Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!unisoft!gethen!bdt!david
From: david@bdt.UUCP (David Beckemeyer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: ST hard disk prices..:-(
Message-ID: <204@bdt.UUCP>
Date: 3 Apr 88 00:04:50 GMT
References: <409@ole.UUCP> <11830001@hpldola.HP.COM>
Reply-To: david@bdt.UUCP (David Beckemeyer)
Organization: Beckemeyer Development Tools, Oakland, CA
Lines: 28


Not to get too involved in this because we sell the BMS board, but...

I agree for that for many users, just buying an off-the-shelf drive is by
far better than "roll-your-own" solutions.  The two best reasons for
the "roll-your-own" approach are:

	1) You already have an old ST-506 drive around doing nothing
	   (maybe from that old CP/M machine or whatever)

	2) You have a high-speed/high-capacity problem.  The boards,
	   case, power supply, etc. are a fixed cost.  The high
	   capacity and/or high-speed drives are often not a linear
	   increase in price.  There is some threshold where a big/fast
	   drive is significantly cheaper when you do-it-yourself instaed
	   of buying an off-the-shelf drive.

A less significant reason is future expansion.  The BMS board set can
run two drives, and it's always easy to add a second drive.  All it
costs is the price of a bare drive.

If you don't fit in either of the above categories, then perhaps a
rool-your-own drive is not for you.
-- 
David Beckemeyer			| "Yuh gotta treat people jes' like yuh	
Beckemeyer Development Tools		| do mules. Don't try to drive 'em. Jes'
478 Santa Clara Ave, Oakland, CA 94610	| leave the gate open a mite an' let 'em
UUCP: ...!ihnp4!hoptoad!bdt!david 	| bust in!"