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General Category => Technical support - Hardware related => Topic started by: P5ychoFox on 16:00, 04 August 18

Title: Advice regarding CPC / PCW 3.5" Disk Drive
Post by: P5ychoFox on 16:00, 04 August 18
I have a 720kb TEAC FD-235F 3.5" disk drive installed as a second drive (or B drive) in my Amstrad PCW and it runs fine. I hoped to replicate the setup in another of my PCWs but have run into a problem that I assume would also apply to CPC 6128s & 664s.

I have the power adapter modified and a 26 to 34 pin ribbon cable adapter that has been tested and proven to work. However I have tried 2 models of 1.44Mb floppy drive and both are recognised as a second drive upon booting up CP/M but both will not let me access the B drive and just give an error stating drive not ready.

My question is, does the 3.5" drive have to be a 720Kb drive in order to be used with a CPC or PCW?
Title: Re: Advice regarding CPC / PCW 3.5" Disk Drive
Post by: tjohnson on 06:37, 05 August 18
Have you covered the hd hole if using hd disks?   does the drive you are using supply a ready signal?

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Title: Re: Advice regarding CPC / PCW 3.5" Disk Drive
Post by: GUNHED on 09:46, 08 August 18
Did you set the jumper from DS0 to DS1 to make the drive a B-drive?

Title: Re: Advice regarding CPC / PCW 3.5" Disk Drive
Post by: ComSoft6128 on 10:18, 08 August 18
Hi,

Back in the 90's I had 3.5" drives fitted to two of my CPC's and one fitted to a PCW8256. All of these were 720k DD drives. The 1.44Mb HD drives were not commercially available for these machines. I remember checking this at the time and was told that neither the CPC or PCW hardware supported this type of drive. Whether this is 100% true I can't guarantee.

Cheers,

Peter
Title: Re: Advice regarding CPC / PCW 3.5" Disk Drive
Post by: Audronic on 10:59, 08 August 18
@P5ychoFox
What Brand are the drives and their Model Number please
It could be that pin 34 is not providing a READY signal
Ray
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