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

Chuck, Thanks for the info. Any reason you like the Qume DT/8 or the Siemens FDD-200 (As opposed to the Shugarts)? I have been reading up on the Shugarts and it seems the 800s came later then the 900s even though they were produced concurrently. The 801s seem to be popular but although they support SD and DD they are SS drives, is this correct? If so the 801s would not work for my application and I would need to look at 850s. -Ali -----Original Message----- From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Chuck Guzis Sent: Sunday, September 21, 2014 1:56 PM To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts Subject: Re: Using an 8" drive on a PC (WAS RE: "Smartcom II" package Okay, yes, the 51TD is a bit too dumb. Get a Shugart SA-800 interface type drive then. Remember that they all require a 24 volt supply. The choices are numerous. My drives of choice are Qume DT/8 and Siemens FDD-200; other people like Shugart SA-801s and the like, but there were many producers of 8" drives. Some of the Japanese-origin drives (e.g. NEC) can be a little strange with very little information available, so stick with something that has a manual available. Very often, there are many jumpers and it's best to know what they're for. Most are interfaced via a 50-line edge connector; there are a few that use other schemes, such as early Calcomp drives (40 pin header) but they're pretty rare now. Also, make certain to get a double-sided drive--not all 8" drives are. --Chuck