This weekend's haul

From: Doug Spence <ds_spenc_at_alcor.concordia.ca>
Date: Mon Jun 9 15:52:42 1997

On Fri, 30 May 1997 (eons and eons ago), A.R. Duell wrote:

> > Does the PS/2 not have any 5.25" drive bays? Weird. :) I'm not an IBMer
> > so I don't know these things, though I *think* one of the machines I used
> > to do CAD work on was a PS/2 of some flavour.
>
> No, AFAIK the PS/2 cases had (special!) 3.5" bays only.

Brilliant. :)

Reminds me of the "special" PCMCIA slot on my A1200, but I guess that
couldn't have been avoided.

<snip>

> If it's the same as the XT external floppy connector (and I think it is!),
> the 34 wires of the standard floppy connector are connected to the
> 'bottom' (higher numbered) pins on the 37 pin D plug. Pins 1,2,20 are no
> connection, pin 3 is wire 2, pin 4 is wire 4, pin 5 is wire 6, etc. Pins
> 21-37 are all grounded.
>
> It's a standard DC37 connector, available from any good electronics parts
> place, I think. You can get solder, PCB mount or IDC versions.

Excellent! Thanks for the info! As I said earlier, I have a use for this
drive, but I don't really want to modify it. Hopefully I'll be able to
feed a ribbon cable with the 37-pin D connector on it out of my Amiga's
Sidecar.

I hope there wouldn't be problems with noise, etc, over lengthy cabling?

I also wouldn't mind using it as an external 5.25" drive for my Amigas,
but I guess that would take some added trickery.

> > Heh. I couldn't even get mine apart, because of the two six-pointed
> > screws on the bottom. The screws have a lump in the middle so I can't use
> > a flat-blade screwdriver as I did when I had a similar problem opening my
> > Mac 512K.
>
> Tamperproof TORX screws. Drivers for them are available from good tool
> shops in the UK - I have a reasonably complete set to deal with such
> things...

Well, I haven't seen any around here (Canada) but perhaps I haven't been
looking hard enough. I also haven't been trying to get the drive open
because other things have come up.

It's funny how I can be out of school for the summer, unemployed, and
STILL not have enough time for all the stuff I want to do.

> --
> -tony
> ard12_at_eng.cam.ac.uk
> The gates in my computer are AND,OR and NOT, not Bill

Doug Spence
ds_spenc_at_alcor.concordia.ca
Received on Mon Jun 09 1997 - 15:52:42 BST