Re: Unidisk vs. Disk II

[dalloff@freenet.columbus.oh.us (Dave Althoff)]

ierickson@ewu.edu wrote:
: I'm gettin the IIe Emulator for my LCII and a Unidisk 5 1/4.
: Would it be worth getting a unidisk controller card for my IIe?
: I've gotten very little reliability out of every Disk II drive I've
: used.  Is the Unidisk any better or does it have other advantage?
: (chaining/speed/reliability/longevity?)

I'm gonna "me-too" all these other posters.  You could throw a
disconnected Disk ][ out a third-floor window, go pick it up and plug it
in, and find that it still boots (I don't suggest trying it, though).  The
only major trouble I have ever had with a Disk ][ is that I fried a few
chips in one of mine when I mis-connected it to my ][gs (oops!).  

There seems to be a common problem with pairs of Disk ]['s, in that after
a while, Drive 1 will refuse to boot.  So, you swap the drives so that the
Drive Formerly Known As #2 will boot just fine, and the old Drive 1 will
still read and write just fine.  This is an odd situation, but it explains
why so many boot-drive Disk ]['s are marked "Drive 2".  In my parents'
case, the problem recurred.  I switched the disks back (so the
formerly-non-booting Drive 1 was once again Drive 1) and the system worked
just fine.  Disk ]['s are funny that way.

I've also known older Disk ]['s to jam up on certain tracks.  Mine have
never done this...this was at a school I attended, on their ][+.  You try
to boot the disk, and you hear a buzzing which is actually a failed
recalibration attempt.  Smack the top of the drive hard with an open palm, and
it works just fine.  I don't suggest doing THAT with a UniDisk!

My vote for the *WORST* 5.25" disk drive Apple ever sold goes to the
DuoDisk.  No contest.  That thing is a DOG.  And now I am stuck with two
of 'em for my ][e's.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.
  (Apple ][ user since...um...about 1980)
-- 
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