Re: Unibus controller for MFM disks
> > Date: Sun, 16 Oct 2016 12:07:24 -0700 > From: "Ian S. King" <isk...@uw.edu> > Subject: Re: Unibus controller for MFM disks > > When I left in 2014, LCM's Massbus disk emulator was working quite well > indeed, and was running in 'production' to keep down the hours on the RP06 > drives. ISTR the plan was always to open-source the hardware and firmware, > too. > -- > Ian S. King, MSIS, MSCS, Ph.D. Candidate > The Information School <http://ischool.uw.edu> > Dissertation: "Why the Conversation Mattered: Constructing a Sociotechnical > Narrative Through a Design Lens > > Archivist, Voices From the Rwanda Tribunal <http://tribunalvoices.org> > Value Sensitive Design Research Lab <http://vsdesign.org> > > University of Washington > I never got the Massbus disk emulator that I was promised for loaning the LCM a board from my KS10. -- Michael Thompson
Re: Unibus controller for MFM disks
On Sun, Oct 16, 2016 at 3:33 AM, Al Kossowwrote: > I can only think of one, the AED WINC-08 RL02 system, but that used 8" drives > Good luck finding one, and the matching interface card. I don't think Qualogy > Emulex or Dilog ever made MFM for Unibus. MFM controllers were mainly a QBus > market. I suppose some day I should make a list of all of the Unibus/Qbus disk > and tape controller vendors I can think of. > > There is a project going on right now in support of the Y-Combinator > Alto restoration to create a Diablo model 30 drive emulator. > Given how many RK11's there are in the world, that might be an option > once it's working. There is also the German RL02 drive emulator, which > seems to have stalled again. > > I hope someone gets a Q/Unibus non-mscp small disk emulator PCB built > some day. I wonder if Guy has had any time to work on his. A plug-compatible Massbus disk/tape emulator would be a Good Thing; there are things like pdp-10s that rely exclusively on Massbus and rare finicky power-hungry beasts like RP06. I kinda heard that LCM were working on something like that but don't know how far they got. Setasi had a disk emulator system based on a PC with a Massbus-on-FPGA card but they're rare and pretty unmaintainable too; I have one but not got it working yet. IBM channel-attached DASD would be another good one. It exists - the FlexCub. I know LCM use those too - but the price is commercial and way way up there. A hobbyist license for that would be helpful! I have a System/3 pretty much ready to boot - but it never will unless I can find or emulate the 3340 disks which are the only things it can use. Mike http://www.corestore.org 'No greater love hath a man than he lay down his life for his brother. Not for millions, not for glory, not for fame. For one person, in the dark, where no one will ever know or see.'
Re: Unibus controller for MFM disks
> On Oct 15, 2016, at 7:33 AM, Al Kossowwrote: > > > > I hope someone gets a Q/Unibus non-mscp small disk emulator PCB built > some day. I wonder if Guy has had any time to work on his. > No, I haven’t had any time to work on stuff. I still have the prototype MEM11A only half built. > > On 10/14/16 8:25 PM, Charles Dickman wrote: >> I don't know that Digital ever had a Unibus disk controller for ST412 >> interface disks, but were there any third party controllers? I'm in >> need of disk controllers for PDP-11/40 and think that might be an >> option given the availability of reliable MFM disk emulators. >> >> -chuck >> >
Re: Unibus controller for MFM disks
I can only think of one, the AED WINC-08 RL02 system, but that used 8" drives Good luck finding one, and the matching interface card. I don't think Qualogy Emulex or Dilog ever made MFM for Unibus. MFM controllers were mainly a QBus market. I suppose some day I should make a list of all of the Unibus/Qbus disk and tape controller vendors I can think of. There is a project going on right now in support of the Y-Combinator Alto restoration to create a Diablo model 30 drive emulator. Given how many RK11's there are in the world, that might be an option once it's working. There is also the German RL02 drive emulator, which seems to have stalled again. I hope someone gets a Q/Unibus non-mscp small disk emulator PCB built some day. I wonder if Guy has had any time to work on his. On 10/14/16 8:25 PM, Charles Dickman wrote: > I don't know that Digital ever had a Unibus disk controller for ST412 > interface disks, but were there any third party controllers? I'm in > need of disk controllers for PDP-11/40 and think that might be an > option given the availability of reliable MFM disk emulators. > > -chuck >