gillies@m.cs.uiuc.edu (10/19/90)
Has anyone got experience with the following product (p40 of
MacWarehouse catalogue)
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Infinity Turbo-floppy 1.4: Connects to any SCSI-equipped mac,
provides 1.44 Mb of storage (like Apple's FDHD drives), but with the
high speed data transfer of the SCSI port. Can also read, write, and
format DOS disks, so you can transfer data to and from PCs $359.
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Q1: Is this floppy drive fully-compatible with FDHD-initialized floppies?
Q2: Is it really any faster than a FDHD drive?
Q3: Has anyone tried installing this within an original Mac II?
Don W. Gillies, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Illinois
1304 W. Springfield, Urbana, Ill 61801
ARPA: gillies@cs.uiuc.edu UUCP: {uunet,harvard}!uiucdcs!gilliesCJENKINSR@cc.cut.oz.au (Richard Jenkins) (10/19/90)
In article <77800031@m.cs.uiuc.edu>, gillies@m.cs.uiuc.edu writes: > > Has anyone got experience with the following product (p40 of > MacWarehouse catalogue) > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Infinity Turbo-floppy 1.4: Connects to any SCSI-equipped mac, > provides 1.44 Mb of storage (like Apple's FDHD drives), but with the > high speed data transfer of the SCSI port. Can also read, write, and > format DOS disks, so you can transfer data to and from PCs $359. > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > Q1: Is this floppy drive fully-compatible with FDHD-initialized floppies? > > Q2: Is it really any faster than a FDHD drive? > > Q3: Has anyone tried installing this within an original Mac II? > > > Don W. Gillies, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Illinois > 1304 W. Springfield, Urbana, Ill 61801 > ARPA: gillies@cs.uiuc.edu UUCP: {uunet,harvard}!uiucdcs!gillies -- We looked at these at their introduction, but were not impressed. The drive I saw (it may be different in the US, I don't know) has its own external power supply (another black box under the desk) and does not appear to read 400k or 800k disks. I can't speak for the speed of the thing, but I can't see a real advantage in putting an apparently standard drive in a box with a SCSI interface. We only use PLI or Apple drives, but we won't use that one. It's OK for Mac Plus owners with plenty of money. If I were a Mac Plus owner with plenty of money I'd buy a Classic instead. BTW, the Apple external superdrive price dropped in Australia on October 16, so you can buy an 800k drive or a 1.44Mb drive for the same price. How is it in the U.S. and elsewhere? _______________________________________________________________________________ Richard Jenkins Tel: (09) 351 7864 AppleLink:AUST0176 Curtin Computer Shop Fax: (09) 351 2673 QMail:(09) 351 7415 Curtin University Perth, Western Australia cjenkinsr@cc.curtin.edu.au
gillies@m.cs.uiuc.edu (10/22/90)
Our university will not offer FDHD ROM/SWIM upgrades to Mac II's.
Does anyone have a university that offers these upgrades? How much do
they cost? I looked in MacUser magazine, and the upgrade was $500+
from a commercial dealer, nearly 1/4 of the original cost my Mac II!
Is there a place to get a FDHD ROM/SWIM upgrade for less money?
Don W. Gillies, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Illinois
1304 W. Springfield, Urbana, Ill 61801
ARPA: gillies@cs.uiuc.edu UUCP: {uunet,harvard}!uiucdcs!gilliesgillies@m.cs.uiuc.edu (10/24/90)
> It's OK for Mac Plus owners with plenty of money. If I were a Mac Plus owner > with plenty of money I'd buy a Classic instead. It may also be great for Mac II owners stuck with orphaned machines. Apple charges $550 just to change the ROMs & add a SWIM chip. Then you get to pay $220 for a floppy drive unit. Total cost of the upgrade is $770, i.e. as much as a whole Mac Classic, or nearly 1/3 the cost of my $2450 Mac II. Tyranny! On the other hands, some companies (not just PLI) offer SCSI 1.4Mb floppy drives for $250, i.e. ONE THIRD of the cost.
russotto@eng.umd.edu (Matthew T. Russotto) (10/24/90)
In article <77800040@m.cs.uiuc.edu> gillies@m.cs.uiuc.edu writes: > >> It's OK for Mac Plus owners with plenty of money. If I were a Mac Plus owner >> with plenty of money I'd buy a Classic instead. > >It may also be great for Mac II owners stuck with orphaned machines. >Apple charges $550 just to change the ROMs & add a SWIM chip. Then >you get to pay $220 for a floppy drive unit. Total cost of the >upgrade is $770, i.e. as much as a whole Mac Classic, or nearly 1/3 >the cost of my $2450 Mac II. Tyranny! > >On the other hands, some companies (not just PLI) offer SCSI 1.4Mb >floppy drives for $250, i.e. ONE THIRD of the cost. Hmmm, this offers some interesting possibilities: Buy Mac Classic. Move SWIM and FDHD to Mac II. Apply high voltage to IWM and 800K drive. Get them replaced under warantee... Sell Classic. -- Matthew T. Russotto russotto@eng.umd.edu russotto@wam.umd.edu .sig under construction, like the rest of this campus.
francis@magrathea.uchicago.edu (Francis Stracke) (10/29/90)
In article <1990Oct24.033116.4390@eng.umd.edu> russotto@eng.umd.edu (Matthew T. Russotto) writes: [quoted complaints about cost of upgrading II to FDHD] > >Hmmm, this offers some interesting possibilities: Buy Mac Classic. Move >SWIM and FDHD to Mac II. Apply high voltage to IWM and 800K drive. Get >them replaced under warantee... Sell Classic. I like it. Simple. Unethical. Immoral. Profitable. Nice. Of course, you'd have to have a hell of a warranty to cover the drive in your II (if it came with the machine), given that your machine is a couple of years old now. (sigh) They're too careful. | Francis Stracke | My opinions are my own. I don't steal them.| | Department of Mathematics |=============================================| | University of Chicago | Non sequiturs make me eat lampshades | | francis@zaphod.uchicago.edu | |
russotto@eng.umd.edu (Matthew T. Russotto) (10/29/90)
In article <1990Oct29.010759.7287@midway.uchicago.edu> francis@magrathea.uchicago.edu (Francis Stracke) writes: >In article <1990Oct24.033116.4390@eng.umd.edu> russotto@eng.umd.edu (Matthew T. Russotto) writes: >[quoted complaints about cost of upgrading II to FDHD] >> >>Hmmm, this offers some interesting possibilities: Buy Mac Classic. Move >>SWIM and FDHD to Mac II. Apply high voltage to IWM and 800K drive. Get >>them replaced under warantee... Sell Classic. > >I like it. Simple. Unethical. Immoral. Profitable. Nice. >Of course, you'd have to have a hell of a warranty to cover the drive >in your II (if it came with the machine), given that your machine is >a couple of years old now. > >(sigh) They're too careful. That wasn't exactly what I had in mind-- that would still leave you with an 800K drive and IWM chip, plus a classic. What I had in mind was applying enough power to make the chip and drive unidentifiable as to 800K/FDHD, and then installing the burned components in the Classic, and having THEM replaced under the classic waranty. Now, if you thought THAT was unethical (it was), consider how you are going to get the IIx ROM needed for the FDHD.... BTW, I have II IIs under warranty-- Applecare. (hmm, maybe I ought to just use a little white out and paint an 'x' on the board next time I bring it in for service.....) -- Matthew T. Russotto russotto@eng.umd.edu russotto@wam.umd.edu Tax the rich, and feed the poor -- until there are, rich no more.