Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!rutgers!clyde!watmath!mks!wheels
From: wheels@mks.UUCP (Gerry Wheeler)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Filter on printer cable
Message-ID: <291@mks.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 21-Aug-87 15:18:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: mks.291
Posted: Fri Aug 21 15:18:12 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 23-Aug-87 10:31:14 EDT
References: <3732@ecsvax.UUCP>
Organization: Mortice Kern Systems, Waterloo, Ont.
Lines: 23
Summary: probably not a magnet

In article <3732@ecsvax.UUCP>, kotlas@ecsvax.UUCP (Carolyn Kotlas) writes:
> 
> We just got a new IBM Proprinter with a printer cable which has a small
> black box attached to the cable.  This is a "ferrite filter" which, upon
> opening it up to examine the contents, appears to be a weak magnet (it
> isn't strong enough to pick up paperclips).  Weak though it may be, can
> anyone tell us if this filter could damage floppy disk data?
> Thanks for any insight into this,

The ferrite is not usually a magnet. It is just a hunk of metal that serves
to add inductance to the cable, thus preventing high frequency noise from
getting from one end to the other.

If you really want to test it, though, just use a newly formatted disk,
put some files on it, rub the ferrite against it, then see if you can
read all the files.  If it does mess up the disk, post a warning and
reformat the disk.  If it doesn't, then you're safe. 

-- 
     ll  // // ,'/~~\' Gerry Wheeler {decvax,ihnp4,seismo}!watmath!mks!wheels
    /ll/// //l' `\\\   Mortice Kern Systems Inc.         (519) 884-2251
   / l //_// ll\___/   43 Bridgeport Rd. E., Waterloo, ON, Can. N2J 2J4
O_/