Re: How to use back side of 5.25 diskkette without punching

["Warren Ernst" <wernst@gmail.com>]

JS,

Well, I've heard every one of those arguments before. Starting in 1983.


20+ years later, using disks that are at least 20 years old, and in
drives that are 20 years old too, I have yet to actually see this
theoretical problem actually occur on any of my 5.25" disks or drives.
And needless to say, almost every Apple II user with 5.25 inch drives
probably routinely flips their floppies in their inherently
single-sided disk drives.

Allow me to quote Beagle Bros "The Big Tip Book fo the Apple II
Series," C. 1986, but I believe this text comes from the Pro-Byter
manual, circa 1984:

"We have been known to advocate your using both sides of a disk. Here
are two reasons not to --

1. A stack of disks is harder to search through with stuff on both
sides. Solution: Label both sides' contents on one side of the disk.

2. When you use the "wrong" side of a disk, it spins the "wrong" way
and can mess up the friction pad (or whatever its called) inside the
disk itself. This is potentially a b-i-g problem, and our good friend,
Pete the Pessimist, says you can mess up not only the disk, but your
*drive* as well! Pete also refuses to go outside of his closet without
his hard hat."

I think this last sentence, along with the fact that Beagle shipped off
about a jillion "flippy" disks that *had* to be turned over in a single
sided drive, is the best gauge that this theory is probably not worth
worrying about in the Apple II world.

That it should be mentioned again twenty years later only goes to show
that plausable sounding myths die hard.

-Warr




jsnospam@cimmeri.com wrote:
> Just my 2 cents... don't flip disks in a single sided drive.
>
> Main reason being, you've got a felt pressure pad in there that's
> supposed to be replaced every year or so depending on amount of use.
> Read any Shugart service manual.   Since we no longer get replacements,
> these felt pads start getting quite dirty and even squishy after so
> long..acting more and more as an abrasive pad as time goes on.   Let
> the pad abrade one side only.    If you've got a true double sided
> drive, this isn't a problem.
>
> Secondary reason being, when you flip the disk, the rotational
> direction inside the sleeve reverses.. thus working to back out any
> crud that the inner liner has captured, sliding it into the felt pad,
> and some back to the other side of the liner.   Process reverses next
> flip to whatever degree.
>
> In the 8" world, all these effects were VERY noticeable... and are to
> me since I still use 8" drives.   Good habits to carry to the 5.25"
> drives.
> 
> ~ J