Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!att!mtuxo!mtgzz!drutx!druwy!dlm
From: dlm@druwy.ATT.COM (Dan Moore)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: FLOPPY INCOMPATIBLE-TRANSLATOR/GCR
Message-ID: <4061@druwy.ATT.COM>
Date: 23 May 89 14:57:22 GMT
References: <8905220218.AA02895@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Organization: AT&T, Denver, CO
Lines: 34

in article <8905220218.AA02895@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>,
MAXG@SUVM.BITNET (Gerry Greenberg) says:
> I am one of those lucky few who have a floppy drive that is incompatible
> with the Translator One, i.e. the drive will not work with genuine Mac
> disks...it will not read them and it will not format in Mac format.  (I
> am not sure, but I presume this drive will also have the same problem
> with the Spectre128 GCR---I understand that Dave Small put something in
> a Gadgets newsletter about such drives

	Some drives contain low and/or high pass filters on the data
lines.  These filters prevent the Mac GCR data from getting to/from the
disk since it is in the wrong frequency range.  There may be a fix for
these drives, assuming you don't care about any warranty that is left on
them.  Details will be provided by Gadgets by Small when the GCR is
shipped *if* the modification proves to be reliable. 

>                     What I have is a Mitsubishi DS drive that someone
> adapted to work with an ST...It does great in ST mode and in Magic
> mode...but in Mac mode, no go.  The indicator light doesn't even blink
> when the Translator is trying to work on it (I guess it is too good of a
> drive!)

	The drive light should go on for at least a few seconds when the
Translator attempts to read a Mac disk.  If the drive isn't being
selected at all then there may be a problem with the Translator.  Try
using the Translator with another drive, a standard Atari drive would be
best, and also try the TRANSTST program. 



				Dan Moore
				AT&T Bell Labs
				Denver
				dlm@druwy.ATT.COM