{Recovered from a dead Atari Sector}
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Below is a list of drives compatible with the A8 range of computers. It's by no means exhaustive, but at least provide the model numbers of the vast majority know to have existed.8bitbaz
NB: All drives are 5¼", single sided and single density as standard. Additional features are listed:-
DD = double density, DS = double sided, ED = enhanced density, QD = quad density, ID = ibm density.
Atari Branded:
Atari 810
Atari 1050 - ED
Atari XF551 - DD DS ED
1053 - DD DS (maybe only prototype exist?)
1055 - 3½" ED (prototypes exist)
1056 - design stage only
1057 - 3.9" removable disk drive (Syquest?) design stage only
1058 - a budget (Low Cost) unit design stage only
XF551 - DD DS
XF351 - 3½" (maybe only prototype exist?)
XF521 - ED (maybe only prototype exist?)
3rd Party Branded:
Access ATAR88-1
Access ATAR40-1 - DD
Amdek AMDC I - DD 3" disk
Amdek AMDC II - DD dual drive
AS SN-360 - DS ED DD
Astra 1001 - DD
Astra 1620 - DD
Astra 2001 - DD
Astra Big-D - DD DS
Astra The One - DD DS
Centurian Enterprises - DD DS
Concorde C-221M - DD - master
Concorde C-222M - DD DS - master
Concorde C-221S - DD - slave can only be used linked to master
Concorde C-222S - DD DS - slave can only be used linked to master
Flop Roznov VD40 - DD ED
Indus GT - DD ED ram charger
Karin Maxi - DS
L.E. Systems LEDS5-01 - DD CP/M
L.E. Systems LEFDC-04 - 4-DRIVE
L.E. Systems LEFDC-08 - 8-DRIVE
LDW Super 2000 - DD [Logical Design Works Inc]
CA-2001 - DD [Logical Design Works Inc]
CA-2002 - DS ED DD [Logical Design Works Inc]
Micro MainFrame MF-1681 - DD
Micro MainFrame MF-1682 dual drive
Percom AT88
Percom AT88-S1 PD - DD
Percom AT88-S2 PD - DD dual
Percom RFD40-S1 - DD
Percom RFD40-S2 - DD
Percom RFD44-S1 - DD DS
Percom RFD44-S2 - DD DS dual
Rana 1000 - ED DD
San Jose Computer Special Edition 810
Spider - ED DD prototype
SWP ATR8000 - CP/M
TOMS 710 - DD DS ED QD ID + DS (80 tracks)
TOMS 720 - DD DS ED QD ID
Trak AT-1 - DD
Trak AT-D1 - DD
Trak AT-D2 - DD
Trak AT-D4 - DD DS
Trak AT-S1 - DD
Trak Champ
Trak Champ2 - DD
Viatronic Brno VD 40 - DD ED
Note:
California Access and LDW drives are made by Logical Design Works Inc - this company also made XCA12 and CA12 tape loaders, as well as joysticks and ST software.
Post by 8bitbaz on Dec 20, 2015 at 1:17pm
Cool,
Of those rare-bird 3rd party drives I see you have a RANA as well as 2 INDUS GTs, fella.
Did you ever (almost) acquire either a Percom or Astra as I was thinking you had got your paws on one of those too?
I know Thark's a massive 1050 nut - I know where he's coming from - solid as a rock.
Also, guys, is it true that the 810 (as well as being a noisy bastard/twice as noisy as a 1050) was TWICE as physically high as a 1050?
I need to get me mitts on one of those, one of these days... just for curiosity value.
8BB
admin
the percom and astra were both on ebastid - asking silly money!!!
astra last listed @ £300, percom @ £250 - don't think either sold (surprisingly)
don't think the 810 is twice as high, but there was a 3rd party version of the 810 that was a dual drive
Baker
Post by Baker on Jan 9, 2016 at 11:04pm
I never heard of the 1055 drive by Atari, maybe it wasn't released in the U.S., or it's also just a prototype? I never heard of the 1053 or the other XF drives by Atari either, but that's understandable if they were only prototypes. I do know that there was a U.S. company that had an upgrade for the XF551 to make it 3.5", the same company that made the 'Black box' PBI HDD interface similar to ICD's Multi I/O PBI device. I forget the companies' name offhand, I will have to look up their ads in one of my old Antic or Analog A8 magazines.
Yes, the 810 is a tank, just like the 800, and it may be just about twice as tall as the 1050, I think it's more than twice as big overall. HUGE.
admin
there were a handful of Atari protos around the 84-88 period, but almost as many again only ever reached design stage - with no working model ever being made. I think a lot of projects got pulled as Atari struggled financially.
thark
Post by thark on Jan 26, 2016 at 3:28pm
I have never heard of many from your list Brenski, didnt realise also there was so many aftermarket models, wow, are the aftermarket drives easily available nowadays?
Bikerbob
Post by Bikerbob on Apr 2, 2016 at 5:38pm
I see them once and a while on ebay.. I keep my eyes out for them on the local Kijiji. I loved the indus GT.. was a great drive. quiet .. sleek.. looked cool and had a track display.. ohhh ahh
But I would agree the 1050 was SOLID.. THE 810 was big.. it was the drive door that was a hoot.. like a huge garage .. you put a floppy in and it had SPACE.. close the door and the centre drive rings would hold it.. LOL.. never owned any.. but my buddy had 6 drives total when we ran our BBS.. the others he had were RANAs..
The one I always wanted was the Track AT-D4.. that thing was the bomb.. no idea how many they actually made though.
James
admin
yeah the Trak ATs were nice drives
the eject mech on the Rana is an interesting one...
as for the Centurian Enterprises and the San Jose....BOTH have appeared on ebastid in the last few months...and BOTH at stupid money.
the Percom on ebastid at the moment is only being outpriced by a 1050 Mega Speedy advertised at FOUR times its value
Baker
Post by Baker on Apr 3, 2016 at 1:03am
It is really cool that there are so many after market drives. I think i'm going to start collecting some of them. I owned an Indus GT for a while, but I needed money and it was an extra drive and worth the most, so I sold it. I also owned a Rana and an 810, several 1050's, one with the US Doubler. I would have liked to have kept them all, but selling them got me through a tough time. I slimmed down to one floppy drive now, but I'll get a second again for sure, and eventually 4 total, for my 1200XL, that is, if I have other Atari's, they'll have other drives. I've always wanted Astra's 'The One' drive, I find it simple classic sleek, thought it would go well with an XE model.
Post by Baker on Feb 4, 2017 at 12:23pm
I have found one "new" "disk drive" so far, not found in the list above. It's a TRS-80 model III computer! The manufacturers of the Micro-mainframe in Brenski's list above also made the 'Connection A' device that plugged in between a TRS-80 III 50-pin edge connector and the Atari to let you use the TRS-80 drives, sort of like the SIO2PC devices we use today!. No picture yet, the ad was text based.
admin
wow!
more info req'd Baker, cheers
Baker
Post by Baker on Feb 4, 2017 at 12:43pm
Micro MainFrame are also the makers of the other ATR-8000 type add-on. It is apparently an expansion box to one or both of the Micro MainFrame disk drives listed above, allowing the following: Run CP/M, TRS-80 model II and OASIS software. Full 64K Z80 computer, linked, multi-user server with OASIS software.
Just a thought, Brenski, but since the Indus GT can have Z80 CP/M and the Micro MainFrame has the expansion box, and since the ATR 8000 allows the use of drives connected to it to be used with the Atari as well, maybe The MMF expansion box (that seems to be it's official name) and the ATR 8000 maybe should be added to the drive list?
admin
hi Baker
the ATR8000 has been in the list (above) since the day i typed it up!
see "SWP ATR8000 - CP/M"
don't know about the "MMF box" being added tho, as it's not really a d/drive, moreover, an interface?
Baker
Post by Baker on Feb 4, 2017 at 1:44pm
hi Baker
the ATR8000 has been in the list (above) since the day i typed it up!
see "SWP ATR8000 - CP/M"
don't know about the "MMF box" being added tho, as it's not really a d/drive, moreover, an interface?
Sorry, I thought I looked carefully, but missed the ATR8000. As for MMF, it's up to you, one MMF is the 'Connection A' that is just an interface, but allows TRS-80 drives on a model III to be used, and the other is an expansion box for an MMF drive. Maybe just an edit to the MMF drive(s) on the list mentioning CP/M as an expansion option, especially since devices like the ATR 8000 and Indus GT are listed and they have that feature. I could see maybe not wanting to add the interface to the list for TRS-80 III computer though. As I said, just suggestions.
timothykline
Post by timothykline on Sep 28, 2018 at 4:30pm
yeah the Trak ATs were nice drives
the eject mech on the Rana is an interesting one...
as for the Centurian Enterprises and the San Jose....BOTH have appeared on ebastid in the last few months...and BOTH at stupid money.
the Percom on ebastid at the moment is only being outpriced by a 1050 Mega Speedy advertised at FOUR times its value
Were these the gold Centurian drives? (Photos missing)
--Tim
admin
timothykline
there's 2 versions of the Centurian Enterprises Drive - they're the same 810 unit inside.
One is biege/grey in colour and rare, the other is gold in colour and rarer than rare.
the San Jose was also an 810, full name: San Jose Computer Special Edition 810
the owner of S J C made a bulk purchase of 810s and hit them with a custom build aluminium shell.
my understanding of both is that they were bog-standard drives given the pimped-out look.
the practical effect of taking a Ford Fiesta 1.2 and dropping a Jensen Interceptor's body bodywork onto it.
how long before you secure all three for your collection Tim?
timothykline
how long before you secure all three for your collection Tim?
I had adopted the two gold edition drives that were for sale at the same time back then, which is why I was wondering. They work good, but are 810 mechs, as you noted.
--Tim
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Not old. Vintage. :)
The Drive List
A list of Atari 8-bit compatible disk drives
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