[Coco] So, does anyone know where to get disk drives?

[Mike Pepe]

(most) 1.2MB PC drives are useless- they spin at a different rate.

Aside from the complications of building the cable with the proper twist and
connectors, the 3.5" works great. In a pinch you can use high density disks
and cover up the HD hole, but I wouldn't trust it with anything I cared
about.



-----Original Message-----
From: coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com [mailto:coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com] On
Behalf Of Luis Antoniosi (CoCoDemus)
Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2013 9:38 PM
To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts
Subject: Re: [Coco] So, does anyone know where to get disk drives?

Take care of PC pulls of 5.25. They just don't work as the head selection
pin is different. 3.5 works like a charm.


On Thu, Aug 29, 2013 at 12:32 AM, Mark J. Blair <nf6x at nf6x.net> wrote:

> Interesting. I was thinking of trying out an 80 track 5.25" DSDD 
> drive, but I hadn't considered trying 3.5" one.
>
> --
> Mark J. Blair, NF6X <nf6x at nf6x.net>
> Web page: http://www.nf6x.net/
>
> On Aug 28, 2013, at 21:28, "Mike Pepe" <lamune at doki-doki.net> wrote:
>
> > Mark - if you don't care about being able to read and write 5.25" 
> > disks,
> any
> > old 1.44MB floppy will work just fine on a CoCo as long as you use 
> > 720k
> (low
> > density) disks.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com 
> > [mailto:coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com]
> On
> > Behalf Of Mark J. Blair
> > Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2013 7:18 PM
> > To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts
> > Subject: Re: [Coco] So, does anyone know where to get disk drives?
> >
> >
> > On Aug 28, 2013, at 11:11 , Christopher Smith <csmith at wolfram.com>
> wrote:
> >> I'm trying to find drives for my CoCo systems, and I'm having tons 
> >> of
> > trouble doing so.  I'm at the point where I may just try to 
> > cannibalize other systems to get working double-density floppies and 
> > build my own
> case,
> > but I'd prefer not to do this unless I absolutely have to.  My ebay 
> > experience trying to buy drives for this seems to have ended with 
> > UPS
> losing
> > my shipment after my waiting a month to receive it, so not much luck
> there.
> >>
> >> Anyway, I thought I'd ask here.  Any idea where I might find a 
> >> couple of
> > floppy drives in an external case? :)
> >
> >
> > I've bought a couple of complete single-drive Radio Shack floppy 
> > systems
> for
> > the CoCo off eBay in the last few weeks since I started playing with
> vintage
> > computers. IIRC, one was an FD-500 and the other was an FD-501. Both
> worked
> > fine. I also picked up a pair of Tandon SSDD half height drives 
> > there;
> one
> > worked fine and is now installed in one of those systems, while the 
> > other one appears to only step the head in one direction. I'll look 
> > at it later and see if I can fix it. Hopefully it's just a blown 
> > transistor or
> something
> > in the stepper motor drive circuit.
> >
> > I also got a pair of DSDD full height floppies in external cases. 
> > Both drives work. One case+power supply worked, and the other one 
> > made fire as the power switch consumed itself in an electric arc when I
turned it on.
> > Cool stuff. I use one of the drives naked on the tabletop with my
> KryoFlux
> > and the little switching supply it came with.
> >
> > Then, I just pounced on a pair of Teac FD-55B drives in the last day 
> > or
> two
> > shortly after they were listed. I'll set them aside (when they 
> > arrive)
> while
> > I continue to look for a J&M controller to go with them.
> >
> > I've seen several other CoCo floppy drives and/or controllers on 
> > eBay
> during
> > that period, too, some of them in original boxes. Single-drive 
> > systems
> seem
> > to be pretty common at the moment, but I haven't seen any 
> > double-drive systems. So, I'd say that you may need to pick up a 
> > single-drive system
> and
> > another bare drive to add to it.
> >
> > Let's see, right now I see a naked controller (missing its case), an
> FD-502
> > interface, an FD-502 drive cable, and a complete full-height CoCo 
> > drive system in its original box. The latter was found by visual 
> > search, not
> by my
> > saved search for CoCo items; check out item 281157216709. Some 
> > sellers
> don't
> > know what they're selling, so it's often necessary to cast a wide 
> > net and wade through the pictures looking for something interesting.
> >
> > P.S.: If anybody has a spare J&M controller, particularly a JFD-CP, 
> > I'm interested!
> >
> > --
> > Mark J. Blair, NF6X <nf6x at nf6x.net>
> > http://www.nf6x.net/
> >
> >
> > --
> > Coco mailing list
> > Coco at maltedmedia.com
> > http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
> >
> >
> > --
> > Coco mailing list
> > Coco at maltedmedia.com
> > http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>
> --
> Coco mailing list
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>



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