Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcvax!ukc!slxsys!ibmpcug!ronald From: ronald@ibmpcug.UUCP (Ronald Khoo) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: 1.2meg/360k compatibility question Message-ID: <11079@ibmpcug.UUCP> Date: 20 Jul 89 18:01:03 GMT References: <2250@astroatc.UUCP> <15072@ut-emx.UUCP> <597@philmtl.philips.ca> Reply-To: Ronald.Khoo@ibmpcug.CO.UK Organization: The IBM PC User Group, UK. Lines: 24 In article <597@philmtl.philips.ca> ray@philmtl.philips.ca (Raymond Dunn) writes: ! A 1.2M drive must have a head with a gap which is about half the width of a ! 360K drive. ! ! A diskette written at 360K density on a 1.2M drive has a track which is half ! the width of that written on a 360K drive. That is the cause of the problem. ! It could only be overcome by having a drive with two heads, one used when ! dealing with 360K diskettes, the other when dealing with 1.2M. There are no ! such drives to my knowledge. I actually heard some *rumour* that a new NEC (?) drive is sort-of such beast, except that it is the same head with two different effective widths depending on which density is selected (two windings switchable between opposing and aiding, I guess ?) NEC here in the UK seems to be keeping their head down about this drive, so DATA% is scarce. Can anyone confirm/deny this rumour? ------ % DATA seems to be a trademark of John Mashey -- Ronald.Khoo@ibmpcug.CO.UK (The IBM PC User Group, PO Box 360, Harrow HA1 4LQ) Path: ...!ukc!slxsys!ibmpcug!ronald Phone: +44-1-863 1191 Fax: +44-1-863 6095 Disclaimer: With my opinion of PCs, ibmpcug probably disclaims knowledge of me!