HD20 Diagnostics

[Markintosh]

Hi gang! I now have FOUR HD20's that will not mount on my two SE's & my 512Ke. I've tried System 3.1, 6.0.5, & 7.0 with & without the HD20 Boot floppy (I know my models do not require that, but I had to try every option).

What diagnostic tool(s) can I use to troubleshoot these drives? I do not want to blindly reformat them (assuming that even works) without finding out what is on these units.

All spin up, green LED goes solid. None mount, all Systems give the "Unreadable, to you wan to initialize?" dialog.

I believe I have a SCSI HDD tool, but I figure that will not be applicable here...

Any suggestions are appreciated...

Thanks!

-Mark


PS: "HARD DRIVE" in pic is my internal SCSI 40MB.

 

[Paolo B]

In the case of the one I have, the HD struggles to spin once powered up. So, it is recognized, but can’t be mounted.
Once it spins, all the rest seems to be OK and the drive can be “used”.
Inside there’s a custom Rodime drive.
However, apart from the logic board, it seems to me very close to contemporary Rodime SCSI. So, it could be that it’s possible to swap the mechanics.
I share some old pics I took a few years ago, comparing the two units.

 

[Markintosh]

Wow, that's really cool! I wonder if I'm having power supply/CAP issues? Mine all spin too, bit do not mount.

Thank you for the info & pix!

 

[Paolo B]

Honestly I don’t remember, most likely I recapped the PSU, though.
The unit I have stutters a bit when I power it up, but then it just works.
But I’ve got to admit I’m not using it since a while…
Another likely issue is the parking position bumper of the r/w head. They tend to become sticky, due to deterioration of the rubber. It’s a reasonably easy fix, but you need to open the HD enclosure, which is never recommended.