1 Mar
2011
1 Mar
'11
11:58 a.m.
Hi guys,
I'm trying to track down an 8-inch floppy drive to read an Intel MDS
M2FM disc I've been sent for adding to the DiscFerret decoder engine.
Specifically: it's an ISIS boot floppy, in SS/DD format.
Does anyone have a spare 8in drive gathering dust in a corner somewhere?
Based on the prices on Greed-Bay, I get the impression most of the
sellers have been engaging in some form of abuse of illicit
substances.... I mean, seriously, $700 for a Shugart 801, "untested"
(which would seem to be a synonym for "I know it's broken but I sure as
hell won't admit it!") and missing the head-amp / motor control PCB?
AFAIK, SA801s have one PCB which includes the read/write chain and
stepepr controlelr, etc. There is no spindle motor controller, of course.
I'd better expand on that last part becuase it may affect you buying a
drive second-hand. Msot, (but not all) 8" drives have cpacitor-run AC
spindle motors. Their speed is therefor set by the mains frequency.
I ahve seen both 15V and 230V motors in SA800s. Both will run off either
50Hz or 60Hz power, but turn at differnet speeds. You can use a
transfoemr to convert the voltage, but the speed is more of a problem.
The official fix is a different motor pulley. Getting one is aproblem. Of
coruse it's not hard to trun one if you haev a reasoanble workshop, but
rather hander if ytou ton't.
Mind you, in your case I suspect you could fidle the software decoding
routines to hadle the 'wrong' data rate. But it would be better to get a
drive runnig at the accepted speed so your routines were of use to others.
-tony