suggestions: anything else I need to get setup with my mpc20

I'll keep this brief, I tried to get all the info I could using search, BUT there are a ton of dead links, and some outdated information (previous OS's et cetera)

Ive been working with a pretty run down MPC2000classic for about 6 months now, I want to get it up to the most usability.

Most of these items are in the mail but here's what I'll be working with:
-OS 1.72...................................(already installed)
-8 individual outputs...................(already installed)
-32mb ram............................... (already installed)
-replacement SCSI fuses
-iomega 100mb zip drive............(not the "parallel" version)
-25db male to male SCSI cable
-lot of 100mb zip discs
-100mb zip drive to USB................( for computer editing)
-replacement note variation slider



Correct me if I'm wrong, but apart from lacking the EB16 effects, does this give me the most out of my mpc2000? ( this is not the XL)

heres my line of thinking:
-if max RAM is 32mb, then 100mb zip storage is adequate, bigger disk space doesn't exactly give me bigger projects? In any case, since MPC2000classic can't do folders to organize samples, I don't think I want be sifting through a gig of card info during each project.

And then I was thinking the FMX800M is negligible because it only provides 16mb storage, which doesn't add to the RAM or functionality so I dont really need it.

Thanks in advance!

really the most important thing you can update is getting rid of the zip and going the card reader route.

there are a lot of threads regarding that around here, but basically, zips are probably the most unreliable media you can use.

search for 'card reader' or 'click of death' if you want to find out why zips are bad.

even very recently there are threads talking about card readers - it really is the most useful thing you can do to your mpc.

ouch! Thanks for that tip! hopefully I can get the zips to work out until I find a CF drive.

Can a zip drive 'click/death' ever damage the MPC itself? I have all the details straight about preventing the SCSI fuse from blowing.

Harmoncj wrote:Can a zip drive 'click/death' ever damage the MPC itself? I have all the details straight about preventing the SCSI fuse from blowing.

probably wont damage the mpc, but consider this:

even if something damaged your mpc, you can *in theory* always get a new mpc (they made thousands of them).

if however it damages your disk, which might have the only copy of your work, that work is gone forever.

now maybe you can see how storage media is super important - all the extra hardware doesn't mean anything if all the work you use it for vanishes.

the FLASH-ROM doesn`t hold 16 MB but 8, 16MB is only for the S-Series samplers...nice to keep your OS in, and the drum PROGRAM you love to be loaded at start up.
the internal SCSI-Mod could give you an interesting alternative to an external card reader. you`ll be able to divide the card from A to Z, useful like FOLDERS. imagine a 8 GB card.... enough space for a PROGRAM and some MIDI files in each partition.

The "upgrade" I did for MPC-2000 classic was that I sold MPC-2000 classic, then bought MPC-2000XL.
I couldn't stand the lack of data storage option (floppy and SCSI devices only, and there is no internal SCSI port) and there is no folder support. Also, the screen doesn't tilt, and it needs a boot disk.
MPC-2000XL corrected most of the problems. I don't miss MPC-2000 classic.

Okay I got all my zip 100mb stuff in the mail, I don't know why I did this but I just plugged it in anyway, and it works! I bet most of you already knew this, but there seems to be some confusion in the forum archives( and ambiguities from certain MPC parts suppliers).. So as a definitive answer, if you have freeze problems selecting SCSI as drive when there is nothing plugged into the SCSI port, you DO NOT need to replace that hard to find transistor looking fuse in order to use an external drive. The purple Iomega drive with the termination switch set to "on" will solve this freeze up problem. I assume its still a good idea to make sure the drive is powered on and plugged into the MPC BEFORE turning the MPC on.

Maxillaa wrote:the internal SCSI-Mod could give you an interesting alternative to an external card reader. you`ll be able to divide the card from A to Z, useful like FOLDERS. imagine a 8 GB card.... enough space for a PROGRAM and some MIDI files in each partition.

wow good point! Now this sounds like the best option to me! Hopefully the Zip drive won't die on me before I can get all the parts to do the mod.

(this is the thread I'm going to follow for the internal CF card mod: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=130248 )

The first thing on the list of parts is the "Internal to external 50pin to 25pin SCSI adapter" ... maybe I'm completely oblivious, but it took me forever to locate this part so I'll share my link in case anyone needs it: http://www.ebay.com/itm/120857135076#ht_1271wt_1037 it looks different from the picture in the because it has a face plate, but Im 99% sure thats the same part.

everything else I think is fairly common but the SCSI to IDE converter board can be expensive. The same one pictured in the thread is listed on ebay for $200+, and there are others for less than $100 but they look like bigger PCBs, so I'm still weighing my options about it. If anyone has any input Id like to hear it.