CompactFlash to IDE compatible with PB 5300?

[LimeiBook86]

Hello guys,

So I have this Macintosh Freestyle Tablet (basically a PowerBook 5300). The problem is the hard drive overheated I believe and has been acting funky ever-since. Alternatively I put in a 2GB IDE drive from my PowerBook G3, but that didn't seem to be recognized at all.

So I was looking around online and saw these CompactFlash to IDE adapters for only $10. I was thinking if I got one of those it would be easier to use instead of relying on an old, possible dying hard drive.

Now my question is will this work? It seems that you don't need any drivers, but I was reading this article on LowEndMac where it was used on a PowerBook 1400, now they said it works fine, but it was picky about which CompactFlash cards were used.

So I was wondering if anyone has had any experience in the area. I mean for $10 it's not bad at all, also ComfactFlash cards are pretty cheap too - under $9 for a 1GB one. Then I can even hook the card up to my Mac and copy over the tablet's HD contents that I backed up.

Photos of the Freestyle. It would never keep an OS installed, installation was SO slow, and eventually I got odd read errors about the CD although the disk was fine (This happened on two install CDs), which leads me to think it was the HD.

Thanks!

-Steve

 

[Byrd]

It'll work a treat, I've tried a couple of very generic looking ones with a Sandisk 1 and 2GB CF card which allow for booting, both on a PB3400 and 5300 (don't use it on that really as it's got a 6GB HD inside).

JB

 

[beachycove]

That's an interesting and rare bit of kit.

I think the CF-IDE adapter you reference requires yet another adapter to work. You want to be sure that the IDE interface is specifically for a laptop, as these converters are available for desktops as well. I just bought one for a Duo 2300c on eBay from Hong Kong, and it is a good deal smaller than the unit pictured - not much larger than the CF card itself, in fact. My CF adventures are documented a couple of posts away.

As for what will and will not work CF-card-wise, that is anyone's guess. CF cards are cheap enough these days, however, that it is not going to break the bank even if you do make a mistake. I took a chance and bought a 4GB card - which has to be pretty recent, given the capacity - and it works fine in my Duo.

Bad ram, by the way, caused repeat errors in my Duo, very like those that you describe. I'd try with a base system and no ram chip (there will be 8 MB on the board, most likely), and see if that gets you to your goal.

No idea why the 2GB drive won't do the business. It is known to be working in the Wallstreet?