It's
currently taking ~45 seconds to scan and decode 160 tracks (80
track disc, both sides). It'd be nice to get that down by, say, half.
The rotational speed is 300 RPM (unless you modify the drive)
The heads only operate one at a time (unless you modify the drive).
You can only do one cylinder at a time (unless you modify the drive).
You have a minimum of 160 revolutions of the spindle at 300 RPM, PLUS
a minimum of 79 step (and settle) times.
What would be your theoretical maximum speed (unless you modify the
drive)?
Hmmm. Howzbout: a drive that spins at least 600 RPM, and has a lot of
heads, each head having its own "logic board"?
With 4 heads on each side, you'd only need 20 revolutions.
A more practical modification would be to use a 600 rpm drive (which re
not uncommon for 3.5" disks) and add a second read amplifier. Then you
could read both sides at the sime time, thus meaningyou could image the
disk in 80 revolutions. And it's turning twice as fast, so I could guess
you'd be close to 1/4 of the origianl time.
But does it really matter? This is the sort of thing where you put a disk
in and let it image it, then put abnother disk i, and so on. You can be
doing something else while it's imaging the disk, when it finishes, you
can pop anotehr disk in when it's convenient.
-tony