Does anyone here have a MFM drive duplicator? I think we might be able to use that or mirror the drive onto a small SCSI drive, FLUKE claims that the interface in the machine is SCSI - no mention of ESDI that I could find. Does anyone have any information on the Western Digital interface board (WD10025-SHD) that connects the MFM drive to the SCSI interface? Corey Stup mentioned:

Also note that both drives in my 9100's are MFM. They have a WD1006 "adaptor" card which translates them into ESDI, which is a precursor of SCSI.

However when I do a search on the pinout for ESDI it is a 34 pin connector, not the fifty pin one as is present on my 9100. Perhaps his machines are different. Still can't get the interface to talk to my SCSI adapter...working on that, but must get back to my POD-PC interface project, must avoid distractions.... John :-#)# At 02:56 PM 15/04/2002 +0100, Chris Hardy wrote:

Hi guys..

Dave Langley obtained a set of unused system floppy disks from Fluke (in Holland I think), which I have here sitting on my desk.

Dave was slowly duplicating them on his 9100a before it died, so I offered to duplicate them here at work. (We have a industrial floppy duplicator which was used when games came out on floppies instead of disks..).

The other reason was that it takes about 30 seconds to copy a disk instead of 10 minutes

Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to check that the disks are ok.. (and I have concerns that I may have accidently wiped one of them.. Sorry Dave!!)

I'll take them home tonight and check that they are readable on the 9100a I have, if I can work out how to read them using it!..

Also, while I'm at it, AFAIK the 9100a harddrive setup is basically a ESDI (SCSI forerunner) to MFM ST225 interface. I suspect that ESDI is not compatible with a std SCSI interface, and I wasn't really game to try it out as this 9100a is on loan to me.

Now, if anyone can find an old AT or XT ST225 harddrive board it should be a fairly simple process of sector by sector reading the drive. Of course, finding another drive to put it one is another question altogether.

I don't think the "Programmers Keyboard" is as simple as it seems.. You maybe able to connect up a keyboard, but there is still no way of displaying the information without a display card that plugs into the 9100a. I'm think there is a picture of the whole setup in one of the manuals on spies.

Chris Hardy

PS BTW One of the useful additions of the 9100a is that it will do bitwise memory tests.. Great for 2114's and SI boards PSS I'm not going to be able to reply to emails after Wednesday this week as I'm going to be on holiday for a month

------------------------- IMPORTANT INFORMATION -------------------------

The contents of this email are confidential, may be subject to legal privilege and protected by copyright. They are intended for the named addressee only. If you are not the named addressee or a person acting on behalf and with the authority of the addressee and have received this email by mistake, any copying, disclosure or dissemination of the contents of this email to any third party is strictly forbidden by the sender and the sender reserves all rights and remedies against any person or entity making any such unauthorised use thereof. If you have received this email in error, please would you contact the sender immediately by Telephone +44 (0)20 7551 0000, Fax +44 (0)20 7551 0001 or return of email and then delete and/or destroy this email. Please note that any views or opinions presented are (unless the context otherwise makes it clear) solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Virgin Interactive.

Please also note that Virgin endeavours at all times to keep its network free of viruses. You should, however, scan this email and any attachments to it for any viruses. Virgin will not be held responsible for any viruses which may be transmitted upon receipt of this email or the opening of any attachment thereto.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------