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Intel Intellec MDS 80

C

candrews

Experienced Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2016
Messages
79
Location
WA State, USA
looking for an Intel MDS. something like a 220 or 230 but needs to run ISIS-II. needs to have double density drive controller.

thanks
 
Do you know if you need M3FM or MFM?
The dive built into the 230 was usually a FM,
single density because it ran off the IOC card.
Dwight
 
Do you mean M2FM (MMFM), Dwight?

Has someone hosted ISIS-II on SIMH or likewise? I know that there's a version that runs on a P112. It's been donkey's years since I've used it (on an MDS-800). Too wordy for my tastes.
 
Chuck(G) said:
Do you mean M2FM (MMFM), Dwight?

Has someone hosted ISIS-II on SIMH or likewise? I know that there's a version that runs on a P112. It's been donkey's years since I've used it (on an MDS-800). Too wordy for my tastes.
Click to expand...

We always called it "m squared fm" and wrote it as m2fm, while I worked there.
Dwight
 
"Do you know if you need M3FM or MFM?"

Was what I was writing about. But "modified modified frequency modulation". Intel had their own version, as did HP, with regard to address marks and such--as did AES.
 
Oops I see I said M3FM instead of M2FM. Thanks for correcting.
The eternal drive could be M2FM or MFM, depending on the controller
cards used ( it took 2 until very late ). Even the internal drive could
be connected to a M2FM but usually wasn't.
My understanding was that Intel intended to use what IBM was going
to use but IBM later went to MFM, that I'm told needed slightly less
bandwidth and was more reliable.
Intel had already invested in the firmware for M2FM, all written for
the 3000 series bitslice.
Dwight
 
Last edited:
I remember the digital (channel) card from the MDS. Ran very, very hot, IIRC. As far as bandwidth, meh, maybe a bit lower on the low end, but not significant.
 
Hello
The Intel Intellect MDS 230 I have is dual density and is two external drives. Also an external expansion box. All mounted on a special 4 wheel table cart.
I have a museum of old computers. See at: My Museum
Then click on Old Computer Technology, then the arrows. Hope to get a picture of my Intel Intellect 80 on soon.
 
Chuck(G) said:
I remember the digital (channel) card from the MDS. Ran very, very hot, IIRC. As far as bandwidth, meh, maybe a bit lower on the low end, but not significant.
Click to expand...

I was responsible for the analog card as a test engineer, since I knew what
a resistor and diode were.
Every now an then, production would mix the zeners in with the signal diodes.
The zeners didn't work that well for the balanced mixer, used for the phase detector.

Thinking of the heat, I'd once seen 3002s in plastic packages. One wonders
how long they'd last.
Dwight
 
glforbes said:
Hello
The Intel Intellect MDS 230 I have is dual density and is two external drives. Also an external expansion box. All mounted on a special 4 wheel table cart.
I have a museum of old computers. See at: My Museum
Then click on Old Computer Technology, then the arrows. Hope to get a picture of my Intel Intellect 80 on soon.
Click to expand...

You can see the MDS 230 by using the link above and the click Development Systems or I just put it up for sale on Craigs List Phoenix. The search for Intellec.
 
I was looking at what I wrote. I should clarify by correcting my mistake.
The internal drive was FM ( single density ) and ran from a floppy chip mounted on the IOC card. External floppies were usually MMFM or M2FM,
as we called them at the time. One cold use the M2FM controller on the internal drive as well.
My correction is that I stated that the internal was a MFM, which is incorrect, it should have been FM.
Dwight
 
candrews said:
looking for an Intel MDS. something like a 220 or 230 but needs to run ISIS-II. needs to have double density drive controller.

thanks
Click to expand...

I have a few Series II MDS systems. Some with double density controller boards. Are you interested in acquiring one? I'm in the Detroit area and they are VERY heavy to ship.

Dave
 
Dave

I have had to lay off my new acquisitions until I catch up with the projects I already have. That said, at some point I would like to get a MDS-720 disk drive.

Craig
 
If anyone is still watching this thread, I could use some help troubleshooting the SBC-202 M2FM controller board set in my MDS-230 (Intellec II). With the boards removed, the system works properly and passes all the built-in tests. When I install the controller boards, the power up self-test fails just about everything and the system is unresponsive. I'm completely unfamiliar with the design and not sure where to start with troubleshooting.
 
It has been too long since I worked on this stuff. You're best bet is to find some boards to swap out. At least that way you could isolate which board was the issue.
Dwight
 
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