azog
Experienced Member
I acquired an 8050 drive unit under the dubious claims of "working when packed away", but I figured to bite the bullet anyway. I actually wanted a 4040, for compatibility with 1541 diskettes, as well as to match a PET 4032. But I figured if the 8050 worked, I'd use it as possible trade material for a 4040.
Well, as it turns out, the unit doesn't work. Right now, it blows the fuse. I've narrowed it down to the main logic board, but I'm disinclined to troubleshoot it, since I was not interested in this particular model anyways. But there are other problems with it, mainly mechanical. The faceplate for drive 1 (the left side drive) is cracked, and the only reason it stays in place is because of the way the drive is mounted in the unit. There also appears to be a spring missing on the read head: when you try eject the diskette, the head doesn't lift up, so you need to physically lift it off the diskette before you can remove the diskette.
So you'd need to both repair the logic board (I'm guessing it's one of the big power transistors) and then repair (or replace) the defective unit. Looking at various docs, I think the actual mechanism in this particular unit is the Micropolis drives.
So I figured to offer it here first, rather than ebay-ing it. I'm in the process of acquiring (another dubious condition) 4040, so I'm not currently interested in that any more. I'd rather trade, and I'm looking for an Atari STe (specifically the STe, not an STfm or other models).
Well, as it turns out, the unit doesn't work. Right now, it blows the fuse. I've narrowed it down to the main logic board, but I'm disinclined to troubleshoot it, since I was not interested in this particular model anyways. But there are other problems with it, mainly mechanical. The faceplate for drive 1 (the left side drive) is cracked, and the only reason it stays in place is because of the way the drive is mounted in the unit. There also appears to be a spring missing on the read head: when you try eject the diskette, the head doesn't lift up, so you need to physically lift it off the diskette before you can remove the diskette.
So you'd need to both repair the logic board (I'm guessing it's one of the big power transistors) and then repair (or replace) the defective unit. Looking at various docs, I think the actual mechanism in this particular unit is the Micropolis drives.
So I figured to offer it here first, rather than ebay-ing it. I'm in the process of acquiring (another dubious condition) 4040, so I'm not currently interested in that any more. I'd rather trade, and I'm looking for an Atari STe (specifically the STe, not an STfm or other models).