18 Sep
2006
18 Sep
'06
5:06 a.m.
Subject: RE: CompuPro floppy controller differences
From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com>
Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 11:32:01 -0700
To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
On 9/16/2006 at 4:30 PM Allison wrote:
Many can. The original IBM PC version was a an abortion. I'd always felt
they worked hard making that mess.
As to the A/nonA part thats less a problem than often thought. If it
really was a problem you could change out the part.
I have a few mid range ISA-8 FDC boards that use the 9216 data sep and
they do read SD 8" and a bunch more.
Ah, it's using the definitive PC FDC. It was
developed well before
PCs standardized. PCs however don't offer much choice and if they did
keep all the FDC features you could put a 8" on a PC and read SSSD!
You could?!? (if I'm parsing your statement correctly). IIRC, the original
PC FDC card had IBM's proprietary data separator on it (several hybrid
packagaes) and couldn't read SD/FM to save its life. It also had the 8272
(non "A") part, so it had other problems with "alien" formats. Unless, of course, we're talking about PCs in the
generic sense and not the
5150 per se. There, it's a crapshoot as to what capabilites any given FDC
card has.
In my original statement I was refering to the generic and as "Standard"
its still anything but. When you consider the number of drives and
configurations the floppy whent though on PCs over the years it's a big
mess. It's only that it's all behind us that was know where the bodies
lie and we can assemble it from known history. but it lead to 3.5" drives
with out drive select jumpers/switches and other "innovations".
Over the lifetime of PCs I've worked with:
5.25 180k single sided
5.25 360k 2 sided
5.25 720k 2 sided 80 track
3.5" 720k
3.5" 1.44mb
3.5" 2.88mb
Syquest, Zip, Jazz and other higher density removeables
The only thing they didn't do stock was 8" SSSD and 8"DSDD, and
hard sector! The aftermarket added those!
Standard, really, more like a computer version of a leatherman.. ;)
Allison