WTB: Magneto Optical Drive

8 posts / 0 new
Last post
jwg1962's picture
Offline
Last seen: 2 days 8 hours ago
Joined: Jan 29 2012 - 07:17
Posts: 363
WTB: Magneto Optical Drive

Hi All,

I was wondering if anyone has a SCSI Magneto Optical drive for the old Macintosh computers. I have six 4.6GB ODs that have archived content on them that I need to get off them.

There are five on ebay now, but the person wants $65.00 + shipping which really isn't that bad, with the exception of I will most likely never use it again.

It needs to read the 4.6GB media. I would even be willing to "rent" it just to read these discs and then return it afterwards.

Thanks in advance
Jay

macnoyd's picture
Offline
Last seen: 3 hours 25 min ago
Joined: Oct 15 2012 - 08:59
Posts: 855
Re: WTB: Magneto Optical Drive

Jay, where are you located?
Mailing the drive would likely be half that.
MaxOptix is a heavy brick. (Or should I say cement block)
Might be cheapest to mail the media rather than the drive.
Might even make sense to buy the damn thing, use it and re-sell it.
Your call ...

jwg1962's picture
Offline
Last seen: 2 days 8 hours ago
Joined: Jan 29 2012 - 07:17
Posts: 363
Re: WTB: Magneto Optical Drive

Pennsylvania. I know those things were tanks.

gsmcten's picture
Offline
Last seen: 6 years 4 months ago
Joined: Oct 4 2005 - 18:52
Posts: 2629
Re: WTB: Magneto Optical Drive

Jay,

I want to bring this thread back from the "Dead"
for just a bit.

Has anyone attempted to use a Magneto Optical Drive with an Apple II
via SCSI Card?
Can you format an MO Disk with DOS 3.3 or ProDOS?

Steven Smile

macnoyd's picture
Offline
Last seen: 3 hours 25 min ago
Joined: Oct 15 2012 - 08:59
Posts: 855
Re: WTB: Magneto Optical Drive

Hi Steven,

I have one of those "MaxOptic" magneto-optical drives with dozens of 4.5GB disks that I used to archive all my Macintosh stuff on. I had started with the tiny 120 Megabyte optical disks before graduating to the bigger unit. Was even considering the 8GB double-density MaxOptic unit but the price was out of reason at the time. These units were designed more for Mac hardware with the SCSI interface. It used the big 50-pin (centronics-like) SCSI connector on the back. I never knew of a connector on an Apple II card that would interface directly, pin for pin, but now that you bring it up, it might be feasible to use (say) a Mac LC with an Apple II card attached. I'm not experienced with such but you might be able to format ProDos to it, though I think it would be a huge waste to try DOS 3.3.

Just thoughts.

gsmcten's picture
Offline
Last seen: 6 years 4 months ago
Joined: Oct 4 2005 - 18:52
Posts: 2629
Re: WTB: Magneto Optical Drive

Thanks Macnoyd.
It was something I was thinking about trying.

Steven Smile

Offline
Last seen: 10 months 3 weeks ago
Joined: Apr 1 2005 - 14:31
Posts: 117
Re: WTB: Magneto Optical Drive

I have used an MO drive as the boot drive for an Apple IIgs with an Apple II HS SCSI Card. It's treated like any SCSI block device and formatted with ProDos/HFS partitions. Unfortunately, I have sold it (cheaply) years ago.

gsmcten's picture
Offline
Last seen: 6 years 4 months ago
Joined: Oct 4 2005 - 18:52
Posts: 2629
Re: WTB: Magneto Optical Drive

Thanks pitz.
That's exactly what I was thinking of doing.

Steven Smile

Log in or register to post comments