Using 3.5" HD drives on CP/M systems

[Joe R.]

At 11:16 AM 2/6/05 -0800, you wrote:
>On Sun, 6 Feb 2005, Vintage Computer Festival wrote:
>> Here's a suggestion...
>> The Epson PX-8 had 3.5" drives available as an add-on.  The PX-8 was of
>> course a CP/M machine.  Why don't you start by investigating what Epson
>> did?
>
>NO.  NO.   NO.
>A very good idea, except,...
>The Epson Geneva PX-8 disks that I have seen used a
>67.5 tpi 3.5" drive (40 tracks per side).
>THOSE drives are VERY hard to find.
>"Normal" 3.5" drives are 135 tpi.
>YES, you could "double-track" it, and introduce track width problems.
>
>
>But, to use that otherwise good idea, consider other 3.5" CP/M formats:
>CPT
>Digitech
>HP CP/M (77 track, but still 135tpi)

   I've got one of these buried away somewhere if anyone gets serious about
invetigating them.  (No, it's not for sale).

    Joe