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Zip drive in Roland VS-840

Can anyone please tell me if a 250MB Zip drive should work off-the-shelf in a Roland VS-840 audio recording machine in place of the 100MB drive it came with ?

I live in a remote region where a friend has been using the Roland VS-840. The 100MB Zip drive died recently (it still works with a drive from another machine), but I couldn't obtain a replacement, so I ordered a 250MB drive from another city. The drive came in a sealed box-pack, but the VS-840 couldn't boot from it.

I connected the drive to my computer. It detects the drive but hangs whenever it tries to read a disk. So it look as if I got a defective drive. I contacted the suppliers and they're ready to send a replacement, but I'm having second thoughts - What if the VS-840 isn't compatible with a 250MB drive ? I've gone to the Roland website, but they don't have any contact info.

I know 250MB Zip drives are backwards compatible with 100MB disks, but the VS-840 is a dedicated machine rather than a general-purpose PC. I'm a regular customer and have the option of returning the drive (I have not yet sent the payment). I don't want to waste $80 buying something I have no use for.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Reply to
pjdd
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I don't know, but you might ask over in news:rec.audio.pro - they may have a better idea.

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has four phone numbers and a fax number, but no email address.

Matt Roberds

Reply to
mroberds

If it is the same type IDE drive as used in a PC (not some proprietary model made for Raloand), yes, it's a direct swap.

If you aren't sure it's the drive (or even if you are sure) don't buy a brand new one. With CD and DVD burners so cheap now, used Zip drives are gathering dust and can be had cheap. Here's one.

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Reply to
Michael Ware

I'm curious to know - Where'd you end up with this?

I'd guess that the Roland would require a 100 Meg drive if that's what it came with.

Sadly the Zip drives are inherently unreliable, so a used one is a risky option. I would maybe search ebay for a NOS 100 Meg unit.

Reply to
Bob Kos

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