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Connector:2nd disc drive (CPC664, CPC6128, CPC6128+)

2007-04-20T13:52:32Z

84.187.200.8: /* CPC664/CPC6128 */

== CPC664/CPC6128 ==

The following table lists the signal on the "2nd Disk Drive" connector on the back of the CPC664/CPC6128.<br>
Signal names in simple brackets show the meaning the signal has today.
For your convenience, the pin no. are given as specified in the Shugart standard first, followed by the pin no. as assigned by Amstrad and shown in the manual.

Note that pins 35 and 36 (Amstrad enumeration) exist on Schneider CPC6128 only due to the use of a 36pin Centronics connector.

{|{{Prettytable|width: 700px; font-size: 2em;}}
|''Pin No. (Shugart)''||''Pin No. (CPC manual)''||''Signal Name''||''Description''
|-
|n/a||"35"||N/C||Schneider CPC6128 only
|-
|1 (red wire¹)||34||GND||Ground
|-
|2||33||N/C (/REDWC)||Density Select 1=Low/0=High
|-
|4||31||N/C||Reserved
|-
|6||29||N/C||Reserved
|-
|8||27||/Index||0=Index
|-
|10||25||N/C (/MOTEA)||-/- (0=Motor Enable Drive 0)
|-
|12||23||/DRVSB||Drive Select 1
|-
|14||21||N/C (/DRVSA)||-/-(Drive Select 0)
|-
|16||19||/MOTEB||0=Motor Enable Drive 1
|-
|18||17||/DIR||0=Direction Select
|-
|20||15||/Step||0=Head Step
|-
|22||13||/WDATE||Write Data
|-
|24||11||/WGATE||Floppy Write Enable, 0=Write Gate
|-
|26||9||/TRK00||0=Track 00
|-
|28||7||/WPT||0=Write Protect
|-
|30||5||/RDATA||Read Data
|-
|32||3||/SIDE1||0=Side 1 Select
|-
|34||1 (blue wire²)||/RDY (/DSKCHG)||0=Ready (1=Disk Change/0=Ready³)
|-
|All others (odd)||All others (even)||GND||Ground
|}

¹: Assuming you are using a cable which is made to match the Shugart standard on the floppy side.<br>
²: Original cables from Amstrad/Schneider had blue wires to mark pin 1 (which is pin 34 in Shugart standard).<br>
³: Although it might look like it, /RDY and /DSKCHG are not compatible. The CPC expects the drive to become ready (=0) by itself, while the DSKCHG signal stays high until confirmation through the PC, so the drive will never become RDY.

Except for the hint in note 3, a PC floppy can be directly operated on this connector, as long as you keep attention to the fact that the red wire of a PC floppy cable which is unchanged on the floppy side belongs on pin 34 of the CPC connector.
Some drives can be jumpered to output the desired /RDY signal, some can at least be soldered. Others can be operated by "tuning" the cable.
See [[3 1/2" & 5 1/4" Disk Drives]] for more detailed instructions, incl. Side Switch.

Connector:2nd disc drive (CPC664, CPC6128, CPC6128+)

2007-04-20T13:50:39Z

84.187.200.8: /* CPC664/CPC6128 */

== CPC664/CPC6128 ==

The following table lists the signal on the "2nd Disk Drive" connector on the back of the CPC664/CPC6128.<br>
Signal names in simple brackets show the meaning the signal has today.
For your convenience, the pin no. are given as specified in the Shugart standard first, followed by the pin no. as assigned by Amstrad and shown in the manual.

Note that pins 35 and 36 (Amstrad enumeration) exist on Schneider CPC6128 only due to the use of a 36pin Centronics connector.

{|{{Prettytable|width: 700px; font-size: 2em;}}
|''Pin No. (Shugart)''||''Pin No. (CPC manual)''||''Signal Name''||''Description''
|-
|n/a||"35"||N/C||Schneider CPC6128 only
|-
|1 (red wire¹)||34||GND||Ground
|-
|2||33||N/C (/REDWC)||Density Select 1=Low/0=High
|-
|4||31||N/C||Reserved
|-
|6||29||N/C||Reserved
|-
|8||27||/Index||0=Index
|-
|10||25||N/C (/MOTEA)||-/- (0=Motor Enable Drive 0)
|-
|12||23||/DRVSB||Drive Select 1
|-
|14||21||N/C (/DRVSA)||-/-(Drive Select 0)
|-
|16||19||/MOTEB||0=Motor Enable Drive 1
|-
|18||17||/DIR||0=Direction Select
|-
|20||15||/Step||0=Head Step
|-
|22||13||/WDATE||Write Data
|-
|24||11||/WGATE||Floppy Write Enable, 0=Write Gate
|-
|26||9||/TRK00||0=Track 00
|-
|28||7||/WPT||0=Write Protect
|-
|30||5||/RDATA||Read Data
|-
|32||3||/SIDE1||0=Side 1 Select
|-
|34||1 (blue wire²)||/RDY (/DSKCHG)||0=Ready (1=Disk Change/0=Ready³)
|-
|All others (odd)||All others (even)||GND||Ground
|}

¹: Assuming you are using a cable which is made to match the Shugart standard on the floppy side.
²: Original cables from Amstrad/Schneider had blue wires to mark pin 1 (which is pin 34 in Shugart standard).
³: Although it might look like it, /RDY and /DSKCHG are not compatible. The CPC expects the drive to become ready (=0) by itself, while the DSKCHG signal stays high until confirmation through the PC, so the drive will never become RDY.

Except for the hint in note 3, a PC floppy can be directly operated on this connector, as long as you keep attention to the fact that the red wire of a PC floppy cable which is unchanged on the floppy side belongs on pin 34 of the CPC connector.
Some drives can be jumpered to output the desired /RDY signal, some need soldering. Others can be operated by "tuning" the cable.
See [3 1/2" & 5 1/4" Disk Drives] for more detailed instructions.

Connector:2nd disc drive (CPC664, CPC6128, CPC6128+)

2007-04-20T13:39:57Z

84.187.200.8: /* CPC664/CPC6128 */

== CPC664/CPC6128 ==

The following table lists the signal on the "2nd Disk Drive" connector on the back of the CPC664/CPC6128
Signal names in simple brackets show the meaning the signal has today.
For your convenience, the pin no. are given as specified in the Shugart standard first, followed by the pin no. as assigned by Amstrad and shown in the manual.

Note that pins 35 and 36 (Amstrad enumeration) exist on Schneider CPC6128 only due to the use of a 36pin Centronics connector.

{|{{Prettytable|width: 700px; font-size: 2em;}}
|''Pin No. (Shugart)''||''Pin No. (CPC manual)''||''Signal Name''||''Description''
|-
|n/a||"35"||N/C||Schneider CPC6128 only
|-
|1 (red wire)||34||GND||Ground
|-
|2||33||N/C (/REDWC)||Density Select 1=Low/0=High
|-
|4||31||N/C||Reserved
|-
|6||29||N/C||Reserved
|-
|8||27||/Index||0=Index
|-
|10||25||N/C (/MOTEA)||-/- (0=Motor Enable Drive 0)
|-
|12||23||/DRVSB||Drive Select 1
|-
|14||21||N/C (/DRVSA)||-/-(Drive Select 0)
|-
|16||19||/MOTEB||0=Motor Enable Drive 1
|-
|18||17||/DIR||0=Direction Select
|-
|20||15||/Step||0=Head Step
|-
|22||13||/WDATE||Write Data
|-
|24||11||/WGATE||Floppy Write Enable, 0=Write Gate
|-
|26||9||/TRK00||0=Track 00
|-
|28||7||/WPT||0=Write Protect
|-
|30||5||/RDATA||Read Data
|-
|32||3||/SIDE1||0=Side 1 Select
|-
|34||1 (blue wire)||/RDY (/DSKCHG)||0=Ready (1=Disk Change/0=Ready¹)
|-
|All others (odd)||All others (even)||GND||Ground
|}

¹: Although it might look like it, /RDY and /DSKCHG are not compatible. The CPC expects the drive to become ready (=0) by itself, while the DSKCHG signal stays high until confirmation through the PC, so the drive will never become RDY.

Connector:2nd disc drive (CPC664, CPC6128, CPC6128+)

2007-04-20T13:39:23Z

84.187.200.8: /* CPC664/CPC6128 */

== CPC664/CPC6128 ==

The following table lists the signal on the "2nd Disk Drive" connector on the back of the CPC664/CPC6128
Signal names in simple brackets show the meaning the signal has today.
For your convenience, the pin no. are given as specified in the Shugart standard first, followed by the pin no. as assigned by Amstrad and shown in the manual.

Note that pins 35 and 36 (Amstrad enumeration) exist on Schneider CPC6128 only due to the use of a 36pin Centronics connector.

{|{{Prettytable|width: 700px; font-size: 2em;}}
|''Pin No. (Shugart)''||''Pin No. (CPC manual)''||''Signal Name''||''Description''
|-
|n/a||"35"||N/C||Schneider CPC6128 only
|-
|1 (red wire)||34||GND||Ground
|-
|2||33||N/C (/REDWC)||Density Select 1=Low/0=High
|-
|4||31||N/C||Reserved
|-
|6||29||N/C||Reserved
|-
|8||27||/Index||0=Index
|-
|10||25||N/C (/MOTEA)||-/- (0=Motor Enable Drive 0)
|-
|12||23||/DRVSB||Drive Select 1
|-
|14||21||N/C (/DRVSA)||-/-(Drive Select 0)
|-
|16||19||/MOTEB||0=Motor Enable Drive 1
|-
|18||17||/DIR||0=Direction Select
|-
|20||15||/Step||0=Head Step
|-
|22||13||/WDATE||Write Data
|-
|24||11||/WGATE||Floppy Write Enable, 0=Write Gate
|-
|26||9||/TRK00||0=Track 00
|-
|28||7||/WPT||0=Write Protect
|-
|30||5||/RDATA||Read Data
|-
|32||3||/SIDE1||0=Side 1 Select
|-
|34||1 (blue wire)||/RDY (/DSKCHG)||0=Ready (1=Disk Change/0=Ready¹)
|-
|All others (odd)||All others (even)||GND||Ground
|)

¹: Although it might look like it, /RDY and /DSKCHG are not compatible. The CPC expects the drive to become ready (=0) by itself, while the DSKCHG signal stays high until confirmation through the PC, so the drive will never become RDY.

Connector:2nd disc drive (CPC664, CPC6128, CPC6128+)

2007-04-20T13:38:58Z

84.187.200.8: /* CPC664/CPC6128 */

== CPC664/CPC6128 ==

The following table lists the signal on the "2nd Disk Drive" connector on the back of the CPC664/CPC6128
Signal names in simple brackets show the meaning the signal has today.
For your convenience, the pin no. are given as specified in the Shugart standard first, followed by the pin no. as assigned by Amstrad and shown in the manual.

Note that pins 35 and 36 (Amstrad enumeration) exist on Schneider CPC6128 only due to the use of a 36pin Centronics connector.

{|{{Prettytable|width: 700px; font-size: 2em;}}
|''Pin No. (Shugart)''||''Pin No. (CPC manual)''||''Signal Name''||''Description''
|-
|n/a||"35"||N/C||Schneider CPC6128 only
|-
|1 (red wire)||34||GND||Ground
|-
|2||33||N/C (/REDWC)||Density Select 1=Low/0=High
|-
|4||31||N/C||Reserved
|-
|6||29||N/C||Reserved
|-
|8||27||/Index||0=Index
|-
|10||25||N/C (/MOTEA)||-/- (0=Motor Enable Drive 0)
|-
|12||23||/DRVSB||Drive Select 1
|-
|14||21||N/C (/DRVSA)||-/-(Drive Select 0)
|-
|16||19||/MOTEB||0=Motor Enable Drive 1
|-
|18||17||/DIR||0=Direction Select
|-
|20||15||/Step||0=Head Step
|-
|22||13||/WDATE||Write Data
|-
|24||11||/WGATE||Floppy Write Enable, 0=Write Gate
|-
|26||9||/TRK00||0=Track 00
|-
|28||7||/WPT||0=Write Protect
|-
|30||5||/RDATA||Read Data
|-
|32||3||/SIDE1||0=Side 1 Select
|-
|34||1 (blue wire)||/RDY (/DSKCHG)||0=Ready (1=Disk Change/0=Ready¹)
|-
|All others (odd)||All others (even)||GND||Ground
)

¹: Although it might look like it, /RDY and /DSKCHG are not compatible. The CPC expects the drive to become ready (=0) by itself, while the DSKCHG signal stays high until confirmation through the PC, so the drive will never become RDY.

Connector:2nd disc drive (CPC664, CPC6128, CPC6128+)

2007-04-20T13:35:14Z

84.187.200.8: /* CPC664/CPC6128 */

== CPC664/CPC6128 ==

The following table lists the signal on the "2nd Disk Drive" connector on the back of the CPC664/CPC6128
Signal names in simple brackets show the meaning the signal has today.
For your convenience, the pin no. are given as specified in the Shugart standard first, followed by the pin no. as assigned by Amstrad and shown in the manual.

Note that pins 35 and 36 (Amstrad enumeration) exist on Schneider CPC6128 only due to the use of a 36pin Centronics connector.

{|{{Prettytable|width: 700px; font-size: 2em;}}
|''Pin No. (Shugart)''||''Pin No. (CPC manual)''||''Signal Name''||''Description''
|-
|n/a||"35"||N/C||Schneider CPC6128 only
|-
|1 (red wire)||34||GND||Ground
|-
|2||33||N/C (/REDWC)||Density Select 1=Low/0=High
|-
|4||31||N/C||Reserved
|-
|6||29||N/C||Reserved
|-
|8||27||/Index||0=Index
|-
|10||25||N/C (/MOTEA)||-/- (0=Motor Enable Drive 0)
|-
|12||23||/DRVSB||Drive Select 1
|-
|14||21||N/C (/DRVSA)||-/-(Drive Select 0)
|-
|16||19||/MOTEB||0=Motor Enable Drive 1
|-
|18||17||/DIR||0=Direction Select
|-
|20||15||/Step||0=Head Step
|-
|22||13||/WDATE||Write Data
|-
|24||11||/WGATE||Floppy Write Enable, 0=Write Gate
|-
|26||9||/TRK00||0=Track 00
|-
|28||7||/WPT||0=Write Protect
|-
|30||5||/RDATA||Read Data
|-
|32||3||/SIDE1||0=Side 1 Select
|-
|34||1 (blue wire)||/DSKCHG (CPC: /RDY)||1=Disk Change/0=Ready (CPC: Won't check for 1)
|-
|All others||Ground
|)

Connector:2nd disc drive (CPC664, CPC6128, CPC6128+)

2007-04-20T13:33:00Z

84.187.200.8: /* CPC664/CPC6128 */

== CPC664/CPC6128 ==

The following table lists the signal on the "2nd Disk Drive" connector on the back of the CPC664/CPC6128
Signal names in simple brackets show the meaning the signal has today.
For your convenience, the pin no. are given as specified in the Shugart standard first, followed by the pin no. as assigned by Amstrad and shown in the manual.

Note that pins 35 and 36 (Amstrad enumeration) exist on Schneider CPC6128 only due to the use of a 36pin Centronics connector.

{|{{Prettytable|width: 700px; font-size: 2em;}}
|''Pin No. (Shugart)''||''Pin No. (CPC manual)''||''Signal Name''||''Description''
|-
|n/a||35||N/C||Schneider CPC6128 only
|-
|2||33||N/C (/REDWC)||Density Select 1=Low/0=High
|-
|4||31||N/C||Reserved
|-
|6||29||N/C||Reserved
|-
|8||27||/Index||0=Index
|-
|10||25||N/C (/MOTEA)||-/- (0=Motor Enable Drive 0)
|-
|12||23||/DRVSB||Drive Select 1
|-
|14||21||N/C (/DRVSA)||-/-(Drive Select 0)
|-
|16||19||/MOTEB||0=Motor Enable Drive 1
|-
|18||17||/DIR||0=Direction Select
|-
|20||15||/Step||0=Head Step
|-
|22||13||/WDATE||Write Data
|-
|24||11||/WGATE||Floppy Write Enable, 0=Write Gate
|-
|26||9||/TRK00||0=Track 00
|-
|28||7||/WPT||0=Write Protect
|-
|30||5||/RDATA||Read Data
|-
|32||3||/SIDE1||0=Side 1 Select
|-
|34||1||/DSKCHG (CPC: /RDY)||1=Disk Change/0=Ready (CPC: Won't check for 1)
|}

2007-04-20T11:44:05Z

84.187.200.8: New page: I have removed the misleading comment on the first drawing. It was listing the signals on the wires, but was using the wrong pin numbers as stated in the manual, rather than those from Shu...

I have removed the misleading comment on the first drawing.
It was listing the signals on the wires, but was using the wrong pin numbers as stated in the manual, rather than those from Shugart standard.
As all paintings are made to match the Shugart standard whereever possible, those signal explanations were rather confusing.
Also, all paintings were made with the thought in mind, that the one making the cable doesn't need to know the signals, but only where to put the red wire to.

2007-04-20T11:35:31Z

84.187.200.8: Additional comment was misleading.

Besides the "big" brands' disk drives for the Amstrad CPC, there were also user solutions and garage company made disk drives for the Amstrad CPC.

These usually came without their own DOS, or you had to replace the built-in AMSDOS with a DOS like ParaDOS or a patched AMSDOS.

But even without a special DOS taking use of the higher capacity of those drives, the use of such drives made sense, as media were much cheaper than 3" media.

Today, with supplies of 3" disks draining and company solutions no longer being produced, a self-made 3 1/2" disk drive is the perfect supplement for every CPC user.

== Notes ==

* Whereever possible, the wire numbers from the PC standard were used!

* The universal solution connects a 3" or 3 1/2" disk drive to any CPC with disk controller
** You can even use Part A for connecting a 3" disk drive to a CPC664/CPC6128/CPC6128plus and Part Bx for connecting a 3 1/2" disk drive to a CPC464 with DDI-1 at the same time
** Part Bx, which is also the full cable for the CPC464 with DDI-1, can even be used to connect the PC drive as A: on the DDI-1, though this doesn't work with all drives.

* Although schematics for drives without own RDY-Signal are given, it is highly recommended to use drives with RDY to ensure maximum compatibility. The only todays drive known to be resolderable to output a RDY-signal is the Samsung SFD-321B and many drives won't work as A: on the CPC464+DDI-1 without a permanent RDY though.

* These schematics differ from most existing schematics on the web in that way, that they don't use GND to pull signals active low, but the /DRIVE SELECT line via diode. This ensures that the other drive on the bus doesn't become influenced. You can solder the wire containing the diode directly (without the diode) to a GND-wire and you will get the same as described in other tutorials but the side switch and - if applicable - the permanent RDY will also be in effect for the other disk drive then.

* Hints for fitting cut/squeeze plugs on flat-ribbon cable (Assuming you were building the cable according to the PC wire numbers with red wire = wire 1), connectors seen from back:
** Amstrad CPC664/CPC6128: Red wire showing away from orientation nose inside the connector
** Schneider CPC6128 (DE): Red wire showing to the right with two free pins on the right end of the connector
** Amstrad CPC6128plus: Red wire showing to the right with three unused pins on the left end of the connector (red wire not connected/overlapping end of connector)

== Schematics ==

=== Universal solution (CPC464+DDI-1, CPC664, CPC6128, CPC6128 German and CPC6128plus) ===

==== Part A: Replacement cable for original Amstrad/Schneider FD-1 ====

[[Image:Universal FD-1.jpg|frame|none|Identical to the cable for the FD-1 except that it is for the CPC664, CPC6128 and CPC6128plus at the same time]]

==== Part B1: Makes a PC disk drive with RDY behave like a DDI-1 ====

[[Image:DDI-1 - 3.5 w RDY.jpg|frame|none|Makes a PC disk drive with RDY behave like a DDI-1]]

==== Part B2: Makes a PC disk drive without RDY behave like a DDI-1 ====

[[Image:DDI-1 - 3.5 wo RDY.jpg|frame|none|Makes a PC disk drive without RDY behave like a DDI-1]]

=== Amstrad/Schneider CPC464 with DDI-1 ===

See Part B1 or Part B2 as shown in sections 2.1.2 or 2.1.3 accordingly.

=== Amstrad/Schneider CPC664/CPC6128 (Not German CPC6128s!) ===

==== Drive has RDY-signal ====

[[Image:CPC664 - 3.5 w RDY.jpg|frame|none|Schematics for PC disk drives with own READY signal on an Amstrad/Schneider CPC664/CPC6128 (Non-German CPC6128 only)]]

==== Drive doesn't have RDY-signal ====

[[Image:CPC664 - 3.5 wo RDY.jpg|frame|none|Schematics for PC disk drives without own READY signal on an Amstrad/Schneider CPC664/CPC6128 (Non-German CPC6128 only)]]

=== Schneider/Amstrad CPC6128 (German models and grey imports from Germany only!) ===

==== Drive has RDY-signal ====

[[Image:CPC6128 - 3.5 w RDY.jpg|frame|none|Schematics for PC disk drives with own READY signal on a Schneider CPC6128 or a German Amstrad CPC6128]]

==== Drive doesn't have RDY-signal ====

[[Image:CPC6128 - 3.5 wo RDY.jpg|frame|none|Schematics for PC disk drives without own READY signal on a Schneider CPC6128 or a German Amstrad CPC6128]]

=== Amstrad CPC6128plus ===

==== Drive has RDY-signal ====

[[Image:CPC6128plus - 3.5 w RDY.jpg|frame|none|Schematics for PC disk drives with own READY signal on an Amstrad CPC6128plus]]

==== Drive doesn't have RDY-signal ====

[[Image:CPC6128plus - 3.5 wo RDY.jpg|frame|none|Schematics for PC disk drives without own READY signal on an Amstrad CPC6128plus]]

== Garage companies that sold disc drives ==

* [[Frank Strauss Elektronik|Frank Straus 5 1/4" Drive]]
* G+L Electronic (3 1/2" and 5 1/4" disk drives)

[[Category:Hardware]] [[Category:Peripherals]]