[comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware] Floppy becomes floppy?

klliou@milton.u.washington.edu (Kan-Lee Liou) (03/30/91)

I found some interesting thing about my floppy drives (a: 1.2, b: 1.44).
If I type 'b:' and then 'dir', it takes about 5 seconds to get the response.
If I type 'dir' again within about 2 seconds after the response, I can get
response very soon.  However, if I type 'dir' after 2 seconds, the response
becomes slow again (about 3 seconds).
Is this normal? or does my WD WA-3 controller have some problem.    ?

uccxmgm@unx2.ucc.okstate.edu (Martin McCormick) (04/03/91)

There is probably nothing wrong with your hardware.
What you are noticing is the fact that
it takes a certain amount of time for the drive motor to reach
proper speed.  When you repeat the  dir  command quickly after some
other DOS command, the motor hasn't stopped yet
and is already at the right speed.  When you wait
and then type a command, there is about a two-second
pause until the controller knows that the diskette
is turning at the right speed.

Martin McCormick
WB5AGZ
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK