Re: To bang or not to bang

[Tristan Mumford <xtristan.xmumford@xgmail.xcom>]

Warren Ernst wrote:

> On Aug 30, 10:02 pm, Tristan Mumford <xtristan.xmumf...@xgmail.xcom>
> wrote:
>> Michael J. Mahon wrote:
>> > Tristan Mumford wrote:
>> >> Hello everybody.
>>
>> >> I have a little dilemma.
>>
>> >> I wish to back up my collection of 5.25" disks, and also access them
>> >> for other reasons on my IIgs.
>> >> Up until now I have been using one of the Apple 5.25" drives from my
>> >> //e. I swear all the headbanging is killing it. But it transfers
>> >> things so quickly in IIgs mode.
>>
>> > There's no real stress on the drive from attempting to seek out past
>> > track 0.  The head motion cam hits a stop, and then the stepper motor
>> > stops stepping--but this does not cause any wear on the cam or the
>> > stop, and there is no extra acceleration of the head compared to normal
>> > stepping.
>>
>> > It just makes noise.  Don't worry about it.  ;-)
>>
>> I guess C= 1541 has put me in the mindset of headbanging being slightly
>> destructive.
>>
>>
>>
>> >> My other option is to use an Atlas-8 drive I have. What sets it aside
>> >> from the Apple 5.25 is it has headbang protection. Ie no
>> >> rattle-rattle. However using this I would need to drop a floppy
>> >> controller card into my IIgs, which would mean a drop to 1MHz during
>> >> transfers. (Or does the IIgs do that anyway with smartport devices?).
>>
>> > For any GCR 5.25" drive it *must* slow to 1MHz.
>>
>> That's very interesting. One thing that I noticed from the first time I
>> connected the Apple 5.25" drive to my IIgs is stepping and track0 seek
>> headbang are faster than on my platinum. I figured the read / write
>> timings were the same, but the seeking is noticeably ramped up except
>> during boot time seeking.
>> The change from jackhammer to rattlegun made me nervous, because the IIgs
>> is still relatively new to me.
>>
>>
>>
>> >> Sure there's the third option of making an adaptor to put the Atlas-8
>> >> on the end of the daisychain, but I still don't feel confident enough
>> >> about the pinout, and don't feel like mutilating a connector down to
>> >> the right size if I can avoid it.
>>
>> >> What would the best option be, in peoples opinion?
>>
>> > No action.
>>
>> Works for me. Although having two slots consumed with drive controllers
>> in the //e is a shade annoying. And I do like having matching drives. But
>> the Atlas is such a nice drive too...
>>
>> Good advice.
>>
>> Tristan.
>>
>> --
>> ----->http://members.dodo.com.au/~izabellion1/tristan/index.html<-----
>> =====       It's not pretty, it's not great, but it is mine.       =====
> 
> Tristan,
> 
> Some of us have had our noisy, head-banging floppy drives working for
> more than 25 years now, and they still work fine.
> 
> Though it can sound gut-wrenching if you aren't used to it, I must
> concur that the noise doesn't actually damage anything after repeated
> use.

My drives have been on the //e as long as I can remember. They seem to be
quite hateful of the high speed banging though that the IIgs gives it.
Although I have to admit I love the sound they make while doing normal
seeks. Hearing them an octave higher is oddly satisfying.

> 
> That said, if you truly feel that the drive is on its way out, NOW is
> the time to buy some spare drives, while they are relatively cheap and
> plentiful. Heck, just last year I bought Apple Platinum half-height
> 5.25" drives for less than $5. Buy 4 at once and never worry about it
> again.
> 

Where on earth are you finding them at that price? I only have a total of 3
working 5.25" drives left. The two Apple 5.25" disks that belong to my //e
and the Atlas 5.25" half height.

Tristan.


-- 
-----> http://members.dodo.com.au/~izabellion1/tristan/index.html <-----
=====       It's not pretty, it's not great, but it is mine.       =====