System Saver And Hard Drive Enclosure

[LaPorta]

That's a lot of nice stuff .

There's two things you can do. One is to use the intermediary machine. Yes, it needs to be an older Mac with SuperDrive and ethernet/internet network capability. The reason is that you need to be able to get disk images onto the intermediary machine from the internet, or, if that is too difficult, from a modern machine (PC or Mac) via AFP/SMB or FTP (whatever works). You could also use AppleTalk networking to move files back and forth between the intermediary and the Mac Plus instead of floppies, but this would leave you with pretty much the same group of machines, as Apple discontinued serial ports when they discontinued floppy drives (the iMac).

The other option is to use either a SCSI2SD, or FloppyEmu from Big Mess o' Wires to emulate a hard drive or external floppy drive. The advantage here is that these use SD cards as their storage, so you could easily insert them into a modern machine and copy what you need. I have found SCSI2SD to be a little tricky to set up. I have only set it up with a Mac (seeing as that is all I have). No experience with the FloppyEmu, but my understanding is that it simply allows you to select a disk image stored on it and use it as a floppy on your Mac Plus...fast and easy.

I have a more convoluted setup than what I described above. One rule in life is that you invariably come to more complex solutions needlessly when a simpler one would do .

 

[olePigeon]

If you can't get this working, let me know.  I'll send you a set of working disks for the cost of shipping.

 

[MacintoshMan1999]

That's a lot of nice stuff .

There's two things you can do. One is to use the intermediary machine. Yes, it needs to be an older Mac with SuperDrive and ethernet/internet network capability. The reason is that you need to be able to get disk images onto the intermediary machine from the internet, or, if that is too difficult, from a modern machine (PC or Mac) via AFP/SMB or FTP (whatever works). You could also use AppleTalk networking to move files back and forth between the intermediary and the Mac Plus instead of floppies, but this would leave you with pretty much the same group of machines, as Apple discontinued serial ports when they discontinued floppy drives (the iMac).

The other option is to use either a SCSI2SD, or FloppyEmu from Big Mess o' Wires to emulate a hard drive or external floppy drive. The advantage here is that these use SD cards as their storage, so you could easily insert them into a modern machine and copy what you need. I have found SCSI2SD to be a little tricky to set up. I have only set it up with a Mac (seeing as that is all I have). No experience with the FloppyEmu, but my understanding is that it simply allows you to select a disk image stored on it and use it as a floppy on your Mac Plus...fast and easy.

I have a more convoluted setup than what I described above. One rule in life is that you invariably come to more complex solutions needlessly when a simpler one would do .

So, I could use the SCSI2SD or the FloppyEmu like a transfer device?

 

[MacintoshMan1999]

If you can't get this working, let me know.  I'll send you a set of working disks for the cost of shipping.

System Disks?

 

[LaPorta]

So, I could use the SCSI2SD or the FloppyEmu like a transfer device?

Exactly. You can copy what you need to the SD card on the modern computer, then use it to work with the devices on the Plus.

Read up on it here:

https://www.bigmessowires.com/floppy-emu/

probably your best bet.

 

[Zippy Zapp]

I was in a thrift store today and saw a case with a SCSI terminator and cable hanging off the back.  It turned out to be an APS hard drive in a somewhat similar size case to yours.

I turned it on and the HD does indeed spin-up.  Not sure what size it is but it is a Quantum Pro drive.  Different styling but similar to that posted by the OP.  The warranty seals were in tact so when I opened it, it was nice to see the drive with the resister packs taped to the top of the drive.

I haven't hooked it to a Mac yet to see what is on it or if it actually works but I will hopefully this weekend.   For $5 it was worth the risk.  

I don't know anything about this drive but I do know it was made circa 1993, at least the FCC ID was registered in 1993, July.

Anyways, didn't mean to highjack your thread but seeing it made me think of your find.

 

[LaPorta]

I do not know if Jasmine was acquired by APS, but the case design there is a straight duplication of the Jasmine hard drive that I have (and other Jasmines I've seen). Very nice find! The extra switched outlets are always a welcome feature.

 

[MacintoshMan1999]

Anyways, didn't mean to highjack your thread but seeing it made me think of your find.

No it's fine, It does indeed look like mine. Same general set up, my fan is on the opposite side of the case but very close. REALLY good find, $5.00? Nice.

 

[MacintoshMan1999]

What lucky Compact will be raised to a more ergonomically correct height atop your ZFP HDD?

What Mac model? It's a Plus from 1988.

 

[LaPorta]

I see that Jasmine went out of business in 1991. Probably bought out by APS then. Here is a cool article about their drives:

https://www.appleworld.today/blog/2015/5/14/throwback-thursday-that-affordable-2795-300mb-hard-drive

 

[Zippy Zapp]

No it's fine, It does indeed look like mine. Same general set up, my fan is on the opposite side of the case but very close. REALLY good find, $5.00? Nice.

Thanks.  Yeah I was amazed too because I usually don't find anything at the thrift store.   :lol:   Sometimes that thrift store prices things ridiculously expensive and sometimes you find deals.  So were these form factors meant to go underneath compact macs?

I see that Jasmine went out of business in 1991. Probably bought out by APS then. Here is a cool article about their drives:

https://www.appleworld.today/blog/2015/5/14/throwback-thursday-that-affordable-2795-300mb-hard-drive

Interesting.  It does indeed look identical.   

 

[MacintoshMan1999]

So were these form factors meant to go underneath compact macs?

I'd say yes, they fit too well to be a coincidence. Your case plastic? 

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Yep, that's why they're called Zero FootPrint, so all ZFP cases are very similar in all dimensions and looks. My first 1GB drive is in the ZFP form factor and was from APS. But they'd dropped "Technologies" from the branding and switched to a metal enclosure. Later on they changed up the design to what looks to be plastic boxes with feets to make CD and Tape drives stackable. They probably remained in the ZFP form factor, but I've only seen them in the magazines. Width of a 5.25" drive with PSU next to it is all but a constant as is height. Stackables became a thing from any mfr. but that was after Compacts shipped with internals.

I've got one very tall ZFP case for a full height drive, but it's too high for comfortable desktop use. A networking consultant set it up under a Plus as a server for my friend. My StudioArray cases are almost the same in dimensions, but they're set up for a pair of striped half height drives for NuBus Macs with VideoVision Studio cards inside.

 

[Zippy Zapp]

That's kind of what I figured.  I never owned a Compact Mac.  My first Mac was a 7200.  My family had the original Macintosh but I was not really into it then as we had a C64 and that was more my thing. I do find all these devices pretty cool though.

@MacintoshMan1999 Yes my case is plastic.  But it seems pretty sturdy.  I am going to hook it up tomorrow and see if it is functioning.  From what can tell from the ads of the time, it is a Quantum ProDrive ELS which were low power and pretty small.  I think between 40 - 170MB.

 

[MacintoshMan1999]

Yes my case is plastic

Alright, does it have that weird paint that the compact macs have inside them? It kinda looks like it, to me at least.

I am going to hook it up tomorrow and see if it is functioning.

What machine you going to use it with?

 

[Zippy Zapp]

Yeah, It does have the weird paint just another color. What is it a metalized paint for interference or something like that?

As for what I am going to hook it to I have a few Macs that I could use to test it.  IIsi, LC III, 7200, 8600, etc. I actually recently purchased a Performa 200 aka Mac Classic II with orginal 80MB HD.  It is my first Compact Mac.  It seems to work, although I didn't hear any sound.  I am not even sure where the speaker is on those guys.  I took it apart and the logic board has leakage from the caps.  I removed the caps a few minutes ago and will clean up the pads and solder on new ones tomorrow.  I cleaned the board with some Isopropyl alcohol. and hopefully the sound will come back when I am done re-capping it.

Anyway, I thought about using it with that Mac, it would be period correct and all.   :wink:

 

[MacintoshMan1999]

Yeah, It does have the weird paint just another color. What is it a metalized paint for interference or something like that?

As for what I am going to hook it to I have a few Macs that I could use to test it.  IIsi, LC III, 7200, 8600, etc. I actually recently purchased a Performa 200 aka Mac Classic II with orginal 80MB HD.  It is my first Compact Mac.  It seems to work, although I didn't hear any sound.  I am not even sure where the speaker is on those guys.  I took it apart and the logic board has leakage from the caps.  I removed the caps a few minutes ago and will clean up the pads and solder on new ones tomorrow.  I cleaned the board with some Isopropyl alcohol. and hopefully the sound will come back when I am done re-capping it.

Anyway, I thought about using it with that Mac, it would be period correct and all.   :wink:

Yes, the paint has metallic properties to combat interference. Possibly to cut costs?

Does the Mac Classic II have the same form factor as other compacts?

 

[Zippy Zapp]

Does the Mac Classic II have the same form factor as other compacts?

Yeah, it is very similar.  I think it is a bit more sleek compared to the previous compacts like the SE/30, etc.  But I am pretty sure the dimensions are pretty much the same.

 

[MacintoshMan1999]

Alright, do you know if the drive is blank? If so what's on it? If it cannot be read maybe it requires an older machine. Also try not to erase anything, there might be some treasures on there. 

 

[Zippy Zapp]

I don't know yet.  I got side tracked today on helping someone so I just now got finished recapping the Classic II.  Hey sound works again.  bw   I will try to hook it up tomorrow.  I only know that it powers up and the drive spins up.  I don't know if anything is on it or not.  I will for sure check for treasures.  The Classic II I got still has the original owners files on it,  even some custom recorded alert sounds with him talking about an error.  funny stuff.

I'll let you know what I find.