Editing Floptical (section)

== Technical aspects ==
{| class="wikitable floatright" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto" float:right
|+Technical specifications
|Unformatted || 25 [[Megabyte|MB]]
|-
|Formatted || {{val|20385}} [[Kilobyte|KB]]
|-
|[[Rotational speed]] || 720 [[Revolutions per minute|rpm]]<ref name="Floptical_1990_Spec"/>
|-
|Track density || {{val|1250}} [[Tracks per inch|TPI]]<ref name="Floptical_1990_Spec"/>
|-
|Recording density || {{val|23980}} bpi ([[Run Length Limited|RLL]])<ref name="Floptical_1990_Spec"/>
|-
|Transfer from disk || 1.6 [[Megabit per second|Mb/s]]<ref name="Floptical_1990_Spec"/>
|-
|Buffer transfer rate || 2&nbsp;MB/s<ref name="Floptical_1990_Spec"/>
|-
|[[seek time|Average seek time]] || 65 [[millisecond|ms]]<ref name="Floptical_1990_Spec"/>
|-
|Settle time || 15 ms<ref name="Floptical_1990_Spec"/>
|-
|Motor start time || 750 ms<ref name="Floptical_1990_Spec"/>
|-
|Number of heads || 2<ref name="Floptical_1990_Spec"/>
|-
|Cylinders || 755<ref name="Floptical_1990_Spec"/>
|-
|Sectors per track || 27
|-
|Sector size || 256, 512, or 1024 [[byte]]s (set at format time)
|-
|Interface || [[SCSI]]
|}
The technology involves reading and writing data magnetically, while optically aligning the read/write head in the drive using grooves in the disk being sensed by an infrared LED and sensor (a form of [[visual servo]]).<ref name="Pollack_1990_Floppy"/> The magnetic head touches the recording surface, as it does in a normal floppy drive. The optical servo tracks allow for an increase in the tracking precision of the magnetic head, from the usual 135 tracks per inch to {{val|1250}} tracks per inch. Floptical disks provide 21 [[megabyte|MB]] of storage. The drive has a second set of read/write heads so that it can read from and write to standard 720&nbsp;KB and 1.44&nbsp;MB ({{val|1440}}&nbsp;KB) disks as well.<ref name="Pollack_1990_Floppy"/><ref name="Floptical_1990_Spec"/>

To allow for a high degree of compatibility with existing [[SCSI]] host adapters, Floptical drives were designed to work as a standard floppy disk drive, and not as a removable [[hard disk]]. To ensure this, a "write lockout" feature was added in the [[firmware]], effectively inhibiting writing (including any kind of [[disk formatting|formatting]]) of the media. It is possible to unlock the drive by issuing a SCSI Mode Sense Command, and Insite also issued [[EPROM]]s where this feature was not present.

At least two models were produced, one with a manual lever that mechanically ejected the disc from the drive, and another with a small pinhole into which a paperclip can be inserted, in case the device rejected or ignored [[SCSI]] eject commands.