First attempt to wire up the 300 Kg HDD of Chernobyl SKALA

Welcome to the continuation of our exploration of the Chernobyl SKALA computer system! This time, we’ll look at a massive, nearly 300 kg Bulgarian ES-5061 hard disk drive and its accompanying portable test instrument, the TIDU-3P. This drive is the exact same type that was used in the DIIS system of the SKALA computer, as well as in the early “Shater“ (Marquee) and “Finish“ information systems of Chernobyl Reactor IV Sarcophagus. We acquired the TIDU-3P briefcase quite accidentally, and it brought us to the idea of connecting it to the actual drive to see if we could make them work together. This led us to a computer museum for our first attempt at exploring whether it was possible or not. What you will find in this episode: 00:00 – Intro 00:37 – Where were ES-5061 drives used? 01:58 – Some news 02:35 – A closer look... 03:14 – Our initial examination of the equipment 08:42 – TIDU-3P test instrument overview 12:47 – What comes next? Get a Chernobyl poster from us: Join us on Patreon: Support our work with a donation: