PF-10 Disk Drive - not working with PX-8

[detnyre]

Hi,

Picked up an Epson PF-10 disk on a Ebay auction last year and have started working on getting it connected to my Epson PX-8.

When I plug it in with the nicad battery pack, the Battery light turns on - I'm sure the battery pack is bad.

I then insert new 4 C batteries, turn it on and the battery light does not turn on, but either does the "Power" light on front.

When i insert a floppy disk, the disk does not spin and the unit makes no noise like it is operating....

I opened it up and noticed that there is an internal 4.7v internal battery. If this battery goes bad will the unit still work? Documentation says that it is for backup....

Here is a picture of the disk drive opened up - the long yellow thing is the internal battery:

Also - the disk drive did not come with a cable - so I created a #723 cable myself with this pin configuration:

Pin 1 to Pin 5
Pin 2 to Pin 3
Pin 3 to Pin 1
Pin 6 to Pin 2
Pin 7 to Pin 4

Does this seem correct for the PX-8 ? Got the pin configuration from a PX-8 users manual....

Let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions...

Derek

 

[chuckcmagee]

I would say it is not getting any power when the batteries are in there. Get out your volt ohm meter and see the the battery voltage gets to the PCB connector. I had mine working for awhile. It was VERY flaky from day 1. I would have to turn it on and off over and over. Most of the time the batt low would flash so I would turn off and back on again. I found that with NO diskette in the drive, if the power light and the access light came on and the batt low stayed off, then it would actually access the diskette when inserted. I found that I always had to have super fresh batteries and I would have the power plugged in also. Without the batteries in there, it would spin the diskette but the track access hardware didn't work.

Originally, to get it to do anything, I had to take it all apart, reseat the power transfer wires (that group of 6 heavy wires that plugs into a 3 x 2 connector) and use it sitting bare with no case. It was great fun for about 1 hour when I finally got it working. Then, a few months later, I couldn't get it to work anymore. So, now it sits dead in a pile.

 

[detnyre]

Thank you for the advise - I will get the multi-meter out tonight and check the power connection to the PCB board.

I'm also finding that it behaves a bit erratically when I turn it off and on - sometimes the battery light turns on, sometime it does not....

Derek

 

[oscarvermeulen]

Hi,

I've got a PF-10, but luckily I never had a problem with it.

Check the link below for some info on the PF-10 (down on the page). There is a link to the technical reference manual of the PF-10, but just now the file seemed to be missing - try again in a few days, maybe! I'll see if I have the techref manual offline somewhere, too.

http://electrickery.xs4all.nl/comp/px8/

Regards,

Oscar.

 

[Thx1138]

Hi, hope it's OK to resurrect this old thread. I have a couple of PF-10's one continually gives bad sector errors whilst the other behaves as described by Chuck above. It will work but you have to turn it on and off several times.

My guess is the backup battery on the board is not taking a charge and this is causing problems even if the main battery is charged.

Anyway I wondered if anyone had any other ideas?

Charlie