Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!genrad!decvax!harpo!floyd!vax135!ariel!houti!hogpc!houxm!hocda!spanky!burl!duke!bkn From: bkn@duke.UUCP Newsgroups: net.micro.pc Subject: Amdek Disks Message-ID: <3288@duke.UUCP> Date: Tue, 14-Jun-83 09:42:56 EDT Article-I.D.: duke.3288 Posted: Tue Jun 14 09:42:56 1983 Date-Received: Wed, 15-Jun-83 21:38:56 EDT Lines: 46 >From unc!tucc!sdt Mon Jun 13 20:24:30 1983 Date-Sent: Mon Jun 13 19:56:33 1983 To: unc!duke!bkn Subject: Re: duke.3285: Hard Disks for the IBM PC I am presently "testing" the Amdek Amdisk III on my PC. The only problem that I have found with them is that with DOS 2.0, each "diskette?" only holds 180K.......between the two units, thats only 360K! Now, where Amdek really suckers everyone is when they say that each disk (formatted) holds 360K, they are talking about both sides! The biggest problem with this is that in order to use both sides, you must take out the disk, turn in over to side B, and then reinsert the thing!!!! Now, marketing wise, they can claim that the unit (two drives) holds 640K!!!! What they don't tell is that in order to get that, you have to take the disks out and turn them over!!! I have tried unsuccessfully to use JFORMAT to format each side for 200K. Speed-wise, they are pretty much the same as Tandon's. I have had no trouble at all out of them using DOS 2.0. Some technical specs are them are: Unformatted capacity - 250K per surface Formatted capacity - 180K per surface Tranfer rate - 250K bits/second Access time - Average 55 ms - Track to Track 3 ms - Settling Time 15 ms Head Load Time - 50 ms Motor Start Time - 1 sec. Track density - 100 TPI Rotational Speed - 300 RPM Overall, the manual is written very well if you are technically oriented. They provide all necessary interfacing diagrams. The unit comes ready to plug into the 52-pin connector on the back of the disk drive controller card. There are no software changes necessary to any PC-DOS software. I am having some trouble using the drives with the UCSD p-System, though. I would say that the unit is nice to have even though they are single-sided. If or when Amdek or Hitachi (the drive manufactorer) make the drive double-sided, I would say they would really have a super product. Hope that this information will help you somehow!!! Scott Totaro (sdt) ..... ComputerLand of Charlotte P.S. The technical specs came directly from the Amdek "Amdisk III Information Manual".