Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!udel!princeton!njin!spcvxb.spc.edu!terry From: terry@spcvxb.spc.edu (Terry Kennedy, Operations Mgr.) Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec Subject: Re: RX ****ing 50s Message-ID: <1991Feb18.090824.1117@spcvxb.spc.edu> Date: 18 Feb 91 09:08:23 GMT References: Organization: St. Peter's College, US Lines: 31 In article , don@zl2tnm.gp.co.nz (Don Stokes) writes: > > Does anyone know how format a disk to look like an RX50? Can a PC high > density floppy drive do it? With DOS? Yes. Yes. Sort of. Out-of-the-[DEC]-box RX50 diskettes are a bit strange. The gaps are tight enough that a PC's controller chip (NEC uPD765 or clone) will have some problems. I've formatted diskettes on a PC and been able to read them in an RX50 drive, but I wouldn't bet on it always working. What _does_ work is a Central Point Software COPY II PC Option Board. This is a hardware add-on used for copying "uncopy-able" diskettes. You need to patch the drive tables so it won't double-step the heads (since an AT-type 80-track drive must double-step to copy a 360Kb PC diskette). One you've done that, set the Option Board up for 80 tracks, single-sided, keep track length and go make the copies. Avoid using RX50's that say "Format Copyright Digital Equipment Corp" as masters 8-). Of course, there are other options. A Rainbow can format RX50's. Several 3rd-party controllers for Q-bus do as well (the Andromeda UDC11 comes to mind). Probably the best solution is to upgrade the RX50 to an RX33 drive, which gives you 3x the capacity and is user-formattable. Some PDP-11 operating sys- tems (like RSTS/E) allow formatting the disks without needing diagnostics. [Guess where the RSTS/E group got that idea... 8-] Terry Kennedy Operations Manager, Academic Computing terry@spcvxa.bitnet St. Peter's College, US terry@spcvxa.spc.edu (201) 915-9381