Apple Lisa Widget Drive Repair - need some advise ;)

[MarNo84]

Hi my friends :lisa2:

I'm actually on a very special project here...I've got several Apple Widget Drives - all drives need some "service" and have different main issues.

There are two drives that seem to work on the technical part -they easily spin up, open their brake thing and well, they don't sound like jet turbines at all  everything is cleaned and the brakes are already adjusted.

Thing is, Widget #01 gives me Error-Code 82 and Widget #02 Error-Code 85 on the Lisa screen. Both won't get recognized in my Lisa 2/10 (Maintosh XL ROMs by SUN). Even BLU won't see them, but if I try to access the drives for ID or LLF, the Software/Lisa is trying to 'talk' to the drives, indicated by flashing LEDs on  the Widget and I can hear the R/W head tries to move but it gives me just Error-Code E803.

So here's the story of the two main Widgets and what was done already...

Widget #01:

- everything disassembled and cleaned.

- the original data cable of the R/W head mechanism was shot... due aging the cable became brittle and was cut

- I replaced the whole orange data-flex-cable from a donor Widget, that was busted long time ago

- I worked very clean and carefully - it took me nearly 3 hours to complete disassemble, desolder 6x micro cables from the old heads and reassemble the mechanism and resolder these tiny wires and reassembling everything

- I never touched or removed the small glass platter in the "working" Widget #01

Widget #02:

- the preowner did reglue the glass platter inside the Widget

- since then it behaves the same like Widget #01

Is there a way to readjust to factory settings or so, that it could at least get recognized and maybe LLF again? Are there any instructions out there or did someone such thing before?

I thought, if I won't move the glass platter of Widget #01 it should work but in the end I came to clue moving/reassembling the head mechanism would cause the same issue like reglueing the glass itself

Fun fact: I once did nearly the same to another Widget drive ( disassembling, cleaning and checking the inside, loosened the plattern and mechanism - it got stuck and was barely movable...) and everything went smoth and without any after issues

I once had a very good written tech/service paper but I can't find it anymore - it came from a former Apple technician ...

Any advise would be great :lisa2:  I really would like to get these two drives back on the road, not just as big paperweights in my collection. 

Cheers,

Marcus

 

[stepleton]

This is an amazingly ambitious project! Thanks for taking such detailed pictures---I've never seen Widget internals so close up!

I'm curious too about your E803. Widgets can generate more than one kind of error code and it's not clear which one this is---is it an Apple parallel port hard drive error, a Widget-specific "abort code", or an error code of BLU's own? I don't know.

Naturally my first diagnostic tool for this investigation would be NeoWidEx, although at this point even I've forgotten exactly how I would use it :lisa2: . There's also a chance that as it's written now, it will want your Widget to be in better shape in order to run---although you can also hack my code to be more tolerant of sick drives.

From the Lisa boot ROM's point of view, error 82 means "unexpected response" and error 85 means "timed out". Both of these could be consistent with a Widget that's unhappy in one way or another---the first could be one that's telling the computer that it's sick, and the second might not even be getting that far.

One thing I'd do before really diving in is make a careful study of the Widget ERS document, particularly PDF pages 81-135. This goes a long way toward giving you an idea of what the Widget firmware is "thinking" inside as it tries to use the disk. Once you know that stuff, low-level tools like NeoWidEx and UsbWidEx can be really useful for retrieving error codes and so forth.

 

[stepleton]

PS: you might also consider asking about this on https://lisalist2.com/, where occasionally some Lisa hard drive experts join in the conversation.

 

[MarNo84]

This is an amazingly ambitious project! Thanks for taking such detailed pictures---I've never seen Widget internals so close up!

I'm curious too about your E803. Widgets can generate more than one kind of error code and it's not clear which one this is---is it an Apple parallel port hard drive error, a Widget-specific "abort code", or an error code of BLU's own? I don't know.

Naturally my first diagnostic tool for this investigation would be NeoWidEx, although at this point even I've forgotten exactly how I would use it :lisa2: . There's also a chance that as it's written now, it will want your Widget to be in better shape in order to run---although you can also hack my code to be more tolerant of sick drives.

From the Lisa boot ROM's point of view, error 82 means "unexpected response" and error 85 means "timed out". Both of these could be consistent with a Widget that's unhappy in one way or another---the first could be one that's telling the computer that it's sick, and the second might not even be getting that far.

One thing I'd do before really diving in is make a careful study of the Widget ERS document, particularly PDF pages 81-135. This goes a long way toward giving you an idea of what the Widget firmware is "thinking" inside as it tries to use the disk. Once you know that stuff, low-level tools like NeoWidEx and UsbWidEx can be really useful for retrieving error codes and so forth.

Oh what an honor to me

Well, I also wanted to use your NeoWidEx but I have to change ROMs first due I still have 3A/88  My Prommer and some ROMs are ready to have ome fun today  I will report back, if NeoWidEx will finally see my Widget(s).

Another Error I get using BLU and trying to LLF is Error-Code 75...

I will write a Blog-Entry on my Homepage soon (http://www.marnoweb.de/de/Bastelecke.html) including a whole set of more detailed photos, even the manually adjustment of the positions of some parts and brake etc.

 

[Greniu]

Oh what an honor to me

Well, I also wanted to use your NeoWidEx but I have to change ROMs first due I still have 3A/88 My Prommer and some ROMs are ready to have ome fun today I will report back, if NeoWidEx will finally see my Widget(s).

Another Error I get using BLU and trying to LLF is Error-Code 75...

I will write a Blog-Entry on my Homepage soon (http://www.marnoweb.de/de/Bastelecke.html) including a whole set of more detailed photos, even the manually adjustment of the positions of some parts and brake etc.

Hi,

Did you managed to solve error 82 in your widget? I have the same so I need to figure out what's happening.