Date   : Sun, 23 Oct 2005 01:28:09 +0100
From   : "David Hunt" <dm.hunt@...>
Subject: Re: Re[2]: Collected notes on floppy drive butchery?

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Majordomo List Manager [mailto:majordomo@...] On Behalf Of
> Jeff Gaines
> Sent: 23 October 2005 00:03
> To: bbc-micro@...
> Subject: Re[2]: [BBC-Micro] Collected notes on floppy drive butchery?
> 
> Hello Group,
> 
> On Saturday, October 22, 2005, 10:55:15 PM, David wrote:
> 
> > Yes, I have a nice Sony 3.5" floppy drive (MPF 920), a nice length of
> > ribbon, a nice Master 128, a nice copy of the Welcome disc.
> 
> > What I end up with is a nasty unformatted disc, a nasty silence or all
> the
> > nice things just being plain nasty.
> 
> > Has anyone managed to get a formatted disc out of this combination yet.
> 
> I can tell you what I did, it's the Sony MPF920 from PC World straight
> out of the box.
> 
> A Master, cosmetically nice but I think one of the early ones. MOS
> 3.20, ADFS 1.50, DFS 2.24.
> 
> Scenario 1
> Standard twisted floppy cable, Sony connected to middle (untwisted)
> connector. Drive responds as 1 or 3, using 720MB disks and DFS.
> Formats, verifies and saves files. Won't boot though because of the
> drive number.
> 
> Scenario 2
> Untwisted the floppy cable (2nd one, bits from the connectors of the
> first one still all over the place 'til I hoover). Sony still on the
> middle connector, older drive with a slide switch on end. Moved slide
> over, old drive responds as 0/2, Sony as 1/3, both format and verify
> and I can copy files between them.
> 
> There have been different views in here about un-twisting the cable,
> it just didn't work for me until I bit the bullet and un-twisted it.
> 
> If anybody can tell me a place where I can buy IDC connectors, a
> crimping tool and the cable I would appreciate it. The current cable
> is too short.
> 
> --
> Regards
> Jeff Gaines
> Damerham Hampshire UK
> 

I'll have to retry this, I have a box of 10! They're all silver faced
though.

I noticed on the board there is a tiny resistor for the drive select, I
might move that over and see if I can get drive 0.

Perhaps it is my turn for things to be nice to me.

Dave ;)