I wrote:
> >IIRC, the DSD drives _can_ format floppies.
>
Tim Shoppa replied:
> Absolutely, in both RX01 and RX02 modes.
> If you have the DSD-440 hooked to your PDP-11, you
> can just boot the utility floppy that came with the
> DSD-440...
You presume much. I got this box from Ohio State in
two racks of PDP-11 hardware about ten years ago. I
did get a lot of software, but I don't recall a DSD
disk.
> You don't even need a computer hooked to the drive
> to do it - you just set the hyperdiagnostic
> DIPswitch pack on the in-box controller to format the
> floppies, and let it rip.
Cool. I may need this in the future, but for now, I've
got several boxes of real RX02K's, new, that I got
from a guy who used to have a whole pallet of various
disks from various vendors. Before anyone asks, he's
out of business, I got the disks in 1991, and there
were only two shipping boxes of RX02K's. With all the
eOverpay frenzy for nominally valueless classic stuff,
I wish I had asked for a box of the hard-sectored
floppies he had.
> Never, ever, lose the hyperdiagnostics section of
> your DSD440 manual!
I can't lose what I never had. Want to help me not
lose it by sending me a copy? I will, of course, pay
shipping and copying charges.
> Every DSD440 box I have (gees, there must be 9 or 10 > now) has a
Xerox of the DSD440 hyperdiagonstics
> pocket ref taped to the top cover :-).
That sounds like a doc worthy of scanning and/or
retyping for future generations of collectors. If
I had a copy, I'd do it myself (hint ;-).
> >> There were also bus adapters for the Unibus and
> >> Omnibus available.
>
> It's a quad-size card marked "DSD 2131". There's a
> complete schematic of the interface on page A-20 of
> your DSD 440 User Guide. Looks to be maybe $15 in
> TTL chips.
Most excellent. I happen to have a quad DEC prototype
wire-wrap board. This might make an good use of it
(if I don't stick something like a 32K SRAM and SCSI
or IDE port on that board first).
Thanks for all the good info.
-ethan
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Received on Mon Mar 08 1999 - 10:11:47 GMT