kevinb@sdcsvax.ARPA (01/15/86)
I am looking for information regarding the Science Dynamics Corporation OMNI
5000A computer. This unit was made by IMSAI, with IMSAI components, but was
marketed by SDC, a division of McDonnell Douglas. I have spoken to the head of
the technical department there, Ralph Napolillo, and although they as near as
I can tell still support them, he claims not to have any information on hand.
I am specifically looking for information on the floppy disk drive package,
with 2 boards by IMSAI called the FIB and the IFM, which talk over a 25-pin
ribbon cable to 2 CalComp 141M disk drives. The FDC boardset is apparently a
DMA-type device, but we hve not to this date figured out quite *how* to write
a CP/M or MP/M BIOS for the above. Mr. Napolillo claimed that there was an
MP/M "lying around somewhere", but has been unable to provide any further
help, even to the address of either IMS Associates or CalComp. The system was
apparently originally intended as sort of a batch multip;exing type unit for
up to 8 terminals in it's original configuration, with a modem and a console
attached also. We would like to convert these into either CP/M or MP/M
machines for club usage, and so am looking for further info of any kind for
our S-100 club here in San Diego. The systems are as follows:
o IMSAI PCS 80/10 cabinet containing the following cards:
o IMSAI CPA frontpanel
o IMSAI MPU-A 8080 CPU
o IMSAI PIC-8 interrupt controller
o 3) IMSAI 16K RAM boards
o Microsystems ROM board with a OMNI Problem Executive monitor burned on
it's PROMs-we've decoded it and will probably figure out it's functions
in a week or three.
o 5) IMSAI SIO-2 serial port boards
o IMSAI FIB \
> these boards hook up, and has it's own 8080 + 2k ROM
o IMSAI IFM /
o IMSAI peripheral cabinet containing the following:
o 2) Calcomp 141M 8" SS disk drives w/ power supplies attached, some of
the jumpers for the drives being on the supplies (?).
o a so-far unnamed board that piggybacks and displays signals for the
drives. As far as we can tell, the presence or lack of this board
makes no operational difference.
Would anyone having information please post information or send mail to the
address below - the members are willing to *pay* for a reasonable copy of a
working BIOS for any kind of CP/M or MP/M for this system.
Thanks in advance,
Kevin Belles - UUCP {sdcsvax,ihnp4!gould9,noscvax,cbosgd}!crash!kevinb
~~~~~ ~~~~~~ - ARPA crash!kevinb@{nosc,ucsd}
Disclaimer: Anything within, unless directly attributed is my opinion,
and does not reflect that of my place of employment. KjB
If anybody's interested in one, there's more where the original 7 came
from . . . . KjBCSTROM@SIMTEL20.ARPA (Charlie Strom) (01/15/86)
Try Fulcrum Computer Products - they advertise in Byte. Fulcrum is run by one or more ex-Imsai people, and I am pretty sure they have Imsai BIOS materiial lying around. Another spin-off was Fischer-Freitas, but I am not sure if they are still in business. Fulcrum advertises in Byte or Micro/Systems Journal and should be easy to locate. By the way, Imsai was a different firm from IMS. I believe the latter is still alive.