[comp.sys.amiga] A-Max Drives

raw@mcnc.org (Russell Williams) (04/21/89)

	Can anybody tell me what the problem is with not having a mac drive to
hook up with A-Max?  From what I have read, although the amiga drive can only
read 1/3 of the Mac disk, you can transfer a mac disk to an amiga disk by
copying it in three passes.  Then you have the whole mac disk on an amiga disk.
So why would this be a problem in compatibility?  (Copy protection of Mac disks
aside.)

					Russell Williams

agnus@nadia.UUCP (Matthias Zepf) (04/26/89)

In article <4341@alvin.mcnc.org> raw@mcnc.org (Russell Williams) writes:
>	Can anybody tell me what the problem is with not having a mac drive to
>hook up with A-Max?  From what I have read, although the amiga drive can only
>read 1/3 of the Mac disk, you can transfer a mac disk to an amiga disk by
>copying it in three passes.  Then you have the whole mac disk on an amiga disk.
>So why would this be a problem in compatibility?  (Copy protection of Mac disks
>aside.)

I think this was a joke of you, wasn't it? You must the mac is writing
(and reading) a disk at three diffent rotating speeds (depending on
the track number). The amiga drive can only simulate one of this three
speeds. So you can only read 1/3 of the mac disk, but it will every
time the same 1/3 of the mac disk!! 2/3 are absolut unreadable!
By the way, I'm waiting for this A-Max to buy here in Germany...

Greetings, Matthias

gaynor@perch.cis.ohio-state.edu (james e gaynor) (04/27/89)

In article <366@nadia.UUCP> agnus@nadia.UUCP (Matthias Zepf) writes:
>In article <4341@alvin.mcnc.org> raw@mcnc.org (Russell Williams) writes:
>>	Can anybody tell me what the problem is with not having a mac drive to
>>hook up with A-Max?  From what I have read, although the amiga drive can only
>>read 1/3 of the Mac disk, you can transfer a mac disk to an amiga disk by
>>copying it in three passes.  Then you have a whole mac disk on an amiga disk.
>
>I think this was a joke of you, wasn't it? You must the mac is writing
>(and reading) a disk at three diffent rotating speeds (depending on
>the track number). The amiga drive can only simulate one of this three
>speeds. So you can only read 1/3 of the mac disk, but it will every
>time the same 1/3 of the mac disk!! 2/3 are absolut unreadable!

	Without a Macintosh drive, Amaxx con only read 1/3 of a disk that
was formatted on such a drive.  The solution:  a program that comes with
Amaxx that will format disks only at the Amiga-readable speeds.  This, of
course, lowers the storage capability drastically, but allows those whose
only access to Macs is far from their Amiga to copy software for their 
Amaxx emulator.  Once the disks are on the Amiga drives, the files can be
copied to 800k Amaxx format drives.

	Latest word from Readysodt - Amaxx shipping the week of May 8th.

	I'm on the list.

	My ROMs are coming (just ordered from Pre-Owned today).

-=-
|  Jim Gaynor..."The Vampire Lestat"      UseNet: gaynor@cis.ohio-state.edu  |
| The Ohio State University - Dept. of Philosophy, Dept. of Computer Science |
>>  "There's a shortage of perfect breasts in the world.  It'd be a pity    <<
>>   to damage yours."  -The Dread Pirate Roberts, "The Princess Bride"     <<

dlm@druwy.ATT.COM (Dan Moore) (04/27/89)

in article <366@nadia.UUCP>, agnus@nadia.UUCP (Matthias Zepf) says:
> I think this was a joke of you, wasn't it? You must the mac is writing
> (and reading) a disk at three diffent rotating speeds (depending on
> the track number).

	Actually Mac(tm) drives uses 5 different speeds, ranging from
300 RPM to 600 RPM.  Each band also has a different number of sectors
per track, between from 8 to 12.

> The amiga drive can only simulate one of this three
> speeds. So you can only read 1/3 of the mac disk, but it will every
> time the same 1/3 of the mac disk!! 2/3 are absolut unreadable!

	AMAX includes Mac software that allows you to move about 1/3 of
a standard Mac disk to the portion of the disk you can read with the
Amiga.  Do this three times and you have transfered all of an 800K Mac
disk.



				Dan Moore
				AT&T Bell Labs
				Denver
				dlm@druwy.ATT.COM

lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) (04/30/89)

In <366@nadia.UUCP>, agnus@nadia.UUCP (Matthias Zepf) writes:
>In article <4341@alvin.mcnc.org> raw@mcnc.org (Russell Williams) writes:
>>	Can anybody tell me what the problem is with not having a mac drive to
>>hook up with A-Max?  From what I have read, although the amiga drive can only
>>read 1/3 of the Mac disk, you can transfer a mac disk to an amiga disk by
>>copying it in three passes.  Then you have the whole mac disk on an amiga disk.
>>So why would this be a problem in compatibility?  (Copy protection of Mac disks
>>aside.)

>I think this was a joke of you, wasn't it? You must the mac is writing
>(and reading) a disk at three diffent rotating speeds (depending on
>the track number). The amiga drive can only simulate one of this three
>speeds. So you can only read 1/3 of the mac disk, but it will every
>time the same 1/3 of the mac disk!! 2/3 are absolut unreadable!
>By the way, I'm waiting for this A-Max to buy here in Germany...

Why would you think this is a joke? You use a Mac to copy a Mac disk's contents
to three Mac disks. The contents go on the first third of each output disk. The
Amiga is capable of reading the first third of a mac disk. Read in each of the
three disks to the Amiga, putting the contents onto one Amiga disk.

This is indeed what you would do to get software from the Mac to the Amiga to
run Amax.

-larry

--
Frisbeetarianism: The belief that when you die, your soul goes up on
                  the roof and gets stuck.
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|   //   Larry Phillips                                                |
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|        COMPUSERVE: 76703,4322                                        |
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