🚀 go-pugleaf

I recently installed a SuperMac DataFrame XP150i in a Mac II.  Here's a
couple of quick observations.

When I saw the external DataFrame XP150 at MacWorld, I noticed how large
the case was, and wondered how the internal version could fit inside the
Mac II box.  Well, now I know.  SuperMac supplies a replacement part for
the metal stamping that serves as a tray for internal drives inside the
Mac II.  The replacement part still supports two floppy drives in their
normal positions, but the rear half of the tray has a stepped recess that
goes down an inch or two and accommodates the hard disk.  It's a tight
fit, but everything fit in OK (see note below) and works fine.

The drive mechanism is a 5.25" unit manufactured by a division of Control
Data Corporation.  Disk timer results were as follows:

               100 24kb reads      26 deciseconds
               100 24kb writes     29 deciseconds
               Step time            7 deciseconds

Subjectively, the disk seems a bit faster than the XP20 we were using
temporarily.  Noise is minimal, less than the Mac II's fan.  I was pleased
to find that SuperMac is now supplying nice glossy documentation with
their drives - this used to be a weak area.

The only hitch in the installation came while the Mac II cover was going
back on.  There is a molded plastic post that extends from under the
inside of the cover down to the metal tray that carries the disk drives -
probably to support the case against the weight of large monitors.  The
replacement tray sits a bit higher, so the post was pushing the cover up
enough to produce an unslightly bulge.  Undaunted, I raided the toolbox
and had at the post with a file.  An officemate heard the noise and saw me
working on the open Mac II in a cloud of plastic dust.  Came the obvious
question: "What's going on?"

"File optimizing," I answered.



-- 
Julian Vrieslander    (607) 255-3594
Neurobiology & Behavior, W250 Mudd Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853    
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