6 Jun
2005
6 Jun
'05
10:06 a.m.
Urgh. I can't decide whether to add a connector for a floppy disk to the
connector panel on this Nascom 2 case that I'm building. I don't *have*
a FDC board for it anyway, plus I only have a 2-slot backplane (at the
moment; there's room in the box for 7 or 8 boards probably).
I just can't decide whether to make the case connector panel with room
for a floppy connector, with an actual connector but not hooked up to
anything, or not bother designing it with even the space present (and a
new connector panel will need to be made to add a suitable connector)
Someone think for me :)
Do Nascom 2 owners out there typically have an FDC board and use disks
for everything, or do they just stick with the tape interface on the
machine's CPU board?
What's the maximum cable length for a floppy drive anyway?
ps. On the keyboard front I've decided to go for a 25-way D connector,
even though it seems like I could just about get away with a 15-pin one
- there's lots of room above the keys on the keyboard to add a few
status LEDs, switches etc. if some future owner wanted to do so, so
having the potential capacity for an extra 9 lines to the keyboard might
be handy...
cheers :)
Jules
6 Jun
6 Jun
1:24 p.m.
Do Nascom 2 owners out there typically have an FDC
board and use disks
for everything, or do they just stick with the tape interface on the
machine's CPU board?
Neither of my nascom2's have floppy interfaces so read into that what you
will.....
even though it seems like I could just about get away
with a 15-pin one
- there's lots of room above the keys on the keyboard to add a few
Did my message about the keyboard pinouts not get through?
--
adrian/witchy
Binary Dinosaurs creator/curator
www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk - the UKs biggest home computer collection?
3:55 p.m.
Urgh. I can't decide whether to add a connector for a floppy disk to the
connector panel on this Nascom 2 case that I'm building. I don't *have*
I wouldn't bother. My Nascom doesn't have an FDC either.
a FDC board for it anyway, plus I only have a 2-slot
backplane (at the
moment; there's room in the box for 7 or 8 boards probably).
Let me guess, you've got a DRAM card in the other slot.
At one point, 4118 SRAM chips, used on the main Nascom board, were very
hard to get. The machine was supplied with none of said chip (or maybe
one, used in the video circuit, I forget), but with a 16K DRAM board and
a 2 slot backplane.
It is possible to do a cut-n-jumper mod to put 6116s in the Nascom board,
I believe.
What's the maximum cable length for a floppy drive
anyway?
Quite long (at least 1m) if correctly terminated.
-tony
7 Jun
7 Jun
4:42 a.m.
On Mon, 2005-06-06 at 23:55 +0100, Tony Duell wrote:
Yes, I think I'm leaning toward that point of view too.
How did you know? Yep, that's the setup. :)
Urgh. I can't decide whether to add a connector for a floppy disk to the
connector panel on this Nascom 2 case that I'm building. I don't *have*
I wouldn't bother. My Nascom doesn't have an FDC either. a FDC board
for it anyway, plus I only have a 2-slot backplane (at the
moment; there's room in the box for 7 or 8 boards probably).
Let me guess, you've got a DRAM card in the other slot. At one point, 4118 SRAM chips, used on the main Nascom
board, were very
hard to get. The machine was supplied with none of said chip (or maybe
one, used in the video circuit, I forget), but with a 16K DRAM board and
a 2 slot backplane.
Yeppers. There's one 4118 on this one for video, but also a 4118 in one
of the memory sockets on the CPU board. Six ROM chips on the CPU board
too, plus another one on the memory board (although I notice the memory
board one has a bent pin that isn't actually making contact with the
socket, so I doubt that one ever did anything!)
It is possible to do a cut-n-jumper mod to put 6116s
in the Nascom board,
I believe.
More than likely. Or make up a carrier board that just plugs into the
normal sockets. On the jumper front, it's interesting they went for a
wider pin pitch than is normal - on this board the constructor has bent
pins over and soldered them together which seems a bit bodgy, but I
don't have any jumpers that will fit that pin pitch. I'll have to see
what was done on the ones we have at Bletchley.
cheers
Jules
11:51 a.m.
On Mon, 6 Jun 2005, Jules Richardson wrote:
Someone think for me :)
What's the maximum cable length for a floppy drive
anyway?
My old CP/M-80 box has a 50-pin ribbon cable, with a T&B style crimped
connector in the middle, it's got to be 8 feet long. It's crazy.
The things we do as yooths.
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ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk -
julesrichardsonuk＠yahoo.co.uk -
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witchy＠binarydinosaurs.co.uk