norlin@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu (Norman Lin) (10/04/90)
Well, the subject line basically says it all. There are a couple of programs out there that read/write double density Atari diskettes, but are there any that can access Atari single density (88K) diskettes? "Enhanced" density (128K)? I have not been able to find any, and would like to know if it is possible/has been done. Thanks, --Norman Lin -- \ /\/\ /\/\ +-----------------------------+ /\/\ /\/\ /./ \\ /./\\\ /./\\\ /====|Norman Lin/norlin@129.15.20.2|===/./\\\ /./\\\ /./ \\\/./ \\\/./ \\\/./===| norlin@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu|====/ \\\/./ \\\/./ \/\/ \/\/ \/\/ +-----------------------------+ \/\/ \/\/
portuesi@tweezers.esd.sgi.com (Michael Portuesi) (10/04/90)
>>>>> On 4 Oct 90 03:47:32 GMT, norlin@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu (Norman Lin) said: > Well, the subject line basically says it all. Not really. Double Density is a standard format for Atari disks. The subject header should have "single density" in place of "standard". > There are a couple of programs > out there that read/write double density Atari diskettes, but are there any > that can access Atari single density (88K) diskettes? "Enhanced" density > (128K)? I have not been able to find any, and would like to know if it is > possible/has been done. If you can read and write "enhanced" density diskettes, then you probably have a 1050 drive. Have you considered upgrading your 1050 to handle double density, with something like the U.S. Doubler chip? You get two benefits in one that way. On a related subect, Has anyone else had difficulties with the "util" program that was posted recently? I tried using it to transfer some files using a genuine IBM PC/AT. On many of the files, it didn't copy over the entire file -- only one sector. On the files it did copy properly, it was so slow that I would have been better off downloading them via modem (except that I don't have an 850 interface module). --M -- __ \/ Michael Portuesi Silicon Graphics, Inc. portuesi@sgi.com "product plus promotion equals profit" -- consolidated
hans@umd5.umd.edu (Hans Breitenlohner) (10/05/90)
Enhanced density disk: Yes, it could be done with minor modifications to the existing program. No, as far as I know, it has not been done. Single density disk: I think it could be done, but would require substituting an assembly routine for code that usually resides in the BIOS ROM. Not likely to end up being very portable, and probably not worth the effort.
rfc@briar.Philips.Com (Robert Casey) (10/06/90)
If you have a spare Atari drive, maybe you could remove the Atari interface and connect the drive to the IBM PC's disk controller? Then the PC could read/write Atari single density disks. This assumes: that the drive mechanism and the board that lives just above the heads, etc. is enough similar to the regular PC disk drives. Also that you have a spare Atari drive, and that you don't mind wasting the space inside your PC for an otherwise useless drive. Assuming that any of the above can be made to work. Even if the PC can make the single density drive do something, someone would have to write a program so that the PC can find the Atari's disk DOS stuff (VTOL table, if I remember correctly). Anyone try such a thing?
hans@umd5.umd.edu (Hans Breitenlohner) (10/09/90)
In article <109634@philabs.Philips.Com> rfc@briar.philips.com.UUCP (Robert Casey) writes:
=>If you have a spare Atari drive, maybe you could remove the Atari interface
=>and connect the drive to the IBM PC's disk controller? Then the PC could
=>read/write Atari single density disks. This assumes: that the drive mechanism
=>and the board that lives just above the heads, etc. is enough similar to the
=>regular PC disk drives. Also that you have a spare Atari drive, and that you
=>don't mind wasting the space inside your PC for an otherwise useless drive.
=>Assuming that any of the above can be made to work. Even if the PC can make
=>the single density drive do something, someone would have to write a program
=>so that the PC can find the Atari's disk DOS stuff (VTOL table, if I remember
=>correctly). Anyone try such a thing?
Forget it, Atari compatible drives do not have the proper interface
in them to connect to a PC without major electronics design. This is
definitely true for the 810, 1050, Indus, Rana. Percom and the SX551
may be different, but you probably would not want to sacrifice them.
A much more straightforward approach would be to talk to the SIO port
through a serial port on the PC. All you would need there are level
converters, the SIO protocol is 19.2 kb serial.