braner@batcomputer.TN.CORNELL.EDU (braner) (10/15/86)
[] If it is a good idea to connect a cheap, "raw" 3.5" (DS) drive to the ST, could you hardware experts out there tell us how (or why it's no good)? There seem to be DS drives for sale for < $100. But pinouts? Power requirements? - Moshe Braner
jhs@MITRE-BEDFORD.ARPA (10/17/86)
Paul Swanson of Nite-Lite Systems (617) 663-4221 (BBS line) has done some interfacing of "foreign" disk drives to the ST. I think this includes IBM PC drives (5.25 inch). He of course would prefer to sell you an interface rather than telling you how to design one, but he certainly could answer your questions if he has the time. -John Sangster jhs@mitre-bedford.arpa
turner@imagen.UUCP (D'arc Angel) (10/18/86)
> > Paul Swanson of Nite-Lite Systems (617) 663-4221 (BBS line) has done some > interfacing of "foreign" disk drives to the ST. I think this includes IBM > PC drives (5.25 inch). He of course would prefer to sell you an interface > rather than telling you how to design one, but he certainly could answer your > questions if he has the time. > > -John Sangster > jhs@mitre-bedford.arpa it was written up with only 2 omissions in an old issue of antic (i can give you the issue # if you want), the first omission was that the atari disk drives use cmos level signals so you need to stick a buffer chip in between the drives and second you need to set the access time to 6 ms. there was a pgm called sixms.prg to do that posted to the net, i have a copy if you need it. -- ---- These are days for the locust to eat - Winston Churchill Name: James M. Turner Mail: Imagen Corp. 2650 San Tomas Expressway, P.O. Box 58101 Santa Clara, CA 95052-8101 AT&T: (408) 986-9400 UUCP: ...{decvax,ucbvax}!decwrl!imagen!turner CompuServe: 76327,1575 GEnie : D-ARCANGEL
cabbie@chinet.UUCP (Richard Andrews) (10/20/86)
In article <619@imagen.UUCP> turner@imagen.UUCP (D'arc Angel) writes: >> >> Paul Swanson of Nite-Lite Systems (617) 663-4221 (BBS line) has done some >> interfacing of "foreign" disk drives to the ST. I think this includes IBM >> PC drives (5.25 inch). He of course would prefer to sell you an interface >> rather than telling you how to design one, but he certainly could answer your >> questions if he has the time. >> >> -John Sangster >> jhs@mitre-bedford.arpa > >it was written up with only 2 omissions in an old issue of antic (i can give >you the issue # if you want), the first omission was that the atari >disk drives use cmos level signals so you need to stick a buffer chip >in between the drives and second you need to set the access time to 6 >ms. there was a pgm called sixms.prg to do that posted to the net, i >have a copy if you need it. >-- >---- I have interfaced the CDC drives that are sold by BG micro and those drives (Full height DSDD) require at least 10ms step rate. Let the buyer beware! Until someone come up with a 10ms step rate program, Those drives are useless on the ST. Rich Andrews ...ihnp4!chinet!cabbie
lbl@druhi.UUCP (LocklearLB) (10/21/86)
In article <648@chinet.UUCP>, cabbie@chinet.UUCP writes: > In article <619@imagen.UUCP> turner@imagen.UUCP (D'arc Angel) writes: > >> > >> Paul Swanson of Nite-Lite Systems (617) 663-4221 (BBS line) has done some > >> interfacing of "foreign" disk drives to the ST. I think this includes IBM > >> PC drives (5.25 inch). He of course would prefer to sell you an interface > >> rather than telling you how to design one, but he certainly could answer your > >> questions if he has the time. > >> > >> -John Sangster > >> jhs@mitre-bedford.arpa > > > >it was written up with only 2 omissions in an old issue of antic (i can give > >you the issue # if you want), the first omission was that the atari > >disk drives use cmos level signals so you need to stick a buffer chip > >in between the drives and second you need to set the access time to 6 > >ms. there was a pgm called sixms.prg to do that posted to the net, i > >have a copy if you need it. > >-- > >---- > I have interfaced the CDC drives that are sold by BG micro and those drives > (Full height DSDD) require at least 10ms step rate. Let the buyer beware! > Until someone come up with a 10ms step rate program, Those drives are > useless on the ST. > > > Rich Andrews > ...ihnp4!chinet!cabbie I've been using a Teac 5.25" drive for about a year now. It works flawlessly without changing the access rate or using a buffer chip. This seems like the drive to use if you need a 5.25" drive. If you want to upgrade your original single sided 3.5" Atari drive to a double sided drive, I have been told that Epson 3.5" drives work quite well. There are only two problems. First, the busy light is on the wrong side. You'll have to remount it, or just listen to the drive if you want to see if it is on. :) Second, the disk eject button is too short to reach through the Atari drive's cabinet. To fix this, you need to replace the eject button on the new drive with the one from the old drive. I am planning on doing this upgrade soon, so I'll let everyone know how it goes. Barry Locklear AT&T Information Systems Labs Denver, CO 80234 ihnp4!drutx!druhi!lbl
cabbie@chinet.UUCP (Richard Andrews) (10/22/86)
In article <1171@druhi.UUCP> lbl@druhi.UUCP (LocklearLB) writes: >In article <648@chinet.UUCP>, cabbie@chinet.UUCP writes: >> In article <619@imagen.UUCP> turner@imagen.UUCP (D'arc Angel) writes: >> >> >> >> Paul Swanson of Nite-Lite Systems (617) 663-4221 (BBS line) has done some >> >> interfacing of "foreign" disk drives to the ST. I think this includes IBM >> >> PC drives (5.25 inch). He of course would prefer to sell you an interface >> >> rather than telling you how to design one, but he certainly could answer your >> >> questions if he has the time. >> >> >> >> -John Sangster >> >> jhs@mitre-bedford.arpa >> > >> >it was written up with only 2 omissions in an old issue of antic (i can give >> >you the issue # if you want), the first omission was that the atari >> >disk drives use cmos level signals so you need to stick a buffer chip >> >in between the drives and second you need to set the access time to 6 >> >ms. there was a pgm called sixms.prg to do that posted to the net, i >> >have a copy if you need it. >> >-- >> >---- >> I have interfaced the CDC drives that are sold by BG micro and those drives >> (Full height DSDD) require at least 10ms step rate. Let the buyer beware! >> Until someone come up with a 10ms step rate program, Those drives are >> useless on the ST. >> >> >> Rich Andrews >> ...ihnp4!chinet!cabbie > >I've been using a Teac 5.25" drive for about a year now. It works flawlessly >without changing the access rate or using a buffer chip. This seems like the >drive to use if you need a 5.25" drive. > >If you want to upgrade your original single sided 3.5" Atari drive to a double >sided drive, I have been told that Epson 3.5" drives work quite well. There are only >two problems. First, the busy light is on the wrong side. You'll have to >remount it, or just listen to the drive if you want to see if it is on. :) >Second, the disk eject button is too short to reach through the Atari drive's >cabinet. To fix this, you need to replace the eject button on the new drive >with the one from the old drive. > >I am planning on doing this upgrade soon, so I'll let everyone know how it goes. > >Barry Locklear >AT&T Information Systems Labs >Denver, CO 80234 >ihnp4!drutx!druhi!lbl The 3.5 drives that I have are both epson made. Original equipment from Atari. Rich Andrews ihnp4!chinet!cabbie