Reviving a 512K Hyperdrive - Error Code 0F0100

[BadGoldEagle]

Well it would only format the drive to what the hyperdrive card is configured for, because I dont see a way where you can enter the C/H/S data of the drive. 

The Miniscribe 8425 found inside the Hyperdrive 20 machines has 615 cylinders. GCC say the boards are identical. So maybe it can auto detect the number of cylinders etc???

I also contacted a company specialised in old hard drive repairs. They claim (on their website) that they can fix old MFM drives... I'll let you guys know.

 

[techknight]

The boards might be, but the declaration ROM may not be? MFM drives arent usually auto-detectable unless they have some sort of revolutionary method that never made it to the PC side. lol. 

 

[BadGoldEagle]

maybe it's just... magic? 

In all seriousness though, I think I'm better off getting another WORKING MMI M112 drive. Someone sold one of those on ebay a month ago, maybe another one will surface ?soon?

 

[BadGoldEagle]

So I got news from the company who specialises in hard drives recovery/repairs and the MMI's completely dead. They said they could retrieve the data on the platters for about $800 though. I'm not kidding. That's how much those guys charge for a HD recovery. That's a LOT of dough.

Thankfully I didn't have to pay anything. 

I'm still looking for a replacement drive... Contacted a guy about a month ago, he said that he might get some NOS MFM drives soon.

I wonder if I can just stuff a 20mb drive in there... How does the Hyperdrive manages the C/H/S data of the drive? Dunno. 

Nah I'm better off waiting for an exact replacement. At least in the meantime I can just use it as a "normal" 512k as everything else on it works! Time to play Dark Castle! Yay!

If you guys know a place here I could get a working MFM drive (that is: tested, a lot of those are untested aka dead), I'd love to hear about it! I should check vintage PC hardware stores... But I don't know any good ones. I'm not a PC kinda guy. 

 

[techknight]

Wow $800? Thats actually cheap. 

Ive seen data recovery go from 2 to 4,000 bucks. 

 

[BadGoldEagle]

They sent the hard drive back. So now it just sits on a shelf. At $800 for 10MB it was too expensive to be worth the effort.

Still looking for a replacement drive.

 

[techknight]

You know, I "think" they make MFM drive emulators. 

 

[aplmak]

Yes there is an MFM SSD solution... I've looked at this one before...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DREM-MFM-RLL-SSD-HDD-and-FDD-Emulator-MFM-RLL-Hard-Drive-and-Floppy-Emulator-/302099229287?hash=item4656846a67:g:KjoAAOSwBPNXSLR3

I have a MFM to SCSI board converter somewhere in my basement.. always wanted to try it.. 

 

[aplmak]

I have data on an old 80MB PRIAM MFM drive in an old Altos server I had... I've always wanted to get the data off of it... but not sure how to do it.. it's all Xenix 3.1... I thought if I could get a converter board I could use an image program and image it off... this is something on my list to try with that board in my basement... 

I used to use this system and it has old data of mine on it.. I always wanted to import the data into a Unix/Xenix emulator and try to boot it..

 

[BadGoldEagle]

I know emulators existed. But I'm stubborn and I want to have things completely original. I know the SSD will never fail but that the HD definitely will. But I like the sound of the old hard drive inside a 512K. 

 

[bibilit]

The original hard drive  being more or less a  lost cause, is there a mean to have it Low Level formated ?

 

[BadGoldEagle]

The heads have crashed spectacularly in a way that they're completely stuck (according to them at least), so it can't LLF itself because of that.

The Hyperdrive software (thanks OlePigeon and tanaquil for uploading it) will do a LLF of the drive. 

If the software detects a problem with the drive, it will ask you what you want to do with it. 

 

[techknight]

IBut I'm stubborn and I want to have things completely original. 

And thats where I get off the train here. That stubbornness will cost ya, trust me. Functionality over originality. Cant have your cake and eat it too.. haha. You may get lucky and find a good MFM drive for an ok cost, but as time goes by the worse that will get as those drives are constantly disappearing and being recycled. 

 

[jsarchibald]

Need to have a solid state storage system that makes artificial old school hard drive noises when drive activity occurs.  I'm sure someone could make that work without too much hassle?

 

[joethezombie]

I think most of the "desirable" noise is the head moving around rather than the whine of the drive. I've always wanted to start a project that moves the head around much like those floppy and hdd music machines, but using the hdd led indicator output from the solid state drive as input to the noise device.

 

[aplmak]

I've thought a while back maybe it is possible to hook a piezo speaker to the activity light with one of those little cheap pre-recorded message modules like they have in greeting cards.. 

 

[aplmak]

This may be your solution.... $40 bucks and free shipping and handling!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1985-Hyper-Drive-20mb-for-the-Apple-Macintosh-Mac-512k-UNTESTED-but-intact-/302164608719?hash=item465a6a06cf:g:ResAAOSwa~BYTvoL

Grab it before it goes!!!!!

 

[joethezombie]

Wow, that's a steal! If I had a 512 I'd be all over that!

 

[BadGoldEagle]

Too bad I got to the listing 20 minutes late. Item's been sold       

Well, I couldn't be sure 100% the drive was working anyway... 

This damn MMI M112 is near impossible to find. The MiniScribe 8425 (Hyperdrive 20) on the other end, is all over the place on ebay. 

 

[BadGoldEagle]

 I've always wanted to start a project that moves the head around much like those floppy and hdd music machines, but using the hdd led indicator output from the solid state drive as input to the noise device.

I've thought a while back maybe it is possible to hook a piezo speaker to the activity light with one of those little cheap pre-recorded message modules like they have in greeting cards.. 

I'd buy that in a heartbeat.