What PC add-on cards can read single density (FM) and other unusual formats?
Several different types of add-on floppy controller cards are available for the PC that will let you read floppy formats that your built-in controller may not be able to handle, such as single density (FM). Sometimes an add-on floppy card will have a 765-compatible floppy controller that supports FM. The Adaptec AHA1542CF SCSI hard disk controller includes a floppy disk controller on the same card that supports FM and works with both 300 RPM and 360 RPM drives; so do some other Adaptec cards. This card is easy to use; you just plug it into any spare ISA slot and disable your motherboard FDC. The Catweasel universal floppy disk controller (see http://www.jschoenfeld.com/) uses custom hardware that can be programmed to handle just about any format. The software that comes with the Catweasel can read Amiga, Apple II, and a bunch of other obscure old formats. I’ve written a program for the Catweasel that can copy any disk written by a TRS-80 to the DMK image format (see topic [5], includin
