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3.5" (and 5.25") floppy disc drives with a fully working Ready signal...

Started by TFM, 22:31, 01 June 16

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TFM

Hi! Here I want to create a list of drives with fully working Ready signals. This will help people to buy the "right" floppy disc drive from ebay or where ever.


So if you can confirm a model having a true Ready signal please post here. I try to contribute by myself, but research goes slow. Any help appreciated. (Late on we an make an Wiki article out of it).  :)

TFM of FutureSoft
Also visit the CPC and Plus users favorite OS: FutureOS - The Revolution on CPC6128 and 6128Plus

dragon


GeoffB17

With regard to this, I should draw attention to the pages of the (Dutch) Joyce User Group, in particular:


Tested 3.5" drives


which lists details of various models of 3.5" drives which should work fine, with some variations, ref both PCW and CPCs


Regarding 5.25" drives, I always understood that such drives DO provide a ready signal by default.   Maybe some of the later era 1.2 Mb drives might not, but I would think it likely that they still did.


In addition, when I was looking for info on this thru the web, there was a fair bit of info - including some excellent photo descriptions on how to mod a drive - relating to Amiga computers, which seem to have exactly the same requirements as our Amstrads, so take that into account when doing searches!!


Geoff

Audronic

Quote from: dragon on 22:54, 01 June 16
Samsung sfd 321b? But it need solder a little point to enable ready signal.

http://www.techtravels.org/wp-content/uploads/pefiles/SAMSUNG-SFD321B-070103.pdf

Better old revisions.
Hi dragon.
Do you have details as to the Ready signal enable.
Thanks    Ray
Procrastinators Unite,
If it Ain't Broke PLEASE Don't Fix it.
I keep telling you I am Not Pedantic.
As I Live " Down Under " I Take my Gravity Tablets and Wear my Magnetic Boots to Keep me from Falling off.

dragon

Look at the pictures, the post speak about modify it.

Rdy= ready signal.

Disquetera Samsung SFD-321B - Va de Retro (Satanás) -- VERSION 2

Simply desolder dc solder rdy.

Audronic

Quote from: dragon on 00:53, 02 June 16
Look at the pictures, the post speak about modify it.

Rdy= ready signal.

Disquetera Samsung SFD-321B - Va de Retro (Satanás) -- VERSION 2

Simply desolder dc solder rdy.
Hi dragon.
Excellent thanks  and so quick.
Thanks   Ray

Procrastinators Unite,
If it Ain't Broke PLEASE Don't Fix it.
I keep telling you I am Not Pedantic.
As I Live " Down Under " I Take my Gravity Tablets and Wear my Magnetic Boots to Keep me from Falling off.

Bryce

If we are going to do a list, then it should contain more than just one catagory. It should also list drives that can't be used. I'd suggest the following information:

1 - Exact model name.

2 - Ready signal: Drive works as is / Easy conversion (just swap jumper) / Convertable (wires / bridges / track cutting required) / Not convertable.

3 - Drive letter: Standard Value (DS0/DS1) / Easy conversion (just swap jumper) / Convertable (wires / bridges / track cutting required) / Not changable.

4 - Density: DS/DD

5 - Voltage: 12V / 5V / Both

6 - Link to conversion where available


Bryce.

dragon

In case of samsung dd/hd depends of the revision. All supportedd dd, but only first  revisions have a sensor to hd/dd.. newer revisions cut it to cut cost, and is necesary convert it to  sd manually making another little solder jumper. in sensor site.

/leb rev t6 and later lost sensor.

Always are ds0 i think. But it  can be changed with another little jumper solder.

Latter latter revision can't write i read time ago in a lost amigaa board, but i not see by myself.

robcfg

Samsung drives, as most PC drives are DS1 by default, afaik.

Bryce

Quote from: robcfg on 10:51, 02 June 16
Samsung drives, as most PC drives are DS1 by default, afaik.

Yup, PC Drives are always DS1 and need to be converted.

Bryce.

dragon

I think the samsung is the best option so, is not better made a collection of pictures of all revisions we found of sammsung fdd and explanation where these model can be modified?.


samsung sfd321-b/LBL1 rev.t5 black

Bryce

Why just limit it to Samsung when many people own other drives that could also be easily converted?

Bryce.

dragon

I refer to the pople search a new drive, the samsug are the most easy found and are cheap.

Of course yo can add another drives :D.

dragon

These black  are  a fdd i found inside a pc in the trash :D. I modify it days ago. It work :p.

The fdd i use with the cpc are sfd 321b/leb rev.t8 i made serveral years ago.



As you can see they lost the 720k/1,44mb sensor in the upper part right corner so is necesary remove the bridge in the switch site to make it dd permanantly.

I have another samsung in my old p4 from 2003. But this stay unopened i need it dc to use with the cpc disk :). But it can be an old revision has he vave sd/hd sensor.

TFM

It seems to be more easy to find a potential working Panasonic JU-257A605P Drive than others. For example I just bought them here:
Panasonic JU-257A605P Vintage 3.5 144mb Floppy Disc Drive Lot of 2 | eBay


Well, can I directly use it? It's in the positive list, but has no jumpers.
TFM of FutureSoft
Also visit the CPC and Plus users favorite OS: FutureOS - The Revolution on CPC6128 and 6128Plus

dragon


dragon

So it works at finish? it supports ready natively?. :)

I found in amiga thread it needs several modifications(at least for amiga):

http://eab.abime.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=35324&d=1368086552

DISQUETERA 3.5" PANASONIC 1.44MB FLOPPY DISCK DRIVE MOD: JU-257A607P | eBay


TFM

Oh that's the 607, I got the 605.  :)  Will let you know it it works. Found no 3.5" disc yesterday.  >:(  But I could switch LED of drive on and off using FDC commands directly.  :-\ :)
TFM of FutureSoft
Also visit the CPC and Plus users favorite OS: FutureOS - The Revolution on CPC6128 and 6128Plus

dragon

O,k anyway i think this can help you better:

Garson Industries
Garson Industries
Garson Industries
Garson Industries

PD: one reflextion. in a generic fdd, if the disk in  switch is "high=1" when disc are out disk iand "low=0" when disk is detected.


So if rdy signal is low when a disk is inserted. and is high when no disk is in side the fdd.

if you cut the pin 34  to the fdd. And you rewire the pin 34 to the disc in switch Is not posible simulated rdy signal?. As without disk switch send 1=no disc and with disk  a "0" disk inside

??? .

TFM

... there one can fall in a trap!

Ready is supposed ONLY to be active when a disc is in AND the motor is spinning fast enough to read or write.

If you only put a disc in and get a Ready signal active, then you got a bad drive!
TFM of FutureSoft
Also visit the CPC and Plus users favorite OS: FutureOS - The Revolution on CPC6128 and 6128Plus

khaz

Quote from: dragon on 20:20, 08 June 16if you cut the pin 34  to the fdd. And you rewire the pin 34 to the disc in switch Is not posible simulated rdy signal?. As without disk switch send 1=no disc and with disk  a "0" disk inside

As TFM said, it's not that easy. It works in most cases, and it's the second simplest way to get a pseudo RDY signal (the simplest is to permanently ground pin34, like most floppy cables sold on the internet do). But it can be buggy in some situations, especially when there are two drives. DISCKIT3 for CP/M+ for example is really fussy about it and will never see that the disc has been ejected.

This schematics gives you a proper RDY signal


I had to use an extra AND gate on my drive to invert the switch signal, as on the Sony MPF920 closing it makes it low. Luckily there are four gates on a 74HC00 :)

TFM

To ground the Ready signal is pure horror! As you told DiscKit3 and others will not work, same for Symbos and FutureOS. The sense for making up this thread is to collect data of drives with a REAL Ready signal, and not a fake one.


As you told the marked it full of that fake drives, and that's the problem.[nb]Of course software can always work around somehow, but it's utterly uncool to rewrite everything just because hardware & floppy sellers get so sloppy.[/nb]
TFM of FutureSoft
Also visit the CPC and Plus users favorite OS: FutureOS - The Revolution on CPC6128 and 6128Plus

TFM

Right here:

Tested 3.5" drives

We can see that the Panasonic JU-257A605P drive can be used. But even if I bought two of them, both only tell me "Disc missing". Any idea what I need to do to get em running on the CPC?


(btw. drive select seems to work, they are DS1).
TFM of FutureSoft
Also visit the CPC and Plus users favorite OS: FutureOS - The Revolution on CPC6128 and 6128Plus


pelrun

The JU-257A607P is even easier, as the jumper to change is on the topside of the board:
[attach=2]

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