[vcf-midatlantic] USB Floppies that are flexible? Cleaning a 3.5" drive?

[Bill Degnan]

you mean format 720K too? a USB drive that formats 720K using what OS?
b

On Tue, Dec 8, 2020 at 2:11 PM Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic <
vcf-midatlantic at lists.vcfed.org> wrote:

>
>    I have a LaCie USB 3.5" drive (model "MYFLOPPY3") that handles 720KB
> disks just fine, I use it all the time for those.
>
>    These will never be able to do arbitrary non-PeeCee disk formats,
> though.
>
>                -Dave
>
> On 12/8/20 1:57 PM, Jason Perkins via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
> > I have a ~2003 vintage NEC usb floppy drive that can read and write, but
> > not format PC 720k disks. Inside it has a normal laptop disk mechanism,
> > with an external USB converter board.
> >
> > I can look up the model if anyone is interested.
> >
> > On Tue, Dec 8, 2020 at 8:59 AM Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic <
> > vcf-midatlantic at lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
> >
> >> IMHO there is no modern solid USB substitute for the 720K disk drive,
> for
> >> both software and hardware reasons.  I'd set up a "tweener" PC for this
> >> kind of work that has an actual 3.5" drive installed and an OS like
> Windows
> >> 2000.  You can also install a 5 1/4" drive..
> >> Bill
> >>
> >> On Tue, Dec 8, 2020 at 10:00 AM John Heritage via vcf-midatlantic <
> >> vcf-midatlantic at lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Hey folks,  two asks -- I'm looking for advice:
> >>>
> >>> Are there any USB or external floppy drive arrangements that are
> flexible
> >>> like internal floppy drives for allowing formatting and/or reading of
> >>> unusual sector sizes or formats?
> >>>
> >>> Ex:  800KB Atari ST floppies and PC DOS disks formatted in unusual
> sizes
> >>>
> >>> ..
> >>>
> >>> Second question is -what is the easiest way to clean the heads on a
> 3.5"
> >>> floppy?   If I have a bunch of 'suspect' floppies that I want to clean
> >> the
> >>> head between every disk it seems a little painful to disassemble the
> >> drive
> >>> enough to see the heads and clean.  Are there any alternatives?
> >>>
> >>> (I'm used to 5.25" drives where there's often enough space in there to
> >> wipe
> >>> without disassembly).
> >>> Maybe there's a good (modern) source of 3.5" cleaning floppies?
> >>>
> >>> (P.S.  I have a K6-3+ PC I can put a fresh OS on so I may be cleaning a
> >>> legacy 3.5" drive instead of a USB floppy).
> >>>
> >>> Thanks!
> >>> John
> >>>
> >>
> >
> >
>
>
> --
> Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
> New Kensington, PA
>