S100 Harddisk controller for Diablo 30/40 14"drives...

[jdreesen]

...do they exist ? did anyone ever made such controllers ?

 

[hmb]

...do they exist ? did anyone ever made such controllers ?

The Diablo 30 used 2315 cartridges, the Diablo 40 used 5440 cartridges. XCOMP developed a 2-board controller for the S100 bus, where one of the two boards was specific to the drive system it was connected to. XCOMP's product advertising indicated they had an interface board for use with 2315 and 5440 cartridge systems. For more basic information about XCOMP's controller (though not specific to the version for the 2315 and 5440) see http://www.s100computers.com/Hardware Folder/XComp/Hard Disk Controller/XCOMP.htm

 

[Al Kossow]

A friend in Milwaukee sold one
these are probably the only examples of them that still exist in the world

 

[jdreesen]

Thanks for the inputs. That Processor Interface board looks remarkebly simple. Any chance of software surviving , and/ or a better pic that allows IC-types to be read ?

(Yes, I would try to copy this board....)

 

[Al Kossow]

I have four of them, we just need to work out how to get one to you.
I need to see about getting a copy of the docs from Herb Johnson.

 

[Al Kossow]

If you're trying to read those Burroughs packs, you'll probably be better off with an arduino for control and a logic analyzer to pick up the sector pulses and data

 

[jdreesen]

I am trying to get a Diablo 44 onto a currently diskless Cromemco Sys 3 just for the hell of it.

But I indeed also need to get some misc diskpacks ( both 2315 and 5440 style) read and archived. Among which are 2 2315 packs with software for the ICL1501.

 

[Al Kossow]

I'm waiting on the quote from Herb for copying the manual
I assume the model 44 is known to be working? They are beasts. I can't even move one myself now.
I like the model 30s because they were the lightest of the 2315 style drives

 

[jdreesen]

I got 4 of these Diablos ( 44A coupled to a PDP8/E , 3x44B) : should be able to restore at least a few to working state. And yes, they are true beasts.
I also have a Diablo 33 that will go onto my Datapoint 2200, and 2 fixed disks Diablo-30 that go onto the ICL1501. I've got the controllers for both.

 

[Hugo Holden]

Thanks for the inputs. That Processor Interface board looks remarkebly simple. Any chance of software surviving , and/ or a better pic that allows IC-types to be read ?

(Yes, I would try to copy this board....)

These sorts of boards appear simple on the face of it. But often these glue logic boards are moderately complex. Even with the manual and an accurate schematic and if you are lucky a circuit description they can take some weeks to understand the logic and the reasoning behind it.

The best hope you would have of replicating one is:

The original manual.

The schematic.

Detailed photos of the pcb which show most track connections (except for the ones hiding under the IC's which you can deduce from the schematic).

Be prepared to burn the midnight oil. and with a helpful pcb maker you may be able to replicate it.

 

[new_castle_j]

Are the Diablo drives different than other Storage Module Drive interfaces or Cartridge Module Drive interfaces?

 

[jdreesen]

The controller hardware has to be different . For the Diablo 44 the bitrate is 2.5 MHz.

 

[Al Kossow]

Are the Diablo drives different than other Storage Module Drive interfaces or Cartridge Module Drive interfaces?

SMD/CMD was a CDC invention, and sort of resembles IBM's Bus and Tag
Diablo is MUCH simpler, and can easily be controlled with a microcontroller.
It has open collector lines for unit/cylinder/head, and returns an index pulse and separate clock and data
The 2315/5440 OEM drives evolved from IBM's low-end disk systems for the 1130 and System 3
The closest from CDC was the Hawk. DEC's RK05 is a superset of the Diablo 33 interface, which
was what they used for the RK03