Re: 2E - 3.5" drive question

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

<tturner@ecn.ab.ca> wrote:

> --> So, is it safe to sum up that one's best bet (to have the `most'
>     widely compatible 3.5" drive controller card) would be to have
>     the Apple "SuperDrive" card?

Not necessarily.  The "SuperDrive" card supports three of the main types
of 3.5" drive which Apple sold (the UniDisk 3.5, the Apple 3.5 Drive and
the SuperDrive), but it does not support external Macintosh-only 3.5"
drives (like the 800K drive sold for use with the Mac Plus).

The only card which supports the "Macintosh-only" 3.5" drives is the
Universal Disk Controller (made by Video Technology and sold by Central
Point Software).  This card also supports 5.25" drives, but in a manner
which is not fully compatible with software that expects to find a Disk
][ controller card (or equivalent).

The Universal Disk Controller doesn't fully support a SuperDrive (it is
limited to the features of an Apple 3.5 Drive), and some versions of the
card don't support a UniDisk 3.5 at all.

The main advantage of a UDC is that Copy II+ lets you do 3.5" bit copies
on an Apple 3.5 Drive connected to this card.  (This is also the case
for the same drive connected to the IIgs disk port, but not a SuperDrive
card.)

Assuming you don't want to use a Mac-only 3.5" drive, and can retain a
separate 5.25" controller, and have access to a SuperDrive mechanism,
the Apple "SuperDrive" controller is a better option than the UDC.

>     Also - just curious here, I have a duodisk drive controller card
>     and if I _were_ to try to add a 3.5" drive to my IIe, what options
>     would I have for being able to have both the duodisk and a 3.5"
>     disk drive working all together in the same box?

You would need both cards, since neither of Apple's 3.5" controllers
support 5.25" drives.  (The UDC does, but not as well as the standard
Apple controller.)

>     (In my case, I have a Sider working from slot 5, the duodisk from slot
>     6, and no free slots unless I pull my CP/M card; as I have a mouse
>     card, a Serial Pro, RamWorks/RGB...

Have you considered upgrading to a IIgs?  You could toss out a few of
those cards, in particular the RamWorks and the mouse card, and possibly
the serial card (if you don't mind changing serial cables).  One catch
is that the CP/M card is quite likely to have compatibility problems,
and I don't know the situation with the Sider.

>     If I track down a "SuperDrive" controller card - can I drop it into
>     the `free' slot and hang a 3.5" drive off of it and fire up the IIe
>     and expect it to work?

Yes, assuming your free slot isn't slot 3.

-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P O Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand