Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!mit-eddie!ll-xn!ames!pacbell!att-ih!ihnp4!inuxc!iuvax!bsu-cs!cfchiesa
From: cfchiesa@bsu-cs.UUCP (Christopher Chiesa)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: Problem with Atari's new XF551 DS/DD disk drive
Message-ID: <2361@bsu-cs.UUCP>
Date: 14 Mar 88 20:25:43 GMT
References: <3075@voder.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: CS Dept, Ball St U, Muncie, Indiana
Lines: 46
Summary: Possible XF551 fix?

In article <3075@voder.UUCP>, kevin@voder.UUCP (The Last Bugfighter) writes:
> 
>    I read something recently which points out a possibly serious problem
> for some users of Atari's new XF551 disk drive.  

>   [definition/explanation of what the "index hole" is]

>    ... the XF551 does read this index hole.  If you flip the disk over, like
> if you were going to write to the back side of the disk, the index hole is
> now on the wrong side of the disk and the index sensor will be unable to
> read it so you cannot write to the disk when it's in upside down.

Okay, netsters, here's an idea for you.  Many of my computer buddies used to
use a "notch punch" to create a "write-permission notch" on the "other" edge
of a single-sided disk, so that they could "convert" them to double-sided disks
and write to the back of the media.

Since it's the presence or absence of an index hole in the disk SLEEVE, rather
than the rotating MEDIA, it seems to me it should be possible to punch a second 
set of index holes in the SLEEVE, in the "same place on the other side of the
central hole," so that when the disk was flipped over there'd still be an in-
dex hole in line with the LED sensor in the drive.  What say, tech hackers?

It seems to me that this would be a better solution than disabling the drive
hardware hole-sensor, because isn't that used for TIMING, and mightn't bypas-
sing it screw up one's disk reads and writes?
 
As far as how to actually do this, a friend of mine has suggested everything
from "a real thin hole punch that could slip between the sleeve and the media"
(after all, no data is stored, as I understand it, any closer to the disk cen-
ter than the index hole, so if you scratch it, so what), to "take the sleeve
apart, punch it, and put it back together."

Maybe if we all b*tch loudly enough (letters, petitions, etc.) we could get
disks MANUFACTURED with two sets of holes in the sleeves?  Betcha a cookie the
"flippy" software makers will come out with them that way sooner or later; 
maybe we could make it "sooner" and save everybody a whole mess o' annoyance!

I'll be very interested to hear what the Net has to say about this one. 

Chris
-- 
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Chris Chiesa <><><><><>
<> {ihpn4|seismo}!{iuvax|pur-ee}!bsu-cs!cfchiesa                              <>
<> cfchiesa@bsu-cs.UUCP                                                       <>
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