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Article View: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Article #6587

Using two FDD controllers at once

#6587
From: crosenberg
Date: Thu, 03 Jan 1991 23:41
34 lines
2086 bytes
Is it possible to have more than one floppy drive controller
working in a XT at once?  Here's my problem; I want to install a
1.44 meg drive in my Kaypro PC.  In order to do that I need to 
install a floppy contoller that will handle drives of this type
and upgrade to DOS 3.3.

The Kaypro doesn't have a motherboard per se.  Instead it has one
card with the processor on it and another combo floppy
controller/io card/clock/system ram card (and other proprietary
circuitry - gee am I sorry I didn't buy a clone even though this
machine has worked flawlessly for years).  Needless to say,
I can't remove this card and have a working computer.

What I would like to do is keep this card in the machine and
install a floppy controller card for my existing 360K and my new
1.44 meg drive.  I don't know how or if I can disable the
controller function from the Kaypro combo card.  But there is a
jumper on the new floppy card that allows me to select a
secondary I/O address.  It changes it from the factory setting of
3FOH-3F7H to 37OH-377H.  Would this allow both controllers to
live happily together?  How would the two drives on the new
controller card be addressed, as D: and E:? (I have a hard drive 
installed.)  Or maybe leave one drive attached to the old
controller and one to the new?

If I am barking up the wrong tree here, does someone have another
idea to let me install this 1.44 meg drive without buying a new
computer?

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From: crosenberg@cdp.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Using two FDD controllers at once
Message-ID: <140700032@cdp>
Date: 3 Jan 91 23:41:00 GMT
Lines: 34
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:140700032:000:1678
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!crosenberg    Jan  3 15:41:00 1991