Fujitsu Magneto Optical Transplant

[olePigeon]

So I found a Fujitsu case for the older 230MB MO drive that I thought would be perfect for my 2.3GB drive.  That way I'd have an official nice looking Fujitsu case for my Fujtisu MO drive.

*trumpet* Waaaa waaaaa.



As you can see, it doesn't line up.  The older 230MB drive has an obnoxiously large bezel.  It doesn't really fit in anything except this case.  If you put it in a normal SCSI case that doesn't have adjustable screw holes, it'll protrude outside the case.  Here's a side-by-side comparison:



So I had to find a way to make the screw holes line up for my new drive.  I (thought I had) measured the difference, then I created and printed out a bracket:



I didn't get pictures, but the thicker section is where metal pegs that hold the rubber grommets go.  Turned out pretty close:



It's inset a few millimeters, I guess I was off a bit.  However, I noticed that's flush with the inside of those decorative grooves.  Also, the inset will keep the dust out.  So I figure I'd leave it.  Looks good, it works, and won't get dusty like my other one.

 

[olePigeon]

I forgot to mention that I recrimped the SCSI cable with a stranded cable.  The newer drive's SCSI connector is 180 degrees flipped from the other one, and the existing SCSI cable was too short to flip around.  So I took out the SCSI connector, undid the strain relief, cable, etc., then I took a longer cable and separated the wires.  I recrimped it, and now it can easily be flipped 180 degrees and connect to the new drive.

 

[olePigeon]

I guess that should be a Trombone, not a Trumpet.

 

[pcamen]

@olePigeon question about the Fujitsu MO drive.  I have one, and am wondering if you know if it needs drivers.  If so, where can the be had?  Doing a google search on the model number + fujitsu got me only one hit.  Searching fujitsu mageto optical driver found nothing interesting. 

 

[olePigeon]

@pcamen  Here ya go:

http://bitcider.com/content/f/Fujitsu Magneto Optical Software 2.3.8/MDF_2.3.8.image.bin

 

[Unknown_K]

i love the old MO drives. Most of mine are 5.25" but I also have that external Fujitsu drive. Very reliable and decently fast for their age.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Very cool mod, oP. Love that Total Systems sticker, your work?

 

[olePigeon]

@Trash80toHP_Mini I didn't print that one, but I did use it to make a badge.  Another user on here sold it to me.

I just like to collect them.

 

[olePigeon]

I just realized I never updated this thread.  I reprinted the brackets with a larger offset and now the drive sits flush with the bezel instead of inset by about 2mm.

 

[pcamen]

I just discovered another one, an Olympus 230MB drive- Deltis 230MO.  Does that driver tend to work for any MO drive of that capacity (do they simply have the same underlying mechanism) anyone know? 

I did find this thread, which claims that you don't need a driver for an MO drive.  I found that clearly wasn't true for Zip drives and System 7/8. 

 

[olePigeon]

@pcamen They don't need a driver to get access to a disc if it's inserted before you turn on the computer, in which case it's treated like a HDD.  You'll want the driver so you can use it as a regular cartridge drive system, and be able to insert discs and eject them at will.

The Fujitsu driver might work with those MO drives, they're often rebranded Fujitsu.  I used to have a generic MO driver Control Panel that worked with any drive, but it would hard crash my system whenever I tried to open the Control Panel to change settings.  I ended up throwing it out since the Fujitsu worked fine.

Interestingly, most Fujitsu drives have a jumper setting that disables Eject and changes the drive so the computer thinks its a HDD and not a "removable media" drive.

 

[pcamen]

Yea, my Fujitsu (but no the Olympus) has a switch on the back labeled ODD and HDD; certainly that is as you describe it. 

 

[pcamen]

I tried them out today.  The Fujitsu worked like a champ.  Was able to eject and mount disks without the driver.

The Olympus didn't work at all.  It just spits out disks shortly after you put them in.  Not sure what's going on there.