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From: unknown@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (The Unknown User)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: "floptical" drive questions (was IIgs. Whats happening....)
Message-ID: <14310@darkstar.ucsc.edu>
Date: 10 Apr 91 08:49:50 GMT
References: <15769@smoke.brl.mil> <14260@darkstar.ucsc.edu> <6947@rex.cs.tulane.edu>
Sender: usenet@darkstar.ucsc.edu
Organization: University of California, Santa Cruz; Open Access Computing
Lines: 68


In art. <6947@rex.cs.tulane.edu> lang@rex.cs.tulane.edu (Raymond Lang) writes:
>In <14260@darkstar.ucsc.edu> unknown@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (The Unknown User) writes:
>>      You could bypass a 3.5" 800K floppy altogether and get a Brier or Insite
>>25 meg 3.5" floptical drive. They sound awesome and I think I'm gonna get one.
>>They cost like $600 I've been told.
>Does anyone have more details on these? Specifically, is this a SCSI device?
>What kind of disks do they accept? Is anyone out there using one on a IIgs?
>Who sells them?

	Along with the Insite one mentioned in a previous article, there's also
one by Brier Technology... (getting the pamphlet out of my teeth to look
up specs and compare to Insite's)

	Brier has 3 models.. Two of which are 25 megs formatted and 
21.4 megs formatted. [Could someone confirm to me that these are probably
the specs for MSDOS or something, and whatever operating system you use will
use a different amount of space for formatting info??]
	Both of those have a track to track speed of 15 ms, average of 35,
and maximum of 70 ms...  
	The difference between the two is that one of them reads IBM
formatted floppies.
	Their third model is 50 megs unformatted and 43.2 megs formatted.
It has 10 ms track to track, 29 ms average, and 55 ms max.


	Comparing that to Insite's AVERAGE of 65 ms, these are MUCH faster.


	I hope that Brier's prices are near that to Insite's...

	About a year ago, I heard about these floptical drives.. I got in
touch with Brier and Insite, and they sent me their info pamphlets.
BOTH of them also included their price lists.. The prices on both drives
for 100 or more quantity was VERY good apparently (like $300-$400).
So I went through a relatively large bit of work to get over a hundred
people on Internet interested in this by posting to basically every
single personal-computer related UseNet group, and some other groups..
and sending people who were interested info [which was usually the
same as the huge file I posted to the newsgroups, and all it contained
was the type of info the other guy posted on Insite's drive with 
similar info on Brier's drives]..

	Then I write to both companies and they said NO! I told them how
definitely -I- needed no special drivers or anything because of GS/OS's 
default SCSI driver.

	They just said no, and repeated something they said in a previous
letter (that tehyw ouldn't sell directly to the public).

	Now I know I should have just went and bought a reseller's license
(I think like $15-$20 but I may be wrong), and then they'd've at least sold ME
one for myself. Now I know people with reseller's licenses so they are going
to get in touch with Brier & Insite for me and maybe buy me a drive
cheap (or get one for testing purposes).

	To answer the rest of your questions, YES they are SCSI devices, and
no I don't know anyone who's used 'em on a GS, but they're a SCSI device,
and for all practical purposes, SCSI IS SCSI.. (AND THE GS SUPPORTS 
REMOVABLE MEDIA WITH NO SPECIAL DRIVERS.. I know the Syquest 45 meg
cartridge drives need special drivers!! I know that because I know someone
who works for Peripheral Land Inc)

	The disks on both drives cost about $20 apiece, but that's a
very small price per meg!
-- 
/unknown@ucscb.ucsc.edu Apple IIGS Forever! ULTIMA VI GS -mail me. CDs-mail me\
\          McIntosh Junior:  The Power to Crush the Other Kids.               /