Resurrecting an ATR8000. What drives do you have?

[svhovater]

hi folks

(And especially you, Jeff!)

I'm trying to bring my 1982-vintage ATR8000 back to life. While I still have the unit itself, somewhere in the last 36 years I lost the

floppy drives. I've scrounged three floppy drives, all Teac: FD-55BR-100-U, FD-55B-01-U, and an FD-55GFR-7149-U5. So far,

no joy with any of them. (I don't know if they even work, but the 55B's at least will seek when the ATR is powered on.)

 

If you're an ATR8000 owner, and it's currently running, what model drives do you have?

 

thanks,

Steve

 

[Gavin1968]

Me too! I have a pair of FD-55GFR that I am hoping to get working. Would love the same info as @svhovater

Gavin

 

[scitari]

I have an ATR 8000 (64K) and recently purchased a new old-stock 5.25" IBM 360K drive for it. The drive spins but couldn't get CPM to load. I think I need to boil the belt to get the timing right. On my list of things to do this summer. Would love to get a few more standard drives for this. Am interested in what others use as standard drives can be a bit hard to find used and working.

[a8isa1]

2 Chinon FZ-502 mechs from a 1989 PC clone (DAK Headstart PC).  Before that Teac FD-50A mechs from a DEC Robin drive enclosure.  Actually they are still in the enclosure.  The Chinons sit on top since the enclosure hasn't any provision for mounting the half-height mechs.

 

I run a single 1.2 MB drive once in while but I I think it's alignment must be out.  can't format any disks without a few bad sectors. Drive is a Mitsubishi  MF504C-312U mech from a 1987 PC-AT clone. My media is all 1980s vintage. I have enough brands that some should still be OK you'd think.   Maybe not.  No new old stock though.  All disks are reused.

 

-SteveS

[JR>]

7 hours ago, svhovater said:

I've scrounged three floppy drives, all Teac: FD-55BR-100-U, FD-55B-01-U, and an FD-55GFR-7149-U5.

Those drives should work fine.  I currently have a FD55B-01-U and a Mitsubishi M4851-112U running on mine.  Make sure your jumper settings and termination are correct.

[svhovater]

13 hours ago, JR> said:

Those drives should work fine.  I currently have a FD55B-01-U and a Mitsubishi M4851-112U running on mine.  Make sure your jumper settings and termination are correct.

JR, might I ask what jumper settings you have on the 55B ?

thanks!

[JR>]

This one is jumpered to be the 2nd drive in the chain (DS1)

 

[cwilbar]

I don't have my ATR8000 setup anymore.  I don't recall what 5.25" drive I used with it.... I mainly used a 3.5" 720K drive with it in a converted Wang external floppy enclosure (the box originally contained a scsi-floppy bridge board and a 5.25" drive.  I stripped out the bridge board, scsi connectors/cabling, tne 5.25" drive, and put the 3.5" with an adapter frame and ran the floppy cabling out the rear and plugged it into the ATR.

 

One of these days I'll have to get it back out again, and see if I can take another shot at getting the Z-Tec 1000 in it working (SASI interface for Z80 CP/M, possibly specifically only made for the ATR, but probably would work in many Z80 CP/M machines).  I have a Xetec bridge controller (SASI<>MFM), but the thing that stopped me, was I was never able to figure out how to low level format the MFM drive.

 

 

[doctor_x]

I had 2 percom drives - one was master and one was slave - but i did have them running through the ATR - i dont remember much other than that.. ATR was a LOOONG time ago.. Way too many substances since then!! !:)

[squonk]

I have a pair of Teacs in mine a 55BV and a 54B.  I'm trying to get a pair of matching, working drives, but 5.25" drives are getting pretty rare these days.

 

I'm mounting mine inside an scrounged 810 case.  At some point I'll 3D print up a new bezel and it'll look GREAT.