paulw@amd.UUCP (Paul Woods) (07/25/84)
I would like to know if anyone has used these disk drives with the
C64. I have found that these drives appear to be an answer to the faulty
1541. This drive uses an optical sensor to detect the last track, not
a solid object as on the 1541. The drive also formats the disk in a
shorter time than the 1541. From what I have seen this is the drive
for me but I would like to hear from some other users!
Is this a great drive or is it only a small step up on the 1541?
Are there any problems with these disk drives, the MSD SD1 or SD2, like
the @ troubles, head alignment problems, and over heating problems
associated with the 1541?
For me the MSD SD2 disk drives appears to be a good solution. My
only draw back is the price, $550.00 to $700.00. The cheapest price being
from COMPUTER MAIL ORDER ph. 800-648-331 for the west and 800-233-8950
for the east. The highest price was found at Sunnyvale Electronics
located on Murphy Street in Sunnyvale. All of your comments are welcomed
and appreciated.
Paul Woods
Advanced Micro Devices
Sunnyvale, CA. 94088
m/s #6djl@ptsfa.UUCP (DJ Lampe) (12/05/84)
<this is the official blank line> My 1541 drive is gone again for the second time in less than 2 years. I have seen several questions about the MSD drives posted to this group but no answers. Does anybody out there use one of these things? How compatible are they with Commodore? Are they any more reliable? Are there any other replacements available? Any answers, comments, or screams will be appreciated. I will summarize any mailed responses. Thanks, Dave Lampe @ Pacific Bell ..!dual!ptsfa!djl
paulw@amd.UUCP (Paul Woods) (01/31/85)
There has been many articles regarding the ills of the 1541 not to mention all of the software and hardware to fix the 1541 problems. Well C64 users never fear the MSD disk drive are here to overcome and cure all of your frustrations encountered with the 1541! I never could force myself to purchase the 1541 after I heard of all of the troubles found with the 1541 so I never had to learn the hard way about a poorly designed disk drive. Instead I save up my penneis and nickles to purchase the Dual Disk Drive package from MSD. I have never been so please to anounce that I have yet to experience any kind of problem like overheating, clunking heads, poor alignment and slow operations that are common problems with the 1541. (Even the save @ problem that is somewhat common on the 1541 has yet to cause me a problem.) So if your tired of putting up with your 1541 or are looking for a great disk drive, I would recommend the MSD Disk Drives. However, with all great things there is a limitation. This limitation is that not all of the purchased software works on the MSD drives because the software is using some of the internal routines found on the 1541. Now since this is a MSD drive and not a 1541 the software fails. This problem accounts for less than 5% of the protected software available or so I have been told. But, may of the companies that sell this type of protected software also have the software that can run on the MSD but you usally have to order it directly unless you have a good software store near you. Paul Woods (paulw)
percus@acf4.UUCP (Allon G. Percus) (02/01/85)
What's your comment as to speed?
A. G. Percus
(ARPA) percus@nyu-acf4
(NYU) percus.acf4
(UUCP) ...!ihnp4!cmcl2!acf4!percusdillon@ucbvax.ARPA (The Sherif "Matt D.") (02/04/85)
> > There has been many articles regarding the ills of the 1541 not to > mention all of the software and hardware to fix the 1541 problems. > Well C64 users never fear the MSD disk drive are here to overcome and > cure all of your frustrations encountered with the 1541! I never > could force myself to purchase the 1541 after I heard of all of the > troubles found with the 1541 so I never had to learn the hard way about > a poorly designed disk drive. Instead I save up my penneis and nickles > to purchase the Dual Disk Drive package from MSD. I have never been > so please to anounce that I have yet to experience any kind of problem > like overheating, clunking heads, poor alignment and slow operations > that are common problems with the 1541. (Even the save @ problem that > is somewhat common on the 1541 has yet to cause me a problem.) > > So if your tired of putting up with your 1541 or are looking for a great > disk drive, I would recommend the MSD Disk Drives. However, with all > great things there is a limitation. This limitation is that not all > of the purchased software works on the MSD drives because the software > is using some of the internal routines found on the 1541. Now since > this is a MSD drive and not a 1541 the software fails. This problem > accounts for less than 5% of the protected software available or so > I have been told. But, may of the companies that sell this type of > protected software also have the software that can run on the MSD but > you usally have to order it directly unless you have a good software > store near you. > > Paul Woods (paulw) * The MSD Disk Drives do have some major problems. First, as if it where possible, the MSD is SLOWER than the 1541!! (calling the 1541 %100, the MSD comes in at %91) * The MSD does not work with a lot of the avalible software. If you plan to run software that you have purchaced you will need a 1541. * The disk speed up products that are avalible for the 1541 (like 1541 Flash!) are not avalible for the MSD. Other than that the MSD drives are fairly well built, and reliable.
pjm@spuxll.UUCP (PJ Maioriello) (02/05/85)
While i will agree that the load speed of an MSD drive is slightly (and i do mean slightly) slower than a 1541 and some commercial software wont load, the MSD is a VASTLY SUPERIOR drive in EVERY other way. In case anyone thinks i am prejudiced, I happen to own both a 1541 and an MSD SD2. I use the 1541 and the EPYX fastload (sorry Bryce) cartridge to load commercial programs. That is about all it does. I cannot remember the last time it wrote to a disk. My MSD formats my disks (approx 10 seconds) does my backups (approx 2 minutes for an entire disk), is used to move files around, and works real nice with my terminal programs and my assembler and my word processor and my spreadsheet and my database management programs and my ...... oh well you get the message. In all this use it has not even burped once. Now as far as using the speed up enhancements you have to give the 1541 the edge. But I and probably everyone else who owns an MSD would be eternally grateful (not to mention willing to part with some cash) for a speedup goodie that works on the MSD. It is my opinion that people who have been willing to spend the money for the MSD would probably be very receptive to a product that would enhance their investment. Are you listening Bryce? By the way if anyone knows about such a product that works on the MSD please let me know where the line starts to buy one. Paul Maioriello spuxll!pjm
dillon@ucbvax.ARPA (The Sherif "Matt D.") (02/06/85)
> What's your comment as to speed? > A. G. Percus > (ARPA) percus@nyu-acf4 > (NYU) percus.acf4 > (UUCP) ...!ihnp4!cmcl2!acf4!percus If you connect a MSD single or MSD dual with the provided serial cable it runs a only %91 of the speed of the 1541 disk drive. That is SLOWER than the 1541. If you use a IEEE-488 interface (add $150-$200 to the cost) you will get a %150-%200 loading speed improvement. Most IEEE interfaces are VERY incompatible with software. There are only two that I know of that are truly compatible... The Buscard II ($125 + $50 for a IEEE cable from Batteries Included) and MSD Flash (about $90 from Skyles Electric Works, comes with cable at no extra cost). The buscard is %151 of the speed of the 1541. MSD Flash is %309 of the speed of a 1541. My recomendations for a disk drive are::: get a 1541 and modify it so that it will NOT overheat (If there is enough intrest I will post info on how to do this). Then, if its slow speed bothers you invest in a disk speedup product like (heh, heh) 1541 Flash!. What you have is a drive that is as Fast as a much more expensive MSD system, and compatible with all the software avalible, which the MSD is not. -Bryce Nesbitt using "Matt's account"-