Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 exptools 1/6/84; site ihnss.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!ihnp4!ihnss!knudsen From: knudsen@ihnss.UUCP Newsgroups: net.micro,net.micro.6809 Subject: 80-track drives for free? Message-ID: <1958@ihnss.UUCP> Date: Wed, 14-Mar-84 18:02:50 EST Article-I.D.: ihnss.1958 Posted: Wed Mar 14 18:02:50 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 15-Mar-84 02:09:14 EST Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL Lines: 10 I heard at a Coco club meeting that the stepper motors in RS disk drives (and presumably all others) are actually geared twice as fine as required for 35/40 tracks. That is, they are pulsed TWICE to go to the next track. So, some copy-protection schemes use "half-tracking" where they write between the regular tracks. (Ever notice the funny sound that Sands of Egypt makes when it boots up? SOunds like double- speed stepping, all right). Now, does anyone know how to make the Coco step half of a normal track (one step) at a time? Could this be trusted as an 80-track device? (probably not, as tracks may be too wide on the medium). --mike k