Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!ucsd!ucbvax!APG-EMH5.APG.ARMY.MIL!ddavis
From: ddavis@APG-EMH5.APG.ARMY.MIL (Dave Davis, HSHB-MLOP)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: 1.44 Meg drives
Message-ID: <8906282343.aa17661@BRL-VGR.APG-EMH5.APG.ARMY.MIL>
Date: 29 Jun 89 03:43:23 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 19

Howard Chu writes:

>Sure, the WD1772 floppy controller chip in the ST can't handle the data
>density. It's only able to handle single and double density, which amounts
>to 125 and 250kbits/sec. The density select line is also permanently wired
>for double-den... If Western Digital has a somewhat-compatible newer controller
>chip that you can use, it shouldn't be too hard to upgrade, but for now,
>it wouldn't be easy.

	True, you can't just hook up a 1.44 Meg and format it for 1.44
Megs, but it will function as a DS/DD drive (under-utilized, perhaps,
but it will work).  I replaced my old DS/DD (a Chinon) with a Toshiba
ND356 (a 1.44 Meg drive) and haven't had any problems with it.  Quite 
the contrary - the Toshiba is like a sleek sports car compared to the
old clunker of a drive I yanked out!  The 356 is real quiet and the
problems I was having reading inner tracks (especially on "copy-
protected" software) disappeared.  

	Dave Davis (ddavis@apg-emh5.apg.army.mil)