cjl@ecsvax.UUCP (Charles J. Lord) (06/14/89)
I recently made a kludgy cable to attempt to use an old Tandon 100-2 disk drive as the external drive for a new Tandy LT1400 laptop computer. The LT has a common-looking 37 pin D connector with a weird pinout (nothing like the Shug. std 34-pin), so I made up a ribbon cable about 15" long with a 37D on one end and another cable 3" long with the 34 pin edge connector. All signals and ground were connected in a ratsnest of interconnections. The resulting setup results in a drive head that oscillates madly when trying to step in/out and read files. The drive *can* read directories and thus can find the inner track(s) ok, but when I try to read a file itself, the head goes all over the place until the op system gives up. The drive has been checked in a PC clone and works fine. There is no terminating resistor pack on the drive. I found that if I put my finger on the DS jumper in the other socket, the drive will sometimes read a file OK. OK, what is the problem? Is it just the resistor pack? I don't think so because I tried some 10K resistors in each position and saw no improvement. BTW, the controller appears to be the old standby NEC 765. FDC to connector buffering is by 'HCT 240's, etc. Solutions? Advice? Flames? -- * Charles Lord ..!decvax!mcnc!ecsvax!cjl Usenet (old) * * Cary, NC cjl@ecsvax.UUCP Usenet (new) * * #include <std.disclamers> cjl@ecsvax.BITNET Bitnet * * #include <cutsey.quote> cjl@ecsvax.uncecs.edu Internet *