D I S K O T I M*

USER MANUAL


for PC-DOS* and MS-DOS* Systems





Copyright (C) 1983 by Ray Hallman

No part of this publication may be reproduced,
transmitted, transcribed, stored in a
retrieval system or translated into any
language or computer or computer language, in
any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical,
manual or otherwise, except as provided herein
without prior written permission of Ray
Hallman, 10120 Pasture Gate Lane Columbia,
Maryland, 21044 ( COMPUSERVE --> 71445,1060 )

Disclaimer

Ray Hallman makes no representation or
warranties with respect to the contents hereof
and specifically disclaims any implied
warranties or merchantability or fitness for
any particular purpose. Further, Ray Hallman
reserves the right to revise this publication
and to make changes from time to time in the
content hereof without obligation to notify
any person of such revision or changes.


Version 1.1

May 28, 1983




*DISKOTIM is a trademark of Ray Hallman
*MS-DOS is a trademark of MICROSOFT.
*PC-DOS is a trademark of I.B.M.















DISKOTIM - 2





TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. WARRANTIES, GUARRANTEES, and LIABILITIES

2. LICENSE AGREEMENT

3. GENERAL DESCRIPTION AND FEATURES OF "DISKOTIM"

4. LOADING INSTRUCTIONS

5. MAIN MENU

6. DISK DRIVE SPEED TESTS

7. DISK DRIVE HEAD POSITION AND TRACK SELECTION

8. SELECTION OF "QUAD DENSITY" AND BACK TO "DUAL DENSITY" DRIVE
PARAMETERS.

9. USE OF TEST DISKETTES WITH DISKOTIM

10. QUITTING FROM THE DISKOTIM PROGRAM BACK TO THE SYSTEM

11. SOME COMMENTARY ON THE DRIVE SPEED ADJUSTMENT

12. SOME COMMENTARY ON THE DRIVE ALIGNMENT PROCEDURES


































DISKOTIM - 3


1. WARRANTIES, GUARRANTEES, and LIABILITIES


THE PROGRAM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY
KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO
THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND
PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE PROGRAM PROVE
DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING,
REPAIR OR CORRECTION.

IN NO EVENT WILL RAY HALLMAN BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY
DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS OR OTHER
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR
INABILITY TO USE SUCH PROGRAM EVEN IF RAY HALLMAN HAS BEEN
ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY
ANY OTHER PARTY.

Information in this document is subject to change without
notice and does not represent commitment on the part of RAY
HALLMAN. The software described in this document is furnished
under license agreement. The software may be used or copied only
in accordanced with the terms of the agreement. It is against
the law to copy this software on magnetic tape, disk, diskette,
or any other medium for any purpose other than the purchaser's
own personal use and then only after having agreed to said
license agreement.

I sincerely hope that you find the program package contained
herein to be of use to you. I have decided to make this
available to you and any users of the "distributor system" from
which you obtained it because I have personally received much
good software from such systems and would like to repay some of
this benefit. Also, it is my hope that this will promote good
will among good programmers to distribute their good efforts in a
similar manner. As others before me have said, "if you find
this program helpful and would like to continue to promote this
kind of effort you may contribute something to my above stated
address". I would be delighted to receive $10 or so by return
mail. This would certainly encourage me to continue these
efforts as I do have some other good ideas! I do have a few
copies of the distribution version of this program with hardcopy
manual which I will send to you for a donation of $15. Please
bear in mind that there is no obligation as long as its only for
your own use. Thanks! In any case your comments on this either
by telephone, email, or mail would be pleasantly accepted.

Sincerely, Ray Hallman















DISKOTIM - 4


2. LICENSE AGREEMENT

YOU SHOULD READ THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS BEFORE MAKING
USE OF THE PROGRAMS CONTAINED IN THIS PACKAGE. USING THE PROGRAM
PACKAGE INDICATES THAT YOU ACCEPT THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND
CONDITIONS.

1. RAY HALLMAN provides these program softwares "as is"
without warranty of any kind. The entire risk as to
the quality and performance of these programs is yours.

2. If the programs prove defective, you (and not RAY
HALLMAN or any distributor) assume the entire cost of
all necessary servicing, correction, or repair.

3. You may: A) Use these program softwares on a machine at
a single location, B) Copy these program softwares for
backup or modification purposes in support of your use
of them at a single location.

4. You may NOT: A) Use, copy, modify, or transfer these
program softwares, or any copy, modification, or merged
portion, in whole or in part, except as expressly
provided for in this license, B) Sub-license, assign,
or transfer the license or these program softwares.

5. This program is the property of RAY HALLMAN, 10120
Pasture Gate Lane, Columbia, Maryland, 21044 (301-730-
5624) ( COMPUSERVE --> 71445,1060 ) all rights are
retained except as provided herein. A limited license
for use of versions released prior to May., 1983 is
granted. These early versions may be distributed
to software users only, providing that both the .EXE
file and the .DOC files are not separated or modified
and no costs other than media are charged. Reports of
bugs will be appreciated. No maintenance is committed.

ANY ATTEMPT TO DO ANY OF THE ABOVE (SECTION 4) WILL VOID
THIS AGREEMENT.

RAY HALLMAN's ENTIRE LIABILITY AND YOUR EXCLUSIVE REMEDY IS
THAT YOU MAY TERMINATE THIS AGREEMENT BY RETURNING THESE PROGRAM
SOFTWARES.

IN NO EVENT WILL RAY HALLMAN BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES,
INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVING, OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES
ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THESE PROGRAM
SOFTWARES.















DISKOTIM - 5


3. GENERAL DESCRIPTION AND FEATURES OF "DISKOTIM"

Congratulations on your acceptance of "DISKOTIM" which shows
your excellent judgment of exceptional value. For you are
getting two valuable test and diagnostic tools for 5" drives:

1. A handy Diskette Drive speed measurement tool which
indicates very precisely the Rotation Speed in a non
destructive manner without writing on the diskette.

2. A very useful Drive Stepper Utility that enables you to
exercise your drives without the expensive Disk Drive
Test Set usually required for this purpose.

"DISKOTIM" will work with any Single Sided or Double Sided
Floppy Drive connected to any IBM-PC Compatible Computer System
running under PC-DOS (MS-DOS). The program is really self
explanatory due to its verbose menu driven format. THIS PROGRAM
UTILITY HAS NOT BEEN TESTED WITH THE PC-jr AND IS NOT EXPECTED TO
WORK SINCE THERE IS NO DMA CIRCUIT IN THE PC-jr.

This instruction booklet explains every detail of the
program usage and even goes so far as to provide some commentary
on Drive Speed Adjustment and Alignment although you the user
must assume all risk and liability for such adjustment. In any
case you can easily see if your drive is operating at the correct
speed and thereby eliminate this very important area of concern.
The disk drive time check can be done in only a few moments using
any PC-DOS (MS-DOS) formatted diskette whenever there is a doubt.
No copy protection scheme is employed so that you may copy the
program to your hard-disk for easy usage. The program does not
measure the speed of hard-disks which are inherently more
accurate and therefore rarely need attention. Some Floppy
Diskette Drives made by some manufacturers are however notorious
in this regard as you may see using this program - if you are
unfortunate to own one of the bad ones.

The "Drive Stepping" Utility is more complicated in purpose
and while you may easily exercise your drives with no risks of
damage to them, the real value comes when used in conjunction
with a special alignment diskette which may be purchased
separately. More about this in a later section of this manual.

Finally, these utilities will work well with all drive
position assignments A:, B:, C:, and D: from the easy menu
selection. No read/write tests are provided by "DISKOTIM" since
you may verify read/write using the normal "FORMAT" utility
provided with the PC-DOS/MS-DOS System.















DISKOTIM - 6


4. LOADING INSTRUCTIONS



DISKOTIM

IBM DISKETTE

LOADING INSTRUCTIONS


This program will not auto-boot as shipped. To make a self
booting disk, use the following procedure:

1. Boot the IBM-PC compatible machine with your system
diskette.

2. If you have a 2 disk system, place the DISKOTIM
diskette in drive B. (see NOTE below)

3. Transfer your DISKOTIM.EXE file to the "SYSTEM"
diskette by entering the following command:

COPY B:DISKOTIM.EXE A: & CARRIAGE RETURN

4. "DISKOTIM" is started simply by booting the disk made
in step 3 above and then typing DISKOTIM.

5. It is strongly suggested that you store away your
original copy now and not use the original for any
testing to protect against accidental loss of DISKOTIM.


NOTE: For single drive systems, the DOS SYSTEM Diskette is
considered as drive A:, and the DISKOTIM Diskette as
drive B:. Follow the prompts displayed by your
Computer System.


























DISKOTIM - 7


5. MAIN MENU

The Main Menu is displayed as a result of either of two
operator actions:

1. When the program is initially invoked by typing
"DISKOTIM" from the Operator Console after the system
is booted.

2. When "H" is entered from the console after the prompt
"Next Command?"


The Main Menu presents 3 groups of commands:

1. Commands A, B, C, and D are the Time/Speed Tester.
2. Commands I, O, K, L, i, o, k, and l are the Stepper.
3. Commands H and Q provide Helps and Quits.


The Main Menu:

DISKOTIM
PERSONAL COMPUTER DISK TESTING UTILITY, V 1.1
"DISKOTIM" HAS 14 BASIC COMMANDS:
A DISPLAYS THE ROTATION SPEED OF DRIVE A:
B DISPLAYS THE ROTATION SPEED OF DRIVE B:
C DISPLAYS THE ROTATION SPEED OF DRIVE C:
D DISPLAYS THE ROTATION SPEED OF DRIVE D:

I STEPS DRIVE A: IN ONE TRACK
O STEPS DRIVE A: OUT ONE TRACK

K STEPS DRIVE B: IN ONE TRACK
L STEPS DRIVE B: OUT ONE TRACK

i STEPS DRIVE C: IN ONE TRACK
o STEPS DRIVE C: OUT ONE TRACK

k STEPS DRIVE D: IN ONE TRACK
l STEPS DRIVE D: OUT ONE TRACK

H HELPS by re-printing the entry INSTRUCTIONS
Q Quits and RETURNS to the SYSTEM

Next Command?

















DISKOTIM - 8


6. DISK DRIVE SPEED TESTS

The Drive Rotation Time (Inverse Speed) Test Utility is
entered when A, B, C, or D is Keyed from the Main Menu. When "A"
is entered the following appears:



DISKTIME for DRIVE A:



Insert a Formatted diskette in A


Then strike any key.



At this point the program waits for the operator to indicate
that a diskette is present in Drive A. When any key is struck,
the rest of the Disk Drive Timing Screen appears:



STRIKE ANY KEY TO END TEST


DISK ROTATION TIME IN MILLISECONDS


D I S K - O - T I M E

197 198 199 200 201 202 203
|....:....|....:....|....:....!....:....|....:....|....:....|
!


As can be seen above, The Disk rotation is specified in
milliseconds by the little "exclamation point" symbol shown under
the 200 value. When the rotation speed is slow, the symbol
"needle pointer" moves to the right. The ideal speed setting is
200 milliseconds as shown. For most drives, it is OK if the
meter reading is within + or - 1 ms or in the range 199 to 201
milliseconds. On the following 2 pages, the entire Timer
Function displays are presented for Commands A, B, C, and D,
which are the four Drive Speed Functions.
















DISKOTIM - 9


DISKTIME for DRIVE A:


Insert a Formatted diskette in A


Then strike any key.



STRIKE ANY KEY TO END TEST


DISK ROTATION TIME IN MILLISECONDS


D I S K - O - T I M E

197 198 199 200 201 202 203
|....:....|....:....|....:....!....:....|....:....|....:....|
!

=================================================================

DISKTIME for DRIVE B:


Insert a Formatted diskette in B


Then strike any key.



STRIKE ANY KEY TO END TEST


DISK ROTATION TIME IN MILLISECONDS


D I S K - O - T I M E

197 198 199 200 201 202 203
|....:....|....:....|....:....!....:....|....:....|....:....|
!


















DISKOTIM - 10


DISKTIME for DRIVE C:


Insert a Formatted diskette in C


Then strike any key.



STRIKE ANY KEY TO END TEST


DISK ROTATION TIME IN MILLISECONDS


D I S K - O - T I M E

197 198 199 200 201 202 203
|....:....|....:....|....:....!....:....|....:....|....:....|
!

=================================================================

DISKTIME for DRIVE D:


Insert a Formatted diskette in D


Then strike any key.



STRIKE ANY KEY TO END TEST


DISK ROTATION TIME IN MILLISECONDS


D I S K - O - T I M E

197 198 199 200 201 202 203
|....:....|....:....|....:....!....:....|....:....|....:....|
!


















DISKOTIM - 11


7. DISK DRIVE HEAD POSITION AND TRACK SELECTION

The Drive Execiser Function may be invoked from the main
menu by entering any of I, O, K, L, i, o, k, or l. If "I" is
entered the following display is seen on your monitor:


STEPPER for DRIVE A:





Use I key to STEP IN one Track

Use O key to STEP OUT one Track

Use R key to RESTORE Drive if required after Disk Error

Use S key to toggle other SIDE of disk, same track position

Use Q/D Keys to Set QUAD/DUAL Density Drive Parameters


STRIKE ANY OTHER KEY TO END TEST AND RETURN TO MAIN MENU



Drive Operating on Side One at Track Number (HEX): 00


-----------------------------------------------------------------

As can been seen from the display, you are presented with a
"mini" Menu that is a list of choices that will cause the
following different operations or actions for Drive "A:" in this
case. The "I" key "STEPS" the Drive Head Carriage in one track
while the "O" key "STEPS" it out from the center hub. The track
number is indicated in HEX at the display bottom. Under some
circumstances, disk errors may occur which can cause the head
carriage to get "out of step" with where the computer controller
"thinks" it is. The "R" command will restore the Drive in an
attempt to correct this situation. The "S" command toggles the
"Side Select Bit" from side 1 to side 2 and if pushed again will
toggle it back again. This is useful when comparing the head
response and alignment between the 2 sides of a double sided
drive. This is explained in more detail below. The displays for
the other 3 drives are presented on the next two pages.
















DISKOTIM - 12


STEPPER for DRIVE B:




Use K key to STEP IN one Track

Use L key to STEP OUT one Track

Use R key to RESTORE Drive if required after Disk Error

Use S key to toggle other SIDE of disk, same track position

Use Q/D Keys to Set QUAD/DUAL Density Drive Parameters


STRIKE ANY OTHER KEY TO END TEST AND RETURN TO MAIN MENU



Drive Operating on Side One at Track Number (HEX): 00


-----------------------------------------------------------------

STEPPER for DRIVE C:




Use i key to STEP IN one Track

Use o key to STEP OUT one Track

Use r key to RESTORE Drive if required after Disk Error

Use s key to toggle other SIDE of disk, same track position

Use q/d Keys to Set QUAD/DUAL Density Drive Parameters


STRIKE ANY OTHER KEY TO END TEST AND RETURN TO MAIN MENU



Drive Operating on Side One at Track Number (HEX): 00


















DISKOTIM - 13


STEPPER for DRIVE D:




Use k key to STEP IN one Track

Use l key to STEP OUT one Track

Use r key to RESTORE Drive if required after Disk Error

Use s key to toggle other SIDE of disk, same track position

Use q/d Keys to Set QUAD/DUAL Density Drive Parameters


STRIKE ANY OTHER KEY TO END TEST AND RETURN TO MAIN MENU



Drive Operating on Side One at Track Number (HEX): 00 disk error!


-----------------------------------------------------------------

Notice that in the display for drive D: we show the error
message "disk error!" that may occur. This indicates that the
drive head carriage position is not successfully being verified
by the drive controller. When using the Special Alignment Disk
you may get this error message. This is OK and should be ignored
since those skilled in the art of Floppy Drive Alignment
procedures can verify through experience that the drive is
operating on the proper track. This is known by the pattern seen
using an oscilloscope during an alignment procedure - more about
this later.



8. SELECTION OF "QUAD DENSITY" AND BACK TO "DUAL DENSITY" DRIVE
PARAMETERS.

During the "Stepper Function" the "Q" and "D" (also "q" and
"d") keys will function to select the QUAD Density or Dual
Density drive parameters required for stepping the drive to the
proper track positions. Use the "Q" and "q" keys to set the QUAD
Density parameters. You may return to the DUAL Density
parameters by using the "D" and "d" keys. The "Stepper Function"
comes up in the DUAL Density mode which is the default mode.
















DISKOTIM - 14



9. USE OF TEST DISKETTES WITH DISKOTIM

You may use any test diskette with "DISKOTIM" for the
"STEPPER" Function. You will however, get the "disk error!"
display for most test diskettes since the controller will be
unable to verify that the correct track is operating. You will
learn to ignore this because the familiar test pattern on each
track will be recognized. The instruction sheet packed with the
test diskette will tell you what the test patterns are on each
track. Test diskettes are expensive (in the $50 range) and can
be obtained from several sources among them are:

The DYSAN CORPORATION
5201 Patric Henry Drive
Santa Clara, California 95050
(800) 538-8133

For DUAL Density Drives with 48 tracks/inch specify P/N
224/2A which can be used for single and double sided Floppy
Drives.

For QUAD Density Drives with 96 tracks/inch specify P/N
802020-206-30 which can be used for single and double sided
Floppy Drives also.

For the "TIMER" Function of "DISKOTIM" you may use any
diskette that is formatted under the PC-DOS (MS-DOS) operating
system. The diskette may be write protected if desired since the
"TIMER" test is NON Destructive in that it doesn't ever write on
the diskette to measure the floppy drive rotation time.
































DISKOTIM - 15


10. QUITTING FROM THE DISKOTIM PROGRAM BACK TO THE SYSTEM

You may exit any test function by striking any key. This
returns you to the main menu. The "Q" command will then return
you to the "SYSTEM" for normal operations. It is advisable to
"cold start" the computer system after using the "DISKOTIM"
program since certain parameters in the computer may be changed
for the convenience of the test program. You can be sure of
correct initial conditions only by a cold restart after running
any test program - this is just S. O. P.

Finally, this program should not be executed on a multi-
user, multi-tasking machine such as the Columbia Data Products
Multi-Personal Computer when other users are on the System since
this may alter the other User's processes.

Other messages seen occasionally during the use of
"DISKOTIM" are presented below:


(C) Copyright RAY HALLMAN 1983


***** QUITTING SEQUENCE BY OPERATOR *****


***** SEQUENCE ABORTED BY OPERATOR *****


... DONE!


***** ERROR ***** Try again!


***** NOT IMPLEMENTED! *****


The above messages need no discussion and occur as a result
of operator action.























DISKOTIM - 16


11. SOME COMMENTARY ON THE DRIVE SPEED ADJUSTMENT

The drive speed adjustment is easy to perform for most
Floppy Drives if you know what you are doing! The main mistakes
that can cause you the most trouble are:

1. Getting the adjustment so far out of alignment that the
controller doesn't function properly.

2. Adjusting the wrong adjustment!

You must be careful to make small adjustments only. Also,
make sure that you see some effect when you turn the pot 1/4 turn
- if you don't see a change in the time display there is either
something really wrong with your drive or you are on the wrong
adjustment! This adjustment is usually found near the drive
motor power wires. Refer to the Maintenance manual for your
drives.

12. SOME COMMENTARY ON THE DRIVE ALIGNMENT PROCEDURES

In general, you can't make Floppy Drive Alignments unless
you are a qualified repair shop or at least know allot about the
floppy drives. The Maintenance Manual for your drives usually
gives all the details for this procedure using a special test
diskette such as the ones mentioned in section 9.

In addition to the test diskette, you will need a good
dual trace oscilloscope with differential input capability such
as the Tektronix 465.

The kinds of checks that are usually made to Floppy Drives
in the field are:

C. E. Lobes track 10
Index to Data track 1 and 22
Azimuth track 22
I.S.V. track 5
Output Amplitude track 27
Speed ---
Resolution track 27

Tracks shown are for the DUAL Density test diskette for
example only - tracks and other instructions are available with
the test diskette.













example only - tracks and other instructions are available with
the test diskette.