Problem loading from Zip 100

I've been using these Zip 100 drives for years on the 2000xl and never had this type of problem come up before....I'm on the 3000le nowadays and I'm having an issue with loading SND files. It seems like if its over 5 seconds in length it won't load, but its not consistent. Basically I'll load the PGM, & when it hits the 'problem' file I get a message that says the disk is corrupt/damaged....I delete the 'problem' file & everything else loads up fine......now, I understand.....its most likely the drive......
but i'm sick of these problems with the 100's..........are the 250 drives any more reliable???
None of my stuff passes through a computer until its time to record.
Any insights? Could it be a RAM allocation problem (faulty ram?)

any help or insight would be awesome,
thx

The only time i've had a problem with a 100 is when i dropped that one once.

With a new zip disk in the drive (or one you haven't had probs with b4):
- are you able to create, audition, save and reload a 5 second sample/SND - consistency?

if you can do this, separately from a PRG file - maybe only that other zip disk is starting to corrupt.
but if it's multiple zip disks, it might be the drive that's on it's way out.

yeah it turned out to be the damn drive....I had to throw out the drive i was using, break open & trash another drive to get my disk out, but the 3 drive is the charm....i just had a moment of being sick of zip drive's inherent disposability.....thanks

No need to break open the drive to get your disk out.
On the back of the drive is a pinhole. Insert a needle or paperclip into it and push, and the disk will pop out, even with no power connected.

And so continue the chronicles:

3rd drive now giving me the same error. F*cked up a kit i just sampled & chopped.....
I've now unwrapped a brand new sealed zip100 drive & hooked it up, new cable, new AC adapter, new disk.


Anyone ever diagnose their SCSI interface as being faulty? 3.11os bug?? If I still have this problem with this sealed drive & disk, I'm ditchin the 3K. The sound is dope, the feel is too, but reliability is key.....

EQUANIMOUS wrote:Anyone ever diagnose their SCSI interface as being faulty? 3.11os bug?? If I still have this problem with this sealed drive & disk, I'm ditchin the 3K. The sound is dope, the feel is too, but reliability is key.....

The MPC3000 SCSI termination circuit, if failing; can cause glitches with ZIP drives.

Offending component is a SCSI fuse.

Part number F-901 on the MPC3000 SCSI board.

Spoken about many times on this forum.

Likely blown and in need of replacement with a self resetting type.

OS 3.11 performs multi sector read and write access to storage media.

This can cause problems with access to suspect storage mechanisms.

Vailixi 3.50 is equipped with a feature to slow down data transfer rates.

This is for the purpose of working around potential storgae access problems:



Rohan

found the thread i need, ordered the fuse.....still debating vailixi, if i need it right now or what, but thanks for your help Rohan.

EQUANIMOUS wrote:found the thread i need, ordered the fuse.....still debating vailixi, if i need it right now or what, but thanks for your help Rohan.

Your welcome.

Check out these threads for some info concerning the MULTI SECTOR transfer option:

http://www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=136706&hilit=checksum

http://www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=101024&hilit=checksum

http://www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=64471

For another forum example where a user had success with the new data transfer feature within Vailixi 3.50:

mpc3000le wrote:http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/MPC3000/message/2800

Good hunting

Rohan.

IT WORKED!!!!!!

It took me some time with that fuse, but I seated it, sealed it & loaded a few PGMs quickly & with NO hassles.

thx again Rohan

EQUANIMOUS wrote:IT WORKED!!!!!!

It took me some time with that fuse, but I seated it, sealed it & loaded a few PGMs quickly & with NO hassles.

thx again Rohan

All is good then ?

Well done.

Rohan.

it was a bit of a b*tch to do this repair myself, but i had some strange confidence mojo & decided to say f*ck it & take my chances. Ok, for all the kids at home watching this, I do have a bit of soldering experience.....RC trucks in 7th grade, some do dads here & there, new 3000 backlight installation......not much xp, but still i felt up to it.....

I did find a great instructional video on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_NU2ruzyc4

I found the soldering areas to be a bit tight, close to other components & thought it would be best to be able to work from the underside of the circuit board as well as the top, so I disconnected it & worked on it alone. It was a very humbling & educational experience for me regarding soldering & all the fine points involved. Long story short, while removing the defective fuse one of the pins broke & things got a bit complicated for me. In the end, after an incredible 3 hours of tense sweating & cursing, it was all done.

The hardest part was removing the original fuse. What made it so difficult was my dirty iron, my misunderstanding of how soldering works, why it works. I had basically fudged my way through the 10-15 soldering tasks i'd done through the years......getting the new fuse in, seated & soldered was quick & easy in contrast to removal of the old.

I bought the fuse at digikey.com for 49 cents & $5 shipping. Part is "RUEF110-ND" I bought 2 just in case....

I crossed my fingers & powered up. Programs load noticably faster now!

I'm stoked as hell.