Keyboard - Internal Zip drive

[Mars Amp Repair]

Hello folks,
I know this is a bit off the main forum subjects here, but does anyone have a lead or ideas for acquiring the internal zip drive for a Roland keyboard?

From Roland, it is about $565 cost. must be made of PLATINUM!

The folks at Roland have informed me that the original version of their zip drive had a propensity for self destruction of the reading head and that is exactly what this one has done, as well as taking the switch mode power supply with it...

Of course, the zip issue was not discovered until the $350.00 supply had been replaced. The cust gave a deposit on the drive, but how can ya tell a guy that he's dead in the water AND out $350.00.

Anyway, does anyone have any ideas where one might acquire one of these? I'm also told by Roland that this zip drive is very specific to this model & that no others will work. NICE

The numbers on the drive are: JU-811T162.

Fortunately the floppy is good & can serve to up & download info to the keyboard as this one is a single density type. I'm hoping the guy can do without the Zip if there is no solution for it.

Good lesson for all when encountering an internal Zip drive on a keyboard. Thanx, glen

[Mars Amp Repair]

OK,
Turns out the guy has never used the Zip drive & doesn't care if it doesn't work...Pheww...I'd still be interested if anyone has encountered this issue of self destruction & if there is a line to procuring the drive..thanx, glen

FYI, apparently it all starts with a damaged disc going in to the drive...the zip is programmed to keep searching until it finds data, so it basically keeps rerouting over the damaged disc until the head is destroyed. Any disc that is subsequently put in, is also damaged.
Apparently, the newer zips were reprogrammed to not allow this to happen.

[Enzo]

For reference, when I face something like that, I take it to my local computer store. Not the Best Buy computer department, I mean one of those actual computer stores, where the local geeks go to buy hard drives and mother boards. Wave it in front of them and ask if they can indent the unit and offer replacment for it.

If you buy a basic hard drive from Tascam or someone they want $150 at least. At the store, the same thing is $40.

And seems to me the last floppy drive I bought was $9.

[oc disorder]

9 bucks ? lucky..! Last time I contacted Roland about a floppy drive replacement to suit a Roland Midi Player SD-35 this was the reply:-

We might have one left, if it is not there then it will never be available again as all the substitutes have been discontinued as well as the original.
The part number to use when ordering is 17048405RP and the Retail price is $460.77 (this is Auzzi dollars by the way)
I’m pretty sure it’s there in the warehouse

Needless to say I got a couple of old 720K ones from a recycle shop
and after some experimentation with the jumpers it worked.
Of course I only charged $460.76 !
Now Im looking for a 720k one to suit an Ensoniq EPS or the details to
wire a scusi socket to the 10 pin connector in the EPS-4x expander module.
Way down the list at the moment !

[Mars Amp Repair]

yeah,
Unfortunately, I'm not all that savy when it comes to the computer stuff, so when they all tell me that for instance the floppy drives are unique to the particular keyboard, as with Korgs, I just kinda have to believe them. BTW, the floppy on this board is a single density one...try to find one of those...or maybe the jumpers would allow it to function as one...that's what I don't know.

Korg suggests a Teac drive that can be used in many of their keyboards. It has plenty of jumpers in the back, but how to set them differently than what they say?...I dont' know.

Guess I need to do as Enzo suggests. We do have a local computer joint called 'Geek Street'. My son frequents the place for free stuff, so I have an attic & crawlspace full of the crap he brings home...now I know how my father felt when he couldn't use our garage as it was full of old B & W console TV's I schlepped home! My son's a bit of a chip of the ole block, I guess.

As for the zip drive if I had more time with this, I'd see if there were any way to take one of those external old blue Zip drives out of their cases & see if they would work. you can find them at the thrift stores in droves for real cheap.

As I said I got lucky this time & apparently the zip drive never worked for this guy, so it wasn't an issue for him.

thanx all, g