Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!think!ames!elroy!cit-vax!oberon!nunki.usc.edu!castor.usc.edu!rjung
From: rjung@castor.usc.edu (Robert Jung)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: Problem with Atari's new XF551 DS/DD disk drive
Message-ID: <491@nunki.usc.edu>
Date: 15 Mar 88 16:43:58 GMT
References: <3075@voder.UUCP> <2361@bsu-cs.UUCP>
Sender: news@nunki.usc.edu
Reply-To: rjung@castor.usc.edu (Robert Jung)
Distribution: na
Organization: The O-Mayer V BBS (213-732-0229)
Lines: 53
Summary: An idea?

In article <2361@bsu-cs.UUCP> cfchiesa@bsu-cs.UUCP (Christopher Chiesa) writes:
>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.  
>>    ... 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

  Right, old trick.


>... 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?
>...
> 
>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."

  Well, you could always inspect those 5.25" disks when you first buy them, and
if they don't have the hole, you can use a notebook "hole-puncher" to do the
job... I use one for making my printouts fit in my 3-ring binder, and I would
think it'd work on floppies just fine. The only thing is, you would
probably do it BEFORE you format the disk, so that any damage/disturbance
done (if any) is negated.


>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!

  Aren't these already avaliable? Can't you look at the packaging for the
disks and see if they're "double-sided/timing hole" disks?


						--R.J.
						B-)
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