge.com -
vcf＠siconic.com -
vrs＠msn.com