Re: Persci drives and the Cromemco 16FDC - for Herb & Amardeep
- From: Barry Watzman <WatzmanNOSPAM@xxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 27 Sep 2009 12:20:50 -0400
I have a number (all things considered, a relatively large number) of 16FDCs here, of which:
-Some work, at least superficially, with my Shugart SA-860's
-Some work only if I change the RDOS ROM from 2.01 to 2.52
-Some have a working monitor but not a working FDC interface (no matter what ROM is installed). Likely a data separator problem.
-Some are totally non-responsive
Some have 2.01 firmware, some 2.52 firmware and one has 3.07 firmware. 2.xx firmware is on 4k ROMs (eg 2732 or similar); the version 3 firmware is on an 8k ROM (2764). I could use at least one more 2.52 ROM, but I have no way of burning one.
I'm planning to offer some of them (probably the non-working ones) on E-Bay. Perhaps as soon as this evening. I am also planning to offer an S-100 chassis complete with a Cromemco ZPU, a 16FDC, memory and a diskette that boots CP/M (e.g. a complete system, but no drives or terminal).
The information in your post and in Emil's post is definitely helpful.
I wish that there was a repository somewhere of the different board revision levels (most of mine are rev. E & F) and subsequent "wire mods" to them. Almost no two boards that I have are the same.
MikeS wrote:
On Sep 26, 4:11 pm, Barry Watzman <WatzmanNOS...@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:.Picking up on a an old topic ....
A number of us have from time to time wanted to use the Cromemco 16FDC
floppy disk controllers with non-Persci 8" drives.
There is a thread about this on Herb Johnson's web site (although I
can't find it, but I have it copied on my computer).
[actually, it is here:http://www.retrotechnology.com/herbs_stuff/s_persci.html]
Part of that is a series of exchanges between Herb, myself and Amardeep
Chana from 2004.
At the end of this exchange, Herb wrote:
"Editor's note: Amardeep was able to complete his work and operate the
drives successfully. When I get the details I will put them up on my
site and put the link here. - Herb "
So, Herb (or Amardeep ....) .... was the final mods and techniques to
get a 16FDC to support non-Persci drives ever documented anywhere?
Another note, FWIW ...
Working on some 16FDCs in the past weeks, I have discovered that if I
try to boot using my Zenith Data Systems Z-100's external 8" drives (a
pair of Shugart SA-860's), it works if the 16FDC has RDOS (the firmware
ROM) version 2.52, but it fails if the 16FDC has version 2.01 (and I can
change the socketed ROM and prove that the firmware is the issue).
Anyone have any idea why? Is anyone able to burn some 2.52 ROMs for me
(it takes a 4k byte 2732; I can burn 2708's and 2716's but not 2732's).
Also, does anyone know what features and functions RDOS version 3.xx
added relative to version 2.52?
I'm almost certain that the 16FDC with RDOS 2.52 supported the Tandon
TM848s that Cromemco used in the later System 3s and the Z-2 TopHats,
but I also seem to recall that the drives had some jumper wire mods
added. I doubt that anything prior to 2.50 would handle any 8" drives
other than the Perscis.
Are you sure that 2.52 is a 2732 equivalent? I'll have to check that
for myself one of these days. Sounds like you have one; why do you
need one burned?
3.xx ROMS were 8K and added support for booting from hard disks (as
well as some minor changes to the monitor commands); 3.08 would boot
the WDI IMI disks and 3.12 the STDC ST412 types.
mike
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