Hi Fred, > On 2 Dec 2018, at 23:32, Fred Cisin via cctalk <cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: > > On Sun, 2 Dec 2018, Adrian Graham via cctalk wrote: >> In my long ongoing quest to image and otherwise copy the hard sectored >> floppies with my Exidy Sorcerer I’m trying to find other floppy drives I can >> use with it since I don’t like relying on just one set of drives. I have a >> Cumana dual drive set that came with my TRS80 Model1 that I thought might be >> jumperable to 300rpm, indeed I can see drive activity if I try and boot. > > If those were being used on a TRS80 Model1, then they are already 300RPM.
I should’ve known that. > When they went to 400K 40 cylinder MFM DSDD / double sided, double density, > still 48 tpi (like the PC-DOS 360K), they chose to call that "QD" / "QUAD > DENSITY"!! ?!?? (equating "density" with capacity) > WHOA! Everybody else called THAT DSDD "Double Sided Double Density", and used > "QD" / "Quad Density" to refer to 80 cylinder Double density 96tpi! So I’ve been reading :) I’m sure they weren’t doing it deliberately, hahaha. > field on the sectors on the second side, but would accept disks with correct > headers. > I have heard that they used a Z80 for floppy control, but the disks are > consistent with a Western Digital 179x controller. They were always touted as twin-Z80 machines. I’ve always wanted one because when all I had at school was a Research Machines 380Z (another twin drive CP/M machine) the Superbrain LOOKED like a computer even though as I’ve been reading tonight it was originally designed as a terminal. > I doubt that they manufactured their own disk drives, but it is possible. > Look carefully at the drives for any hints of who actually made them. > Are these "full height" (SA400) or "half height”? You’re right. Normally with Cumana stuff I do look for a manufacturer because yes, they were known to me as makers of repackaged drives for the Acorn BBC Micro. In this case the Intertec label is a bit of a red herring and the drives are actually Tandon TM100-1 full height units. I’ve got the manual from a Rat Shack related site. Thanks for making me look again :) -- adrian/witchy Owner of Binary Dinosaurs, the UK's biggest private home computer collection? t: @binarydinosaurs f: facebook.com/binarydinosaurs w: www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk
