[comp.sys.acorn] Floppy problem?

cabr07@vaxa.strath.ac.uk (04/22/91)

Has anyone come across this problem with their 3.5" floppy on an Arc?

The drive formats floppies and reads old floppies with no problem.   Then
when I save a large file to it the disc usually can't be verified.  I have
looked at the disc with a sector editor and find that there are crc errors
on the first sector of most tracks on one side of the disk.  Occasionally
there is a sector not found error, again on the first sector of most tracks
on one side.

(These are disk errors 08 and 10, I think - has anyone got a list of disk
error codes?)

This seems to me to be a very strange problem since formatting is no problem.
The only thing I can think of is that the disc position sensor is faulty since
this is read once per revolution - but is it read at any time apart from
formatting?  - someone with technical info about ADFS should know this one.

The other possibility is a faulty ROM set - has anyone else noticed on the hour
glass that the pile of sand in the bottom half is non symmetric at the top
of the pile (there is a set pixel at the left and not at the right)?  You
can see this most easily in mode 2.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Gordon.

PS I have 2 weeks of warranty left to run but I don't trust the place I bought
the machine to make a very good job of fixing it.   I have heard that I can
return it to any Acorn dealer for a free fix - is this true?
-- 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|G.N.Sinclair               | JANET:   G.N.Sinclair@uk.ac.strath.vaxa          |
|Physics & Applied Phys Dept| BITNET:  G.N.Sinclair%vaxa.strath.ac.uk@UKACRL   |
|Strathclyde University     | UUCP:    G.N.Sinclair%vaxa.strath.ac.uk@ukc.uucp |
|107 Rottenrow      |Internet:G.N.Sinclair%vaxa.strath.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk|
|Glasgow G4 0NG, Scotland   |                                                  |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ttn2@cs.kun.nl (Anita 'Sleepy' van Nieuwenborg) (04/23/91)

In article <1991Apr22.114255.11455@vaxa.strath.ac.uk> cabr07@vaxa.strath.ac.uk writes:
>Has anyone come across this problem with their 3.5" floppy on an Arc?
>
>The drive formats floppies and reads old floppies with no problem.   Then
>when I save a large file to it the disc usually can't be verified.  I have
>looked at the disc with a sector editor and find that there are crc errors
>on the first sector of most tracks on one side of the disk.  Occasionally
>there is a sector not found error, again on the first sector of most tracks
>on one side.
>
>(These are disk errors 08 and 10, I think - has anyone got a list of disk
>error codes?)
>
>Gordon

I've had the same problem some time ago.
The head(?) of your drive is somewhat out of position. I solved it by
taking the drive appart, and bend the head back into position.
This has to be done very often, so I'm looking for a new one.
Better try to make use of your warranty.

Anita