Dsd 210 Diskette Memory System

Summary

This document is a general product description and technical manual for the Data Systems Design (DSD) 210 Diskette Memory System. The DSD 210 is a random-access mass storage subsystem designed to be plug-compatible with Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) RX11/RXV11/RX8E floppy disk systems, specifically for use with PDP-11, LSI-11, LSI-11/2, and PDP-8 minicomputers.

Key sections of the document include:

• General Information: Provides an introduction to the floppy disk system, describing the hardware (drives, formatter/controller, interface modules, power supplies, and chassis) and the system philosophy, emphasizing its modular architecture for ease of maintenance.
• Installation: Covers site preparation (space, cabling, and power requirements), unpacking, inspection, and rack mounting instructions. It also provides detailed jumper and switch configuration settings for the various interface boards (PDP-8, PDP-11, and LSI-11) to ensure proper system communication.
• Operation: Details the power-up sequence, the use of front panel switches and indicators (for troubleshooting error conditions like data, parity, and seek errors), diskette handling, and bootstrapping procedures for the supported host computer systems.
• Maintenance: Describes the self-testing routines performed by the formatter/controller, diagnostic programs (such as VEP210 and FRDTST) used for fault diagnosis, and procedures for identifying and replacing faulty modules.
• Technical Appendices: The latter portion of the document includes schematics, wiring diagrams, signal descriptions, and component lists for the controller boards and power supplies used in the DSD 210 system.