Wild-hair floppy drive question

[Allison]

>
>Subject: Re: Wild-hair floppy drive question
>   From: Doc Shipley <doc at mdrconsult.com>
>   Date: Sun, 12 Jun 2005 21:08:43 -0500
>     To: General at mdrconsult.com, "Discussion at mdrconsult.com":On-Topic and Off-Topic
> Posts	<cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>
>Allison wrote:
>
>>>Subject: Re: Wild-hair floppy drive question
>>>  From: Doc Shipley <doc at mdrconsult.com>
>>>  Date: Sat, 11 Jun 2005 20:01:12 -0500
>>>    To: General at mdrconsult.com, "Discussion at mdrconsult.com":On-Topic and Off-Topic
>>>Posts	<cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>>>
>>>Eric Smith wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Doc asks:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>  Would a DSHD floppy drive with a DSHD disk in it
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>You mean a 96 TPI high-density 5.25" disk and drive (e.g., IBM 1.2M format
>>>>that was introduced with the PC/AT)?
>>>
>>>  Sorry, no, I meant a 3.5" floppy drive.  As soon as Allison replied I 
>>>realized the question was ambiguous.
>>>
>>>  I've found something intersting about the Compaq m/b that hosts my 
>>>1.2MB 5.25" disk drive, though.
>>>
>>>  That board auto-detects all its hardware on every boot.  If I boot 
>>>with a DSQD disk in that drive, the BIOS auto-updates the settings to 
>>>'3.5" 1.44MB Drive".
>>>
>>>  Which is what prompted my question in the first place.
>> 
>> 
>> Ah, so you wish to use a 3.5" floppy for an Altos that has a 5.25 DSQD?
>> 
>> 
>> If that is the question the answer is yes.  (use one hole media aka 720k).
>
>   Well, I found a couple of 3.5" drives that can be jumpered, and the 
>Altos doesn't recognize 'em at all.  I suspect it wants a drive that 
>does DD only.

It has nothing to do with the drive density.  It's looking for ready
or some other signal.  OR a correctly formatted disk (NOT PC DOS formatted)

>> If not a TEAC FD55GFV will work as a DSQD 5.25".
>
>   Do you have the jumper settings for that?  TEAC's documentation 
>drives me up the wall.  I have an FD55GFR that I can make boot and read, 
>but not write or format.  I suppose if I absolutely have to, I'll rob an 
>FD55GFV from the 11/53 - the -GFR should work fine on the RQDX3.

No, I have to look it up every time and I have at least 5 versions 
that have different jumpers.  Likely specific to Altos (I dont have one
of those).  I do know my DEC systems require different setups from 
other machines I have.

FYI: any drive that is equivilent to a Either: 

TEAC FD55Fxx (two sides 96TPI DSQD only)
TEAC FD55Gxx (Two sides 96TPI DSQD and HD1.2m)

Will work.  That includs a few Toshiba, Mistubishi and odd brand
named drives from the late AT286 into the early 486 eara.


Allison