ChanServ changed the topic of ##yamahasynths to: Channel dedicated to questions and discussion of Yamaha FM Synthesizer internals and corresponding REing. Discussion of synthesis methods similar to the Yamaha line of chips, Sound Blasters + clones, PCM chips like RF5C68, and CD theory of operation are also on-topic. Channel logs: https://freenode.irclog.whitequark.org/~h~yamahasynths
<Stilett0>
The LS-240 SuperDisk 3.5" drive could do 240.39 MB on a single one of its disks and format a standard 3.5" floppy up to 32 MB. Both it and its LS-120 SuperDisk drive predecessor have a generally good reputation at reading/recovering "sketchy" standard 3.5" floppies.
<Stilett0>
I am thinking that a Kryoflux/Greaseweazel equivalent flux reader designed for LS-240/LS-120 drives would be a potentially remarkable thing for data recovery/disk image capture.
<Foone>
definitely.
<Foone>
the LS240 drives are very rare, though. LS120 not so much.
<Stilett0>
good luck finding/designing such a device for something like them too, much is still unknown/undocumented
<Stilett0>
somewhere on VOGONS I have a list of every single part number under which LS240 drives were sold
<Stilett0>
I might have left something out but that's what I knew at the time
<Foone>
I should disassemble one of my LS120s and see if there's any kind of serial console, like there is on the zip drives
<Foone>
it might be possible to get lower level control over them
<Stilett0>
the last time I looked into a little LS120 research, I found Multibooter's deep dive on msfn.org to be an interesting read. I think they came the closest to the kind of research we'd enjoy, Foone, but stopped well short of it: https://msfn.org/board/topic/152567-ls-120-superdisk-drive-under-win98-and-dos/
<KitsuWhooa>
I have an LS120 drive but it seems broken which is a shame
<Foone>
the good ol' scunthorpe problem
<Stilett0>
no one ever made 64-bit Windows drivers for LS120/LS240 drives either, to the best of my knowledge, the "newest" official drivers were for NT 4.0 x86. That said, the USB LS120 drives should work in Windows 7 64-bit (and up?) using the Microsoft universal sfloppy.sys driver.
<KitsuWhooa>
Did any LS120 drives support UDMA?
<KitsuWhooa>
IIRC they force the entire bus to PIO and that's not fun
<KitsuWhooa>
or I'm misremembering
<Stilett0>
but generally speaking I think that that msfn.org thread has enough esoteric research to give any interested SuperDisk reverse-engineer a headstart on a path for success
<Stilett0>
there's, like, just enough info to be tantalizing
<ejs__>
i think i have an LS-120 drive, i ought to take it apart
<andlabs>
but would this help me with the problems I'm having --- that is would it make building dumping setups easier
<andlabs>
I wish flux engine had better diagnostics than just "it doesn't work here's some reasons why'
<ejs__>
Foone also has that giant floppy disk analyzer thingie
<ejs__>
it's got a 3 1/2" drive and a 5 1/4" drive inside, and both have been modded
<ejs__>
each has a precise linear encoder to measure head position along with a microstepping motor
<Foone>
yeah
<Foone>
I need to do more work with that
<ejs__>
one thing it might be useful for is making calibration disks
<ejs__>
with some careful software (and if the steppers are fast enough) you could create the off-center tracks that some cal disk designs used