Installing an operating system on the 11/83 - update.

[Ethan Dicks]

On Tue, Feb 22, 2022 at 10:43 PM Jay Jaeger via cctalk
<cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
> Writing a 360KB or RX50 diskette with a 1.2MB drive is a path to a lot
> of frustration.  Not only do you have to double step the drive (software
> often takes care of that part), but the tracks written will be narrower
> than a real RX50 / 306KB drive...

A real RX50 is an 80-track drive.  You are correct that writing a
"360K" floppy on a high-density drive is not a good idea, but a real
RX50 _is_ 80 tracks, just single-sided, for a total of 400KB per disk.

The RX50 drive itself has one rotation motor and one positioner motor
but the heads face outward from the middle, one head per disk.  The
hub is a strange split affair where the top rotates the opposite
direction from the bottom (and is driven by a belt in the middle).  A
somewhat unique arrangement in the peripheral arena.

-ethan