Are Floppy Drives Supposed To Be Missing a Gold Pin in the Back?

[MonstaThrilla]

I'm trying to diagnose why my new floppy (Teac) in my new rig isn't being recognized by the BIOS or Win2K. I have no other floppy drives to compare it to (well I do, but they're in OEM machines and its easier to just ask here). If you're looking straight on at the back of the drive, I'd say its the 3rd or 4th space on the bottom row towards the left where the pin is missing (I'm talking aboot the connector pins BTW). I first thought it was just because I was using a rounded cable, but I used a regular flat ribbon and that too wasn't helping, so I'm pretty sure its the drive itself...

 

[tippmann]

Yes there is a pin missing or should I say not in order with the rest..


As for it not being recognized... I would first try a different cable, which you did, then try a different drive... It also may me the controler on the MOBO

 

[Macro2]

It's typical that some floppy drives are missing some pins. Obiviously they don't use all the pins. This doesn't mean however that the pin you are missing is not "missing".
You'll probably get asked this so I will start.

Is the cable plugged in correctly? Not offset "up" if there is no box.
The color is pin 1. Somewhere on the back of the drive it should say "1". Sometimes in on the circuit board.
Is the power connector plugged in correctly? Red is "1".

It's possible you have a dead drive. Any lights go on?
Stay on?

Mac

 

[MonstaThrilla]

DP

 

[MonstaThrilla]

Well, tried a different drive and all cable combinations. Same problem. The weird thing is, in the BIOS and Win2K, there _is_ a Drive A 3.5" Floppy recognized. I guess those are just there by default though.

In the BIOS I get the error message "Floppy test failed (40)" and in Win2K if I insert a disk it doesn't see it.

I guess it's the mobo's controller. I've already RMA'd the Epox mobo once (even though it was my own fault I guess), but now I have to again.

Is there such thing as a floppy controller card? Or should I just ditch the idea of a floppy all together? I can boot from CD and I can use a CDRW for small data to carry around with me...

 

[Raincity]

Pin 1 on a Teac is on the left side near the power connector so the red stripe will connect at the left instead of the right. Also make sure you have twist side of the floppy cable connected to the floppy drive.

Rain

 

[smp]

I'm from Canada too (aboot)
I had this problem with an old P90 one time that I was trying to revive. I couldn't get any out of three floppy drives to work. I'm pretty sure that in my case it was the controller on the board. You should yank out one of those floppy drives from the OEM machines in your house and try that... if those don't work, then you can RMA.
<edit> yeah what Raincity said too, nobody mentioned that either. Make sure the cable is twisted on the motherboard side. Good point Raincity. </edit>

 

[MonstaThrilla]

RAINCITY YOU ARE MY HERO!!!

Thanks, it was the Teac having Pin 1 on the left. Thanks a bunch for saving me RMA stress!

 

[GameQuoter]

There's a pin missing on the bottom left of my floppy drive.

 

[Raincity]

No problem, Im glad its was not a defective hardware issue.

Rain

 

[Macro2]

Glad you got it figured out. Unlike IDE devices where the reds usually go together, there seems to be no standard placement for pin 1s on floppy drives. You have to look on the floppy for a clue.

mac

 

[TunaBoo]

<< Glad you got it figured out. Unlike IDE devices where the reds usually go together, there seems to be no standard placement for pin 1s on floppy drives. You have to look on the floppy for a clue.

mac >>



On mitsumi's (sp?) the red floppy cable goes on side opposite the power cable, whish is how MOST floppies are.

 

[Macro2]

OK, but I have some that plug in every which way.

Mac

 

[jamarno]

MonstaThrilla, you shouldn't round floppy cables because, as with 80-pin IDE cables, every other wire is a shield ground.