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One of the functions of the controller is to turn the original data into the proper pattern of polarizations during writing, and then recreate it during reads.Īs the storage is based on timing, and that timing is easily affected by mechanical and electrical disturbances, accurately reading the data requires some sort of reference signal, the clock. It is the timing of these polarization changes and the resulting spikes of voltage that encode the ones and zeros of the original data. Each of these changes, recorded in the polarity of the magnetic recording media, causes a voltage to be induced in the drive head as the disk surface rotates past it.
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2 Input/output ports for common x86-PC controllerĪ floppy disk stores binary data not as a series of values, but a series of changes in value.1.1 Floppy disk controller functions (FDC).In more modern systems, the FDC, if present at all, is typically part of the many functions provided by a single super I/O chip. In these systems, the controller also often combined a microcontroller to handle data transfer over standardized connectors like SCSI and IDE that could be used with any computer. Later designs included more of this functionality on the controller and reduced the complexity of the external circuitry single-chip solutions were common by the later 1980s.īy the 1990s, the floppy disk was increasingly giving way to hard drives, which required similar controllers. Early controllers required additional circuitry to perform specific tasks like providing clock signals and setting various options. The FDC is responsible for reading data presented from the host computer and converting it to the drive's on-disk format using one of a number of encoding schemes, like FM encoding (single density) or MFM encoding (double density), and reading those formats and returning it to its original binary values.ĭepending on the platform, data transfers between the controller and host computer would be controlled by the computer's own microprocessor, or an inexpensive dedicated microprocessor like the MOS 6507 or Zilog Z80. This card is based on the NEC D765AC, the large chip at the top of the image.Ī floppy-disk controller ( FDC) is a special-purpose integrated circuit (IC or "chip") and associated disk controller circuitry that directs and controls reading from and writing to a computer's floppy disk drive (FDD).
See microSD.5-1/4 Diskette Drive Adapter found on the IBM PC. MicroSD capacities have reached 512GB, the equivalent of 365,000 floppies. The arrow points to a microSD card resting on one 3.5" floppy. (Article headline courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer.) This 1999 headline foretold the floppy's future obsolescence. The computer was booted with the operating system floppy in the first drive, and the second drive was used for applications.
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The magnetic disk rotated between two liners inside the plastic jacket.įloppy-based computers such as this Kaypro portable were the rage in the early 1980s. See magnetic disk.įLOPPY TYPES Storage Capacity Highest/Lowest Year Jacket Type MB/KB CreatorĪlthough ubiquitous in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the bendable 5.25" floppy was surpassed by the rigid 3.5" floppy in the late 1980s. However, by looking at the external jacket, one could not always discern the recording format. At 300 RPM, floppies rotated considerably slower than a hard disk, and they came to a complete stop when there was no read/write activity.Įvery new floppy had to be "formatted," which divided the disk into sectors (see format program). The drive grabbed and spun the platter inside its jacket, while the read/write head contacted the surface through an opening. The floppy's recording surface was a circular platter of magnetically coated plastic similar to magnetic tape, except that both sides were recordable.
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By the mid-1990s, the floppy gave way to the CD-ROM for software distribution, while local networks and the Internet became popular for backup and data exchange. Although computers with hard disks emerged in the 1980s, they had at least one floppy drive for distributing applications, backup and data transfer between machines. In the late 1970s, the floppy was the first personal computer storage medium. Officially a "diskette," it was nicknamed "floppy" because the first varieties were housed in bendable jackets.
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This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing ( ) floppy diskAn earlier, reusable magnetic storage medium and drive introduced by IBM in 1971.