Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!wuarchive!uunet!cbmvax!jesup
From: jesup@cbmvax.commodore.com (Randell Jesup)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.applications
Subject: Re: Is this Speedup program healthy?
Keywords: question,help,disk,AmigaDOS
Message-ID: <22256@cbmvax.commodore.com>
Date: 7 Jun 91 19:48:49 GMT
References: <16796@helios.TAMU.EDU>
Reply-To: jesup@cbmvax.commodore.com (Randell Jesup)
Distribution: comp
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA
Lines: 26

In article <16796@helios.TAMU.EDU> ttr1415@helios.TAMU.EDU (Thom Robertson) writes:
>I just downloaded the Speedup utility off of AB20.  It appears to simply
>change the delay times between head steps on your floppies, thus
>speeding up disk access.  I have used this utility just enough to be
>satisfied that it does work (without crashing or causing read-errors
>or anything like that). 

	It's unlikely to cause read-errors (since trackdisk will retry if need
be).  The danger is that it will cause write-errors, though this is fairly low
if it's properly written and used accordingly - for example, their modification
of the step times may be fine for a 68000 with no fast mem, but may make it
too fast for a faster CPU or one with fast ram.

>hazard a guess as to whether this is healthful for my drives (old A1000
>ones, so you see my concern) and whether such speedup is really worth it?

	So long as the step pulse rate _at the drives_ doesn't go faster than
3.0 ms, you should have no problems.  A stock 68000 amiga usually does ~3.8ms
due to timer and processing overhead (lower on faster machines).  Also, make
CERTAIN that it's only the step rate, NOT the settle time, that is affected.

-- 
Randell Jesup, Jack-of-quite-a-few-trades, Commodore Engineering.
{uunet|rutgers}!cbmvax!jesup, jesup@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com  BIX: rjesup  
Disclaimer: Nothing I say is anything other than my personal opinion.
"No matter where you go, there you are."  - Buckaroo Banzai