[Coco] PBJ C-C Bus and EPROM Burners?

[Perry M Dueck]

During 1989, I first purchased the small Disto Mini Controller (I can't
remember if that was the official name for it). It was a small cheap thin
plastic case with the top cover held on by two small self tapping screws on
either side of the top cover(either flat blade or phillips head). Although
the circuit board itself was top notch Disto quality and it also had a
toggle switch to change between two Disk ROM's (RS-DOS and C-DOS as I
recall), the plastic casing was dissapointingly cheap, not to mention the
cheap paper label stuck onto the top of the cartridge, which started
peeling off almost immediately and was of no better quality paper stock
than your average 5.25" disk jacket label (ie. one drop of water could
smudge and/or ruin the label....providing the label had not peeled off by
itself already).

Good quality circuit board, cheap quality case/label.  I guess they had to
keep costs down somehow to make that particular disk controller cost
effective to manufacture and sell at a reasonable price.  :)

Later in 1989, I purchased the Disto Super Controller 2 together with the
3-in-1 Multiboard adapter, which of course came in the long and strong
metal case. No complaints whatsoever about that case design. Plus no label
on it, everything was silkscreened in black ink/paint on the top of that
metal controller case.  :)   Most likely the best floppy disk controller
ever made for the CoCo!

Having said that, I still really liked the small Tandy FD-501 drive
controller because it didn't stick out so far on the right side of the CoCo.

regards, Perry




>Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 00:02:56 EST
>From: KnudsenMJ at aol.com
>Subject: Re: [Coco] PBJ C-C Bus and EPROM Burners?
>That must have been a later era of Disto.  All the stuff I bought from them
>came in white-enameled metal cases, screwed together.
>
>I do remember some flimsy cream-plastic Paks from other makers, though.  Does
>not instill confidence, and does not with radio interference either.
> --Mike K.