HD Controllers - S-100 & Corvus Omninet

From: M H Stein <mhstein_at_usa.net>
Date: Sat Dec 1 19:17:54 2001

Thanks for the interesting info, Frank. I thought that Corvus had
used these drives because I've got Corvus ads from old Bytes and
they certainly do look like these 7710's; not much else looks
like these babies. But although I've seen a reference to ANSI X3T9,
I gather that the interface was proprietary to IMI.

Don't need the docs for the interface, but thanks for mentioning
that you've got some; I've got a manual for the controller from the
good old days when manuals actually told you something, as well
as calibration notes for the drives, and am about to check out the
drives before I get rid of them. I was just curious if the controllers
are of any use for any other drives since I have more controllers
than drives.

If you want the Corvus board, send me a note off list & let me know
where you are.

mike

-------------------Original Message----------------
Date: 01 Dec 2001 00:08:00 -0800
From: Frank McConnell <fmc_at_reanimators.org>
Subject: Re: HD Controllers - S-100 & Corvus Omninet

M H Stein <mhstein_at_usa.net> wrote:
> Does anybody know anything about the HD interface bus Cromemco used
> with their early IMI drives <snip>

Yes, Corvus used these drives. I'd expect Onyx did too; the story is
that the VC who funded IMI also funded Onyx and Corvus so that IMI
would have customers. It's interesting to know that Cromemco used
them too.

I'm sitting here looking at a photocopy of a data sheet of sorts for
the IMI 7710, and it does provide some description of the interface.
25 signals on a 34-line bus. I suspect it's somewhere between "more
than I want to type" and "less than you need to know to use the
drive", because I can't quite figure out how you would transfer a
block of data to the drive from what's printed here.

> Finally, I also have a Corvus S-100 board; looks like it might be a
> host adapter for a disk drive of some sort. Only markings are
> Corvus S-100, 8008 REV K, copyright 1980; 11 TTL chips & a 34 pin
> header. Anybody know what it is and/or want it?

Yes, that's the Corvus hard disk interface for S-100, p/n
8010-08008-00. I could be interested in it.

- -Frank McConnell
Received on Sat Dec 01 2001 - 19:17:54 GMT

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