# Commodore 1572 > 5¼" floppy disk drive for Commodore 64/128 **Wikidata**: [Q3684817](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3684817) **Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_1572) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/commodore-1572 ## Summary The Commodore 1572 is a 5¼-inch floppy disk drive designed for the Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 home computers. Manufactured by Commodore International, this peripheral device was publicly presented at the Consumer Electronics Show in 1985. It functions as a removable-media drive capable of reading and writing data to 5.25-inch magnetic floppy disks. ## Key Facts - **Entity Type**: Floppy disk drive (computer peripheral). - **Manufacturer**: Commodore International. - **Compatibility**: Designed for the Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 computer systems. - **Media Format**: Utilizes 5¼-inch (5.25-inch) floppy disks. - **Significant Event**: Presented at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 1985. - **Classification**: Subclass of disk drive, peripheral, and removable-media drive. - **Wikidata ID**: Q133703 (Freebase ID: /m/0byym0). - **Language Availability**: Wikipedia entries exist in English and Italian. ## FAQs ### Q: What specific computers is the Commodore 1572 compatible with? A: The Commodore 1572 is designed to function as a peripheral storage device for the Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 home computer lines. ### Q: When was the Commodore 1572 introduced to the public? A: The drive was officially presented at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 1985. ### Q: What type of storage media does the Commodore 1572 use? A: It uses 5¼-inch floppy disks, a standard removable magnetic storage format common in the 1980s for data transfer and software distribution. ## Why It Matters The Commodore 1572 represents a specific iteration in the evolution of storage peripherals for the highly successful Commodore 8-bit computer lineage. As a 5¼-inch drive, it played a role in the ecosystem of removable media that defined personal computing in the 1980s, allowing users to perform essential tasks such as file backup, software distribution, and data portability. Its presentation at the 1985 Consumer Electronics Show highlights its place within the competitive hardware landscape of the mid-1980s, where manufacturers sought to balance capacity, cost, and compatibility for the booming home computer market. Devices like the 1572 were critical in transitioning computers from novelty appliances to versatile tools for productivity and entertainment. ## Notable For - **Targeted Compatibility**: Engineered specifically for the Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 platforms. - **Historical Debut**: Introduced during the 1985 Consumer Electronics Show, a pivotal venue for hardware innovation. - **Media Standard**: Utilization of the 5¼-inch form factor, which was the industry standard for removable storage before the shift to 3.5-inch disks. ## Body ### Definition and Classification The Commodore 1572 is a **floppy disk drive** (FDD), a class of computer peripheral or component defined by its ability to read and write data on removable **floppy disks**. It is taxonomically classified as a subclass of **disk drive**, **peripheral**, and **removable-media drive**. As a piece of hardware manufactured by **Commodore International**, it shares the physical and functional characteristics of the broader category of 5.25-inch drives, which utilize magnetic heads to access data stored on flexible magnetic media encased in plastic cartridges. ### Technical Context and Function Functionally, the Commodore 1572 operates by connecting to a host computer—specifically the **Commodore 64** or **Commodore 128**—to provide portable storage. In the broader context of floppy disk drive technology, such devices utilize specific connectors (historically including floppy drive power connectors and insulation-displacement connectors) to bridge the computer and the storage media. The drive relies on the mechanical rotation of the 5¼-inch disk (typically at industry-standard speeds around 300 RPM for similar drives of the era) and the movement of magnetic heads to encode and retrieve binary data. ### History and Development The most significant documented milestone for the Commodore 1572 is its **presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show** in **1985**. This event placed the drive within the timeline of the mid-1980s personal computer boom, a period dominated by the Commodore 64. While other notable models like the **Commodore 1541** became iconic standards for these systems, the 1572 is identified as a distinct entity within this hardware family. Its development aligns with the era's reliance on the 5.25-inch format, which predated the later industry-wide shift to 3.5-inch drives (which offered higher capacities up to 1.44 MB) and the eventual decline of magnetic floppy media in the late 1990s due to the rise of optical discs, USB drives, and solid-state storage. ### Related Entities and Identifiers The Commodore 1572 is recorded in knowledge bases with specific identifiers, including a **Freebase ID** of /m/0byym0 and a **sitelink count** of 2 (associated with English and Italian Wikipedia entries). It is contextually linked to the general concept of the **floppy disk drive**, a technology noted for revolutionizing data portability and serving as a cultural icon of 20th-century computing.