Re: Sick Chinook hard drive

[shack@onyx.southwind.net (Randy Shackelford)]

pp000283@interramp.com (Eric Schatz) (pp000283@interramp.com) wrote:

: I used a CT-20c for about 4 years on my //c, the only known way (other
: than finding a ProFile) to put a hard disk on such a computer, but then

Profiles won't work on a //c

: the controller died. I sent it to Sequential for repairs (Chinook having
: disappeared by then). They couldn't figure out how to fix it so they did a
: low-level format (thank you ProSEL backup, whew!) and when it seemed to be
: running they shipped it back.

: I restored my backup and the drive worked again for about ten hours then
: the same symptoms returned: damage to the disk directory as verified by
: ProSEL.

: I assume I just wore out the hard disk mechanism...I thought those things
: had MTBF of like 30k hours!

I bought a used CT-40 from someone saying that the mech was bad. It turned out
there was nary a bad block on it but that's another story. I swapped out the
Conner and put in a Quantum 210 and put it on my Mac Plus. It made the Plus
hurl. So I put it on my IIgs. It would intermittently fail to boot and the OS
would tell me that the disk was damaged. Any drive in the case worked
flawlessly on my Quadra. I called Sequential and told them the story and they
said chances are the power supply was getting weak and didn't always provide
terminator power like it should. Since the IIgs and Plus don't provide their 
own, they gagged when this happened. The Quadra provides its own terminator
power, hence zero problems ever. It never had problems with my APS magneto
optical chained to it either, due to the APS' digital active termination.

: Finally, a question: can I put my own hard drive in the thing? Do I have
: to do anything to the controller to let it see a larger drive size (I'd
: try to find something cheap at a PC hotel show or something).

I dunno if the c drives are hardwired to any size, I've never fiddled with
my CT-20c other than to replace a blown power supply back when replacements
were available. From my experience, I predict that there is nothing wrong with
the mech and changing it won't help. The cure I found for my ailing case was 
to sell it to someone with a Mac which provides its own terminator power.

:                Apple Computer Inc. Makes No Apple Computers.

Uh, ok
-- 
Randy Shackelford                                 I was internet
shack@southwind.net                               when internet wasn't cool