Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!apple!vsi1!zorch!xanthian From: xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware Subject: Re: 20Meg flopticals Keywords: floptical discs, mixed mode floptical Message-ID: <1990Dec23.090022.6493@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> Date: 23 Dec 90 09:00:22 GMT References: <1990Dec22.171848.4873@ericsson.se> Organization: SF-Bay Public-Access Unix Lines: 47 etxtomp@eos5c08.ericsson.se (Tommy Petersson) writes: >Where can I get information (newsgroup) on the interesting 20MB >flopticals (availability on a large scale, pricing, media price)? >Are there any SCSI flopticals (I believe that would be the best >way to connect one to an Amiga) or flopticals of any other sort >already for the Amiga? Well, here's an ad from the most recent local trade rag, MicroTimes, that includes contact information; it gives the 20Mbyte floptical drive a little different twist. From the existance of this device, I'd guess the 20 Mbyte floptical market is warming up a bit. On the other hand, in 260 news tabloid sized pages of mostly ads from resellers, there was not a single 20Mb floptical actually offered for sale. 20 Mb On A Floppy Disk The Insite I325VM (Variable Mode) Floptical disk drive is the first 20Mb 3.5" floppy disk drive also able to read and write standard low capacity Double Density and High Density Diskettes. This is achieved by merging optical and magnetic recording technonlogies witht the use of low cost components developed for compact disk recording as well as traditional magnetic floppy diskette drive assemblies. The Floptical is designed to plug and play with existing SCSI host adapters for IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2, Macintosh and other SCSI compatible computers. Insite Peripherals, Inc., 4433 Fortran Dr., San Jose, CA 95134. (408) 946-8080. (That is eight hours earlier than the GMT time zone, if you want to call.) The photo with the ad is for a caseless drive that looks identical to a full height 3.5" drive, and a diskette indistinguishable from a magnetic 3.5" floppy. There was no price with the ad. Sadly, the ad above, for another company's 4mm DAT 2.56Gbyte SCSI-Direct storage device shows a price still in the US$5000's, when what is needed is that much backup with a price in the $500's. It's ridiculous to see the streaming tape drive needed to back up my 205Mbyte disk drive priced at five times the drive price. I mean, tape drives are cheap mechanical trash, and it is fighting for it's chance as a backup drive against $100 worth of floppy disks and my spare time. Patience, I guess, is the only recourse. I can push in lots of floppies for $4500. Kent, the man from xanth.