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Vintage Computers Any vintage computer systems, calculators, video games etc., but with an emphasis on 1980s and earlier equipment. |
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4th Jan 2020, 2:15 pm | #1 |
Diode
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Galashiels, Scottish Borders, UK.
Posts: 1
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CF2-D disc
Found some CF2-D discs in my elderly mother's house...how would I read them...whatwith? Can anyone help?
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4th Jan 2020, 3:42 pm | #2 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 13,951
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Re: CF2-D disc
There was a thread about those a while back.... see https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...d.php?t=151229
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4th Jan 2020, 3:53 pm | #3 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,118
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Re: CF2-D disc
PM sent to trampintransit.
I further thought is to ask whether they were created on a PCW or CPC? I'm less familiar with the latter by the way.
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4th Jan 2020, 4:34 pm | #4 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Leominster, Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 16,526
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Re: CF2-D disc
Weren't they also used on Tatung Einstein and possibly others?
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4th Jan 2020, 5:07 pm | #5 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Stafford, Staffs. UK.
Posts: 2,529
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Re: CF2-D disc
Although the drives were physically different, I'm pretty sure the electrical interface was the same as other drives. We had a PCW8256 that had just one CF2 disc drive. We bought a kit that allowed us to connect a 5 1/4 to the spare slot, instead of adding a second CF2.
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4th Jan 2020, 5:37 pm | #6 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,118
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Re: CF2-D disc
It was common to add a 3½" drive to a PCW (in fact I have one with that modification), but I've not come across kits for adding a 5¼" drive.
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Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) |
4th Jan 2020, 5:47 pm | #7 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK.
Posts: 5,188
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Re: CF2-D disc
Yes they were (or in my case 'are'). The bare drives were also available and the Hitachi ones (at least) had a normal 34 pin edge connector and 4 pin power connector like a 5.25" drive and could be connected to just about any normal floppy disk controller. I've seen one boxed up with a PSU for use with a BBC micro, for example.
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4th Jan 2020, 11:59 pm | #8 |
Hexode
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 260
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Re: CF2-D disc
Be very careful if connecting up a PCW 3-inch drive to a non-PCW, as Amstrad (in their infinite wisdom) decided to swap the 5v and 12v connectors on the power plug for the floppy drive.
Source: http://fvempel.nl/3pc.html |
5th Jan 2020, 12:55 am | #9 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Grantham, Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 78
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Re: CF2-D disc
CF2-D Disks are the double density 720kb type, used on dual head drives in the Amstrad PCW 8512, or the 8256. The disks probably have word documents, spread sheet data, or phone book/diary entries etc on them in CP/M format my guess.
To read and write to these disks the kit you need is a working dual head drive from a PCW. The correct floppy cable, and power cable(5v and 12v is reversed), a PC that has a motherboard that supports floppy drives, and suitable software to read and write disk images. I've used Simon Owens SAMdisk in the past to re-write disk images on corrupted ZX Spectrum+3 game disks with success this way. |
5th Jan 2020, 1:32 am | #10 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Brentwood, Essex, UK.
Posts: 5,316
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Re: CF2-D disc
Amstrad stopped selling special double density disks shortly before I got my PCW 8256 as it was found that the single density ones worked fine. I later installed an internal 720k second internal drive and an external 3 1/2" 720k drive that allowed me to transfer data to files in ASCII format between the PCW and my PC at work. I used third party software "PCW toolkit" to format the external drive in either PCW or DOS format. My PCW was working when put in store in my (heated) garden shed a couple of years ago. It wouldn't be difficult to dig out and power up.
I did once see a keyboard that had a 3" drive to record pieces but don't recall the make. Last edited by emeritus; 5th Jan 2020 at 1:40 am. |
5th Jan 2020, 10:43 pm | #11 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Guisborough, North Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 80
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Re: CF2-D disc
There certainly were other machines that used the CF2 disks, I remember seeing a Canon device (not I think a computer) back in the 80s.
I'm fairly sure that the designation of the disks was CF2 for the standard SD ones, and CF2-DD for the DD ones (double sided) but this applies more to the Amstrad range maybe, so something for another machine might not follow that rule. Would be useful to see a picture of the disks, incl a picture of the two sides of the labels. A DD (720k) would have a full label on one side only, although if a CF2 disks was being used as a DD disk then the B: side might be marked 'Do Not Use' or suchlike. As noted in the thread linked near the top, I can still read the CF2 disks, but not the CF2-DD. My PCW (still working also has 5.25" 360k drive, and 3" 720k) can be used to get files/data onto PC disks, or CD, etc. Geoff |
5th Jan 2020, 11:03 pm | #12 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Guisborough, North Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 80
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Re: CF2-D disc
Further to the above, I've checked via Google, and I see pics of Maxell variants marked CF2-D. The text on the package shows that they are Double Sided/Double Density, so I'd guess that the spec is suitable for the B: drive use 80T 720k, although they could still be used as CF2 as Single Sided 180k per side. In any case, it would depend how the disks were formatted.
At the time, the DD ones were more expensive that the standard (single sided) ones, so it would not be cost effective to use the CF2-DD in place of a CF2 although it's quite possible. Geoff |
6th Jan 2020, 11:15 am | #13 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,118
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Re: CF2-D disc
Quote:
a) If your 3" drive is 720K, what's stopping it reading CF2-DD discs? Are these not what a 720K drive is for? As I recall, standard CF2 discs were 180K eack side, giving a total of 360K b) Is your 5¼" drive externally mounted? There presumably isn't space to insert one into the PCW itself.
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Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) Last edited by Dave Moll; 6th Jan 2020 at 11:18 am. Reason: by the way, Geoff posted while I was composing |
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6th Jan 2020, 7:21 pm | #14 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Guisborough, North Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 80
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Re: CF2-D disc
Er, oops. My apologies. I was referring to an external 3.5" drive, not a 3" one. The only built-in drive I have is the standard A: 180k SS 40T drive. So, I cannot access the 720k 80T DS variants, much as I'd like to.
Regarding the 5.25" drive, this is an external unit (quite a neat, solid, metal box) containing a standard 360k drive. I bought it from BOX a couple of years after I bought the PCW 8256 in 1985, mainly to allow access to the cheaper floppy disks, but also to open the door to file exchange with other machines. The unit was supplied with software for formatting the disks, and another prog to allow the unit to read/write an IBM format 360k disk Aside - BOX stands for Benjamin Oughton Xenologicals so I understand!! Or something very close?? Geoff |
6th Jan 2020, 8:20 pm | #15 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,118
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Re: CF2-D disc
You're right, it is very close. Google tells me it was Benjamin-Oughton Xenologistics Limited. Unfortunately, this is immediately followed in the entry by "(closed)". Apparently, it was also quite close to where I used to live and work in Oxford.
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