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Build Your Own PC

Connect Floppy to Motherboard



May 31, 1999
By David Risley

Assuming you have already installed the floppy drive into the case, it is now time to actually connect it to the motherboard and power supply.

  1. Connect the power supply to the floppy drive. On the 3=" drives, the plug is very small -- the smallest coming out of the power supply. On the larger 5<" drives, the connector is a large 4-wire connector, just like the hard drive power connectors. These are a little harder to plug in, and may take some rocking. The mini-plugs are much easier to plug in to the 3=" drives.
  2. Attach the Ribbon Cable.

    • Floppy cables have a twist in the cable. A Drive goes after the twist. If you have a second B Drive, this goes before the twist. You don't need to mess with master/slave jumpers. If you choose not to mess with the twist, you can, with later BIOS versions, swap the order of the drives in the BIOS.
    • 3=" drives use a set of pins for the connection to the ribbon cable. 5<" drives use a card-edge connector, just like the typical edge of an expansion card. You need to use a cable with the proper connectors for each type you use. Many floppy cables come with connectors for each type on each side of the twist.
    • Always check Pin 1 on the ribbon cable connector. The red edge of the cable is connected to Pin 1. If you accidently reverse this, your drive won't be damaged, it just won't work, and the floppy drive light will stay on all the time until the error is rectified.
    • The connector on the far end of the ribbon cable connects to the floppy controller on the motherboard or I/O card. Consult your motherboard's manual to determine which is your floppy controller.
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  • You're done. Double check your work.
    • Previous: « Connect the Motherboard to the Case Next: Connect Hard Drive »

    Skip To Page
    1 Introduction
    2 Purchase/Collect Components
    3 Remove System Case
    4 Prepare Case
    5 Install Floppy Drive
    6 Configure Hard Drive & CD-ROM
    7 Install Hard Drive
    8 Install CD-ROM
    9 Configure the Motherboard
    10 Install the CPU
    11 Install Heat Sink
    12 Install Cache Module
    13 Install Memory
    14 Install Motherboard
    15 Install I/O Port Connectors
    16 Connect the Motherboard to the Case
    • 17 Connect Floppy to Motherboard
    18 Connect Hard Drive
    19 Connect CD-ROM
    20 Install Video Card
    21 Post-Assembly
    22 Initial Boot-Up
    23 Configure the BIOS
    24 Test Your System
    25 Install Additional Hardware
    26 Prepare the Hard Drive
    27 Install Drivers and OS


     
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      Topic By Replies Updated
    		Toolless 8
    Today 06:51 PM
    		detailer 7
    1-31-2012 10:05 PM
    		marei 6
    2-6-2012 08:25 AM
    		YankeeMan 1
    2-1-2012 11:39 AM
     


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