On 6 Aug 2002, at 8:50, Chris Drew wrote:

> > Problem is, I can't figure out how to put the floppy in.  Is
> > this one of those machines, like the old Apple, that sort of
> > semi automated the floppy
>
> The floppy disk is inserted normally but according to the
> orientation of the drive. The floppy drive and everything else
> about the PS/2 Model 30 is proprietary. It is the beginning of the
> IBM Micro-Channel Architecture for their mother board. The floppy
> drive itself pluges into a structure that holds the cables. Is it
> MFM. I am not so sure about that.

  Although the Model 30 was introduced as part of the original PS/2
line, it did not include a MicroChannel bus.  It integrated video on
the motherboard (MCGA, not VGA), and I believe it used proprietary
"plug-in" connectors for the floppy and hard drives, but the 3
expansion slots were ISA, on a riser card so that they mounted
horizontally, parallel to the motherboard.
  I have a distinct impression that the original CPU was an 8086 or
8088, and that a version with an 80286 was introduced later.  This
meant that, besides not having MicroChannel, the vanilla/original
Model 30 could not run OS/2.

  One could argue that the modern case was the main thing it had in
common with the rest of the PS/2 line....

Dave Gillett

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