Design decisions for 2310 disk emulator concerning sector and index pulses

MODIFYING GEORGE WILEY'S RK-05 EMULATOR FOR 2310 EMULATION

The RK-05 disk is derived from the IBM 2310, but with quite a few changes and improvements, such as ability to issue a seek in one command to any cylinder, double capacity, and use of sector checksum instead of word by word check bits. 

I have been simulating my changes and making good progress on the changes. Read emulation is complete and I am working on the write emulation. I had modified the sector and index generation module, successfully simulating it, but now I am considering changes to the module. 

ORIGINAL DISK EMULATOR OBJECTIVE CONCERNING SECTOR/INDEX AND SEEKS

My approach for the disk emulator I designed from scratch used the physical disk drive as the source of the sector and index pulses. It blocked the disk heads from loading down on the disk surface but otherwise let the drive accept and execute every command. Thus the user would hear the whirl of the disk plus the grunting of the disk arm as it seeks in and out. 

The RK-05 emulator is a complete substitute for a drive - it is attached to the controller without any physical disk present. That has big advantages except that it doesn't give the sounds and senses of my original design. 

ALTERNATIVES I AM CONSIDERING

I am therefore considering a rewrite of the sector and index generation module. I see three alternatives:

1. Go back to my original approach and rely on the physical drive for the pulses
2. Use the current generation module, which means the physical drive stays turned off
3. Create a hybrid that uses the physical drive but has an option for pure simulation

HURRICANE HEADING TOWARDS ME WHICH IS LIMITING MY SHOP TIME

Hurricane Milton will pass by me later this week, which means that I have had lots of preparation to do. I moved all the outdoor furniture from my balcony and am securing the common areas of the condo since, I am a COA board member. We are stocking on some food that doesn't require refrigeration or power. In the worst of the past hurricanes we only had a six hour power outage one time, but I have to prepare just in case. 

Finally, I went through the workshop and moved up off the ground all items that might be damaged by water. There is no record of flooding in the building that houses my workshop, but even water blown in under the doors by hurricane force winds would be an issue. 

My shop has several dozen six foot tables where most supplies, equipment and tools are located, but there are a few things I stored under tables. Most at risk are the boxes of printer and typewriter paper, blank cards and paper tape rolls. I also have many padded blankets from the move out here that I use when I am kneeling or lying on the ground working inside machinery - these must be moved up.