Persci 299 with unknown Persci dual S-100 cards?

Santo Nucifora santo.nucifora at gmail.com
Wed Jun 24 18:59:25 CDT 2015


Hello,

I recently acquired a Persci 2142 dual disk drive with two S-100 controller
cards.  The 2142 is a Persci slim-line case that fits the internal Persci
299 drives but also included were to Persci S-100 cards.  The only thing
that makes sense is that one or both of these are the Persci 1170
controller card (set) but I have not been able to find a picture of such a
card anywhere.  There is an 1170 card picture at the Computer History
Museum but it suspiciously looks like a Vector S-100 prototype board with
components on it (and not the right amount compare to my cards).  That page
is here: http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102712583

I have pictures in my latest post of the front and back of both cards along
with the Persci 299 drive mechanism and the complete 2142 unit.  If anyone
knows what a Persci 1170 controller looks like, I'd love to know if that's
what I have.  Is it both cards?  I am assuming so because there's a
marketing brochure out there with a description of the 1170 controller and
the Z80 CPU, as described, is on the second card (not the main card) as is
the memory.

Pictures of what I have are here:
http://vintagecomputer.ca/persci-drive-is-a-299-what-are-the-controller-boards/

I can try to read the EPROMS on the second board (they are B2716s) but the
first board has a 2708 and I've nothing that will read it.  Maybe that will
give a clue?  I would assume that's where Persci DOS is?

I will be taking the 299 drive mechanism apart and refurbishing this drive
as I did the Persci 270 in my Processor Technology Helios II (big thanks to
Martin Eberhard for his awesome guide and his help!).  Hopefully it's close
enough to the 299 that the guide will still be useful.  I have yet to check
if the glass gauge is intact in this drive or all of this will be for
nothing.  I'll do that when I take it apart.  Should be a fun project.

If you have any info, please let me know.  It would be much appreciated.
Santo


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