HD V6 board connections (STe)

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Pacman
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HD V6 board connections (STe)

Post by Pacman »

I bought (and built) a HD v6 board years ago, but haven't gotten round to installing it in my STe.

I know there are installation photos (also for the STe) here, but apart from the red and white wires it's a little unclear and confusing where the three other wires go. I'll be using only a single drive (Sony MPF-920 with a drive detect cable already attached) in my STe and have no plans to add a second drive.

So where exactly do the following HD v6 connections go?:

- 16MHz
- D1
- D0
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Re: HD V6 board connections (STe)

Post by exxos »

16Mhz is the black wire.. as shown in the "FITTING TO STE" images

v6.jpg
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ste16.jpg
ste16.jpg (73.79 KiB) Viewed 3902 times

D0 and D1 are the HD select wires to your MPF920 drives... if you never use Drive B:, then D1 is irrelevant.

5.png
5.png (345.27 KiB) Viewed 3902 times
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Re: HD V6 board connections (STe)

Post by Pacman »

Got it! Thanks!
STe | MonSTer with dual IDE-CF memory card adapter | NEC Multisync 1990SXi | ST_ESSC | RSVE | Link '97 | Sony HD floppy drive/AJAX controller | Exxos HD floppy module | Battery-backed Ricoh realtime clock module | Discovery cartridge | C-Lab Unitor-2 | C-Lab Export | C-Lab Combiner | C-Lab Steady Eye | C-Lab Human Touch | Unicorn USB

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Pacman
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Re: HD V6 board connections (STe)

Post by Pacman »

Having soldered all the wires (and using connectors on the HD module PCB to attach them) I found out that I couldn't insert it into the WD-1772 IC socket!

First, the pin spacing of the V6 board appears to be around 13.5mm while the socket's spacing is approx 15mm. I tried solving this by bending each pin out, then straightening them all at an angle:
hd6_pins.jpg
hd6_pins.jpg (113.45 KiB) Viewed 3851 times
But then I realized the pins were probably too thick as well, as they won't fit my WD-1772 socket ("machine" type):
1772_socket_ste.jpg
1772_socket_ste.jpg (222.8 KiB) Viewed 3851 times
I tried filing each pin to make them thinner, but it's hard to get in between each pin. Maybe it would just be better to desolder all of those long pins from the HD v6 board, extend all the holes a little outward to the sides (to make the spacing 15mm), then find some pins that can match the machined IC socket inside my STe. Are there any such pins that you (or others reading) can suggest?
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Re: HD V6 board connections (STe)

Post by exxos »

Pacman wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 1:27 pm Having soldered all the wires (and using connectors on the HD module PCB to attach them) I found out that I couldn't insert it into the WD-1772 IC socket!

First, the pin spacing of the V6 board appears to be around 13.5mm while the socket's spacing is approx 15mm. I tried solving this by bending each pin out, then straightening them all at an angle:
This is also mentioned on the docs!
Before soldering the header pins into the PCB which connect to the motherboard, place the pins in the motherboard and the PCB. You will find the pins have to be put in at a slight angle. This is because while I was making the PCB smaller, I seemed to have overlooked the header pins moving closer together. So the V6.3 PCB is a fraction to small to align with the motherboard pins.
Pacman wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 1:27 pm I tried filing each pin to make them thinner, but it's hard to get in between each pin. Maybe it would just be better to desolder all of those long pins from the HD v6 board, extend all the holes a little outward, then find some pins that can match the machined IC socket inside my STe. Are there any such pins that you (or others reading) can suggest?
Unfortunately I do not think its possible to fit that board into a socket.. you need to solder it into the motherboard as suggested in the install guide.

EDIT:

What may work is if you solder a socket onto the pins.. then that socket will align to the MB socket.. but its not really a good solution.

EDIT2:

Or use header socket strips and place them into the motherboard at a angle instead.. but you need round header pins for that, not the square ones.
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Re: HD V6 board connections (STe)

Post by DoG »

The square pin are not ment to be used. These are. The thick end is soldered to the board and the thin end is used in the turned pin sockets. But as exxos said. They won't fit now because of the hole locations.
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Re: HD V6 board connections (STe)

Post by Pacman »

You're right -I should have read the docs more closely.
What both of you say regarding the use of those round pins makes perfect sense of course, but I'm concerned about the bending of the pins -if that will be a good solution.

Elaborating on your first suggestion, Exxos, I'm thinking that I could remove 28 of the metal pins from a machine IC socket, then place them all into the top of a 28-pin machine socket (the latter being used as an alignment tool only).
P3010001.jpg
P3010001.jpg (53.3 KiB) Viewed 3818 times
Then (after pulling out all the long square pins in my HD module), flip the PCB solder side facing up), place those 28 metal pins (now placed inside the 28-pin machine socket) in a way so that all of them more or less get in touch with a solder pad then solder all of them in place.
They will of course be perfectly aligned, so when all legs have been soldered it's just a matter of removing the 28-pin machine socket and plug it into the STe motherboard without having to worry about aligment or bent pins!
Does that sound like a plan or have I missed anything?
STe | MonSTer with dual IDE-CF memory card adapter | NEC Multisync 1990SXi | ST_ESSC | RSVE | Link '97 | Sony HD floppy drive/AJAX controller | Exxos HD floppy module | Battery-backed Ricoh realtime clock module | Discovery cartridge | C-Lab Unitor-2 | C-Lab Export | C-Lab Combiner | C-Lab Steady Eye | C-Lab Human Touch | Unicorn USB

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Re: HD V6 board connections (STe)

Post by exxos »

If you solder round header pins to the HDv6, and use round header sockets on the MB, just remove the socket on the MB, and (before soldering anything) get the angled right on the MB, solder those first, then solder the HDv6 pins in place..

I actually did this one one of my machines years ago..
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Re: HD V6 board connections (STe)

Post by Pacman »

I'm not sure I understand, but it got me thinking that perhaps I could:

a) remove all existing (square) pins from the HD module
b) place two rows (12 pins each) of your "round pin connector strip" #0132 into the two IC-socket rows of the WD-1772 (machined/round pins) socket on the STe motherboard
Image
c) while still mounted into the WD-1772 socket, place the HD-module PCB on top, bending the top pins of the connector strips inward so that they match the HD-module's soldering pads/holes
d) with that out of the way, solder each pin in place.

I don't know how long those pins are and how much bending needs to be done, but in theory I'm thinking it could work.
Getting the pins all the way through the HD module's PCB would be an advantage so the pins could be soldered from the top (to prevent the PCB trace underneath from loosening when pulling out the HD module if it's only soldered from underneath).

PS: I just found this:
These pins appear to be even longer (EDIT: hmmm.... actually after converting inches to mm they appear to be the same length pins you already sell) and are probably better suited in case the normal ones can't be bent enough inwards
Image
STe | MonSTer with dual IDE-CF memory card adapter | NEC Multisync 1990SXi | ST_ESSC | RSVE | Link '97 | Sony HD floppy drive/AJAX controller | Exxos HD floppy module | Battery-backed Ricoh realtime clock module | Discovery cartridge | C-Lab Unitor-2 | C-Lab Export | C-Lab Combiner | C-Lab Steady Eye | C-Lab Human Touch | Unicorn USB

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HD V6 board connections (STe)

Post by guus.assmann »

My experience, try not to bend the pins. They are quite hard and will break easy.
Just make sure the holes in the HD module are as clean as possible.
Then insert the thin end of the strip into the socket.
And place the HD module on top of the strip.
The pins will be in the holes at an angle, but that's ok.
Don't push it down too far.
Solder the HD module in place and don't remove it from the socket anymore.

That's how I've done it.

BR/
Guus
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