Heathkit H8 that the GI Bill paid for.  4K SRAM ran cassette HDOS.  Had to
have 16K to run the disk OS but the SRAM was way expensive, so I
wirewrapped up a 16K DRAM card, later to 64K.  8Kbit DRAM chips were $10
each at the time. Heathkit 5" floppies were 100K SS hard-sectored, later
upgraded to DS 360K.  Upgraded it with a 4MHz Z80 card.  Bought a DSDD
floppy controller for another computer and adapted it to the H8 bus, and
added a pair of 1.2MB 8" floppies, running CPM.  I have my Cortesi "Inside
CP/M" book on my shelf along with a new box of 8" floppies.  There were
other H8's running 8" floppies, but I think mine was the only one doing DD.

On Fri, Mar 25, 2016 at 8:08 AM, Bob Ammerman <picram@roadrunner.com> wrote=
:

> The version I have never ran CPM back in the day. The later versions with
> double-sided, double-density disks did run CPM. The early ones only ran
> NorthStar DOS (typically styled N*DOS), a proprietary system that was muc=
h
> simpler than CPM.
>
> However, I recently ported CPM to my machine, and more or less got it
> working. Unfortunately, the disk controller appears to be ill, so I'll ha=
ve
> to fix that before I can finish the CPM port.
>
> ~ Bob Ammerman
> RAm Systems
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: piclist-bounces@mit.edu [mailto:piclist-bounces@mit.edu] On Behal=
f
> > Of Richard Pope
> > Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2016 9:55 PM
> > To: Microcontroller discussion list - Public. <piclist@mit.edu>
> > Subject: Re: [OT]:: Talking about HDDs and FDDs of all ages!
> >
> > Bob,
> >      Hard sectored. I remember those. I heard of the Northstar but I
> never
> saw
> > one. Did it run CPM. My C-128 would run CPM.
> > Thanks,
> > rich!
> >
> > On 3/24/2016 7:17 AM, Bob Ammerman wrote:
> > >> My first floppy disk drive was a 160 kB unit - 5 1/4" single sided.
> > >> No, not 180k. When Shugart went double sided they added a few more
> > >> tracks to give 2 x 180k =3D 360 kB. These were 160 kB SS. I may stil=
l
> > >> have
> > > that.
> > >
> > > I'll raise you 90K single-density, single-sided, hard-sectored (!) .
> > > [1977
> > > (?) NorthStar Horizon. I still have it and it still runs].
> > >
> > > -- Bob Ammerman
> > > RAm Systems
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > --
> > http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
> > View/change your membership options at
> > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist
>
> --
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