I have an aftermarket hard drive system for the TRS-80 Color Computer. It includes a
Miniscribe 3425 5.25" hard drive and a Xebec S1410 SASI disk controller. This
Miniscribe hard drive has a stepper motor positioner, and Miniscribe actually sprang for
an optical track 0 sensor... unlike the 3.5" Miniscribe 20M drive in my first Amiga
hard drive system, which simply slammed the stepper against a hard stop to find track 0.
I'd like to image this drive with the MFM Reader/Emulator card if I can get it to
work. Actually getting the whole system working with one of my CoCos would be even cooler,
of course. I have no idea what might be on the hard drive; it was an eBay purchase, back
when eBay and I were still on speaking terms.
The hard drive is blinking an error code on its LED, reporting that it cannot cover the
track 0 sensor. Measuring the sensor pins with a DMM while the drive is powered makes me
believe that the optical sensor itself is working correctly. Its output disappears into a
Miniscribe-marked, presumably custom IC, so I don't have high hopes of debugging this
further within the bounds of my gumption.
Interestingly, the interruptor on the external stepper shaft appears to cover the sensor
on the final step against a hard stop, so it's not clear why this drive even needs the
sensor.
Does anybody have a donor Miniscribe 3425 available for sale or trade? The heads can be
rattling around in drifts of aluminum filings for all I care, as long as the logic board
is somewhat likely to be functioning. Or maybe has one sitting around that they might like
to loan to me to image for them, and they don't mind if I risk board swaps after
making a valiant effort to get the data off their drive for them first?
So far, I've only used my new MFM Reader/Emulator to image and emulate a Tandon TM503
in a Tandy Fifteen Meg Disk System, and it worked wonderfully in that role.
--
Mark J. Blair, NF6X <nf6x at nf6x.net>
http://www.nf6x.net/