Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ames!killer!chasm
From: chasm@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Charles Marslett)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Drives
Summary: 1.44 is just like a 720K
Keywords: ibm drives 1.44 meg
Message-ID: <7586@killer.Dallas.TX.US>
Date: 19 Mar 89 05:58:33 GMT
References: <458@ultb.UUCP>
Organization: The Unix(R) Connection, Dallas, Texas
Lines: 21

In article <458@ultb.UUCP>, adw3345@ultb.UUCP (A.D. Williams) writes:
> . . .Does the Atari expect a 360k or 720k drive only or will it
> run the 1.44? If so, will I need special software?

If there is a hardware line that needs to be pulled up or down to put the
drive into 1.44 mode, you may have a problem (this would be related to
setting the write bias and tunnel errase level/frequency, I would guess) --
but probably they will work fine.

They will be 720K drives to the Atari however, since to get them to work at
1.44 Mbytes/disk, you have to send and recieve bits at twice the standard
rate (requiring a change in the controller chip in the ST, as well as a faster
oscillator, etc.).

Charles Marslett
chasm@killer.dallas.tx.us
> 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> - Derrick Williams - Rochester Institute of Technology | Insert snappy        -
> - adw3345@ritvax   - Computer Engineering              | quotation here       -
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------