Stepper control strategies (start eating your hat)

[Stuart Bunning]

If anyone remembers this non-gmecm related topic..
Sorry But you are All wrong...

I wasn't going to say anything But I would rather you all know the real resaon
why it grinds the drive. (Like anyone really gives a toss... )

In the days or 5/14 360K drives and 5/14 1.2MB floppy drives
the computer had to some how auto-detect the differenc between these drives
to automatically
setup the BIOS. 

The one and ONLY way to do this was at power up the BIOS would force the
drive to step out to say track 60 for example. and then retract back to
zero.. This was ok on a 1.2Mb drive as they were 80 track drives. But on a
360K drive it was only 40 tracks so the horrid grind noise you would here
was the head trying to smash itself out through the back of you PC.( not a
good think for alignment but it worked)  Then it would monitor the track
zero sencor if it detected track zero after 40 stepps back to track zero it
must me a 360K drive if it took the full 60 steps to decect track zero it
knew it was a 1.2MB drive or 1.44 because these drives had 80 tracks and the
head wouldnt hit the end.. 

The drive NEVER grinds track Zero.. unless it is faulty. or unless hit with
a large hammer...
Now if anyone out there doesn't believe did through your old bot of crap and
install that old 360K floppy and try it...

sorry guys not trying to be a smart arse just wanting to set the record
straight..

Stuart Bunning.







>
>   I hate to be a pedant, but misinformation is just that.
>   Perpetuate a myth and it will eventually come back to
>   bite you!
>
>Now, if anyone can prove to me that a "properly functioning"
>and mainstream PC's BIOS software tries to step past track 0, 
>"just to be sure", I'll publicly eat a hat (I have a few) and 
>send everyone a picture of it!  Equally, show me an FDD that
>"independently" continues stepping after TRACK0 status is active,
>and I'll offer to replace it for a new drive.
>