SSSD 5.25 disk drive question

[aftyde]

Hi All,

 

Have a standard TI drive configured as DSK3. It'll format but fails verification. Since I can't format Lotharek images either (with any of 3 different controllers - but it works fine if I init the images on the PC) I have been living with the weirdness. However, now I need to actually format a diskette and it simply won't work with any controller using any disk manager.

 

Sounds like the drive...

 

So how do I fix the damn thing?!? Or is this one of those circumstances where I buy one on eBay, swap it, and cross my fingers?!?

 

By the way - it seems to have no problem reading or writing to disks it's made in the past...

 

 

Cheers, Arthur...

Edited September 30, 2016 by aftyde

[Shift838]

Hi All,

 

Have a standard TI drive configured as DSK3. It'll format but fails verification. Since I can't format Lotharek images either (with any of 3 different controllers - but it works fine if I init the images on the PC) I have been living with the weirdness. However, now I need to actually format a diskette and it simply won't work with any controller using any disk manager.

 

Sounds like the drive...

 

So how do I fix the damn thing?!? Or is this one of those circumstances where I buy one on eBay, swap it, and cross my fingers?!?

 

By the way - it seems to have no problem reading or writing to disks it's made in the past...

 

 

Cheers, Arthur...

 

Questions:

 

1> Can you format and verify or DSK1 or DSK2 ?

2> Do you have any other peripheral plugged in the side port like a Speech ; I have seen a flaky speech cause this exact issue.

3> Are you using a cartridge expander? ; I have had issues with cart expanders in the past, most recently I thought my SCSI system was toast as I could not access it at all. removed the cart expander and it was happy again.

 

Chances are it's the disk drive. Before investing in a drive (5.25s are getting more and more expensive) make sure you remove any peripherals like the speech, etc that are attached to the expansion port of the TI and if you are using a cart expander take that out of the mix too and retest.

[aftyde]

Nope - but it does make me wonder if the PEB might be the culprit? In DM2 with a TI controller - super simple setup I get a Disk Error 31 every time. I don't normally use a Speech Unit - but I plugged on in just on the off chance there was some contact issue between the firehose and the computer.

 

Changed the drive select - same behavior as DS1.

 

No cart expander...

 

Also tried using a head cleaner floppy with some alcohol.

 

Looking for a goat, alter and some black candles now...

 

Cheers, Arthur...

[+Ksarul]

You might also want to move the disk controller to another slot (tests the PEB bus) and verify that none of the wires in your floppy cable are broken. You should also move your flex cable interface to a new slot, just in case the connector problem is at that point on the bus. These machines have been around long enough for oxidation and other gunk to build up on contacts and interfere with the mechanical connections. . .

[aftyde]

Good suggestions - tried both, including new cables. What is odd is I can (on the Lotharek) I can write to files, read files, the works. I can't init a disk image. I have heard that this just doesn't work.

 

 

You might also want to move the disk controller to another slot (tests the PEB bus) and verify that none of the wires in your floppy cable are broken. You should also move your flex cable interface to a new slot, just in case the connector problem is at that point on the bus. These machines have been around long enough for oxidation and other gunk to build up on contacts and interfere with the mechanical connections. . .