1050 passes all diagnostic tests, still can't format a disk

[Tonyscouter]

I ran the 1050 diagnostic disk and passed all the tests but still can't format a floppy disk.  Is there something wrong with the drive or is it because it is a 30 year old floppy disk?  Can floppies lose their ability to be written to?  The drive can read disks fine.  I just don't know what to try next.

[jfalcon]

I assume you go into something like ATARI DOS and use the menu options to try and format the floppy at Standard Density (SD) before trying at Double Density (DD) or Enhanced Density (ED)?
Or at least checking the syntax in SpartaDOS when you use the FORMAT command?

It could be due to the write-protect IR LED is fried. 
Reference this thread:  

 

 

[Nezgar]

It could very well be a bad disk, or a dirty head in the drive.

 

If you can boot DOS, and write a small file (ie. save a small BASIC program) and read it back, then the drive is probably fine. The thing with formatting disks is that even a single bad sector will cause the entire format to return an error. If the write immediately fails, it could be as simple as the write protect function is failing, causing all disks to seem write protected, whether or not the disk has a notch on the side.

 

The format routine should attempt to format all 40 tracks stepping from track 0 through to 39, and then it verifies, tracks 39 to 0. If you listen carefully and count (or even easier to watch if you have the cover off) you can see at what part in the process there is a failure. If the failure happens on the first/innermost verified track, vs some part further past that point, will help give a hint.

 

I would inspect the particular disk you are using for blotches which might indicate mould on the surface, or lines etched into the disk which might indicate a dirty head is scratching it. Clean the head inside the 1050 with a q-tip/cotton swap any isopropyl alcohol. If you are able to remove some amount of brown gunk from the head that is a hint that some of the disk coating has been wearing off onto the head.

[Mrshoujo]

I hope the coils in the Drive head are OK and there's no board level component gone bad.

[Tonyscouter]

On 10/23/2022 at 11:57 PM, Nezgar said:

It could very well be a bad disk, or a dirty head in the drive.

 

If you can boot DOS, and write a small file (ie. save a small BASIC program) and read it back, then the drive is probably fine. The thing with formatting disks is that even a single bad sector will cause the entire format to return an error. If the write immediately fails, it could be as simple as the write protect function is failing, causing all disks to seem write protected, whether or not the disk has a notch on the side.

 

The format routine should attempt to format all 40 tracks stepping from track 0 through to 39, and then it verifies, tracks 39 to 0. If you listen carefully and count (or even easier to watch if you have the cover off) you can see at what part in the process there is a failure. If the failure happens on the first/innermost verified track, vs some part further past that point, will help give a hint.

 

I would inspect the particular disk you are using for blotches which might indicate mould on the surface, or lines etched into the disk which might indicate a dirty head is scratching it. Clean the head inside the 1050 with a q-tip/cotton swap any isopropyl alcohol. If you are able to remove some amount of brown gunk from the head that is a hint that some of the disk coating has been wearing off onto the head.

The drive attempts to format about 12 times before giving error code 173.  I'm going to clean the write protect LED, I recently cleaned the read/write head.

[+kheller2]

We should not have two threads on the same issue.  
 

See if this thread helps: 

 

 

[Tonyscouter]

On 10/30/2022 at 11:49 AM, kheller2 said:

We should not have two threads on the same issue.  
 

See if this thread helps: 

 

 

kheller2, Sorry about creating 2 threads, I got distracted.  Is there a way to delete one of them?  BTW, thanks for the link, it should be helpful when I get back to this issue on the weekend.

[nasty niff]

whats the rpm speed?

 

[+kheller2]

59 minutes ago, mistapaul said:

whats the rpm speed?

 

Close to 7200 after I redline my MR2.  

[_The Doctor__]

clean the heads, lube the drive rails and spindles,

check RPMs/3086 chip(s)/write protect notch sensor/ might be alignment if none of that.

it wouldn't be an index as 1050 doesn't have one nor track zero sensor as it wouldn't read disks if it were bad.

Edited January 29, 2023 by _The Doctor__

[cwc]

 

 

[cwc]

U21 (3086)?

[Peri Noid]

On 10/24/2022 at 3:08 AM, Tonyscouter said:

I ran the 1050 diagnostic disk and passed all the tests but still can't format a floppy disk.  Is there something wrong with the drive or is it because it is a 30 year old floppy disk?  Can floppies lose their ability to be written to?  The drive can read disks fine.  I just don't know what to try next.

Just to make sure - you are NOT trying to format a HD floppy, do you?

[gilsaluki]

Yep.  No IBM 5.25 disks.  Lot of folks have High density disk laying around.  No go.  Search for a know good disk. 360K disk. 

[gilsaluki]

DS DD 5.25" Floppy disks, MD2D.