Optimem 600 worm drives

From: Richard Erlacher <edick_at_idcomm.com>
Date: Thu Apr 6 20:17:02 2000

'turns out that the doc's I have are for OptoTech drives, not Optimem.
Sorry - The doc's reminded me that the interface we dealt with most of the
time in the mid-'80's was a modified ESDI. If these are SCSI you're
probably OK, but if it looks like ESDI, be CERTAIN you get the matching
controller. The WORM drives I remember from Sperry, OptoTech, Cherokee,
etc, all used a modified ESDI interface. That meant you had to have the
matching controller with the matching firmware.

BTW ... Be careful what you get into with that R.J. Kulman guy, and don't
buy anything the functionality, condition, completeness, and normal price of
which is not precisely known to you. He's famous for selling things way
above retail when he can, and seldom has complete units.

The O

Dick

----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Ford <mikeford_at_socal.rr.com>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2000 4:01 PM
Subject: Re: Optimem 600 worm drives


> >I may still have some documentation, etc, for Optimem hardware. I once
had
> >the task of integrating them in to a microVAX in place of the TK50. If
the
> >doc's turn up in the next few days, I'll let you know. They may help
with
> >the eBay auction.
> >
> >They subsequently went under and were acquired by Sperry, IIRC.
>
> Any information should help. I don't think these have some special value,
> except maybe to some certain small group that still uses them, but it was
> one of those if I don't buy it, it goes in the shredder. Most disgusting.
I
> was only able to save two out of four brand new units I found, the other
> two were a bit mashed by sloppy loading.
>
> I "think" I know someone who may have a LOT of these sitting in a
warehouse
> in the factory shipping boxes, so I am going to discretely question him on
> media etc. RJ Kuhlman (the SCSI guy always selling drives etc. in the SCSI
> newsgroups) has been trying to sell some of these for the last few months,
> starting at $150 and latest was $100 w del, so maybe the batch I knew of
> has been shifted.
>
>
Received on Thu Apr 06 2000 - 20:17:02 BST