The standard interface between floppy disk drive (FDD) and controller was
established by the Shugart Associates SA400 minifloppy Disk Drive (1976). The
interface normally consists of a 34 conductor ribbon cable, using 34 pin PCB
edge connectors (5.25" drive convention) and/or 34 pin header (2x17)
connectors (3.5" drive convention).
(Earlier 8" floppy disk drives normally used a 50 conductor ribbon cable and
corresponding pin header or PCB edge connectors.)
This section should list all devices for the Atari computer that provide a
standard FDD interface for the system, allowing the addition of one or more
standard 5.25" or 3.5" floppy disk drives.
Unless stated otherwise, these FDD interfaces support single or double density
drives, but not high density 1440KiB 3.5" or 1200KiB 5.25" drives.
Atari disk drives that also add a standard FDD interface
--------------------------------------------------------
- Amdek: AMDC-II (34 pin header)
- Micro MainFrame MF-1682 (PCB edge)
- 'Supports both 5.25" and 8" drives'
- Percom: RFD40-S1, AT88-S1PD, AT88-SPD (34 pin header)
RFD40-S2, AT88-S1 (34 pin PCB edge)
RFD44-S1, RFD44-S2, AT88-S2
- Matching add-on drives:
Percom RFD40-A1 SS SD/DD
Percom RFD44-A1 DS SD/DD (released?)
Percom AT88-A1 SS SD
- Trak: AT-1, AT-D1, AT-D2, AT-D4 (34 pin PCB edge)
- Matching add-on drive:
Trak AT-S1 SS SD/DD
Other Atari FDD Interfaces
--------------------------
L.E. Systems disk drive (1982)
- Developer: two partners, including David Small
- Originally: "Leading Edge Systems"
- Device is a personality board (oversized) for the 800
- Board provides two 34 pin connectors for 5.25" floppy disk drives
- Each connector supports one master and up to three slave drives, for a
total system potential of 8 disk drives.
- Drives may be single or double density
- High speed disk duplication: 17-22 seconds per diskette, up to 7 copies
at a time (8 drive system)
- Duplicate Atari disks including non-standard formats and copy protection
- Can create disks with copy protection. Supports: Bad sectoring, custom
track layout, deleted sector marks, complete track dumps
- Orginally marketed as an 8 drive system (LEFDC-08) or a 4 drive system
(LEFDC-04), later a 2 drive system (LEFDC-02) and a single drive system
were offered as well. Sold with Tandon disk drives.
- Ads: Antic v1n3 Aug82 p43 and v1n5 Dec/Jan83 p94
ATR8000, by Software Publishers / SWP Microcomputer Products (1982-1986)
- 16KiB or 64KiB RAM versions
- Connects to the Atari via SIO (includes 2nd SIO port)
- 4MHz Z-80A MPU
- RS-232 port (26 pin PCB edge) for modem or serial printer (or standard
RS-232 terminal in place of an Atari computer)
- Does not use standard Atari 850 R: device handlers
- Drive connector: 34 pin PCB edge
- Attach up to 4 standard floppy disk drives, any combination of:
5.25" or 8"; single, double or "quad" density; single or double-sided
- Unit RAM can be used as a disk buffer
- Double Density CP/M 2.2 included with 64KiB version
- 16KiB version: Double density CP/M 2.2 available with 64KiB Upgrade
- Included Autoterm terminal emulator for the Atari (80 column display
with 40 column movable window; Bit 3 Full-View 80 also supported) is
used to access software running on the ATR8000.
- Sold separately by SWP for 16KiB or 64KiB units:
- OSS OS/A+ Version 4 (1982-1983) or MYDOS 3 (1983-1986)
- Autoterm-80 (version of Autoterm with 80 column display for any Atari)
- Sold separately by SWP for 64KiB units:
- CO-POWER-88 (internal upgrade): 5.33MHz 8088 MPU, 128KiB or 256KiB,
MS-DOS 2.11
- CO-POWER-Plus (internal upgrade): 5.33MHz 8088 MPU, 256KiB (expandable
in increments of 256KiB to 1MiB) or 1MiB, MS-DOS 2.11
- CP/M-86 for CO-POWER-88 or CO-POWER-Plus
HDI High-density Disk Interface, by Erhard Puetz (1990/1991?)
- A printed circuit board, includes 65C02 MPU and WD37C65C controller
- Connect up to 4 standard PC floppy drives
- Drive types: 5.25" 360KiB, 3.5" 720KiB, 3.5" 1440KiB (any combination)
- Drive connector: 34 pin header
- Drives must support the Disk Change signal at pin 34 of the Shugart bus
- Connects to the Atari via SIO (must be at end of SIO chain)
- Happy compatible/Warp Speed capable
- Maximum transfer rate: 500 kbit/s (1440KiB 3.5" disks)
- See: http://www.atari-central.de/floppyservice/floppy/gb/hdi.htm
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/158701-hid-disk-interface/
Floppy Board by Computer Software Services (CSS, 1992)
- Enables floppy drive port (34 pin PCB edge) of the CSS Black Box
(which connects to the Atari XL/XE via PBI or Cartridge+ECI
- Drive types: 5.25" 360KiB, 3.5" 720KiB, 5.25" 1200KiB, 3.5" 1440KiB
- Reads/writes 5.25" and 3.5" MS-DOS disks, BBXFER software utility included
- Built-in Black Box Enhancer (Task Master program) and Archiver programs
- See: http://www.nleaudio.com/css/products/floppy.htm
Karin Maxi Disk Drive by Mariusz Geisler for Karin (1995?)
- XL OS Rev.1+ New Device, connects to Cartridge+ECI
- Design errors result in conflicts with other New Device peripherals
- Drive connector: 34 pin PCB edge
- FDC: WD1770 or WD1772
- Usual drive types: 5.25" or 3.5", each either 40 tracks or 80 tracks
- Double-sided formats use PC-standard 'head-first' mapping
- See: http://blog.3b2.sk/igi/post/ATARI-floppy-disk-drive-KARIN-MAXI.aspx
http://atariki.krap.pl/index.php/Karin_Maxi
Karin Maxi Disk Drive 2012, by stryker/trub/drac030/candle
- Original Karin Maxi design with original design errors fixed
- See: http://karinmaxidrive.pigwa.net/ |