Focus IDE HD Broken?

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Focus IDE HD Broken?
AttachmentSize
Image icon Error screen7.05 MB
Image icon Hard Drive2.8 MB
Image icon Focus Drive Card3.47 MB
Image icon Error Close Up9.6 MB

I purchased a Focus Drive a number of years ago and finally got to installing it. I keep getting an error reading the drive, there is little information I can find, and cannot even verify if the card supports this drive or if the drive is even the original one. Since it was crated in 1998, it should support it, but I do not know enough about the chips or software.

Could anyone lend some insight?

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https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10213854786177838&set=gm.2239685006058653&type=3

tokabln's picture
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Focus IDE Documentation

A documentation can be found here:

ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/documentation/hardware/storage/disks/FocusDrive1.pdf

Hope the doc will be helpfull.

Torsten

Update: other link(s) I found:

https://mirrors.apple2.org.za/Apple%20II%20Documentation%20Project/Interface%20Cards/Hard%20Disk%20Drive%20Controllers/Alltech%20Focus%20Drive/

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I had a similar problem many

I had a similar problem many years ago in 2010.

The solution was to buy a compact flash to IDE adapter and a compact flash card. Total cost of this was less than $25 as I recall. And the result is that I have solid-state storage for IIgs. Smile

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That is an excellent idea! I

That is an excellent idea! I checked eBay and found some in the low price range, but they all seem to use a PC floppy drive connector. Where did you draw power from? Could you take a pic if it isn’t too much trouble?

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04 Intimidator wrote:but they

but they all seem to use a PC floppy drive connector. Where did you draw power from? Could you take a pic if it isn’t too much trouble?
You may be looking at the wrong thing. Here is my FocusDrive with CompactFlash card.

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That was perfect. I was

That was perfect. I was looking at Female to Male connectors. The correct one is 44 pin male to male. Just ordered the part off eBay for $5.89. They are available for $1.67, but may take 2 months to get here, I’ll spend the extra $4. I’m sure I have 4 or 5 compact flash cards for an old camera laying around to use as a hard drive.

Thanks again!

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04 Intimidator wrote:The

The correct one is 44 pin male to male. Just ordered the part off eBay for $5.89. They are available for $1.67, but may take 2 months to get here,

Yeah, I bought the super-cheap one from China, same with the CompactFlash card. I don't recall that it took more than 2 weeks to arrive. I waited patiently. Smile

It is still working, 8 years later.

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That did it! Just installed

That did it! Just installed a 256 MB card into an adapter to the Focus card and boots up amazingly fast.

Thanks!

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Super!

Super! You're welcome.

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