400K Floppy Drive Recapping

[JDW]

Yes, even 400K floppy drives need to be recapped.  This video walkthrough holds your hand through the process.  I show a few clips of Epyx Winter Games at the end.  The bootable 400K DSK image I created yesterday is now on Macintosh Garden.​

 ​

https://youtu.be/71Lz9OjJFe8​

 

[maceffects]

@JDW great video!  Thanks for taking the time to make these fun and educational videos

Do you have a Patreon?

 

[JDW]

@maceffects

Thank you for your kind words both here and in the comments section under my video.  And as I mentioned in my reply on YouTube, I appreciate the hard work you invested into making some great injection molded cases for old Macs and the Apple II! Most people who've never manufactured in Asia have no idea of the costs involved in such projects.  You made a serious financial commitment to bring those great cases to market.

I haven't created a Patreon account yet primarily because YouTube isn't my day job.  My day job has become a problem though, no longer paying me a living wage.  I'm not nearly at the point where I could support my family of 4 via YouTube alone -- not even close.  In fact, I don't even have Google's AdSense enabled because I just don't have enough Subscribers and views to make Ads pay anything other than pennies.  I keep ads switched off for now, so as to avoid bothering my viewers.

My main concern about creating Patreon is the extra time required to satisfy supporters.  As you know, Patreon supporters prefer perks.  And I would feel obligated to provide such perks. But I spent so much time creating my existing videos though that I just wouldn't have time to create those extras.  

What I do right now is provide a Paypal link in the text description under each of my videos so that viewers who wish to support my "JDW" channel can contribute that way.  The downside is that most people support only once, probably because Paypal doesn't nag people each month to continue contributions.  I am truly grateful for that support though. It's better than nothing at all.  Even so, all the contributions to date amount to about the price of a meal at a nice restaurant for a family of 4.  I need to up my game on YouTube, I guess.  Anyway, thank you for the kind words!

 

[maceffects]

@JDW Thank you, it has been a learning experience even for me.  I really enjoy creating things, but I have found the need to explore things outside of plastic.  Right now I'm working with a local engineer to develop a functional Xceed clone.  I think internal 256 grayscale should be in reach for everyone, not just those that want to shell out $2000+.  I do occasionally get a good laugh when people think because something is plastic it is cheap :lol:   I know you are a fan of keeping things original but if you ever switch to the dark side, let me know I'd be happy to send you a free case, you've contributed a lot to the community and helped me with the Seasonic and recapping videos.  I'm not offering to get a review/feature, but rather for your own personal enjoyment.

I have only used Patreon once to support vTools on here, though I don't really use it now, I really love the concept.  After looking at their site, it appears you are right it would be some kind of perks that people would be expecting.  I didn't realize about the PayPal link, I just sent a small contribution your way and I encourage others as well.  Normally I would offer a drink/meal when I travel to your area, but given how you live in Japan, I don't see that happening anytime soon.  I think the global economy has been a bit out of sorts even before COVID-19.  Earning a living wage seems harder in every part of the world.  I don't really know the market in Japan but I suspect COVID-19 has only made things worse.  I run small business service firm and because of the virus we lost 60% of our clients in the last 2 months.  I was very happy when they offered the Payroll Protection Program as it has helped us keep people going during this hard time. 

 

[JDW]

@maceffects

I am truly humbled by your kindness.  I just sent you a personal email offering you my sincere thanks.  In light of that kind contribution, I would feel guilty taking a free case from you.  However, it would indeed open the door to a video review of your enclosure, especially since I do have a couple SE/30's.  But getting it shipped to my address in Japan may be an issue, at least right now, due to COVID-19. @Bolle hasn't been able to ship boards he kindly repaired back to me from Germany for that very reason.

That biggest problem at my day job is the strong connection to the auto industry here in Japan.  We make aftermarket automotive products, and the bottom has fallen out of that market in Japan.  It was bad last year, especially since last October when Japan raised the consumption tax to 10%.  Coronavirus made things worse, of course.  Finding new employment at a time when a huge number of people are doing the same is a bad idea, so I continue to burn through savings to support my family.

I am intrigued by your desire to create an Xceed PDS video card clone, which of course would need to also include the Grayscale Yoke Adapter board too.  In terms of the PDS card, the hardware side might be easy enough to reproduce, but what about the custom chips?  That would be ground-breaking if you were able to create a clone of the Color030 or MacroColor030 PDS video cards!

 

[tt]

Wow JDW, I didn't know you were doing these type of videos, the one you just posted looks really great. It is kind of surreal to see how things have changed in the hobby over the years. Thanks for sharing.

 

[JDW]

@tt

Thank you for your kind words.  My first "public" video on YouTube was way back in 2007.  But it was low resolution and had no text or voice-over. (The Mac shown in that 2007 video is the same one you see in my new 400K recapping video, and the same Mac I used in my Analog Board recapping video too.)  I was basically uploading content back then for the purpose of linking to it in posts here on the 68kMLA. I got a little more serious in 2017 when I posted my late 2009 27" iMac video card bake video. And I started spending much more time on my vintage Mac videos in 2018 with the release of my video on the SEASONIC PSU replacement for the SE/30.  That video was spawned by a thread here on the 68kMLA.  I really enjoy making videos.  But it's a lot of work.  I spent a month and a half making the 400K recap video.