29 Jun
2001
29 Jun
'01
2:23 p.m.
The old (1981-82) DAVONG hard drives for use with PC's came packaged together
with a WD 1100-series chipset based HDC that talked some protocol specific to
that device, and IT was also equipped with similar connectors, i.e. connectors
that could be plugged wrongly if one didn't pay attention, in that one connector
was the standard hard drive power connector, yet the other was intended for the
controller, and had a negative 12V on it where something else went. You could,
conceivably, hurt something if you didn't pay attention to the wire colors.
However, since it wasn't intended that you get into the box ...
Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: "Fred Cisin (XenoSoft)" <cisin(a)xenosoft.com>
To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Friday, June 29, 2001 5:53 PM
Subject: Re: WTB: 8" floppy
On Fri, 29 Jun 2001, Tony Duell wrote:
One 'nasty' relates to the Archive
Sidewinder, a QIC tape cartridge
drive. This thing has a 4 pin power connector identical to the ones on
5.25" floppy drives, etc). Ground on the middle 2 pins, +5V where you'd
expect it, too. But the other outside pin is +24V, not +12V. I am told
that some Suns used this drive and had a special power cable for it
carrying the right voltages. Get then mixed up when assembling the
machine, and you might plug +24V into a hard disk expecting +12V. The
results, apparently, are not pleasant.
Another similar nasty:
I have a 3.25" drive that uses the same connector as a 3.5" drive, except
that the +5 and +12 pins are reversed!
Fortunately, the 3" drives that I have use the same connector and pinout
as 5.25". (which seems to be standardized)
--
Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin(a)xenosoft.com