17 Mar
2011
17 Mar
'11
5:32 p.m.
Every blank that I place in the Canon AS-100 reports an error.
All of these disks are new-old-stock. I know they work in other units (Commodore 128 for
instance).
Even the Tandy 2000 can format a standard 360/400k disk to 720k. I've tried those and
high density floppies w/no success. What haven't I done?
18 Mar
18 Mar
1:13 p.m.
Every blank that I place in the Canon AS-100 reports an error.
All of these disks are new-old-stock. I know they work in other units
(Commodore 128 for instance).
Even the Tandy 2000 can format a standard 360/400k disk to 720k. I've
tried those and high density floppies w/no success. What haven't I done?
Although I don;t know the machine in qusiton, this sounds like an 80
cylinder double-sided format using the normal double-desnity date rate
[Remember that the original IBM PC-DOS double-sided format was 320K. 40
cylinders, 2 hears, 8 sectors/track, 512 bytes/sector. Your disks could
be much the same but with 80 cylinders]
If so, you certainly don;t want to be using the high density disks. Their
coercivity is too high.
I have had problems using PC '360K' disks in 80 cylinder drives. I am not
sure why, but some do not format reliably. It may be something like a
higher noise level on disks not required to handle 80 cylinders.
I was given a large bag of bluk-erased DEC RX50 disks (which were
origianlly 80 cylinder signle-sided), and have never had any problems with
those, not even using both sides.
Of coruse, there may be a problem with your disk controller or drive.
-tony
19 Mar
19 Mar
3:43 a.m.
On 3/18/11 12:13 PM, "Tony Duell" <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote:
SNIPPAGE
If so, you certainly don;t want to be using the high density disks. Their
coercivity is too high.
I have had problems using PC '360K' disks in 80 cylinder drives. I am not
sure why, but some do not format reliably. It may be something like a
higher noise level on disks not required to handle 80 cylinders.
I was given a large bag of bluk-erased DEC RX50 disks (which were
origianlly 80 cylinder signle-sided), and have never had any problems with
those, not even using both sides.
Of coruse, there may be a problem with your disk controller or drive.
-tony
I have to agree with tony on a couple things :)
1: don't use High density disks, if you DO get them to format, the data
retention is coing to be short lived generally.
And
2: there may be something wrong with the controller or drive. :)
I rarely have trouble though using 40tk DSDD media in 80tk DSDD (or QD as
some call it) HOWEVER I NEVER use media that is currently holding a 40 track
format. If all I have is 40tk DSDD formatted media, it goes visiting the
degausser/bulk eraser. I have had lots of problems using non bulk erased
media that HAD been formatted 40tk DSDD in 80 track drives (dec-rainbow
RX50, Altos (can't remember model, but it used 100tpi 80 track drives IIRC
and ran CP/M) or even on a 286 or better formatting the media out to 720K in
a 1.2M drive.
So...
If it ain't formatting reliably, bulk erase the hell out of the 40tk DSDD
media and it -should- format out fine to 80 track DSDD. I saved a LOT of
money by using the "40 track" media. A friend working at Verbatim (IIRC)
many moons ago told me their "dirty little secret", all of their low density
media was designed to go 80 track, once there was > certain percentage
failure rate during testing, possibly 5%, don't remember for sure, the media
was 'certified' as 40 track and packaged as such. But that is pretty much
the same way the ram manufacturers rated their DRAMs speed wise :)
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