• Updated 2023-07-12: Hello, Guest! Welcome back, and be sure to check out this follow-up post about our outage a week or so ago.

Hmmm... Weird...

volvo242gt

Well-known member
Subject is the hard drive in my Centris 650. A DEC branded Quantum 230MB that has been formatted with HD SC Setup 7.3.5 and has System 7.6.1 installed on it.

Was working fine. Decided I'd like to have an activity LED that shone through the speaker grille, so I could see activity going on, instead of just hearing it. Used an LED that was connected to the 80MB Quantum I pulled from my IIci. Installed it, reassembled the case, then didn't do anything with the machine for about a week. This morning, connected the C650 to the monitor and keyboard, then powered it up. Heard a very quiet "skkrriccc" sound from the hard drive, then the floppy disk icon with the blinking question mark appears. Booted the computer using the 7.6 disk tools 1 disk I have. Drive didn't mount, nor did HD SC Setup see it on the bus. Turned off the computer and tried again without the LED. Same result. Then, remembering what happened back in early 1999 when another Centris 650 with another 230MB hard drive showed similar symptoms, I took the drive and inserted it into the IIci, thinking that it might start working again. Nope, not this time.

Is there a possibility that I might be able to resurrect it with a different controller board, or is there a chance that I may've damaged the platters themselves? Drive spins up and sounds normal, except for the lack of normal head movement sounds.

-J
 

Byrd

Well-known member
It's most likely a head crash - ie; mechanical failure of the drive over anything electronic. You could check the PCB (top and bottom) and any evidence of cap leakage however, but I'd say the drive has decided to permanently retire.
 

volvo242gt

Well-known member
Figured as much. Oh well. Kind of odd that I have a perfectly working LP80S in my SE, when that drive model seems to be notorious for having issues.
 

Byrd

Well-known member
Just depends on knocks, working conditions and hours over the years - all these old SCSI HDs are well over their failure times, I've some perfectly good early Conner, Quantum drives functioning fine,
 

volvo242gt

Well-known member
Heck, I've had a couple Miniscribes that worked great... lol

Anyway, have a LPS270S coming this week, so I'll reinstall everything on that drive and keep going.
 

volvo242gt

Well-known member
I might try doing what @bibilit did a few years ago, though. Try swapping the board with another and see if the drive comes back. If it does, great. I could swap it into the IIci, in place of the 160 that's getting full.

In any case, uuUPSss should be delivering the LPS270S on Wednesday.
 

volvo242gt

Well-known member
IMG_8826.JPG

Sure enough, the platters are just fine. Picked up a junk Apple ROM'ed LPS240S and swapped the controller board over. Connected it to the LCIII that I got from AppaloosaMac. Booted 7.6.1 without any issues. In fact, the LCIII just got its first upgrade. A 230MB hard drive, instead of the LC vintage Conner 40MB that it came with.

IMG_8827.JPG
Yes, I did swap most of the stickers from the junker drive to it. I did leave the Digital sticker on the drive. Buying another 230 from @PotatoFi for my IIci.
 

volvo242gt

Well-known member
And, to add some more information, looks like the junker 230 is fine, with the board that was originally on this drive.
 
Top