[net.micro.cbm] Inquiry about INDUS GT disk drives for C64.

jfjfellner@watrose.UUCP (jfjfellner) (03/20/85)

     INQUIRY about  INDUS GT (/C64?) Disk Drives 
    ==============================================

   Hello,  I am considering buying a 2nd (non-Commodore) disk drive 
    thereby allowing me to retire/shelve/downplay my 1541.  The only
    thing stopping me is the price.  Anyway, I've had my eye on the
    MSD SD2's and have heard only good things about them.

         After picking up a Compute magazine for the first time in a
    few months I noticed that there seems to be another non-Commodore
    disk drive which would seem to be compatible; the INDUS GT (/c64??).

         My question to the Net is:
            - Does anyone out there own one and have anything good/bad
               to say about them?
            - What about performance: ie. disk load speed compared to 
                   the 1541 or MSD.
            - The magazine Ad boasts 100% compatible to 1541.  Can 
               this be true? (is anything compatible to a 1541 desirable?)
            - And lastly: Any known hardware/software problems?? 

   In Advance : Thanks

    (ps. And of course I will post a summary of anything worthwhile.) 

dillon@ucbvax.ARPA (The Sherif "Matt D.") (03/29/85)

>     INQUIRY about  INDUS GT (/C64?) Disk Drives 
>    ==============================================
>            - Does anyone out there own one and have anything good/bad
>               to say about them?
>            - What about performance: ie. disk load speed compared to 
>                   the 1541 or MSD.
>            - The magazine Ad boasts 100% compatible to 1541.  Can 
>               this be true? (is anything compatible to a 1541 desirable?)
>            - And lastly: Any known hardware/software problems?? 

These drives are CLOSE to %100 compatible. I would put it at about %92.
Don't expect much of a speed improvement for most things. The drive does,
however have a copy of 'Quickload' on ROM that you can load in. This will
give a %300 speed increase on the FEW programs it works with.
The original Indus drives ALL failed due to heat after about 1/2 hour.
Fortunatly the drive has a long warranty...
As I recomndation I generally like to go with the product put out
by the manufacturer of the computer...  to ensure compatibility. The 
new 1541's from Commdore are as slow as ever, but they HAVE fixed the
heat problem.