RX01 Floppies

[tony duell]

> 
> > Is it correct that RX01 format floppies can be created from blank
> > floppies with a standard PC floppy controller (or at least some
> > controllers / motherboards, depending on the controller chip) while
> > RX02 format floppies cannot?
> 
> Yup.  The RX02 ("double density") use a whacky MFM scheme (with some
> code substitutions) for data with FM sector headers.  Not doable at all
> with a standard PC setup.  RX01s are pretty much stock FM.

I seem to remember that if you format an 8" floppy, single sided, single density 
'IBM3740 format' (the standard one, 77 tracks, 26 sectors/track, 128 bytes/sector) 
then at least an RX02, and probably an RX01 can be convinced to put the DEC
type directory, etc. on it. An RX02 can re-format it as MMFM too.

Most CP/M machines with 8" drives can do the intial format

-tony