Re: WTB: 8" FD controller for Apple][ by SVA

[edick@hotmail.com (Richard Erlacher)]

I've got several systems that use 8" floppy disk drives, but what I'm
after is one of the several APPLE-][ cards that would enable me to
read/write them directly.  

Yes, the Compaticard allows you to attach an 8" drive to a PC, albeit
only one, but this the APPLE-][ newsgroup.  There were Apple-][
controller cards for 8" drives, though they wouldn't write in
Apple-format.  That was the reason we used to use them, because the
Apple disk subsystem was too fragile and unreliable.  Using an 8"
drive pair with the SVA controller board, the Apple experience took on
a whole new aura.  One didn't have to worry about things going awry
and the diskette being ruined, and the SVA board's software didn't use
all those annoying low-speed recal's that quickly ran a drive out of
radial and index alignment.  

Moreover, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that most
PC controllers won't read/write FM modulated data, since they deal
with MFM only.  

If you want answers to your questions, you need to be more specific,
i.e. what do you mean by "work" and what, exactly do you want to do.
There are lots of ways of skinning the cat, but you've got to specify
which cat needs skinned.

Dick


On Mon, 1 Oct 2001 22:13:33 +0000 (UTC), "Bart" <barpri@saif.com>
wrote:

>Question: On 8" controllers: 
> Does anyone know a good source of info on
> what controllers will work? I mean, there
> must be more then one controller out there 
>that can handle 8" drives. I was wondering if 
>any of the more odd-ball floppy controllers
>(not apple, but others like maybe Vtech or SCI) 
>or the like might handle them.
>I have a manual for an old ISA PC card called a 
>"Compati-card" which is a extended early floppy
>controller(Manual, no card alas) that says it will 
>handle 8" mechanisms.  I was wondering if any Apple
> controllers were like that.
>-Bart
>
>
>-- 
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