🚀 go-pugleaf

I recently upgraded to Version 2 of Radio Shack's OS9 Operating System
for their Color Computer.  After close examination of their updated
manual, I noticed that there was a entry for CCHDISK, H#_15, H#_30.
Fantastic!  About time that RS decided that there MIGHT be a few serious
OS9'ers out here!

I already had a third party (to remain nameless) Hard Drive Interface
cartridge.  I was not too thrilled with the effects I was getting, though.
I was using this third party interface with a Xebec controller and a 15
Meg drive.  I was able to format the drive okay using another type of
computer with the SAME Xebec controller (and software that I was VERY
familiar with, much of it my own) so I have a sneaky feeling that the
controller and drive are okay.  I just was not too sure of the interface
and the OS9 software and did not have the time to delve to deeply into
it.

No NEED!  RS has a $139 CONTROLLER for OS9.  PLUGS RIGHT INTO YOUR
MULTI-PACK!  Great!  Even has RS "TESTED" software!

The Device Descriptor for the 15 Meg drive even sounded great.  Six
Heads (Got), 306 Cylinders (Exactly)!  Just what I had!

The Title above the Device Descriptor said WD1010 (Western Digital),
though.  Would have to reformat my drive.  Didn't matter too much,
though, because the drive was already corrupted.

RS, here I come!  However, the manager of the RS local store said that
it was a special item, sorry he could not order it.  Try the Computer
Center across the street.  He's all right.  I've dealt with him before
and found him fairly honest and half-way knowledgeable about his
products.

Computer Center, here I come!  Had to go in early one morning because
they are usually closed (or just opening up) by the time I get home.

"No problem", I was told.  "All I need is your money.  It is a special
product, we CAN NOT carry it in stock.  It will be here in 3 days UPS."

Wednesday morning, give them until Monday / Tuesday latest then.  Tuesday
morning I was told "Yes, we have confirmation of your order.  It is
dated Monday".  Okay, give them another 2 days.

Turned out to be TWO WEEKS in getting here!  Seems they sent it by boat
(Middle of Georgia, now!) that had a stop over in China and the boat had
engine problems!

I'm normally an easy going type of person and so did not complain too
much about the length of time it took for my PAID for purchase to get
here nor the lack of un-returned phone calls trying to found out what
had happened.  I just wanted my CONTROLLER!

Well, I zipped open the box (nearly destroying it in my haste) and
pulled out a NICE, SMALL CARTRIDGE with A cable coming out one end.
Sound familiar?  Same slick design as the Floppy CONTROLLER I purchased
without the RS drives about 2 years ago.

At that time, I did not want to purchase the RS drives because 630
free 256 byte sectors was just to FEW for my desires!  After all, I
work with 10 to 120 MEGABYTE Hard Drives all day long and then to
come home to 158 KILOBYTES seemed rediculous!

So, I purchased the Floppy CONTROLLER separately and installed my own
floppy drives.  With a little debugging and some re-writting, I had
CCDISK talking to 80 track drives and FREE returned 2880 free 256 byte
sectors on a freshly formatted disk!  Almost 5 RS drives per drive with
FULL 4 drive (mine) capability!

But Floppy Drives are SO SLOW, even at RS's fastest step rate.  BUT IT
DOESN'T MATTER!!!  I NOW HAVE MY OWN RS SUPPORTED HARD DRIVE CONTROLLER!

Granted the manual that came with the CONTROLLER left MUCH to be desired!
It was a sheet of paper folded twice to give six pages with "useful"
information printed on three sides.  The other sides contained a title
page, license, etc.  Not much for someone who modifies Drive-related
software for a living!  Most (replace with the word "all") of the three
pages re-hashed RS's blurb on how the system should be OFF before
installing new equipment.

But wait just one minute!  If I am not sadly mistaken (and I would lose
my job if I were), are there not supposed to be TWO CABLES coming out
of the CONTROLLER going to the DRIVE?  All drives that I have seen
require two cables.  If you noticed above, I said "SMALL CARTRIDGE with
A cable coming out one end".  FIFTY PINS WORTH!!!!

I CLAIM FALSE ADVERTISING AGAINST RADIO SHACK / TANDY CORPORATION,
WHOEVER!  WHAT I ORDERED FROM A PRINTED CATALOG DISTRIBUTED BY RADIO
SHACK AND DELIVERED TO ALL OF THEIR STORES SPECIFIED A "HARD DRIVE
CONTROLLER" FOR THE RADIO SHACK COLOR COMPUTER!

WHAT I RECEIVED WAS WHAT ANY ONE WITH A LITTLE COMPUTER SENSE WOULD
KNOW WAS AN INTERFACE BETWEEN THE COLOR COMPUTER AND RADIO SHACK'S
PRIMARY HARD DRIVE.  THE PRIMARY HARD DRIVE (PROBABLY GREATLY OVER
PRICED) CONTAINS THE CONTROLLER!

Come on, RS!  If you are going to sell a *^$#@$&^%((*&%# INTERFACE
(see, I was nice enough to forget where the keys were for what I really
wanted to type) THEN ADVERTISE IT AS A *^$#@$&^%((*&%# INTERFACE!!!

THERE IS NO WAY THIS SIDE OF THE PROVERBIAL PLACE OF ETERNAL PUNISHMENT
THAT YOU CAN EVEN REMOTELY CALL AN INTERFACE A CONTROLLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you would wake up, you might find that there are a few of us outside
your stores that occasionally wander in that know what we are doing.
We realize that you have a potentially NON-GAMES games-computer, some
fairly decent software (Let's face it.  After working with 200K
parent-type operating systems, an child operating system that fits in
64K and still allows YOU to do something is FANTASTIC!), and we are
putting it to a good use!

Would it be too hard to call a spade a spade and not a hoe?  I will give
you credit for one thing, though.  You DID make me wait 2 WEEKS for a
product that, if it had been in the store where I could have examined it,
I would have had a hard time leaving for laughing so hard.  A CONTROLLER?

Give us some credit!  We like your product!  It gives us a nice,
inexpensive home unit that allows us to run software that is similar
to other, larger, name brand operating systems.

So, reader, if you want to be TAKEN IN by RS's sales catalog that calls
a spade a rake, hurry on down to your local RS Computer Center and order
your very own RS Color Computer $139 Hard Drive CONTROLLER (which won't
do you one &^%$ bit of good unless you get a $140 third party Western
Digital Controller to go along with your INTERFACE) and then you, too,
can figure out how to split up that 50 pin connector so that it fits
on the back of your hard drive!

When you do, send me some EMAIL.  If you are interested in cheap land
(off the coast from Daytona), cheap sail boat fuel, etc., I am trying
to sell all I've got!

Bryan Ivey

Even though dissatisfied, NONE of the above opinions reflect the
opinions of my company nor my employers and are in no way connected
with my professional opinion.