[vcf-midatlantic] Strange Commodore 1581 floppy drive issue

[Bryan Pope]

Good afternoon Russell,

Just making sure to cover all the bases - are the 3.5" floppy disks you
used in the 1581 DS - *DD*, not HD?

Cheers,

Bryan

On Mon, May 16, 2022 at 11:03 AM Russell LeChard via vcf-midatlantic <
vcf-midatlantic at lists.vcfed.org> wrote:

> 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
>