Hi !

> the disk controller (I think M9058, but I don't have my note with me),
> and this card actually has the connectors that attach to the cables 
> to the disk drives.  There appear to be two cables that go to each 
> drive, a large one and a smaller one.  Are these standard cables
> that you can order somewhere?

The card is an adapter to lead the signals from the 50-pin cable outside
the QBus-box to the drives. You can attach up to 4 MFM hard drives (DEC
ones are your RD53 or the the bigger RD54 ones, but i think you may use
other drives as well, at least in NetBSD), or alternatively a RX series
dual floppy (RX50) and up to 2 MFM hard drives. Cables: Just try to get
some of those old hard disk cables from an old OMTI controller often used
in XTs, or the famous WD 1006 from 286s. The cables are the same and
should work. (I'll try it next time, want to put 4 drives into and rip out
the RX50)
BTW: don't put this card into a normal QBus slot, the grant continuity is
broken. If you have to put it between the chain some time, i found that
you can connect 2 lines on the PCB and it should work. (Seen so with
problems to get my VAX 4000 running with the RQDX3)

so long... Michael