Convergent Technologies MightyFrame: Convergent Technologies Workstation Product # 99-01640 "AWS"

2021 UPDATE: We've gotten this machine to boot to CTOS! Click HERE for details...

For those of you who are Convergent Technologies Alum Facebook Group members, we have a discussion going about this over there.

We've just acquired this on eBay, sans keyboard:

It is labeled Convergent Technologies Workstation, but what model is it?

Convergent™ Family of AWS™ Turbo Workstations

Convergent™ Family of IWS™ Workstations

More at bitsavers.org

I've always been confused as to how Convergent's model numbers (according to their sales brochures and manuals) never match up to the model # or product # on the chassis ID tags. This seems to be the case here also.

I believe it to be an AWS, but is it a 220, 230 or 240? Or other? Turbo or Not Turbo?

These *should* be the hardware manuals from bitsavers.org:

AWS-220, -320, -240 Hardware Manual Volume 1

AWS-220, -320, -240 Hardware Manual Volume 2

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HISTORY:

Sat, Mar 18, 2017

eBay

New message from: biff_howard_tannen

Hi AJ! I ll take a look through my warehouse and see if I have anything else Convergent. If not, I will keep your contact info handy because I bring in more vintage computer stuff a couple times a week. I found this one in a tiny town called Port Washington, Ohio. A man contacted me about a collection that had belonged to his father. I ended up with two full cargo vans of awesome stuff! I will build a custom heavy duty box for the computer this weekend. I m off to Columbus today to do some picking. Have a good weekend and thank you!

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KEYBOARD:

So, about that keyboard...I'm pretty sure this is the correct one. There's only one problem...I don't have one.

AWS Keyboard Port:

Click here for full-size image

A very kind person who posted on Deskthority.net has responded to me that he still has this one. It doesn't sound like he wishes to let go of it, but maybe I can get the logic analyzer capture of each pinout?

I'm just starting a similar project for the AT&T UNIX PC over here.

CPU

Board A-60-00057

Is 011384 the date? January 13, 1984?

Or does the stamped 8351 to the right mean the 51st week of 1983? or 51st day?

Look at that re-work! 3 chips high!

Click here to download the left EPROM

Click here to download the right EPROM

It seems very much like this one on eBay

HDC (Hard Disk Controller)

Board A-60-00062-00

8513...and so, is the date the 13th week of 1983? or the 13th day? Or does this mean something else entirely?

2-83...or is that the date? February 1983?

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Floppy Drive

The 5.25" Floppy Drive installed is a Mitsubishi MF504C-318U

Note the totally unique jumper settings that it has upon removal. On this diagram below, the jumper settings on the left are the Mitsubishi "factory" settings, and on the right are this AWS's jumper settings for it:

This is an extract from the MF501C/MF504C manual found here.

They chose

SS, ND

HR, MS, IU, SR

So, let's see if we can figure out what they all mean:

SS&ND = 1.0MB Unformatted, 720KB Formatted

HR = ??? (not defined in the chart above)

MS = Motor Start with Drive Select

IU = ??? (not defined in the chart above)

SR = Standard Ready Signal Output

So, what are these mystery jumpers? Well, we can't find the "extended" manual for this drive anywhere online...yet...so we'll have to make due with the earlier MF504B model specifications, page 4.

But is this really a fair comparison?