Re: PC to Apple II disk drive

["Jack Tseng" <tseng4@hotmail.com>]

Not always, like Atari 8bit Disk drive is a drive, not a computer with its 
own cpu, there is NO DOS programmer in ROM. It requires Atari DOS software 
to boot up. PC can communicate with the dumb disk drive in APE SIO cable 
with a serial connection. APE SIO cable looks simple I can make.

Apple Disk Drive seems more more diffcult than C1541 and Atari 1050.

Thanks!
Jack


"Linards Ticmanis" <ticmanis@gmx.de> wrote in message 
news:449c718e$0$4514$9b4e6d93@newsread2.arcor-online.net...
> Jack Tseng wrote:
>> PC using parallel can communicates with Commodore 1541 (GCR) thur X1541
>> cable. X1541 cable looks really simple we can make.
>>
>> Can we make the cable for Apple disk drive and PC parallel or serial?
>> or buy the Apple disk drive adapter card for pc?
>
> Commodore drives and Apple drives are very different.
>
> The Commodore drive is itself a computer with its own CPU. It does all
> the hard work itself. There is a complete DOS built into the drive --
> the drive can organize files and directory without help. The interface
> is a serial bus. To the computer the drive looks like a "character
> device" (in Unix speak).
>
> The Apple drive is only a drive, not a computer.
> It is a real "block device". All the hard work must be done by the
> computer. The computer must read the signal, interpret it to find
> blocks, then interpret the blocks to implement files and directories.
>
> The problem with the Apple drive is, it wants to send or receive one bit
> exactly every 32 microseconds. No slower no faster. This is not really
> doable with any "normal" pc interface. Maybe with parallel port in pure
> DOS mode, but it's very difficult to get right.
>
> Usually, you connect the PC to an Apple computer and then the drive to
> the Apple computer. This is similar to the X1541 method - there is an
> extra computer for the drive. In the 1541 it is built into the drive,
> with Apple hardware you must add an external real Apple computer.
>
> -- 
> Linards Ticmanis