VOGONS


First post, by Megantonneke

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Hi there everybody,

I am attempting to restore a rather special machine a Tulip Vision Line ID 4/100. A machine with almost no documentation online whatsoever.

It is a 1994 desktop with a very low profile case, a 486DX2 CPU, 2xPCMCIA slots and integrated on the mobo a Cirrus Logic CL-GD5434 graphics accelarator, Soundblaster 16 and a intel 10 mbit Ethernet adapter. 20171221_220324.jpg

As it is such a low profile machine, it is based more on laptop technology than desktop. For example it has a slimline Mitsumi D359F2 3.5 inch floppy drive with a 26 pins ZIF connector (foil ribbon cable) for data and power. This is a drive belt driven disk drive. Unfortunately the drive belt is broken in mine, and this part is difficult to obtain.

I already tried to replace the drive with two other drives with a 26 pins ZIF connector, but they don't work and/or seem got damaged by connecting them up.

Is there a standard for the pinout on this ZIF connector drives, or are there several different pinout in use? Can a drive be destroyed due a the wrong pinout?

Greetings,

Megantonneke

Last edited by Megantonneke on 2018-01-18, 13:12. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 2 of 2, by Megantonneke

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Auzner wrote:

26-pin is what the slimline drives use--so not proprietary. There are 34-pin adapters for these if that would help. Otherwise look for more slimline floppy drives to try.

No I did not mean that the interface is proprietary, but in my view, evidence is mounting that a custom pin assignment is used to control/power the floppydrive, and in such a way that a 26pin ZIF floppy drive with the standard pin assignment gets botched when connected. I was wondering if that was even possible or not.

There have always been rumours that Tulip deployed measures to discourage uncertified repairs/maintenance of their products. Info on this particular machine is very scarse. I even contacted a Dutch computer museum and the Tulip user group, but they had nothing in their archive about this model.

I think finding a replacement belt will be the only option...