Re: Dedicated console

Hello Evan,

Am 27.05.2021 um 05:12 schrieb Evan Harris <auctionitis@xxxxxxxxx>:

That's how I remember it as well. I could just about configure a 5294 in my
sleep back in those days.
[…]

Thanks for that insight. Interesting! These twinax controller boxes seem to have been more common (in the US) than I thought. And maybe not the quality I'd expect from IBM gear.

The 5394 was a better device but its 3 1/2" floppy drive was a nuisance.
Maybe we didn't look after them (Steel warehouses), but I feel like I had
more calls for diskette drives than controller issues,

I had two 5394 in my hands via eBay from around Europe, "tested, LEDs light up", both apparently non-functional. One made a sort click with the floppy drive and instantly lit the error led (no matter if the boot floppy was inserted or not). The other, I can't remember. I opted for refund.

Trying to provide other sellers with the floppy image provided mixed results. Some simply never answered, some said, no, we don't test for the small revenue (despite them selling an apparently untested device for around $200..300!). Others said, they'll search for floppies and an old PC to actually write it. One came around, telling he tested and then all LEDs started to flicker. This behavior was constant afterwards. Sounds like a sudden PSU failure to me.

Anyway, I easily can see your pain with the floppy drives. Seem to be "standard PS/2" ones, but since these haven't a mechanically compatible connector compared to stock PC (Shugart edge connector), they're evenly rare to PS/2 PCs nowadays. Maybe both connectors are electrically compatible, and tinkering just an adapter would suffice. I didn't check this, yet.

In general, 5394 are much more common in the US, but shipping costs are prohibitive. Especially considering the high probability of getting a defective unit. Pity, since I really wanted to tinker with one.

:wq! PoC