Using an 8" drive on a PC (WAS RE: "Smartcom II" package available)

I agree. So to make it clear I would like to be able to image (i.e. read) and write 8" FD for some older IBM systems that I have in my collection (5120, 5322). I do not have the NEC machine (that was was Earl). I have access to early IBM PCs and later clones (384/485 and on) and IBM 51TD drive which I believe is a DD 8" drive. Ideally I'd like to interface two of these drives to a 5160 or a 5170 using the std. IBM controller or a CompatiCard controller (using the external connector on the CC). Thanks for all of your invaluable info. It has got me thinking and reading up on a number of new sources. -Ali -----Original Message----- From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Fred Cisin Sent: Saturday, September 20, 2014 2:58 PM To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts Subject: Re: Using an 8" drive on a PC (WAS RE: "Smartcom II" package available) A lot will depend on what you want to do. Just cabling the drive to the PC might be enough to let you use the drive as DSDD (1.2M) disk. But, you still might run into a few minor problems, such as some BIOSes that choke on it if it only has 77 tracks instead of 80, or can't switch into a "360K" mode, etc. Some BIOSes can be an extreme pain in the ass. If you are trying to transfer files, then you need software that understands any differences in disk format. The NEC 8" disk format is not the same as what PC-DOS (or non-NEC MS-DOS) is going to want to do with the 8" disk. Uniform, 22Disk, XenoCopy all have menus from which you need to select which disk format you are trying to work with, and with NEC 8" selected, should let you copy files to and from those "alien" disks. If you copy files over, you still might not be totally out of the woods; Wordstar files can be loaded into early versions of Microsoft Weird, but not into current ones. Visicalc files can be loaded into early versions of Microsofr Excess, but not into current ones. Electric Pencil files, . . . If you use the system to copy programs, then you get to find out whether the program is expecting the same or different hardware than you have. If you are trying to make images of the disk in the form of copying all of the sectors into an archive, but NOT try to separate files, then you need software that can be configured for density, sectors per track, bytes per sector, and number of tracks. Such as ImageDisk, or Teledisk. So, make or buy a cable to connect an 8" drive to your PC. (BTW, be aware that 8" drives can be SS, DS, or SS/DS - there have even been 8" drives that do DS, but can't do SS (the index hole is in a different position)). In addition, I would take a 1.2M drive and connect it to the NEC, and try to find a 360RPM 3.5" drive for the NEC. To me, the 1.2M 5.25" is the easiest for getting files back and forth, but any of the three can be done. -- Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin at xenosoft.com