Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: TjLaZer on September 11, 2004, 04:47:45 AM
-
Hey all I found this article and decided to try it and it works! I converted a PC drive and it works on the Amiga!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's how to convert a Chinon FZ-357 drive from PC to Amiga :)
Ok guys & gals, first an apology from me for telling {bleep} for some time now:
I always thought converting a Chinon FZ-357 drive from PC to Amiga was just a job of playing with the jumpers on the back of the drive. This worked fine for the drive I had, so I didn't notice that my drive in fact had already been converted !
But now I got another FZ-357 drive and was very surprised that it didn't work on an A-500 after I set the jumpers exactly like on my FZ-357 ?!? So, I disassembled both and discovered that it is also necessary to close one jumper ! Did this to the new drive, and now it works perfectly in an Amiga like the other one I had before
Ok, here is how to do it:
First, set the jumpers on the back:
You have to close DS0, MM, RDY and TTL/C-MOS
So there is one horizontal jumper in the lower row between pins 2 & 3, and 3 horizontal jumpers between upper and lower row on positions 4, 6 and 7.
Ok, this was the easy part, now you have to disasemble the drive:
First, take off the top cover of the drive by lifting it from the side of the drive. Then carefully pull off the front cover ( if there is one )
Now turn the drive upside down and unscrew 2 screws which fix the drive to the lower part of the case. After this, bend the lower case a little bit to the outside and remove the big spring which goes across the drive from left to right.
Now, very carefully take the drive out of the lower case. Take care not to loose the upper part of the drive !! Hold it down with one finger while removing the drive from it's case !
Once you have done this, turn the drive upside down and have a look on the board. About in the middle, there are 2 square dots marked with 'J2'.
Now, what you have to do is apply a solder blop to close this jumper. Be very careful the blop isn't too big because otherwise you will close some contacts you wouldn't want to be closed
Now, that's all
Build the drive back together ( fiddling the disk slot into the right place can take some time ), hook it up to your Amiga like a Amiga drive and it will work 100% with all disks ! This modified drive will also work with NDOS disks and such that require a correct 'ready-signal'.
Now, rush to your local used PC dealer and grab all FZ-357 drives you can get for cheap. They might well become useful one day
-
Thanks for the info! Now I can stop destroying these Panasonic
JU-257's :-)
-
It would be nice if you credited the original author and also original website this was posted on.
-
The original article came from the English Amiga board:
http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=9365
But he made a mistake and I corrected it. (MM not MD jumper)
-
Here is a site on how to make some Chinons HD drives! Lots of work though:
http://www.inf.mit.bme.hu/private/fz357/
-
I just picked up like 6 of these drives, I will do the Amiga mod on them soon. Anyone want to buy one?
-
On this link says you don't have to modify your drive to use:
http://www.freewebs.com/computolio/amiga%5Ffloppy%5Fcompatibility.html
-
It did not work until I soldered a jumper on J2 and set the jumpers. I guess the docs are wrong. I just bought 6 more I will test to see if they work before I modify them!
-
But...the Chinon FZ-357 is an Amiga 1760KB drive innit? Or is that just the Chinon FZ-357A?
-
I have a question regarding this drive. Will it line up with the a1200 cover and button hole when the front cover of the drive is removed?
Thanks.
-
Hi everyone!
I actually dont understand why you are so excited?
Is it that hard to convert a PC drive to use in a amiga..?
I recently bought an Sony MDF-920 at my local store and had no problem to convert it to function in my amiga 600.
Just a little soldering job...
(Thanks also to orange for some help)
Amiga1260: the article you relate to says this drive cant be modified to use in a amiga..?
Ok, i havent tested it fully yet, but so far so good.
It works fine in workbench and NDOS games are no problem.
-
@odin
No this drive is not the same the "A" is for Amiga computers only.
The big deal is that the Chinon drives can be used without hacking them. 9/10 of then even have the J2 connected! All you do is move a few jumpers in the back. These drives also fit in the A3000 series perfectly. Not sure in the A500/600/1200. Have not tried. Anyone here done that? I can test it out and get back to you guys if not...
-
And additionally: we're excited because some of these Chinons can be hacked to provide half speed HD rotation!
You can't do that to a normal "run of the mill" PC drive.
-
I try a Chinon FZ-357 in an A1200 and it works. But now I have a little problem, I see PC0:???? df0:???? every time when it boots in Workbench.
See it on this topic:
http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=11920
Maybe I had bad luck.
-
TjLaZer and Jope: ok, thanks for explaining that to me.
Amiga1260: Maybe you have set the ready signal (pin 34) to ground?
Make sure you have your drive set up like this:
pin 2 = disk change
pin 34 = Ready
and change the disk select from select 1 to select 0.
Then your drive should work fine with your amiga.
-
ok I did some extensive testing and there seems to be two major different Chinon FZ-357 drives. One will work with the Amiga when the jumpers are set right and may or may not have J2 jumpered. If it does not detect a disk change J2 needs to be soldered. The other type does not work at all.
Here is how you tell the diffrence from looking at the faceplate!
The good type has a rounded openning where the disk goes in, and the bad type is more square. I will try to post some pics to show you what I mean. But this is good news as you can physically spot them if you are buying them from a Thrift or PC salvage yard...
-
The Teac FD-235HF 32XX drives also work with the Amiga. They are actually better quality then the Chinon drives and no mods are needed, just set the jumpers. I have found these drives with beige face-plates and with the rarer black face-plates.
-
Hi,
Sorry to dig this topic out from last year, but I've only just discovered it... I've been trying to do what's described with one of these drives as a replacement for a dead one in an old A600.
I've carried out the J2 solder modification and have set the jumpers appropriately. However, it does not recognise any disk change events...
If I cold boot, the disk loads (if it's bootable) or if the OS has already loaded, a "diskchange" command will also make it read.
However, since my primary aim for the A600 is to play old games and demos on the telly, I'm assuming the lack of disk change signal will mean any multi-disk games/demos will not work.
Any ideas? Or have I just got one of these drives that can't be modified?
Regards,
- Ali
-
Hmm...
I guess that's an unknown then!
OK... does anyone have any idea how to modify the drive (I've got no problem with soldering, etc) so that I can activate the disk change line?
I've traced the signal on the drive's board from the switch at the drive's opening but it ends up in one of the ICs... Not quite sure how to bring this out and make it available on the 34-pin connector...
Or should I just give up and buy a replacement drive from AmigaKit?!
- Ali
-
Necro bump!
I was playing with some more Chinon FZ-357 drives and found out how to successfully mod the other type. This other type I mentioned Is a Japan made model, says on the back label. The one I was able to mod was a Malaysia model.
Set rear jumpers as described in my previous post.
Malaysia model: solder Jumper on J2
Japan model: solder Jumpers on J2 & J18
Both working great!
-
IntheSand, what about a wire directly from Disk change switch to the cable?
-
It is still possible to buy new external USB floppy drives, does anybody know if they have the standard connector on the inside, if you take them apart? They are quite cheap.
-
Necro bump!
I was playing with some more Chinon FZ-357 drives and found out how to successfully mod the other type. This other type I mentioned Is a Japan made model, says on the back label. The one I was able to mod was a Malaysia model.
Set rear jumpers as described in my previous post.
Malaysia model: solder Jumper on J2
Japan model: solder Jumpers on J2 & J18
Both working great!
This drive was salvaged from old PC and it worked after jumpering and cleaning as Amiga drive without any soldering.
CHINON MODEL FZ-357
- Forefinger space: 39,3mm
- Eject size: 17,6x5,6mm
- LED: Orange
- Dimensions: 134x25mm
- Rear sticker: MODEL FZ-357 CHINON IND,INC. S/N 1747763 MADE IN JAPAN
- Front PCB text: M34035 (silkscreen)
- Rear PCB text: 318F3AC SEP01 H1 (silkscreen & stamp next to the jumpers)
- Wheel Stamps: ES05DA 17519B
- Main IC: OK 2 VC5037
- Jumpered: DS1,MM,RDY,TTL/C-MOS
- J2 shortcircuited via PCB by design
- J18 shotcircuited with 0ohm resistor by factory[/COLOR]
-
Thank you! The jumpering and check of J2 & J18 worked for my FZ-357 drive in an Amiga!