| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name
 | Date | Lines | 
|---|
| 1948.1 | Check for + Voltage | MTWAIN::MACDONALD | WA1OMM 7.093/145.05/223.58 AX.25 | Sun Dec 04 1988 21:16 | 8 | 
|  |     Check the circuit board to make sure the + sign is at the same
    pin location as the first drive. If it is, then plug the cable in
    the same as on the first drive. If it isn't, then reverse the plug.
    Also, make sure you have the dip switches set properly. You don't
    want both drives to be set to the same device number! By the way,
    you'll probably ruin the drive if you plug it in the wrong way!!
    
    Paul
 | 
| 1948.2 | manual is wrong | HYSTER::DEARBORN | Trouvez Mieux | Mon Dec 05 1988 12:06 | 14 | 
|  |     As I remember, the manual tells you to do it the wrong way.  I had
    to reverse the ribbon cable to get it to work right.  No damage
    was done.  I think all this has something to do with the way they
    manufacture the ribbon cable.  It folded differently from the one
    shown in the manual.
    
    If plugged in wrong, the disk access light will stay on and the
    drive will not work.
    
    Good luck.  I can't believe (on second thought, YES I CAN) that
    Commodore would overlook something as simple as this.
    
    Randy
    
 | 
| 1948.3 | Great documentation! | SMAUG::SPODARYK | Twenty, 20, 20-4 hours to go... | Mon Dec 05 1988 15:07 | 16 | 
|  |     
    I too installed my 2nd drive, using the incorrect information in
    the manual.  The ribbon cable placed improperly, did not "fry" my drive.
    I then called up the Memory Location and was given proper directions.
    (although I bought the drive elsewhere)
    
    If the new drive is the same manufacture, as the original, then
    install it exactly as the original.  Stripes on the same side, both
    for the ribbon and the power.  I'm not sure for any other combinations,
    Commodore has used 3 different manufacturers for "their" drives,
    and this worked for mine.
    
    I'd suggest calling a knowledgable dealer and asking for help, if
    you're uncertain.
    
    Steve
 | 
| 1948.4 |  | LEDS::ACCIARDI | Time to change this damn message | Mon Dec 05 1988 15:14 | 8 | 
|  |     
    Steve hit the problem right on the head.  If DF0: and DF1: are both
    Chinon drives, for example, then the documentation is correct. 
    If DF0: is a Chinon and DF1: is an NEC, then you must reverse the
    ribbon cable for the NEC, since all it's connectors are on upside
    down with respect to the Chinon.
    
    Ed.
 | 
| 1948.5 | Source of internal drive? | JFRSON::OSBORNE | Blade Walker | Mon Dec 05 1988 16:56 | 7 | 
|  | Where can I get a good 2nd internal floppy drive? I called System Eyes
(Nashua) and Memory Location (Wellesley), and both offer the Commodore
drive for $180 (list $200). Is this reasonable? Is the "Commodore" drive
a NEC or Chinon, is it good quality?
Thanks for info,
John O.
 | 
| 1948.6 | documentation is WRONG! | FSCORE::KAYE | Be seeing you | Mon Dec 05 1988 20:32 | 6 | 
|  |     Well, being an old field service type i just don't trust documentation
    and rightly so...
    The manual instructed me to put both the power and data cable in
    backwards, but i didn't fall for either one. I hooked it up exactly
    like DF0 and it worked perfectly. Now on to playing with this expensive
    toy.
 | 
| 1948.7 |  | BAGELS::BRANNON | Dave Brannon | Mon Dec 05 1988 21:19 | 11 | 
|  |     even Chinons flip the connector.  I had a 354E and a 354.  Not only
    did they move the connector, they also flipped it.
    
    The CBM drive is probably a Chinon, comes with the "right" color
    faceplate, and mounting hardware.  You can buy the mounting hardware
    at Radio Shack, but finding a "right" color faceplate is a lot harder.
    If you don't care about the color, and are willing to puzzle out where
    the drive select jumper is hidden... then buy a pc clone 3.5" disk
    drive (usually <$100).
    
    -dave
 | 
| 1948.8 | Depends on what you want for your money. | DIXIE1::MCDONALD | Surly to bed, surly to rise... | Mon Dec 05 1988 22:08 | 11 | 
|  |     re: .5
    
    A couple of guys that work in my building just bought external drives
    from Pioneer.  They seem to be very pleased.  I think they paid
    about $170.00.  I've seen other mail order houses advertise for
    as low as 149.95.  Grab an issue of "Amazing Computing".  It's usually
    loaded with advertisements.  Or, if you can get it, an issue of
    "Ahoy!'s AmigaUser".  Great magazine for advertisements.
    
    
    					John
 | 
| 1948.9 | $200??? | WJG::GUINEAU |  | Tue Dec 06 1988 07:27 | 10 | 
|  | 
Sad thing is, these little buggers are REAL cheap in quantity.
DEC will be selling the RX23. It's a 3.5" 1.4Mb floppy drive from SONY.
These things are literally throw-away. It costs more to send them back to be
fixed then it does to toss em!
John
 | 
| 1948.10 | Other External Drives | HBO::SWARTZ |  | Tue Dec 06 1988 14:53 | 3 | 
|  |     I was at System Eyes the other day and they also carry the Air Drive.
    Seems nice, small and quiet.  I think the price was right around
    $200.
 | 
| 1948.11 | RX23 is 1.8 Mb | WJG::GUINEAU |  | Tue Dec 06 1988 17:07 | 6 | 
|  | 
By the way, the RX23 DEC floppy is 2.0 Mb (unformatted) and 1.8 Mb formatted.
Not 1.4 as my previous reply said.
John
 | 
| 1948.12 | Got mine from Omnitek... | LEDS::SKRALY | Sam Skraly, DTN 291-7244 | Mon Dec 12 1988 17:37 | 15 | 
|  | Omnitek (Tewksbury) sold me the 2010 internal floppy for $140 since I was 
willing to take a "piece part" drive (i.e. full warranty, but no
documentation--these are the drives they get in bulk from Commodore to install
for people who don't want to do it themselves).  I seem to remember that my
drive cable was notched and would only go in one way.  The only thing they
forgot to do was give me the jumper that needs to be installed on the
motherboard--I got that by going back the next day.  They also didn't give me
any standoffs, so I had to remove the standoffs on DF0: and raise the mounting
plate to its other set of holes.  Should I go to Radio Shack and get some more 
standoffs?  It all works fine, although the drives (Chinon) are fairly noisy, 
compared to those I've seen on some other PC's.
Sounds like I didn't lose much not getting the documentation... 
Sam
 | 
| 1948.13 | Quiet floppies... | FSDEV1::JBERNARD |  | Tue Dec 13 1988 10:23 | 40 | 
|  |     To reduce the noise from the internal floppy drives, try the
    following...
    
    |          Drive             |       --- Standoff
    |____________________________|     /
       | |                  | |    <-- 
       | |                  | |
    --(   )----------------(   )--------------  drive mounting bracket
                               
                               \_________ rubber grommet
    
    
    What you need to do is as follows...
    
    Open up the drive mounting holes to accept a grommet that has a
    hole size that will accept a 4-40 screw.  Remove the drive mounting
    plate to do this!! (metal filings are BAD  :^(  )
    
    You will need standoffs that are slightly shorter than the ones
    normally used to make up for 1/2 the thickness of the grommet.
    
    mount the drive as normal, using a thin flat washer above and below
    the grommet.
    
    Reinsert all the mounting screws and tighten until the grommet JUST
    BEGINS to flatten.
    
    
    What this is doing is isolating the drives from the metal mounting
    plate.  This may or may not be necessary depending on how loud your
    drives are.  It is important to ensure the drives are centered in
    the case and are not touching the case.  The case and mounting plate
    tend to act as sounding boards and amplify the drive noise.
    This same technique can be used on the hard drive.
    
    John
    
    
    
    
 |