Floppy Connector

17 mm D shell, 26 pin

Floppy cable connector — ThinkPad side (770) — width: 17mm

By year 2000, IBM made this their standard exteral floppy connector. It has 26 pins. It is found in ThinkPad and Dock line, and SurePOS.

Models featuring this Technology

• ThinkPad 240
• ThinkPad 560, 560E, 560X, 560Z
• ThinkPad 570, 570E
• ThinkPad 600, 600E, 600X
• ThinkPad 770, 770E, 770ED, 770X, 770Z
• ThinkPad Port Replicator
• ThinkPad Port Replicator II
• ThinkPad Dock
• ThinkPad Dock II
• ThinkPad Mini-Dock
• ThinkPad 560 Port Replicator
• ThinkPad 380/385 Port Replicator
• ThinkPad Enhanced Port Replicator
• ThinkPad Port Replicator with Advanced EtherJet

beware identical Toshiba

Toshiba used a same connector as IBM (17 mm 26 pin). Like ThinkPad parts, they are abundant in secondhand market. I wonder if they are compatible; I did not test, myself. I found only one user report (IBM floppy with Toshiba PC), and that user reports failure, not compatible. How unfortunate, IBM and Toshiba did not choose identical wiring plan.--Numeric (talk))

drive Options

ThinkPad T Series FDD External Cable Kit

This cable connects Ultrabay 2000 Floppy Drive to host with 17 mm D connector. End of cable with Ultrabay 2000 connector has thumbscrews, for a rigid connection, semi-permanent attachment. IBM Option P/N 27L0524; FRU P/N 27L0525; other P/N (ASM?) 27L0526. Support Document MIGR-4JTSXJ Support Document MIGR-40010

UltraslimBay Floppy enclosure

This enclosure houses UltraslimBay Floppy Drive, connects to host with 17 mm D connector.

• Black IBM logo: FRU P/N 05K6187; ASM P/N 05K5907.
• Blue IBM logo: FRU P/N 05K2643; ASM P/N 05K8805.

cable to 21 mm connector

• FRU 12J1711
• FRU 39F2077
• FRU 12J0432

20 mm D shell

Floppy cable connector — ThinkPad side (365XD) — width: 20mm

This connector has 26 pins (seems to be the same like 17 mm, but a little bigger).

• ThinkPad 365X, 365XD
• cable to 21 mm connector: P/N 46H8096, FRU P/N 74H0219

701

Bob Collins wrote on forum.thinkpads.com:

The cable for the flop looks like a mini SCSI (external) connector with 36 gold contacts. The width of the connector is approx 1".

Tip by Bob Collins on forum.thinkpads.com.

NDCaesar wrote on forum.thinkpads.com:

The 701 uses an unusual connector for the external floppy drive. It looks like a wider version of the connector on the 10H4056 floppy drive itself. The trapezoidal part is ~26mm wide and the same height as the one on the drive, with identical clips on either side.

Tip by NDCaesar on forum.thinkpads.com.

• ThinkPad 701C, 701CS
• cable to 21 mm connector: FRU 04H6916

21 mm D shell

Floppy cable connector — drive side — width: 21mm

This connector is used in several external diskette drives, by both IBM and Dell. It has 26 pins. It is a little bit wider than 20 mm D, and about twice as thick.

• MPF72E-1 : ASM P/N 05K8973; FRU P/N 05K8990;
• FD-05P2 : ASM P/N 05K8958; FRU P/N 05K8989;
• 10H4056
• IBM FRU # 59G7918
• FRU # 48G9896
• Dell part number 25749; FCC ID NO.: DX9-DELL-EXFDD;
• IBM P/N 10H3980

parallel port

ThinkPad T20 line supports a floppy drive connected to Parallel Port. Other portable PCs featured this functionality (notably Compaq Armada M700, Dell Latitude C400, and Toshiba), but each company chose different wiring, so a non-IBM parallel floppy drive is NOT substitutable. The adapter (FRU P/N: 08K6360; other number (ASM?) 08K6359) provides a 17 mm D receptacle.

• ThinkPad T20, T21, T22, T23

references

• Floppy Disk Drive Accessories - ThinkPad General
• discussion about 17 20 21 mm D connectors
• photographs and measurements by Ray Kawakami, "IBM 600X vs 365XD Floppy Connectors"
• several part numbers and also Dell 21mm compatibility by findeis@bucknell, "Cable Information for External 3.5" Floppy Diskette Drive for IBM Thinkpads"
• "Marketing P/N to FRU P/N Listing - Diskette/ZIP Drives", Parts Information Document ID: VLAR-3TQW2G, kev009.com

UNSORTED

Part numbers

• P/N: 83H6276
• FRU P/N: 12J0432, 39F2077

Models featuring this Technology

• ThinkPad 220

• ThinkPad 310ED

"The FRU is 05K8827.", Davemci, forum.thinkpads.com

• ThinkPad 365CD 365ED 365XD

"365CD, 365ED systems ship with an external Floppy Disk Drive that has a non-detachable cable. FDD/Cable assembly FRU 75H7572" "365XD models ship with an external FDD that has a separate cable. The cable FRU is 74H0219, and the FDD FRU is 10H4056", Document ID: YAST-3FGSHU, kev009.com

• ThinkPad 760XD

"part number 66G5069. It's one that works only on 760* and 765*", whizkid, forum.thinkpads.com

FRU P/N: 66G5069, P/N: 66G3696, FCC ID: ANO66G3696, (blue 8beam IBM logo) 'Manufactured by IBM LTD' 'Made in Japan'

• Ext.-Diskette Drive (Opt. TOGP14M) 48G8263

ThinkPad 730TE 730T 730TE Parts Listing (2524), kev009.com

"Just wanted to advise that some of the newer Thinkpad's External Floppy Drives will function with the 730T. I was using the External floppy from my 765D system, FRU# 66G5069 P/N 66G3696. The floppy drive is also used in the following Thinkpad units, the 360, 355, 370, 701, 755, & 760. This drive unit should be easier and less expensive to obtain than the original unit" 730T/TE Tablet, kev009.com

Docks and Port Replicators featuring this Technology

NOTE!

These devices only feature pass-through functionality, the actual Floppy Controller logic needs to reside in the ThinkPad for the port to work

• ThinkPad 365 Port Replicator
• ThinkPad 365X Port Replicator
• SelectaBase Model I
• SelectaBase 600
• SelectaBase 770
• ThinkPad MultiPort
• ThinkPad MultiPort II
• ThinkPad Dock I (3545)
• ThinkPad Dock II (3546)
• ThinkPad Port Replicator Model 1
• ThinkPad Port Replicator Model 2