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). :)
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 (http://www.techtravels.org/wp-content/uploads/pefiles/SAMSUNG-SFD321B-070103.pdf)
Better old revisions.
With regard to this, I should draw attention to the pages of the (Dutch) Joyce User Group, in particular:
Tested 3.5" drives (http://www.fvempel.nl/tested.html)
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
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 (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
Look at the pictures, the post speak about modify it.
Rdy= ready signal.
Disquetera Samsung SFD-321B - Va de Retro (Satanás) -- VERSION 2 (http://www.va-de-retro.com/foros/viewtopic.php?t=1050)
Simply desolder dc solder rdy.
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 (http://www.va-de-retro.com/foros/viewtopic.php?t=1050)
Simply desolder dc solder rdy.
Hi dragon.
Excellent thanks and so quick.
Thanks Ray
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.
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.
Samsung drives, as most PC drives are DS1 by default, afaik.
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.
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
Why just limit it to Samsung when many people own other drives that could also be easily converted?
Bryce.
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.
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.
(http://fotos.miarroba.es/fotos/8/0/8086471f.jpg)
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.
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 (http://www.ebay.de/itm/Panasonic-JU-257A605P-Vintage-3-5-144mb-Floppy-Disc-Drive-Lot-of-2/351460845837?_trksid=p3693.c100102.m2452&_trkparms=ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140212121249%26meid%3De29b723045ad455fbcd0bfa237a863c3%26pid%3D100102%26)
Well, can I directly use it? It's in the positive list, but has no jumpers.
It appears really very used.
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 (http://eab.abime.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=35324&d=1368086552)
DISQUETERA 3.5" PANASONIC 1.44MB FLOPPY DISCK DRIVE MOD: JU-257A607P | eBay (http://www.ebay.es/itm/DISQUETERA-3-5-PANASONIC-1-44MB-FLOPPY-DISCK-DRIVE-MOD-JU-257A607P-/322099337996?hash=item4afe9ddb0c:g:fEkAAOSw1DtXLL3A)
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. :-\ :)
O,k anyway i think this can help you better:
Garson Industries (http://www.garsonindustries.com/YEDATA.html)
Garson Industries (http://www.garsonindustries.com/MITSUBISHI.html)
Garson Industries (http://www.garsonindustries.com/MITSUMI.html)
Garson Industries (http://www.garsonindustries.com/TEAC.html)
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
??? .
... 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!
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
(http://quasar.cpcscene.net/lib/exe/fetch.php?cache=cache&media=electronique:schema_ready2.png)
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 :)
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]
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).
http://web.archive.org/web/20040405102940/http://www.caps-project.org/articles.php?id=a_v9drivemod (http://web.archive.org/web/20040405102940/http://www.caps-project.org/articles.php?id=a_v9drivemod)
If you can understand it...
The JU-257A607P is even easier, as the jumper to change is on the topside of the board:
[attach=2]
I just bought a lot of Sony-MPF920-Z-131 drives which work fine as A: drive substitute and as external B: drive but I cannot tell anything about the ready signal. It's just a recommandable good and silent working drive.
You must have some sort of bridge or mod done for it to work though?
Bryce.
For my Schneider CPC 6128 I used the "Floppy CPC - 26 -> 34 Pin - Gotek HxC" cable for the internal drive and the "Amstrad CPC / Spectrum +3 Kit: 3.5" Floppy Disk Drive with Ribbon + Power" cable for the external drive B:. Both of them can be found at ebay. Addionally the internal drive needs to be bridged between Pins 33 and 34 to get ready.
That's what I thought. However, permanently bridging the Ready signal won't work for all software. Certain disk utilities will refuse to work. With "fully working Ready signal" TFM meant a ready signal that only goes low when the drive really is ready.
Bryce.
Yep it's a shame that the Sony MPF920 need a complex mod to work properly, as they are of very good quality. Great build, low noise, they're my favourites amongst the few I have tried.
Quote from: Bryce on 15:32, 22 June 16
That's what I thought. However, permanently bridging the Ready signal won't work for all software. Certain disk utilities will refuse to work. With "fully working Ready signal" TFM meant a ready signal that only goes low when the drive really is ready.
Bryce.
Actually it's quite a bit of software. Aside of SymbOS also FutureOS has problems. I'm thinking of altering my disc functions (as option), but don't know if there is currently enough free space in the ROMs.
Hi All! Do we have a picture to show where to find f.e. pin 2 on a floppy disc connector? (Hereby I mean the connector at the floppy disc).
Does the CPC actually need the signal "_CHNG" on pin 2 of the floppy connector? ??
If i renember o.k the original manuals of amstrad have a draw of all connectors with the pins name.
Yes, having a ready signal that works would be nice, but my 3.5" drive manages fine without. So I'm not sure there's any point in worrying.
I'm using a cable wired up as per Ron King's PCW site, where the ready line is connected to show a permanent ready, but with a break button to press, which is required mainly to keep DISCKIT happy. I guess there are other pieces of software that may insist/check that all drives are empty, so it will be needed for that too.
This works fine for me. Saves all the trouble of trying to 'fix' the drive?
Geoff
This is an old topic, but I can add two 5.25" disc drives.
TEAC FD55-GFR -
Modificaitons required:
Jumper change right angle from DC to RY,
Jumper change - New jumper on I - Forces 300rpm
Jumper change - New jumper on LG - Forces DD instead of HD
Desolder Resistor (r19) to change track from 80 to 40. If you wish- you could install a switch with connections to the end of resistor and board to implement an on the fly change. May or may not need to be done. Could depend on how disc images were put onto the disc from a PC.
Mitsubishi MF504C-318UG -
Modifications required:
Move jumper from DC to RY,
Move jumper from SB to SS (Forces 300rpm)
Attach new jumper to SS/ND (Changes capacity to DD instead of HD)
Not had an issue with 40/80 track. Didn't need to change this as it worked out of the box fine..
Great new information. Thanks a lot! :)
Can add the NEC FD1157C -
Modifications required:
Move jumper from DCG from pin1/2 to pin 2/3,
Move jumper from HDE pin 1/2 to pin 2/3 (Forces 300rpm)
EDIT: Remove jumper from DEN selection 1. Leave 3 options open.
There is no documentation that I could find, other than this: http://matthieu.benoit.free.fr/FD1157C_Nec.htm (http://matthieu.benoit.free.fr/FD1157C_Nec.htm)
The TEC FB-502 5.25" drive
An older drive. Out of the box single head 360k unit. Most notibly found, or small varient of, on BBC's and Acorns in the UK.
Position is already set to 1 from the factory (0-3 being position).
Ready signal is only found by shorting pins 33 and 34 on the cable.