28 Oct
2002
28 Oct
'02
4:44 p.m.
Gratuitously ripped from Slashdot:
An anonymous reader writes "Individual computers have announced a new
version of they're multi-format floppy controller the Cat Weasel. This
new version (Catweasel MK3 PCI/Flipper) has a few surprises such as 3
different interfaces to connect it to the host computer and a socket for
an original C64 SID chip :). 'The main purpose of the Catweasel has
always been to allow access to non-standard disks using normal PC-disk
drives, even if you usually need a completely different computer for
that. The capacity of the drive does not matter in this case: A 5.25
inch drive with 1.2MByte capacity will read and write a C-64 disk with
170KByte as well as a 3.5 inch drive with 1.44MByte can access a
1,76MByte Amiga disk. Together with a company that has specialized in
data recovery, we're working on the implementation of more than 1100
different disk formats, and it does not matter that this has been
classified impossible by others before. Even the 800KByte disks from
older Macintosh computers can be used in standard 1.44MB drives,
although the original drives have rotated their disks at variable
speeds.' Find out more at the Catweasel MK3 PCI/Flipper page."
Warning, before considering a purchase of this device, the question to ask
is, what *SOFTWARE* exists to make use of it? I purchased a Catweasel Mk2
for the Amiga a few years ago, thinking that among other things I'd be able
to read Apple ][ floppies (it was advertised as being able to). One slight
problem, no software existed to actually read most of the types of floppies
that they claimed it could read. In the end, I think all I was able to get
it to read was Amiga (well, duh, it's in an Amiga), PC, Mac, and C-64. In
fact the *ONLY* thing I really gained what the ability to read C-64
floppies!
Still as ticked off as I still am over the Amiga version of the Catweasel
Mk2, I might actually consider buying the Mk3. Though in this case it would
be to read Amiga floppies.
Zane