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Path: utzoo!utgpu!utcsri!uthub!koko
From: koko@uthub.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: HELP! can't write to floppy drives.
Message-ID: <564@uthub.toronto.edu>
Date: Thu, 20-Aug-87 11:07:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: uthub.564
Posted: Thu Aug 20 11:07:36 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Aug-87 08:51:10 EDT
References: <1515@sputnik.COM>
Organization: CSRI, University of Toronto
Lines: 38
Keywords: Apple IIe, disk drives.
Summary: What a coincidence

In article <1515@sputnik.COM>, mason@tc.fluke.COM (Nick Mason) writes:
> 
>  Hi!  I am having a weird problem with my Apple IIe and am hoping 
>  someone can help me.
> 
>  I have an apple IIe with 2 floppy disks and the disk controller,
>  (in slot 6), an 80 col card in slot 0, and a printer card in 
>  slot 1.  What has happened is I can boot and read from the disks,
>  but I cannot WRITE to the disks.  
> 
>  ...
> 
>  Any Ideas???
> 
> Nick Mason/ms272G/John Fluke Mfg Co/Box C9090/Everett WA 98206 USA
>    mason@tc.fluke.COM
> UUCP:
>  {{cornell,decvax,ihnp4,sdcsvax,tektronix,utcsrgv}!uw-beaver} \
> {allegra,microsoft,gatech!sb1,hplabs!lbl-csam,decwrl!sun,sunup} - !fluke!mason
>  {ssc-vax,hplsla,wavetek,physio,uw-vlsi,cae780,tikal,telematic} /
> ARPA: fluke!mason@uw-beaver.ARPA
> BITNET: "fluke!mason@uw-beaver.ARPA"@wiscvm.bitnet

Recently I had the same problem with a disk drive on my Apple ][+ clone.
If you have two drives, then swap them, i.e. swap there connections to the
disk controller card.  If the problem goes to the other drive, then it
indeed is the controller.  (However, this is not likely, since most of the
electronics on the board are used by both drives alike.)

Anyways, in my case, the problem turned out to be corroded pins on one of
the chips plugged into the adapter board in the back of my Shugart disk drive
(a model 400, or something like that).  (This adapter board is a small printed
circuit board sitting vertically -- the external cable is plugged into it
directly.  The board is needed when connecting this model of Shugart drive
into an Apple ][+ or ][e system.)  The solution was to unplug that chip,
clean the contacts with polishing compound -- the material used for cleaning
silverware will do -- and plugging it back in.  (A more obvious solution is
to simply replace the chip with a new one!)