3.5" Drive for Apple ???

From: Doug Spence <ds_spenc_at_alcor.concordia.ca>
Date: Thu May 14 04:56:16 1998

On Thu, 14 May 1998, John Ruschmeyer wrote:

<snip>

> > It's a DS800 from DataSpace Corporation.
> >
> > It physically plugs into my Apple //c, but I can't get the machine to
> > recognize it. The drive makes a noise when I power up the computer, but
> > that's all. Attempts to access S6, D2 or any other slot and drive
> > combination doesn't get anywhere.
>
> Not surprising... the only 3.5" drive that will work with a //c is the
> Unidisk (assuming you have a //c which will even work with one of
> those).

Bummer. I really wanted this drive to work with an 8-bit Apple. Oh well,
perhaps I'll find a Unidisk during next week's visit to the thrift shops.
:)

<snip>

> > Is there something I need to do to get my //c to recognize the drive? Or
> > is it intended for use on a //gs? Or did this company make a line of
> > dangerous Mac peripherals in an attempt to give the platform a bad name
> > for an overabundance of disk corruptions? ;)
>
> //gs, definately.

Well, that's cool. I don't have a //gs yet, but as soon as I see one I'll
snarf it up (providing there isn't also a Sol 20, an Ohio Scientific
anything, and an IMSAI at the same place at the same time ;) ).

I did pick up another Apple peripheral at the same time, which may offer a
clue. It's a Modem 1200, Model A9M0301. The "clue", assuming it came
from the same source, is the 8-pin mini-DIN connector. I don't know what
uses that kind of connection for the serial port.

> Specifically, this drive appears to be a clone of the Apple 3.5" Drive
> (yes, that's its name). The Apple drive could work on either the //gs or
> the Mac Plus, so this one is probably set up similarly.

Did the Apple 3.5" Drive have a mechanical eject? Fully manual, I mean,
not just a push-button that tells the motorized ejection mechanism to wake
up. Very un-Mac-like.

> FYI, it will probably also work nicely on a Laser 128 or with the Laser
> Universal Disk Controller (UDC) card for the Apple //.

Now if only I could find a disk controller for my Laser *3000*... ;)

> <<<John>>>

Doug Spence
ds_spenc_at_alcor.concordia.ca
Received on Thu May 14 1998 - 04:56:16 BST