Apple IIgs

From: Eric Smith <eric_at_brouhaha.com>
Date: Thu Mar 6 15:13:00 2003

Ethan asked:
> When you make a distinction between "Apple 3.5" and "Unidisk 3.5", I'm
> not certain I understand.

The Unidisk 3.5 is a "smart" drive, it has a 650x microprocessor, ROM,
RAM, etc. inside. It would work on any Apple II family machine with
a 19-pin disk connector. I think it would even work on the original
Disk II controller with the 20-pin header, if you wired an appropriate
adapter. You wouldn't be able to boot from it, though, since the boot
ROM on the Disk II controller didn't know about it. The Unidisk 3.5
will NOT work on a Macintosh, except perhaps attached to the Apple II
emulator board for the LC.

The other extenal 3.5 drives, including the original 400K and 800K
drives, the Apple 3.5 drive, and the external FDHD/Superdrive, are
"dumb" drives. Unless you have a "smart" controller, these drives
will only work on the IIgs and IIc+.

The Unidisk 3.5 is only recommended if you don't have a computer or
controller that can handle the "dumb" drives. Using the Unidisk on
a IIgs is particularly annoying, because GS/OS has to keep polling
the drive to see if you've inserted a disk, and every time it polls
the drive makes noise.
Received on Thu Mar 06 2003 - 15:13:00 GMT