Re: Seeking APTEST

["Michael J. Mahon" <mjmahon@aol.com>]

David C Chiu wrote:
> Is there a source for Call A.P.P.L.E.'s APTEST software? I have a bunch of 
> floppy drives in need fo head realignment...

That's unusual--Disk ]['s very seldom go out of alignment unless
tinkered with.  ;-)

Contrary to popular myth, the "banging" against the track 0 cam stop
that occurs at boot/recalibration time is not harmful to alignment,
since the alignment is fixed by the angular alignment of the stepper
motor and the cam, and is "sealed" with dope.  The torque produced by
the stepper motor is quite low, though noisy.

In the rare event that the dope degrades and constant use causes the
cam or the stepper mounts to loosen, track alignment can be an issue.
Severe cam wear could also cause sloppy head positioning, but I've
never seen a cam with significant wear.

In fact, every Disk ][ drive I've seen that was out of alignment had
the stepper mount dope seals broken by attempted adjustment.  ;-)

-michael

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