[Coco] DYSAN Digital Diagnostic Disk..........

[Gene Heskett]

On Wednesday 20 December 2017 12:16:37 Arthur Flexser wrote:

> I'd imagine that what is in the archive is the CoCo software that goes
> with the non-copyable Dysan alignment disk.  The program was called
> J&M Memory Minder, from the folks that sold JDOS and J&M controllers.
>
> http://www.vcfed.org/forum/archive/index.php/t-50774.html
>
> Art
>
I actually have one of those. But it seemed to make more disk errors, so 
its stashed away in a cabinet in the basement. Don't recall which 
version of jdos but 1.2 sounds familiar. I used it mainly for the 
parport, unfortunately the fcc ruined that with their radiated noise 
regulations which resulted in most parport printers needing a longer 
data transfer cycle than the J&M had since it was a single e-clock in 
duration, too fast to get thru the printers input noise filters. An 
added timer, rigged to disable the clock for one cycle would have cured 
that by freezing the cpu for another microsecond would have been the 
ideal fix, but I never found my round tuit.
 
> On Wed, Dec 20, 2017 at 11:00 AM, Gene Heskett <gheskett at shentel.net> 
wrote:
> > On Wednesday 20 December 2017 10:25:16 Bill Pierce via Coco wrote:
> > > It looks like that has the reference disk, which is rare. The
> > > alignment disk itself is in the archives.
> >
> > And the archive data copy is no good. Those disks are made
> > individually, each track made on a series of purposely miss-adjusted
> > drives, and to copy them from a 'normal' drive to a normal drive
> > destroys the errors except for the loss of amplitude the errors
> > cause on a supposedly well adjusted drive. Doing the copying from a
> > somewhat maladjusted drive is even worse.  So a copy is about as
> > usefull as the appendages on the belly of a boar hog when it comes
> > to diagnosing a maladjusted drive.
> >
> > Since they can't be accurately copied, thats the reason for the to
> > us, outrageous price if indeed its a genuine Dyson drive test disk.
> > Thats several times the cost from Dyson when Dyson had them for
> > sale. I faintly recall a price of around $25 all those yeares ago.
> >
> > If you really, really need  one, check with whats left of Dyson and
> > see if they have any left.  Or pay the ebay price if the seller can
> > certify it is an original, money back, no argument if not. And even
> > then you take your chances at such as center hole edge damage. That
> > disk may be 25 years old, and shoved into many many unknown drives,
> > with perhaps magnetized heads which could do a partial erasure.
> >
> > > Bill Pierce
> > > "Charlie stole the handle, and the train it won't stop going, no
> > > way to slow down!" - Ian Anderson - Jethro Tull
> > >
> > > My Music from the Tandy/Radio Shack Color Computer 2 & 3
> > > https://sites.google.com/site/dabarnstudio/
> > > Co-Contributor, Co-Editor for CocoPedia
> > > http://www.cocopedia.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
> > >
> > > E-Mail: ooogalapasooo at aol.com
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Joe Schutts via Coco <coco at maltedmedia.com>
> > > To: coco <coco at maltedmedia.com>
> > > Cc: Joe Schutts <j_schutts at yahoo.com>
> > > Sent: Wed, Dec 20, 2017 7:43 am
> > > Subject: [Coco] DYSAN Digital Diagnostic Disk..........
> > >
> > > Hi Everyone,I came across something today that SOME people might
> > > find interesting (OR need). A DYSAN Digital Diagnostics disk on
> > > sale on E-Bay for $100.00 US. I'm sure that there are some of you
> > > out there that need to re-adjust your Floppy Disk Drives and this
> > > would be an excellent addition. Who knows, you just might start up
> > > a new profession fixing disk drives...Anyway, here's the link and
> > > good luck fixing disk
> > > drives...www.ebay.ca/itm/VINTAGE-DYSAN-3-1-2-ALIGNMENT-AND-DIAGNOS
> > >TIC-
> > > CE-DISKETTES-/112575319782?hash=item1a36030ee6:g:IlwAAOSwxTlZxuZcJ
> > >oe...
> > >
> > >| | | | $100.00 |  | | || |  | VINTAGE DYSAN 3 1/2 ALIGNMENT AND
> > >
> > > DIAGNOSTIC CE DISKETTES | eBayVINTAGE DYSAN 3 1/2 ALIGNMENT AND
> > > DIAGNOSTIC CE DISKETTES | Computers/Tablets & Networking, Vintage
> > > Computing, V... | | |-- Coco mailing
> > > listCoco at maltedmedia.comhttps://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinf
> > >o/co co
> >
> > Cheers, Gene Heskett
> > --
> > "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
> >  soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
> > -Ed Howdershelt (Author)
> > Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene>
> >
> > --
> > Coco mailing list
> > Coco at maltedmedia.com
> > https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco


Cheers, Gene Heskett
-- 
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene>