ANSI standards for sale - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2022, 03:45:50 am
content: I wonder why so many quite old ANSI standards are available for free download from the NIST website, I mean check this out, here's ANSI X3.122https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/FIPS/fipspub128.pdfBut not X3.125 that details 5.25" floppy disc track widths, etc. Naturally I asked the NIST and they told me that specific document doesn't "fall under their purview".I found it in physical format at a local university but they say they don't lend out standards.I only ended up in the library after fruitless internet searches and inter-library loan requests (all denied).So anyway ANSI still sells X3.125https://webstore.ansi.org/standards/incits/ansix31251985r1996I think they quoted me 60$. That's like 59$ more than my interest in floppy specs.But then I found thishttps://www.docubays.org/search?controller=search&orderby=position&orderway=desc&search_query=x3.125&submit_search=Is this legit?If I go back to the university, to use their photocopier I have to buy a card since I'm not a student,, I can only copy 15% of the spec,, etc.So 11$ is about the limit but is this weird site legit?This is just another one of my bizarre quixotic deep dives into digital uselessness. Eh, it's a hobby.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2022, 05:36:11 am
content: Take your phone to the library and feel like a cold war spy as you photograph the pages one by one. If you are feeling bold bring a piece of plate glass (tempered of course) to lay on the document and flatten the pages.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 26, 2022, 01:07:53 pm
content: QuoteDoes seem a very strange site - no company info, help, FAQ, nothing. But... scammers would surely have made sure to put that stuff in even if it's fake, so probably not a scamming site and just want to be anonymous when the lawsuits arrive at the hosting company.

author: EPAIII
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2022, 09:28:37 am
content: I can understand how the standards organizations have to have some way to pay for the process of arriving at and publishing the standards. But the prices seem to be way out of line with what should be charged. And some standards are published in other documents that are not under the control of the standards organization(s). Some are even freely available on-line.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2022, 03:02:47 pm
content: QuoteNothing to stop anyone searching for those and downloading them if found. If you went to the trouble of creating a website, paying for hosting, spending your time searching out standards and packaging them for other people to download, you'd run out of money and willpower fairly soon. I think that you wouldn't be paying for the standards from this website, but for the convenience of having them made available and deliverable.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2022, 04:50:50 am
content: Unless you're after the ANSI standard in particular, I believe the same content is in ECMA-78 and a few of the other ECMA standards (freely downloadable from their site.)

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2022, 11:03:21 am
content: Perhaps a better site might be just a list of alternative names for the standards!

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2022, 06:19:18 pm
content: Quote from: amyk on November 28, 2022, 04:50:50 amWhoah. [insert Keanu Reeves memegif]Thanks, I need the older 48 TPI standard, but I will now search ECMA. But I can't find any reference to 48 TPI media there. Apparently they are withdrawn.These international standards bodies are not something I'm familiar with, there are so many.But it's awesome to have this alternative source if I ever need it. I might for the weird 100 TPI drive I have here.OTOH my local provincial library just let me know that they managed to do an inter-library loan for the X3 stuff! Only "on site" reference but I can sit down with them.

author: Sal Ammoniac
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2022, 08:57:29 pm
content: Quote from: CatalinaWOW on November 25, 2022, 05:36:11 amTo do this right you need a Minox camera.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2022, 04:31:23 am
content: Quote from: Alex Eisenhut on November 30, 2022, 06:19:18 pmThat's because ECMA is European and thus, Metric. I think you're looking for ECMA-70.Quote from: Alex Eisenhut on November 30, 2022, 06:19:18 pmIt doesn't seem like 100 TPI was ever standardised.

author: MrMobodies
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2022, 05:29:08 am
content: I have found some stuff but I am not sure if it would be any use.I came across this one at first about the scsi 3 protocol:https://www.t10.org/ftp/x3t9.2/document.91/91-013r3.pdfBut then I discovered that the download path above is browseable and there's more in there:https://www.t10.org/ftp/x3t9.2/