FREE SPIRIT DRIVE ALIGNMENT REVIEW

      The Free Spirit alignment program is designed to be used on any 1541,  1571, SX-64 or compatible drives.  The front side of the disk has two versions  of the program on it, a 64 version and a 128 version.  The back side of the  disk is the calibration standard for alignment.  The program is simple to use  and it will answer the question "is my drive aligned".  A note of caution here: if you have Jiffy DOS or some other disk speed up you may not get a true  alignment reading.  The program is designed to work with the standard  Commodore disk set up and anything else may show alignment problems which do  not really exist.
 
      I used the program to check the alignment on both a 41 and a 71.  The  program showed that the 41 did not need alignment but the 71 was slightly out.  I followed the procedure and was able to improve the alignment on the 71.   This is NOT a quick alignment.  It is a slow process of trial and error.  You  MUST have a LOT of patience and time and, if the thought of trashing a drive  worries you I would suggest you NOT attempt this.  You must remove the cover  to make any adjustments.  This exposes the electronics and the drive  mechanism.  It would be possible to short out the electronics and/or damage  the drive mechanism such that it is unrepairable or at least expensive to  repair.  But if you are careful and have some mechanical ability I feel you  should have little problems using the alignment program.

      The program has on-screen help and details of what to do in a step by  step format.  It will check the speed of your drive and you can make  adjustments while watching the screen for changes.  There is a bump test to  check the 0 track position and make adjustments as needed.  The head alignment  is done by centering on the half track between tracks 16 and 17.  The program  allows you to increase or decrease the head position by half tracks.  Track  16.5 is the key track and should be checked from both the low and the high  position to test for excessive slop in the head positioning mechanism.  

      I liked this alignment program better than some I have tried.  Most  assume you have a standard disk to compare to.  This may or may not be true.   It also gave me a better indication of where I was.  Some of the indicators  are, "Needs Alignment","Unsatisfactory", "Poor", "Satisfactory", and  "Excellent".  I think this program would be a good addition to most Commodore  users library.       

NOTE:  Neither I, nor MCUC, nor Free Spirit assumes any responsibility for  using this program.  All warnings should be read and fully understood before  proceding.