TEC FD-50x drives - known issues?

[Allison]

>
>Subject: TEC FD-50x drives - known issues?
>   From: Dave Dunfield <dave04a at dunfield.com>
>   Date: Fri, 07 Oct 2005 23:38:55 -0400
>     To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
>
>Hi Guys,
>
>I've been trying to get the drives from a Nabu Cable PC working
>for the museum in Toronto who wants to put a working system on
>display...
>
>The drives are TEC FD-501, single-sided DD drives.
>
>Some time ago I posted a request for technical information on the
>TEC FD-503 drives in one of my Morrows, because one of them had
>failed - the 501 is the same drive, same board, just without the
>top head and connector/components on the board.

--------------snip----------

- A pair of working FD-501 (or FD-503) drives which I could swap
>  the faceplates with to closely aproximate the "original" drives.
>
>- Any DD 5.25" drives which will fit. Only need single sided, but
>  double-sided will work. With the drive sitting on the table facing
>  you (connectors at rear), the data connector must be in the left
>  rear corner with pin2 on top, closest to the centerline of the
>  drive.

Well some comments.  I used to have a lot of them, most all ahve died.
I regard that particular drive as junk. Never tried to troubleshoot any 
and it appears to be in the read or write logic (they select, spin,
light the light but no data). For most systems better working drives 
were easy to fit so no concern was given.

The size problem.. I've encountered it with NS* Horizon and Advantage.
However I put FD55BVs in the NS* after moving the rectifier as I 
prefer them for reliability.

I found a few PC 360k drives (48tpi) marked Newtronics D503 which are
Mitsumi drives that seem ok and are the shorter length (7-3/8"). 
They look like the TEC drives but not quite.  

I have toshiba, FD55xx(B, E, F and Gs) and they are the same length.
Older 286/386 PCs are the source of many of the TEC and mitsumi drives.


Allison