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Conner 40MB 3.5" SCSI Won't Spin Up

Scott Baret

Scott Baret

68LC040
I've got a 40MB Conner right now, and the motor simply won't spin up. I have the drive apart right now and it just won't go--it will try, then pause.

This is a client's drive and I want to get the information from it. My current thoughts as to how to proceed, listed in order of what I want to do:

1. Find a way to get that motor going.

2. Transplant the platter in another Conner 40MB (I have several).

Any thoughts? I've never had to deal with a drive at this level before but am looking forward to having my first successful operation here.

 
My IIci's hard drive does this sometimes, and if I give it a good smack right on top of the spindle, it'll usually spin right up.

 
Well if the motor is sticking, Then a push will get it going, good way to tell that is spin the platter by hand using your finger, and see if you feel a bit too much resistance on the initial push-off.

 
I'v had the spindle motor circuit cook on the HD PCB with this 40mb Connors.

Well, in the macintosh portable :)

usually a 34->50pin scsi mod cable… and a normal 50pin scsi board, (from a 50 pin working 40mb conner) a solution for the dead portable 40mb conners.

(A good idea mcdermd let me in on)

Only the one on the very left works.

the other 3 have dead boards and drives,

IMG_0937.jpg

 
Figure I should give an update on this drive...

I took it apart and found the problem wasn't with the motor at all. The problem was with the platter itself. There's something on it that made it stop when it read a certain track--definitely a scratch or something. It took two hours and lots of spinning by hand, but I finally got the two folders the client needed from it (which were stored in an area near the outside of the platter).

One word of warning--if you decide to open one of these guys up, wear a good pair of gloves. There's tons of oil inside these drives.

Everything else was backed up.

Also--sort of unrelated--the guy wants to restore his Classic to factory state. He has one of the oldest models and said he has two copies of System 6. One said "do not use" and the other has 6.0.7 on the label. I told him to bring me the "do not use" ones. If they are what I think they are....I could have myself an authentic copy of System 6.0.6!!!!!!! YEAHHHHH!!!!! (I told him I'd pay him for those--I may just give him the repair for free in exchange for those if they are indeed 6.0.6 floppies; I'll need to confirm that once he brings them over).

 
A few references to this extremely rare version of the system:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TA46839?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

http://support.apple.com/kb/TA45090

The other specific problem is that the Mac will crash whenever it's connected to a network via AppleTalk. I have never seen an official Apple copy of this out there--I think most people wrote over those disks if they got two sets! (I do have a set of disks with the "6.0.7" label, but not the 6.0.6 disks that should be there too).

Hmm...I have System 3.1 (also extremely rare/buggy)...now I just need 6.0.1 and 7.5.4...

 
The only one they never made was System 6.0.9.

When I was 8, I actually had a version I called 6.0.9. I had just gotten ahold of ResEdit and changed the trash can (and its related strings) to a toilet, plus I installed Kaboom to make the appropriate sound effect when it was flushed. (The ResEdit Complete book came with a bunch of alternate trash can icons--one was actually an IBM PC).

 
Time for me to chime in!

I think 6.0.8L could *almost* qualify as a sort of "official" 6.0.9 (and the Japanese version which can boot the first gen PowerBooks (14x, 170) and the American versions modified to use its resources could be thought of as an "unofficial" 6.0.9).

To me, the justification for a new version, at least in the context of System 6, is some sort of significant new functionality (such as support for more machines) or new features/interface improvements (the significance a toilet in place of a trash can (and the addition of relevant sound effects) is iffy, but I suppose it would count as a interface "improvement" of sorts).

c

 
I had at one stage been interested in modifying System 6 to run on an LC-series machine with an 040 processor. I was toying between names-at one stage 6.0.9 did come to mind!

 
Hmm... i have images of 6.0.6, didn't know it was that rare

Now i'm gonna have to cheack that those images really are 6.0.6 and not something else thats been mislabeled...

 
I had at one stage been interested in modifying System 6 to run on an LC-series machine with an 040 processor. I was toying between names-at one stage 6.0.9 did come to mind!
Click to expand...
Oh, yes!

I was supposed to get you an LC III-specific System 7.0 disk image. Still interested?

I apologize for my absent-mindedness!

Anyway, I wonder if LC III or 475 support could be added in addition to the PB 14x/170 support? Then it would most probably be the ultimate version of System 6!

We could even call it System 6.1.

c

p.s. I wonder if some early Quadras, such as the Q700, could boot a suitably modified system 6?

 
Update--the guy brought me his 6.0.6 disks to look at, but said that he didn't want to part with them at this point :-/

He did, however, say that if he ever did part with his Mac Classic, I would be the one who would have first dibs on it, complete with those 6.0.6 disks.

I got to take a look at the contents of the disks, and they're even more special to me because the creation date of the system file happens to be my birthday. They are indeed genuine 6.0.6 disks, and they could be one of--if not the only--set of these disks in the world.

 
Neat!

What's wrong with system 6.0.6? Why wasn't it ever more widely released?

Can you make disk images of these disks?

c

 
I had at one stage been interested in modifying System 6 to run on an LC-series machine with an 040 processor. I was toying between names-at one stage 6.0.9 did come to mind!
Click to expand...
Oh, yes!

I was supposed to get you an LC III-specific System 7.0 disk image. Still interested?

I apologize for my absent-mindedness!
Click to expand...
It's still an interesting project which I would be keen to take up again at some time, but I'm really busy at the moment so I'm not going to be needing them now.
I'll let you know if/when I need them (or the entire LC III, for that matter :p )!

 
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