ok, got this clarification from Eric Smith "RX02 format uses single-density address fields even for double density. The RX02 can "reformat" standard single-density into RX02 modified MFM format just by rewriting all of the data fields.
It still can't low-level format a blank or MFM disk." So you have to have a single-density IBM formatted disk which the RX02 can convert On 8/2/17 7:05 AM, Christian Corti via cctalk wrote: > On Wed, 2 Aug 2017, Al Kossow wrote: >> There is no way to low-level format disks on a DEC RX01 or RX02. The >> hardware doesn't support it in the controller >> inside the DEC disk drive. DEC expected you to buy media from them. > > Not really. You can use any standard 3740 formatted disk (i.e. 26 > sectors/track, 128 bytes/sector, 77 tracks, FM) and > change it to RX02 formatting in an RX02 drive with > .FORMAT DY0: > or change it back to RX01 with > .FORMAT/SINGLEDENSITY DY0: > > In both cases you need to > .INIT/BAD DY0: > to create the directory. > >> You could also clone a formatted double-density disks with a flux-level >> reader/writer board. > > Only a /slight/ overkill... > > Christian
