what is a Floppy Disk Drive?

The floppy disk drive reads data from and writes data to a small disk. The most common type is the 3.5" drive followed by the
completely obsolete 5.25" drive, among other sizes.

A floppy disk drive is a hardware device that reads one of the first types of portable data storage media -- floppy diskettes, also
known as floppy disks. Over the years, like many other aspects of personal computing, these disks got smaller and smaller, but
increased their capacity. As they changed, the floppy disk drive also changed. But as newer storage technologies are developed
and the floppy disk becomes increasingly outdated, the drives that read them are becoming increasingly rare as well.

The floppy disk drive has many parts that are needed in order for it to work properly. Among the most important of these are the
read and write heads. Most floppy drives have two of these heads. These are used to get information from the disk and transfer
information to the disk. Some floppy disks have tabs that can be moved to prevent the writing of information on a disk, even if an
attempt is made. A motor spins the disk and does so at a rate of at least 360 revolutions per second.

The other major parts of a floppy disk drive include the stepper motor and circuit board. The stepper motor is responsible for
moving the read/write heads where they need to be. The circuit board is responsible for taking the information and transferring it
between the computer and floppy disk drive. The circuit board is also responsible for controlling the motors of the floppy disk
drive.

While the floppy disk drive used to be a standard feature available on all computers, technology has advanced to the point where
that is no longer the case. Rather, those who want a floppy disk drive will likely need to buy it separate from the computer or
choose it as an add-on option for a new computer. They can still be bought as internal drives or external drives. The external
floppy disk drive, which normally connects to the computer through a USB port, is probably the most popular choice.

8-inch, 5¼-inch (full height), and 3½-inch drives Date invented 1969 (8-inch),
1976 (5¼-inch),
1982 (3½-inch) Invented by IBM team led by David L. Noble[1] Connects to Controller via:

 cable

Parts of a Floppy Disk Drive

Floppy Disk Drive Terminology

The Disk
A floppy disk is a lot like a cassette tape:
Both use a thin plastic base material coated with iron oxide. This
oxide is a ferromagnetic material, meaning that if you expose it to a
magnetic field it is permanently magnetized by the field.
Both can record information instantly.
Both can be erased and reused many times.
Both are very inexpensive and easy to use.
Drive Motor: A very small spindle motor engages the metal hub at the
center of the diskette, spinning it at either 300 or 360 rotations per
minute (RPM).
Stepper Motor: This motor makes a precise number of stepped
revolutions to move the read/write head assembly to the proper track
position. The read/write head assembly is fastened to the stepper
motor shaft.
Mechanical Frame: A system of levers that opens the little protective
window on the diskette to allow the read/write heads to touch the dual-
sided diskette media. An external button allows the diskette to be
ejected, at which point the spring-loaded protective window on the
diskette closes.
Circuit Board: Contains all of the electronics to handle the data read
from or written to the diskette. It also controls the stepper-motor
control circuits used to move the read/write heads to each track, as
well as the movement of the read/write heads toward the diskette
surface.
The read/write heads do not touch the diskette media when the heads
are traveling between tracks. Electronic optics check for the presence
of an opening in the lower corner of a 3.5-inch diskette (or a notch
in the side of a 5.25-inch diskette) to see if the user wants to
prevent data from being written on it

The Floppy Disk Drive is Also Known As:

floppy drive, disk drive, diskette drive, 3.5" drive, 5.25" drive

Floppy Disk Drive Description:

A 3.5" floppy drive is about the size and weight of a few decks of cards. Some external USB versions are only slightly larger than
floppy disks themselves. The front of the drive has a slot to insert the disk into and a small button to eject it.

The sides of the floppy drive have pre drilled, threaded holes for easy mounting in the 3.5 inch drive bay in the computer case.
Mounting is also possible in a larger 5.25 inch drive bay with an adapter available at computer supply stores. The floppy drive is
mounted so the end with the connections faces inside the computer and the slot for the disk faces outside.

The invention of hard disks relegated floppy disks to the secondary roles of data transfer and software installation. The invention
of the CD-ROM and the Internet, combined with the increasingly large size of software files, is threatening even these secondary
roles. The floppy disk still persists, basically unchanged for over a decade, in large part because of its universality; the 3.5 inch
1.44 MB floppy is present on virtually every PC made in the last 10 years, which makes it still a useful tool. The floppy disk's
current role is in these area:
  Data Transfer: The floppy disk is still the most universal means of transferring files from one PC to another. With the
use of compression utilities, even moderate-sized files can be shoehorned onto a floppy disk, and anyone can send
anyone a disk and feel quite confident that the PC at the other end will be able to read it. The PC 3.5" floppy is such a
standard, in fact, that many Apple and even UNIX machines can read them, making these disks useful for cross-
platform transfer.
 Small File Storage and Backup: The floppy disk is still used for storing and backing up small amounts of data,
probably more than you realize.
 Software Installation and Driver Updates: Many new pieces of hardware still use floppies for distributing driver
software and the like, and some software still uses floppies (although this is becoming less common as software grows
massive and CD-ROM drives become more universal.)

While floppy drives still have a useful role in the modern PC, there is no denying their reduced importance. Very little attention is
paid to floppy "performance" any more, and even choosing makes or models involves a small fraction of the amount of care and
attention required for selecting other components. In essence, the floppy drive today is a commodity item! For this reason, I
examine the floppy drive in this chapter but do not go into a great level of detail. In addition, since many aspects of floppy disk
construction and logical operation are similar to those of hard disks, and since I did describe hard disks in a great level of detail, I
make frequent references back to relevant sections in the chapter on hard disks.

Important Floppy Disk Drive Facts:

While still a component of many existing computers, floppy drives are moving slowly into obsolescence as the popularity of flash
drives and other portable media drives increase. In fact, the floppy disk drive is no longer standard equipment on many new
computer systems today.

Floppy drives that install inside of a computer case are becoming less and less available. Typically, the best option when adding a
floppy drive will be to purchase an external one, probably USB based.