21 Sep
2014
21 Sep
'14
8:55 p.m.
On 09/21/2014 12:16 PM, Ali wrote:
While I appreciate the compliment (it was a compliment
right?) building an
Arduino board to make the 51TD work with an IBM controller is not something
that is even realistic for me without tons of guidance and training. My best
bet would be to get a drive that works directly (after building an adapter
for the cabling) with an IBM controller. If that is a Shugart SA900 or
QumeTrack 242 or whatever might get me from point A to point B faster. I was
hoping the 51TD would work just as easily as I have 4 of them lying around
but that is my luck...
Okay, yes, the 51TD is a bit too dumb. Get a Shugart SA-800 interface
type drive then. Remember that they all require a 24 volt supply. The
choices are numerous. My drives of choice are Qume DT/8 and Siemens
FDD-200; other people like Shugart SA-801s and the like, but there were
many producers of 8" drives. Some of the Japanese-origin drives (e.g.
NEC) can be a little strange with very little information available, so
stick with something that has a manual available. Very often, there are
many jumpers and it's best to know what they're for.
Most are interfaced via a 50-line edge connector; there are a few that
use other schemes, such as early Calcomp drives (40 pin header) but
they're pretty rare now.
Also, make certain to get a double-sided drive--not all 8" drives are.
--Chuck