CABLE.MOD ----- Mike Audleman 73577, 3041 28 Apr 1989 Tired of that just to short cable for the Mod 100 to the DVI? Can't get a disk in the lower drive without a standby contortionist? Well, if you can handle a small screwdriver and a pair of scissors, you are in luck. Before we get started, there is one very important word of caution, this modification is NOT, and repeat NOT for the Model 102! The cable that is provided with the DVI for the 102 is plenty long enough and the connector for the system bus is on the back so there is no problem with length. The problem lies in that the cable for the 100 must reach almost the full depth of the 100 itself and then under the DVI. This creates a problem with moving the 100 sideways, the cable lying under the 100 must remain flat so that is virtually impossible without putting undue stress on the connector and the socket in the model 100. The solution is a simple one, get a longer cable. That is where money comes in and if you are on a tight budget, things like ribbon cable and connectors are not in it. Another solution, the one I will describe here, is one of using ON-HAND materials that are currently not being used (at least as far as the Mod 100 and DVI are concerned). The ON-HAND materials I speak of is the DVI to Model 102 cable. Yes, I know it looks like you can just plug it in because the connectors are the same. BUT, the problem is the Mod 102 cable does not mirror immage the Mod 100 cable. The way the Mod 102 cable is made, the top pins on the 100 cable need to be connected to the bottom pins on the mod 100 cable. The fix is a VERY simple one, reverse the mod 102 cable pins from top to bottom. Believe it or not, this is extremely easy to do and only takes about 20 minutes to complete including testing. If you hold the Mod 102 cable up and look at it from the side, it should look like this: Figure 1. Side View of the Original Tandy Supplied Cable. ____ [____| End for the Mod 102 | | | Foil Side >| | | | ____| [____| End for the DVI The plan of attack is to remove the connector from the 102 end of the cable and re-connect it on the OPPOSITE side (NOT END!), thus effectivly making all the bottom pins move to the top and the top ones move to the bottom. After the modification, the cable should look like this: Figure 2. Side View of the Modified Cable. /- Notch in connector is on TOP _____/ |_____] Previously then 102 end now for the Model 100 | | | Foil Side -| | | | ____| [____| End for the DVI To complete the operation, you will need a small flat blade screwdriver, a pair of pliers (not needlenose, the regular workin' on the car type!) and a pair of scissors. First the screwdriver must be small enough to fit into the small rectangular hole in the back (the side away from the pins) of the connector at each end. A small jewler's type will work perfectly. Step one. GENTLY, GENTLY, pry the back piece upward and remove. Set it aside. Starting from one side, peel the ribbon cable away from the connector being very carefull not to dammage the tiny fingers that are imbedded in the cable from the connector. Start at one end and slowly work to the other. Do not try to lift the entire cable from the connector all at once! Step two. Using the scissors, trim the end of the cable just past the small puncture holes and remove them. Try to cut as straight as you can. Use a sharp pair, don't use the school house kind. If necessary, peel the foil ground shield back and trim the ground wire and foil so that it is out of the way when re-attaching the connector. Step three. Place the connector on a level surface facing down, with the small fingers that connect to the cable facing up. With the notch in the connector facing away from you, place the cable on top of the connector with the DVI end tword you. Replace the backpiece of the connector and press firmly down with both thumbs just off centers. Don't try to force it all the way down yet. Pick up the connector/cable and look at it from unterneath. It should look like this: Figure 3. End View of the Connector and Ribbon Cable. /-Foil side of cable is on the back of the connector ___/______________ <-Back of connector |oooooooooooooooooo| <-Ribbon cable |VvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv| <-Note the fingers are centered arround each wire. ^-Top Finger ^-Bottom Finger If the cable and fingers do not line up, stop and re-position the cable until they do. If you proceed with the cable misaligned, you WILL dammage the connector and/or render it useless. Once you are sure the connector and cable are properly aligned, plug the connector into the end of the 100 cable and use the pliers to squeeze the backpiece down forcing the fingers into the cable to make contact. Do not sqeeze so hard that you dammage the connector but be very firm to ensure that the fingers are seated well. This complets the modification, the cables are connected togather. The end that did to go to the DVI is inserted into the modified cable and it's end is then connected to the DVI. With this cable, you can offset the Mod 100 from the front of the DVI or leave plenty of room between them for anything you should desire! One last note, you should make a lable (masking tape will work) and place it on the modified cable stating that it is modified and is not for use with the Model 102. Should you wish to return the cable to it's original form, simply repeat the process and re-attach the connector so that the cable once again looks like Figure 1. I have modified several cables including mine with no problems at all. When they are all laid out, the cables should look something like figure 4. If they don't, you have made a mistake, go back and read the directions carefully. Short of dammaging the connector, there isn't much you can do that can't be fixed. It is ok to trim the cable more than once, just don't go overboard, preserve as much of the it as you can. Figure 4. The Finished Cable Setup. /- Connector to Mod 100 / /- Cable to Cable Connection / /_________________________|| <- To DVI |____|______________|| \ \ \-Modified 102 cable now for 100 \-Original Mod 100 Cable remains unchanged.