Spectrum +3 drive not ready error
Hi,
Just picked up a +3 on ebay. Machine appears to be in overall good condition and works. I have finally got some 3" discs (formatted for Amstrad 6128).
When I insert a disc and either cat or format "a:" I get a drive not ready error.
Is there anything I can do i.e. should I take it apart and clean everything?
Could it be drive belts? The drive does appear to whir and grind. :-)
Any ideas?
Just picked up a +3 on ebay. Machine appears to be in overall good condition and works. I have finally got some 3" discs (formatted for Amstrad 6128).
When I insert a disc and either cat or format "a:" I get a drive not ready error.
Is there anything I can do i.e. should I take it apart and clean everything?
Could it be drive belts? The drive does appear to whir and grind. :-)
Any ideas?
Post edited by AceGrace on
Comments
if you need spares try here
http://www.dataserve-retro.co.uk/
or here
http://www.rwapsoftware.co.uk/
cleaning a +3 drive and replacing the belt is a doddle just don't lose the pin !!
New pins can also be got from Datatserve retro IIRC. (If the worst does happen)
Better replaced with a 3 1/2 inch, unless of course you have loads of 3 inch disks with stuff on.
I didn't know that you could replace the 3 inch drive with a 3.5 inch one.
Is it easy to do?
Never done it myself, but from what I've read on here it seems to be quite easy. I've taken my +3 to bits a few times. To take the main board out it's best to completely disconnect the floppy drive. All it has is a ribbon cabke connector on the back for data and a white power plug with some cables. All the wires go back to the main board. I was assuming it's just as simply as plugging the 3.5 inch one in in its place, but I may be badly wrong. I am considering doing this myself if my DivIDE+ unit can't be made to work with my +3.
Please see last part of this link:
http://www.secarica.ro/html/plus3_hardware.html#sound
Also lots of other +3 modifications on there too.
installing internallt is hard because it simply does not fit right. But it's dead easy to install an external one. I even managed to convert an old black laptop fdd into an external +3 floppy and it works perfect. You don't have to remove your internal 3" drive. You don't even have to open the case of +3 (you can put a switch to make external drive act as internal drive a:).
http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Guide_on_how_to_connect_a_3.5
(yes +3 and cpc has the same port and same interface, so this guide can be used for +3 too)