Internal Zip drive don't fit with stock floppy

Hi Guys

I am about to install an internal zip drive to my A4000 but i have notice a small problem, The stock 4000 floppy disk is bit larger faceplate than normal PC ones not leaving space to the zip drive to fit the A4000 faceplate. What i was thinking, can i install a PC HD floppy drive which is smaller height?

Anyone with the same problem experience?

James.

[Severin]

No you can't if you still want to read amiga formattted disks

Of course if you don't use the drive and just want to fill the hole, it's a perfect solution

You have one of the earlier HD floppy drives, later ones were the standard height (and a lot faster). best thing to do is try to find a second hand one and replace your old floppy drive.

But do you really need a zip drive? wouldn't a CDRW be more use and a lot cheaper? I know I can get a CDRW drive for half the price of a zip one, and over 50 blank cd's for the price of one zip disk... think of the storage... 100Mb or 35Gb+ for the same price

I had a zip drive, found the disks were a pain in the arse (every one I had died after about 2 years), then I tried an LS120 (again the disk died), so I went to CDRW, much better, if a disk dies it costs a hundred times less

Yeah

I belive a CDR-W would once and for all a solution.

I just have one zip drive and i wanted to use it that's why.

I guess zip drives were perfect when the cd-writers were expensive, now a days is the opposide.

James.

[Syko]

Talking of CD-RW prices, just checking on my old employer's site (www.cclcomputers.co.uk or bunch of backstabing scumbags as I now call them...) and they've got 'em for £28.50, and they export so that shouldn't be a problem for you, oh, and TDK 10 pks 700MB CDRW disks for £3.50, all prices are plus VAT unless you don't pay it... So, that's 10 x 700MB, and the drive, for about £32 + p&p! I'd say Zip drives are done for....

[Jope]

Originally posted by dmrvf


What i was thinking, can i install a PC HD floppy drive which is smaller height?

:confused

You'll need a kylwalda adapter to be able to use the PC drive, (edit: you need a catweasel to use it as a HD drive)

You can just try sticking the drive in and use it as a DD drive, but most likely it won't work 100% - a few signals are in the wrong place on a "PC" floppy mechanism.

Another idea is to use a DD mechanism (perhaps from a slimline external drive), those usually work right away.

Also, you could try and hunt down one of the 1" high Amiga HD floppy drives. (made by Sony) .. some A4000s shipped with them right out of the factory, but they aren't very commonly found.

[Syko]

I think power computing did an 'XL' drive which was an external unit for A5/6/12, or internal for big box Amigas. This was a slim-line drive and could r/w 1.76MB floppys if needed, certainly handled HD native FD's and PC disks.

[Jope]

Originally posted by Syko
I think power computing did an 'XL' drive which was an external unit for A5/6/12, or internal for big box Amigas. This was a slim-line drive and could r/w 1.76MB floppys if needed, certainly handled HD native FD's and PC disks.

Oh yes, I forgot all about that.. I believe the A4000 internal was a true halfspeed drive.

There were 0.5" high and 1" high XL drives, IIRC .. the 0.5" ones fit without modification under the stock 1.5" Chinon behemoth. :-)

[Severin]

Originally posted by Jope
I believe the A4000 internal was a true halfspeed drive.

Correct

[jmmijo]

I know mine is and it's one of the Chitnon drives and seems to be flaky as all get out

Most likely the drive needs realigned but it's too much of a pain to deal with that way so I'll just look around for a suitable sub myself

[Syko]

If'n I had the cash I'd do it myself as well... looks like Power might be getting a few enquires.

[jmmijo]

Yeah, just wondering too about both the A3000/4000 if they could accept an external floppy drive as DF0: instead of an internal one I seem to recall a jumper on the motherboard that allowed this to occur

EDIT: nope on the A3000, looks like the jumper just disables DF1: which I'm assuming means an internal DF1: floppy drive.

EDIT2: seems the A4000 does have a redirect floppy jumper so you can make the external floppy DF0: and a second external floppy as DF3:, nice

[Jope]

Originally posted by Severin
Correct :)

Hmm, it seems that the 0.5" XL drive is discontinued..

But the 1" high one is still available, true halfspeed like I remembered and was confirmed by Severin. :-D

Power XL Drive

.. nice and expensive, like all the Amiga gear. :-)

[Jope]

Originally posted by jmmijo
EDIT2: seems the A4000 does have a redirect floppy jumper so you can make the external floppy DF0: and a second external floppy as DF3:, nice :)

Hmm, tell me more. Didn't show up in this list:

http://wonkity.com/~wblock/a4000hard/mbjumper.html

[Syko]

Yep, the jumper on the A4000 enables/disables DF1 for internal.

Sorry, DF0 is always(??) internal. Although if no floppy was connected to the internal port.... don't know about that...

£50 for a HD floppy that does all that, dont seem unreasonable. Still alot more than a stnd PC jobbie though...

[jmmijo]

Originally posted by Syko
Yep, the jumper on the A4000 enables/disables DF1 for internal.

Sorry, DF0 is always(??) internal. Although if no floppy was connected to the internal port.... don't know about that...

£50 for a HD floppy that does all that, dont seem unreasonable. Still alot more than a stnd PC jobbie though...

Well I researched the info from Amiga-Hardware.com

Redirect DF0: J352 1-2 Internal DF1: and DF0:. External DF2: and DF3:
2-3 Internal DF1: and DF2:. External DF0: and DF3:

A4000 (O)

[Syko]

This is what comes from RTFM... instead of proper research! C= manual makes no reference to DF0:, bloody typical...