SE/30 FDHD replacement

[meall]

Just asking, but I think I know the answer.

I have a SE/30 with a defective FDHD drive. Can I use a drive from a performa 6xxx series to replace it?

Thanks

 

[Big Bird]

The drives in the Performa 6xxx series were manual-inject versions, whereas your SE/30's defective drive is an auto-inject drive.

Electrically, the auto- and manual-inject versions are compatible, so you could use the Performa's drive into the SE/30 without a problem. However, there are sometimes minor differences in the way the drives fit into the case and line up with the external hole that may require a little modification.

 

[MacMan]

It should be possible but as mentioned, there may be trouble getting the drive to fit and also you may have to poke disks in with a pen or something. That is why the Macs with manual inject drives have a hollow in the middle of the drive slot, so you can shove disks in with your finger.

 

[JDW]

I bought a replacement floppy drive (internal) for my SE/30 a year ago from WeLoveMacs. Despite the fact I ordered the correct drive from their website though, they shipped me the manual inject kind (which you cannot use in the SE/30). However, when I shot a photo for them, they promptly shipped me a new, correct drive and let me keep the other drive too. I still have that other floppy drive (manual inject) sitting in its original WeLoveMacs box because I can't use it!

So if you order from them, please be sure to converse with them by email so they don't make the same mistake with you too.

And by the way, yes, I did consider EBAY first. But these drives are not always on EBAY, and when they are, the seller doesn't know what they're selling. Unless you get a working guarantee from a really good EBAY seller, I would suggest going with a reputable establishment like WeLoveMacs or similar for a floppy drive purchase. Heads go bad over time, so you want a guarantee the drive will work like new when you order it from someone.

 

[meall]

I bought a replacement floppy drive (internal) for my SE/30 a year ago from WeLoveMacs. Despite the fact I ordered the correct drive from their website though, they shipped me the manual inject kind (which you cannot use in the SE/30). However, when I shot a photo for them, they promptly shipped me a new, correct drive and let me keep the other drive too. I still have that other floppy drive (manual inject) sitting in its original WeLoveMacs box because I can't use it!
So if you order from them, please be sure to converse with them by email so they don't make the same mistake with you too.

And by the way, yes, I did consider EBAY first. But these drives are not always on EBAY, and when they are, the seller doesn't know what they're selling. Unless you get a working guarantee from a really good EBAY seller, I would suggest going with a reputable establishment like WeLoveMacs or similar for a floppy drive purchase. Heads go bad over time, so you want a guarantee the drive will work like new when you order it from someone.

No longer available...

1.4 MB Auto-inject Floppy Disk Drive (p/n 661-0474)-Discontinued

We apologize but this item is no longer available to purchase. The manufacturer has stopped making this item so we are no longer able to order it. Please select another brand or similar item to complete your order.

 

[JDW]

Thanks for the tip! I didn't know they stopped selling it. But their statement is hilarious! For indeed, the "manufacturer" (Apple) stopped making that item many, many years ago! They ceased manufacture long before 2006, when I purchased a drive from them!

Ah well. They are a good seller, and that's why I suggested them. I guess you'll have to take some EBAY risks then. Unless perhaps another fellow 68kMLA member would be willing to part with his floppy drive. I myself prefer to trust people on this site more than most EBAY sellers!

 

[Big Bird]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Original-1-4-MB-Apple-Mac-floppy-drive-Auto-inject_W0QQitemZ160139789912QQihZ006QQcategoryZ82629QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[MacTCP]

Here it looks like they are selling them for $3. The part number traces to auto-inject.

 

[JDW]

Here it looks like they are selling them for $3. The part number traces to auto-inject.

Yes, ShreveSystems is indeed selling the 661-0474 SE/30 compatible floppy drive for $3. And to the immediate right of that item you can clearly see the 661-0121 floppy drive for $19! Leads one to wonder about the quality of the 661-0474! I strongly advise emailing them to ask the reason for the price difference BEFORE you buy!

And as to that EBAY link posted by Big Bird, I had just finished talking about why it's sometimes good to AVOID eBay! 8-o So I shall proceed to comment on the auction posted. First off, the item is sold "AS IS." Second, the seller's contention that "The pulls the floppy from your hand and into the drive" is flat out wrong (not to mention his grammar). I have this drive and it never pulled the floppy from my hand! Anyway, going back to the "AS IS" part, he also states this warning very clearly:

Unless the auction states otherwise, inspection of the item in this auction leads us to believe that it works. Please understand that we do not have the equipment, facilities, or time to fully test every item.

That is a common cop-out from many EBAY sellers, which is why I posted what I did above about EBAY. EBAY itself is not evil. But some items are safer purchased elsewhere. I personally believe this to be true of floppy drives. And since WeLoveMacs is no longer selling SE/30 compatible drives, I would suggest that would-be buyers first confirm the pricing issue with ShreveSystems and then go from there. I would trust Shreve over EBAY most of the time. They've been around a very long time.

 

[trag]

Those Shreve drives were $10 + shipping the last time I checked. I suspect that the low price on the auto-inject is simply because they are for older Macs and the demand is lower and slower.

Shipping is $7 per drive regardless of how many drives you buy. You'd think you'd get some break in shipping cost with quantity. Ah well. $10 shipped is a pretty good price.

I've never been a fan of Shreve, but they have been around for a very very long time in computer years.

 

[JDW]

I suspect that the low price on the auto-inject is simply because they are for older Macs and the demand is lower and slower.

I don't doubt your logic, trag, but that is certainly NOT the way it works on EBAY! Demand for the "older stuff" is such the prices for a 400k external floppy drive are sometimes 10 to 20 times higher than a manual inject newer version! Even 800k drives are excessively priced on EBAY. I don't know that it's really a situation of supply & demand as much as it is sellers trying to create the IMPRESSION there is high demand, hence all their ludicrous claims of "rare and impossible to find elsewhere" and such. EBAY sellers themselves drive prices through the sky, more than demand. True, ignorant buyers are to blame in keeping this problem going. For indeed, if no one EVER bought at those nutty prices, the sellers would lower the prices or stop selling on EBAY altogether.

So again, it is curious to me that Shreve is pricing drives in just the OPPOSITE way that EBAY does. To me it indicates that Shreve is either an honest firm, pricing older stuff lower than the newer (as it should be in most cases), or they are deceptively hiding problems about the older equipment (very possible because older stuff is typically in worse shape than the new).

But so long as they have a return policy and if they pay for return shipping too, even if the drive is bad you aren't out anything. But if their shipping is expensive and if you get stuck with shipping charges for a replacement too, then you need to either ask more questions before you buy or go to someone else.

I am by no means trying to slander Shreve here. For like I said above, I would trust them above most EBAY sellers any day. But you still have to be careful and ask questions and read all the fine print before you buy an older, used item like a floppy drive.

 

[tomlee59]

Re: Shreve: They do seem to have "mysterious" pricing algorithms -- some items seem terribly overpriced (IMNHO), and others are surprisingly cheap. In all cases, shipping is somewhat expensive, so you are encouraged to wait until you have a pile of stuff to order make it worthwhile.

Examples: MPEG decoder cards, new in box, for $2. Shipping was much higher, so I ended up ordering a dozen or so. Or a bunch of Peltier effect coolers for a similar price. Again, shipping was dominant, so I ordered many more coolers than I otherwise would have (but you can never have too many Peltier devices).

Shreve always shipped on time, and items received were always as advertised. So at least you have one data point from someone who has been a customer for many years. YMMV, of course, but AFAIK, my experience with them is fairly typical.

 

[trag]

Several years ago Shreve announced that it was going to shut down and they had a big sale leading up to an onsite auction. During the sale, they had Daystar Turbo040 upgrades listed for $1 each. As Tomlee mentions, shipping was considerably more per unit but still reasonable.

Of course, I ordered all they showed in stock when I saw this. What I received was actually Daystar Value040 upgrades which plug into the LC PDS slot. However, they were all rated at 40 MHz and bore 40 MHz 68040 chips. So I figured the chips alone were worth the price, so I did not complain. Otherwise, my order was as expected and even the stuff that looked like it had seen many seasons in the warehouse worked.

Shreve seems to be reduced in operations, but they did not go away after their auction.

From reading newsgroup discussions, many years ago, my impression (not my experience) was that Shreve was fine if your order was correct. That their error rate on orders was no greater than any other well run mail order outfit. However, if there was a mistake, you were likely to feel a great deal of frustration and possible a pile of expense straightening it out. The types of complaints I remember were of the "They're charging me a restocking fee to take this back, but it's not what I ordered and the mistake was theirs." type.

 

[trag]

I suspect that the low price on the auto-inject is simply because they are for older Macs and the demand is lower and slower.

I don't doubt your logic, trag, but that is certainly NOT the way it works on EBAY!

So again, it is curious to me that Shreve is pricing drives in just the OPPOSITE way that EBAY does. To me it indicates that Shreve is either an honest firm, pricing older stuff lower than the newer (as it should be in most cases), or they are deceptively hiding problems about the older equipment (very possible because older stuff is typically in worse shape than the new).

It is also possible that they have a vast number of those drives on hand and are looking at their storage costs. The stories I heard from folks who actually went to the Shreve auction several years ago were along the lines of truck loads (big panel truck loads) of various older motherboards and such. It is possible that Shreve has been collecting and disassembling surplus Macs for a generation. The number of floppy drives they could have accumulated that way might number in the 1000s.

But so long as they have a return policy and if they pay for return shipping too, even if the drive is bad you aren't out anything. But if their shipping is expensive and if you get stuck with shipping charges for a replacement too, then you need to either ask more questions before you buy or go to someone else.

I have no knowledge of their current return policies or practices. In the past, meaning ten years ago or so, I saw what seemed like serious complaints about their handling of order errors. There were enough of these complaints in a similar vein to make me take notice, but that was long ago and stuff you read on the internet comes with that crystaline NaCl formation...