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

[a2aviator@gmail.com]

To this day I can still aim a hole puncher at the right spot, as quick
as picking the two up off the table and bringing them together. I
hardly ever punch disks anymore either.

I had one set of Disk ]['s that I used a small magnetic switch similar
to like the ImageWriter II had. If the small magnet was in the right
position on the faceplate down below, you could write to the disk.
Otherwise it was protected. I did this by loosening the built in switch
and just making it slide down lower on the chassis and twisting the
wires for the magswitch onto to the terminals. That way the drive could
be returned to normal state if desired. Also, it was a stealth thing.
:)

A side note, if you ever wondered why only certain 5.25" drives work on
the ROM 3 and IIc Plus, it's the way the write protect return is wired.
Apple didn't just simply ground it. It's returned via the stepper motor
phase on the second phase IIRC.

A further fail safe in no writing if the head is seeking.

The schematic in the back of the DOS 3.3 reference manual shows this.

I further discovered the whole thing when I modified a whole bunch of
Disk ///'s to be Disk ]['s that daisy chain. Got them all to work on
the ROM 3.