24 Sep
2005
24 Sep
'05
9:09 a.m.
On Sat, 24 Sep 2005, Chuck Guzis wrote:
Portable Smith Corona word processors used a 2.8"
drive that worked the
heads via a follower than ran in a spiral groove molded into a plastic
disk that was driven by the spindle motor through a clutch. Basically,
pulsing the clutch caused the head to move in a continuous spiral
pattern from the beginning of the diskette to the end. Sort of a
windshield-wiper auto-completion mechanism. You could read or write the
entire diskette (about 60K (MFM), if memory serves), but nothing less
than that. A gutless wonder if there ever was one. It was actually pretty
robust.
Apple Disk ][ drives used a similar mechanism.
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
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