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Second Source FDDs for PC and XT

maxtherabbit

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I've recently learned there were other FDDs for the PC and XT than the infamous Tandon TM-100. One such is the World Storage FDD-211-5. How does the quality on these drives compare? Were there other companies' drives used in the XT lifespan?
 
TEAC - The Top Drive on my List.

FD-55A 48 TPI 40 Track 300 RPM
FD-55B 48 TPI 80 Track 300 RPM

FD-55E 96 TPI 80 Track 300 RPM
FD-55F 96 TPI 160 Track 300 RPM
FD-55G 96 TPI 154 Track 360 RPM
FD-55GF is same as FD-55G except it is High Density.


Larry
 
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40 track Teacs were used in the PC and/or XT? That's quite a surprise. Was there a version with an IBM branded bezel?
 
Check the PC XT Techref (MZD has a copy)--IIRC there are schematics for at least three drives there. One of which, I believe, is a CDC/MPI drive.
 
MPI drives can be variable in quality. Some are no better than Tandons. Some of the older ones are well-constructed (mostly with the CDC logo).

Y-E made drives for other manufacturers as well. I've got a couple of Fujitsu drives that are clearly Y-E production.
 
I have never seen any of the World Storage drives. Those used to be Orbis and General Systems International in the 70s and became part of Wong Electronics in the mid-80s. Someone else may have encountered them in any of the other guises.
History extracted from Disk Trends.
 
I liked the YE-DATA drives and had bad experiences with the only MPI drive I encountered.

Y-E made drives for other manufacturers as well. I've got a couple of Fujitsu drives that are clearly Y-E production.

I have 3 Y-E drives and they are all quite good.
I've got a couple of Y-E drives that I can't get to work:

http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthre...YD-380B-1-2MB-5%BC-quot-Floppy-Drive&p=598081
 
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