Date   : Tue, 23 Sep 2003 12:30:45 +0100
From   : Philip Blundell <pb@...>
Subject: Re: Two BBC Micros need some help!

On Tue, 2003-09-23 at 04:36, Mike Tomlinson wrote:
> The 8271 is as rare as hen's teeth now - it was already obsolete when
> Acorn designed the Beeb;  I suspect the designers just cut'n'pasted in
> the working disc control circuitry from the original System 1/3/Atom
> (the Beeb's predecessors) without considering the availability of the
> chip.

Yeah, indeed.  I remember those chips used to change hands for
(relatively) vast sums of money in the late 80s.  

I think I do have a tube of spare 8271s somewhere, if anybody is in need
of one.  Possibly a couple of 1770s as well.

p.