Identification help needed "A500 HDD-controller"

Faerytale · 14 October 2007, 12:46

Anyone??

DrF · 14 October 2007, 13:01

The wedge shape box thingy looks like those Supra RAM expanstions/HD thingys or was it GVP from back in the day for the A500/+, but it has no logos, badges etc?

As for that big box... hmmm have you tried popping it open and looking in there maybe its more drives???

What does the Amigas Early Startup say about it?
Does it work in any way?

Faerytale · 14 October 2007, 13:18

There is no drives in the controller. The big box is a part of the controller containing the hdd-drive. There are no logos or nothing nowhere to be found.
I dont have the hardware here so I cant open and check.

Faerytale · 14 October 2007, 13:39

update, the controller seems to be a "OMTI 5528"

DrF · 14 October 2007, 14:47

So the little wedge type box is just the controller and the big box is the actual drive?
That seems like a big box just for a controller, maybe it had a drive too and the big box is hooked up to a pass thru or something?

PS: Has anyone else noticed that the Amiga seems to have ALOT of hardware out there that no one knows what it is?

Googling that controller baught me to this, looking at that pic if that drive is in that box thats a BIG waste of space, and I would not able to work out why the need for 2 boxes

http://www.amiga-hardware.com/showha...gi?HARDID=1233

AHA!!!!

Combitec HD20/HD40
http://www.amiga-hardware.com/showha...gi?HARDID=1156

VERY, VERY similer to the big box expect the colour of the panal, even the holes are the same on it and the LED posistion.

Quote:

The Combitec HD20 contain a 20MB hard disk whilst the HD40 contained a 40MB hard disk. This was a noisy Seagate MFM-hard disk which originally came with an OMTI 5520 based adaptor for the A500 expansion slot.

So I guess the controller is what might be in that wedge box. Although judging by the size of the thing I am sure 1 box would have done, maybe theres more to this yet

Jope · 14 October 2007, 16:56

Back then, 5.25" drives were a lot cheaper.. you couldn't have fit that in the same box..

DrF · 14 October 2007, 17:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jope

Back then, 5.25" drives were a lot cheaper.. you couldn't have fit that in the same box..

I am not really familiar with MFM drives was they 5.25" format then?
I had a Winchester HD in a 286.

Jope · 14 October 2007, 17:48

I'm sure you didn't have an actual "Winchester" HD in your 286. Winchester was just a nickname for the hard disk drive around the 286 era, but the REAL Winchester, that is the great grandfather of the modern hard disk lived in a huge cabinet..

Here you can read about the original Winchester: http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/ex...rage_3340.html You probably didn't have a mainframe at home. :-)

You probably had MFM or RLL drive (also known as ST-506 interface). MFM/RLL disks came in 5.25" and later 3.5" sizes. Look at the external box in the picture in the first post.. The black panel is the front panel of the 5.25" drive.

The drive in the box could well be the legendary ST-506 or ST-225. Here shown without the cover, platters exposed.

And to end this mixed rambling, the reason why people talked about "winchester drives" back then is, that like the original winchester, just about all drives after it had heads that rode on a cushion of air that the platters generated while spinning. Modern drives still do. Before the Winchester the heads dragged on the platters.. Sorry, can't seem to form structured writeups at this moment.

DrF · 14 October 2007, 23:29

I was VERY young when I had that system but I do remember it having its own controller (I attempted to fit it to a AMD 386 with no luck)and the port was labelled "Winchester" hence why I called it a Winchester, it was 10Mb in size, and the drives connector looked a bit like the C64s motherboard datasette connection, I also recall having to put in ALL the drives info into the BIOS everytime we wanted to use the dam thing because the CMOS battery was flat and was some kind of strange none-standard pos too!

I remember it being huge and we took the platters outta it and used them as frisbees some time in the 486 era

Faerytale · 14 October 2007, 23:45

@DRF: "Combitec HD20/HD40" Thats it!!

Thank you! That was very helpful

Phiber · 15 October 2007, 13:25

Somehow that wedge-shaped hdd-case reminds me of RocTec's harddisk.. was "popular" in finland compared to much pricier GVP drives..

Faerytale · 15 October 2007, 13:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phiber

Somehow that wedge-shaped hdd-case reminds me of RocTec's harddisk.. was "popular" in finland compared to much pricier GVP drives..

I have the Rochard 800c. Im searching for the installation disk for it.
Without it, the rochard is useless.
If anyone knows where to find it, please PM me.

14 October 2007, 12:46	#1
Faerytale Zone Friend Join Date: May 2005 Location: Under a rock Posts: 110	Identification help needed "A500 HDD-controller" Anyone?? Attached Thumbnails

14 October 2007, 17:48	#8
Jope - Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Helsinki / Finland Age: 43 Posts: 9,861	I'm sure you didn't have an actual "Winchester" HD in your 286. Winchester was just a nickname for the hard disk drive around the 286 era, but the REAL Winchester, that is the great grandfather of the modern hard disk lived in a huge cabinet.. Here you can read about the original Winchester: http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/ex...rage_3340.html You probably didn't have a mainframe at home. :-) You probably had MFM or RLL drive (also known as ST-506 interface). MFM/RLL disks came in 5.25" and later 3.5" sizes. Look at the external box in the picture in the first post.. The black panel is the front panel of the 5.25" drive. The drive in the box could well be the legendary ST-506 or ST-225. Here shown without the cover, platters exposed. And to end this mixed rambling, the reason why people talked about "winchester drives" back then is, that like the original winchester, just about all drives after it had heads that rode on a cushion of air that the platters generated while spinning. Modern drives still do. Before the Winchester the heads dragged on the platters.. Sorry, can't seem to form structured writeups at this moment. Last edited by Jope; 14 October 2007 at 17:56.

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14 October 2007, 13:01	#2
DrF Blessed A1200 Of TeH Rat Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Bham, UK Age: 42 Posts: 496	The wedge shape box thingy looks like those Supra RAM expanstions/HD thingys or was it GVP from back in the day for the A500/+, but it has no logos, badges etc? As for that big box... hmmm have you tried popping it open and looking in there maybe its more drives??? What does the Amigas Early Startup say about it? Does it work in any way?

14 October 2007, 13:18	#3
Faerytale Zone Friend Join Date: May 2005 Location: Under a rock Posts: 110	There is no drives in the controller. The big box is a part of the controller containing the hdd-drive. There are no logos or nothing nowhere to be found. I dont have the hardware here so I cant open and check.

14 October 2007, 13:39	#4
Faerytale Zone Friend Join Date: May 2005 Location: Under a rock Posts: 110	update, the controller seems to be a "OMTI 5528"

14 October 2007, 16:56	#6
Jope - Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Helsinki / Finland Age: 43 Posts: 9,861	Back then, 5.25" drives were a lot cheaper.. you couldn't have fit that in the same box..

14 October 2007, 23:29	#9
DrF Blessed A1200 Of TeH Rat Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Bham, UK Age: 42 Posts: 496	I was VERY young when I had that system but I do remember it having its own controller (I attempted to fit it to a AMD 386 with no luck)and the port was labelled "Winchester" hence why I called it a Winchester, it was 10Mb in size, and the drives connector looked a bit like the C64s motherboard datasette connection, I also recall having to put in ALL the drives info into the BIOS everytime we wanted to use the dam thing because the CMOS battery was flat and was some kind of strange none-standard pos too! I remember it being huge and we took the platters outta it and used them as frisbees some time in the 486 era

14 October 2007, 23:45	#10
Faerytale Zone Friend Join Date: May 2005 Location: Under a rock Posts: 110	@DRF: "Combitec HD20/HD40" Thats it!! Thank you! That was very helpful

15 October 2007, 13:25	#11
Phiber Hardware Freak Join Date: May 2002 Location: Helsinki / Finland Age: 50 Posts: 222	Somehow that wedge-shaped hdd-case reminds me of RocTec's harddisk.. was "popular" in finland compared to much pricier GVP drives..

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