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Vintage Computers Any vintage computer systems, calculators, video games etc., but with an emphasis on 1980s and earlier equipment. |
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11th Aug 2012, 11:00 am | #1 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Madrid, Spain / Wirral, UK
Posts: 7,484
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What's this thing? (Drive unit)
I picked this up from the street a few days back. Looks like a portable CD ROM drive, but instead of a drawer it has a slot about the size of a CD jewel case. Peeping inside I see what looks like HDD heads.
: labelled ETC PERIPHERALS 44MB. FCC ID: JDZZFPBZO1001. rear has one IEC power port and two centronics printer type ports. Any ideas?
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Regards, Ben. |
11th Aug 2012, 12:24 pm | #3 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Madrid, Spain / Wirral, UK
Posts: 7,484
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Re: What's this thing? (Drive unit)
Thanks Paul. I have found a pic thanks to your info. Attached below.
I have nothing to put in it, so it is pretty much useless. Is this likely to be something someone could still use, or should I junk it? 44MB won't even store an MS word document these days!
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Regards, Ben. |
11th Aug 2012, 2:15 pm | #4 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,788
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Re: What's this thing? (Drive unit)
There isn't any point in keeping one of these things unless you think you might want to read the media sometime. That's why I've got one squirrelled away in the loft.
Maybe somebody would like it for a vintage computer setup. There are lots of them around though, so the chances are if they wanted one they've already got one. The interface is standard 50 pin SCSI. |
11th Aug 2012, 2:27 pm | #5 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 2,495
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Re: What's this thing? (Drive unit)
The drives were popular with 'classic' Apple Mac users (ie the 680*0 and early ppc machines). O/S 7.1 fitted onto one with ease!
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3rd Sep 2012, 7:06 pm | #6 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Madrid, Spain / Wirral, UK
Posts: 7,484
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Re: What's this thing? (Drive unit)
Stripped this for spares in the end. Some great magnets, a filtered IEC socket, lots of circlips and small springs. Thanks for all the replies.
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Regards, Ben. |
9th Sep 2012, 5:22 pm | #7 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Haarlem, Netherlands
Posts: 4,185
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Re: What's this thing? (Drive unit)
It might not be a rebadged version, as the FCC grantee code JDZ points to ETC themselves. This is however not really relevant anymore. It's just something I noticed.
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24th Jul 2016, 5:59 pm | #8 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Spennymoor, County Durham, UK.
Posts: 69
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Re: What's this thing? (Drive unit)
That looks more like an "optical " magnetic recorder. Works the same way a Mini Disc works. Uses a laser to alter the magnetic state of the medium. A sort of sideline technology. Never really took off. Some people "modded" these as High quality Audio recorders just for fun. But capacity is just too small to be of use these days.
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24th Jul 2016, 6:11 pm | #9 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,788
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Re: What's this thing? (Drive unit)
Yes, I think the disks are magneto-optical.
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