Re: CBM-900 floppy disk format/encoding

From: Uffe Jakobsen <uffe_at_uffe.org>
Date: Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:18:10 +0200
Message-ID: <4EAB29B0.5030308@uffe.org>
Hi Ruud,

On 2011-10-28 12:29, Baltissen, GJPAA (Ruud) wrote:
>
>>  From that I'll dare to conclude that the CBM-900 floppy disks are
> DS/QD/100 TPI.
>
> How is this dive connected to the motherboard? If it was a 1.2 MB HD
> drive, it would be connected to the MB by the wellknown 34-wire
> flatcable. How about this drive?
>

Well that is a long story - that may give you some "new" part number to 
add to your partnumber list :-)

You are right the drive has no well-know 34-wire flatcable connection 
nor does it have any shugart standard interface.

As you propably know the drive is only mechanics - no amplifier 
circuitry or anything what so ever. The only thing coming out of the 
drive are something like eight or ten wires. Basically it is a stepper, 
a spindle motor, two disk heads and some sensors with wires attached to. 
The wire lead to a little converter PCB that is hanging dangerously 
close to the power supply and lots of other metal stuff - without any 
insulation. Anyway - out of this converter PCB comes a 20-wire flatcable 
- not 34-wire - there is no electronics on the converter PCB. The 
flatcable is connected to the main board. Another similar looking 20-pin 
connector is found in the same area of the main board - unpopulated - 
except for two attached wires that drives a chassis fan :-)

Just besides the floppy connectors are some discrete (amplifier ?) 
components and now for the fun part...

Just besides an EPROM labeled "Z8000 Fl. Cont. S41 6-20-85"....
There is a MOS 6508R2-S CPU in cheramic package (09/85)
and a MOS 8723R1 in cheramic package (22/85)

 From what I can find MOS 8723 is a floppy controller.

The EPROM, MOS 6508, MOS 8723 and some other nearby discrete components 
on the mainboard seems to constitute a separate floppy controller just 
as the external CBM drives are made. Only I've never seen a 6508 in any 
CBM drives - usually 2x6502, 6504 and other 650x'es etc...
MOS 6508 is a 6502 with enhanced io port and  256 bytes internal sram.

More funny details:
The MOS 8723 has the word "gut" hand written on it - meaning "good" in 
german.
Some other place on the mainboard a MOS 8716R1 (cheramic - no mfg M/Y) 
it has the word "good" hand written on it. :-)

The MOS 8716R1 is a DMA controller.


I'll put up some photos some day - I just need to get a little further 
in the process.


/Uffe




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Received on 2011-10-28 23:00:26

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