Merry Christmas to everyone that watches, supports and subscribes!!! Felt like Christmas when Tom sent me this drive!!! =D Please check out my other new channel if you want to see more repairs and stuff! www.youtube.com/@GadgetUKExtra One of the other Atari 8bit devices Tom sent - th-cam.com/video/JnzjiBZBQYk/w-d-xo.html NOTE: I think that RAM chip is 256 Bytes instead of 128 Bytes! Does anyone know how to test / use it? I think I would need to swap out that Tandon mask ROM for an EPROM with updated code. It basically would take the drive from MD (medium density) to DD (double density), ie. from 90KB per side to 180KB per side. The DD disks work for all the MD .atr files I wrote.
Also you've currently got jumpers set for masked rom so will need to change them to use an eprom: media.invisioncic.com/r322239/monthly_04_2018/post-53052-0-12028500-1523291257.jpg
A great tool for "notching" floppy disks to enable side 2 writing is a simple hole punch. There were "notching" tools from the 1980's, but I remember a friend of mine growing up with an 800xl using a hole punch then....I use the same now with mine.
Like most 1050, it has a US Doubler. It makes the drive true double density instead of the "medium" density Atari used, allowing you to get aprox 1.5x the capacity. Also increases read/write speed up to 3x normal. Favourite of the piracy scene!
40:34 - A note about the strobe markings. Be careful with these, some models are strobe marked for 300 RPM, but the drive runs slower @288RPM. So they hinder you if you use them. I know the 810 drive is wrong, not sure about the 1050. But since the Tandon normally operates @300RPM, they too are possibly wrong. Found an unopened box of DD disks at the Thrift store last month.
I believe the Atari drives are serial (SIO), just like the Commodore drives. What is _not_ like the Commodore drives however, is that bug in the C64 UART that led to the extreme slowness of disk I/O. Commodore handled that debacle very badly in my opinion. The Apple II drives took a diametrically opposite approach. Internally they are very simple, connected via a parallel interface to a controller card plugged into the internal expansion bus. The Apple DOS running on the main CPU does all the computational work of running the drive, such as keeping track of the rotating sectors and moving the read-write heads. In principle that should make the drives cheaper, but Apple wasn't known for being cheap then or now.
Chris, you’re spoiling us with all these great videos!😊 The resilience of 5 1/4” disks always amazes me. I recently got a Panasonic PC drive and some original sealed 320k floppy’s and every single one formatted 100% error free first time. I also bought a box of 10 x 3M of 1.2Mb and they also worked 100%. They must be the most reliable magnetic media.
Merry Christmas to everyone that watches, supports and subscribes!!! Felt like Christmas when Tom sent me this drive!!! =D
Please check out my other new channel if you want to see more repairs and stuff! www.youtube.com/@GadgetUKExtra
One of the other Atari 8bit devices Tom sent - th-cam.com/video/JnzjiBZBQYk/w-d-xo.html
NOTE: I think that RAM chip is 256 Bytes instead of 128 Bytes! Does anyone know how to test / use it? I think I would need to swap out that Tandon mask ROM for an EPROM with updated code. It basically would take the drive from MD (medium density) to DD (double density), ie. from 90KB per side to 180KB per side. The DD disks work for all the MD .atr files I wrote.
Also you've currently got jumpers set for masked rom so will need to change them to use an eprom: media.invisioncic.com/r322239/monthly_04_2018/post-53052-0-12028500-1523291257.jpg
Happy Christmas!
Merry Christmas, Chris!
Same to you! =D
A great tool for "notching" floppy disks to enable side 2 writing is a simple hole punch. There were "notching" tools from the 1980's, but I remember a friend of mine growing up with an 800xl using a hole punch then....I use the same now with mine.
Like most 1050, it has a US Doubler. It makes the drive true double density instead of the "medium" density Atari used, allowing you to get aprox 1.5x the capacity. Also increases read/write speed up to 3x normal.
Favourite of the piracy scene!
40:34 - A note about the strobe markings. Be careful with these, some models are strobe marked for 300 RPM, but the drive runs slower @288RPM. So they hinder you if you use them. I know the 810 drive is wrong, not sure about the 1050. But since the Tandon normally operates @300RPM, they too are possibly wrong. Found an unopened box of DD disks at the Thrift store last month.
288rpm on 1050
1050 runs @ 288rpm with mods it would be faster
Little chuckle at the end when you put the head protector in the wrong way! 😂
Happy xmas bud , hope u have a good 1
70% IPA is often better than 99% IPA since some substances dissolve better in water than alcohol. The lower concentration gives you the best of both.
I didn't know anybody with an 8-bit Atari, but the floppy interface seems a good bit quicker than the C64's serial disk I/O. Very nice device.
I believe the Atari drives are serial (SIO), just like the Commodore drives. What is _not_ like the Commodore drives however, is that bug in the C64 UART that led to the extreme slowness of disk I/O. Commodore handled that debacle very badly in my opinion.
The Apple II drives took a diametrically opposite approach. Internally they are very simple, connected via a parallel interface to a controller card plugged into the internal expansion bus. The Apple DOS running on the main CPU does all the computational work of running the drive, such as keeping track of the rotating sectors and moving the read-write heads. In principle that should make the drives cheaper, but Apple wasn't known for being cheap then or now.
Chris, you’re spoiling us with all these great videos!😊
The resilience of 5 1/4” disks always amazes me. I recently got a Panasonic PC drive and some original sealed 320k floppy’s and every single one formatted 100% error free first time. I also bought a box of 10 x 3M of 1.2Mb and they also worked 100%. They must be the most reliable magnetic media.
Haha =D Yes, I was amazed that every 5 1/4" disk I've tried works too! They are hardy things!
5 1/4 main issue was they were actually floppy. 3 1/2's main issue was cost reduction :(
Good I like when problem are solved simplest way...
🎅Merry Christmas Everybody🎅
Need a megaspeedy