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Epson SD-560/SD-540/SD-521 Floppy Drives

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ChrisCwmbran

Experienced Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2011
Messages
483
Location
Cwmbran, Wales, United Kingdom
Hi all,

Do any of you have datasheets, service manuals or even just jumper settings for any of the above 3 drive models?

My primary interest is the SD-560 but information on it seems amazingly scarce. My understanding that the other two models are very similar, but again info is so hard to find!

Thanks in anticipation!

Chris.
 
I just cleaned up several 521s (two in a Kaypro 4, two more that I bought for installing in PCs to write disks for said Kaypro 4). My reason for wanting the SD-521s is that they're 360KB but direct drive, so no rubber belt to break. I haven't been able to find documentation either, but the main block of jumpers just selects which of the 4 drive selects the drive should respond to (One set to DS1 will work fine as drive B on a PC floppy controller). There's one other jumper next to those, and another block I haven't tried to mess with yet.
 
I checked, I do not. Makes me wonder if Epson was using someone else's drives, like TEAC or some other OEM provider, for their products.
b
 
Kaypro's Technical Manual shows that the TEAC and Epson drives are different though both use a 10 pin jumper block for 4 drive selects and the MX jumper adjacent to a terminator block.

I am pretty sure Kaypro documentation shows off the 521 drive with the push button.
 
Well given the lack of documentation on the Epson SD-560 I obtained an alternative drive to try - a JVC MPD-100 which again is supposedly an 80 track DS-DD unit.

Guess what..... the drive is working as a 40 track drive.... So I think perhaps its jumpered to double step tracks for use in a PC or the like. Can I find any documentation on the JVC MPD-100? Of course not :/
 
It may not be TEAC, I was just guessing, but my point is that the Epson drives may be OEMs from some Japanese manaufacturer, and if you can confirm/refute that you might find your missing manuals.
b
 
I suspect they're actually Epson-made drives because at least one chip on the board has their logo on it (the chip with the logo that looks like 2 triangles to the left of the white Beckman resistor pack in the attached picture), and the head stepper motor was manufactured by "Suwa Seikosha Co., Ltd.", a Seiko Epson subsidiary more famous for manufacturing watches.
sd521.jpg
 
If you know of systems that use the drives, try finding reference manuals for those. It may not list the exact drive model number but should provide information for the most common jumper positions. The remaining jumpers likely are remnants of older designs and only should be set with specific rare early machines.
 
I realize this is a major necro-post, but my father has a copy of the service manual for the SD-560 that includes the jumper settings, but he's also looking for a functional drive as well (one he had appears to have failed). If OP is still in need of the service manual, I may be able to help.
 
mbalmer said:
I realize this is a major necro-post, but my father has a copy of the service manual for the SD-560 that includes the jumper settings, but he's also looking for a functional drive as well (one he had appears to have failed). If OP is still in need of the service manual, I may be able to help.
Click to expand...
Can you provide a scan of the service manual?
 
Epson SD-521 Schematic was in the Epson QX-10 Manual.
Here is a link to my PCloud account.

u.pcloud.link

Epson-Manuals - Shared with pCloud

Keep all your files safe, access them on any device you own and share with just the right people. Create a free pCloud account!
u.pcloud.link u.pcloud.link

SD-521 Test Points are shown on Page 6-2
Track 0 Photo Sensor is shown on Page 5-56
Track 0 Photo Sensor adjust is shown on Page 6-14
RPM Adjust is shown on Page 6-4
PULLUP Resistor RA1 (150 OHM) is shown on on Page 91
Phase 0, Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 (Stepper Motor) are shown on Page 91

Larry
 
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