exxos's Atari, Amiga & retro forum

Thanks for looking at this Exxos. Agree keep it simple, as you say may not be worth all the hassle on the alpha board.

Somewhere we talked about replacing the DMA port with the gigafile type connector or even a DB25 ... For old drives a patch cable would be needed , which would need a DB19 anyway :roll:

I think someone suggested 3d printing the plastic parts and using the pins from a 25way connector.. But still doesn't solve the metal parts.

My goal has always been 100% backwards compatible , so if we removed the db19 then we have taken a step away from the classic machine :roll:

Of course there are some scrap boards I can take a few off, but its not really a solution either.

There was someone who got thousands of connectors made, dread to think of the cost, he got like 10,000 made or something.

I'll ask around and see if I can get a feel to costs of getting some made.. The PSU switches I sell for the falcon PSU were actually a custom made switches, so these things are sometimes possible in low volumes.

exxos wrote: 28 Oct 2018 09:41 Somewhere we talked about replacing the DMA port with the gigafile type connector or even a DB25 ... For old drives a patch cable would be needed , which would need a DB19 anyway :roll:

I think someone suggested 3d printing the plastic parts and using the pins from a 25way connector.. But still doesn't solve the metal parts.

My goal has always been 100% backwards compatible , so if we removed the db19 then we have taken a step away from the classic machine :roll:

Agree 100% compatible is a good and as you say parts are getting scarce

I think in these conversations that also an internal header might be the solution. That way it leaves the 19pin D-SUB for 100% compatibility and have a MegaSTE type header to allow the addition of the Gigafile or UltraSatan internally.

Yes I will add the header on the next board anyway.

exxos wrote: 28 Oct 2018 10:08 Yes I will add the header on the next board anyway.

Thanks Exxos

I guess you have a lot of things bouncing around in that mind of yours of what the next board will look like

Icky wrote: 28 Oct 2018 10:33 I guess you have a lot of things bouncing around in that mind of yours of what the next board will look like

Indeed. We are dealing with old machines so parts is of course a huge issue. Its if we start changing things or not which is the problem..

I have a suska here, problem right off is in am forced to buy a suska floppy drive or gigafile to use it. It has a cf slot but incant use that either as in have to now to setup the card on suska .... So I wasn't able to even run anything on it yet. Its just been sat in the box for months..

But I think it proves a good point... If it just had a normal floppy header, I could have used it easily.. Its one thing to make changes, but when its forcing people to only be able to use one custom thing, it just becomes annoying.. I mean in have a ultrasatan, I could maybe use it on Suska, but i would still need a custom cable... I dont want to basically end up buying stuff again because the connectors are different. Retro computing is expensive as it is..

It would be easy to add the gigafile connector on the remake board, gigafile could plug right it, easy stuff. But then older hardware would need custom cables , which would still need the db19 anyway. So in that respect its just easier to keep the db19 as its the proper connector and have adapter cable for gigafile instead.

Either way, the db19 is needed , but there no source for them ( other than maybe best)

So it really makes sense to try to fit a internal drive like ultrasatan.. I mean. For the next MB design, people are buying new stuff anyway, so having a internal option is good. Of course it kind forces people to buy that only...

I would like to use my external ultrasatan on the next MB, without having to buy adapters and stuff, but its back to not being able to optaain the connectors again.

My thoughts are to just stick with the db19... Best do have some, sources past that are scrap boards..I do keep hunting for possible alternative sources..

exxos wrote: 28 Oct 2018 09:41There was someone who got thousands of connectors made, dread to think of the cost, he got like 10,000 made or something.

Story here: https://www.bigmessowires.com/2016/06/0 ... connector/

Available here: http://www.iec-usa.com/cgi-bin/iec/DB19MS

mikro wrote: 28 Oct 2018 11:55

exxos wrote: 28 Oct 2018 09:41There was someone who got thousands of connectors made, dread to think of the cost, he got like 10,000 made or something.

Story here: https://www.bigmessowires.com/2016/06/0 ... connector/

Available here: http://www.iec-usa.com/cgi-bin/iec/DB19MS

Yeah that's the ones.. but we need female and pcb mount, those are male and solder bucket, so totally the opposite to what we need :(

This may be another source but not PCB mount: http://www.landmelectronics.com/product.cfm/8457/

kodak80 wrote: 28 Oct 2018 12:25 This may be another source but not PCB mount:

Thanks, it could be possible to bodge them in with a adapter pcb or something I guess...