[Coco] high density floppy controller mods

[Roger Merchberger]

Rumor has it that Mike Pepe may have mentioned these words:
>Roger Merchberger wrote:
>>Rumor has it that jdaggett at gate.net may have mentioned these words:
>>>All data coming off a magnetic disk is an analog, either FM or MFM
>>>(Modified FM). The only true all digital system is optical drives.
>>Bzzzt. Wrong answer.
>>Paper tape.
>>;^>
>
>Roger, I wasn't around in those days, but I don't there there's a paper 
>tape magnetic disk...

Well, if you're going to add that qualification, I doubt James was 
referring to a magnetic-based optical drive! Altho they do exist - I have 
an MO (magneto-optical) drive on my desk at work. AFAIK, the media isn't 
magnetic, but it requires a strong magnetic field to change the phase (i.e. 
write) the data to the media.

Also - if the optical medium was magnetic, it's quite possible that said 
medium would be analog instead of digital; If I understand his "definition" 
correctly, CD-RW's would be analog (phase changes on the disk that refract 
the laser beam slightly) instead of digital (pits in the medium which 
either reflect the laser or don't).

Paper tape is digital - either there's a hole, or there isn't. (I'm *not* 
counting Floridian voting ballots!!! ;-)

That said - I guess you've never been around during the time of the Texas 
Instruments TI-59 either, then....

"Good" Paper tape is actually Mylar - and there were small mylar "tape 
strips" with magnetic medium on one side that was used for program storage 
for the afore-mentioned programmable TI calc.

There - Magnetic Paper Tape. ;-)

Laterz,
Roger "Merch" Merchberger

--
Roger "Merch" Merchberger   | Anarchy doesn't scale well. -- Me
zmerch at 30below.com.         |
SysAdmin, Iceberg Computers