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From: ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st.tech,comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: 1.44M external floppy on ST?
Keywords: 1.44M diskette, DIN cable for ST
Message-ID: <1991Feb16.190229.3081@ecst.csuchico.edu>
Date: 16 Feb 91 19:02:29 GMT
References: <3575@ncrwat.Waterloo.NCR.COM>
Sender: news@ecst.csuchico.edu (USENET)
Organization: California State University, Chico
Lines: 42

brian@.Waterloo.NCR.COM (Brian W. Gamble) writes:

- QUESTION ONE
- Do you need to do anything special to get 1.44M out of it?  I can't
- seem to get it to read a HD disk...  I've found a SW/PD formatter
- called Diamond Format, which formats to 1.44M (or 1.6M if you use
- more sectors than usual).  It also seems to be a stand-alone portion
- of a hard drive backup program.  Do I need to find a special driver
- or something?  The drive works fine as a double density...
 
There is a product called the PowerDrive.  It comes in two parts: a 
drive controller replacement and a 1.4meg drive.  You can buy the 
drive separately, but you must by the special controller from them.  
I think it uses the faster WD1772 (is that the right part #?) 
controller chip.  The board itself costs $139.95.  I think they 
recommend a Teac drive.

A friend of mine has this installed on his 4meg STe.  He says, not 
only is the 1.44meg drive faster, but his external 720K Indus drive 
jams.  He says you can see on the track reading that it's much 
faster.  However, he adds that there is some incompatibility with 
copy-protected games.

DreamPark Development
1390 So. 1100 E. Suite 104
Salt Lake City, Utah 84105
(801)-484-9809

- QUESTION TWO
- Does anyone know where I could find a 14 pin DIN (ie, the ST's external
- floppy drive port) plug adapter, that has a female 34-pin (ie, the
- floppy drive's bus) port on the other end?  Or am I doomed to building
- one?  Given the half-dozen or so 3rd party manufacturers of external
- drives for the ST, a part like this HAS to exist, right?
 
Try Best Electronics (408) 243-6950.

-- 
         Ed Krimen  ...............................................
   |||   Video Production Major, California State University, Chico
   |||   INTERNET: ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu  FREENET: al661 
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