[Coco] FD-502 dual drive system on eBay (not mine)

Tue Sep 17 12:58:17 EDT 2013

So you use a high-density drive, with high-density media, at double-density?  That may actually fix the problem of having the data not stick, given that the same heads that would have been writing the high-density media in the usual HD setup are doing so anyway. :)  The impression I got was that it was a problem with the heads in double-density drives not being able to magnetize the disk properly, so you should be safe unless you try to later take the disk and do something with it on a system with a real double-density drive.

I thought about doing something of the sort, but I had intended to lock the medium detection switch into the double-density position and just use double-density media.  I do have a 3.5" high-density drive that still has drive-select jumpers, so it could go into the system on whichever ID I wanted it to use.

Chris

----- Original Message -----
> From: "Retro Canada" <retrocanada76 at gmail.com>
> To: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts" <coco at maltedmedia.com>
> Cc: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts" <coco at maltedmedia.com>
> Sent: Monday, September 16, 2013 7:08:08 PM
> Subject: Re: [Coco] FD-502 dual drive system on eBay (not mine)
> 
> no i use hd floppies with the hd hole taped and it just works.
> 
> some will say it wont hold the data but for me it works...
> 
> using dd floppies would be better but they are prety rare nowadays...
> 
> 
> On 2013-09-16, at 7:08 PM, Christopher Smith <csmith at wolfram.com>
> wrote:
> 
> Oh, right; I'd forgotten about the ones that used the 3.5" type power
> connectors.  So, you say you put a 1.4M drive in?  Do you have the
> one really ancient disk controller that's supposed to be adjustable
> to support high-density, or have you done something else to use
> them?
> 
> Chris
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Retro Canada" <retrocanada76 at gmail.com>
> > To: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts"
> > <coco at maltedmedia.com>
> > Cc: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts"
> > <coco at maltedmedia.com>
> > Sent: Monday, September 16, 2013 5:30:39 PM
> > Subject: Re: [Coco] FD-502 dual drive system on eBay (not mine)
> > 
> > up to fd501 they all use standard 5 1/4 molex and for fd502 the 3
> > 1/2
> > connector. i have 3 units a white full height, a fd501 and fd502.
> > in
> > both fds i put a 1.44 3 1/2 as ds0. i dont like 5 1/2.
> > 
> > my full height is misaligned. even if i manage to fix the head it
> > will misalign again.
> > 
> > On 2013-09-16, at 6:19 PM, Christopher Smith <csmith at wolfram.com>
> > wrote:
> > 
> > That's interesting... what is the power supply connector now?
> > 
> > Chris
> > 
> > ----- Original Message -----
> >> From: "Retro Canada" <retrocanada76 at gmail.com>
> >> To: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts"
> >> <coco at maltedmedia.com>
> >> Cc: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts"
> >> <coco at maltedmedia.com>
> >> Sent: Monday, September 16, 2013 4:51:10 PM
> >> Subject: Re: [Coco] FD-502 dual drive system on eBay (not mine)
> >> 
> >> i am talking about the full height unity to put half drives.
> >> 
> >> On 2013-09-16, at 5:46 PM, Sean <badfrog at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> 
> >> I put a non-Tandy drive in my old FT-502 case and it fit perfectly
> >> back in
> >> the day.  I think I just had to change the power connector to a
> >> molex
> >> one.
> >> 
> >> 
> >> On Mon, Sep 16, 2013 at 3:16 PM, Luis Antoniosi (CoCoDemus) <
> >> retrocanada76 at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> 
> >>> you will need to drill new holes on it since they don't match.
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> On Mon, Sep 16, 2013 at 4:15 PM, Christopher Smith
> >>> <csmith at wolfram.com
> >>>> wrote:
> >>> 
> >>>> Excellent, so it looks like I may be able to make a simple
> >>>> conversion
> >>> from
> >>>> one of the full-height units, then.  I'll just have to keep an
> >>>> eye
> >>>> out
> >>> for
> >>>> a half-height, DS/DD drive.  The second drive would probably be
> >>>> the
> >>>> quad-density one that I have currently.  I suppose I should
> >>>> start
> >>>> looking
> >>>> at how to swap drive IDs as well.
> >>>> 
> >>>> Chris
> >>>> 
> >>>> ----- Original Message -----
> >>>>> From: "Rogelio Perea" <os9dude at gmail.com>
> >>>>> To: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts"
> >>>>> <coco at maltedmedia.com>
> >>>>> Sent: Monday, September 16, 2013 2:52:53 PM
> >>>>> Subject: Re: [Coco] FD-502 dual drive system on eBay (not mine)
> >>>>> 
> >>>>> On Mon, Sep 16, 2013, Christopher Smith wrote:
> >>>>> 
> >>>>> I do wish people didn't pay nearly so much for those two drive
> >>>>> things.
> >>>>>> Honestly, I've begun to wonder whether I could convert one of
> >>>>>> the
> >>>>>> single
> >>>>>> drive boxes to hold two half-height drives.  Not sure if
> >>>>>> they'd
> >>>>>> mount
> >>>>>> properly in the case, and have no idea whether the power
> >>>>>> supply
> >>>>>> would be
> >>>>>> sufficient.
> >>>>> 
> >>>>> I added a second drive to my FD-502 years ago (20+) and did not
> >>>>> install the
> >>>>> fan as suggested in the user manual; had the system in close
> >>>>> observation
> >>>>> for a while and even under heavy disk usage (OS9L2) the power
> >>>>> supply
> >>>>> never
> >>>>> defaulted, and it is still rock solid to this day. That FD-502
> >>>>> I
> >>>>> use
> >>>>> exclusively on my CoCo 3 setup.
> >>>>> 
> >>>>> A little bit more than a year ago I upgraded my CoCo 1's
> >>>>> 26-3029
> >>>>> disk
> >>>>> system (prior model before the FD-500): drive was a full height
> >>>>> device
> >>>>> mounted on a corresponding case - took the original drive out
> >>>>> and
> >>>>> replaced
> >>>>> it with two TEAC FD-55 half-height drives, they sat nicely on
> >>>>> the
> >>>>> case -
> >>>>> only had to drill a couple of mounting holes on the bottom to
> >>>>> secure
> >>>>> the
> >>>>> drives inside. The full height case's power supply is a no
> >>>>> frills
> >>>>> linear
> >>>>> one, again as with my first days with the upgraded FD-502,
> >>>>> after
> >>>>> hooking up
> >>>>> both drives to it I kept a close eye on the power demands, play
> >>>>> tested with
> >>>>> OS9L1 to my heart's content and not a single problem crept in -
> >>>>> I
> >>>>> did
> >>>>> put a
> >>>>> fresh helping of heat sink silicone grease on the power
> >>>>> regulator
> >>>>> before
> >>>>> hooking up the drives, power supply runs warm to the touch but
> >>>>> nothing
> >>>>> beyond the ordinary.
> >>>>> 
> >>>>> Newer drives will have less power demands than older units,
> >>>>> that
> >>>>> has
> >>>>> to
> >>>>> account for my problem free experiences with the disk system
> >>>>> upgrades
> >>>>> noted
> >>>>> above.
> >>>>> 
> >>>>> -- RP
> >>>>> 
> >>>>> --
> >>>>> Coco mailing list
> >>>>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
> >>>>> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
> >>>> 
> >>>> --
> >>>> Christopher Smith
> >>>> Systems Engineer, Wolfram Research
> >>>> 
> >>>> --
> >>>> Coco mailing list
> >>>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
> >>>> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> --
> >>> Long live the CoCo
> >>> 
> >>> --
> >>> 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
> >> Coco at maltedmedia.com
> >> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
> > 
> > --
> > Christopher Smith
> > Systems Engineer, Wolfram Research
> > 
> > --
> > 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
> 
> --
> Christopher Smith
> Systems Engineer, Wolfram Research
> 
> --
> Coco mailing list
> Coco at maltedmedia.com
> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
> 
> --
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> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
> 

-- 
Christopher Smith
Systems Engineer, Wolfram Research