[Color Computer] [Coco]Re: Transfer utilities

[Roger Merchberger]

Rumor has it that Glen VanDenBiggelaar may have mentioned these words:


>Oh, no I am treading into that "area" again over the 3.5 drives.


Huh?


>I have been reading these list for a year now and no one wants to really 

>tackle that subject.


What's to tackle? If you set it up correctly, they just work.


>  Some sites say you can upgrade the  26-3022 controller to work with a 

> 3.5" drive while others have said any controller will work.


You're talking apples and oranges.

What a lot of people are talking about are data rates. Standard 5.25" DD 
drives use a 250KHz data rate. Standard 3.5" DD drives use a 250KHz data 
rate. High Density requires a 500KHz data rate, and standard, unmodified 
CoCo controllers are not capable of that. Just be happy with 720K; (80 
tracks, 2 sides, 256byte sectors & 18 sectors per track).

As long as you're sure that the drive itself can do double density, and you 
*only* use double-density disks with it, it will *just work*.

Plain and simple.


>  I have tried a FD500 and 502 and neither seem to see it (I have all the 

> RS controllers kicking around -except the 501).


Then what cable are you using? The FD50x should use a full cable - i.e. 
*no* pins missing.


>  It looks like the Distro 2 can use it, but so far no one has said what 

> they are using for a controller and if it has been modified.


[[ First off: it's "Disto." Distros are for Linux. ;-) ]]

The only time modifications are warranted is *if* you want the sucker to do 
High-Density, which requires a different data rate that standard CoCo 
controllers aren't designed for.

If you *have* to have 1.4M HD access, just wait roughly forever until an 
FHL Eliminator is available, or Cloud-9's SuperBoard.


>  This seems to be the biggest "secret" of the CoCo, one that I have not 

> been able to see a clear answer in the last year anyway.


Then maybe you've not asked the right questions...


>My J&M systems controller does not seem compatible with my FD502 drive 

>because of a "Tooth" in the cable that I cant seem to remove (not for lack 

>of trying).


Think outside the box: Don't remove the tooth, clip the wire leading to the 
tooth. If the connector's keyed, then drill out the key. Simple.


>  When I switched to an FD 500 drive, my CoCo 3 doesn't respond (I assume 

> it needs a multi-pak for the FD 500).


I *thought* that the FD500 controller was 5V only, but I could be wrong. If 
it is, tho, then the pack might be dead. If you *do* need a Multi-Pak for 
it, that's solely because the CoCo3 doesn't supply 12VDC on the cartridge 
port; but the Multi-Pak does. If you can find a regulated +12V supply in 
the CoCo you could jumper it yourself & make it work fine; otherwise find 
yerself a 12V wall-wart and add it directly to the controller.

Those solutions, of course, would assume a mediocre amount of hardware 
manipulation knowledge; I know some folks here are pretty much 
software-only, so these solutions may not work for you; however, for those 
more hardware-minded, it's a bog-simple modification. ;-)

Laterz,
Roger "Merch" Merchberger

--
Roger "Merch" Merchberger  --  SysAdmin, Iceberg Computers
zmerch at 30below.com

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