Persci 299 with unknown Persci dual S-100 cards?

[Brent Hilpert]

On 2015-Jun-26, at 4:11 AM, Santo Nucifora wrote:
> 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-boards/
>> 
>> 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.


Not a lot of help, but there's a brochure for the 1070 and 1170 controllers here:
	http://maben.homeip.net/static/S100/persci/brochure/Persci%201070%201170%20Controllers.pdf

The one picture in the brochure looks like it is of the 1070 though, so no pic of the 1170; it also doesn't mention it being a double-board set.

(A 2708 could be read with a 2716 reader with an adapter to reroute a couple of pins, and additional -5/+12 power supplies.)