Qumetrak 242 drive

From: "Stefan" <birs23 at zeelandnet.nl> Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2005 11:16 AM <snip> What are you trying to do with it? While technically it can be connected to most any desktop PC there are some very important things to keep in mind: It is extremely similar to 5.25" HD drives there are some important differences including but not limited to number of tracks, the 8" drive only has 77 tracks. Most modern PC's can not handle FM data (single density). If you are want to use it as another MSDOS drive I do not recommend it. Once formatted MS/PC DOS will read/write to it without any problems. The standard formatter will NOT work, after the 77th track the standard DOS formatter will try to continue to step out which can damage the drive. Some PC's may see it as only 40 tracks and not recognize that it handles "high-density" 500kbs. If you are trying to read/write classic disks such as CP/M disks you may find you need to be able to handle FM. To get around the FM "problem" there are several existing solutions: Buy a catweasel mk4. Find an older PC, many handle FM just fine but only trial and error will let you know. Some older add-on cards work with FM including some Adaptec ISA SCSI controllers with a floppy disk port. It may help to build a list of systems/boards that handle FM. I use a Compaq Prolinea 575e (P100). You will need a 34 to 50 pin cable. The pin-out is available on my website. Randy www.s100-manuals.com