ahd@OMNIGATE.CLARKSON.EDU (Drew Derbyshire) (11/07/88)
Has anyone tried running 3 1/2 inch drives off a Z-100? Radio Shack keeps running a fire sale on 3 1/2 drives, and with my current drives all falling apart I wonder if the new drives would work, either as drive B: off floppy controller 0 or even off its own Z-207. I know the BIOS can be tweeked for 96 TPI, but I have never seen 720K drives on a Z-100 nor do I know if the FORMAT utility and related programs (DISKCOPY, etc.) would understand. thanks, Drew Derbyshire
GUBBINS@RADC-TOPS20.ARPA (Gern) (11/07/88)
I have thought of putting 3.5" 1.44MB drives on the Z-100. I lack
all data on formats/RPM/etc. What I do know is:
5.25: 320/360K 48TPI 300RPM Z-100 5.25 connector
720K 96TPI 300RPM " " " BIOS Hack needed
1.2M 360RPM Z-100 8" connector Looks just like 8"
(1.2M IBM format differs from Z-100 8", patch available)
8": 1.2M 360RPM Z-100 8" connector See 5.25" 1.2M
3.5": (Just guessing):
320/360K ?RPM PC's & early laptops
720K ?RPM MACs/Atari?/Amiga?
(all close +- 20K)
1.44M ?RPM (300RPM, I think) PS/2
There is a minor hack for the Z-100 8" controller to use 5.25" timming
(RPM, etc). I plan to use 3.5" 1.44MB on the 8" controller, even if
I have to run unpatched at 1.2M Z-100 format.
If I knew 3.5" RPM/timming, pin-outs (cables can already be bought) then
I could rig the 8" controller connector. If I knew sectors/tracks/FATs/
etc, then I might or others could hack the BIOS/FORMAT/DISKCOPY for the
1.44MB.
Cheers,
Gern
-------shermaja@CLUTX.CLARKSON.EDU ("Jesse A. Sherman") (11/08/88)
There are some messages in the Heath/Zenith echo on my bulletin board about using 3 1/2" drives on the Z-100. Clarkson Alumni BBS 315-268-7993 300/1200 24 hrs.
wilker@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Clarence W. Wilkerson Jr.) (11/09/88)
The RS external drives for a EX1000 are listed at 99 dollars. This comes in an external box with no power supply and a special cable that has combined power and disk signals. It takes some fiddling to get the right connections for the standard wires on a PC or Z100. I have one that I use on my Z158. A simpler solution for the same price is the Toshiba 3.5 in drive in a 5.25 inch frame and bezel. Just replaces your 5.25 inch drive. I use one on my H89, and have installed several on a PC. On my 89, I just configur as a 96 trk drive, and format works fine. I don't know about format on Z100 for CPM86 or MSDOS.