User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Mon Mar 19, 2018 2:33 pm

This funky button I'm hunting isn't an exact match to a stock 500 drive. But it fits the 500 perfectly.

I just need to to be longer. So finding an old 500 button won't help, as this button was custom fit for these new (Sony) drives.

'preciate you looking, though!

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Fri May 11, 2018 9:33 am

@mattsoft has come to the rescue in amazing fashion! He's becoming a bit of a 3D modeling/printing pro. I handed him my too-short button the other night and literally in one day I've got a prototype for a new, longer button! I'll test it tonight. Upon my first visual inspection this button looks really F-ing good.

This FDD drive is going to get looking sweet really soon! THANK YOU Matt!

Then all I'll have left to do is soldering up the FDD's activity light and I can stop thinking about hardware for this machine. Which is a great feeling!
IMG_5028.jpg
IMG_5027.jpg

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Sat May 19, 2018 3:11 pm

With a lot of help from @mattsoft, I can officially label my Phoenix's button as being 100% complete and looking awesome! Matt gave me a new batch of buttons with very subtle visual improvements. I spent this morning lightly sanding one of them, priming it and painting it multiple coats of paint. It's not a 100% perfect match, but for $5 paint I'd say it's 99.999%. Good enough!

I've just installed it. It looks SO good now. Check it out.
IMG_5230.jpg
Before on the left, after on the right. Tank mouse for color reference (which is pretty much the same hue as the case).

IMG_5231.jpg
New button installed in the drive. No disk.

IMG_5232.jpg
Disk inserted. The button sticks out the same length as a stock button does now.

IMG_5233.jpg
Not too shabby! No more ghetto button. Woo hoo!

The 3D Floppy Button Mattsoft designed is on Thingiverse.

Only thing left to do at this point is to solder up the activity light and this Phoenix will officially be DONE. No more hardware hacking. Just using the computer. What a novel idea, eh? :)

User avatar
A1-X1000
Toronto, Canada

Posted Sat May 19, 2018 3:15 pm

looks great! what type of paint did you use?

User avatar
mattsoft

Posted Sat May 19, 2018 3:25 pm

Wow, I can't believe it turned out so nice. The color looks near perfect too!

For the other 2 people in the universe in the same predicament, here is the STL file if you want to print your own.

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Sat May 19, 2018 3:31 pm

It was 3 different paints. The main paint is slightly too dark, so I used a white primer which I'd had left over from my plastic models (yeah, used to do that a lot). Then a slightly darker primer (I probably could have eliminated that step). And finally a third coat, being the paint on the far right. All easily sourced from my local hardware store.

Funny though, you'd never think that brown color would match the A1000, but with a white primer it nearly does. ;)
IMG_5239.jpg
And thanks again, Matt! And yeah - making that button available to the world is simply awesome.

User avatar
BloodyCactus
Lexington VA

Posted Sat May 19, 2018 4:10 pm

nice! Thanks for making the file available on thingiverse! I have an old lulzbot, might have to print a button just in case :P

User avatar
BatteMan
France

Posted Wed Apr 22, 2020 1:14 am

I reread this thread 'cause I did the same here with my A1000. I bought an A500 floppy drive to AmigaStore.eu (with the A500 button), made new holes in the bracket and sanded the button enough.

All seems to work perfectly, even with the front panel (the disk is recognized and it enters and goes out of the drive without problem), but when I close the A1000 and put the monitor on it, the drive works few minutes and after it gives me reading error, again and again...

Do you think it's a problem with the button ? Or maybe with the weight on the 1000 ?
I'll make test without monitor on the 1000, don't thought about it... and I'll test with the 1000 closed but without the button, I'll see !).
I saw I have a second "bracket/holder" around the original disk drive... I'll try to put it back too !

I hope to close permanently this A1000 soon :lol: (even if I still have to solder the LED ! :evil: )

User avatar
Christian

Posted Thu Apr 23, 2020 12:01 am

Do you have the upper metal shield installed? Is the grounding strap still installed on the drive? If both are missing (or the metal shield is not screwed down to the power supply and the floppy drive bracket) and you put a 108x monitor on top, you will likely get read errors from electromagnetic noise of the monitor.

User avatar
BatteMan
France

Posted Thu Apr 23, 2020 4:04 pm

Christian : the upper metal shield is installed but without screws ('cause I don't have them...) and I don't have the grounding strap on the drive!!

Thank you! I'll investigate about this!





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