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Conference 7.286::atarist

Title:Atari ST, TT, & Falcon
Notice:Please read note 1.0 and its replies before posting!
Moderator:FUNYET::ANDERSON
Created:Mon Apr 04 1988
Last Modified:Tue May 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1433
Total number of notes:10312

394.0. "VS3100 --> 3.5 --> ST ??" by SMAC10::NEALE (Steve <JRST .>) Fri Feb 10 1989 05:53

Went to a product update yesterday.
See the new VS3100's have 3.5inch floppy drives (RX23)f. 
Told they use PS2 compatible formats. 
Could this the end of RS232 for getting usenet stuff off the net? 
I know the ST uses an IBM format too. I wonder if it will be a format
the ST can suck. You may like to know that in the UK, we are charging 
�66.50+VAT for a box of 10 floppies! (RX23K-10). Mind you I expect its
a nice box.

Steve
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
394.1SorryPNO::SANDERSBa belaganaFri Feb 10 1989 08:389
� < Note 394.0 by SMAC10::NEALE "Steve <JRST .>" >
�                          -< VS3100 --> 3.5 --> ST ?? >-

        The 3.5" floppy used is a 1.44Mb device.  It will read 720Kb
        floppies but cannot write them.  (Perhaps the more proper
        explaination is that the 3100 can read 720Kb but will only read
        and write 1.44Mb.)
        
        Bob
394.3Virgins are bestMINDER::GILBERTNorth UK Region Appl&#039;n Centre @MCOTue Feb 14 1989 07:5017
    My experience of 5.25" floppies was that to move data between
    80-track and 40-track formats, you should:-

    1 Format a *virgin* disk on the 40-track drive.
    2 Write the data (in 40-track mode) on the 80-track drive.
    3 Read the data from the 40-track drive.
    
    I found that if the disk had ever been formatted as 80 tracks, it
    was less successful. Neither was formatting to 40 tracks on an 80-track
    drive. Incidentally, you can re-virginise(!) a used disk with a strong
    magnet.
    
    Of course, all of this only gets you one step forward. What about
    the data structures on the disk? I understand that the ST format
    is nearly-MSDOS in structure, and requires utility to read I*M disks.
    
    What about the 3100 disk structure - VMS? UNIX? MSDOS?
394.4oopsBAGELS::BRANNONDave BrannonTue Feb 14 1989 23:0513
    re: .1
    
    I deleted .2 since it didn't apply to VS3100, only to the Tandy
    DECstations.
    
    If the 1.44mb disk drive is an "industry standard" drive, then the
    drive itself should be able to write/format 720Kb if you write a
    program to control it.  Unless the controller won't let you do that.
    
    Out of mild curiousity, why doesn't it have the ability to write/format
    720kb?
    
    -Dave
394.5From the Horses mouth.PNO::SANDERSBa belaganaThu Feb 16 1989 11:289
        From the February 1989 issue of Product Insight -
        
        "...Capable or reading or writing to high-density (1.4-Mbytes,
        formatted) media, the RX23 also provides backward read-only
        compatibility with standard density (700-Kbytes, formatted)
        media."
394.6DS-HD or DS-DDVIVIAN::S_GOLDSTEINSteve G... DTN: 847-5416Mon Mar 20 1989 14:2316
    	Hi,
    	  You have to be carfull.The 1.44 Drives use DS-HD disk and
    the surface is of a harder material ie Like CHROME tapes...
    
    So it might damage the heads.
    
    			BUT
    
    When I was on a customer site he had received a DECnet-DOS disk
    and it was on DS-DD disk which would be O.K. to use.
    
    Anyway if anybody is in LONDON I can get bulk SONY DS-DD disk for
    between #11 and #12  per 10 anybody intrested.
    
    				Regards
    				Steve G...