john@xanth.UUCP (03/26/87)
[I'm adding comp.sys.misc to the Newsgroups for this article, since this should be of general interest. (Not high interest, just general interest... :-) )] In article <2354@usceast.UUCP>, godawski@usceast.UUCP (Mike Godawski) writes: > Anybody know why I can not make flippy floppys (use a dsdd disk as 2 ssdd > floppy disks) on my IBM-PC compatible? I have cut a precision (as precision > as a rasor blade can get) notch on the opposite side of the other wr. pro. > notch, and when I put the disk in upside down to format a:/1, I get > a format failure on drive A:. > Does my problem have to do with the little hole by the hub hole, or lack > thereof on the side in question? Indeed it does. Here's what I used to do (on a TRS-80 Model I - 100K per disk side!): - Take a thin sheet of paper and trace out a floppy disk, including the write protect notch, the little index hole (next to the hub hole), and the hub hole. - Take a sheet of moderately steady light cardboard or heavy paper and trace the lines you've drawn on the thin sheet into it (may involve a very sharp pencil or the tip of an x-acto knife). Discard the thin sheet. Cut out the simple square of the outer edge of the disk. - Using a standard hole punch (you don't need to be quite that precise with the write-protect notch), make a semi-circular or larger punch that inscribes the rectangle of the original write-protect notch. Be sure not to go much farther towards the interior of the diskette, or you will punch through your diskette media when you get to the later steps! - Cut out, roughly if necessary, the center hub hole. - Taking advantage of this hole, use your hole punch to punch the round index hole. You now have a diskette template that you can use to make your diskettes flippy. For each diskette: - Line up the template appropriately and punch out the write-protect semi-circle. Also, in pencil, fill in the circle of the index hole through the hole in the template. (Filling it in instead of just tracing the circle makes it much easier to see.) Do the same with the index hole on the other surface of the diskette jacket. - VERY CAREFULLY insert your hole punch at the center hub, such that the "lower lip" is between the jacket and the diskette media. Punch out the index hole on that side. Do the same on the other side. BE SURE TO COLLECT THE "JACKET HOLE" THAT IS LEFT OVER. (If you have a nice punch it'll do this for you.) Don't insert the "lip" any farther than necessary, or you may scratch the data-carrying part of the media. That's all there is to it. I've done it on over 50 diskettes and have never had a problem due to this procedure. Maybe one out of 20 will be unusable on the "back" side, but that was with SSSD diskettes. If you actually buy diskettes rated as double-sided, you'll do much better.... -- John Owens Old Dominion University - Norfolk, Virginia, USA john@ODU.EDU old arpa: john%odu.edu@RELAY.CS.NET +1 804 440 3915 old uucp: {seismo,harvard,sun,hoptoad}!xanth!john