Date   : Sun, 23 Oct 2005 13:20:32 +0100
From   : Sprow <info@...>
Subject: Re: Floppy cables: the answer

In article <435B7574.8020908@...>,
   Andrew Benham <adsb@...> wrote:
> Jeff Gaines wrote:
>
> > 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.
>
> Whilst looking for something else this morning, I nearly tripped over
> a PC floppy drive cable.  So I grabbed the Avo and found out what the
> twist does.
>
> The twist affects 'pins' 10 to 16.

I don't think the cables I've seen twist 7 lines, that's a fifth of the
entire ribbon almost.

> I have some drive documentation from ~1979 on the Shugart SA400
> floppy interface.  This is what the BBC Micro uses.
>
> Pin 10   Drive Select 0
> Pin 11   Ground
> Pin 12   Drive Select 1

Ah, would this match the diagram in 
 http://www.sprow.co.uk/bbc/howto.htm#35indisc
I was so weary of the topic repeatedly coming up, I'm surprised we're all
going on a learning exercise again.

Short of taking a photo of it, PC drives really do work, my current Sony
(£6) replaced the Panasonic (£8) before it after dropping it down a
staircase.

Oops,
Sprow.