Brian Instruments BRIKON model 723 floppy drive tester/analyzer

From: Joe R. <rigdonj_at_cfl.rr.com>
Date: Thu Jun 3 16:16:02 2004

  Found my 723 manual today. I've moved the big scanner from an off-line
computer to this one today so I have to install the drivers and get it
working. Hopefully that will happen in the next day or two. After I get
the manual scanned and posted and you have a chance to look at it we can
discuss the connectors, etc.

   Joe


At 08:31 PM 6/1/04 -0600, you wrote:
>Hello Joe,
>
>Thanks for your offer to copy the manual. That would
>be so helpful! I'm located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada,
>near the beautiful Rocky Mountains.
>
>In the interests of trying to help you with your analog
>cable problem, I'll try to describe what my unit has...
>
>Two ribbon cables come out the back of my unit:
>
> - A "normal" IBM-PC 34 pin ribbon cable with two
> connectors on the end (one that mates with the
> connector found on most 3.5 inch drives and one
> that mates with the PC-board-edge connector found
> on older 5.25 inch drives).
>
> - A wider 50 pin ribbon that mates with a PC-board-edge
> connector. I don't know what kind of drive this
> cable is for!
>
>There are also two male receptacles on the back near
>the center of the unit.
>
> - A 20-pin (2 X 10) connector that looks like it will
> mate with my old Apple II 5.25 inch floppy drives.
> I have not been brave enough to try it yet!
>
> - A 40-pin (2 x 20) connector of the same style as the
> above 20-pin connector (just longer :-)
>
>Inside the unit these two connectors are mounted on a small
>PC board, which then has a jumper to one of the unit's two
>plug-in "cards". This small PC board is fed an unregulated
>voltage, and has a linear regulator (+12 volt if I remember
>right) mounted on it. Aside from some capacitors, there's
>not much more on this board. The board looks more like an
>adaptor than anything else.
>
>Could it be you're missing this little adaptor board? If
>so, I can reverse engineer it for you. It wouldn't be the
>first time I've created a schematic from a populated PC
>board!
>
>Somewhere around here I have an Apple service manual that gives
>the pin-outs for the 20-pin floppy drive connector, though I
>would expect you should be able to find that on the web pretty
>easily these days. But if you need it, I'll dig it up.
>
>Finally, there's the leads to supply power to the drives
>under test:
>
> - one lead ends with a connector appropriate for 5.25 inch
> drives, and came mated with a short adaptor to fit 3.5 inch
> drives
>
> - the second lead ends with a strange 6 pin (2 rows of 3)
> connector that probably fits what ever monster the above
> 50 pin ribbon cable was intended to mate with :-)
>
>Please let me know if I can help.
>
>My email address (replace the Z with "_at_" and the X with "."):
>
> kennjZtelusplanetXnet
>
>(yeah, I already get enough spam!).
>
>Take care,
>
>Kenn
>
>
>
>> Kenn,
>>
>> I have two model 723s and a manual. I don't remember the details of the
>> options off the top of my head but I'll try to find the manual and scan it.
>> I THINK one of mine has some of the analog options but I don't have the
>> cables for them and I don't know the pinouts. Perhaps you can help with
>> that. BTW where are you loacted?
>>
>> Joe
>
Received on Thu Jun 03 2004 - 16:16:02 BST