Date   : Fri, 06 Apr 2001 08:04:40 +0100
From   : Mike Tomlinson <mike@...>
Subject: Re: Q: BBC Model B + 3.5" FDD

In article <002001c0be53$151fc320$663ed2cc@...>, Chris + Tina Saddler
<csaddler@...> writes

>    I recently bought  a BBC Model B. It came with NO disk drive but it 
>    does have the 8271 DFS upgrade and the DFS 0.9 ROM installed.
>
>    I'm trying to hook up  a 3.5" 1.44Mb Floppy Drive (from a PC) and 
>    I'm running into some problems. The Floppy Drive that I have is an 
>    EPSON SMD-340. It has several jumpers on the PCB including one to
select 
>    DS0/DS1.  I have it set to DS0. I have connected the FDD to the BBC
Model B Disk to the disk drive edge connector with a 34-way ribbon cable
(no twist).
>
>    When I try to format a disk with the command *FORMAT, the Beeb 
>    responds after a short pause with the message "Disc fault 18 at
00/00".


DFS 0.9 has no FORMAT command.  The disc formatter came on a separate
utility disc.

What is happening when you type *FORMAT is that the OS, having offered
the command to all the ROMs fitted to the machine and none having
responded to it, then offers it to the DFS as a command /to be run from
disc/.  The DFS tries to load and run a program called FORMAT, but
because the disc is unformatted, you get a Disc fault 18 at 00:00
message.  Disc fault 18 means 'sector not found', 00:00 is track 0,
sector 0.  (In other words, the DFS cannot read the catalogue of the
disc.)

>    I also tried formatting a disk using ANADISK on my PC. This 
>    appeared to
>    work, but when I tried to save a file to that disk from the Beeb it 
>    gave me the
>    same error message as above.

This won't work.  You need to find a formatter program and get it into
the Beeb somehow, or fit a third-party utility ROM (such as Disc Doctor)
which will allow you to format a disc, or fit an alternative DFS ROM
(the Watford one is good.)

>    I have seen some references to DNFS 1.21 or 1.20a which are DFS 
>    versions that
>    have been patched to allow the use of 3.5" FDD's. Do I need this?

Probably not.

>    My question is what do  need to do to get a 3.5" FDD to work with 
>    the 8271 disk interface?

It sounds like you already have it working; you just need to get a
formatter program.

>    Any help and advice is welcome.

Please could you set your email program to post in plain text, not HTML.
thanks.

-- 
"Security-wise, NT is a server with a 'Kick me' sign taped to it."
                      - Peter Gutmann