Subject: RE: Two ESDI drives available

From: Kelly Leavitt <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue Apr 1 20:45:00 2003

Well, I've made up my mind. Actually, I found a controller for these drives
and have installed them in a computer I use to emulate the old Tandy's I
collect. 

How's that... Emulating a 20 year old computer on a 10 year old computer
with 15 year old hard drives.

Now, on to the next question. I need a 34 conductor flat cable with male IDC
on one end and socket on the other. Anyone know of a good source for these? 

Thanks,
kelly

-----Original Message-----
From: Kelly Leavitt [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2003 6:29 PM
To: [email-masked]'
Subject: Two ESDI drives available

I have two:
	Imprimis 94166-182 (150 MB)
	Maxtor XT-4170E (170MB)

Any one need them? I collect mostly old Tandy stuff. Model II, 12, 16, 6000
is my main focus.

Any interesting uses for these boat anchors?

Thanks,
Kelly

---

From: [email-masked] (Tony Duell)
Date: Wed Apr 2 18:06:00 2003

> on one end and socket on the other. Anyone know of a good source for these? 

Do you mean you need a cable that could be used as an extension for a 
3.5" floppy drive?

The male header plug is not trivial to get (but it does exist), and it's not 
trivial to crimp onto the cable without damage. I remember last time I 
had to do one, I bought the die for one of the 'propper' crimp tools (the 
die alone was not too expensive) and used that to support the plug.

Then, when you've got the bits, just crimp them onto a bit of cable in 
the bench vice...

-tony

---

From: Mail List <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed Apr 2 20:41:00 2003

Tony,

 > and it's not trivial to crimp onto the cable without damage

When I made something like that up, I plugged an already
assembled female into the male, so that when I pressed
the male onto the cable, the force was applied to the end
of the female sticking out past the shroud around the pins of
the male connector, transferring that force to the inside base
of the male, not on the edges of it's shroud where the plastic
is thin, nor onto it's pins. Another way to do it without needing
the die you said you had gotten. I also use a vise since I don't
have a special crimp tool either. I put something like cardboard
over the vise jaws to protect the IDC connectors which I'm
pressing on from being marred.

For a cable already made up, IIRC cables like these, 34 pin
with male IDC on one end, and female IDC on the other end
came with floppy controller controlled tape backup drives, to add
a third device ( the tape drive ) to a floppy cable already being
used by both an A: and B: floppy drive.

 > The male header plug is not trivial to get (but it does exist)

3M and AMP might make these. We have an electronics supply
here that will order "samples" for you if you only need one or two
pieces. We actually wanted to purchase them, but since ordering
the samples eliminated the paperwork tasks for them ( all done in
one phone call ), they wanted to supply them as samples.

Best Regards

---

From: [email-masked] (Tony Duell)
Date: Thu Apr 3 15:06:33 2003

> assembled female into the male, so that when I pressed

Good tip.

When I assemble those 'transition connectors' -- the ones that crimp onto 
the ribbon cable and then solder permanently to the PCB -- I stick the 
pins into one of those plugblock 'breadboards' so they don't get bent. 
It's actually the only use I've found for those breadboards!

[...]

> the die you said you had gotten. I also use a vise since I don't

In this case, the die was a fairly small amount of money (around \pounds 
10.00), we needed to make up about 10 cables (this was for 'work', not 
home hacking...) and the die was available from the place the sold the 
connectors. Buying the die was the obvious thing to do.

-tony