How do you make a 1050 CPS floppy?

[macsonny]

Hi All,

 

Been reading a little about the Atari 1050 diagnostics floppy software called "Atari 1050 CPS".

 

To get a "quality" floppy for diagnostics testing, I read you need a floppy made on a perfect 1050 drive and it has to be true double density.

 

Is that true?

 

If so, is there a process to make our own quality floppies of the CPS software? I have 8 x 1050 drives, some with a Happy upgrade and 2 x Indus GT drives so assume one of those drive should be able to make the CPS floppy right?

 

Anyone got a process?

 

Thanks

 

macsonny

[Peri Noid]

You need to have a copy prepared on a drive with a perfectly alligned head so that you can position any other in a reliable way. Otherwise, whatever you realign, will be aligned as the drive on which you prepared the disk - and it doesn't have to be as it should. Otherwise - there should be no problem.

A real DD drive is required because a HD drive is usually an 80-track drive and thus created paths, that are too narrow with a lot of "noise" in between the tracks.

[macsonny]

6 minutes ago, Peri Noid said:

You need to have a copy prepared on a drive with a perfectly alligned head so that you can position any other in a reliable way. Otherwise, whatever you realign, will be aligned as the drive on which you prepared the disk - and it doesn't have to be as it should. Otherwise - there should be no problem.

A real DD drive is required because a HD drive is usually an 80-track drive and thus created paths, that are too narrow with a lot of "noise" in between the tracks.

Ok. So is it just a matter of loading the ATR file using FujiNet (or similar), formatting the floppy on my Indus GT to DS (on DD drive) and then copying the ATR file to the freshly formatted floppy?

[+kheller2]

The 1050 Diagnostics disk is just a plain disk.  Heck, the binaries could be copied however you want. Or boot it via whatever method you prefer.

The analog Alignment disk (which is a different part number) is specially formatted and for use with SillyScopes to align the heads, etc.  This disk can not be hand made.  Some folks of resorted to using official Atari factory formatted disks to help them align if things are really out of whack, but nothing will produce the signals from the original alignment disks.. AFAIK.

 

 

[macsonny]

2 hours ago, kheller2 said:

The 1050 Diagnostics disk is just a plain disk.  Heck, the binaries could be copied however you want. Or boot it via whatever method you prefer.

The analog Alignment disk (which is a different part number) is specially formatted and for use with SillyScopes to align the heads, etc.  This disk can not be hand made.  Some folks of resorted to using official Atari factory formatted disks to help them align if things are really out of whack, but nothing will produce the signals from the original alignment disks.. AFAIK.

 

 

Does anyone have a FLuxEngine image of the specially formatted floppy they can share?

 

[+kheller2]