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From: toma@tekgvs.TEK.COM (Tom Almy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Using 8 inch floppies on an AT compatible
Message-ID: <2630@tekgvs.TEK.COM>
Date: Thu, 3-Sep-87 10:14:26 EDT
Article-I.D.: tekgvs.2630
Posted: Thu Sep  3 10:14:26 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 5-Sep-87 15:37:50 EDT
References: <2211@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> <777@custom.UUCP>
Reply-To: toma@tekgvs.UUCP (Tom Almy)
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton, OR.
Lines: 33

r
In article <777@custom.UUCP> boykin@custom.UUCP (Joseph Boykin) writes:
<In article <2211@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu>, 
< sparks@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Steve Gaarder) writes:
<< I'm looking for a way to connect a Shugart SA810 half-height single-side
<< 8 inch floppy to an HP Vectra (AT compatible) for the purpose of reading
<< standard CP/M disks.  Two questions:
<< 
<< 1) Hardware:  Since the high-density drive uses the same data rate as an
<< 8 inch drive, can I hook up the drive to the existing controller?
 [No, needs new controller...]
<The only one I remember is Maynard electronics.  I recently looked at
<one of their ads for a friend wishing to do the same thing as yourself
<and did not see their 8" controller/drive in the ad anymore (no
<big surprise).  I called them, they still make a board (2-3 week lead
<time) to control 4 floppies, including 8". [...]
<< 2) Software:  Does anyone know of software that will read CP/M 8 inch
<< disks, using whatever controller is required?
<
I just looked in my documentation for Uniform -PC (from Micro Solutions)
and it says that it will read from 8" using the Maynard controller on a
PC or XT (but not AT compatible).

What I don't understand is why the standard AT floppy controller won't
work with 8" drives since the AT 5.25" format has the same data rates
as an 8" DSDD drive.  Even though the connector size is different, the
pinouts are almost identical -- you can use ribbon cable with just a
few "grafts".

Tom Almy
Tektronix, Inc
toma@tekgvs.TEK.COM
(former user of 8" DSDD CP/M system that blew the socks off the original IBM/PC)