Apple ][ using PC floppy

[vladitx <vladitx@nucleusys.com>]

Greetings,

Friends of mine convinced me on a pet project - connecting PC floppy
disk drive to the Apple ][. First working prototype used DD (Double
Density) mode:

http://softjunk.org/vid/appleII_with_PC_floppy_first_success.mp4

We were not happy with the handling of the DD diskettes in modern HD
floppy drives, not to mention that this kind of media is almost
extinct. Notching a HD diskette into a DD-alike is not a good idea,
too, because of different coercivity. Thus came version 2 utilizing
the diskette in HD (High Density) mode but still deluding the Apple ]
[ that it's a Disk ][:

http://softjunk.org/vid/appleII_with_PC_HD_floppy.mp4

In the good old days a programmer named Boby Zahariev made disk
operating system for Oric Atmos (Pravetz-8D) similar to Apple's DOS
3.3, using the same drives, disk controller and disk layout. It works
with our toy as well:

http://softjunk.org/vid/oric_atmos_pravetz_8d_with_PC_HD_floppy.mp4

We're probably going to do a production PCB, so if anyone is feeling
interested and says so, we could adjust our board allocation numbers.

One feature I put is converting Apple's half-tracks to real tracks, so
the PC diskette can hold up-to 80 tracks. Anyone to know a quick patch
of DOS / ProDOS to use them? It will result in 280KB (70 tracks) or
320KB (80 tracks) capacity if there isn't any internal OS limitation.

Happy Holidays!
  -- Vlad