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From: toma@tekgvs.TEK.COM (Tom Almy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.tandy,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Tandy 1000 TX
Message-ID: <2673@tekgvs.TEK.COM>
Date: Fri, 18-Sep-87 13:58:03 EDT
Article-I.D.: tekgvs.2673
Posted: Fri Sep 18 13:58:03 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 20-Sep-87 11:51:51 EDT
References: <317@auvax.UUCP> <496@csm9a.UUCP> <316@nuchat.UUCP>
Reply-To: toma@tekgvs.UUCP (Tom Almy)
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton, OR.
Lines: 27
Keywords: Whats the scoop?
Xref: mnetor comp.sys.tandy:466 comp.sys.ibm.pc:7984

In article <316@nuchat.UUCP> kyle@nuchat.UUCP (Kyle Rhorer) writes:
>In article <496@csm9a.UUCP>, japplega@csm9a.UUCP (Joe Applegate) writes:
>> uses a proprietary pin out on the drive cable requiring you to purchase
>> a Tandy drive or hack the cable... it still requires a Tandy Printer cable.
>
>
>Since when does the Tandy 1000A use a proprietary pinout on the drive cable?
>There is absolutely nothing proprietary about it. 
>Actually, R/S's scheme makes more sense than IBM's.  Radio Shack configures 
>the drive (the way things were designed to be done in the first place) 
>and IBM configures the cable (YECH!).

Historically, with the TRS-80, a special cable was used -- all the drive 
select lines were tied together on the drive, and the cable had missing pins
so that only the DS1 pin connected on socket 1, DS2 on socket 2, etc.  You
could use standard drives (with a jumper for drive select) with a standard
cable or with the tandy cable by turning it upsidedown.

Tandy definately does the printer cable better.  You just take ribbon cable
and clamp an edge connector on one end and a D-shell ("Centronics") on the
other any you are done.  You cannot readily use ribbon cable with the DB-25
connector IBM uses -- the signals don't match for the control lines.

Tom Almy
(usual disclaimer. I own a Tandy 1000, but also have two PC/AT clones,
and a couple of CP/M machines that gather dust but also had sensible 
connections--Tandy style)