[vcf-midatlantic] Strange Commodore 1581 floppy drive issue

[Russell LeChard]

Good Morning All. I am seeking some help from some Commodore experts with a
Commodore 1581 floppy Disk drive.

Some background:

I've been an IT specialist specializing in IBM and compatible PCs since the
early 90's. However, I started my computing journey with the TRS-80 model
III and  Commodore 64. I fell in love with the C64, and it began my start
in a very successful career in IT. (see attach photo of my c64 setup in
1986 LOL)

Recently I was lucky enough to find a C64C, a C128, and a 1581 3.5 floppy
drive online for a reasonable price. Well, I did pay a premium for the
1581, but I never had one back in the day and well, I treated myself..

This past weekend I tested all 3 items and for the most part all worked OK.
I was concerned the most about the 1581 working. After a delay in
remembering the correct syntax for the C64 format disk command (open
15,8,15,"N0:testdisk,01": close15) - My memory isn't what it was in my
younger days! LOL :-D), I was able to format a disk and then save a simple
basic prg to it. However, when I try to load this basic prg (on the C64),
it locks up the c64 and there seems to be no activity led lights and the
1581. I need to reboot the C64.

Now, I tried the same task using the c128 and the same 1581 and floppy
disk, I can now format, save, and load a basic prg without any issues.
Everything seemed to work fine. My question is, are there any known
compatibility issues between the C64C and the 1581 that the c128 fixed? I
always thought the 1581 was compatible with the C64 and c64C? Very Strange.
Any thoughts and advice are welcome.Thank you in advance.

Take Care,
Russell LeChard