Hard Sector Disks

From: Christian Fandt <cfandt_at_netsync.net>
Date: Thu Jan 21 13:29:28 1999

At 10:23 AM 1/21/99 -0800, Marvin <marvin_at_rain.org> wrote:
>Christian Fandt wrote:
>>
>> >My understanding from they guy I got an H-8 from was that both hard and
soft
>> >sector disks were used. In this case, it started out with the hard
sectored
>> >disks, and then a conversion was added to change to the soft sectors. I
>> >have no idea though of what the timing was as to when the soft sector
>> >conversion became available.
>>
>> Do you have an H-17 or H-37 drive system?
>
>I have the H-17. What is the H-37 as I don't recognize it by that number?
>I have other two cases, one with dual full height 5 1/4" drives and the
>other with dual 8" drives, but I don't know the model number at the moment.

The H37 system was soft sectored only and the box was styled to sort of
match the H89/Z90 machines. Color was the same --that greyish color,
drives mounted vertically side-by-side, the front panel sloped back about
10 - 15 degrees. The H8-37 disk controller replaced the H8-17 controller
used with your system. There also were both hard and soft sectored
controller boards for the 89/90 machines.

As for your other two cases, the one with the 5 1/4" drives would be a '37
if it was as described above.

Now, for the 8" unit, if you've got an H47 (which I've _never_ seen, just
have a manual and controller board) then you'd have an H8-47 controller
board plugged into the H8 bus The H47 controller has a simple SASI
interface and two serial ports. The '17 and '47 could work together I
believe (Barry W.?)

If you have an H27, then the box would look similar to the H8 and H11 but
be bigger and a couple hundred pounds heavier (well, it dang sure as heck
seems like it). And, it would not work with the H8, only an H11.

I have all of the above in my collection except for the H47. I built the H8
system myself in '82/'83; recently obtained two of the H11 systems and
found a partial H89 10 - 12 years ago.

As for the soft sector conversion you mentioned, I don't really recall such
a thing but these machines could certainly be hacked. I wonder if the
software was hacked for the H17 system to ignore looking for the 10 sector
holes yet only notice the index hole thus utilizing a s/s floppy? (again,
Barry?)

-- Chris
-- --
Christian Fandt, Electronic/Electrical Historian
Jamestown, NY USA cfandt_at_netsync.net
Member of Antique Wireless Association
        URL: http://www.ggw.org/freenet/a/awa/
Received on Thu Jan 21 1999 - 13:29:28 GMT

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