"System Technology Associates"? SDI-ESDI adapter

From: Doc Shipley <doc_at_mdrconsult.com>
Date: Fri Oct 22 20:16:26 2004

Ethan Dicks wrote:

> On Thu, Oct 21, 2004 at 05:45:31PM -0700, Doc Shipley wrote:
>
>> Could be. I think these might have been the cans in a full-wide
>>shelf, too. The bridge board is about 8" x 12", and sits above the PSU,
>>with the ESDI drives sitting sideways in the enclosure in front of that.
>
>
> Hmm... that size sounds different than the one I have - my memory is
> a card that is square and about 8" on a side.

   Well, that's based on the 5-minute inspection outside the thrift
where I got 'em. :) I'm hoping to have time to get board numbers and
snapshots this weekend. Maybe even see how they run.

>>>Can't verify now... give me a few months if you don't find any info.
>>
>> Awww, c'mon, Ethan! Just trot out to the garage and have a look!
>
>
> A) It's in the basement
>
> B) The basement is in Ohio
>
> C) Ohio is 12,000 miles from here.

   I know, I know! I *knew* I shoulda put a smiley there!

   BTW, I turned my spousal equivalent on to your McMurdo pages and
she's a huge fan now.

> I can't say for sure, but largish (capacity) 5.25" drives _should_ auto-park
> (parking was an issue for transporting < 100MB MFM drives, but later units
> usually got over it), and the beauty of MSCP is that you can just throw a
> drive on a controller and there's no host-side configuration.

   Exactly.

>> If they work, it'll be a major improvement - power-wise, space-wise,
>>volume-wise, and noise-wise - over the RA60s I'm running now. :)
>
>
> Oh, yea. We had an RA60 at work, c. 1987. It was handy to be able to
> change packs to change the OS, but in practice, we virtually never did
> so. I received a short rack with a couple of RA60s in 2000, and haven't
> had occasion to power them on yet (I'd rather focus my energy on putting
> my RA70s to use - similar capacity, *much* less power).

   I do actually swap packs a lot in the RA60 attached to my 11/84. One
for BSD, one for RT-11, etc.

> For that matter, I wouldn't mind finding an RA72 or two... size without
> the wallet-sucking motors.

   I have 2 RA81s I've never even tested. One's probably trash - it
came in the lot with the RA60s, and none of the RA60s had the heads
locked down. Sooner or later I'll check, but I'm betting the RA81 isn't
parked. And the specced power budget on that pup is about twice that of
the RA60. FOURTEEN AMPS just to spin up????

   Jeeze.


        Doc
Received on Fri Oct 22 2004 - 20:16:26 BST