Q. Do you have any information on disk drive interfaces for the Spectrum? I have information on the Datafax interface but would prefer a more flexible one with on-board memory for the running of programs. I would prefer a 5.25" drive with 200K-plus storage capacity.

D. Graig
Tarland, Aberdeenshire

A. There are quite a number of disk interfaces for the Spectrum around, although it's only recently that the larger manufacturers have got involved. It's difficult to know exactly what you mean by "flexible" as you could either want a highly sophisticated system or one that doesn't interface too much with your existing programs.

All disk interfaces will interfere with the running of programs to some extent and broadly speaking, the more sophisticated the system, the more it's liable to interfere (cue wave on wave of letters from interface manufacturers claiming the contrary).

At the not-too-sophisticated but relatively efficient end of the market there's the Timex drive and interface (issue 89). This is a 3" drive, but we're not too sure why you want 5.25" in the first place.

We've also seen a prototype of the Abbeydale system (available from Watford Electronics, 0923-40588/37774). This is a bit more at the professional end of the market (although Timex intends to put CP/M onto its drives in future) and will handle just about any drive you want to use. PCN should be testing the finished product soon.

You might also like to take a look at the Opus system (01-701 8668) which again will take a variety of different-sized drives. We haven't seen one as yet, but it Opus would care to send one...

There are a few other systems that have been out for a while. The Viscount, for example, used to be sold by Spectrum, but its original operating system was quite clumsy, and we haven't seen the revised version.

We suggest you choose between Opus, Abbeydale and Timex, if only because these drives stand the best chance of getting software support.