Date   : Sat, 21 Jan 1989 05:27:31 GMT
From   : morris@jade.Berkeley.EDU (Mike Morris)
Subject: Soft-Sector for Northstar Horizon?

In article <8901200353.AA26732@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> gonzalez@BBN.COM writes:
>Well, after a three-month disruption (work and hobbies don't always mix),
>I have resumed my search for a C compiler.  I've narrowed it down to BDS,
>Aztec and Toolworks.  I had called Leor Zolman about BDS, and made a most
>distressing discovery: he doesn't distribute on hard-sector floppies.  
>Subsequent examination of the literature from MANX and Software Toolworks 
>revealed that they can't help me and my DSDD 10-sector drive, either.  So,
>I guess I *first* need to get a soft-sector drive onto my system.  Anyone
>remember that cute song about Dear Henry and the bucket?  
>
>Anyway, I am pursuing two solutions.  The first is to simply purchase a soft-
>sector controller and a drive, and hammer out the driver in Z-80 assembler.
>The disadvantage of this is cost: a new Compupro Disk 1B lists for $620.
>As the guy who sold me this system concluded, at these prices one is better
>off buying a PC clone.  So, does anyone know of less expensive boards,
or have 
>one they want to sell?  Does it bother anyone else that S-100 boards are
>getting more expensive while watches, calculators, VCR's and CD players have
>dropped in price?
>
>The other possibility is to build a SCSI ontroller, as some people on this
>list have done, and buy a SCSI drive.  Assuming that I can find S-100 format
>prototyping boards, this would probably be cheaper.  Also, I would relish
>getting back to component-level work.  Any leads on prototyping boards?
>Has anyone on this list, in addition to Doug Braun, done this?
>
>                           -Jim.


There is another solution - call Workman and Associates in Pasadena, Ca.
at 818-791-7979 (BBS: 791-1013) and order BDS from them.  One of their
services is disk format conversion from (and to) over 350 different
formats, including 8", 5 1/4", 3 1/2", CP/M (-80, -86, -68k), MS/PC-DOS,
UNIX, Atari, etc, etc, etc.  I just got off the phone with Barry Workman,
and he has no problem with supplying a copy of the BDS with a second set
of North Star 10 sector floppies - in fact he has the media in stock.

Let me know if this helps.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#Include disclaimer.standard
#Include quote.cute

The opinions above probably do not even come close to those of my employer(s).

US Snail: ...............UUCP: .........................Also:
   Mike Morris .............morris@Jade.JPL.NASA.gov  ..... WA6ILQ
   P.O. Box 1130
   Arcadia, Ca. 91006-1130


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