Description
Digital Equipment SA600-xA Storage Array for 8 RA90 1.2GB DASD Drives No HDDs
The Digital Equipment SA600-xA is a large-capacity floor-standing DASD (Direct Access Storage Device) enclosure introduced by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in 1988. It is designed to house eight RA90 1.2GB DASD spindles and connects to DEC HSC-series controllers, including the HSC70, to provide mass online storage for VAX and other DEC midrange and mainframe-class systems. The hard disk drives have been removed and are not included with this listing — the enclosure, backplane, internal cabling, and power system are what is offered here.
Specifications & What's Included
- Manufacturer: Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)
- Model: SA600-xA
- Drive capacity: 8 bays for RA90 1.2GB DASD drives
- Hard drives: REMOVED — not included
- Compatible controller: HSC70 and other DEC HSC-series controllers (SDI interface)
- Power: 120/208V AC, 3-Phase, 24A per phase (3W+N), 50/60 Hz
- Certifications: UL Listed (EDP Equipment), CSA
- Dimensions: 36" W × 22" D × 61" H
- Country of manufacture: USA
- Year introduced: 1988
- Original list price (new): approximately $225,000 USD
- Interior ribbon cabling and backplane assemblies present and intact (visible in photos)
- Mounted on casters for repositioning
Applications
The SA600 series was part of Digital Equipment Corporation's enterprise storage lineup of the late 1980s and early 1990s, designed to serve VAX superminicomputer and DECsystem installations requiring large online disk capacity. In that era, a single SA600-xA fully populated with eight RA90 drives provided roughly 9.6GB of online DASD storage — a substantial configuration for the time. The enclosure communicated with the host system through an HSC (Hierarchical Storage Controller) such as the HSC70 or HSC90 using DEC's SDI (Storage Device Interconnect) protocol, which handled error correction, caching, and device management at the controller level. These arrays were commonly deployed in data centers running VMS, Ultrix, or other DEC operating environments on VAX and MicroVAX hardware. Today the SA600-xA is primarily sought by collectors and operators maintaining legacy VAX/VMS installations, museums of computing history, and those seeking the drive enclosure and power infrastructure for RA90 drives they already own.
This Digital SA600-xA DASD Storage Array has been inspected and appears to be in good used condition. It was pulled from a working environment where it was previously in active use. All 8 RA90 hard drive bays are empty — the drives have been removed and are not included with this listing. The cabinet exterior shows normal wear consistent with its age and prior data center service. The interior backplane, cabling, and ribbon assemblies are intact and visible in our photos. Please review our full photo set and contact us if you have any questions.
Warranty Information
Additional Information
Brand: |
Digital Equipment Corporation |
Model: |
SA600-xA |
MPN: |
SA600-xA |
SKU: |
51593 |
Type: |
DASD Storage Array Enclosure |
Drive Bays: |
8 |
Compatible Drive: |
Digital RA90 1.2GB DASD |
Compatible Controller: |
HSC70 and compatible DEC HSC controllers |
Drives Included: |
No — HDD bays are empty |
Voltage: |
120/208V AC, 3-Phase |
Current Rating: |
24A per phase (3W+N) |
Frequency: |
50/60 Hz |
Power Requirements: |
120/208V AC, 3-Phase, 24A/PH, 50/60 Hz |
Dimensions: |
36" W x 22" D x 61" H |
Country/Region of Manufacture: |
United States |
Year Introduced: |
1988 |
Form Factor: |
Tower / Floor-Standing Cabinet |
Interface: |
DEC HSC (SDI) — connects to HSC70 and compatible |
Certifications: |
UL Listed (EDP Equip.), CSA |
Seller Notes: |
Enclosure only — all 8 RA90 hard drives have been removed and are not included. |
Condition Notes: |
This Digital SA600-xA DASD Storage Array has been inspected and is in good used condition, pulled from a working environment. All 8 RA90 drive bays are empty — drives removed and not included. Normal wear for age. |
California Prop 65 Warning: |
WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including lead and lead compounds, and DEHP (a phthalate), which are known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Go to P65Warnings.ca.gov |