GregorHouse
Well-known member
Good afternoon (for me),
I decided to write this thread apart from the other one about this device because I don't want to divert the attention from the main thread.
So to put you in situation, I have a Macintosh Plus with an Apple 20SC HD that originally came with a 20MB MiniScribe drive. I love the sound of that hard drive and I'm looking to get it back. The original drive has mechanical problems and stopped working many years ago, but I thought the logic board was working.
This drives are surprisingly expensive nowadays, so I found this one on Ebay and thought that maybe I could swap the boards and get a working device. I think this one was for an Apple II.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Miniscribe-Apple-20mb-Disco-Duro-Modelo-8425-Usado-Garantía/202583301784?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
Thing is it's not working. When I switch it on it initiates normally and then the stepper motor starts to make a click-click noise, like forwards-backwards movement for a minute or so and then stops. It took for ever to format it using Silverlining, but eventually I was able to write and execute applications from the drive, so it kinda works. Only it takes more time than normal to initiate due to this click-click thing and it won't mount automatically, I have to do it with Silverlining, so I can't boot from it.
Question one will be asking for help or tips on how to troubleshoot the unit as I have it now. I scanned for bad sectors with Silverlining and it said it had 1 error, providing no further information. I'll try with Norton Utilities when I get home and see if it does any better.
Question two will be if is it possible to rewire the Apple II drive board to SCSI. Looking at both boards doesn't seem to have much in common, just a couple chips are the same, so I don't know if that would be possible. Of course I tested the unit when I got it and it didn't make that noise, so I assume I have a bad board.
The (I think so) Apple II device board that came with the device:
The SCSI board from my first device:
The click-click noise:
View attachment 35547
I decided to write this thread apart from the other one about this device because I don't want to divert the attention from the main thread.
So to put you in situation, I have a Macintosh Plus with an Apple 20SC HD that originally came with a 20MB MiniScribe drive. I love the sound of that hard drive and I'm looking to get it back. The original drive has mechanical problems and stopped working many years ago, but I thought the logic board was working.
This drives are surprisingly expensive nowadays, so I found this one on Ebay and thought that maybe I could swap the boards and get a working device. I think this one was for an Apple II.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Miniscribe-Apple-20mb-Disco-Duro-Modelo-8425-Usado-Garantía/202583301784?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
Thing is it's not working. When I switch it on it initiates normally and then the stepper motor starts to make a click-click noise, like forwards-backwards movement for a minute or so and then stops. It took for ever to format it using Silverlining, but eventually I was able to write and execute applications from the drive, so it kinda works. Only it takes more time than normal to initiate due to this click-click thing and it won't mount automatically, I have to do it with Silverlining, so I can't boot from it.
Question one will be asking for help or tips on how to troubleshoot the unit as I have it now. I scanned for bad sectors with Silverlining and it said it had 1 error, providing no further information. I'll try with Norton Utilities when I get home and see if it does any better.
Question two will be if is it possible to rewire the Apple II drive board to SCSI. Looking at both boards doesn't seem to have much in common, just a couple chips are the same, so I don't know if that would be possible. Of course I tested the unit when I got it and it didn't make that noise, so I assume I have a bad board.
The (I think so) Apple II device board that came with the device:
The SCSI board from my first device:
The click-click noise:
View attachment 35547