I'd be interested in the same. I have a Northstar Horizon that has been idle for long time for want of boot media and some spare floppies. The hard sector 5 1/4" floppies seem to be nearly unobtainium.

On 6/7/2014 9:13 PM, Rick Bensene wrote: They are that! The Heathkit users also need 10 hard sector media and a member of the Heathkit group SEBHC designed/built a small tool that will *accurately* add the holes needed to convert soft sector to hard sector media. He may still have a few units.

That was Dwight and me. Dwight came up with the concept and I had a friend with a precision, custom machine shop build them from delrin and stainless. We built both 10-hole and 16-hole models but unfortunately they are all in the hands of users now. My friend won't build more because they were a lot more work than anticipated and his deal is one-off prototype work and not production. So, I can't offer to make more from here.

That was Dwight and me. Dwight came up with the concept and I had a friend with a precision, custom machine shop build them from delrin and stainless. We built both 10-hole and 16-hole models but unfortunately they are all in the hands of users now. My friend won't build more because they were a lot more work than anticipated and his deal is one-off prototype work and not production. So, I can't offer to make more from here.

From: silent700 at gmail.com Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2014 16:29:28 -0500 Subject: Re: WANTED: NS boot disks and spare hard-sectored disks To: cctalk at classiccmp.org On Mon, Jun 9, 2014 at 1:45 PM, Chris Elmquist <chrise at pobox.com> wrote: Just how much precision is needed? (Not doubting you - I don't really know.) Is it something that someone with decent shop skills could replicate out of hardwood or some other material? I have one each of your original plastic/steel punches - thanks for creating them! j The ones Chris and I had made were not exactly to the original drawings.Things were cheaper by the use of delrin and just the punch plate madeof stainless plates.If it were done again, some changes would be done. Improving the alignmentbetween the top plate and the bottom is one. A secondary clamp betweenthe top plate and the punch plate might be another. They do work well enoughto get the job done. They do have the occasional hanging chad problem butcareful usage can turn any 360K disk into a hard sectored. They where designedsuch that one could punch the holes without damaging the envelop ( myclever part of the design ). I do have drawings around someplace but wouldhave to look.We made the punches to cost $35 each. A better design would cost more.If someone were to have them made in China, I suppose they could be cheaper.

> > j The ones Chris and I had made were not exactly to the original drawings.Things were cheaper by the use of delrin and just the punch plate madeof stainless plates.If it were done again, some changes would be done. Improving the alignmentbetween the top plate and the bottom is one. A secondary clamp betweenthe top plate and the punch plate might be another. They do work well enoughto get the job done. They do have the occasional hanging chad problem butcareful usage can turn any 360K disk into a hard sectored. They where designedsuch that one could punch the holes without damaging the envelop ( myclever part of the design ). I do have drawings around someplace but wouldhave to look.We made the punches to cost $35 each. A better design would cost more.If someone were to have them made in China, I suppose they could be cheaper.

I have a Northstar Horizon that almost has a buyer and I would like to

him some disks to use with it. Would one of you Northstar users

contact me privately? I would like to get boot media and some spare

sectored disks.