🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Dec11.231842.1775@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu> tom@afthree.as.arizona.edu (Thomas J. Trebisky) writes:

>                                                  As to whether an
>RD-31 is actually a DEC relabelled St225, probably, but who knows!


I do!  I have them both right here:

ST-225 has a ground clip in the back for a standard narrow fast-on.  For some
unknown reason DEC ordered the drives without it.  The DM II sometimes was
shipped with an explanation that it was OK to leave the ground wire already
in place dangling!

RD31 has an insulating layer applied to the top surface in a few square inches
in an odd pattern.  I now know why:  when the drive is used, such as in a
DECmate III+ where an RX33 (TEAC FD55GFR/V) drive is above the hard disk, this
is just added security to ensure the floppy board doesn't short out on the
hard disk metal surface.  If you are careful to always ensure favoring the
screws to slightly raise the floppy above the hard disk, there is no problem, 
alternatively you could apply contact paper to the ST-225 top surface to 
accomplish pretty much the same thing.  ST-225 is a "fat" half-height drive,
and some TEAC drives are "fat" also, in the underside region, so tolerances
being what they are, this could cause a short circuit.

The RD31 is clearly marked as a Seagate ST-225.  DEC has the standard flaw
chart from Seagate as well.  So, if I transplanted the insulating layer and
removed the ground clip (which I have since restored in the DEC drive :-))
and transferred all of the bar code stickers, you couldn't tell which is
the ST-225 and which is the RD-31.

cjl