Re: Floppy Interfaces

[dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

Bryan Villados <news001@nospam_macgeek.org> wrote:

> In article <39C0608E.1D7C4D78@wanadoo.nl>, ruud.dingemans
> <ruud.dingemans@wanadoo.nl> wrote:
> 
> > >    Had to contribute my two cents. I have seen a 'newer' Mac successfully
> > > operate a 5.25" Apple ][ diskette drive. A local library had a Mac ][cx
> > > with a 5.25" drive attached to it. I used it once to 'test the theory' and
> > > it
> > > formatted the diskette with no problems and copied files to it, too.
> > 
> > ? Are you sure this wasn't the "Apple 5.25 PC Card drive" I mentioned a
> > few posts ago, which looks like a II drive but
> > has a PC drive controller on a Nubus card inside the Mac II?
> > 
> > I have a bit of a hard time believing that you can just hook up an Apple
> > II 5.25 disk drive to a Mac, apart from the Mac/A2 3.5 inch drives.
> 
> I don't think it can be the Apple 5.25 PC Card Drive... I tried the
> NuBus card in my IIcx awhile back, and the software didn't recognize
> the card. The card only functions in a Macintosh II (not a IIx, IIfx,
> IIcx, etc.), per Apple's TIL.

I found an article in the TIL archive with the following title and URL:

Macintosh II PC 5.25 Floppy Disk Controller Card: Description

<http://til.info.apple.com/tilarchive.nsf/artnum/n2178>

This appears to be the only relevant article.  The only computer
mentioned is "Macintosh II", which makes sense, since it was the only
Mac model available (with NuBus slots) at the time this article was
written (1987).  The lack of mention of later models should not be taken
to mean that the card doesn't work in later models.  Perhaps there is
another article, and I didn't find it?

There was also a controller card for the SE.  The article describing its
card is:

<http://til.info.apple.com/tilarchive.nsf/artnum/n2179>

As to the software not recognising the card in your IIcx: this might
have been an issue with running system software which is too new.  Do
you remember if you tried it with System 7 or with System 6?

> Also, the diskette doesn't actually mount on the desktop under Mac OS
> like it does under GS/OS. Instead, you run a pre-PC Exchange utility
> called "File Exchange" that shipped with System Software prior to
> System 7.1.

That's "Apple File Exchange".

> The software looks exactly like the old Font/DA Mover utility. And it's that
> utility you use to format, copy, and delete from the 5.25" drive.
> Unfortunately, File Exchange didn't read ProDOS or DOS 3.3 diskettes.

Yes it does.  You can use Apple File Exchange with a ProDOS-formatted
3.5" disk in the Mac's normal drive.  I used it a fair amount on a Mac
SE around 1988.

MS-DOS support was only available if you had the PC-compatible 5.25"
drive, or a SuperDrive (FDHD) in the IIx and later models (or
retrofitted in the SE or II).  The PC 5.25" drive didn't support the
Apple II disk formats, so I expect that Apple File Exchange wouldn't
even offer ProDOS as an option when referring to this drive.

-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P O Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand