WTD - 40-track (360K) 5.25in floppy drive

My late father had a tape bulk eaaser. It is one of the things from his estate that I am certainly keeping! Anway, why not make one. After all, it's just a coil powered by AC. Satart with a small-ish (20VA, 50VA) mains transformer. Take the core laminations out, put the 'I's in your spares box and assemble all the 'E's the same ray round back in the core (thus giving you an open face. Connect the primary winding(s) of said transformer to a Variac with an AC ammeter in series. Turn up the voltage as far as you dare (with the core open like that the current will be a lot higher than it would be with the transformer normally assembled). Now, put the disk or whatever over the open side of that core. Move it around. Then slowly draw it away to arm's length before turning off the AC. Oh come on... You designed the DiskFerret. Are you seriously saying the 4 1-of-n encoded drive select lines and the motor-on line (the other signal that the PC handlied slightly differently, in fact I would argue one of the main reasons for the twised cabel was to have separate motor-on signals for the 2 drives) are beyond you? If so I don't believe it. -tony