Using a HD 3.5" floppy drive on a Tandy 1000 EX

[GranNaniwa]

If I install a recent 1.44MB 3.5" floppy drive in a Tandy 1000 EX, would I be able to use it to run 720kb disks?
I read that it's possible to use 3.5" HD drives on a TRS-80 as long as you use DD disks. However, other computers like a PCjr will only accept actual 720kb 3.5" drives.

 

[Trixter]

However, other computers like a PCjr will only accept actual 720kb 3.5" drives.

Not true. "You can connect a high density drive to the PCjr, but you will have to use double density media to make it usable. (Double density media forces the drives to operate in double density mode, which the Jr can use.) Connecting a 1.44MB 3.5 inch diskette drive works well with 720KB double density diskettes."

 

[krebizfan]

If the OP means recent 3.5" floppy, it is possible he could have one of the High Density only models.

 

[GranNaniwa]

Apparently, although you can connect a HD drive to a PCjr and use it to run DD disks, you wont be able to boot from it. That makes it rather useless in a system that only has a single drive slot.

 

[Trixter]

That is why you pair it with the dual disk drive modification. You can actually mod the system to have three drives this way; I have one such system in my collection.

 

[GranNaniwa]

That is why you pair it with the dual disk drive modification. You can actually mod the system to have three drives this way; I have one such system in my collection.

You're right, I read about that mod, but I'm not quite there yet. I actually just purchased a PCjr but the disk drive is busted.
For now, I'm looking for a cheap 360kb 5.25" drive. Do you know if a Alps Electronics DFC222B02A would work on a PCjr?

 

[Trixter]

Probably. As long as it isn't a high-density drive, it should work.

 

[GranNaniwa]

Thanks for your help, hopefully I can get it working soon.

 

[vwestlife]

Be aware that in most Tandy 1000 models, the factory-supplied power and data cables are only long enough to reach the original TEAC 5.25" floppy drives that Tandy used. If you use some other brand of drive, you may need to use an extender on the power cable and replace the data cable with a longer one -- which may be difficult to fit, due to the tight space in the 1000EX's case.

 

[GranNaniwa]

I never even thought about that, thanks.

 

[wesleyfurr]

Be aware that in most Tandy 1000 models, the factory-supplied power and data cables are only long enough to reach the original TEAC 5.25" floppy drives that Tandy used. If you use some other brand of drive, you may need to use an extender on the power cable and replace the data cable with a longer one -- which may be difficult to fit, due to the tight space in the 1000EX's case.

I can vouch for that. I tried to add a 2nd 5.25" drive to my 1000SL years ago and ran into that problem. The connector for the lower drive had to be exactly the same position, there was no slack to move it to one side or the other.

Wesley