retro fitted MPC4000 with Solid State Hard Drive

Good info MPCdawk.

psoul wrote:ok but apart this how long is the life of a solid drive?
i mean normal hd if treat well can live for a long time... of course they are fragile, but i'm curious about normal use

What is the life of a spinning magnetic platter hard drive?

For the original IBM 'Death Stars' that were factory fitted in many MPC4000s, it was "about 3 months".

The truth is: Digital Data isn't real until it's in more than one place at once.

Hello guys
Do I still able use Ak.Sys with MPC4000 SSD installed ?

Thanks

Yes, Ak.sys works even if you don't have ANY hard drive installed!

feline1 wrote:Yes, Ak.sys works even if you don't have ANY hard drive installed!

Thanks

Sorry for resurrecting this, I didn't want to start a new thread as some might point me back here. I need help with adding an ssd drive. I see the parts list on page1 so I'll get that or similar components. I have a bare bones MPC4000 which came with no Hard drive, ram, just straight minimalist. So mine didn't even come with cables to connect a drive.
It now has 8 outs and maxed out RAM but as far as storage, I've just been using usb in the front for storage. The prices for solid state drives are even cheaper now,(3yrs later) which is good. If someone could shed some light on the power cables, that would be a big help; and how to format the drive. I think I can figure the rest out.

Any advice appreciated,

Thank you.

so, to clarify: the wiring from pcb (main board?) to hd is simply not there? like somebody inexplicably removed it?

Yes, Exactly! I found that there are two power connections on the motherboard that you can connect a molex type power cable to. But I'm not sure which one you connect to; and also for the hdd, do you connect a 40 pin scsi ribbon to the motherboard?

The guy I bought it from said he bought it brand new, bare bones back in '05 for like $1700? It has all the dummy plates as if was never installed.

I bought it from him for $400 last year(2012).
But No HDD, no CD...

Everything works great except for the storage issue. When I format a 16gb usb flash drive, the 4K only recognizes it as 1.9gb.

I believe I have the right power cable now, but I need info on where to plug in on the board. I still need the HDD scsi ribbon too... and/or adapter for ssd.

Thanks.

something is amiss with either your machine or your usb flash drive. my 32gb sandisk drive has ~29gb once formatted.

download the service manual. page 48 is pretty specific regarding cabling and what-not.

Thanks for the advice!

I tried multiple USB drives... I haven't tried using the port on the back but the front USB stays at 1.9gb. I was bummed because I can just use that if it would hold the true storage size or close. ssd would be real nice though and hope to get that working!

internal SSD is very awesome. get it sorted and if you need any help just ask.

Bringing this baacckk frrroomm tthheee ddeeeaaadddd

Curious, is this still the best way to install an SSD into a mpc4000?
Just picked one up with a busted HD and looking to replace it with a fresh SSD.

Anyone find new workarounds or better SSD options ?

Thanks guys

@Ricky how about just installing a SSD the same way the HD was installed?

2."Vantec NexStar 3 NST-360U2-BL 3.5-Inch IDE to USB 2.0 External Hard Drive Enclosure
Electronics; $32.99, Sold by: Amazon.com, LLC

wondering why this is in the list of things needed... if i understand it, this is for an external HD...

as an aside, the price is way lower on this these days

Crucial MX100 256GB SATA 2.5-Inch Internal Solid State Drive (CT256MX100SSD1) by Crucial $99.99

Kingwin 2.5 Inch to 3.5 Inch Internal Hard Disk Drive Mounting Kit by Kingwin $6.99


Kingwin SATA to IDE Bridge Board ADP-06 by Kingwin $8.72

TOTAL: $115.70

i stuck my old harddrive in there so I could still use it, if need be. yes, things should be cheaper now.