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What is this external 5.25" floppy drive and what does it go to?

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First post, by Kahenraz

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I've references online to this being referred to as "CMS Enhancements", " EF-360U" as well as it being related to Heathkit.

But what does it go to? What computer can it connect to and what software can be used to communicate with it?

It's in excellent condition but I can't plug it into anything. There appears to be a parallel port on the back but there is no guarantee that this is what the interface actually is.

Any advice would be great. I've had it in a box for years and have never found a use for it.

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Reply 1 of 10, by debs3759

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Looks like an early scsi connection, which used a parallel interface. Which would fit with the time period of a 5.25" floppy

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Reply 2 of 10, by mdog69

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Remove the lid and see what's connected to the DB25 connector - my money is on a ribbon cable going to a 34w edge connector, and a number of wires going to a molex connector, with both connectors plugged into the drive.

Even better - take off the lid and post some photos of what you find.

Reply 3 of 10, by Joakim

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Interesting. I like floppies. I can't find much from a quick search but it looks like a later era floppy drive? Double sided half size. Maybe the buyer got a fancy 3.5" floppy instead so maybe that's why it's in good condition? 😁

Reply 4 of 10, by Caluser2000

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Could just be a external lpt port 5.25" drive for a slimline system with only a 3.5" drive fitted. Not unlike the later BackPack external lpt cdrom drives.

As already stated, pics of th inside would be great.

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Apparently 32-bit is dead and nobody likes P4s.
Of course, as always, I'm open to correction...😉

Reply 5 of 10, by mkarcher

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mdog69 wrote on 2021-06-16, 19:05:

Remove the lid and see what's connected to the DB25 connector - my money is on a ribbon cable going to a 34w edge connector, and a number of wires going to a molex connector, with both connectors plugged into the drive.

My money is there, too. This interface for external floppy drives was common those days (around 1990), and AFAIK there is no standard for the pinout. Every vendor had their own.

If this were a parallel port drive, you would need a separate power supply connection.

Reply 6 of 10, by Kahenraz

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More photos for you guys. Thanks for the interest!

I was surprised to see that the floppy drive was manufactured by EPSON. I didn't know that they made this kind of hardware back in the day. Maybe it's rebranded?

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Reply 8 of 10, by Caluser2000

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Even if you caan't find the correct cable the drive itself is a good score.

There's a glitch in the matrix.
A founding member of the 286 appreciation society.
Apparently 32-bit is dead and nobody likes P4s.
Of course, as always, I'm open to correction...😉

Reply 10 of 10, by Joakim

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Ooo I see jumpers. Maybe it can be set to different media sizes with a jumper would be awesome.

Go get some Philips screwdriver and open up some more! 😁

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