Can I replace a bombed Apple II 3.5″ drive mechanism with one from a Mac?
Yes. 3.5″ drive mechanisms are cheaply and abundantly available from the Macintosh world. Although Apple II users have increased their interest in 3.5″ drives, these drives have declined in their utility for Mac users who have shifted to hard drives, CD-ROM, and flopticals. Few Mac owners have use for the external 3.5″ drive any more; if they have not yet discarded their external 3.5″ drive, it is now in storage. MAC AND APPLE II 3.5″ DRIVES: SIMILARITIES/DIFFERENCES The basic Sony 3.5″ mechanism is shared by Mac and Apple II. It stores 800K of data on a two-sided disk. Unlike the IBM version with its constant rotational speed, Mac/Apple II drives maintain constant head velocity by varying the rotational speed as the head assembly approaches towards or moves away from the disk hub. Mac and Apple II drives differ in their track sectoring arrangements, so disks cannot be read directly without special translational software. The opportunity for compatible disk sh aring was lost during dev
