Floppy Connect Emulator Installation Guide for Universal Model

Floppy Connect Emulator Installation Guide for Universal Model

Overview

The Floppy Connect Emulator emulates your existing floppy drive & acts as if it were never removed. Works with almost any existing 720KB/1.44MB capacity DOS format floppy drive. 28 or 32 pin ribbon cables systems are supported & will connect to your existing power cable. Accomplish USB to Floppy functions with this hardware. This article is for the Universal model only. 

USB Flash Drive Requirements

  1. USB drive must be formatted as "FAT16" or "FAT" How to Format a USB Flash Drive to FAT

Connecting Cables


Looking at the rear of the Floppy Connect Emulator, the smaller power connector is on the left and the larger data connector is on the right. 
  1. The power cable plugs into the power connector with the two wires closest to the data connector
  2. The ribbon cable plugs into the data connector with the red or blue pin 1 wire closest to the power connector

Operating the Floppy Connect Emulator Universal Model

If the green light is constantly on, this is not normal and usually indicates the ribbon cable is backwards. Power down the CNC machine, rotate the ribbon cable, then try again
  1. After powering on the CNC machine, there should be a flashing red light when the USB drive is inserted and a flashing green light whenever the CNC machine is activating the Floppy Connect Emulator.
    1. If there are no lights at all, make sure pin 1 of the 34 pin ribbon cable matches pin 1 of the host motherboard (marked on the circuit board silkscreen, wherever the cable is plugged into in the host machine) and pin 1 of the Floppy Connect Emulator data connector)
    2. If there is only the flashing red light, and never a green, then please turn the machine off, flip dipswitch 5, and try again 
      1. There should be a green light on the front panel when it is trying to activate the floppy unit (READ, WRITE or DIR commands)

Dip Switch Settings

The settings of the Floppy Connect Emulator are controlled by DIP switches located on the top of the unit in a narrow slot.


  1. Universal model use 2,3,4,7,8 are set to ON and 1,5,6 are set to OFF by default
    1. DIP switch 5 is for drive A/drive B; it is OFF for home computers
    2. DIP switch 6 turns on the non-dos modes; leave it OFF most of the time
    3. DIP switch 7 and 8 are the 720KB/1.44MB modes

Common Control-Based Settings

Please note the original settings as well as any tried settings
  1. Agie (SONY 520-MPF) (720 KB)
    1. 1,2,3,4,5 Set to ON 6,7,8 Set to OFF
  2. Agie (1.44 mb) Mondo 50
    1. 1,2,4,7,8 Set to ON 3,5,6 Set to OFF
  3. Acramatic 2100 (Cincinnati)
    1. 1st choice - 3,4,5,7,8 Set to ON 1,2,6 Set to OFF
    2. 2nd choice - 1,2,4,5,7,8 Set to ON 3,6 Set to OFF
    3. 3rd Choice - 1,2,4,7,8 Set to ON 3,5,6 Set to OFF
  4. Bridgeport DX-32 (TEAC drive)
    1. 1,2,4,7,8 Set to ON 3,5,6 Set to OFF
  5. Bystronic Lazer CNC 90 Dos (TEAC FD-235HF-C291)
    1. 1,2,4,7,8 Set to ON 3,5,6 Set to OFF
  6. Charmilles (TEAC FD 235-HF)
    1. 1st choice - 2,3,4,5,7,8 Set to ON 1,6 Set to OFF
    2. 2nd choice - 2,3,4,5 Set to ON 1,6,7,8, Set to OFF
  7. Charmilles Robofil (720 KB)
    1. 1st choice - 1,2,3,4,5,6 Set to ON 7,8 Set to OFF
    2. 2nd choice - 1,2,4 Set to ON 3,5,6,7,8 Set to OFF
  8. Charmilles Robo Form (720 KB)
    1. 1,2,3,5 Set to ON 4,6,7,8 Set to OFF
  9. Charmilles Robofil 440
    1. 1,2,4,7,8 Set to ON 3,5,6 Set to OFF
  10. Charmilles Robofil 200
    1. 1,2,3,4,5,6 Set to ON 7,8 Set to OFF
  11. Charmilles 510 (TEAC FD 235HF)
    1. 2,3,4,5 Set to ON 1,6,7,8 Set to OFF
  12. Cincinnati 950
    1. 1st choice - 1,2,4,5,7,8 Set to ON 3,6 Set to OFF
    2. 2nd choice - 1,2,4,5 Set to ON 3,6,7,8 Set to OFF
  13. Cincinnati T-Line (720 KB)
    1. 1,2,4,5 Set to ON 3,6,7,8 Set to OFF
  14. Fadal VMC 15 CNC 88HS
    1. 1,2,3,4,5,7,8 Set to ON 6 Set to OFF
  15. Fanuc Cassette (Yellow) on a 18i-W (w/YE Data 702B-6036BC)
    1. 2,3,4,5,7,8 Set to ON 1,6 Set to OFF
  16. G & L 8000 (486 processor)
    1. 3,4,7,8 Set to ON 1,2,5,6 Set to OFF
  17. G & L 8000B
    1. 1,3,4 Set to ON 2,5,6,7,8 Set to OFF
  18. Haas
    1. 2,3,4,7,8 Set to ON 1,5,6 Set to OFF
  19. Hurco w/Teac FD 235HF drive
    1. 1st choice - 3,4,5,7,8 Set to ON 1,2,6, Set to OFF
    2. 2nd choice - 3,4,5,7,8 Set to ON 1,2,6 Set to OFF
    3. 3rd choice - 1,2,3,4,6,7,8 Set to ON 5 Set to OFF
    4. 4th choice - 3,4,7,8 Set to ON 1,2,5,6 Set to OFF
  20. Mazak (Fusion 640, 640T, Nexus)
    1. 1,2,4,7,8 Set to ON 3,5,6 Set to OFF
  21. Mitsubishi Meldas 500 series
    1. 1,2,3,4,5,7,8 Set to ON 6 Set to OFF
  22. Mitsubishi FX w/CITIZEN OSD
    1. 1st choice - 1,2,3,4,5,6 Set to ON 7,8 Set to OFF (Custom)
    2. 2nd choice - 2,3,4,5 Set to ON 1,6,7,8 Set to OFF
  23. Mitsubishi FA w/TEAC FD 235 HG
    1. 1st choice - 1,2,4,7,8 Set to ON 3,5,6 Set to OFF
    2. 2nd choice - 1,2,3,4,5,7,8 Set to ON 6 Set to OFF
  24. Nisshinbo Map 1000
    1. 1,2,3,4,5,6 Set to OFF 7,8 Set to ON (must initialize USB drive before using on the Map 1000)
  25. Okuma OSP 5000
    1. 4,6 Set to ON 1,2,3,5,7,8 Set to OFF
  26. Prototrak
    1. 1,2,4,5,7,8 Set to ON 3,6 Set to OFF
  27. Prototrak (SY II – 720 KB)
    1. 1,2,5,6 Set to ON 3,4,7,8 Set to OFF
  28. Sodick w/Alps floppy drive
    1. 1,2,4,7,8 Set to ON 3,5,6 Set to OFF
  29. Screw Machine (TEAC FD 235HF C291)
    1. 2,4,7,8 Set to ON 1,3,5,6 Set to OFF
  30. Siemens 840D
    1. 1,2,4,7,8 Set to ON 3,5,6 Set to OFF

Alternative Settings

If you are still having issues after trying the above, here are some alternate DIP switch settings to try
Please note the original settings as well as any tried settings
  1. The most common DIP settings to try, if the shipped settings fail, are (from the left, dipswitch 4, 3, 2, 1):
    1. 1111 – rdy, low on 2
    2. 1110 – rdy, high on 2
    3. 1101 – rdy, change on 2
    4. 1011 – dc, high on 2
    5. 1001 – dc, open on 2
    6. 0010 – dc, low on 2

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