Subject: Where can one find 2.5 inch floppy disks, and other odd sizes

From: "Kurtk7" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed Apr 16 01:15:01 2003

I know this is a strange request for help, but I have done a lot of
searching for sources of odd sized floppy disks, and haven't had much luck.
The 8" disks are not so much a problem, but from what I can tell, there were
2.0, 2.5, 2.8, 3.0, 3.25, and 4.0 inch formats and finding even one example
has become a challenge for me.  Since 3" disks were popular with the
Sinclair systems, these can be had off Ebay, but what of the rest?  Its a
personal quest to one one copy of every type of removable media and if
anyone has any ideas, sources, information, it would be most appreciated.  I
hope to post the collection to a website as I don't think it has been done.

Thanks for any input

Kurt

(Still seeking a copy of the manual for the Jupiter Ace 4000, but I am
hopeful as there is one possible source if I am lucky)

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From: Tothwolf <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed Apr 16 01:41:00 2003

On Wed, 16 Apr 2003, Kurtk7 wrote:

> searching for sources of odd sized floppy disks, and haven't had much
> luck. The 8" disks are not so much a problem, but from what I can tell,
> there were 2.0, 2.5, 2.8, 3.0, 3.25, and 4.0 inch formats and finding
> even one example has become a challenge for me.  Since 3" disks were
> popular with the Sinclair systems, these can be had off Ebay, but what
> of the rest?  Its a personal quest to one one copy of every type of
> removable media and if anyone has any ideas, sources, information, it
> would be most appreciated.  I hope to post the collection to a website
> as I don't think it has been done.

I have a Panasonic Video Floppy player that uses a 2" or 2.5" disk to hold
still images. I never have done anything with it, since I didn't know
where to get the disks. The remote for the unit is also missing, which I
was told limits the functionality of it quite a bit.

-Toth

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From: Joe <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed Apr 16 08:24:00 2003

At 01:11 AM 4/16/03 -0500, you wrote:
>Sinclair systems, these can be had off Ebay, but what of the rest? 

   Zenith used 2" disk in one of their laptops, I think it was called a Mini-Sport. I've found the machines and disk on both E-bay and at hamfest. I used to have two drives and about 13 or 14 disks but gave them away. Mike Haas got them.

   I gave Don Maslin the 3" drive and disk that I used to have. You can try to talk him out of them.

   There was a 3 1/4" disk advertised on E-bay just recently. I may have the seller's address if you can't find it by searching E-bay.

    Joe

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From: "Deano Calver" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed Apr 16 10:43:00 2003

Kurtk7 wrote:
> example has become a challenge for me.  Since 3" disks were popular
> with the Sinclair systems, these can be had off Ebay, but what of the
> rest?  Its a personal quest to one one copy of every type of
> would be most appreciated.  I hope to post the collection to a
> website as I don't think it has been done.

To be correct Amstrad liked 3" discs not Sinclair, when Amstrad brought
Sinclair they added them to the Spectrum. Sinclair liked Microdrives.

Nintendo 64 DD drives use weird disks. 4x4x0.4 inch discs holding 64Mb with
variable writable range (from 1-38Mb), it was only released in Japan.

Bye,
    Deano

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From: "Fred Cisin (XenoSoft)" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed Apr 16 12:44:00 2003

> 2.0, 2.5, 2.8, 3.0, 3.25, and 4.0 inch formats and finding even one example

Also:
2.9"
3.9" 

and, of course,
5.25" (soft-sector, hard-sector (10 and 16), twiggy)
3.5"  (early ones without shutter, manual shutter, one-way shutter,
floptical)

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From: Vintage Computer Festival <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed Apr 16 19:07:00 2003

> > 2.0, 2.5, 2.8, 3.0, 3.25, and 4.0 inch formats and finding even one example

Who used them; who made them?  Do you have a handy chart, Fred?

> 3.5"  (early ones without shutter, manual shutter, one-way shutter,

"One-way shutter"?

-- 

Sellam Ismail                                        Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger                http://www.vintage.org

 * Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *

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From: "John Allain" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed Apr 16 19:57:00 2003

There's a guy at the MIT swap meet and the TCF 
that sold them for $6/ea from 1999-2002, and,
hopefully now.  I have one here if you need more
details.
If you really want one and can't go I could get it for
you.

John A.

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From: "Fred Cisin (XenoSoft)" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed Apr 16 20:59:00 2003

There were a couple of 2.5" and a couple of 2.9"  One was a spiral track,
and one (TEC?) was the same as a 720K 3.5" (80 track, etc.)

> Who used them; who made them?  Do you have a handy chart, Fred?

IBM.  They showed sample drives, made by Tabor?, and disks by Brown,
before they finally went with 3.5".  They showed them a LOT, and released
some "engineering samples", but never seem to have put them into a
production machine.

> > 3.5"  (early ones without shutter, manual shutter, one-way shutter,

The original 3.5" had no shutter.  The ones that I have are labeled
"Shugart".

The next ones had a completely manual shutter.  YOU opened it, YOU closed
it.

Then came the "one way", or "pinch" shutter.  You opened it manually, and
to close it, you squeezed the corner of the disk.  A few drives would open
the disk for you, but you still needed to pinch the corner to release the
shutter to close it.  Some current disks still have the arrow that points
to where you pinch it.

Then came the current style that opens AND closes it for you.

The 3.25" is a much more interesting story (Dysan bet the company on it)

At one time, the journalists were arguing about 3 v 3.25 v 3.5, as "shirt
pocket disks".  MOST of them got it wrong.  George Morrow had the
solution, "Let's just payoff the clothing business to make 5.25" shirt
poskets." 
(Anybody got a copy of "Quotations from Chairman Morrow"?)

--
Fred Cisin                      [email-masked]
XenoSoft                        http://www.xenosoft.com

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From: "Fred Cisin (XenoSoft)" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed Apr 16 21:13:00 2003

> can try to talk him out of them.

and I sent him a 3.25" diskette.  But I doubt that he would part with any
unless he had duplicates.

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From: "Mike" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed Apr 16 21:38:59 2003

From: Joe <[email-masked]>

>    Zenith used 2" disk in one of their laptops, I think it was called a
Mini-Sport. I've found the machines and disk on both E-bay and at hamfest. I
used to have two drives and about 13 or 14 disks but gave them away. Mike
Haas got them.

Yeah, I've got that box in front of me right now.  Fuji Film Floppy Disk
LT-1, 2 inch, 10-pack (DSDD, 245TPI, 80 tracks) specifically for the Zenith
Minisport and compatibles.  Each teenee floppy has it's own jewele-t case...
classy.  I wonder if they'll fit in my Canon Xapshot.  I can send out a few
disks, send email.

- Mike: [email-masked]

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From: Vintage Computer Festival <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed Apr 16 22:21:00 2003

> some "engineering samples", but never seem to have put them into a

Interesting.  Have you got a sample?

> The original 3.5" had no shutter.  The ones that I have are labeled

I think I have one.

> The next ones had a completely manual shutter.  YOU opened it, YOU closed

Wacky.

> shutter to close it.  Some current disks still have the arrow that points

Ah.  The first 3.5" disk I ever owned was an HP labeled disk with a pinch
shutter (I still have it somewhere).

> Then came the current style that opens AND closes it for you.

Technology marches on.

> (Anybody got a copy of "Quotations from Chairman Morrow"?)

No, but I'd like a copy.

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