Background: I call this machine my Kaypro "1" because the case says it's a "1" on the outside, but there's a sticker on the back that says it's a 2/84 and it has the 2/84 ROM, not the 1's ROM. This machine was one of the "slap together out of the parts we have" as Kaypro was going out.
I don't have desk space yet for all my vintage computers, so when I rotated the Kaypro "1" onto the desk to use, I noticed that the B: drive was no longer working.
The first thing that I did was power off and pull the USB stick that was the B: drive and it was warm - abnormally warm. Red flag time.
When I tried to read the USB stick in my PC, it wouldn't recognize it. Uh, oh.
So back the Kaypro "1" goes back on the bench and time to take a look.
First thing I checked was the MOLEX to 3.5 floppy power cable. It was pinned correctly. Everything looked good.
Next, the multi-meter comes out and I check the voltages. To make sure that everything was correct, I removed the MOLEX pig tail and checked the voltages at the MOLEX end. The 5V line had 10V and the 12V line had 4V.
This power connector had the lines swapped!
I swapped the pin on the MOLEX pigtail and pulled the now 10V pin completely out of the pigtail so there was no connection to the OpenFlops. I verified the voltages and plugged everything back in. It works. The old USB stick is toast, though.
Kudos to the OpenFlops guys for building something that takes twice the voltage and still works.
But this is a lesson with the "newer" Kaypros: They weren't exactly the best made and there are surprises everywhere.
The "1" is still on the bench. I'm getting better 5.25-3.5" bay adapters that fit better. I'll swap them out this weekend.
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