Universal floppy disk controller

[Randy McLaughlin]

From: "Barry Watzman" <Watzman at neo.rr.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 11:42 AM
> Ok, so we've been discussing various ideas for a universal floppy disk
> controller.
>
> I bought (E-Bay) a used Microsolutions "Backpack" external parallel port
> floppy disk drive, it's a 3.5" 1.44MB drive.
>
> Internally, it is a standard drive (with a 34-pin standard interface) and 
> a
> floppy to parallel port interface card.
>
> The question is -- and it's really a software question -- If I connect a
> 5.25" drive to the interface (using the standard 34-pin interface) will 
> the
> device (or, perhaps more to the point, will it's drivers) work?
>
> I believe that they actually made a 5.25" model (with a 1.2 meg drive), 
> but
> I have not been able to find one.  The Format program that comes in the
> software packet has documentation suggesting that it can format a 1.2 meg
> and even a 360k drive, and I'm guessing that the interface card is the 
> same
> for the 5.25" and 3.5" models.
>
> This might be the answer to being able to access 5.25" drives on a 
> "modern"
> PC.  It would be really cool if 22Disk would work with a drive connected 
> to
> this thing.  I plan to do some testing in the next week or so.  It still
> doesn't solve the eight-inch problem, however.  [I know, there's a chance
> that the controller could be made to work with 8" drives using a funky 
> cable
> -- but first things first, 5.25" drives.]

22disk directly handles the FDC and ignores any devices attached as device 
drivers (except as to/from MSDOS).

To use this would require figuring it out and writting all of your own 
software.

I would expect it to be many times harder than making your own.


Randy
www.s100-manuals.com