Chuck(G)
25k Member
I don't think so. The basic silicon support just isn't there. Some early LPC super I/O chips allowed for reconfiguring the printer port as a second floppy port (I think mostly intended for laptops), but this isn't one of them.
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Abit IP35 Motherboard
- Thread starter GianDO76
- Start date
What I still don't understand is what sense it made that Abit gave the possibility from the BIOS to configure a second floppy drive when in reality it was physically impossible to make it work and even specify in the manual that it could be done.
Chuck(G)
25k Member
I can't answer that, but if you're still doubtful, why not write Abit directly and get a definitive answer--or inquire if anyone with the same board has ever gotten two floppies to work on, say, Vogons.org? I can only speculate that the BIOS and document were appropriated from an earlier revision of the board or a related board.
Unfortunately Abit no longer exists and all the links on the Universal Abit site give errors. I found a site with all BIOS versions for my model. There are versions ranging from 10 to 18, I tried them all and I found that versions from 10 to 17 all have the possibility of setting two floppy drives. Only versions 17 and 18 show a single floppy drive. I'll try to write on Vogons.org.
Returning to the question of the floppy controller chip, I have a motherboard, Asus P5L-MX, which has another version of the same chip, Winbond W83627EHG-A, which would support up to 4 floppy drives (see data sheet), but the BIOS of the motherboard allows you to configure only one floppy drive. Can't anything be done in these cases too?
Chuck(G)
25k Member
I'm looking at the data sheet and I think you're reading it incorrectly. Look at PDF page 16, "5.2 Floppy Drive Interface". There are DSA# and MOA# pins, but no DSB# or MOB# pins. In other words, it supports a single floppy drive A:. Now the chip can support four different types of floppy drives, but only one at a time.
Speaking from my own experience, you can sometimes find two-drive support on Socket 754 and P3 boards and the occasional P4 board. Later than that, if there's floppy support, it's for a single drive.
Speaking from my own experience, you can sometimes find two-drive support on Socket 754 and P3 boards and the occasional P4 board. Later than that, if there's floppy support, it's for a single drive.
Chuck(G)
25k Member
Sorry, you're still limited to one drive. In the pinout, note that there's only one drive select and one motor control line.,
Chuck(G)
25k Member
SMSC is now owned by Microchip, but here's the detail that you should observe:
So, sorry. Very few boards past P3/Socket 754 support more than one floppy. In particular, motherboards manufactured much after 2005 are unlikely to have two-drive support.
So, sorry. Very few boards past P3/Socket 754 support more than one floppy. In particular, motherboards manufactured much after 2005 are unlikely to have two-drive support.
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Chuck(G)
25k Member
These datasheets involve a lot of cut-and-paste, so at times, inapplicable information gets included. To that point, do you see any explicit reference in the pinout to nDS1 or nMT1? Indeed, in the configuration information back in chapter 11, only the type of floppy drive A: is recognized.
But you could have determined this yourself with a little close reading.
You do expect errors in the publications, and try to reason through them. Get some of the datasheets for advanced MCUs--many of those run in excess of 2,000 pages. Of course errors will be expected. A developer hopes that they will be mostly correct.
But you could have determined this yourself with a little close reading.
You do expect errors in the publications, and try to reason through them. Get some of the datasheets for advanced MCUs--many of those run in excess of 2,000 pages. Of course errors will be expected. A developer hopes that they will be mostly correct.
Ok I have to be more careful when reading the technical data sheet.
However, the fact that 775 motherboards that support two floppies are rare doesn't mean they don't exist. I still have to be patient and keep looking..
Chuck(G)
25k Member
Any reason that you're fixated on 775 boards? Drop back a generation to a P4 board and there are boards that support 2 drives very well, such as the Advantech AIMB-742. I run one with one of my tape systems using a 3.1 GHz cpu and it works very well on Linux and Windows 7. Even has a socket for a CF card.
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Because I also need SATA2 (at least 4) and a couple of PCIe slots
Chuck(G)
25k Member
That's going to be pretty tough. Maybe there's an AsRock or Advantech board out there that has all that. The problem, of course, is timing of features. By the time PCIe and SATA2 were on their way in, floppies were on the way out. Check industrial PC manufacturers--they tended to hang onto legacy features longer. Say, Advantech or Supermicro. You may be better off steering away from Intel and going with AMD.
Any particular reason that you need 2 floppy drives? Would 1 legacy floppy and say, an LS120 drive do the job?
Any particular reason that you need 2 floppy drives? Would 1 legacy floppy and say, an LS120 drive do the job?
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Thanks for your suggestions. You are a very helpful person.
In addition to the 3.5" drive, I intend to use a 5.25" drive to prepare the floppy disks for my vintage 8-bit computers. For this job I'll also use the Catweasel Mk4 PCI controller.
Chuck(G)
25k Member
I have a Socket 939 board with very good FM support, but it only has a single floppy drive. I constructed a switch to an external DC37 bracket from the internal drive and can even run 8" drives from that system. I documented the switch some time ago and at least one other person has made his own version.
Chuck(G)
25k Member
No, apparently this was used mostly on HP systems. However, if you're looking for 2 floppy support, you're not going to find it there. Consider the HP XW4600 workstation, which uses it. One one floppy drive is supported..
Frankly, if you're looking for 2 floppy support past AMD Socket 754 or Intel P4, I don't think you'll find it.
Frankly, if you're looking for 2 floppy support past AMD Socket 754 or Intel P4, I don't think you'll find it.