Re: SuperDrive Controller and FDHD Mechanisms - a Followup

["Michael J. Mahon" <mjmahon@aol.com>]

Warren Ernst wrote:
> Just a followup to my SuperDrive posts from a week or two ago.
>
> The $3 FDHD drives from Shreve systems showed up today, and they do
> indeed work just fine when installed into Apple 3.5" Drives. When
> plugged into the SuperDrive controller, they format HD floppies as 1.44
> MB disks, and DD floppies as 800 (or is it 880?) kb disks. When plugged
> into the regular floppy port of a GS, the converted Apple 3.5" Drives
> work like regular old drives.

I've ordered mine, and am awaiting delivery.

> Working with these drives is interesting. I thought that by using
> FDHD's, the Apple II could use, well, what I've seen as "PC Floppies."
> This led me to believe that one could take a High Density disk
> formatted in a PC, and read it on the Apple II, and vice versa. If this
> is true, I'd love it if someone could tell me how. Perhaps there's
> special software for the Apple that lets it read HD PC Floppies? A
> special verson of ProDOS?

Not for the 8-bit Apple II's--although the IIgs can read DOS disks
and, with MUG, write them as well.

It would be nice to have such a capability for the //e...

> Thus far, only CiderPress
> (http://www.faddensoft.com/ciderpress/index.htm) for Windows seems to
> know what to do with an ProDOS formatted HD floppy. That is, I can
> format the HD disk as a 1.44 MB ProDOS volume, copy things onto it,
> move it to the PC, (where Windows thinks it needs formatting, but no
> matter), run CiderPress, choose "Open Volume" from the File menu, and
> pick the A drive. Then CiderPress opens a new window and displays the
> contents of that 1.44 MB ProDOS disk. I can copy files on and off of
> the HD floppy in Windows via CiderPress. Well worth $10.

I agree.  I format 1.44MB ProDOS floppies and use them to move files
to and from my PC.  (Of course, for *big* jobs, like backup, I move
my CFFA CompactFlash card back and forth.)

> I have no idea what a ProDOS formatted HD floppy will look like to a
> Mac. I'll probably have an SE/30 or Classic II by January, so I can
> tell you then.

If it can read/write ProDOS at all, it will recognize it fine.

> So anyway, there's your update. I'd say getting 1.44 MB mechanisms from
> Shreve is a good idea, if for no other reason than to have some spares.
> The mechs were totally clean from lint or dust, and looked, well, like
> new. Two of the three drives had labels that read "Tested Good,
> 7/20/97," so this is clearly Old Stock. Of course.

I'm "old stock", too, but I work fine!  ;-)

-michael

Music synthesis for 8-bit Apple II's!
Home page:  http://members.aol.com/MJMahon/

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