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Wanted: PC98 3.5" drive

Chuck(G)

Chuck(G)

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I'm looking for a Fujitsu B03L-4505, YE Data YD685C, Chinon FZ-356 or NEC FD1138 3.5" disk drive.

Anyone have one rattling around in their hellbox? Note that these are drives that are used on the PC9801 Japanese computers and have DS0-3, DC on pin 2, RDY on pin 34 and support 1.2MB format.

Odd birds, but who knows?
 
Stone said:
I found a Chinon FZ-357. :)
Click to expand...

I know that the FZ-357 is popular with the Amiga crowd because it can be hacked to spin at 150 RPM and make high-density floppy use possible. What I don't know is if it can be manipulated to provide PC98 compatible functionality--i.e. 360 RPM ("1.6MB" operation) with ready on pin 34 and disk change on pin 2.

Do you have information on the jumper settings?
 
The Samsung SFD-321B used to be pretty commonly available; it's 3-mode, 1.6MB capable, but with the 'normal' either/or RY/DC on pin 34, useful as an 8" drive replacement. Maybe you could add a DC to pin 2 jumper if you were desperate.
 
I'll have to check with the Japanese PC98 community to see what anyone knows about these drives. I've used the NEC drives successfully before and I suspect a Teac FD235J or an early FD235GF (with the big block of jumpers) might also do.

Finding specialty floppy drives is getting to be hard. :(
 
FWIW I've got some FD235HF & HG models, but these versions don't have any jumpers to speak of; also a Chinon, but FZ357 s/as Stone's.

Probably lots of 'em rotting in landfills out there...
 
Update: I've ordered a NEC FD2131T and a Samsung SFD-321B drive. It looks as if I'll be able to modify the Samsung drive to do what I need, thanks to the OEM manual still available online--I've got my fingers crossed. It has only 2 drive selects, but that will be enough.

FWIW, I'll update this thread with my results for any other interested PC98 users (surely, there must be some on the vintage list--at one point, PC98 was 70% of the Japanese market and Japanese gamers still run PC9801 emulators). Several Japanese bloggers have mentioned that getting new drives for the PC98 is difficult even in Japan.
 
It turns out that the Samsung SFD-321B might be just the ticket. You have to diassemble the drive to get to the PCB pads, but it's only 5 very small screws. I was able to put READY on pin 34, DISK CHANGED on pin 2 and set it to DS0 and 2-mode (1.0/1.6 MB) auto-switch operation in less than 10 minutes. Only took an added inch or so of wire to get DC on pin 2. As a bonus, the drive even furnishes IN USE on pin 4. So it goes off to the customer for testing, but it looks really good thus far. No problem at all reading and writing 1.2MB 3.5" floppies.

Thanks for the suggestion, Mike. :thumbsup:

The NEC FD2131T is a little more complicated--the option pads are "mystery" labeled, so absent an OEM manual for it, it's going to be guessing all the way.
 
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