Personal Computer News September 1, 1983.
Disk mix for Ace
is developing it for the Spectrum as well as other micros. It can be contacted on 1234-123456. Microprocessor Engineering's system sidesteps the problems generally encountered by the read/data separator system. The Jet Disk's arrangement, known as a digital phase-lock loop, doesn't require you to get involved in setting it up and the manufacturer says that it will never drift, giving you fast and reliable disk reads.
The board can be set up to be driven by any micro - on-board ROM and RAM sockets take the driver software and Disk buffer for the machine to which the Jet Disk is attached.
system is the fact that if you change computers, you don't have to buy new disk drives. All you would really need would be a new interface cable and new software,' said Mr Pelc, who added that new software would come out with the Dragon version.
At Jupiter Cantab, marketing manager Geoffrey Walker said: 'We may market these drives, depending on demand.'
On the software side, Mr Walker said Jupiter Cantab was thinking of taking over the Remsoft catalogue.
Versions of Jet Disk for the Jupiter Ace and the Dragon will be on sale direct from Microprocessor Engineering in September, and the company
An adaptable, if expensive, disk drive, unit is due out for the Jupiter Ace and the Dragon in September from an independent peripherals maker.
Designed and built by Microprocessor Engineering of Southampton, Jet Disk is intended as a universal floppy disk controller. Its system box contains the power supply, one or two internal Sin disks, and the controller board. From this you can hang four further drives.
Marketing manager Steven Pelc says the system will take 3¼ in, 3½ in, 5¼ in or 8 in drives, which can be single of double density and single or double sided, with any mixture of them running at any one time.
One 3¼ in drive will store 180K and will cost £300, while a second' one will be £131.75. Alternatively, you can buy the controller board, interface cable and software for £109.25, enabling you to build your own interface.
Mr Pelc explained: 'If you want to supply your own disk drives instead of buying the box and its power supply, you can buy the guts for it instead, and make your own.' This alternative, he said, would be the obvious choice for people owning micros the company doesn't support.
The good thing about the
