External Disk Drive

[prowler]

Originally Posted by twizzle

@prowler
that floppy drive without any screws is a chinon FZ-354

Hi twizzle,

Is that the floppy drive you mentioned earlier? This Cumana has a Citizen OSDC-29C drive internally with no screws either, just a shield which lifts off.

I've finished the case drawing (in pencil). Now I've just got to ink it in and it'll be ready for scanning.

prowler

[prowler]

My drawing ink has separated into a clear, soapy liquid and solid black lump at the bottom of the bottle, after a good few years at the back of a cupboard...

I shall get a new bottle tomorrow, and while I'm in town I'll make some enquiries about a digital back for my SLR camera. I've tried several times recently to use my digital compact camera to take screenshots and pictures of hardware, and the results have always been disappointing. My SLR kit is capable of much better, so I will have to get over my reluctance to 'go digital' and get a digital back or adapter for it so I can get immediate results, which are not possible with what I use for other types of photography at the moment - film and a scanner.

prowler

[prowler]

Hi All,

Here, finally, are the images I promised.

There is a drawing showing the case disassembled, another drawing showing the slots arrowed at the back where a screwdriver must be inserted to begin the process of separating the top from the bottom, and scans of the top and bottom of the internal drive assembly.

[Peter]

On ebay, you sometimes see Amiga floppy drives that are supposedly new...
I guess you could fit one of these drives in your external casing - so long as it fits with your face plate - is there really a difference between A500 and A600/A1200 floppy drives?

[Retro1234]

prowler - Nice detailed drawing
I would guess most extaernal drives have a standard contector.

[prowler]

Originally Posted by Boo Boo

prowler - Nice detailed drawing
I would guess most extaernal drives have a standard contector.

Hi Boo Boo,

Thanks, mate. When I first bought this drive I didn't have a clue how to get it apart, and the chap who sold it to me didn't know how it was done either.

This wasn't something I had expected and it was most infuriating, because I had bought it with a view to replacing the drive inside it with a HD floppy drive from a PC to see if I could then use it as an Amiga 1760kB HD floppy drive (perhaps with the addition of an interface circuit).

The PC floppy drives are basically the same as the Amiga versions, and it is the floppy drive controller which is able to get the extra capacity from Amiga floppies. So I figured that the conversion would be relatively simple, given the various guides that have appeared in Amiga magazines, on coverdisks and on Aminet.

Of course, all this was scuppered when I couldn't get the case apart. So I searched the internet and found those "instructions" I quoted above on a forum archive, but they sounded more likely to end in breaking the case than successfully separating it, so I just left it alone.

It was only when I saw this thread that I decided to give it a go, and, as you know, it actually worked! If I'd had such a drawing when I first bought the drive, to show me what I was actually dealing with, I would have separated it long ago. That is why I decided to try and provide one as a reference for all users.

Regarding the connector, I suppose you're talking about the supply and data connectors to the floppy drive from the circuit board at the back?
I think these are identical for all floppy drives (Amiga and PC types) that would fit in the enclosure. the only difference would be in the geometry of the connectors. This would not be a problem in your case, but for mine the plugs are soldered directly onto the circuit board and so I would need another drive with exactly matching connectors unless I was prepared to modify the hook-up arrangement.

Let us know how you get on in your quest to replace your floppy drive. Any further information I can add, I will post here as I find it.

prowler

[Jope]

Originally Posted by prowler

The PC floppy drives are basically the same as the Amiga versions, and it is the floppy drive controller which is able to get the extra capacity from Amiga floppies. So I figured that the conversion would be relatively simple, given the various guides that have appeared in Amiga magazines, on coverdisks and on Aminet.

Please post instructions on how to make reliable 300rpm DD / 150rpm HD drives out of standard PC mechanisms, when you have it working.

[prowler]

Originally Posted by Jope

Please post instructions on how to make reliable 300rpm DD / 150rpm HD drives out of standard PC mechanisms, when you have it working.

Hi Jope,

Yes, of course.

This project is not as urgent now as it once was. As I have said, this external drive has turned out to be the most reliable Amiga floppy drive I have, so I don't want to mess it up.

However, based on what I have read, I am convinced that it is possible to convert a PC HD floppy drive to work as an Amiga HD floppy drive, so I shall check what documentation/files I have and see if I can lash up something that works, and worry about an enclosure for it afterwards.

prowler