The PianoDisc System (PDS) uses a standard floppy drive in an academic
sense, but it is not directly interchangeable.  In order to get away
with not having an internal RAM in the control box, PianoDisc instead
went with MIDI format "0" (compressed data into one track).  The player
then reads the music directly off the drive in a continuous data
stream.  In other words, it does not download the data and then play
from internal memory, but rather like a CD player that is continuously
running.

To accomplish this, the floppy drive is modified slightly so that it
will always run while a song is playing.  If you buy an off-the-rack
floppy drive and install it in a PDS control box, it will not work.  If
replacing a bad drive, you need to buy one of their modified drives.

The new control boxes (due in dealers any time now) do away with the
"dinosaur" floppy drives entirely.  They still have a CD drive, which
will have DVD capability for future video accompaniment features, and a
flash memory card slot, for recording and for possible future flash
memory music releases.

The floppy is dead, Hallelujah!!

Rob Goodale, RPT
Certified PianoDisc installer/technician