[net.micro.cbm] SFD query

adam@utcs.UUCP (08/13/86)

In article <233@cs1.UUCP> cbcscmst@cs1.UUCP (Michael Steven Temkin) writes:
>I have a question for anyone out there who can answer it,
>listen up Commodore.  A long time ago there was an advertisement in some
>magazines about the SFD-1001 by Commodore, I never saw it
>in stores, nor have I heard anything since.  Does this drive
>still (if ever) exist, where can I find one, how much
>are they, and are they 1541 compatible?
>The above referenced article mentioned it and I would appreciate some help.


     The SFD-1001 was never 1541 compatible and came with a
IEEE-488 bus (for use with the PET/CBM seies) nessesitatingnthe use of
an IEEE adaptor for the 64.  For some reason (not wanting
to bother with PET/CBM anymore) commodore cancelled these drives
before they got onto the market.

     As for avalibility I believe that they were all shipped up to
a retail outlet in Toronto to be cleared out for $300 (can).
-- 

        ... and Pray that there's intellegent life somewhere up in space
        because there's bugger all down here on earth.
					-Monty Python (The Meaning of Life)
    
        Any opinions stated above may, or may not, refect those
        of any sane person living, dead, or just sleeping.

       Adam R. Iles:
                ...{decvax,ihnp4,utcsri,{allegra,linus}!utzoo}!utcs!adam

jerem@tekgvs.UUCP (Jere Marrs) (08/14/86)

In article <1986Aug13.152631.2597@utcs.uucp> adam@utcs.UUCP (Adam R. Iles) writes:
>
>In article <233@cs1.UUCP> cbcscmst@cs1.UUCP (Michael Steven Temkin) writes:
>>I have a question for anyone out there who can answer it,
>>listen up Commodore.  A long time ago there was an advertisement in some
>>magazines about the SFD-1001 by Commodore, I never saw it
>>in stores, nor have I heard anything since.  Does this drive
>>still (if ever) exist, where can I find one, how much
>>are they, and are they 1541 compatible?
>>The above referenced article mentioned it and I would appreciate some help.
>
>
>     The SFD-1001 was never 1541 compatible and came with a
>IEEE-488 bus (for use with the PET/CBM seies) nessesitatingnthe use of
>an IEEE adaptor for the 64.  For some reason (not wanting
>to bother with PET/CBM anymore) commodore cancelled these drives
>before they got onto the market.
>

	The SFD-100i (note: one-hundred-'eye') was not introduced as the C64
was not introduced with an IEEE interface. The PET series before that had
IEEE capability.

	It will never be in stores, and, in the US, it is being (has been?)
sold by Progressive Peripherals (in Denver, I believe). I borrowed one
from a friend and used it with a Batteries Included IEEE interface, and it
appeared to work as advertised. Double-sided, double-density with a
formatted capacity of just over one megabyte.

	There are no commercial programs available in that format, so its
use is limited pretty much to data storage or basic program storage. It
would be a good peripheral for a database manager with a large database.

					Jere M. Marrs
					Tektronix, Inc.
					tektronix!tekgvs!jerem

veach@ihuxl.UUCP (Michael T. Veach) (08/15/86)

I'm using a pair of SFD-1001 drives ($238 each) with Skyles (sp?)
IEEE Flash C-64 interface ($99) with my C-64. They hold over a megabyte
each and are in the range of 3 - 7 times faster than a 1541. (The 1541s
are sooooo slow compared to the SFD-1001s).

I mainly use my C-64 with PROMAL which runs fine on SFD-1001 drives
with a 1 byte patch.

Advantages of SDF-1001 drives:

	1) Fast
	2) Huge storage
	3) More buffers, can have about twice as many files
	open at once (this was a big problem for me).
	
Disadvantages:

	1) Need good disks (DSQD)
	2) Back up of entire disk takes an hour (over 4000 blocks),
	anybody got a 3-minute copy program for a SFD-1001 drive?
	3) Will NOT work with COMAL 2.0 and most copy protected
	software.
	4) Directory is limited to about 225 entries. As most of my
	files are small (15 blocks avg.) this is the limiting factor
	as to how much I can store per disk.
	
	Michael T. Veach
	  ihuxl!veach

-- 

	Michael T. Veach
	  ihuxl!veach