Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!rochester!ritcv!cci632!rb
From: rb@cci632.UUCP (Rex Ballard)
Newsgroups: net.micro.atari16
Subject: Re: Floppy Disk Speed
Message-ID: <262@cci632.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 25-Jul-86 23:13:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: cci632.262
Posted: Fri Jul 25 23:13:45 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 26-Jul-86 22:02:25 EDT
References: <332@sdcarl.UUCP>
Reply-To: rb@ccird1.UUCP (Rex Ballard)
Organization: CCI, Rochester Development, Rochester, NY
Lines: 32
Summary: Slow compared to what?

In article <332@sdcarl.UUCP> tre@sdcarl.UUCP (Tom Erbe) writes:
>
>.
>	The floppy disk on my ST seems to run very slow.  I have seen this on
>other STs, so I think it is a design flaw.  If I am not imagining this, where
>does the fault lie?  Is it the disk, the controller, or the software?  Will 
>there be a fix for this from Atari?  
>-- 
>	Tom Erbe

I found just the opposite.  If you are comparing to the speed of the Mac
drives, which are "Incredible Woz Machine" technology, then yes, the ST
is a little slower.

SONY actually make 3 1/2" drives in several flavors, each with different
rotational speeds and Seek times.  Atari went with a shorter seek time,
but standard rotational speed, appearantly to allow the use of 5 1/4"
inch drives (Which can be interfaced by simply buying a "replacement cable"
and a little soldering/connecting).

The main question is, can the existing drive be put into 2X or 4X rotational
speed?  Can the clock on the WD chip be multiplied as well?

If you really want speed, get a Kodak "second drive" and a Supra SCSI
adapter.  Then you can get 3MB/disk using special "high density disk",
that give you hard disk (1800 or 3600? RPM) speeds.

The thing to remember is that the "floppy" (either size) should normally
be used as a "download and bootstrap" device once low-cost high-speed
storage is available.  Considering that a hard drive could be built
from "surplus" for around $350, maybe less, it makes sense to go with
something "hard".