Floppy connectors - missing pins? 1

[kwinsw]

Hi,

I'm upgrading a compaq machine from about two years ago. The floppy cable from the compaq a pin-connector missing at either end.

The end that plugs into the motherboard has a blocked off hole second three holes along on the bottom row. The end that connecto to the drive has a blocked off hole bottom row, two pins along.

Neither the connector on the new motherboard nor the cable have any blocked off holes (pin connectors).

Does anyone know why the connector holes are blocked off in the first place and why there are two different types of connectors for such a basic piece of hardware?

Thanks

kwinsw

 

[edfair]

A pure floppy connector may, or may not have pin 3 missing. The motherboard may, or may not have the same pin missing. In both cases it is because the connection is unused and by leaving it off it forces the assembler to insert the connector the proper way. Either connection could also have a shroud with a notch for the same reason.

The floppy cable may, or may not have the hole blocked. I suspect that is is cheaper to build a cable with all 34 open and no interlock notch. But in certain cases, as in higher quality machines, the manufacturers take special efforts to keep users from messing things up.

The different holes blocked for interlock purposes may be for tape or zip drives.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[ANFPS26]

I've drilled the blocked holes out in the cable before, if I needed to used the cable on a mobo that had all the pins. It worked fine.

Jim

 

[micker377]

I'm playing with a DEll, at this time. The floppy and cable have matching "blocked" pins. This setup means you have to use a DEll cable and a Dell drive. To replace with a generic drive, you have to use a generic cable. They want to make you buy their parts when they break!

 

[edfair]

The generic 34 hole no interlock type will go on ok, except you can put it on backwards. And a generic drive with no shroud can have 3 clipped.

One of the advantages of junking stuff out is that eventually you have a supply of every possible combination.

Then there is the old fallback, 2 connectors, a length of ribbon cable, and a vise and a vice. Helps to have a little snort of something to mellow you out when you screw up the first 2 or 3.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[micker377]

edfair:

I prefer Jack Daniels on really tough projects.