johnmac@fawlty.towers.oz (John MacLean) (10/11/89)
First of all, this is not another FST posting (at least not directly). Is it true that 720K 3.5" IBM disks use a different physical low level format and so *cannot* be read by 800K Apple drives? If so how can AEs I*M board use the Apple 3.5" - Does it just create pseudo devices as ProDOS files? I believe the MACs superdrive (1.44M 3.5 for reading I*M disks etc) requires a new IWM chip; is this true? If so does the new IIGS have an upgraded chip in it - if docs do not say then check out the printing on the top of the chip. It does not make sense to produce 2 versions of the chip. If this fails is the IWM chip socketed on the new GS? I also read under COMP.SYS.AM*GA that the thier 3.5" can read 2 of the 5 variable speeds on an Apple 3.5" (they use a constant speed). This would seem to imply that an Apple 3.5" is capable of directly reading their disks. Is this the case? Does anyone have any low level code around? Note that A*IGA disks use 24? bytes of overhead per 512 byte block! Low level drivers for these disks will be necessary before there can be any FSTs (sorry, it slipped out). Please post knowledge for all, I am sure others will be interested ...
jeffn@pro-houston.cts.com (Jeff Noxon) (10/15/89)
Network Comment: to #1257 by munnari.oz.au!csc!ccadfa!usage!basser!metro!ipso!fawlty!johnmac@uunet.uu.net The Apple 3.5" drive can be read/written at the low level more or less like we used to have to treat the Apple 5.25" drives. It's just very uncommon, because the smartport takes care of everything. It is possible, with work, to make the drive read 720k IBM disks. As for those 880k Amiga disks, I have no idea... Jeff |uucp: [ucsd, nosc] ..!crash!pro-houston!jeffn | "If I wanted your opinion, | |inet: jeffn@pro-houston.cts.com | I would have given it | |arpa: crash!pro-houston!jeffn@nosc.mil | to you!" |
SAB121@PSUVM.BITNET (10/17/89)
In <8910142320.AA12132@trout.nosc.mil> you said: |Network Comment: to #1257 by |munnari.oz.au!csc!ccadfa!usage!basser!metro!ipso!fawlty!johnmac@uunet.uu.net | |The Apple 3.5" drive can be read/written at the low level more or less like we |used to have to treat the Apple 5.25" drives. It's just very uncommon, |because the smartport takes care of everything. It is possible, with work, |to make the drive read 720k IBM disks. As for those 880k Amiga disks, I have |no idea... |Jeff ||uucp: [ucsd, nosc] ..!crash!pro-houston!jeffn | "If I wanted your opinion, | ||inet: jeffn@pro-houston.cts.com | I would have given it | Do you have any programs that allow you to read the MSDOS disks? I was looking for something that could read IBM disks on a MAC, read in text files, and save them to a MAC disk. I tried using AFE on the MACs here at school and was told that you need a SuperDrive to read IBM 720K disks. Since I can't afford one and PSU most probably won't buy one, I'm trying to find something else to do the ro utine. If I could change it to an Apple IIgs file (I have one in the dorms, th ank God) then I could use AFE to move it to a MAC for printing on the Laser pri nter connected to the MAC network. Any help would be appreciated.
brianw@microsoft.UUCP (Brian Willoughby) (10/17/89)
In article <507@fawlty.towers.oz> johnmac@fawlty.towers.oz (John MacLean) writes: >Is it true that 720K 3.5" IBM disks use a different physical low level >format and so *cannot* be read by 800K Apple drives? I *think* that's true. >I believe the MACs superdrive (1.44M 3.5 for reading I*M disks etc) >requires a new IWM chip; is this true? It's called the SWIM - Super Woz Integrated Machine. >If this fails is the IWM chip socketed on the new GS? I wish Apple would let us (owners of older Apple equipment) purchase SWIM chips, but they are understandably guarding their technology. I would quickly buy the first external, SmartPort SuperDrive I could get my hands on, if only Apple would make one. I would write my own drivers (damnit), and even resort to building a cabinet for an internal drive, but I don't think that is a solution yet. >I also read under COMP.SYS.AM*GA that the thier 3.5" can read 2 of the 5 >variable speeds on an Apple 3.5" (they use a constant speed). This would >seem to imply that an Apple 3.5" is capable of directly reading their >disks. Is this the case? Does anyone have any low level code around? >Note that A*IGA disks use 24? bytes of overhead per 512 byte block! According to the Inside Mac references, all 800K drives adjust thier own speed. Based on that info, I don't see how you could force a different speed on a particular track. >Please post knowledge for all, I am sure others will be interested ... Brian Willoughby UUCP: ...!{tikal, sun, uunet, elwood}!microsoft!brianw InterNet: microsoft!brianw@uunet.UU.NET or: microsoft!brianw@Sun.COM Bitnet brianw@microsoft.UUCP
brianw@microsoft.UUCP (Brian Willoughby) (10/17/89)
In article <8910142320.AA12132@trout.nosc.mil> jeffn@pro-houston.cts.com (Jeff Noxon) writes: >Network Comment: to #1257 by munnari.oz.au!csc!ccadfa!usage!basser!metro!ipso!fawlty!johnmac@uunet.uu.net > >The Apple 3.5" drive can be read/written at the low level more or less like we >used to have to treat the Apple 5.25" drives. True. More or less. >It's just very uncommon, >because the smartport takes care of everything. Careful how you throw around them words... SamrtPort software handles that. SmartPort hardware, a.k.a. the SmartPort Bus, is used to talk to UniDisks. >It is possible, with work, >to make the drive read 720k IBM disks. Is this statement based on logical derivation or actual experience? If actual experience, then can you also WRITE to 720K IBM disks? >As for those 880k Amiga disks, I have >no idea... Well, my EPS disk drive has the same format as the Atari. In fact, I've used an Atari-based fast disk copy program to copy EPS disks at the music store. Since it copies the data verbatim without attempting to interpret the file system, the disks work just the same as if I made them with the EPS. Now, if I could access these disks with my Apple 3.5", I'd be a happy camper. But since CPS makes thier Copy II Plus 3.5 disk utilities run in 80 columns, I cannot do any (easy) kind of track dump to see what the Apple makes of the Atari/EPS low level disk format. >Jeff Brian Willoughby UUCP: ...!{tikal, sun, uunet, elwood}!microsoft!brianw InterNet: microsoft!brianw@uunet.UU.NET or: microsoft!brianw@Sun.COM Bitnet brianw@microsoft.UUCP
buchho@studsys.mu.edu (buchho) (10/17/89)
In article <8075@microsoft.UUCP> brianw@microsoft.UUCP (Brian Willoughby) writes: >In article <507@fawlty.towers.oz> johnmac@fawlty.towers.oz (John MacLean) writes: >>Is it true that 720K 3.5" IBM disks use a different physical low level >>format and so *cannot* be read by 800K Apple drives? > >I *think* that's true. > Well, the AppleDisk (not Unidisk, well, maybe) CAN read the different low-level format of the MSDOS 3.5" disks, it was emphasized in the PC Transporter manual. The AppleDisk 3.5 has the internal routines to do this. (I also heard there was 64k stuck in there too... Query: What's it used for?) -- [][][][][][][][][][][][][][]______________________________________________ [] Jacob S. Buchholz [] Mary had a little roach, it lived behind the | [] buchho@studsys.mu.edu [] stove. And every time that Mary cooked, the | [][][][][][][][][][][][][][] roach would warm his toes... |
buchho@studsys.mu.edu (buchho) (10/17/89)
Just a sidenote to my last post... (after reading thru a bit more other posts) R/W works. I've seen it work. Now, if it were possibly by software alone, don't you think they'd also be able to do the same for the 5.25", but AE was "forced" (for lack of a better word at 4:50am) to provide a separate drive to handle the MSDOS format. -- [][][][][][][][][][][][][][]______________________________________________ [] Jacob S. Buchholz [] Mary had a little roach, it lived behind the | [] buchho@studsys.mu.edu [] stove. And every time that Mary cooked, the | [][][][][][][][][][][][][][] roach would warm his toes... |