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From: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: StepRate ... a utility that makes your floppies FASTER!
Message-ID: <2499@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Oct-87 16:02:07 EDT
Article-I.D.: cbmvax.2499
Posted: Wed Oct 14 16:02:07 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 16-Oct-87 05:51:31 EDT
References: <15607@amdahl.amdahl.com> <1282@knopfler.munsell.UUCP> <1683@tekred.TEK.COM> <1794@cadovax.UUCP>
Reply-To: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 32
Keywords: grinding noise pitch control benchmarks sausages maybe

In article <1794@cadovax.UUCP> keithd@cadovax.UUCP (Keith Doyle) writes:
> 
> Hey,
> 
> This steprate thing seems like basically a good idea.  Not for speed,
> mind you, but because I can't stand how the drives sound.  They SOUND
> like they're being stepped too slow, and that's what drives me nuts.
> 
> However, are we absolutely sure that running at a higher step rate will
> not cause a higher incidence of munged disks due to too marginal a
> setting?  I'd love to try it, but no way until I am reasonably assured
> it isn't going to munch my critical 'C' source disks etc.

That's the rub.  By using the specified step rate or some slightly slower
amount, one can assume that things will be as reliable as you can get.
Actually, the step rate is some percentage slower than nominal on a 68000
system and a particular drive may step smoother at a slightly faster rate,
or work well with a ramped step rate.  Beyond measuring the actual step
rate and compensating for the "68000 percentage" you're stepping into some
murky water.  I wouldn't mess with it too much without writing some kind
of excerciser script/program that could evaluate the improvment and also
detect any errors.

Rather then mess around much with the floppy drives, I'd seriously consider
a hard drive, assuming you have the requisite $$$'s.  It's a different
and better world.


-- 
George Robbins - now working for,	uucp: {ihnp4|rutgers|allegra}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing	arpa: out to lunch...
Commodore, Engineering Department	fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)