Programmer 7500/MAX_PROGRAMMERS.iso/PROGRAMS/UTILS/HARDDISK/COGITO.ZIP/COGITO.RVW

Text File | 1989-03-19 | 5.9 KB | 127 lines

REVIEW OF COGITO HARD DISK
By Read Gilgen
Madison Wisconsin IBM-PC User's Group

    About a month ago I was given a call by Traxx Computer Corp. in
Chicago, and asked if I would be interested in evaluating a
COGITO, 10 Megabyte hard disk.  While my enthusiastic response
was "Yes!", I would caution anyone who receives a similar offer
that once you have used a hard disk for a month, you won't want
to give it up, especially when it performs like this one!  By
the way, 10 Megabytes equals about 10 million characters (!)
or about 30 double sided floppies.

    I received the little beauty, all carefully insulated in a
big box.  The physical drive was the same size as a half-height
floppy, and came with a controller card, necessary cabling,
a diskette with a tiny .COM program, and a one page (!) instruction
manual.  The invoice (should I decide to keep it) listed a total
price of $895 ($888 plus shipping.)  Traxx confirmed that this
is indeed the price in quantities of one.

    I decided to install the drive in my Compaq, since I figured
that nothing said I couldn't and that such an environment would
certainly test the drive to its limits.  Installation itself
was a snap (only as hard as getting a drive into the Compaq
itself!).  The power connected directly to the computer just
as if it were a floppy drive.  After we got it in, we followed
the remaining three instructions on the "instruction manual"
which essentially formatted the disk and prepared it to use
DOS.  That took all of five minutes, and I was now the proud
owner (temporarily) of a Compaq Plus.

    The drive is extremely quiet (or is it just that the Compaq's
fan is so noisy?) and the red light is the only indication that
it is active.  Once installed, the computer acts just like an
XT: if nothing is in drive A: when the machine is started, it
boots up DOS from drive C:  Drive B: is inactive, unless you
set up a RAM disk there.

    I was concerned about moving the computer without setting
the heads to a specific landing zone.  I called both Cogito
and Traxx, and neither seemed to know of any specific software
command to "park the heads".  I then asked Traxx if they would
send me some technical information.  In reading it, I discover
(I think) that the heads park automatically when the drive is
turned off and are locked into place for safe movement of the
computer.  Nevertheless, between the technical description and
an OEM manual from Cogito, I still can't tell for sure if the
thing must be set to a landing zone before moving.  If this
is a concern for you, I'd make sure about it first.  We have
had no problems with the heads (yet.)

    We did have one minor problem with the drive the second day
it was installed.  It began making noises like a machinist's
lathe.  We localized the problem to a motor bearing (whew!)
and called Traxx.  It seems that the lubricating graphite had
gone dry, and a drop of WD-40 on the graphite solved the problem.
It has been running quietly now for a couple of weeks.

    When we first began to use the disk, it seemed that the read/write
operations were extremely fast--much faster than what we had
been used to on our 20 Megabyte Tallgrass disk.  So we filled
up the disk with the Bulletin Board files, leaving about 3 Megs
free.  Still the times were astonishingly fast.  In reading
the technical specs, it would appear that the Tallgrass 5 or
10 Meg. drives should have about the same seek time, but that
the Tallgrass 20 Meg. drive is rated considerably slower, and
no maximum seek time is even listed!  After using the drive
for three weeks now, I am still thoroughly impressed with the
speed of file operations.

    By the way, in my mind this is probably one of the major reasons
for which one would purchase a hard disk.  If you merely want
to eliminate the "floppy shuffle", you might not really justify
a hard disk.  But if you run applications that require frequent
disk input or output, a hard disk really speeds up the operation
and can usually justify itself very quickly.

    Now for some technical information, for those who need/want
it:

1. Ambient temperature while operating: 40 to 122 degrees
Fahrenheit.
2. Power requirements: Uses computer power supply, 12 watts.
3. Media technology: Advanced technology iron oxide media,
130 mm OD (standard 5 1/4").
4. Read/Write Head technology: Monolithic MnZn mounted on
3370/3380 type suspension flexures; 15 g. load.
5. Recording Code: Modified Frequency Modulation (MFM)
6. Average Seek time: 85 ms. (including settling)
7. Maximum seek time: 205 ms. (including settling)
8. Non-recoverable (hard) read errors: 1 per 10(to 12th power)
per read
9. Mean time between failures (MTBF):  11,000 power on hours.
10. Preventive maintenance: not required.
11. Drive life (as a component): 5 years

    According to the description of the drive, it has been specifically
designed with portable computers in mind.  It has a very low
(12 watts) power consumption, has four point shock mounting,
and the heads apparently park in a landing zone and are locked
into place while the drive is powered down.

    Overall, I can highly recommend this hard disk as an inexpensive
source of mass storage.  If you run applications where frequent
disk access is necessary, then such a device may be for you.
If you need frequent backup of many files, you may want a tape
drive backup, but if not, floppy backup may be adequate.

    I will be the first to admit that I am not a technician, nor
have I run "benchmarks" to compare this drive with others.
But it does operate flawlessly, and fast, and . . . I don't
want to send it back!!!


The addresses of the companies mentioned in this review are:

Traxx Computer Corporation
1467 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL  60605
1-800-621-3102
Attn: Jim Lebesch

Cogito Systems Corporation
2355 Zanker Road
San Jose, CA  95131
[phone]  Telex 171023