24 Nov
2005
24 Nov
'05
2:45 a.m.
On 11/24/2005 at 2:21 AM M H Stein wrote:
But the question still remains whether the FDD is soft
or hard
sectored; it does indeed look like a Tandon and not the usual
Micropolis and if the model number can't be relied on, how
could one tell (other than by trial & error)?
Sorry, I meant Bitstreamer, not Flashwriter.
The drive model isn't going to tell you anything but the track density and
the one/two sidedness of the recording capabilities (but then, you could
tell the sidedness by looking at the heads--SS drives have a felt pad and
not a head on one side.
I've seen soft-sectored diskettes only on late Vectors like the 4; this
isn't one, so it's a pretty safe bet that it's a HS diskette. If the drive
is indeed a Tandon TM-100-4M, it's 100 tpi. It *might* also be 100 tpi if
it says TM-100-4, rather than 96 tpi. That can be verified easily enough
by using the drive on something like a PC to format a soft-sectored
diskette, then checking the result on a 96 tpi drive. If track 0's in the
right place, it's 96 tpi; otherwise it's probably 100 tpi.
Just wondering if the serial number if this unit is the same 1003 that the
1999 posting describes.
In any case, give Herb Johnson a call; he's got a pile of Vector manuals,
the last I heard. He's also got 16-sector 5.25" diskettes for sale.
Cheers,
Chuck