Floppy drive in this case configured thru mainboard BIOS. So just install it usual way - assign right parameters in BIOS of your PC.
Check SW5 position to enable floppy controller.

Thanks. However I can't access the PC BIOS since I have installed the AHA card. The boot goes right to the AHA Bios and continues until DOS prompt, even if I pressed the keyboard key ('S' in my case) to access PC Bios
I was able to access PC Bios only by removing the CMOS battery, waiting and rebooting. In that case, I could access PC Bios by pressing 'S'. I configured the floppy as 1.44 Mo (the type of Floppy I use). However, no access to it under DOS when I type 'A:'. Are there any settings from ADAPTEC or some lines in config.sys I should add?

Choux69 wrote on 2022-04-25, 17:09:

Thanks. However I can't access the PC BIOS since I have installed the AHA card. The boot goes right to the AHA Bios and continues until DOS prompt, even if I pressed the keyboard key ('S' in my case) to access PC Bios
I was able to access PC Bios only by removing the CMOS battery, waiting and rebooting. In that case, I could access PC Bios by pressing 'S'. I configured the floppy as 1.44 Mo (the type of Floppy I use). However, no access to it under DOS when I type 'A:'. Are there any settings from ADAPTEC or some lines in config.sys I should add?

There is only one switch (SW5) on Adaptec card enable/disable floppy controller. No other card BIOS or drivers required. Pls, send photo and model of your motherboard.

The computer is an old Goupil G5 286, a french exotic model made in the 90's. The motherboard is specific to this computer. It has a floppy connector and the very basic BIOS enables to select the floppy drives type. But I never managed to have a floppy working. No detection , and BIOS comes back to 'None' for floppy when I reboot. After discussing with several people on retrocomputing forums, there is a good likelyhood that the motherboard floppy controller is dead. This is why I decided to install this AHA card, hoping that it would replace the defective onboard floppy controller. But looks like I still have issues

First of all you should DISABLE onboard floppy controller. Otherwise it will conflict with controller on Adaptec card.

It looks there printed config instruction on backside of its case cover?

https://forum.system-cfg.com/viewtopic.php?t=5398

I dont see where the CMOS battery on motherboard? Is it external? I think if it do not store floppy type its just CMOS error and onboard floppy controller alive.

The CMOS is powered by a common AA type 3.6V battery that I replaced. What is very surprising is that the BIOS hard drive setting (geometry) is stored and backed up properly by the battery while the floppy settings always revert to 'None' after a reboot, even if I change the setting and save BIOS.
There is indeed a blueprint of the motherboard on the backside of the cover but it gives only very basic information on how to set the main jumpers. I will send a picture tomorrow. The only jumper pertaining to floppy I can read is the one that activates IRQ6 for floppy (ON) or deactivates (OFF). I don't know how to disable the onboard floppy controller on this computer. The BIOS does not give such option (except eventually setting the floppy drives on 'None', but that's painfully always the case as explained, and I am not sure it would mean 'controller deactivation'). There may be a jumper somewhere to deactivate the onboard controller but I don't know which one. The blueprint does not give such information

PS: here is a site (read at the bottom), sorry in French

http://www.ti99.com/exelvision/website/index. … e=goupil-g5-s86

Just try to open C3 jumper and keep close C22 jumper 🤷

The picture of the board at http://www.ti99.com/exelvision/ is for G5 S86 not G5 286 so the jumpers may not be same.
Please post a good picture of the motherboard.

Hello. So I have removed the jumper 3 for IRQ6 but the issue is still there. As far the motherboard, I have attached the pictures of the blueprint behind the metal cover. Taking a picture of the motherboard itself is not easy as much is hidden by the HDD and the big PSU. I have found a picture (not taken by myself though) that I attach as well.

Sorry((( I have no idea, maybe floppy controller routines are hardcoded in BIOS and it always work only with internal controller without possibilities to disable it.
As I can see there WD37C65 floppy controoller with jumpers/ocsillators near it. Try to reseat and clean chips and jumper contacts if it socketed. Or maybe try to remove chip for “hardware disable” internal floppy controller as a last chance.

I have a question. No two:

1. is the floppy connector of the 154x only for scsi floppy drives?
2. is there an advantage to use the connector of the scsi instead of the std multi i/o connector?

Marco wrote on 2024-03-22, 10:13:

I have a question. No two:

1. is the floppy connector of the 154x only for scsi floppy drives?
2. is there an advantage to use the connector of the scsi instead of the std multi i/o connector?

AHA-154x cards have a standard 34 pin floppy connector. One of the advantages is that you can select an alternative IO address (370h).
Here is my use case Thinkpad Dock I with a 5.25" floppy drive
Also the PC8477 chip used on these cards is known to be fast and compatible.

Marco wrote on 2024-03-22, 10:13:

1. is the floppy connector of the 154x only for scsi floppy drives?

No, it works with standard IBM PC floppy drives. In fact only with those, if you want some sort of SCSI floppy connected to the system then you'll need to attach it to the 50-pin ribbon and load some device drivers because I don't think the built-in ROM extension can handle anything other than HDDs.

Marco wrote on 2024-03-22, 10:13:

2. is there an advantage to use the connector of the scsi instead of the std multi i/o connector?

No, there isn't. Typically you'd use just the 1542CP, for HDD(s) and floppy drive(s), and nothing else. Then you might also need a separate card for serial ports and printer, but not a full multi-I/O one. Although it is possible to use SCSI along with either MFM/RLL or IDE controller, for example to copy data from one HDD to another. Note that some of those cards might also have FDC but no way to disable it, then you are forced to use that particular controller for floppies and disable 1542CP one.

Thanks guys!

Deunan wrote on 2024-03-22, 11:16:

Note that some of those cards might also have FDC but no way to disable it, then you are forced to use that particular controller for floppies and disable 1542CP one.

Just a small comment on this. That's exactly the case where the alternative IO port comes in handy. It was not possible to disable the existing comtroller on my Thinkpad, but with the help of the driver written by Maxtherabbit both controllers can work at the same time on two different ports.
Which allows for up to 4 FDDs simultaneously .