Re: Apple External 3.5" drive

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

In article <Pine.SUN.3.91.950321085642.29799A-100000@owens>,
Cyrus Roton  <croton@owens> wrote:
> 
> On 17 Mar 1995, Eric S. Ford wrote:
> 
> > I recently responded to an offer to buy an Apple External 3.5" drive
> > thinking it was the same as the device I have connected to my GS.  Imagine
> > my reaction when I discovered it was not.  Instead it looks like a Mac
> > drive.  Now, before I connect this thing to my GS, here's my question: will
> > it work?  And, should I be concerned about potentially damaging my system
> > by hooking it up?  Lastly, is the internal mechanism similar enough
> > that its parts could be used to repair another GS 3.5" drive?
> > 
> If the drive in question is an 800K drive for the Mac, there should be no 
> problem (as far as I know) in using it with the IIgs or with a IIe. My 
> 3.5 drive on my IIe works fine on my Mac and on a friend's IIgs.

I believe the 800k Mac Plus drive (the yellowish coloured one without
an eject button) will not work when plugged into the IIgs disk port
(but I haven't tried it myself).

> Actually, the drive I bought for my IIe turned out to be a 1.44Meg drive. 
> Since the IIe treats that as an 800K drive, I swapped it to my friend to 
> use on his IIgs.

What controller card were you using?  If you have a SuperDrive card in
the IIe, it will be able to access 1.44MB disks in a SuperDrive.

A SuperDrive will not be any better on a IIgs than on a IIe, unless
you use it with a SuperDrive controller (a.k.a. Apple 3.5 Disk
Controller Card).
-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand