LONG floppy dr cable source/ CHEAP indu.back plane chassis?

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@y..., "stevenson_engineers" <machines@n...>
wrote:

> --- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@y..., Jon Elson <elson@p...> wrote:
> > Are you kidding? You want to put a floppy drive in the
> > pendant, with the motherboard 20 feet away? I seriously
> > doubt this will work at all. If it does, it will certainly be
> > unreliable. Shielded cables are made, AMP and 3M
> > make them with heavy black jackets and aluminum
> > foil/mylar shields. You should be able to buy this
> > from Newark Electronics, or possibly Digi-Key.
> > You'd probably need to buy a 100 foot roll, and it
> > is not cheap!
> >
> > Jon
>
> It WILL work.
> I have two setups just like this now for about 4 years.
> About 18' of ordinary ribbon cable for the data and a length of 4
> core alarm wire for the power.
> No shielding and I've had no problems at all with it.
> I must admit I'm suprised at the fact the floppy drives have lasted
> this long in a commercial workshop enviroment.
> I fully expected to have to replace the drives more frequently
> because of muck in the air.
>
> I asked the question before I did it and some peope said yes, others
> said no. So I just went ahead and did it.
> After all you can be talking for years. The proof is alway with the
> action.
>
> John S.

-smile-.....-chuckle-
Thanks John!
JUST what I wanted to hear!
After all, Centroid and Haas (and others) have their floppy drives in
the operator pendant and the PC in the NEMA enclosure. If it works for
them........
I'll peek inside my buddies Haas & see what kind of cable they use.

Some thoughts on "whimpy" PC hardware in the shop:
As far as the MTBF of the floppy, don't believe most of what you hear
about "industrial hardened" PC hardware BS. The "office" stuff seems
quite tough! I've been pricing open wall mount chassis for a project
and the prices are OUTrageous! I'm going to get a small tower chassis
and see if I can make the backplane "passive" with a hacksaw and
tinsnips. Wish there was a low cost passive backplane industrial
chassis available for REASONABLE (<$150) cost. Then, the Single Board
Computers will blow a hole in your wallet too! I want a mother board I
can run to Staples and get on Sat. nite if I need one. In the NEMA
box,(where the PC will live) a SMALL exhaust fan near the top of the
NEMA enclosure (WITH filtered inlet near the bottom) is all that's
needed to keep the temps down & dust out. Trick is, don't use too big
a fan. Only put "enough" air thru the box. The more pulled thru, the
more chance of dust entering. I see over capacity on cooling air in
electronic enclosures (and much dust build up) all the time.

dan k