JoSch Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 ... I wished I had a XF551 speedy, that would be awesome. If you use the HyperXF OS instead the stock one, you get a very fast XF551 a lot like the Speedy addons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marius Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 If you use the HyperXF OS instead the stock one, you get a very fast XF551 a lot like the Speedy addons. I have that replacement OS, but it is not really true what you write about the HyperXF OS. You only get that high speed on specially formatted disks, (high sector skew). When you -like me- use multiple drives, you will not get that benefit with HyperXF. HyperXF is great though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoSch Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 I have that replacement OS, but it is not really true what you write about the HyperXF OS. You only get that high speed on specially formatted disks, (high sector skew). When you -like me- use multiple drives, you will not get that benefit with HyperXF. HyperXF is great though. Is that so? I had the impression, that HyperXF also speeds up the transfer speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brentarian Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Is there a list of speed benchmarks for Atari drives and with every upgrade scenario for them? That would be a very large list, but would interesting to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlowingGhoul Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 (edited) Alas, with 5.25DD diskettes long out of production, it is all but certain that all mechanical 8-bit drives are destined to become bricks. Every floppy will lose it's ability to retain it's oxide coating eventually, and probably sooner rather than later at this point, no matter how ideal the storage conditions or good the formulation. It's the kind of failure that happens slowly with the lowest quality disks and those improperly stored being the first to fail, but sooner or later it'll be an avalanche of bad disks as the adhesives on even the best disks reach the end of their lives. Unless of course someone manages to get some new diskettes produced, which I think would buy us another 40 years if made to a high standard. It feels like we've hit peak 8-bit nostalgia, I'm sure between us, the C64 and Apple II guys a lot of people would be in for "last call for floppies". I had a Rana 1000 drive, loved the track display. I fried it by reaching around to plug the power connecter in and stuck I into the SIO port by accident. That said, the 1050 that replaced it was much more compatible. I couldn't load Ultima III on the Rana without popping open the drive door to induce an error at just the right point in the loading sequence. Some games just didn't work at all because the copy protection wouldn't be read the way the program expected. Did anyone with that sexy Indus GT have similar issues, or was it 100% compatible? Edited June 1, 2017 by GlowingGhoul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gozar Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Alas, with 5.25DD diskettes long out of production, it is all but certain that all mechanical 8-bit drives are destined to become bricks. Every floppy will lose it's ability to retain it's oxide coating eventually, and probably sooner rather than later at this point, no matter how ideal the storage conditions or good the formulation. It's the kind of failure that happens slowly with the lowest quality disks and those improperly stored being the first to fail, but sooner or later it'll be an avalanche of bad disks as the adhesives on even the best disks reach the end of their lives. Unless of course someone manages to get some new diskettes produced, which I think would buy us another 40 years if made to a high standard. It feels like we've hit peak 8-bit nostalgia, I'm sure between us, the C64 and Apple II guys a lot of people would be in for "last call for floppies". I thought there was a company still manufacturing floppy disks? FloppyDisk.com says they have new disks, but I can't find out if they are really new or NOS. Anyway, my go to drive is my 1050 with the US Doubler. Still in use after 32 years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlowingGhoul Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 I thought there was a company still manufacturing floppy disks? FloppyDisk.com says they have new disks, but I can't find out if they are really new or NOS. Anyway, my go to drive is my 1050 with the US Doubler. Still in use after 32 years. NOS, and the manufacturing equipment was sold off to China. If I knew who it went to and they were willing, I might try to organize a Kickstarter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixelmischief Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 My vote is for the XF-551 with 3.5" upgrade, but only when used with a 130XE. If an 800XL or 1200XL, then it's the 1050. You gotta match 'em up. Your nostalgia just doesn't work right when you don't. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Alas, with 5.25DD diskettes long out of production, it is all but certain that all mechanical 8-bit drives are destined to become bricks. Every floppy will lose it's ability to retain it's oxide coating eventually, and probably sooner rather than later at this point, no matter how ideal the storage conditions or good the formulation. I took a lot of 5.25" disks to Costa Rica with me, and most of them failed in the humidity (tropics with no AC). However, some brands held up nicely. The first sign of failure is increased surface friction. The disks may whine when read, or just sound wrong when spinning. The 2nd sign is a milky or uneven appearance to the surface, then rapid shedding of oxide and data loss. The secret to a long lasting floppy is the anti-friction coating and binder (oxide glue) quality. I have stockpiled a bunch of Verbatim DatalifePlus Teflon disks because they all work like new (even as my regular Datalife's failed) and I have a suspicion their coating will last longer than anyone else's and may outlast the new Athana's. Sony and 3M disks also did really well. Somewhere I posted more of my findings... EDIT - Here it is: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/235272-best-525-floppy-disk-brand/?p=3509668 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 What, no Rana love? I had one of these long ago and never had any issues with it. I also had several Indus drives whichnone had issues. i have a 1050 now, but it doesnt see regular use. My first drive was a Rana 1000. It was cheaper than an 810, way smaller and did double density. It felt a little weak when using it. Sometimes it felt like it was just tired. Spinning up felt like it was slow to get going. I got an Indus GT and it was much better. Now I have four 1050's. One with Happy. I have to say, I like the 1050 with Happy the best. Todd I picked up two in a huge A8 lot on eBay about ten years ago (when you could still do this for under a hundred bucks), and they're great -- just absolute tanks. I found the 1050 drive mechanism pretty finicky (the belt is easy to shake loose during transit), and I had many problems with mine in the '80s until I learned to fix it myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gargoyle Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 and I don't have that "pc-look" idea with these drives. In fact... I don't know, apart from the Atari logo they look pretty similar to me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 (edited) and don't forget when adapting newer drives to the Atari side of life (and replacing XF mech) to consult this page for good info... this is good info for Kryo Flux, Scp, cat weasel types http://www.oldskool.org/disk2fdi/525HDMOD.htm there was another link I can't find at the moment that had an add on for the XF and other mechs.. to allow faking the index... formatting the second side of a disk without hacking holes in the disk... Edited June 2, 2017 by _The Doctor__ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddtmw Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 Someone was asking about benchmarks. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/104585-another-interesting-speed-comparison/?do=findComment&comment=1267461 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 I've had good luck with most brands of 5.25 diskettes. I've got a box of disks that I inherited from my uncle, disks that were formatted and filled with Atari 800 games some time in the 1982-1984 time frame, and most of them still work fine. Looking through the box now, I find the following brands: 3M, Verbatim, SKC, Maxell (lots of these), Burroughs, Elephant, and a few reformatted DOS 3 disks from Atari. The only notably bad/cheap brand I've ever encountered is Nashua, which were about the only brand available the last time my local stores carried DSDD 5.25 diskettes in the early 90s. I've got one or two XF551 drives (one of which I upgraded to 3.5" with the HyperXF firmware), but I've mostly used Atari 1050 drives, and they've all held up pretty well. That said ... I've got a stack of four 1050 drives which have failed in one way or another, and I presently don't have the time or the means to fix them. Does anyone here offer repair services, or know of anyone (in the US) who does? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillC Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 I thought there was a company still manufacturing floppy disks? FloppyDisk.com says they have new disks, but I can't find out if they are really new or NOS. Anyway, my go to drive is my 1050 with the US Doubler. Still in use after 32 years. NOS, and the manufacturing equipment was sold off to China. If I knew who it went to and they were willing, I might try to organize a Kickstarter. Athana International still has a US Government supply contract, AFAIK they are(or at least were) the supplier for FloppyDisk.com http://www.athana.com/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swami Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Which is faster, a 1050 Happy or an XF551? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Which is faster, a 1050 Happy or an XF551? 1050 Happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Level42 Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 (edited) I have only owned 1050s. 810s were never really sold here, the XF already had a poor reputation when it was just on the market. So my opinion is entirely biased but I'd say that a 1050 with a MegaSpeedy inside is the best drive one could wish for....happy was a dream for BITd but now is a joke compared to the MegaSpeedy and I know because my second 1050 has a Happy inside... I'd love to have a XF but for now the MegaSpeedy 1050 is the drive for me..... Especially with a nice somewhat custom 3D printed front and a little LED modding..... trim.090D613C-B803-4C51-96A0-3161EBDC9422.MOV Edited October 10, 2017 by Level42 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swami Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 I hear the 1050 can be pretty noisy. Is it distractingly loud? I wouldn't think so, but I do like the idea of the XF551 being small and quiet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunstar Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 (edited) I hear the 1050 can be pretty noisy. Is it distractingly loud? I wouldn't think so, but I do like the idea of the XF551 being small and quiet. I have two 1050's, one is noisy and one is not. I think it depends on the drive mechanism brand in them. I don't find it distractingly loud, but then what's to be distracted from when you are waiting for the disk to load anyway? Edited October 19, 2017 by Gunstar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marius Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 I always am surprised that an extremely noisy 1050 turns into a silent device once happy or speedy is installed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swami Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 I have two 1050's, one is noisy and one is not. I think it depends on the drive mechanism brand in them. I don't find it distractingly loud, but then what's to be distracted from when you are waiting for the disk to load anyway? If its only noisy when it's reading is okay. I thought maybe it hummed, or worse, hummed unevenly like some high wattage voltage transformers or bad computer fans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Level42 Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 (edited) The only noisy stuff about a 1050 is when it steps tracks with DRY head support rods. Lube those rods with a bit of vaseline (the kind that has no acid in it)....... and you've got a very silent 1050. But reading entire tracks in one go with a (Mega)Speedy sure helps too Edited October 19, 2017 by Level42 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunstar Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 The only noisy stuff about a 1050 is when it steps tracks with DRY head support rods. Lube those rods with a bit of vaseline (the kind that has no acid in it)....... and you've got a very silent 1050. But reading entire tracks in one go with a (Mega)Speedy sure helps too Thanks for bringing this up, because my "noisy" 1050 I got just a couple months ago, and it works fine, so it never occurred to me that the noise was caused by this issue. I'm on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swami Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 The only noisy stuff about a 1050 is when it steps tracks with DRY head support rods. Lube those rods with a bit of vaseline (the kind that has no acid in it)....... and you've got a very silent 1050. But reading entire tracks in one go with a (Mega)Speedy sure helps too 1. Are the megaspeedy kits even available anymore or were they stopped at 100 units? 2. Does the Happy 1050 kit automatically come with the Happy/Unhappy switch or is that something you buy and add separately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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