a218@mindlink.UUCP (Charlie Gibbs) (01/16/90)
In article <1990Jan16.053837.14871@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> big@shumv1.ncsu.edu (Alan Porter) writes: [Wedge pricing omitted] > That is $458 !!! for a 10-meg drive !!! Hold on a minute. That's $458 for an interface to any ST-506 drive (actually any two drives) you want to hook up. It's an unfortunate fact of life that there's more to a hard disk subsystem than just the drive itself. And yes, you need the DTC controller in addition to the Wedge, which itself is just an interface to an IBM-style bus into which you plug the controller. The seemingly high price of the Wedge is a bit more reasonable when you consider that unlike boards for the IBM PC, they're not being manufactured by the thousand. There just aren't as many potential customers over which to spread the cost of developing the hardware and writing the driver which is included (and is designed to work with the DTC controller). Still, the Wedge enables you to use dirt-cheap drives and controllers intended for the IBM PC (and which _were_ manufactured by the thousand). At the time the Wedge was designed, people were still paying $2000 (at least up here in Canada) for Tecmar's T-Disk. The Wedge represented quite a breakthrough for those of us who, like you, could only dream of having a hard disk before it came along. If you manage to scrounge a box and power supply, you should be able to get the cost down to $300 or so. And if you ever come across another ST-506 drive, you can hook it up and start using it right away for nothing more than what the drive costs you. Peace, love, and all that hippie stuff... Charlie_Gibbs@mindlink.UUCP Not affiliated with RSI, just a satisfied Wedge owner.
lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) (01/16/90)
In <19047@netnews.upenn.edu>, ranjit@grad2.cis.upenn.edu (Ranjit Bhatnagar) writes: >In article <1990Jan16.053837.14871@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> you write: >> >>to send me some info on the wedge. The prices he quoted were: >> >>Wedge 500 US $160 >>DTC-5150 MFM Controller US $90 >>Box and Power Supply US $175 >>Cables US $15 >>Shipping & Handling US $18 >> >> That is $458 !!! for a 10-meg drive !!! > >And that doesn't even include the drive itself! > >It's astounding how the do-it-yourself st-506 folks can advertise their >boxes as an inexpensive solution when they tend to cost more than >better systems that you don't even have to assemble yourself. >(For instance, a TrumpCard 500 with a fast 48M disk goes for about >$600, and the SCSI interface alone is about $200.) Well, looks to me like $250 for the ability to add a generic ST-506 hard drive to an Amiga. Nobody is forcing anyone to buy the case, cables, and power supply from RSI. When the Wedge was designed and built, the cheapest soluton to adding a hard drive was in the order of $800-1000 for the package (20 meg). At that time, shopping from the mail order ads, you could put together a Wedge and a 40 meg HD for about $500. The costs to RSI to make Wedges has not changed. They don't advertise any more to speak of, but will fill orders if asked. -larry -- "Cavett Emptor - Let the talk show host beware!" - Evan Marcus +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | // Larry Phillips | | \X/ lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca -or- uunet!van-bc!lpami!lphillips | | COMPUSERVE: 76703,4322 -or- 76703.4322@compuserve.com | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
big@shumv1.ncsu.edu (Alan Porter) (01/16/90)
I am looking for an inexpesive hard-drive (aren't we all?) that will
fit into a poor college student's budget. What I want is a 40-meg or so
SCSI drive, DMA and all that. That should run me $500-$600? At those
prices, I will have to wait until the summer or maybe next winter
(Christmas?). I fully intend to get one of these *when* I can afford
it.
Until then, I have been looking at a way to hook up a 10-meg ST-506
drive that a friend of mine gave to me (FREE). (It is a MiniScribe II model
2012 -- I have an A500, 1 meg, 2 floppies). Dave Allen was nice enough
to send me some info on the wedge. The prices he quoted were:
Wedge 500 US $160
DTC-5150 MFM Controller US $90
Box and Power Supply US $175
Cables US $15
Shipping & Handling US $18
That is $458 !!! for a 10-meg drive !!!
My question is this... How much of this do I need to hook up my
drive to my Amiga? The box is only cosmetic (or is it?) and I can get a
power supply for the drive for about $20 at a HamFest. Do I need both
the Wedge AND the MFM Controller? Has anyone else chosen this route?
I heard about a product called a 'max'? It was supposed to sell for $99?
What does it do? Is it an ST-506 controller for an A500?
Is there an inexpesive ($100-$150 -- or less) way to use this drive,
until I can afford a "real" set-up? I would really like to hear from
someone who is as money-conscious as I am who knows about these
controllers.
thanks in advance,
// big@shumv1.ncsu.edu Alan Porter
\X/ rap@cscaza.ncsu.edu
Amiga Box 21536 NCSU / Raleigh, NC 27607 / (919) 737-6156ranjit@grad2.cis.upenn.edu (Ranjit Bhatnagar) (01/16/90)
In article <1990Jan16.053837.14871@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> you write: > >to send me some info on the wedge. The prices he quoted were: > >Wedge 500 US $160 >DTC-5150 MFM Controller US $90 >Box and Power Supply US $175 >Cables US $15 >Shipping & Handling US $18 > > That is $458 !!! for a 10-meg drive !!! And that doesn't even include the drive itself! It's astounding how the do-it-yourself st-506 folks can advertise their boxes as an inexpensive solution when they tend to cost more than better systems that you don't even have to assemble yourself. (For instance, a TrumpCard 500 with a fast 48M disk goes for about $600, and the SCSI interface alone is about $200.) What I'd suggest, if you're adventurous, is to buy somebody's old 2090 or 2090a interface. Since the 2090 has some problems, people sell them pretty cheap. You then need to build an adapter to attach the 2090 to your 500 - this is apparently pretty easy if you're willing to give up pass-through: just run the appropriate lines from the 500 bus to the 2000 bus. I got this info from the net, but I don't know quite how to do it. If someone knows, please post. Also a box (more than cosmetic, it keeps dust out of the drive) and power supply. Used 2090 $100-150 has BOTH scsi and st-506 interfaces! Adapter $15 + a few hours work (two wirewrap connectors and a lot of wire) Box $10 Power supply $25 surplus (175? Feh!) total ------ $150-200 That sounds better to me! If you don't want to build an adapter, buy an expansion chassis for about $160-250. These usually come with their own power supply. If there is room in the case for the disk drive, you save the price of a box (and the system is neater too). If you buy an expansion chassis and a used 2090, the total system cost is about $260-400 and you have an extra 2000-style slot or two to plug other stuff into. Still cheaper than the system above. "Trespassers w" ranjit@eniac.seas.upenn.edu mailrus!eecae!netnews!eniac!... Forward in all directions!