Best way to expand storage

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Best way to expand storage

So I've got my Platinum //e running well with a DuoDrive. But having only 280K of storage online at any one time is kinda limiting. Especially with things like UCSD Pascal, which involve some disk swapping.

I have another Disk II controller card, so adding a couple more 5.35" drives would be pretty easy. That's one option.

I'd much prefer a 3.5" drive, but the controller cards for those are rarer than hen's teeth. There's one on eBay now for $200, which seems high.

Or I could just hold my breath and wait for the next run of CFFA3000 cards.

Any other options I should know about?

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Re: Best way to expand storage

hello dramsey,

well that´s your decision.... i would not pay 599,00 $ for a CFFA3000 card to a speculant but instead wait ... i just expalined the reasons in an earlier posting to you.....

other option but nearly same expensive: controller for shugartbus - the 34pin cable ( i.e. 80 track drive ) like ehring FDC4 or similar....
that would give you 2 diskdrives each 640 kb or together 1,2 MB..... but if you count the amount for 2 drives , drivecase, external powersupply and card together that might exceed regular price for CFFA3000....

second elternative : apple SCSI card or Apple SCSI II card or other SCSI like Ramfast SCSI above or equal Rev.C ( the others up to Rev.B are "buggy" ) and 330 MB SCSI drive...... is more expensive but permits up to 8 harddisks or 7 harddisks and one CD drive.... and it´s flexibel because that chain of external drives may also be used on an adaptec 2906 in the Mac G3 or G4.....

sincerely speedyG

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Re: Best way to expand storage

Hm. I would have jumped at a SCSI hard disk solution back in the day, but now I think it's over-complicating things. The ehring FDC4 doesn't seem to be available anywhere...

I guess I'll wait for the CFFA3000. Surely another run will come soon!

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Re: Best way to expand storage

Hm. I would have jumped at a SCSI hard disk solution back in the day, but now I think it's over-complicating things. The ehring FDC4 doesn't seem to be available anywhere...

well.... availiable?
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Apple-II-Floppy-Disk-Controller-FDC-EHRING-40-80-Track-Single-Double-Side-/111022995807?_trksid=p5197.m1992_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D14%26meid%3D6070943921435896033%26pid%3D100015%26prg%3D1006%26rk%3D2%26sd%3D111022999692%26

and Info´´s ?
http://www.harrowalsh.de/Elektronik/APPLEBOX/appleboxdownload.htm

scroll down till : Diskcontrollers for the Apple II

the wired eprom on the offer should not be difficult problem to remove......

at the mentioned page there is the circuitplan and the correct epromimage and the manual for the patch-utilitydisk as well as the images of that disk ( be carefull - hybriddisk [!] with 2 OS-systems each side ) for download....
and the entry just above also contains information of drives that can be used with that controllers and how to modify the drives for usage....

- it´s a list ... in case you can´t wait for the CFFA3000......
but i guess it´s rather difficult to get that fast the fitting diskdrives... so waiting for the CFFA3000 is still a good option...
sincerely speedyG

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Re: Best way to expand storage

Well, there's always 10 and 20meg Sider drives or Corvus drives. Big and bulky, and loud. Just kidding. It's no more practical than any scsi disk.

I suggest waiting for another run of CFFA3000. These really are the cat's ass when it comes to storage and disk operations. Rich does a quality job and my first CFFA from 2002 still works. Write him and get on the list.

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Re: Best way to expand storage

Is anyone still offering the MicroDrive? Reactive was still selling them before they went on hiatus. That would be another option. That lets you run on a CF card.

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Re: Best way to expand storage

Hey, working for Corvus was my first real job! I did programming on their Concept computer (a 68K system). The hard drives were made by IMI, who was right down the road in San Jose. Massive, shoe-box-sized 8" drives with 10M and 20M capacities; later we switches to the then-new 5.25" drives, starting at 5M and working up to 126M.

OmniNet. Sigh.

No OmniDrives or cards on U.S. eBay, and I probably wouldn't want one of the things now anyway.

I have told Rich I'm interested in the next CFFA3000 run using the link on his page, but I never received any acknowledgment. I suppose this is normal. I'll try to be patient.

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Re: Best way to expand storage

As far as the MicroDrive goes, nobody is selling them now as far as the Reactive Micro proprietor knows. The company that made them seems to have ceased operations some years ago. Searching online is all but impossible given the prevalence of IBM/Hitachi CF-sized MicroDrives (of which I have several already).

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Re: Best way to expand storage

May I suggest some of the options from this page?
http://maclcd.blogspot.com/2012/12/to-prepare-for-my-retrochallenge.html?m=1
Some are platform specific, but may be a good reference for options.
Cheers
Javster

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