Japenese floppy standard??

[gt40]

I've got a customer that has a piece of equipment that requires a new floppy drive,
only problem is that a standard drive will not work in this unit.
The main control unit is PC based, but the floppy drive is a non-stadard type - most likely a 1.2M mode 3 drive (japenese standard???)
I have read that these possibly run at a higher rpm (360rpm vs 300) or not.
Does anyone know the actual difference? and possibly where I can get ahold of one of these units?
The manufacturer of the machinery wants $500 US , but I can't see any phyical difference in the unit itself. It uses standard 720K disks available here , so it can't be too far off in compatibility.
Just can't justify spending $500 US on a floppy drive

[az]

I only know that my old Pentium MMX had an option in the BIOS to switch the floppy drive standard to Model 3.

[gt40]

Most newer motherboards have this, as I think Japan still uses this standard, but ask someone here for a mode 3 drive and they look at you funny.
Some of the youg'uns don't even know what a floppy dirive is!

[TransformX]

I think telephony exchanges (Nortel) use those floppy drives as well.

[Umfriend]

Weren't those RLL instead of MFM drives?

[Sasq]

erm I can ask in the office today, see if my co-worker can point me to a supplier.
either that, or I could go to aki this weekend and pick up a second hand one for about $5 (maybe)

[VJ]

don't even know what a floppy dirive is!

Neither do I: a floppy dirive?

(sorry, couldn't resist)

I've always wondered about that bios setting.

Jörg

[gt40]

Don't want to put anyone out of their way, Dan.
A supplier might make it easier for all parties, but if you happen to be going to 'aki' let me know and we can make arrangements to have a couple shipped here

[gt40]

@VJ
Stop it you are showing your age

[Sasq]

well I'll price up some mode 3's today

[schmosef]

If you have give me some names of 3 mode floppy drive manufacturers or models I might be able to source them through normal distribution channels.

[BATT]

GT40

Have same problem as you with my sodick wire cutter ... they tell me tha tthey do not have any floppy drives availiable so they want to sell me a new computer with new type of drives ... cost 10000 dollars australian ... because it is not compatiable with the new computer ... different scan rate ... 3000 dollars.
Use to have the machines floppys serviced by a company in sydney but has gone out of business ... he could not test them when he serviced them as he said they spun at the speed that shure 8 inch drives ... he seem to think that some soft ware was probaly written for them.

Batt

[BATT]

GT 40

Left out screen was not compatiable with new computer.

Batt

[Nicram]

You may use LS120 floppy (it is connected to IDE cables, but work as standard floppy). Then you will not have to think about floppy problems & You will got support for 120MB disks (LS120 support old floppy disks & super disks 120MB ).

[gt40]

I'm not even sure these boards have connections for IDE, they typically have only two floppy drives, one for the system, and one for the data.

@Batt, these drive are still available here for about $500 from a Sodick distributer.

Sasq: any luck on the floppies?