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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: Orjan on July 25, 2004, 11:48:40 AM

Title: Laptop floppy drive in A1200?
Post by: Orjan on July 25, 2004, 11:48:40 AM

I found a guy selling a CD-ROM/Floppy combo drive intended for a laptop computer and I immediatly thought about putting it in my A1200...

Now, the CD-ROM probably has a standard connector, so I can just get an adapter for it and connect to the IDE-connector or a Catweasel, if I can get my hands on one...

But does anyone know how the floppy connector would look like? Does it look like a normal one, or is it a standard used in laptops, or is it up to every drive manufacturer to develop an interface of their own?

Title: Re: Laptop floppy drive in A1200?
Post by: blobrana on July 25, 2004, 12:13:03 PM

Hum,
It’ll be a `socket type` and no doubt not compatible with the disk driver controller in the amiga...



(but, there are hacks on aminet that can convert an escom 1200 to read pc drives)

Best left alone...

Title: Re: Laptop floppy drive in A1200?
Post by: Orjan on July 25, 2004, 12:22:52 PM

I was actually thinking about connecting it to a Kylwalda, since I know PC drives arent compatible with the Amiga straight up... If I have to build an adapter cable between the drive and the Kylwalda, so be it, but can I find the pinouts anywhere?

So my original question stands; is it a "normal" floppy interface or a proprietary which every manufacturer changes after his will?

Title: Re: Laptop floppy drive in A1200?
Post by: Holley on July 25, 2004, 12:33:16 PM

Most standard slimline floppies use a high density version of a standard floppy connector, and standard slimline CDRoms use standard IDE connectors. However many laptop CDRoms arn't 'standard' and use something proprietary but will have the equivalent of 40-pin IDE leads in some sort of order.

Carefully check before buying! It could be dead easy, or it could be near impossible ;-)

Title: Re: Laptop floppy drive in A1200?
Post by: blobrana on July 25, 2004, 12:35:08 PM

Hum,
Well my Jedi powers are weak just now, but if it is a socket type then you can disassemble it from the housing and you'll probably find that its a ribbon type connector (almost impossible to solder) (but perhaps it'll connected to a standard pin pc connector...)

[i once fitted a 2.5 HD that had a socket, disassemble it and found that it had a standard 44-pin connector...]

Do a search on the net for the model number and you may be luckily...

Good luck.

Title: Re: Laptop floppy drive in A1200?
Post by: Orjan on July 25, 2004, 12:42:00 PM

The CD interface is not a problem, since I found an adaptor for it in a computer store... It´s the floppy interface I´m worried about...

Ah! I´ll just buy it, and go from there... :)

Title: Re: Laptop floppy drive in A1200?
Post by: Holley on July 25, 2004, 02:25:40 PM

Fair enough, some wierd ones have the flexible see-though plastic type leads, which would be tough to sort.