This Web page last updated dated June 2 2008
There is a lot of information about floppy drives and S-100 on this page, including Web links. Please take some time to review it, that may SAVE us both some time. To contact me, or for ordering information follow this link. To return to my S-100 list click here.
For all disks, pease specify SINGLE or DOUBLE SIDED (important) and SINGLE or DOUBLE DENSITY (less critical). If in doubt, send an image of the label side of one of the diskettes you use. All diskettes sold with sleeves unless noted. (The "sleeve" is an envelope that protects the diskette, it exposes only the lable area.) Used diskette sets will be matched by manufacturer as stocks allow. Manufacturers include IBM, 3M, Verbatum, and others.
When you order from me, be specific about quantity, type (single or double density, single or double sided), and condition as described below. Used stock comes in various descriptions and is as described, it's not junk: "used a few times" means these were backup disks and well kept. Brands include IBM, Verbatium, Inmac, Dysan, 3M - if you have brand preferences we'll try to accomodate.
We will bulk erase the unpackaged used disks to reduce "soft" errors; "Bulk erase" means to use an AC electromagnet or bulk tape eraser to stir up the magnetic domains after years of sitting still: believe it or not they tend to hold their positions after many many years. NOTE: if you want sealed boxes of diskettes to be bulk erased (I recommend this), that means I have to unseal them and so they will be shipped as opened boxes.
Note: review the information about 8-inch single density and double density before ordering.
We often get requests for ONE 8-inch floppy diskette, usually to settle a bet or for show or for a gag gift. Every order takes time and effort to process, even this kind of order. We'll send ONE clean 8-inch diskette in a paper envelope by first class mail within the USA for $5 total. I need your FULL SHIPPING ADDRESS for your order, payment by check or money order or a $5 bill. Follow this ordering link for more ordering info and my email address.
unused old stock, brand name, sealed in boxes of ten:
8" DSDD unused, no brand, sealed bags of ten. $29 a pack. With clean used sleeves from various brands, unused lables included.
NOTE: for used disks below, we'll try to provide them all of one brand per set of ten. Give us a few choices of brand if you have a preference.
8" DSDD, lightly used once to a few times, with original sleeves: $15 per box of 10 + ship.
8" SSSD, lightly used once to a few times. Single Sided, single density, name brands with original sleeves. $15 per ten plus ship. .
8" SSDD, lightly used once to a few times.Single Sided, double density price $15 per ten + ship. ***OUT, use SSSD instead*** See this Web page for more information.
lables for 8" disks, $1 per ten
5.25" soft sectored: not for sale by me, these are common enough.
5.25" hard sectored:
-- 16 sectors double sided double density (DSDD), new old stock: contact me
-- 10 sectors: I have no sources but contact me anyway.
-- if you have HARD SECTORED disks to sell, let me know.
3.5" 800K (720K) 3.5" double sided DOUBLE density (not high density). Unused old stock, sealed. Great for older Mac/Apple equipment, some old computers and PC's. Can also use as 400K (single sided) diskettes. While available, $12 a box of ten in SEALED boxes, with lables.
1.4M 3.5" diskettes - widely available elsewhere.
Tough plastic cases for 8-inch diskettes, slightly larger than a box of
ten 8-inch diskettes. Will hold several diskettes loosely,
maybe 15 tightly packed with their envelopes. Various styles and colors,
can be stacked or shelved vertically like books. Some styles will fold
open and sit on your desk at a convenient angle for easy access. Many
available at $5 each plus shipping. A typical way diskettes fail in
long storage is due to mold: these boxes provide some moisture protection
as well as some physical protection.
If you "want CP/M to run on my S-100 system", please read my Frequent Questions page for that question. If you want docs for YOUR S-100 controller, check my lists of card manufacturers to see if I have the manual for your card. I have a few floppy controller cards for sale but in general I'd rather you ask for a SPECIFIC manufacturer and brand of card rather than "just any". However I do have one brand and model available for general interests. Check my SD Systems page for the status of Versafloppy II controller cards and software in my stock.
I have docs, with source code, for many S-100 floppy disk controllers. If you are debugging or repairing a floppy disk controller that is NOT S-100, you may find one of these manuals useful. they are listed by manufacturer and model; start from my S-100 home page to search the lists of manuals. Also, check my list of S-100 Web pointers for sites which also have docs for controllers, or FDC chips such as the Western Digital WD1771, 1773, 1793, and so on. The same considerations apply to older hard disk controllers of course.
At this time (2003), I have SOME 8-inch floppy drives for sale, tested and working; I prefer to sell replacments by manufacturer and model number . Drive cabinets are priced as below and may be available, ask for availability. At the moment I'm busy with support efforts, including a manuals service and my Mac business, so availability of tested drives and cabinets is limited. This may change if customer interest dictates, so I appreciate encouragments.
You are welcome to request specific drives, by name and model number; or
request specific needs for 8-inch drives or related items. Any working drive
sold is tested for read, write, seek but not tested or adjusted for alignment.
We cannot guarantee that all diskettes can be read by drives we sell, due to
possible misalignment, wear or damage to those diskettes; and of course any
limitations of your software or hardware when used with these drives.
Supplies are obviously limited. We may offer a trade-in value on selected
8-inch drives in reasonable condition: ask and describe your drives. Shipping
costs are based on packed weight, varying from 10 to 30 lbs for one drive, the
latter for full-height 8-inch drives. Documentation for drives is at extra cost,
see below. Cabinets and power supplies for drives are described below.
Drives which are 5.25 inch, 3.5 inch, or 3 inch use +5 volts and (for the 5.25 inch drives) +12 volts. 8-inch drives use +5V, +24V, and in many cases 110VAC 60Hz for the spindle motors.
You should confirm your power supply connectors will mate with
whatever drive you get. There are a few configurations of power
connectors: all 8" drives use a 50-pin edge connector for data and control.
Some drive motors run off 110AC, many 8-inch drives (including the
half-heights) use 24V DC for the stepper and spindle and +5 volts to power their logic. Some early drives
(Shugart 800) require -5 volts, or a source of negative several volts,
to power the read/write circuits. (Shugarts have a jumper to include
or short out a -5 volt regulator.). 5.25 inch drive and 3.5 inch drives
use +12 volts and +5 volts, some 3.5 inch drives only need +5 volts.
Also, watch for drive model numbers and model variations. For instance,
the Shugart 800 vs the 801 is only a matter of some jumper changes. But,
there are later models of the 800/801 with entirely different circuitry.
If you want from me a "matching" drive down to the chips and jumpers, or
a manual for exactly that model, make a photocopy or photo of the drive's
circuit board and send it with your order and keep it for reference.
Various available, ask for details. Shipping extra, weight is considerable. Please note your location by city/state/zip when inquiring for shipping estimates. If you are interested in empty cabinets, PLEASE note what kind of power connector your drives have: there are several varieties. Supply limited, cables also limited. Prices subject to change.
A rather sleek drive cabinet was the Heath/Zenith Z-207-41 tabletop 8" drive cabinet. A tan cabinet on rubber feet, with power supply and fan, power switch on front. An image of this drive is available via this link . Supports one or two half height 8-inch drives, would also support one full height drive. Drives sit horizontally. Cable is 50-pin flat cable with shielding and black plastic cover. There was a manual for the cabinet and for the drives Heath/Zenith offered with them. I only have a few of these left, I use them regularly. Shipping weight was 40 lbs for cabinet, with two drive 55 lbs. A 30-page manual is available, ask for a price for my copy service.
Other rack or tabletop 8-inch drive cabinets, various manufacturers. Holds two full-height drives, side by side. Size about 19 inches wide, 5 inches high, various depths. Includes power supply. Some available with full-height drives. A few cabinets available with vertical half-height drives, ask!
I have some various 8-inch drive cabinets of other sorts, with power supplies. Prices depend on what drives you plan to use - please specify those drives! Shipping extra, weight varies. Prices subject to change based on effort and availability. I have several cabinets in stock, as time permits I will list them by size and features.
Note: a cabinet's power supply for YOUR drives will require a mating power
connector and will have specific voltage requirements: an adaptor may be necessary,
see the discussion on this page.
In October 2004 I picked up a Priam 7050-41 8" hard drive. This eight-inch
hard drive was pulled from an old system. Drive is untested, not powered up by me. It
looks in good physical shape. Let me know what it is worth to you. Consider that it weighs
many pounds and will need to be packed carefully for shippment. I'm not giving it away, these
get bought by drive rebuilders for replacement on critical industrial systems.
The drive manuals listed below have a variety of information. Typically the older drive
manuals (8-inch and 5.25 inch drives) have detail specifications, a list of jumper (option) settings,
a description of circuit operation, a list of signals on the drive connector, and often schematics.
Later manuals have less information. A clue is the number of pages listed (we charge by the page,
and of course any info in the title. You can ask us if you are in doubt, but we generally don't provide
an entire index or table of contents upon request.
All documentation photocopied at a per-page fee plus postage and handling. I will quote
a price when you order, check my ordering information .
Ask for manuals for your specific drive, by manufacturer and model number. If
you have a manual I don't, I'd be interested in a trade or purchase of
copies. If you need a manual for a drive not listed below, contact me so
I can get look for it!
Often I get requests for "just the jumper information". It turns out the jumper info typically is several pages depending on the manual, not just one. And you may or may not need more info from the manual, either to set the jumpers or to maintain or repair the drive, or in some cases the pinouts of the drive connector. But, assuming the jumper info is six pages or less, I'll charge $2 to pull the manual and copy those pages, plus postage and handling to send those pages in a business letter type envelope at several ounces weight by air mail. (Remind me of this policy if you choose it.)
8-inch floppy drive manuals
Calcomp 140M OEM Reference manual, 40 pgs
Calcomp 142M Tech manual, 42 pgs
Calcomp 143 Tech manual, 50 pgs
Control Data spec sheets, 9406-4 4 pgs, color photos
Control Data brochure, 9406 9404 and 9408 9409. 4 pgs color
Control Data (CDC) (MPI) BR803, BR8A3, BR8A2, BR8A5, BR8A6 models, 76 pgs. Includes adaption to Shugart-like signals.
Dysan 360/2A 8-inch alignment disk instructions, 1978, 8 pages
Dysan Maxi 48 TPI Diagnositc diskette manual, for 808-100, 808-200, 808-300, 808-400; 4 pgs
iCOM - see this Web page
IMI 5007 disk drive, Cromemco HD5 manual #023-6028, January 1982, 104pp.
Magnetic Peripherals Inc (CDC) (MPI) BR803, BR8A3, BR8A2, BR8A5 models, 76 pgs. Includes adaption to Shugart-like signals. 76 pgs
Mitsubishi M2894-63 Standard Specifications, 46 pgs
Mitsubishi M2896-63 manual by Mitsubishi, standard specifications 68 pgs, schematics
...this version has all small IC's oriented PARALLEL to 50-pin edge connector
Mitsubishi M2896-63 manual sold by Heath/Zenith, 60 pages, schematics
...this version has IC's between power and head connectors PERPENDICULAR to 50-pin edge connector
Matsushita JA-751A specification, 36 pgs
NEC FD1165 maintenance manual, copy, 100 pgs
NEC FD-1165 Product Description manual, copy, 44 pgs
PerSci 299B disk drive technical manual, Cromemco #023-6000, April 1981, 50 pp.
PerSci 277 disk drive allignment procedure, Cromemco #023-6008, March 1980, 15 pp.
PerSci model 277 diskette drive product spec, Cromemco #023-0057, 25 pp.
PerSci 277 disk drive instruction manual (parts list and schematics), Cromemco #023-0016, May 1980, 50 pp.
(Imsai) PerSci 277 Diskette drive manual, 100 pgs
(Imsai) PerSci/IMSAI runnup procedure, 75 pgs
(Imsai) PerSci Maintenance manual, 40 pgs
Pertec FD400 FD410 FD500 FD510 etc.:
...see my MITS/Altair Web page for other Pertec docs
Qume DataTrak 8 (full height) (DT8) Product Specifications, Apr 1979, 13 pgs
Qume DataTrak 8 maintenance manual, Jan 1980, half sized, 80 pgs
Qume DataTrak 8 maintenance manual, Jan 1980, full sized, first 40 pages plus HALF of last 40 pgs
QumeTrak 842 drive - same as Qume DataTrak 8 or DT8 as above
QumeTrak 842 maintenance manual, Dec 1981, 96 pgs (from copy)
Qume 242 (half height) product manual, 27 pages (from copy)
Qume 242 maintenance manual, schematics 92 pgs (from copy)
Siemens (Singer, World Disk Drives) FDD100-8 manual, 90 pgs
Siemens (Singer, World Disk Drives) FDD200-8 OEM manual, 42 pgs
Shugart SA800, SA801 manuals below from 1977: 25100-25017 models (small IC chips)
Shugart SA800 Double Density Design Guide - App. Bulletin, 1977. 33 pgs.
Shugart SA800 SA801 OEM manual, 42 pgs (jumper and use information)
Shugart SA800 SA801 maintenance manual, 30 pgs (schematics, testing advice)
Shugart SA800 SA801 illustrated parts catalog, 16 pgs (parts diagrams& lists)
Shugart SA800 SA801 Theory of Operation,31 pgs (parts diagrams& lists)
Shugart Spare parts price list, see below
Shugart SA800, SA801 manuals below for PC board #25136 (all small IC chips) and 25229 (w/ large LSI chip)
--- also numbers 2510X, 2517X, 25229
Shugart SA800 SA801 Service manual, 1981.Theory, maintenance, 100 pgs
Shugart Spare parts price list, see below
Other Shugart manuals:
Shugart SA850, SA851 service and maint. manual, copy, 100 pgs
Shugart application note, "replacing an SA850/851 with an 860", 8 pgs
Shugart Spare parts price list, 1980 and 1981. For SA 800, 801, 810, 850, 860? drives. 30 pgs.
Shugart SA810, SA860 OEM manual, 54 pgs
Shugart SA810, SA860 OEM and service manual, 112 pgs
Shugart SA809 drive exercisor manual, from copy, 8 pgs
Shugart SA900, 901, 902 maintenance manual. schematics. 74 pgs
Shugart SA900, SA901 OEM manual, 38 pgs
Synetic FDS-2 - see this Web page
Tandon TM848-1, TM848-2 Product Specification, 16 pgs
Tandon TM848(-1,-2) 8" drive technical manual, Cromemco #023-6040, Dec 1982, 96 pp.
Tandon TM848-1E, -2E OEM, oper., service manual, 93 pgs
Wangco 82 floppy drive oper. & maint.manaual, Cromemco #023-0058, 1981, 50 pp.
Y-E Data YD-174 Two-Sided Diskette Drive, schematics, 10 pgs
5.25 inch floppy drive manuals
Canon photos of MDD200, MDD400 series, 2 pgs each
Canon MDD-210, -220 tech guide, 40 pgs
Canon MDD-210, -220 product brief, 16 pgs
Control Data spec sheets, 9415 2 pgs, 9415-80 2 pgs, 9406-5 4 pgs,
Control Data brochure, 9406 9404 and 9408 9409. 4 pgs color
Control Data (CDC, MPI) 9429 Hardware Maintenance manual, 64 pgs
Control Data (CDC, MPI) product specification for 9429, 77715860, 46 pgs
Control Data (CDC, MPI), Application note, "PLO and Write Precompensation for
5.25 inch FDD's", 77653447, 40 pgs
Control Data, Application note, "5.25 inch FDD Format considerations
and controller compatibilities", 7589469, 45 pgs
Dysan 282 alignment disk instructions, 6 pgs
Dysan Mini 48 TPI Diagnositc diskette manual, for 508-100, 508-200, 508-300, 508-400; 4 pgs
Dysan Mini 96 TPI Diagnositc diskette manual, for 506-100, 506-200, 506-300, 506-400; 4 pgs
Epson SD0540 series specification, schematics, 34 pgs (copy)
Magnetic Peripherals Inc (CDC) 9429 Hardware Maint. Manual, 64 pgs
Magnetic Peripherals Inc (CDC) product specification for 9429, 77715860, 46 pgs
Micropolis 5.25-inch drives: see this documentfor more info and manuals.
Micropolis Floppy Disk Subsystems, binder, Maintenance Manual 1084-02, rev 1 1979 drive number-pairs below are master drive (slave drive) 1057 (1037); dual drive 35 track 48 TPI 143KB per drive w/AC supply 1053 (1033) Mod II; dual drive 77 track 100 TPI 315KB per drive w/AC supply 1041 (1021) Mod I; single drive 35 track 48 TPI 143KB no AC power supply 1041 (1021) Mod II; single drive 77 track 100 TPI 315KB no AC power supply 1042 (1022) Mod I; single drive 35 track 48 TPI 143KB w/AC supply 1043 (1023) Mod II; single drive 77 track 100 TPI 315KB w/ AC supply 100085, 100086 & 100087, S-100 floppy controller 1071 "B" model 4/1977) 100070, 100071, 10072, floppy drive single "A" card (7/1977) 100163, 100164, floppy drive single "B" card (5/1978) 100059, 100060, 100061 floppy drive dual "A" card (12/1977)
Mitsubishi MF501A-3 tech manual, half height drive, 23 pgs
Mitsubishi MF501A-3 maintenance manual, half height drive, 11 pgs
Mitsubishi MF501A-301U illust. parts list, half height drive, 9 pgs
Mitsubishi MF501A-347UA manuals in Tandy 3000 Tech manual
Mitsubishi M4851 OEM manual, half height drive, 65 pgs
Mitsubishi M4851 manuals in Tandy 3000 Tech manual
Mitsubishi M4853 maint. manual, 35 pgs
Mitsubishi M4853 parts list, schematics, 28 pgs
Mitsubishi M4853-1 maint. manual, 18 pgs
Mitsubishi M4853 parts list, schematics, 22 pgs
Mitsubishi M4853 and M4853-1 differences, 8 pgs
Mitsubishi M4854-347 manual, half size (Tandy 3000) as follows:
----jumpers and schematics, UGD-0262A, 9 pgs;
----standard specifications , UGD-0261A, 50 pgs;
----parts list, 14 pgs
Mitsubishi MF504A-347UA manual, half size (Tandy 3000) as follows:
----jumpers and schematics, & component layout, UGD-0328A, 20 pgs;
----maintenance , UGD-0343A, 10 pgs;
----technical , UGD-0344A, 24 pgs;
----standard specifications , UGD-0312B, 46 pgs
----illustrated parts list, UED-0135A, 10 pgs
Mitsumi D509V2 service manual, 70 pgs (copy), schematic
Newtronics Co. Ltd - see Mitsumi
Pertec FD250 Operating and service manual, 36 pgs
...see my MITS/Altair Web page for other Pertec docs
Qume 142 maintenance manual, May 1983, full sized, 100 pgs
Shugart SA455, SA465 service manual, 69 pgs
Shugart SA410, SA460 manual (copy), 100 pgs
Shugart SA455/465 OEM manual, copy. specs, jumpers, only. 25 pgs
Shugart SA400 OEM manual, 50 pgs
Shugart SA400 Service manual, schematics, 77 pgs
Shugart SA400L Service manual, less schematics, 30 pgs
Shugart SA809 drive exercisor manual, from copy, 8 pgs
Siemens FD-100-5B OEM, 76 pgs
Teac FD-54B specifications, 30 pgs
Teac FD-54 maintenance manual, 72 pgs
Teac FD-55GFV-17 specification, 44 pgs half sized (copy)
Tandon (TM100) 5-1/4" floppy drive manual (Vector computers) 104 pgs
--- TM100-3, TM100-4 TM100-3M, TM100-4M w/schematics & parts, troubleshooting, more.
--- (see Vector Graphics manuals for more info
Tandon TM100 Tech, 100 pgs - ????
Tandon TM100-1, TM100-2 Product Spec & Users manual, 26 pgs, no schematics (copy)
Tandon TM101-4, TM102-2 Product Spec & Users manual, 27 pgs, no schematics (copy)
Tandon TM50-1 TM50-2 Operating and Service Manual, 100 pgs (copy)
-- detailed theory, signals, jumpers, maintenance, schematics.
Tandon TM100 Operating and Service Manual, 24 pgs half sized no schematics (copy)
-- alignment, signal, connector and jumper info.
tandon TM100-2 Product Specification, signals & jumpers but no schematics 16 pgs (copy)
tandon Product Specification, TM-100-1, -2, -3, -3M, -4, -4M. no schematics 15 pgs (copy)
Micropolis Microdisk Maintenance manual for 8-inch hard drives, year 1982, 450 pages.
Printed by Micropolis, this binder has maintenance, installation,
theory, flowcharts, and MANY double-width schematics and parts layouts.
for 1201, 1202, 1203; 1221, 1222, 1223 models .
see this documentfor more info and manuals
Quantum universal configuration guide, 1991. for Prodrive and LPS series: 52AT, 80AT, 105AT, 120AT, 170AT, 210AT, 240AT, 425AT, 52S, 105S, 120S, 170A, 210A, 240A, 425S. Specs, jumpers. 30 half-pages. 105S, 120S, 170A, 210A, 240A, 425S. Specs, jumpers. 30 half-pages.
Here's a card that is NOT SCSI or SASI, but it's a floppy disk controller. Micropolis, labled "FD CONTROL 100119-01-5". about 6" by 11", two 34-pin edge connectors. One connector is cabled to an adapter card , "futuredata disk i/o interface 10145A M8-52" which was connected to two Shugart 801 floppy drives. Includes 50-pin floppy cable. and cable between cards. $45 plus shipping.
These cards have some kind of SASI or SCSI interface at one end, and have a ST-506 like hard drive interface at the other end. A few models also have floppy controller chips on them. They were designed and built in the early 80's when hard disk interfaces involved cumbersome designs and large cards. They were designed to connect to a computer's parallel interface, or SASI, or SCSI on a system; so that system could accomodate a MFM or RLL hard drive. Sometimes these were called "bridge controllers" as they "bridged" between a hard drive and a computer system.
These cards are untested, no docs, offered AS-IS but apparently complete with no obvious physical damage. Models with "WD" are Western Digital. "34 pin connectors" and "20 pin connectors" refer to the MFM (or possibly RRL) drive connectors; "40 pin" is a non-SCSI interface, could be SASI; "50 pin" is a SCSI interface. Any info on these cards would be appreciated. If you have any such cards for sale, let us know brand, model, price and terms.
Current price on these cards is $35 each plus shipping. Check my section on ordering for details. Please include your ZIP code on any purchase inquiries so I can quote shipping costs.
3 OMTI 3127A-3AA, Also SMS brand. SCSI to RLL adapter. Has
50-pin SCSI header, and 34 pin with two 20-pin hard drive
RLL header set. Has OMTI 20513 chip. No docs, not tested.
Google says up to two ST506/412 RLL 2,7 drives supported,
some jumper settings on the Web (Apr 2005).
0 WD1002-HDO. THree 20-pin connectors, one 34 pin connector for
hard drives, one 40-pin connector for interface. Some were
removed from working systems. I believe this model was
used in some Kaypro hard drive systems. These were given
to me as "working pulls".
[note Jan 2004: I'd like more of these if you have some!]
1 XEBEC SYSTEMS DATA
2 20 pin connectors, 1 34 pin edge connector, 1 50-pin connector
"assy 104526 rev ??" "fab 104527 rev 02"
0 XEBEC SYSTEMS DATA (with Eagle Computer interface card attached)
2 20 pin connectors, 1 34 pin connector, 1 50-pin connector
"assy 104786 rev C03" "fab 104787 rev C (PC board)"
0 Adaptec Inc ACB 5500 (20, 34, 50-pin interface)
0 Adaptec Inc ACB 4070 (20, 34, 50-pin SCSI interface)
1 Televideo Systems WDC (20, 34, 40-pin)
"B000010 001 rev F" "fab 2013600 rev f"
1 Emulex Corporation (20, 34, 50 pin)
Assy MT02100403 rev k
3 Data Technology Corp 520-B, Assy No 10-00406
50 pin, 2-20 pin, 34 pin, has floppy chip)
2 units have "rejected" lable
1 Emulex Corporation, assy MT0210403 rev K, (c) 1985
(14 pin, 10 pin, 50 pin, 60 pin)
1 SMS model OMTI 3103, used in Mac external drives
SCSI 50 pin to MFM 2-20pin, 1 - 34 pin
removed from working equipment
The following information is quoted from Dick Erlacher, in response to some
discussions of the above cards. Neither he nor I are responsible for
any error or omissions. As of 1999, he often responds to inquiries on
the comp.os.cpm Usenet newsgroup. I thank him for this info.Many people ask me "I want to read 8-inch diskettes on my PC/Windows/Linux machine. Please sell me a complete system, or tell me where to get one." Often they have no idea how this might be accomplished, as though you could just plug-in a USB 8-inch floppy drive! ;) Other people want to read (or write) CP/M diskettes, or very old Mac 400K 3.5" Mac diskettes, on a Windows PC.
To my knowledge, no one sells a "complete" system of hardware and softwre to do the above. To read 8-inch floppy drives on a "PC", you can in principle connect 8-inch drives to a PC'/s floppy controller; you "just" need a drive, with power supply; a 50-pin cable; a connector to adapt the 50-pin cable to your 34-pin floppy controller; and software or software knowledge! Even with that, MOST PC floppy controllers won't read single-density format anyway!
Reading non-MS-DOS disks on a PC, even with the right sized floppy drive, can be difficult. The floppy CONTROLLER on the PC, which does all the work of reading, writing, and formatting, may not be able to accept non-MS-DOS formats, even WITH software. The early Apple disk formats use odd bit patterns for instance. Or it can simply be a problem with knowing which of the MANY MANY CP/M disk formats you need to use with your particular diskettes.
In Feb 2005 there were some discussions in popular newsgroups, about converting old CP/M systems from 8-inch and 5.25-inch floppy drives, to 3.5" drives and media. Issues raised included support of FM or single density; finding old media; choices of formats. I decided these discusssions were worth preserving, as these issues come up over and over. One discussion was in the Classic-comp CCTECH discussion. The other occurred in Usenet discussion group comp.os.cpm.
a good Web site for using CP/M disks on PC's is my colleague David Dunfield's Web site. Check my discussion of Dunfield's disk site elsewhere on this page.
I can sell you drives and cases and cables. But you'll still need that 50-to-34 adapter. As for a controller, in my opinion, your best bet is to buy a seperate floppy controller. As of 2006, I don't offer a controller or that adapter. But, one company which DOES offer a very adaptable floppy controller for the PCI bus is Jens Schönfeld of Individual Computers, who produces the "Catweasel IV" controller. Go to my S-100 pointers page for a description and links. The controller does NOT include a 50-pin connector for 8-inch drives.
The Catweasel IV floppy controller product is produced in Germany by Jens Schönfeld of Individual Computers. It is sold by some US companies. This product is primarily intended to support Atari systems by providing a floppy controller and Atari-type hardware to support Atari emulation on Windows-type PC's. But many people are using these for 8-inch floppy drives, or to read and write 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch Mac and Apple disk, or TRS-80 disks. And if you can program, this may be an option for running 8-inch drives with wierd formats on a Windows PC. The older Catweasel products were ISA 8-bit cards; some may still be available on the used market. Since late 2004, the Mark IV model is on a PCI card.
The site lists distributors for the CatWeasel Mark IV or you can buy direct from Germany. During 2007, I'll consider carrying CatWeasel IV boards and some kind of 50-pin adapters. One support source for TRS-80 and other uses is Tim Mann's TRS-80 pages on the Catweasel. A Web search will find discussion group posts about specific uses of this product, or sites with more info and software for use.
As for 34-pin to 50-pin adapters, you could build one. The CP/M FAQ has a diagram; I've not checked it so no guarantees. Here's a copy of the description from the CP/M FAQ. Dave Dunfield's specific notes for attaching 8-inch drives to PC's are at this link.. You may find problems adapting this to specific drives, as some signals may be used differently. This is not a "plug and play" solution! No guarantees! That's why my Web site has all this information and references, OK?
If you want to buy an adapter, consider D Bit's 8-inch floppy disk adapter for 8-inch drives on PC\windows systems. While they don't provide PC software for CP/M diskettes, they do have an MS-DOS utility for PDP-11 diskettes called "PUTR" that may be relevant. While this adapter was still listed at dbit.com as of 2007, their supply and services may vary.
Some years ago, there were a series of floppy controllers for PC/Windows systems branded as the "Compaticard" product line. Some of them used internal floppy drives, some supported external floppy drives. Some of them could read Apple II and Mac diskettes. In any event, by 2006 these products were long out of production. So I don't "cover" the Compaticard here on this Web page. Other Web sites cover that product line, a Web search may find them.
SOme CP/M systems (and systems like the Apple II) used disk formats that conventional floppy disk controller boards can't read. There is a program and a bit of hardware called "Disk2FDI" which is described at this Web page. It uses a PC and a cable between a 5.25-inch floppy drive and the parallel port, and is said to be able to read Apple II and Commodore diskettes. A trial version is free to read only; there is a registration fee to get the registered version, from Europe.
A typical problem for new owners of old CP/M systems, is to obtain the "boot disk" which runs CP/M for their system's disk controller and drives. This includes S-100 systems as well as the later Z80, 8085, and 8086 systems built on a single board. Over the last few years of the 21st century, Dave Dunfield has established a disk imaging program using older floppy drives attached to PC/Windows systems; and an archive of disk images of bootable disks. As of August 2006 I count about 75 different disk images there; including images for non-CP/M systems with 6800 and 68K processors. Here's what Dave had to say at that time about his work and where to access it, from a public post in comp.os.cpm:
"... For backing up and restoring disks, as well as finding boot disks for known configurations, I urge people to check out the imaging tools and disk image archive on my [archive] site [now at classiccmp.org]."
"ImageDisk is a program that runs on a PC and can backup and restore complete images of most soft-sector formats, including mixed density, odd sector numbering, differently formatter tracks etc. I have a page with details on how to connect 8" drives which work well in this configuration on a PC - this is my prime soft-sector disk manipulation tool."
"North Star Transfer (NST) is a program specifically for backing up and restoring NorthStar hard-sectored disks. It handles both single and double density formats and works with either controller (obviously it can't backup DD on the SD controller) - It uses a small client running under NorthStar DOS and a serial link to the PC."
"CPM Transfer (CPT) is a program which uses a small stub resident under CP/M to backup and restore complete disk images from most CP/M systems. There are other transfer utilities for other systems available on that page as well."
"I also have a growing collection of system disk images for various machines and configurations available on the same page. I'd like to ask that anyone with boot disks not already in the archive to please if you could, make images and send them to me for inclusion in the archive. What I am trying to do is to build a shareable and archivable resource of boot disks, and the means to recreate them so that classic treasures won't have to sit idle waiting for the right disk to come along...Regards, Dave"
Don't contact ME, Herb Johnson, about this archive or program set. Go to the classiccmp site for Dave Dunfield's work as linked above; there will be a Web link there to contact Dave Dunfield.
It can be a challenge to use 5.25-inch "quad density" disks on modern computers, or modern floppy drives on older computers. The Web page linked here describes how to adapt a Teac FD-55GFR 1.2M drive to use for 800K (96TPI) formatted diskettes. Other notes there may apply to other brands of 1.2M drives. Note that the Web page is copywrited by the author, the Web link is to a licensed copy of that work.
Keith Monahan has kept in touch with me in 2006-7 on his work to run a 3.5" floppy drive on an SX microcontroller. His blog on this project is at this link on his "techtravels.org" Web site. He's using a Samsung SFD-321B and got some docs for it from Samsung. The "blog" format for his notes means you have to read them backward in time.
Copyright © 2008 Herb Johnson