HP4145B floppy problem

[sunshine]

Hi,

we have an old HP4145B parameter analyzer sitting around because the
floppy drive is broken and we cannot boot it anymore. If I am correct
it does not have a hard disk, therefore the floppy drive is mandatory.
Since we have another HP4145B that is still in use, I was wondering if
we could actually use the functioning floppy drive from the first
equipment and just use to boot the second equipment. However this only
works if the HP does not need write access during measurements or when
changing configurations. Does anyone know it this is the case?
Also, is there a possibility to connect one floppy drive
simultaneously to two different pieces of equipment? I am afraid that
there will be problems about the potentials floating around, but maybe
there is some easy trick?
By the way the broken floppy is a MP-F52W-20 from Sony. Does anyone
know the pin layout?

Thanks in advance!!!

David

 

[Franc Zabkar]

On 19 Aug 2008 08:21:00 -0400, allinger@brain.net (Wolfgang Allinger)
put finger to keyboard and composed:

On 19 Aug 08 at group /sci/electronics/repair in article
david.leuenberger@gmail.com> (sunshine) wrote:

we have an old HP4145B parameter analyzer sitting around because the
floppy drive is broken and we cannot boot it anymore. If I am correct
it does not have a hard disk, therefore the floppy drive is mandatory.
Since we have another HP4145B that is still in use, I was wondering if
we could actually use the functioning floppy drive from the first
equipment and just use to boot the second equipment. However this only
works if the HP does not need write access during measurements or when
changing configurations. Does anyone know it this is the case?

Try it with the write-protect notch/slider on the floppy itself.

Also, is there a possibility to connect one floppy drive
simultaneously to two different pieces of equipment? I am afraid that
there will be problems about the potentials floating around, but maybe
there is some easy trick?
No.


By the way the broken floppy is a MP-F52W-20 from Sony. Does anyone
know the pin layout?

See the links, however the biggest problem is, that hp used special
drives with 600RPM, not the standard 300RPM.

I notice that the original drive is spec'ed for DS DD 3.5" 630KB
diskettes. If the drive rotates at 600RPM, then the interface transfer
rate would be roughly equivalent to a HD diskette spinning at 300RPM.
So would it be feasible to increase the speed of the motor of a
PC-compatible 300RPM (5 revs/sec) drive to 600RPM (10 revs/sec) and
expect it to function correctly when attached to HP's controller?

Depending on the design of the motor controller, the OP could try
doubling the frequency of the ceramic resonator, or removing every
second Hall effect sensor, or passing the speed sensor's output
through a flip-flip.

The OP may also need to defeat the microswitch or optical sensor that
senses the diskette's hi-den/lo-den tab.

Thanks in advance!!!

Google: MP-F52W-20

Not so good news:

http://forums.tm.agilent.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=5997

And worse:

http://www.hpmuseum.org/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/hpmuseum/archv012.cgi?read=32300

Saludos Wolfgang

- Franc Zabkar
--
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