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From: news@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Network News)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec,comp.periphs.scsi
Subject: Re: erasable optical scsi devices
Summary: Some vendor info
Keywords: scsi floptical disks
Message-ID: <5497@ur-cc.UUCP>
Date: 28 Feb 90 15:17:41 GMT
References: <1990Feb21.180149.23857@ox.com> <5386@ur-cc.UUCP>
Reply-To: leadley@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Scott Leadley)
Organization: University of Rochester
Lines: 89

In article <5386@ur-cc.UUCP> leadley@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Scott Leadley) writes:
>In article <1990Feb21.180149.23857@ox.com> osm@ox.com (Owen Scott Medd) writes:
>> ... what I'd really like is some
>>erasable optical disks that could be chained onto the scsi bus.
>        As a totally off the wall suggestion, are you willing to stick your
>neck out and try SCSI floptical disks on a disk array controller (e.g.
>Maximum Strategy)?  It might be interesting to try.  ...

Owen writes (in in e-mail):
>There are people here who are really interested in getting a hold of
>some floptical drives, though.  You wouldn't happen to have a source
>for the buggers?

	I was hoping someone else with more hands-on experience (i.e. any) with
flopical disk systems would respond, but since that isn't the case, I made a
quick survey of two trade magazines that I have immediately to hand (Sun
Observer [2/90] and PC Week [late '89]).

Warnings:

	- I have not proof read this article.
	- One ad had just six words about floptical disk drives, a couple were
	  full-page spreads.  The quality and quantity of information in the
	  ads varies considerably.
	- I have made no attempt to find out if the systems being sold are
	  comparable or even work.  Someone else will have to do that.
	- The lowest price quoted in any ad was $2995.  The highest was $4960.
	  I'm not going to do your thinking for you; you have to find out
	  which is which and why.
	- Caveat emptor.

Alphatronix				voice:	800-229-8686
	- no address available -		919-544-0001
					fax:	919-544-4079

	"Inspire" 650MB floptical disk systems for Digital (?VMS or Ultrix?),
	Sun, PC, PS/2, Mac and Novell environments.  Also jukebox systems.

Introl Corp.				voice:	612-631-7600
	2675 Patton Rd			fax:	612-631-7802
	St. Paul, MN 55113

	"Sterling 652E" floptical disk systems for Sun 3 and Sun 4.  "Plug and
	Play" (implies to me that it uses the Sun SCSI driver).  Additional
	software.

Clayton Computer Systems		voice:	916-925-5727 (M-F 7AM-5PM PST)
	271-I Opportunity St.		fax:	916-925-7340
	Sacramento, CA  95838

	Ricoh rewritable disk: 300MB/side	from $2995
	Sony rewritable disk: 300MB/side	call

interscience Computer Corp.		voice:	800-627-2007 (CA)
	5171 Clareton Dr.			818-707-2000  "
	Agoura Hills, CA  91301			800-342-4060 (MD)
						301-595-0180  "

	OPTICAL DRIVE SCSI SUBSYSTEMS - 600MB erasable

Pinnacle Micro				voice:	800-553-7070
	??? Alton Parkway			714-727-3300 (in CA)
	Irvine, CA  92718		fax:	714-727-1913

	"REO-nnn" 650MB floptical disk systems for Digital (?VMS or Ultrix?),
	Sun, PC, HP, PS/2 and Mac environments.  "Single or dual-disk" to
	"25 disk, 16GB" systems.

R Squared
	Englewood, CO			voice:	800-777-3478
						303-799-9292
	Irvine, CA				800-234-3478
						303-837-0960
	Phoenix, AZ				800-759-3478
						602-966-1255
	Salt Lake City, UT			800-777-3478
						801-261-2473

	Distributor for Pinnacle Micro.

Artecon					voice:	800-USA-ARTE
	2440 Impala Ave				619-931-5500
	Dept 5500			fax:	619-931-5527
	PO Box 9000
	Carlsbad, CA  92008

	594MB (formatted) floptical disk systems.

					Scott Leadley - leadley@cc.rochester.edu