On 06/09/2026 11:37 AM AEST Jon Elson via cctalk
<cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
On 6/8/26 19:41, steven(a)malikoff.com steven--- via cctalk wrote:
On
06/09/2026 9:30 AM AEST Murray McCullough via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
54 years ago the 8 inch floppy came into existence. It can be said it
helped to make micr-computing possible.
Happy computing.
Murray 🙂
The IBM System 370/145 announced September 1970 and shipping June 1971
had a 23FD drive for microcode loading, IIR it was on the front panel at the top left or
maybe in the CE area inside on the side, not sure exactly now. When I was doing work
experience at IBM at the end of high school there was a Model 145 in a warehouse waiting
to be scrapped and I recall looking at the 23FD in it then.
It was in kind of a credenza under the console typewriter.
The 370/15x and 370/16x also used a similar drive for microcode and diagnostics. I think
they used solenoids for head stepping, pretty noisy.
Jon
That's a bit puzzling as the 23FD I saw was not under the console, it was definitely
on the main panel at the top left.
So I did a little searching and the 155 was not what I saw either. Finally I found this: