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From: skipl@adaptex.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.periphs
Subject: Re: <5933@timbuk.cray.com>
Message-ID: <9700013@adaptex>
Date: 21 Dec 89 21:10:00 GMT
References: <5933@timbuk.cray.com>
Lines: 36
Nf-ID: #R:timbuk.cray.com:5933:adaptex:9700013:000:1648
Nf-From: adaptex.UUCP!skipl    Dec 21 15:10:00 1989


Matt,

This sounds like an old product from Rodime. The original Rodime box
actually sat between the monitor and system box though. I am not positive
as to what you have, however I used to work for them and introduced this
product to the market. The part number you cite is very familiar to me
though. It came out in May,1986. There was another company in your neck
of the woods that was doing the same thing and was looking at using the Rodime 
drive too.

Anyway, I believe tou have one of the first SCSI add-on's for desktop computers.This box
This device plugs directly into the SCSI port of the Mac (at least the Rodime
unit did) and gets power through this cable too. No switches or controls are
necessary.

Rodime had software for the unit which allowed it to operate significantly 
faster than Apple's. The Apple software treated the disk as though it were
a floppy disk drive with a resultant data transfer rate of 500 kilobits per
second instead of 5 megabits per second.

I am suspicious that the device you describe was made by another manufacturer
as the Rodime unit had a Model 651 drive in it and not a 351. The 351 was a 
10 Mbyte 3 1/2" ST 506 unit. Compaq was the largest customer for it. The
Rodime unit didn't need a separate controller either. The SCSI interface
was built in. Sorry if I confused you.

The retail price was originally set at approximately $650.00 at that time.
You probably couldn't give them away these days.

If you don't have any software to support it I think you are going to have a
tough time getting it to do anything.    

Sorry I do not have any more information on the subject.

skipl Adaptec TEXAS!