• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

Recent thread on “beginning of end for floppies – Sony dropping production.”

G

GADFRAN

Experienced Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2007
Messages
318
Location
Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States
Since some “recent chatter” about this – e.g. classicccmplorg - the following is what I have found out so far.

Check out PLR Electronics in Texas on the web – WWW.PLRELECTRONICS.COM.

They offer an option of a “3.5” floppy drive to USB flash drive reader” - a disk drive “emulator” – 3.5” & 5.25” with files recorded to a USB thumb drive - $275 – no disk drive or floppies required.

You simply replace your disk drive with this device [fits in drive bay and connects directly to existing power & ribbon cables] and it acts like a disk drive. No software to install.

They have their manuals, etc. as PDF files posted on their web site.

You get it from an embroidery place EMBACCESS [www.embroiderybids.com] which may seem odd.

But the key I found out from them is that many third world countries that use various fabric machines [e.g., embroidery, sewing, etc.] still use older fabric machines that make use of such floppy drives / disks. Also other industries use them – e.g., machining, etc.

The PLR Electronics owner, a computer science grad, saw the need and made it.

So far, works just fine, but I am still evaluating it. More on this later.

Obviously, not for everyone.

Service prompt, courteous, knowledgeable, etc. and even upgraded shipping to FEDEX from USPS, when I called about some details of my order. Order was requested by PLR to be even tracked by FEDEX and I got email reports.

Only one that I found on web that seems to “really” do this + available, much info, prompt / knowledgeable service, USA company, etc. If others similar, please let us know.

You need to specify that it is for “an IBM compatible drive” and not another type of disk drive that might be used on a non-computer machine. Best to call, since this ordering option is not on web site.

Also, the optional “file chooser,” is shipped separately, if you get it. Mine came 4 days later, FEDEX also.

Funny story to help possibly brighten your day – FEDEX delivered it on a Saturday – so not expected. My wife ran over it with her car backing out of the garage. It survived, but obviously, not recommended !!!

Case needed some “adjustment” to fit in drive bay, but it worked !!!

Hope this is of some interest and use.

Backward compatibility has always been an issue for many and probably always will be.

This device provides another option.

Frank
 
Sony also made these years ago for their floppy-disk digital cameras. It lets you use their proprietary Memory Stick flash memory media in place of a 3.5" floppy disk, and works in a PC as well as in floppy disk cameras. Apparently it is able to access more than 1.44 MB of data on the Memory Stick, even through the floppy drive and its interface.

41V9C6G4G3L._SS500_.jpg
 
I've still got a couple of FlashPath floppy inserts here. Same idea as the Sony, but requires a driver to work. Cute little thing--has an AVR ATS8515 uC, a CPLD and some SRAM in addition to various bits and pieces of discrete and SSI logic. It uses a small electromagnet to talk to the floppy drive.
 
pontus said:
One of these?

http://www.memorysuppliers.com/smartdisk-flashpath-smartmedia.html?CAWELAID=327820619

Why would it need drivers to work?
Click to expand...

Yup that's the one. Why you need drivers will be obvious in a second.

The Flashpath has a stationary electromagnet that serves for both reading and writing via the host drive's head. But it's got no way to figure out where (what track) the floppy head is positioned, so it's flying blind. It does spit out a track 0, sector 1 chunk of data from time to time in case you try to boot from it (you get a message that says "you can't do that"). So you need a driver to handle data transfers outside of the first sector on track 0, side 0.
 
I see, so for a flashpath to work without drivers it would need a "higher resolution" electromagnet with more tracks.
 
Oh...ok. I guess I should start saving up some $4125+ so I can upgrade all my systems...lemme look under the fridge to see if theres any money over there...


Edit:
GADFRAN said:
.... e.g. classicccmplorg .....
Click to expand...
This has some interesting links I didn't even know about, thanks for giving me that idea.
 
Last edited:
There was an “enormous response,” that still continues, on the classic computer email list by Dave Dunfield [WWW.CLASSICCMP.ORG] on the “demise of the floppy” in the past few weeks.

It was even extended to many other areas of technology.

I did some posts on some options on that email list and also including WWW.VINTAGE-COMPUTER.COM and others responded here too.

The April issue on page #15 of our long just outstanding 30 year old local Lehigh Valley Computer Group [WWW.LVCG.ORG – past newsletters are even posted there] had a very good article by Bill Pryor, one of their excellent and perceptive members, titled “Ephermeral [really “Ephemeral” – just a typo and corrected in article – but may need original title spelling for searching] Media” which he originally wrote in “ 2000 “ !!!

This present reprint of this 2000 article now notes the following very similar in many ways New York Times article 2010/03/16 – 10 years later !

Fending Off Digital Decay, Bit by Bit, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/16/books/16archive.html

Lot to think about here !

This all fits nicely into my decades of science, technology and society [STS] research [see my web site WWW.KAYPROSTS.ORG for some more details.

Note, this web site is very simple – just for “info transfer” – nothing fancy. Now that we have faster cable internet service finally in our so rural area of SE PA, it will be substantially improved, updated, upgraded, etc. in the near future.

Many of us were trained by the National Science Foundation [NSF] decades ago to help society better understand, manage, etc. such very powerful, dramatic, global STS changes we are now presently experiencing in so many areas of our lives, including our hobby of vintage computers.

I heartily encourage you all to do your own STS research – so much so readily available by just searching the web – e.g. Google searches, etc.

Form your own “informed” opinions, decisions, actions, etc.

Then please continue to contribute to the “dialogue” – we are all in this together !

Stay tuned ! It is going to continue to be quite a ride with no end in site !

Frank
 
*concocts a horrible idea*

What if one were to take the floppy-emulating USB device and mount it in a Backpack drive, so that you can transport what effectively becomes a parallel port USB card from machine to machine on any box running DOS 2 and up.

I amuse myself. :p

BTW: Anybody know what the RJ45 port on that device is for? I'm too lazy to read the manual and find out right now, but if nobody knows I'll read it later - lol.

I've gotta get myself one of those flash->floppy adapters that is driverless... that would be SO convenient - I had no idea they existed.

Edit: Anybody know if there's an SD->Floppy adapter? If not I suppose I can try to pick up an SD->CF and a CF->Floppy to use together.
 
It is for the optional "File Chooser."

My understanding is that it allows you to pick certain files on the Flash drive that you may want to use first, especially if you have more than the number of files a normal 1.44 MB 3.5" floppy disk would hold.

See my other posts for more details and their site and PDF manuals to download.

I have it and it works fine. Can be very useful in many situations.

But shipped separately from another company - possibly used for music - has a headphone outlet also.

Nice LCD screen.

Frank

P.S.

Do not get your "intro" - joke - ??? "concots" ????
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top