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From: wcurtiss@x102c.harris-atd.com (Curtiss WC 67625)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Drive controllers
Summary: How do 4 drive controllers work?
Keywords: disk controller
Message-ID: <3058@trantor.harris-atd.com>
Date: 16 Jan 90 18:42:37 GMT
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Reply-To: wcurtiss@x102c.harris-atd.com
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Organization: Harris Corporation ESS, Melbourne, Florida
Lines: 27
References:

I am rolling my own system, and have been shopping drive contollers.  Since
I've decided that I need at least three floppy drives (Mixed, 5 1/4 and
3 1/2), I have two choices:  I can get a controller which supports up to
4 drives and then a seperate HD controller, or I can get a normal FD/HD
controller and then a floppy co-controller for the other two.  I'm leaning
towards the first solution because it allows me to later move the HD upto
ESDI, or whatever the latest technology is, whenever I fell like it, without
having to bother the floppies, and always buying FD/HD cards (which cost more).

My questions:

1) How are the extra two drives addressed?  (Both by device number and drive
letter.)

2) Will a tape backup unit designed to connect to a floppy card work fine
with these?

3) Are all floppy contollers the same technology?  That is, is the floppy
controller part of a RLL or ESDI FD/HD controller, the same as a floppy
only controller (i.e., not RLL or ESDI)?

Thanks for your help.

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William Curtiss         407/984-6383            |    "The only good martyr
Harris GISD, Melbourne, FL  32902               |         is a dead martyr."
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