MPC2000 Owners - Replace your Zip drive for le$$!!!

This is for the newbies or anyone still using Zip drives with their MPC2000 classic. Not many want to spend the money for a SCSI CF drive and stay with Zip drives since they're cheaper. But what many of you don't know is that you can buy an MO (Magneto Optical) drive and the disks for cheaper than Zip if you know what you're looking for. But I'll take all the legwork out and post all the deals I find on ebay.

This is listed as a tape drive. But it's an MO drive, and it's only $31.99.
It needs an IEC power cable and a SCSI cable which are cheap if you hunt down a bargain.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fujitsu-640MB-DynaMo-640-MO-Magneto-Optical-SCSI-Tape-Drive-M2513S2C-/122091995214?hash=item1c6d40004e:g:CRoAAOSw6n5XtwU1

Then there's still the internal drives from this seller at $29. You supply the external case or the internal SCSI modification.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FUJITSU-MCR3230SS-3-5-2-3-GB-SCSI-MAGNETO-OPTICAL-DRIVE-/122096231488?hash=item1c6d80a440:g:fG8AAOSwnNBXac9H

Killer deal on this nice and slim external drive...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fujitsu-DynaMO-MDG3130SS-Ext-SCSI-1-3-Magneto-Optical-Drive-1300SF-/142113779014?hash=item2116a42d46:g:a48AAOSwknJX1IiX


Same model as above. But a bit more money. Still a killer deal for this particular model.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fujitsu-DynaMO-MDG3130SS-Ext-SCSI-1-3-Magneto-Optical-Drive-1300SF-/182241903256?hash=item2a6e76c298:g:5fkAAOSwHoFXrx3-

That's it for now. All those drives are compatible. If you got questions, hit me up. I'll post more bargains as I find them, including blank disks.

MO disk bargains...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Maxell-MA-M128-MAC-3-5-inch-90-mm-Rewritable-Magneto-Optical-Disk-Lot-of-7-NEW-/152149054329?hash=item236cca5379:g:UNEAAOSwxfNXNiVL

And another bargain on an external drive at $26.99.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Olympus-Optical-Deltis-230MO-Magneto-Optical-Disk-Subsystem-Box-Unit-/112126288631?hash=item1a1b3f62f7:g:qowAAOSwxg5X0OjQ

MO discs are great. Reliable as hell. Used these with my S3000 back in the days...

**** wrote:MO discs are great. Reliable as hell. Used these with my S3000 back in the days...

I've been thinking about modding an S2000 and adding an MO drive for the hell of it.

Another deal on MO disks worth mentioning...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SONY-Magneto-Optical-MO-Disk-128-MB-EDM-128A-rewritable-10-disks-3-5-SEALED-box-/172343234860?hash=item282075112c:g:e6EAAOSwzaJX2sTQ

Lampdog wrote:http://www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=181084

Yeah it's a little cheaper than an MO drive (not by much). But the thing that would bug me about the Gotek is 1000 partitions that are limited to 1.44 mb. It wouldn't be easy to stay organized compared to setting 4 partitions of 32 mb on a 128 mb MO disk.

I found some more deals to share.

IBM internal 230 mb MO drive. $17 starting bid.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/391591279637?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Olympus 230 mb external down to $23.99.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Olympus-Optical-Deltis-230MO-Magneto-Optical-Disk-Subsystem-Box-Unit/152274841626?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D39836%26meid%3D16987b52316e48828aae075bad80d788%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26sd%3D112126288631

5 pack of new Maxell 230 mb MO disks, starting bid $10 or $20 BIN.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/322298834914?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I was seriously gonna hord those disks. But I got more than I need.
BTW, I noticed some of those listings sold. Not sure if anyone here grabbed anything. I thought it was interesting to find ghostinmpc install one recently.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AKAI-MPC2000-FLG-custom-by-ghostinmpc-MO-Drive-32MB-RAM-8MB-Flash-ROM-/262637070465?hash=item3d2663a881:g:VUoAAOSwZVlXu7Nb

he probably read about the MO drives here on the forums and was sold.

the shipping on those are more than the drives for me.. insane. that external one would be great... it winds up being 32 dollars canadian and 60 dollars for shipping, who knows what the gestapo will make me pay at the door.

MO drives were common place in Japan just before zip drives were being spread in North America and Europe. You can still find them at the recycle shop chains in Japan like its nothing. Just like how people are finding those SCSI->USB adapters there for cheap and trying to get $500 for them on eBay.

Since there's some interest in other threads, I'll post more current deals.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FUJITSU-MCR3230SS-3-5-2-3-GB-SCSI-MAGNETO-OPTICAL-DRIVE-/122603710676?hash=item1c8bc028d4:g:fG8AAOSwnNBXac9H

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fujitsu-M2512A-External-SCSI-Magneto-230-MB-Optical-Drive-/172712106392?hash=item2836719998:g:MOIAAOSw7GRZMd9d

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OLYMPUS-OPTICAL-DELTIS-POWER-MO-230-MAGNETO-OPTICAL-DISK-SUBSYSTEM-/272740213219?hash=item3f809561e3:g:XwcAAOSw~rpZVD3m

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-5-Sony-M-O-230-MB-3-5-S-Line-Magneto-Optical-Disks-Made-in-Japan-/272784448312?hash=item3f83385b38:g:D9QAAOSwoA9ZfsnS

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EMTEC-3-5-REWRITABLE-128MB-MO-MAGNETO-OPTICAL-DISK-MAC-FORMATTED-5-PACK-/391482337942?epid=1073653267&hash=item5b262a6a96:g:VNMAAOSwc1FXXxHE

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Maxell-MA-M128-MAC-3-5-inch-90-mm-Rewritable-Magneto-Optical-Disk-Lot-of-7-NEW-/152149054329?hash=item236cca5379:g:UNEAAOSwxfNXNiVL

@distortedteko I was getting worried about you man. I wondered why there were no Mo drive related posts from you recently!

richie wrote:@distortedteko I was getting worried about you man. I wondered why there were no Mo drive related posts from you recently!

I've beeen lurking here and there. Every once in a while when newer 2000 classic owners show up, I gotta make sure they see these topics. The SCSI mod and the MO drive is still the most reliable and cost effective upgrades that can be done to this machine. I'm glad that's still the case since it adds more value and keeps the machine relevant in a market full of plastic throwaway toys.

Long time on the wall. First post.

I was recently looking for new storage options for my 2k particularly flash cards and the like. Then I came across this, as well as a couple other threads boasting about magneto optical drives. So I spent a couple days reading.

This morning I ended up grabbing an Olympus Optical Deltis Power Mo 230 Magneto Optical Disk Subsystem for under $18. It powers up but is untested. I figure even if it doesn't work the case itself is worth the money and I could just buy a new drive to install to it.

I just have a couple questions regarding these drives. Maybe it was mentioned, but I don't recall. Are these drives able to use disk sizes smaller in capacity as well bigger in capacity? Just being limited to the size of the drive itself? For example, will a 230mb drive be able to utilize a 128mb disk as well as perhaps something greater than 230mb? Also, when formatted on the MPC will the partitions automatically be created?

Thanks for your time and offering your insight.

As far as I am aware, if the disks can physically fit in the drive it should work however you will not be able to format the disks past the stated MO drive capacity.

This is also the same with Jaz and Zip drives. For sample, say you have a 1GB Jaz drive but want to use a 2GB disk, when you go to format the disk, it will only format 1GB worth of it.