
              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
(408) 942-8262  Telex 171023
