Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!mcdchg!ddsw1!karl
From: karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Karl Denninger)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Seagate.
Summary: Hmmm... Someone pulled a fast one with that Quantum perhaps?
Message-ID: <1989Jul12.171819.3423@ddsw1.MCS.COM>
Date: 12 Jul 89 17:18:19 GMT
References: <3485@shlump.dec.com>
Reply-To: karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Karl Denninger)
Organization: Macro Computer Solutions, Inc., Mundelein, IL
Lines: 42

In article <3485@shlump.dec.com> balzer@frambo.dec.com (Christian Balzer) writes:
>In article <3687@ddsw1.MCS.COM>, karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Karl Denninger) writes...
>>That's ok.  Last month I watched the DEC field service people pull a Quantum 
>>out of a Microvax (DEC private-labels Quantums as DEC RD53's at 500% markup) 
>>for replacement due to it deciding to eat the spindle bearings -- the drive 
>>was 9 months old.  Impressive sounds were coming from that cabinet prior to 
>>it's death....
>
>Would you care to elaborate that? Or maybe take a second look?

The one I saw the field man pull had a DEC RD53 sticker (complete with bar
code) and said "Quantum" on the circuit board.  Looked pretty conclusive to
me.  And it was RD53-sized (~70 megs)

I'd take a second look to be 100% certain, but the GE guy has the drive :-)

>The last time I checked (1 hour ago) the two RD53's connected to my Amiga
>were Micropolis 1325 drives, VERY reliable and fast ST-506 drives.
>I've been mutilating one of them for about 2 years now w/o any problems
>whatsoever.
>While I've no experiences with Seageate drives, the 20MB Epson unit that
>came with my A2090 died with a stuck spindle while I attended CeBIT '87.
>Luckily the sucker was still under warranty, and it's successor still works
>fine.

I've seen Micropolis 1325's as RD53s as well.  In fact, that's what is
usually in the machine as a RD53.  I suspect that the one we saw get pulled 
was just a bad drive -- or perhaps the people who installed the disk & system 
(we didn't sell that box -- we just service the software on it occasionally 
and get called when it dies) did something wierd and put in the Quantum.
Hell if I know.  The drive sure LOOKED like authentic DEC gear, and id'd
itself as a RD53 on the diagnostic tape....  That particular machine is
under GE service (not Digital); the guy who swapped the drive didn't even
blink twice when he replaced it.  I didn't check the replacement carefully;
perhaps GE got snowed.  (As for GE, well their man formatted the wrong volume 
after he replaced the disk.... but that's another story and doesn't belong in 
the Amiga group!)

--
Karl Denninger (karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM, <well-connected>!ddsw1!karl)
Public Access Data Line: [+1 312 566-8911], Voice: [+1 312 566-8910]
Macro Computer Solutions, Inc.		"Quality Solutions at a Fair Price"