Hello,
after being busy with other 8-bitters, I returned to Thomson with a nice MO6, donated by a French colleague. After the filter capacitor on the PSU turned into stinky, white smoke, I cleaned the computer, replaced the filter capacitor (although not really needed) and managed to load games from cassette and ROM cartridge.
There came a CD 90-351 FDD controller with disk drive with the MO6. However, even original Thomson disks refuse to be read. I get either "no disk" message with no disk activity at all or the disk spins for 1-2s, then I get an I/O error. I cleaned the drive, but no luck. Also empty DD disks cannot be initialized resp. formatted. So I decided to put a cased HxC on the flat ribbon cable of the Thomson disk drive. I´m using a single 5V PSU, as the Thomson disk drive PSU seems to have more than one voltage. When I insert the flat ribbon cable straight (not turned by 180°), switch on the disk drive PSU (I guess there needs to be power on the little board where the round cable from the CD 90-351 gets converted to the flat ribbon cable), add 5V, set the jumper on the HxC to ID0/Drive A and select an FD file (which has been converted to HFE), I can see activity and hear noise on/from the HcX, but after 1-2s I get a "Disk I/O error". I tried multiple settings on the HxC SD programm, but without success. I´m a little lost now.
Here two photos to explain the setup a bit better:
HxC (cased Rev. C) on an MO6 with CD 90-351
Modérateurs : Papy.G, fneck, Carl
HxC (cased Rev. C) on an MO6 with CD 90-351
My beloved residents: http://schombi.de/my-retro-collection.html
Re: HxC (cased Rev. C) on an MO6 with CD 90-351
The cable from the CD 90-351controller to the Thomson floppy drive is known to be often a cause of failure. Since you get an I/O error with both original equipment and HxC, you should try another cable, or at least check the continuity of each wire with a multimeter.
The power connector in the Thomson external drive is a standard floppy connector, with ground in the middle, 5V at one side and 12V at the other side. It should be compatible with the HxC, as long as you plug it on the right side.
The power connector in the Thomson external drive is a standard floppy connector, with ground in the middle, 5V at one side and 12V at the other side. It should be compatible with the HxC, as long as you plug it on the right side.
Daniel
L'obstacle augmente mon ardeur.
L'obstacle augmente mon ardeur.
Re: HxC (cased Rev. C) on an MO6 with CD 90-351
Thanks, I didn´t know about the cable issues on the CD 90-351. I will check for continuity of each wire. Is it possible to get a new cable for somewhere or is it too "Thomson specific"?
My beloved residents: http://schombi.de/my-retro-collection.html
Re: HxC (cased Rev. C) on an MO6 with CD 90-351
Daniel, you were on the right track. I measured continuity of each wire and they looked okay, but then I decided to give it another try with the HxC and twist the cable in certain positions. In some I still got the I/O error, but all for a sudden:
I also could then load the game:
So the cable is the bad guy here. My question now is: Where to get a good, working one? I´ve never seen such cable before.My beloved residents: http://schombi.de/my-retro-collection.html
Re: HxC (cased Rev. C) on an MO6 with CD 90-351
This cable is specific to the Thomson DD90-352 drive. The DIN 14 male plug is hard to find, but it is still sold by a few online shops.
If you cannot buy an original, you can find the two connectors and made the cable with a flat ribbon or 14 single wires + one for the ground.
You can also look at this thread : viewtopic.php?f=18&t=3576
If you cannot buy an original, you can find the two connectors and made the cable with a flat ribbon or 14 single wires + one for the ground.
You can also look at this thread : viewtopic.php?f=18&t=3576
Daniel
L'obstacle augmente mon ardeur.
L'obstacle augmente mon ardeur.
Re: HxC (cased Rev. C) on an MO6 with CD 90-351
Would that one be okay?
http://coolnovelties.co.uk/coolnoveltie ... stems.html
http://coolnovelties.co.uk/coolnoveltie ... stems.html
My beloved residents: http://schombi.de/my-retro-collection.html
Re: HxC (cased Rev. C) on an MO6 with CD 90-351
Yes, it seems to be the right connector.
It is possible to use only one DIN 14 connector at the controller side, and a standard floppy connector at the other side. This is a better solution for the HxC, and it can also connect directly to the Thomson DD 90-352 after removing the internal flat ribbon cable.
It is possible to use only one DIN 14 connector at the controller side, and a standard floppy connector at the other side. This is a better solution for the HxC, and it can also connect directly to the Thomson DD 90-352 after removing the internal flat ribbon cable.
Daniel
L'obstacle augmente mon ardeur.
L'obstacle augmente mon ardeur.