Reading 8" disks on a PC (was Re: Need NEC APC manuals)

[Eric Smith]

Brad wrote:
> but are you saying you connected your 8" drive to a stock PC floppy
> controller?

Yes.  All modern PC floppy controllers should be able to read double
density (MFM) 8" just fine.  Some can read single density (FM), and
some can't.

> if so, can you tell me how you did it?  did you use one of those little
> converter boards from dbit?

Yes.  And Linux software of my own devising:
    http://dmklib.brouhaha.com/

Though for reasonably "normal" disk formats, you should be able to
just set the appropriate parameters with fdparm, then dd from /dev/fd<n>.

If you don't need to write to 8" disks, you can just wire up a cable.
The Dbit board is convenient, and it has a PIC that monitors the
step and direction lines to generate the TG43 (RWC) signal needed for
writing.

Eric