🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <6285@hub.ucsb.edu>, jim@ferkel.ucsb.edu (Oreo Cat) writes:
> I have a MV II system which a few months ago was completely broken,
> but I am now close to having it up and running again. 
> 
> ....I understand that I need to have the 'Maintenance Diagnostics' tape
> to format disks.  So first off, is there anyone out there who will lend
> or sell me their 'Maintenance Diagnostics' tape or disks? ....

  At the time that we were mucking around with these (RD disks, etc) DEC
  would not sell the Maintenance Diagnostics.  Instead, it wanted to charge
  you for on-site formatting "service".  DEC took at least one company to 
  court over this...  I don't know if DEC has become any more benevolent on
  this issue.

> I see them (DEC drives) advertised for.....
> $150 for a RD52, $300 for a RD53, and $1400 for an RD54. 
> ....out of curiousity, why is the RD54 so expensive?  It's just over twice
> the capacity of an RD53, but 4 times the price!

  For many reasons, there are a lot more RD52's and RD53's floating around in
  the used-equipment market.  If you are an end-user and want to sell one to
  an equipment dealer, you pretty much have to give it away.

> Another question: Is
> it possible to hook up non-DEC drives?  It's just an ST506 interface,
> and a lot of these drives are really cheap.

  As best as we could tell, our two RD53's were Micropolis drives.  The only
  difference was that some sort of skid plate had been added on.  Another 
  alternative, which costs more money, is to get a SCSI controller for the
  QBUS and attach a SCSI drive.


  greg pavlov, fstrf, amherst, ny/