PCI to ISA

http://www.deviceside.com/fc5025.html

Can I read my olde 8 inch floppies?

You can if you have one of these that still works....

...if not you can always buy this one....

Hello,

Thank you for the information, but I had already seen that link. The problem, for me, was that there was insufficient information as to how that card interfaces to the laptop from which I want to peruse the 5.25" floppy. I have a legacy 5.25" drive. I want to be able to connect that drive to an adaptor/converter and then connect that adaptor/converter into a USB port on my laptop and (hopefully) read the contents of some 5.25" floppies.

Respectfully,

Fergie

I would think it would just look like another drive in Windows Explorer, the same as when you plug in a thumb drive.

I agree. But you have to be able to get the physical interface to the device, in this case from the 5.25" drive to a laptop, before Windows can "discover" it.

That is what I need, an adaptor/converter that has a connecter to fit the 5.25" drive on one end, and a USB connector on the other.

Don't you have the ribbon connector...? The software to install it is available with the hardware....

Looks pretty straight forward to me....install the software, plug it in...

Yes. They are available from many on-line outlets and a Google search will reveal the options available.

...and are typically GBP£20 over the counter from places like Currys/PCWorld (usual disclaimer).

Not so many I think. Most of the hits from search engines actually resolve to an offer for a 3.5" drive with USB connection.

The interface for the PC floppy drives was the same for the 3.5" and the 5.25" drives. As I recall, it used the DMA controller to transfer the data to the system memory. Clunky, but it worked. What this means, though, is that a PC with a 3.5" floppy connection should allow you to use a 5.25" drive as well. If I recall correctly, the 5.25" drive had a card edge connector whereas the 3.5" had a ribbon connector. If you can find a cable that has the card edge connector you (again) should be able to connect the 5.25" drive. Back in the day, floppy drive cables came standard with both style connectors available.

Lots of "should" in there. I haven't tried any of that recently. The newer PC motherboards may not have BIOS support for the 5.25" drives; I don't know. If that doesn't work, you may want to look for an older PC that does have 5.25" support.

All of that having been said, be aware that your floppy disks may have degraded over time. The magnetic material used on the surface of the disks may have oxidized. The disks may also have been affected by the magnetic fields around them. Keep the magnetic read head clean, it may collect of lot of crud just reading a heavily oxidized or dirty disk. You may want to clean the head between reading each disk.

Good luck.

Not in this case. The 5.25" drive to which I am trying to connect has the 22 pin connector that is an extension of the circuit board material (blade like) and it is larger than the 3.5" connectors which have 33 actual pins. I am sorry but I do not know the proper nomenclature for those physical interface form factors.

Regardless, it is becoming clear that I may have reached the law of diminishing returns for this task.

Thank you for the info.

Fergie

I found a blurb about what you're trying to do on Tom's Hardware:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/280075-32-floppy-drives

PC floppy drives used a 34 pin connector.

The 5.25" drives had what is called a "card edge" connector. It had 34 contacts, 17 on the top and 17 on the bottom. The 3.5" drives had 34 gold plated pins instead.

The cable pictured will work with either drive. The other end plugs into the motherboard.

I suspect that if your drive has 22 contacts, then it is not a PC Floppy drive. It could be from an Apple II or another system of that vintage, i.e. Commodore, Tandy or the like.

The drive is a Teac and it came out of a Dell Dimension 4300...

OK 22 pin connector out of my knowledge, I defer to ....

https://forums.techguy.org/threads/5-25-drive.427691/

Thank everyone for the comments and suggestions. I am working from a laptop that does not have a ribbon connector on the motherboard for a 5.25 drive. I no longer have the Dell D4300. I did the Google (plus other search engine) searches before posting my question. I have concluded that the potential return on the investment does not justify further pursuit.

Respectfully,

Fergie

It's the USB connector on the left in the picture that fits the laptop.

If you only have a small number of disks you may want to post them to any number of companies (see google for your preference) who will put the contents onto a USB drive for a small fee.

Thank you. I surmised that the USB cable goes to the laptop, and now understand that the small circuit card does not need to mount to the motherboard. I was confusing the various devices/options.

Thank you

Here's the link to the FC5025 pictured in #10, as well as the price list.

it is highly unlikely that the data on your old floppies is still viable.