20 Sep
2014
20 Sep
'14
2:58 p.m.
On Sat, 20 Sep 2014, Ali wrote:
So if I understand what you are saying as long as my
interest is in copying
IBM 8" disks (which it is: IBM 5322 and 5120 disks) I can connect a 8" drive
to the standard IBM AT disk controller and be able to read/write. I have a
number of 51TD drives around so could I use them with something like the
FDADAP floppy disk adapter to connect the drive to a 5170 (either to the std
controller or CompatiCard II/IV using the external connector) and
image/write disks using something like Dave Dunfield's Disk Imager? That
would be relatively straight forward if I am following you. Thanks for any
help.
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