HELP - How to Modify Alps DF354H for Ready Signal

[tjohnson]

Hi All,

I've tried modifying my Alps FDD for a Ready signal but not having much luck.  Can anyone advise?

I broke the connection for DC to pin 34 then soldered on a wire from the rdy pad to pin 34 but no luck.  Seems to work when I sort pin34 to ground but not when jumpered from the pad.

Picture attached.

[pelrun]

According to an Amibay thread I found that's the right mod - are you sure you disconnected the original trace completely?


(http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php?18582-Modifying-PC-Floppy-Drive-for-Amiga-Use)

[pelrun]

Scratch that; RD isn't the ready signal at all (I expect it worked on an Amiga because they also route the DC signal to another pin.)


Try this one instead (pin 34 to pin 32 on the IC): https://www.msxinfo.net/2014/03/12/making-a-alps-df354h127f-msx-compatible/

[tjohnson]

Thanks I'll give that a go and report back shortly.  Any idea how to lock down the drive into DD instead of HD so I don't need to worry about covering the hole on HD disks?


Thanks Trevor

[rpalmer]

to fix a HD to a DD would require a sensor or LED to be removed where the hole usually sits. The detection of HD is normally a combination of a LED on one side and light detection sensor on the other.

[pelrun]

The Amibay link includes a mod to lock it to DD:

F: Solder a wire from the pad marked HD2 to the pad at the top left which happens to be a convenient ground. (Bypasses the HD detect switch so all disks are treated as DD - thus no need for tape over the HD holes.)

[tjohnson]

The Amibay link includes a mod to lock it to DD:

I can't see a pad marked hd on my pcb.  I'm assuming the sensor comes in on the ribbon cable so maybe could ground one of the pins if I could work out which one.

[pelrun]

HD*2*. It's on the photo you posted, a couple of cm up and to the right from the screw on the left.

[pelrun]

Here, I marked it for you. Sorry if it's still a bit unclear 

[tjohnson]

Here, I marked it for you. Sorry if it's still a bit unclear  [emoji23]

Thanks. I'm struggling to see your marks, please can you add a few more :-P

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[tjohnson]

Here, I marked it for you. Sorry if it's still a bit unclear  [emoji23]

Thanks pelrun working well with the second mod you suggested.  On the hd2 pad which pad shall i correct that too, i can't see the full picture on amibay as I'm not a registered user and don't want to screw the drive up.

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[tjohnson]

Hi all, mission complete, Alps DF354H modified for ready signal and fixed to DD

See attached picture

[ikari]

Hi all, mission complete, Alps DF354H modified for ready signal and fixed to DD

See attached picture

I soldered pin 34 to the same pin of the IC that you did but all it did to me is a proper disk change signal
My drive might not be the same model but definitely the main board looks the same.

Also after I made the RD mistake too, mislead by the Amiga people, it came off together with the solder point and had to fix it with another wire to the IC... That was a lot of stress.

Wysłane z mojego Redmi Note 4 przy użyciu Tapatalka

[ikari]

Edit: removing Tapatalk accidental multipost (it said it couldn't post)

[ikari]

Edit: removing Tapatalk accidental multipost

[tjohnson]

I soldered pin 34 to the same pin of the IC that you did but all it did to me is a proper disk change signal
My drive might not be the same model but definitely the main board looks the same.

Also after I made the RD mistake too, mislead by the Amiga people, it came off together with the solder point and had to fix it with another wire to the IC... That was a lot of stress.

Wysłane z mojego Redmi Note 4 przy użyciu Tapatalka

Do you mean it doesn't work?  You don't get disk ready?  Did you cut the current trace for pin 34, you can see I did that in my first picture.  looking at last picture i also removed the jumper on ms2.

[Audronic]

Scratch that; RD isn't the ready signal at all (I expect it worked on an Amiga because they also route the DC signal to another pin.)
Try this one instead (pin 34 to pin 32 on the IC): https://www.msxinfo.net/2014/03/12/making-a-alps-df354h127f-msx-compatible/

Hi

I just found a spare DF354h and:-

Cut the Track at pin 34.
Ran a wire from 32 On the Ic (Alps) to Pin 34 on header
Left the Blob on DS1.

Powered it up and away it went "as an External drive (1 - B)"
Thanks    Ray

[ikari]

Do you mean it doesn't work?  You don't get disk ready?  Did you cut the current trace for pin 34, you can see I did that in my first picture.  looking at last picture i also removed the jumper on ms2.

Hard to say if I get a proper "disk ready" signal. When I tested it with a LED instead of a jumper in the cable, looks like it goes HIGH when the disk is ejected, so it's more like the regular disk change. Though it didn't do that before the mod.


Fact check:
1. I did cut the original path
2. At first connected it to RD, as the other instructions said, then it came off together with the metal pad and I had to reconstruct the entire RD connection...
3. The drive works. It really does, just.. not everything about it. So I can list files, run Tasword, run the Batman Forever (2 sides and 80 tracks version) off of it. But I can't run Arkanoid, can't run Prehistorik, some disk images just don't work.
4. I also tried using ProCopy to copy from B to A, but it freezes at trying to map the 1st track of the disk - so SOMETING is missing. Just not sure what.
5. My pin 34 is now connected to where it is on the MSX instructions.


What does MS2 do? Didn't change that.
I also never changed DS1 to DS0, I do want it to stay drive B.  The cable also has a switch to make it drive A, grounding some signal... this works too.


Why can't I use disk copying soft with the drive? Why do some loaders just freeze, whether it's running as B, or switched (via this grounding of something) to A?


Maybe it wasn't about the Ready signal?

[tjohnson]

Some software will not work from b drive so that may be your issue

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[ikari]

Some software will not work from b drive so that may be your issue

This is true. But one of the problems is also running ProCopy (from either drive B or A, doesn't matter) and using it to copy (not run) drive B onto drive A. Also hangs on copying/mapping the disk. That's why I suspected it's waiting for a specific signal...

Also would it run when pins 11 and 12 are connected?


Still: what's the meaning of MS2 jumper?

[tjohnson]

Is the software being copied protected as you can have this behaviour can occur.  Are you using double density disks or hd points worth the hole covered

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[ikari]

I think I have experienced this behavior for all disks, not only the copy protected (weird format) ones, but will verify.


5 minutes ago, I think I have also discovered the real meaning of the signal both of us soldered to pin 34 - it goes low not on disk change, but on something pressing on the HD/DD hole button. When I insert a HD disk (with the hole open), it stays high. With a DD disk, it goes low.

[tjohnson]

You'll need to cover the hd hole unless you mod the drive for that too like i did.

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[ikari]

I do cover it on all disks. That's why it looked to me like the pin actually means Disk Change signal now, until I found an old disk I thought was CPC data from years ago, hole uncovered, and it behaved differently.


Currently, with the few handmade mods, the drive still works both with a PC and the CPC

[tjohnson]

What are the mods you've made?

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