Re: PCT and FDHD

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

In article <195745629wnr@klatch.demon.co.uk>,
John Le Febvre  <john@klatch.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> 
> I received my PC Transporter card today and after reading the manual I 
> am unsure of the best approach to use with my system.  
> 
> It states in this manual that the Apple 3.5 drive can be connected 
> to either the PC Transporter, where it will be an MFM drive, or left 
> where it is, where it will be a GCR drive.

Yep.  Been there, done that.  I had one of my Apple 3.5 Drives
connected to my PC Transporter for a while, until I got my SuperDrive
(and controller), which is _much_ better.

> As my FDHD is only connected to a UDC (I'm waiting for one of these new 
> clone Superdrive cards...) I was wondering if anyone knew if the PCT
> would allow ProDOS to 'see' the FDHD as a ProDOS 800k drive?

It should.  The PCT will treat the SuperDrive as a plain Apple 3.5
Drive (800k disks only).  In PC mode, it will use the same tricks as
with an Apple 3.5 Drive to enable access to 720k MFM disks (it will
not make use of the SuperDrive's built-in MFM support).

When not running as a PC, the PCT's disk driver software will allow
the SuperDrive to access 800k disks from Apple software (but not 720k
MFM disks).

However, there is a major catch: the PC Transporter is very slow at
doing disk I/O with an Apple 3.5 Drive (compared to the disk port of
the IIgs, or the SuperDrive Card - I don't know how the UDC will
compare), either in PC or in Apple mode.  I would only recommend doing
this if you have another 3.5" drive (and controller) that you can use
for reasonable speed access, or you're desparate.

Note also that if you currently use the UDC/SuperDrive combination
with the Copy II+ 8.x or 9.x 3.5" bit copy program, it will not work
with a PC Transporter.  It requires a UDC or the IIgs disk port.

> This would mean I could dump the UDC card and free up another valuable 
> slot.  I don't want to try it out and fry something... ;)

You certainly won't fry anything.
-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand