1 Sep
2001
1 Sep
'01
7:07 a.m.
No ... What some folks used to do is punch a second index hole such that the
diskette could be used on both sides, albeit one side at a time, in a SS drive.
In order to make that work the diskette has to be put in backwards, i.e, such
that the opposite side of the diskette faces the head as is normally the case,
in which orientation the diskette is rotating in the opposite direction with
respect to the head from that in which it would be if it were in a DS drive,
which has a head on each side.
Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tony Duell" <ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Saturday, September 01, 2001 11:45 AM
Subject: Re: 8" Floppies
>
> Well, what I apparently missed is that the intent was to use both sides of a
> diskette in a single-sided drive, right? That is the only way that the
> direction would have been reversed. It seems to me that DEC did rotate the
data
in opposite
directions in opposite sides on some models, didn't they? I've
never tried to use a floppy on a DEC machine, so I plead ignorance.
You might be thinking of the RX50 dual 5.25" drive. This is a
single-sided unit which takes 2 separate floppy disks. They rotate in
opposite directions (due to a belt that runs over both sides of the
chassis) but as the lower disk is inserted label side down, in fact each
disk rotates the 'standard' way and can be read/written on other machines
without problems.
I've never seen a floppy drive that reverses the direction of the spindle
rotation when side 1 is selected.
-tony