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

Tue Sep 17 13:05:20 EDT 2013

I use the same medias on my MSX which has a double density 3.5" drive and
it works fine.

One thing I noticed is re-formating on PC in 720K first will give you fewer
errors.

Also, I made the MSX's disks on a PC writing on HDs as DD and then use them
on the MSX.

I have disks I made 2 years ago running fine.

On Tue, Sep 17, 2013 at 12:58 PM, Christopher Smith <csmith at wolfram.com>wrote:

> 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
> >
> > --
> > 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