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My dog ate my LS-120 :-(

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First post, by Rhuwyn

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Seriously, this just actually happened. I just bought a new sealed Maxell Parallel port SuperDisk drive. I was psyched to be able to have a way to transfer files from newer to older computers. Previously, if something didn't fit on floppies I had to either connect the old computers hard drive to the new computer, or if it had a CD drive I could try burning a CD but older CD-ROM drives are problematic reading CDs.

The postal service left the package on my porch, where my new puppy was in the yard on his leash. By the time I went out to get it the puppy had torn the package to shreds. The installation disks, AC adapter, and Parallel cable were all chewed up. The AC Adapter I could find a way to replace, but the parallel cable looks proprietary. I only paid 50 USD for it and the only place I can find a parallel cable wants 30USD just for the cable. It would have been really nice to have the original installation disks.

The parallel cable is chewed up in the middle of the cable itself. Anyone have any luck splicing something like this?

Reply 1 of 18, by CkRtech

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Are you sure that cable isn't just a Maxell-branded pass-through cable? Iomega had their input/output for parallel just jammed on the back of the external drive.

You could splice the cable (making it notably shorter when you discard the chewed parts), replace the cable, or attempt to hybrid the operation by using a replacement cable for the black end and wiring the other side into the blue.

Do you need a printer/additional parallel device (Covox, etc)? You could just go straight through. Monoprice has one, for instance - http://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=102&cp_ … &seq=1&format=2. Last time I ordered a few small items from them, the shipping was rather high...but might be worth a shot.

Search around for DB25. That will probably open up many more options.

EDIT: Hmm. Or would you need a Null modem type of cable? My brain is dusting out cobwebs. Nah...it would probably be parallel. You can always check with a multimeter.

Reply 2 of 18, by Rhuwyn

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Yeah the problem is the side of the cable that plugs into the LS-120 is not DB25. The LS-120 side of the cable has 3 rows of pins with 26 total pins.

Reply 3 of 18, by xjas

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If the wires inside the cable are colored it's a (relatively) easy repair: just cut off the broken/chewed side with the DB25 port, test which color goes to which pin with a multimeter, and solder on a new DB25 connector from any electronics shop. It'll be short but work fine. If you can solder well enoug to do the pins on a d-sub connector (which can be kind of a pain) you can fix it.

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Reply 4 of 18, by CkRtech

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So HD26 to DB25?

Reply 5 of 18, by Rhuwyn

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The chewed portion is right in the center of the cable. I'm gonna try and cut that section out and splice it back together, it's just the wires are SOOO tiny.

Reply 6 of 18, by CkRtech

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Do you have some heat shrink available?

Reply 7 of 18, by xjas

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Good luck! You can get that to work if you have the patience, but I've tried and it's generally harder than just soldering on a new connector. You'll end up with a short cable anyway but you can always use an extension. Either way it's a straightforward repair, just tedious. ^^ And yeah definitely use heat shrink.

twitch.tv/oldskooljay - playing the obscure, forgotten & weird - most Tuesdays & Thursdays @ 6:30 PM PDT. Bonus streams elsewhen!

Reply 8 of 18, by shamino

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Looks like you're all set to test the drive's error correction capabilities with that floppy. Who knows, maybe it can still read it. 😀

Reply 9 of 18, by Rhuwyn

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shamino wrote:

Looks like you're all set to test the drive's error correction capabilities with that floppy. Who knows, maybe it can still read it. 😀

The included blank LS-120 Disk and the driver disk that came with the DOS/3.11/NT drivers is ate up beyond recovery. The W95/98 disk looks like it should be readable. I found some LS-120 Imation DOS drivers on vogonsdrivers.com that I think are the same as what was on the Floppy that is shot.

It just sucks that it was CIB. The box itself of course was ripped into a million pieces.

Reply 10 of 18, by CkRtech

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Could we get a photo of the puppy? (My wife wants to see. Lol)

Reply 11 of 18, by candle_86

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Well see that's why you need a back yard, solves that problem

Reply 12 of 18, by Jade Falcon

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Reply 13 of 18, by Rhuwyn

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I've got a backyard but its not fenced in. It's the next thing on my list. Here's puppy for those who asked. He just showed up on my doorstep one day. The neighbors said they saw someone throw him out a car window as they drove through our subdivision. He was in perfect health but looked like he had cigarette burns on his ears. He is extremely friendly and playful in spite of his situation and seems like he pretty much adopted us.

Reply 14 of 18, by CkRtech

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Sounds like the puppy is in a better home! Thanks for sharing!

Reply 15 of 18, by shamino

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Rhuwyn wrote:

Here's puppy for those who asked.

He reminds me of my old Lab mix. I still have a Perl programming book that's all chewed up from when he was that age. He died a few years ago, so when I come across something he chewed up as a puppy it just makes me smile now.

Reply 16 of 18, by devius

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How about getting a ZIP drive? Those are still easy to find today, including the disks. I mean, if your only option is to pay 30USD for a new cable, then you can probably find a ZIP for the same price.

Reply 17 of 18, by Rhuwyn

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[quote="devius"]How about getting a ZIP drive? Those are still easy to find today, including the disks. I mean, if your only option is to pay 30USD for a new cable, then you can probably find a ZIP for the same price.[/quote

I've got both LS-120 and ZIP internal drives already so that is an option. I just always preferred LS-120 drives is all.

Reply 18 of 18, by stamasd

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Dogs have a natural tendency to chew, especially when they're little. I was getting packages left at my garage door chewed all the time when mine was little. The worst incident was when he chewed a package of boron nitride that I had ordered for a project. Fortunately that chemical is non-toxic, but he wasted most of it all over my yard and I was only able to recover a couple of ounces of the 2 pounds I had ordered. And that was expensive (paid about $300 for it).

The puppy was ok, he's 3 years old now and a lot less chewy. I eventually solved the problem by installing a secondary loop of the invisible fence around my garage doors (where the packages are usually left). This way he can't come within 3 ft of the danger zone. 😀

I/O, I/O,
It's off to disk I go,
With a bit and a byte
And a read and a write,
I/O, I/O