2.4Mb 5 1/4" floppy drive?

From: Don Maslin <donm_at_cts.com>
Date: Wed Sep 25 00:00:01 2002

On Tue, 24 Sep 2002, Joe wrote:

> At 03:42 PM 9/24/02 -0700, Fred wrote:
> >On Tue, 24 Sep 2002, Joe wrote:
> >> No it's looks like just a single stepper motor. I found a diskette
> >> in one of htem. It appears to be a standard disk. More about that in
> >> reponse to Will's message.
> >
> >Assuming that it is a formatted, used diskette for that drive, (not just
> >any-old diskette being used as a shipping head protector), then several
> >things can be determined from it.
> >
> >What COLOR is the media? 360K and 1.2M (300 oerstedt v 600 oerstedt) are
> >slightly different colors. 1.4M floppies v 2.8M (Barium Ferrite) are
> >different colors.
>
> It looks exactly the same color as the Ds, HD, 96 TPI disks that I have and neither of them have hub reinforment rings. The 360k disks that I have have a greener color.
>
> >
> >If the diskette is the same material as a 1.2M, then the 2.4M was probably
> >achieved by going to 192 TPI, instead of 96 TPI, since that would use the
> >same oerstedt media as 1.2M.
> >
> >OTOH, if it is a Barium Ferrite media, then it is probably still 96 TPI,
> >but with twice the linear density on each track of a 1.2M. That would
> >require a different media.
> >
> >
> >Try write protecting the diskette and put it into a DOS machine.
> >(the error messages from Windoze will hide all useful information)
> >
> >
> >If it is readable (both DIRectory and files, then it is NOT a 2.4M
> >diskette
> >
> >If part of the DIRectory is readable, but file access produces SECTOR NOT
> >FOUND, or GENERAL FAILURE, or if you ever get SECTOR NOT FOUND, or SEEK
> >ERROR. then it is almost certainly 192 TPI.
> >
> >If NOTHING is readable and produces General Failure (even first sectors of
> >DIRectory - try "ignore"), then it could be either.
>
> OK I'll try it when I get a chance. I'm pretty sure that it came from a 3174 and I searched for info on them but couldn't find anything that talked about the disks or that drive other than mentioning that it was an available option.
>
> Joe

Looked it up in the Pocket PC Ref and found it listed as 2.4MB and DSHD
which would suggest the 192 TPI. You might connect one of the drives to
a PC FDC, stuff a HD floppy in it and issue the format command. If the
head travels only half way before starting the verify pass, it is
certainly the higher track density.
                                                - don
Received on Wed Sep 25 2002 - 00:00:01 BST