External Floppy Drive doesn't read

Rollinpizza · 19 April 2023, 20:25

Hi! I have an external floppy drive for my Commodore Amiga 500 that a friend gave me and I'm trying to repair.

The model of the drive is a Sony MPF110-04. There is little info on the Internet about this model.

At the beginning the unit doesn't power up and I can fix it recapping two caps that are not working properly. With this, the drive it fixed and read some disks but it was very noisy. So, the next step was clean the heads and grease the head movement screw and the disk opener. All the process was apparently very well but... after some tests, it stopped read disks.

The symptom is it begins to read the disk and then returns with the insert workbench 1.3. I cleaned the heads again but nothing happened. So, I've tested the drive with Amiga Test Kit and I've detected that the heads aren't aligned. I don't understand how happened... (maybe the vibrations by the lack of grease or dry grease?).

My doubts is how to align these heads because in others drives I've seen the motor has screws to adjusts but in mine I don't find it or I can identify (I've attached an image so you can help me). Also I would like to know how to diagnose well with Amiga Test Kit... know which values in signals are correct.

Ah! This model doesn't have belts (I think)... very curious...

Thanks a lot for the help!

Rollinpizza · 22 April 2023, 14:06

Ok, I've testing the drive with Amiga Test Kit (ATK) and the part of Signal Test there isn't index pulses. That's not normal because in my gotek drive it does.

I've experienced with a pot bottom the drive and near to the spin motor. I think it's the pot where you can adjust the spindle speed. But, I'm turning the pot left or right but the speed doesn't change apparently.

I keep investigating.

Rollinpizza · 22 April 2023, 20:30

It seems the speed adjust pot is broken. I've desoldered it and I've checked with my multimeter the common pin with one of the others pins and it is short. I've tried measure the nominal value between the pins (not the common) and there is not value. That explains why the spindle speed didn't change.

Now the problem is I don't know nominal value of the pot so that I can replace it. Which the normal value?

levo-ace · 22 April 2023, 21:53

I don't have that model , but I do have five different ones with a pot and , from what I can work out by measuring each one , it would seem to be 100K .

Hope this helps .

19 April 2023, 20:25	#1
Rollinpizza Registered User Join Date: Mar 2023 Location: Spain Posts: 5	External Floppy Drive doesn't read Hi! I have an external floppy drive for my Commodore Amiga 500 that a friend gave me and I'm trying to repair. The model of the drive is a Sony MPF110-04. There is little info on the Internet about this model. At the beginning the unit doesn't power up and I can fix it recapping two caps that are not working properly. With this, the drive it fixed and read some disks but it was very noisy. So, the next step was clean the heads and grease the head movement screw and the disk opener. All the process was apparently very well but... after some tests, it stopped read disks. The symptom is it begins to read the disk and then returns with the insert workbench 1.3. I cleaned the heads again but nothing happened. So, I've tested the drive with Amiga Test Kit and I've detected that the heads aren't aligned. I don't understand how happened... (maybe the vibrations by the lack of grease or dry grease?). My doubts is how to align these heads because in others drives I've seen the motor has screws to adjusts but in mine I don't find it or I can identify (I've attached an image so you can help me). Also I would like to know how to diagnose well with Amiga Test Kit... know which values in signals are correct. Ah! This model doesn't have belts (I think)... very curious... Thanks a lot for the help! Attached Thumbnails

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22 April 2023, 14:06	#2
Rollinpizza Registered User Join Date: Mar 2023 Location: Spain Posts: 5	Ok, I've testing the drive with Amiga Test Kit (ATK) and the part of Signal Test there isn't index pulses. That's not normal because in my gotek drive it does. I've experienced with a pot bottom the drive and near to the spin motor. I think it's the pot where you can adjust the spindle speed. But, I'm turning the pot left or right but the speed doesn't change apparently. I keep investigating.

22 April 2023, 20:30	#3
Rollinpizza Registered User Join Date: Mar 2023 Location: Spain Posts: 5	It seems the speed adjust pot is broken. I've desoldered it and I've checked with my multimeter the common pin with one of the others pins and it is short. I've tried measure the nominal value between the pins (not the common) and there is not value. That explains why the spindle speed didn't change. Now the problem is I don't know nominal value of the pot so that I can replace it. Which the normal value?

22 April 2023, 21:53	#4
levo-ace Registered User Join Date: Dec 2022 Location: MILTON KEYNES Posts: 70	I don't have that model , but I do have five different ones with a pot and , from what I can work out by measuring each one , it would seem to be 100K . Hope this helps .

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